Love, love, love this story!

First off, I’m a HUGE dragon shifter fan. So when I found out one of my favorite authors, Lauren Smith, was starting a dragon shifter series I was so there. And what a start it is! This story grabbed me from the first page. Grigori is full of intrigue, action and enchanting characters. I love that it's set in Russia, it's a new setting to me. I can't wait for the next in the series.

I would recommend this book to any dragon shifter readers!

I was given a copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Grigori is light, page-turner dragon shifter romance hitting all the right notes for me: no OW/OM drama, no cheating, likable characters, and a good balance of romance and action. Note: There were some touching moments that made tear up a bit.

The story and romance isn't anything I have read before. A hot shifter who is over a three thousand years old finds his virginal mate who is your seemingly average girl, kidnaps and plans to seduce her! Who doesn't want to read about that? Together with all their sniffing of each other's scents (which created some hot tension) and the easy flow of the writing me turning the page.

"He wanted a woman of his own, one to share his heart and soul with. Despite being alive for almost three thousand years, he still hasn't found the one woman that was meant to be his."

In paranormal romances there usually is a quite a bit of worldbuilding that often gets me board, lost, and plain confused (especially with names). However, Grigori drew me straight into the world. Nothing about the world was complicated or drawn out into substantial detail with five pages of backstory. I actually thought Ms. Smith did a clever job incorporating the flashbacks and dreams to be interesting and informative that I never skipped them (and you shouldn't).

What I really like was the small quotes at the beginning of each chapter. There were many by Rainer Maraia Rilke that was hauntingly beautiful. Lauren Smith made me officially a fan of his work. :D

"If you are the dreamer, I am what you dream.
But when you want to wake, I am your wish,
and I grow strong with all magnificence
and turn myself into a star's vast silence
above the strange and distant city, Time."

-Rainer Maraia Rilke

I'd recommend this book for those who want to start reading shifter/paranormal romances. There isn't a lot of character development except the heroine, but it doesn't dive deep into it. This isn't a character-driven story, so don't expect some deep philosophical, mind-blowing narrative about human nature. But there is enough romance, action, and suspense to keep one entertained! I'm definitely pre-ordering the second book when it becomes available.

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Grigori by Lauren Smith
Book #1: Brothers of Ash and Fire
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4½/5 stars

I am a sucker for a dragon book and Grigori certainly did deliver for me 😊

Madelyn Haynes has always felt different, separated from those around her, but she has no idea why. Her intense interest in dragons and proving their existence has led her to a desperate situation with her job and to Russia in a last-ditch effort to prove her wild theories. Little does Madelyn know, not only will she be able to definitively prove her theories, but she’ll also meet the love of many lifetimes.

Grigori is a man who has spent many lifetimes protecting his family, their secret, and their land. As a shape-shifting dragon, and one of the last of his family’s line, it is imperative no one find out about Grigori and his brothers. With only one slip about a century ago, Grigori and his brothers have done a fine job hiding who they are from the world at-large. Unfortunately, that one slip is now in the hands of the ultra-inquisitive Madelyn Haynes and Grigori has some serious damage control to do! The best way to control the potential damage? Kidnap the girl causing the problems 😊

While Grigori would normally put the mind-whammy on a human and be done with it, Madelyn seems to be somewhat immune to his abilities. Additionally, Madelyn stirs long forgotten feelings in Grigori that tend to indicate having found one’s life mate. Trouble is, Madelyn is human and mating for a lifetime with a human when you’re immortal never goes well. Finally, in the midst of everything else, an ancient enemy has chosen the here and now to poke at Grigori and his brothers in an effort to take full control of Russia. When it rains it pours ☹

For Madelyn’s part, the kidnapping certainly isn’t ideal, but the discovery of actual dragons is thrilling. Unfortunately, telling the world what she’s discovered just isn’t going to be possible. On the bright side, Madelyn’s feelings for Grigori mirror his feelings for her which makes her decision to sacrifice her research all the easier. All she must do is convince a one-thousand-year-old dragon he should absolutely mate with her, a mere human.

The Bottom Line: I am often quite fond of Lauren Smith’s offerings and Grigori is no exception to that rule! In fact, I’m sort of sad I found this book when I did and not after the other two had already been released. This was a devour it kind of read with loads of smoldering (HA! Dragons!) sexy, an old hatred coming into play, secrets revealed, and a few mysteries unlocked that will surprise everyone. I enjoyed this insta-love read immensely and can’t wait for the rest of the series to be published. If you’re a lover of all things dragon, you’ll want to check Grigori out for sure!! ( )

Love, love, love this story!

First off, I’m a HUGE dragon shifter fan. So when I found out one of my favorite authors, Lauren Smith, was starting a dragon shifter series I was so there. And what a start it is! This story grabbed me from the first page. Grigori is full of intrigue, action and enchanting characters. I love that it's set in Russia, it's a new setting to me. I can't wait for the next in the series.

I would recommend this book to any dragon shifter readers!

I was given a copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Grigori by Lauren Smith
Brothers of Ash and Fire #1

Madelyn has dreamed of dragons her entire life and has always been interested in proving they are or were real. In Moscow she finds a book that indicates they may be BUT finds herself in jeopardy as a result of reading the book and photographing what was in it.

Grigori Barinov and his two brothers are the last of their dragon line and need to create progeny or they will all die out. Little does he know that taking Madelyn home with him might prove to be the best thing that ever happened – for both of them.

There are fights and enemies and a mating and a revelation related to Madelyn and a few other fun events before the book ends with a lead into the next book which will be the story of Grigori’s brother Mikhail. My guess is that Rurik will be the third story in the series.

This was an easy read about a dragon and the mate he ends up with. There was nothing new in this paranormal romance but it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Swerve – this is my honest review.

3-4 Stars ( )