The Dragon of New Orleans (Treasure of Paragon, #1)

by Genevieve Jack

A cursed dragon shifter, a terminal cancer patient, and a magical bond that promises to save them both... if they don't kill each other first.

2020 RONE award winner BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE LONG
2020 Independent Publisher Book Award for BEST ROMANCE E-BOOK

New Orleans: city of intrigue, supernatural secrets, and one enigmatic dragon.

A deadly curse...

For 300 years, Gabriel Blakemore has survived in New Orleans after a coup in his native realm of Paragon scattered him and his dragon siblings across the globe. Now a jealous suitor's voodoo curse threatens to end his immortal existence. His only hope is to find an antidote, one that may rest in a mortal woman.

A lifesaving gift...

After five years of unsuccessful treatment for her brain cancer, death is a welcome end for Raven Tanglewood. Her illness has become a prison her adventurous spirit cannot abide. Salvation comes in the form of Gabriel, who uses dragon magic to save her.

A harrowing price...

To Raven, the bond that results from Gabriel's gift is another kind of captivity. Can Gabriel win Raven's love and trust in time to awaken the life-saving magic within her? Or will his fiery personality and possessive ways drive her from his side and seal his fate?

• ISBN10: 1940675480
• ISBN13: 9781940675480
• Publish Date: 5 March 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Carpe Luna Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 360
• Language: English

Reviews

[glowstars]

It's been a while since I've read something that would fall under the banner of mass-market paranormal romance, but an ad for The Dragon of New Orleans kept popping up in my Facebook feed, and the alpha nature of said dragon was appealing.

I'd forgotten that this type of story lacks the steam of my usual dark and/or kinky romance reads, which was somewhat disappointing. Can you take away rating stars based on lack of steam? The story was inventive, fast-paced, and interesting, so maybe I shouldn't mark it down for steam. What a conundrum!

I think what really took away that fourth star was the lack of intensity throughout the majority of the novel. It started off really strong in the first chapter, describing the effects of Raven's illness. From then onward it felt like the author never really pushed hard or deep enough. Gabriel wasn't quite as alpha as you'd expect a royal dragon to be; despite a little initial protest, Raven accepted being swept along by events and putting up with sub-par explanations.

If I'm honest, I probably won't carry on with this series unless the next one pops up as a freebie. It just wasn't enough to get me to part with my pennies.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Narrated by Rock Engle, Jack quickly pulled me into this tale and held me spellbound. Engle was the perfect voice for a dragon. His dialect and female characters had charisma. I will definitely look for more audiobooks narrated by him.

At twenty-three years of age, our heroine Raven, is in the final stages of cancer. Gabriel, a dragon from Paragon, saves her under the condition she help him undo a curse. Thinking him a dream she accepts….

Crimson, a Voodoo Witch has cursed Gabriel. Crimson wants to sleep with Gabriel to perform some magic ritual. His refusal(s) provoke her into cursing his life ring. Crimson, like NOLA is over the top from her attire to her actions, and I adored loathing her. But, beware she bites!

They’ve got until Fat Tuesday to save Gabriel. Only, Raven doesn’t have a clue what to do. Her premonitions were a fluke caused by her illness. Or were they? During, that time their attraction will intensify and Raven will learn she is so much more. I loved that we saw trust, and character growth as their story progressed.

The attraction, back-and-forth banter and smoldering chemistry shared time with the suspenseful angle. I came to care for Gabriel and Raven, but also enjoyed secondary characters and loved hating our villain.

The book contains mature scenes and my headphones melted. Their relationship and chemistry felt genuine. I loved that the author allowed me to feel connected to them and the story as it unfolded.

Talks of food, curses, Casket Girls, old lore and more grounded the tale and kept me listening. The New Orleans setting, antiquities shop, and history added to the atmosphere.

As for world-building the listener was left to discover things alongside Raven and this worked well. The author provided the key elements, but kept the pace fast and smooth by avoiding info dumps and leaving room for further discovery. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer