The Smoke Thief (edit title)

• Rated 2 stars

“I'm totally NOT a fan of the writing, but this book contained something very original that I admired a lot; that is, Shana Abe invented the whole People-Turn-Into-Smoke-And-Then-Turn-Into-Dragons thing without any evident inspiration. I REALLY liked that idea.”

• Rated 3 stars

“This is a clever amalgamation of fantasy and regency romance. Abe creates a worthy addition to the 'paranormal' section of your romance shelves, especially for those who are tired of poorly written vampire novels.
The drakon are an interesting idea, and the author introduces readers to their world with just enough detail to want you reading more.
I liked the book when I read it, but it wasn't a life-changer. I will want to continue reading the series.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Great read.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Not a bad book, but I was somehow expecting more from it. Nonetheless, the dragon shape-shifting theme did hold a magic of its own that made reading the book rather pleasant.”

• Rated 3 stars

“One of the great qualities of the heroine in this book is her free spirit and lust for life. I felt like the hero took that away from her and she had to give up too much to be with him. Still, this book is very well written with wonderful detail in descriptions that don't take away from the flow of the story. ”

• Rated 2 stars

“this was an ok book not really my kinda book. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Brought on a spur of the moment 8 days ago, I've found this one of the most enjoyable books I've read in ages!

The characters are lively and the descriptions vivid. You get a real sense of how they feel. The pace is good - it has to be to keep me ready enough to finish in so short a time, and you soon figure out where it's all going, but it's dead enjoyable to get there.”

• Rated 4 stars

“it has ssoooo much sex! kid shouldn't read it!”

• Rated 4 stars

“In this paranormal romance (it seems to be marketed as a fantasy, but to me it falls squarely in the romance genre), a race of dragon shape-shifters try to exist hidden among ordinary humans in 18thC. Europe. They have settled at Darkfrith in the North of England and have developed rather draconian rules for their society. It is forbidden to leave Darkfrith without permission. All "runners" will be hunted down and either brought back, if they are a precious breeding female, or killed if they are male.

Clarissa, as a half-human drakon, has never fit in. She risks everything to begin a daring new life in London, using her unusual skills, such as being able to turn into smoke, to become a master thief. Unfortunately her exploits bring her to the attention of Christoff, Marquess of Langford and Alpha leader of the drakon, who is charged with hunting her down.

There have been fantasy-romances before, and plenty of alpha-heroes, but the best thing about this tale is the rich, magical, fairy-tale quality of the writing. Many of the descriptions are enchantingly beautiful. But the fairy-tale feeling also creates a bit of a distance between the reader and the characters. I found the main characters both interesting and sympathetic, but sometimes their thoughts and motivations were obscure. It was still a pretty little tale that is worth at least a quick read.”

• Rated 4 stars

“The romance aspect of this book irked me a little. I'm not wholly convinced that Kit is in love with Rue, whereas she sacrificed a great deal to be with him. It also seemed to me that a previously strong female character was ultimated suppressed by the relationship, which is rather annoying.

But all complaints aside, the plot and backdrop for this book is quite unique. Maybe I haven't read enough books involving dragons, but I thought it added a new and interesting twist to things. Here's hoping the next book will be even better.”