Soul of Smoke
Caitlyn McFarland
Fantasy Romance
Kai Monahan never believed in dragons—until one nearly died in her arms. Now she’s bound by fire to a warrior who could destroy her…or ignite something far more dangerous.
Kai thought she’d lost everything—her future in law school, her family’s trust, her carefully planned life. Now she chases adrenaline on the cliffs of the Rockies, where the only person she can endanger is herself.
Until the night she stumbles into a battle between dragons. And saves one.
Dragged into a hidden world where dragons wear sinfully gorgeous human forms, Kai finds herself tied to Rhys: a burdened, battle-scarred warrior with starfire eyes. A single brush of skin seals them in a bond that sears him with fire whenever she strays too far—a bond neither of them wanted.
The only way to stop the agony is surrender.
But Kai refuses to give up her freedom, and Rhys refuses to chain her against her will—though every heated glance, every accidental touch, every night spent too close makes resistance harder to cling to. And the longer they fight the pull, the more dangerous their bond becomes.
Because if desire doesn’t consume them both…the fire will.
Uncaged Review: This is the first book of four for a series, and in this series, Kai and Juliet are on a trip when they spot a young woman who had fallen down the cliffs and was unconscious. Being a rock climber, Kai scales down to help her while Juliet runs back to find help. But the woman awakens and starts to get up to find her family and Kai feels obligated to go with her to help her on an injured leg. But when they cross into the hidden world of dragons and a battle ensues with Kai barely surviving, but by saving Rhys in the meantime.
Dragons mate for life, and to find out if they are heartsworn, all it takes is a touch, but to complete the bond, it’s a kiss that seals it forever. When Rhys touches Kai, Rhys is heartsworn to her and since Kai isn’t from this world, she rebels and just wants to leave, but it could kill Rhys…
The world building is decent, and I liked most of the side characters, but I think Kai was a little rash in some decisions and instead of getting mad, should have asked more questions and found out more about a bond and the dragons, instead she came off as a little self-absorbed and selfish, even when she started to like some of them. Near the end of the book, she did better, and I was invested in this relationship, but a few things didn’t add up in the end, although I won’t give it away. All four books are out now, so anyone can read straight through, but don’t skip, these need to be read in order.
Reviewed by Cyrene
4 Stars
