For more than a decade, Clan Skyhunter suffered under a cruel, power-hungry leader who did anything to advance his agenda. He was finally caught in an illegal scandal and sent to prison, and now the dragon-shifter clan in the south of England is ready for a new leader. And so the trials begin… his cruelty. Now free, he wants to win the leadership and guide his clan to a better future. However, being the nephew of the old leader isn’t easy, and if that wasn’t enough to overcome, he’s still recovering from the torture he endured while imprisoned. Still, he’s determined to win and keep his clan from being disbanded by the humans, even if it means competing against his ex-girlfriend and denying how much he still wants her.
Newly returned from her stay in America, Honoria Wakeham puts herself up as a candidate to be clan leader. Not everyone approves of a female candidate, but that doesn’t faze her. The old clan leader killed her parents, and in order to fully heal, she wants to bring the clan together and move their practices into the twenty-first century. What she didn’t count on was running into Asher King, the male she loved over a decade ago, before she was sent away to stay with her American relatives for safety.
It doesn’t take long for Asher and Honoria to give in to their attraction, but from it springs an idea that may be the best of all. Can they win the leadership trials and keep their clan together? Or, will one of the other candidates win and try to keep Skyhunter in the past?
NOTE: Full-length story with a happy ending (and epilogue!). While it can be read as a standalone, cameos by characters from Stonefire Dragons and Lochguard Highland Dragons means those who’ve read the other series will find it more enjoyable.
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A very enjoyable series, nice touch to show a strong woman teaming up with a strong man to accomplish their goal …. together!
What a great start to the Stonefire Universe. It was great to get a look into Skyhunter after hearing so much about them. I really liked that there are new ideas about what to do to help the clans work together. The relationship between Asher and Anoria is unique and they work so well together. It is also great to see some familiar faces.
Once again a phenomenal story from Jessie Donovan.
My Thoughts – 5 out of 5 Unicorns – I loved it!!!
***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!! Yes, I received a review copy of this book, but no one tells me what to think, feel, or write about any book! I will eventually collect all of Jessie’s books when I can.
The cover is another amazing one! I really love all the dragon covers!
This is the first book in a spin-off series called Stonefire Dragons Universe. Obviously, it is in the fabulous dragon world we all know and love, and if you don’t know it yet…you should get to know it! It is for adults only due to the steamy content with the randy dragons. Though not required, you will love this more if you have read all the dragon books because they you know all their stories and the humor that comes with them and because they just rock!
Jessie is a fabulous story teller and her dragons are my favorites. I love that we are getting more dragon clans to read and learn about. In this story, it is Skyhunter Clan that we learn about, and they are currently going through the trials for a new leader after their last horrible leader. I was pulled into Asher and Ria’s story from the start, and I loved every second reading it. Asher and Ria have a great relationship where they both can be themselves which is sometimes being in charge and dominant and sometimes being ordered about. They are both very honorable and want what is best for their clan and for it to be a home again.
I highly recommend to any dragon shifter fan because Jessie is the queen of amazing dragon shifter stories! I recommend reading them all! No one tells a story like Jessie does!
After years of reading Ms. Donovan’s stories I have to admire how she conveys emotions, the feelings of fear and love, the world building with each o her books and finally how strong her characters are within the stories she tells.
Honoria is a white dragon whose parents sent her to America for her safety, She has come back to her home clan the Skyhunters to compete for the right to lead the clan but she discovers her childhood sweetheart is also competing. Asher has had a rough five years being tortured by his cousin because he would not submit to his Uncle’s harsh leadership, despite that he remained strong. He too is competing for leadership imagine his surprise.
These two are scarred in different ways, wlll they have the strength and leadership abilities to succeed? You can find out within because I gave the only details to encourage you to grab a copy, Yes i voluntarily chose to read an advance copy and I haven’t been compensated in any way unless you consider that she took me away from my constant pain for a few hours but don’t take my word for it judge it fr yourself I think you will be happy that you did.
Asher king has been imprison for 5 years by his uncle the leader of Skyhunt . His crime? He disagreed with his uncle on his treatment of the clan. His uncle is gone and he is free. He is trying to get the spot of clan leader to help his clan.
Honoria is a Dragon woman who use to live at Skyhunt but left at 16 for safety and her parents were killed by the old clan leader. She came back to try out for clan leader of Skyhunt and use to date and love Asher as he did her.
The story was great. Love the action, drama, mystery and intrigue. The characters are awesome. The story was lots of twists so don’t miss it. Voluntarily review a copy and I honestly loved it.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
Winning Skyhunter-brings back the flair Ms. Donovan had for her dragons. There is Love (well, it is a romance), Intrigue (got love the suspense), Greed (others not wanting a more equitable place in life – old way is the best way mentality) and Family (we got to see old friends and make new ones) – what more can we want from the dragon world of Ms. Donovan? Spend a couple of hours and be whisked away on a pair of dragon wings…
DONOVAN HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!!
Title: Winning Skyhunter
Series: Stonefire Dragons Universe
Author: Jessie Donovan
Designation: Book 1 of Series, Novella(50,000 words-Ebook Edition: Approximately 140 pages), Can Be Read As Standalone, No Cliffhanger, HEA #paranormalromance #fantasy #dragonshifters #newseries
My Rating: Five Fabulously Entertaining Stars*****
Wow! Jessie Donovan has done it again! And just what has she done, you ask? She’s completely captured my heart – AGAIN – with Winning Skyhunter, the first release in her new Stonefire Dragons Universe Series. And be still my heart, it’s absolutely spellbinding! I adore fantasy, love paranormal romance, and totally enamored with dragon shifters, but give me all three in one great story, and I’m in heaven! Jessie Donovan excels at delivering the perfect trifecta and Winning Skyhunter is no exception! I became addicted to her work five years ago after reading and falling in love with a book entitled Convincing the Cougar by a then little-known author named Jessie Donovan. It was about the alpha of a cougar-shifter clan who’d given up on life, love, and himself because of a physical impairment caused by an injury received while protecting several cubs, one so severe he never healed properly. The story was so moving and well written, and I’d really never read anything like it, before or since. To say I was impressed would be a huge understatement. I fell in love with Donovan’s comfortable, no-nonsense, easy-to-follow style but it was her extraordinary world building, unique storylines, and in-depth character development that completely captured my heart along with my imagination. I wanted more, so I raced back to Amazon and discovered another book in the same series as well as another series, Asylums for Magical Threats, which I also read and liked. And then, the magic happened! Several months later, Donovan released her first dragon-shifter story, Sacrificed to the Dragon, and the rest, as they say, was history. I was hooked and became a fan for life! Donovan’s dragon-shifter world is completely unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. In my humble opinion, Donovan pens some of the most creative, original, and imaginative paranormal romance I’ve ever read, and I’ve been reading over 65 years, so that’s quite a statement. And just when I think Donovan couldn’t possibly surprise me again, she delivers an unexpected left hook and blindsides me with another completely unique storyarc that blows everything else out of the water! This book is completely different than anything she’s written to date, and I loved it! Now, let me tell you why!
Winning Skyhunter is an exciting, fast-paced, well-crafted, highly-imaginative paranormal tale filled to the brim with danger, drama, angst, suspense, passion, and heartwarming romance. The dialogue is smart, snappy, well executed, at times hilarious, and flows effortlessly. The narrative is beautifully written in the third person with his and her perspectives given by the two protagonists,
dragon-shifters Asher King and Honoria Wakeham. I have no idea how Donovan does it, but I always fall head over heels in love with Donovan’s stubborn, grouchy, domineering heroes and become completely captivated by her headstrong, intelligent heroines, and Asher and Ria are certainly no exception. As Donovan effortlessly peels away their layers, we discover Asher and Ria to be remarkably complex, multi-layered characters with complicated histories who find themselves in an unusually difficult situation, and for very valid reasons. Both are determined, courageous, independent, intelligent, self-reliant, stubborn, strong-willed, selfless, and truly kind, but with extremely dominant personalities, yet surprisingly their pairing worked. Their verbal and physical sparring is beyond entertaining. Their interaction is electric, their banter hilarious, their attraction undeniable, their passion explosive, and their sexual chemistry is so hot it sizzled. The conversations these dragon shifters have in their heads with their dragons is outrageously funny. Interestingly, the dragon personas of Donovan’s dragon-shifters are not just a minor part of her stories but are separate entities with their own characteristics, voices, and opinions, and are just as integral to the plot and storyline as their human counterparts. They take on a life of their own, actually giving us two characters rather than one. I’ve never encountered another author who gives so much voice to the animal alter of each character. It’s one of the things I love most about Donovan’s stories and has never been more evident than in this storyline. Which brings me to my favorite component of every Donovan story…the large cast of characters. They are unique, refreshing, engaging, endearing and at times, laugh-out-loud funny. Donovan is an exceptionally gifted storyteller who excels at creating unique, imaginative worlds and populating them with captivating characters who literally explode from the pages, grab your attention, engage your imagination, and completely capture your heart. You can mention any character’s name from any of Donovan’s dragon series to a fellow fan, and they will immediately be able to tell you who they are, what clan they belong to, whether they have a mate and if so, their name, occupation, and if they have children. These characters have become family, which brings me to another thing I truly enjoy about Donovan’s work. The worlds of her series are interconnected and the characters regularly overlap so it’s not unusual to see characters from other clans making an appearance in each story. And recently, Donovan has also introduced characters from several clans in the England, Scotland, Ireland, Europe, Italy, Wales, and America. I always love seeing many of my favorite characters from previous books in New stories, but Donovan also constantly treats us to intriguing new characters, always preparing readers for new books. It’s just bloody brilliant!
No spoilers from me but I will say this… A handsome, growly, scarred dragon-shifter, traumatized by five years of imprisonment, torture, and forced drug use, but determined to help his family, save his clan, win the leadership trials, and work hard to undo the horrors and ill will caused by his uncle, the former clan leader-check! A beautiful dragon-shifter, tired of being limited because she’s a female, returns home after a 15 year absence determined to win the leadership challenge and become leader of her clan-check! A partnership of convenience between former teenage sweethearts that could become so much more-check! A dragon-shifter clan struggling to survive after a decades-old reign of corruption and terror-check! A realization that betrayal can come in many forms-check! A malevolent enemy from within who endangers the welfare of the entire clan-check! Danger, drama, angst, an unexpected conflict, several surprising allies and despite the situation, a whole lot of cheeky humor-check! Undeniable attraction, steamy passion, dreamy romance, and a heartwarming happy ending-you bet! That and a whole lot more! Will Asher and Ria find a way to work together, win the leadership trials, save Skyhunter, and lead their clan into a prosperous future for all? We’ll see, and in this case, maybe two stubborn, independent, domineering heads are really better than one! Sometimes, the hardest battle of all is not with others but with ourselves!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! It gave me all the elements I enjoy most in a great book including danger, drama, adventure, suspense, explosive passion, romance, and a very unusual storyline. Without a doubt, Winning Skyhunter is some of Donovan’s best work to date and I can hardly wait to see what she writes next. I really don’t know how she’ll top this story , though she always does! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am, but only for adult readers since it does contain some very cheeky dragon-shifters with very, randy dragons, a little naughty language, and some steamy, dreamy love scenes. This a 50,000 word complete story (with no cliffhanger) and can be read as a standalone, but I’m old school and classify anything under 60,000 words as a novella. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
Super excited that were back in stonefire world it was definitely worth the wait. In the previous book series Skyhunter clan was always mentioned didn’t realize all the hardships they were facing. To see how passionate Asher and Ria were and how hard they fought for their clan was a sigh to behold. Overall a enjoyable and entertaining read plenty of intrigue, action, some laugh out loud moments and of course steamy romance to keep you hooked from beginning to end. Looking forward to seeing what else is in store for this series. I voluntarily read and review this ARC no monetary compensation was received the opinions I have expressed are my own.
Winning Skyhunter
The old Clan Leader of Skyhunter, Malcolm King is gone. He was not a good and fair leader. He imprisoned those that spoke out against him. He was a cruel man that drugged the dragon shifters preventing them from talking to their dragons. Some became insane or perished. Asher King, his nephew was imprisoned for standing up to his Uncle and attempting to contact the DDA(Department of Dragon Affairs). For five long tortuous years he and his dragon could not communicate. Months after his release and reuniting with his dragon he is working through therapy.
There are to be Dragon Trials to determine the new Clan Leader. Asher is determined to become the new leader. His family name needs clearing and he wants to bring back Skyhunter Clan to what it once was, a proud and honorable Clan.
First, he must enter a building to register. He and his dragon are wary of enclosed places. They are still learning to talk and react with each other. His dragon is a sassy randy dragon. Asher needs to lighten up and smile more. It seems his dragon will be trying to accomplish just that.
There are seven candidates: five males and two females. His best friend from his teenage years is back from America, Honoria Wakeham. She is part of the candidate pool. Asher’s dragon is smitten and wants Asher to go talk to her.
The DDA employee, Penny, outlines the rules and challenges for the Clan Leader trial. This is an unusual trial and other Clan Leaders will meet with the candidates and help in the decision making. It is emphasized that this could be the last chance for Skyhunter.
Honoria and Asher decide that they might be stronger as a team, a balanced leadership and suggest that to the trail leaders. Can they do this? Do they have a chance? Asher and Honoria are not true mated but there is a strong connection. Can they weather the trials and learn from each other?
This is another good book in Jessie Donovan’s Dragon series. We see glimpses of past characters and get little bits of updates. We find new characters and interesting situations. You will not be able to put this book down. I want to know more about these delightful dragon clans.
The cruel clan leader was gone. Punished for his crimes but the remnants of his rule left the clan leaderless and in shambles. Asher planned to lead them back into the thriving clan he remembers from his youth. Something or someone else he remembers is Honoria, his teenage crush. Would she remember their times together?
She’d never forgotten him. At the same time as her parents were sacrificed by the old leader, Asher had been captured and tortured for years. Her loving parents saw the future and sent her to family in America. She, too, was back to reinstate the clan before it was closed and the dragons scattered.
Each signed up for the new clan leader trials. They were always stronger when they teamed up. He was one male who gave her credit for her strength and intelligence. When she suggested they go to the trials as co-leaders his resistance was short lived. Now all they had to do was win the trials, pass the tests, convince the council they were the best option, and overcome the enemies against them. Then they could mend the pieces of the clan back together and get them to trust the other clans. Would their strong feelings and desires for each other help them or hinder?
The author has created a world of dragons and humans like no one else. These beings are strong willed (translate stubborn) very sexual, loyal, loving and protective of their family and clans. We get a visit from some of the old friends we’ve met and loved from earlier stories as well as to watch two dragons who have suffered mentally and physically join to make their clan thrive again.
The story is as good as the beautiful cover.