Friday, October 9, 2020

Book Review: ORIGIN by AJ Sherwood & Jocelynn Drake (Scales 'n' Spells #1)


Origin

By AJ Sherwood & Jocelynn Drake

origin cover

Scales 'n' Spells, Book 1

Cameron wants to make it clear that he did not go into the festival to find a dragon mate.

Germany is supposed to be an escape. With a new mechanical engineering degree, a new job looming, and a whole life planned out that isn’t his, Germany seems like the best place to find himself.

So how does he end up discovering his lost magic heritage, running from bad guys with a secret agenda, and being adopted by the not-so-extinct Fire Dragon clan?

Cameron blames tall, dark, and sexy Alric, king of the Fire dragons. His fated mate. Because of course he is, and mates are meant to take the blame, right?

It may take a hot second, but as Cameron learns more about the scarred Alric and the life he’s landed in, Cameron realizes that perhaps this is where he’s meant to be, magic and mates and kidnapping and all.

Turns out coming to Germany wasn’t an escape but his awakening.

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Carra's Review

This was my first time reading something by either of the authors.  They did a great job on this first book of the series, and I already can’t wait to read more.  I truly enjoyed this modern world they’ve crafted where dragons are known as beings who are no longer in the world but are still celebrated, even as they live right underneath everyone’s noses.


I loved the dynamic between Cameron and Alric.  Cameron is open to believing in the existence of dragons thanks to the stories he’s been told in his family.  He has a great laid-back, open-minded attitude but is also an intelligent critical thinker.  His youth is not at all a detriment even given the seriousness of his situation—he shows a maturity you wouldn’t normally find in someone his age.


Alric is much more reserved, and he puts his clan before all else.  He was a tiny bit frustrating with his insistence on letting Cameron explore the possibilities with the other dragons in the clan; I do understand his reasoning, though this did draw out the already slow burn between them even more.  Alric and Cameron complement each other well, and each considers the other in everything—something Alric is not accustomed to having.


There’s a great cast of supporting characters and I’m already chomping at the bit to find out their individual stories.  Especially Ravi…I adored him the most with his free loving, impetuous, and overeager personality.  You can’t help but fall for him.  And as for the bad guys?  They’re just the right amount of evil enemy, though sorely misguided in their beliefs.


There was a spot or two of inconsistency in continuity, but beyond that the story was engaging and kept my attention.  After the excitement of the final conflict—which does leave things open for future clashes with the enemy—I’m definitely on the hook for more in this series.  5 stars for Origin, and I would absolutely recommend this to any M/M fantasy romance fan, especially if you are a dragon lover like me.  This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.


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About the Authors:

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AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She’s often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.

She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.

Connect with AJ: https://www.ajsherwood.com/

Jocelynn Drake

New York Times Bestselling author Jocelynn Drake loves a good story, whether she is reading it or writing one of her own. Over the years, her stories have allowed her to explore space, talk to dragons, dodge bullets with assassins, hang with vampires, and fall in love again and again.

This former Kentucky girl has moved up, down, and across the U.S. with her husband. Recently, they’ve settled near the Rockies.

When she is not hammering away at her keyboard or curled up with a book, she can be found cuddling her cat Demona, walking her dog Ace, or playing video games. She loves Bruce Wayne, Ezio Auditore, travel, tattoos, explosions, and fast cars.

She is the author of the urban fantasy series: The Dark Days series and the Asylum Tales. She has just completed a gay romantic suspense series called The Exit Strategy about two assassins falling in love and trying to create a life together. Her newest project returns to her vampire roots with a MM paranormal romance series Lords of Discord.

With Rinda Elliott, she is one half of the Drake & Elliott writing team and has produced such series as Unbreakable Bonds, Ward Security, Pineapple Grove, and Weavers Circle.

With AJ Sherwood, she is journeying into a new MM paranormal romance series called Spells n’ Scales that is set to launch in September 2020.

Connect with Jocelynn: https://jocelynndrake.com/


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