Kiss of Fury by Deborah Cooke – a Review

Kiss of Fury by Deborah Cooke is the second book in her Dragonfire series.  It follows the path of Donovan Shea, Irish born Pyr.  Donovan is the bad boy of the Pyr.  He likes to fly solo and fight the good fight.  He’s a lady’s man, but when it comes to his own firestorm he wants nothing to do with it.   Thanks to his parents and what happened a long time ago with him and a woman named Olivia, Donovan fights his firestorm every step of the way.  Donovan doesn’t want a child of his to go through what he did, he doesn’t want to be like his father Keir.  He thought himself in love once and was betrayed.  Now, thanks to Olivia Donovan has trust and commitment issues where women are concerned.  Donovan is determined to thwart the firestorm while he protects and helps his destined mate.  However, the firestorm has other plans for Donovan and Alex.

Alex  Madison is a genius when it comes to science.  She’s a scientist who’s been busy working on a project with her partner Mark that could change the world’s environmental problems.  Together they’ve invented the Green Machine, an automobile that runs on water.  Both Pyr and Slayers have found out about this and are trying to locate Alex for different reasons.  The Slayers want to destroy Alex and her invention, while the Pyr want to ensure she and her Green Machine survive.  It isn’t until the Slayers find Alex first and destroy her lab and kill her partner that she learns there are dragons out there disguised as humans.  At first she thinks she’s loosing it, but when Donovan is sent into rescue her and bring her into the safety and protection of the Pyr, she soon learns there’s a lot more going on then just someone wanting to destroy her invention.

In the world of the Pyr there is a long ago told prophecy about the Wizard and Warrior.  Together they can form an army and lead the Pyr to victory.  Erik learns early on that Alex is this Wizard and he knows in his heart that Donovan is the Pyr destined to be the Warrior.  If the union between Warrior and Wizard is to be successful both Alex and Donovan need to come to terms with what’s happened in their lives and satisfy the firestorm.  Only by surrendering to the firestorm and fulfilling the prophecy can the Pyr achieve victory in this round of the war of Pyr vs Slayer.

As Deborah Cook weaves her tale of dragon shifters, she does so in a way that draws the reader in.   Her stories have a little of everything.  Romance, battles, good vs evil, and humour,.   Her love of dragons shows through in her descriptions.  I find myself getting lost in each story and feeling as though I can reach out and touch the dragons.  The battle scenes are brilliant, they make me hold my breath and cheer for the good guys.  When Donovan is fighting Tyson inside of Alex’s brother’s cottage I felt like I was right there witnessing every slash of their talons and breath of dragon fire. Somehow between all the battles and the struggle between the Pyr and Slayers Deborah manages to weave a love story between the destined mates that has you cheering them on.  Donovan’s reluctance to open himself up to a life of love and commitment has you in his corner from the beginning, urging him on to do the right thing and fulfill his destiny.  Alex’s brilliance and determination to face her fears and do right by her mate in the end makes her the perfect mate for Donovan.   When Alex realizes that Donovan’s missing scale is due to his feelings for her and will make him vulnerable in the coming fight, she takes the step needed to repair Donovan’s trust in woman and open his eyes to the life he and Alex can have.  She offers Donovan her most prized possession, her grandmother’s brooch to repair the scale and make him whole again.

Deborah also continues to tell the story of the Slayers and how they are creating an army from dead Pyr who haven’t been exposed to all 4 elements.  They are creating this army in their Dark Academy, where we learn Donovan’s once thought cousin Delaney was being held.  Donovan learns through a dream sent by the Wyvern that Delaney is his brother, and he feels responsible for what happened to Delaney.   As Delaney is sent on a mission by Magnus to retrieve the Dragon’s Tooth from Donovan, he feels the heat of his brother’s firestorm and begins to fight his way back to the Pyr.  With the aid of his brother’s firestorm, and his selfless act to turn on the Slayers and save Donovan’s mate he casts off the spell and darkness that was planted in him.  In the final battle in the book Donovan finally answers the call of Warrior and together he and his Wizard mate help the Pyr to defeat the Slayers in this round.

I loved every minute of this book and have no problem recommending it to anyone. If you love dragons, good vs evil and romance then this book is a definite must read.  Actually all the books in this series are great and they just keep getting better and better.   I’ve always loved dragons in stories and mythology, but Deborah has put a whole new spin on them for me and has me once again ensnared by the wonder of dragons.

 Reviewed by Marcie