J. D. Monroe

The Guardian’s Curse by J D Monroe
1st book in the Cursed Blood series. Vampire / witch paranormal romance.
Shoshanna York doesn’t want to work for vampires but her spell work helps to pay the bills. When an old boyfriend, turned vampire, tries to force Shoshanna to go with him, she’s able to get protection from the vampire Auberon Covenant. She’s to stay in the house with Alistair Thorne, a reclusive vampire that mostly hides in the basement and wears a hoody that covers his features. Alistair is cursed and finds himself fascinated with his houseguest. As she works on protection spells for the Covenant in return for the protection, she also finds herself playing the piano nightly with Alistair and curious about his covering and gloves. She sees a curse in him and also a statue in his home. She decides she will help break those curses with her magic.

Vampires and witches, blood and magic. A combination that makes this book and series compelling. It’s rich in details, suspense and world building on the darker side of the genre. The hero is tortured, the heroine slightly naive, but hopeful and giving. Their story will hold you in thrall.
A curse that touches several in its own tortured manifestation and books that will share each as the series continues.… (meer)

Wings of Stone by J. D. Monroe
The Dragons of Ascavar, book 1. Fantasy romance.

Tarek is a guardian of a portal between the human world and the dragon home world. When the princess doesn’t return to the gate on time he tracks her down at the hospital where she lays unconscious and injured. Doctor Gabriella Rojas immediately knows Tarek is not just a man concerned for a patient, but much more. When the hospital is attacked, Gabby trusts Tarek when he turns into a dragon and asks for her help.

Wonderful world building with a strong female lead. The human doctor is a powerful force in the dragon shifters world. A love story that crosses worlds.
A bit of a cliffhanger for the worlds under threat of war, but the story of this couple is complete.
Very low heat level.

Excerpt for Gabrielle:
“ for the first time in decades, maybe her entire life, Gabrielle Rojas needed someone to rescue her. She was about as damsel-in-distress as it got at the moment, and the only person who could savor was a strapping hunk of a man. Not quite a knight in shining armor, but a dragon-man in a precariously short loincloth would have to do.”

Excerpt that I found amusing:
“They had rounded another spiral of the stairs, passing a familiar archway when she realized where they were. She lunged forward to grab Kaldir’s muscular forearm. He tensed and looked back at her. “It’s here,” she blurted, breathing hard. He’d been about to run past it, which confirmed that even dragon men wouldn’t ask for directions.”
Excerpts from Wings of Stone by J. D. Monroe… (meer)