

desertcart.com: Origin: Scales ‘N’ Spells, Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition): AJ Sherwood, Jocelynn Drake, Joel Leslie, Podium Audio: Audible Books & Originals Review: What an absolute treat! - This is a m/m shifter/mage romance (without mpreg). desertcart recommended this book to me after my delight with a completely different author/series; I put it off because the cover didn’t grab me and a different series did. That was a mistake as this book was such a treat to read! I was hooked from the very first chapter, which is rare for me with the sheer number of books I consume by book and audio. Imagine a world where Dragons live only in myth and shadows, hidden from the world and the evil that sought to destroy them. One day a man wanders into a small town in Germany to discover that not only are dragons real, but that he comes from a long line of mages! The story is beautifully written and I’ve almost run out of enough words to describe just how much I enjoyed this book with its modern setting, fantasy is woven in perfect symmetry with suspense and dashes of romance. I am grateful for my kindle unlimited subscription so I could hurry back to get the rest of the series; after all, who needs sleeps?! Review: Alric & Cameron - Dragon and mage. The world is short on mages after the war and the Burkhardt clan has been searching for hundreds of years for mages. Once found, how will the mage realize it’s a lost magic through generations and accept their new destiny? Cameron knows he’s not supposed to follow the path laid out for him and when he meets this enchanting man, how can he resist? Toppling the Jaeggi clan, Cameron finds his place with his fated mate. Great story and wonderful characters.
F**S
What an absolute treat!
This is a m/m shifter/mage romance (without mpreg). Amazon recommended this book to me after my delight with a completely different author/series; I put it off because the cover didn’t grab me and a different series did. That was a mistake as this book was such a treat to read! I was hooked from the very first chapter, which is rare for me with the sheer number of books I consume by book and audio. Imagine a world where Dragons live only in myth and shadows, hidden from the world and the evil that sought to destroy them. One day a man wanders into a small town in Germany to discover that not only are dragons real, but that he comes from a long line of mages! The story is beautifully written and I’ve almost run out of enough words to describe just how much I enjoyed this book with its modern setting, fantasy is woven in perfect symmetry with suspense and dashes of romance. I am grateful for my kindle unlimited subscription so I could hurry back to get the rest of the series; after all, who needs sleeps?!
G**D
Alric & Cameron
Dragon and mage. The world is short on mages after the war and the Burkhardt clan has been searching for hundreds of years for mages. Once found, how will the mage realize it’s a lost magic through generations and accept their new destiny? Cameron knows he’s not supposed to follow the path laid out for him and when he meets this enchanting man, how can he resist? Toppling the Jaeggi clan, Cameron finds his place with his fated mate. Great story and wonderful characters.
C**G
5 stars for Origin!
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.
O**8
Dragons! Hurt/comfort, age gap
I loved this book. Dragon shifters are my favorite. Cameron is taking his vacation in Germany and attends a local festival. He meets an older man, Alric, who offers to show him around. Alric is King of the Fire Dragons. Dragons are thought to be extinct but they are real and hidden from humans. Cameron is a mage, the dragons can smell his magic. But Cameron has no idea he is a mage, has no idea that dragons are real. Alric wants to bring Cameron into his castle and help Cameron find his mate among the dragons. Cameron could never want Alric as mate because he is an old damaged dragon who can't even fly. So the story is action packed, fabulous characters, but halfway through the book im yelling at Cameron and Alric to stop being oblivious and jump in bed together :p yeah I'm impatient I guess. Seriously Alric, sludge moves faster. Cameron should've jumped him earlier. Ok well im looking forward to next book and how Cameron and Alric are going to have baby dragons.
C**B
Great Series Start
I really enjoyed this book! The world building and start of an overall plot was really fun to read and there are more than enough great side characters that all deserve their own HEA. A&C were cute together from the start. I really enjoyed the bits in the story about A and his hesitations with claiming C and also his shyness about his injuries. Together they really worked hard for their HEA and when they did finally get together it felt like it had been a long time coming. The spice is relatively low and the book is a bit of a slow burn but seeing as how the book only spans about three weeks, the slow burn really isn’t all that slow. My main problem with the book and really the only reason it isn’t getting four stars is because occasionally the dialogue and descriptions were so out of character that it threw everything out of whack. The characters would go from sounding very serious and mature to being described as “giggling” when really there was no call for it. Whether it was our two MMCs or side characters, they all seemed to have these moments in the writing where it didn’t fit to them or the scene at all. It really took me out of the story and kind of ruined the fantasy. But, the book was still a really fun read and I’m excited to see what the other characters have in store in the next books. Tropes: Fated Mates, Forced Proximity, Hurt/Comfort, Negative Body Image, Mages, Dragons, Royalty, Age Gap, Action/Suspense Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Spice: 🌶️ 1/5 Relationship: MM
F**S
💜💜 Loved This.. A really great start to the book that I could feel their excitement for a mage discovery. I loved the scenes where Cameron gets his first sighting of a dragon he didn't believe in. Includes a chemistry with both characters feel, humor and banter, attempted kidnapping, and a naughty Ravi plus much more. Cameron is in danger and that bring danger to his twin, Cassie too. The finish includes some dramatic and danger scenes but concludes with HEA for Cam and Alric. But HFN for the series. I loved this from start to finish and hated putting this one down, yah I'm grabbing the next book. King Alric braved the festival streets in the hopes finding a mage that had been reported. A mage was very rare in over 500 years for a dragon clans to know of. Cameron 23 yrs explored the festivals unknowingly what was about to change his life.
S**E
I love when authors come up with new ideas and this is a refreshing new series with dragonshifters and mages. It has a continuing arc and focusses in each book on a new couple so far. And I looooove it. I absolutely adore this series. I do admit it took me obviously a bit longer than Cameron to warm up to Alric and I wanted to hit them both from time to time when it was so obvious for everybody that they were mates - but even these small niggles didn't reduce my enjoyment with the whole story. I loved how Cameron came into himself and how Alric loosened up. Needless to say there is a huge number of side characters (I really want Ravi's story), that is just loveable and I'm curious what's going to happen next. But - and this is something I need to say - the continuing arc is not so prominent that you feel like there are huge cliffhangers (which I hate). Each book feels complete when finished. So - 5 stars from me.
A**Y
Cam and Alric were so sweet together! I adored all the sassy and sweet moments. I loved the whole clan, but especially Ravi and Baldewin. I'm looking forward to their stories!
M**N
This book was so good! Cameron is an awesome character even if he does have a few stupid moments that make you want to smack him. I love that this book Lays down the plot line for some serious undertakings in the next couple of books. It's one of those books where you can't stop reading (seriously I was until 1am and finally had to force myself to stop) and when you finish it you are literally scrambling to download the next book as soon as possible.
M**Y
A wondrous tale of humans and dragons coming together to bring love, laughter and light to the forgotten Fire Dragon Clan. Cameron is taking a long holiday exploring Europe before settling into his job as a n engineer like his father before him. The Fire Dragons have been searching for mages to mate and bring prosperity back to their clan for more than 500 years. Cameron is stunned to find out that he is such a mage. The cast of characters is varied and detailed. I love the supporting cast and Cameron, the human & King Alfric in particular. Lots of mystery, mayhem, suspense and adventure mixed in with a budding, sensual romance developing between the MCs.
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