Grigori: A Royal Dragon Romance

Lauren Smith

Oct 2017 · Swerve

About this ebook

"Lauren has created a new series that will capture you from page one! Grigori is exactly what a dragon should be. Smoking hot, sexy, and wickedly dangerous. You're going to love this book!" - New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy

He’s one of the last of a powerful but vanishing bloodline ...
Grigori Barinov is the eldest in an ancient line of dragon shifters and the guardian of his family’s lands and fortune. Sworn to protect their history and magic, he won’t rest until he neutralizes any threat to their existence. When he discovers an ancient manuscript that exposes his family and their dragon lineage has fallen into a mortal woman’s hands, he knows he must get the book back by any means necessary. If that means seducing a nosy American woman with an intoxicating scent, he is more than willing to carry her off to his palatial home deep in the heart of Russia.

She’s the one woman who could expose him to the world...
Madelyn Haynes has never fit in. As an adopted child she grew up in a loving home but never felt as though she belonged. Plagued by mysterious dreams she’s had of a silver scaled beast ever since she was a little girl, she is convinced dragons are real. While in Russia working on her PhD in mythology in order to escape the ridicule from fellow professors, she unexpectedly crosses paths with the sexy and dominating Grigori, and after just one night with the man whose eyes seem to burn, she starts to change inside. Isolated in the Russian wilderness Grigori calls home, Madelyn can’t help but fall under his sensual spell, yet something deep inside her calls out that she can’t trust him. She has to show the world dragons are real to salvage academic reputation, even if it means costing her the heart of the dragon she’s falling in love with.

Ratings and reviews

“Here there be dragons” Ever since she was a little girl, Madelyn Haynes has had nightmares when it rains; nightmares about dragons. Madelyn, now a professor in medieval mythology, is determined to prove that dragons once existed. Her university is not so keen on the idea, and Madelyn was told to take a three-month sabbatical and produce some results, or else she can kiss her tenure goodbye. So she flew to Russia where she plans to do some research at the Russian State Library, where she founds the book that had her asking herself more questions. Madelyn’s theory is that dragons once existed, most likely some dinosaurs that had mutated, and are now extinct. But “My Year with Dragons” by James Barrow has her re-evaluating everything, especially after she is kidnapped by a man who looks exactly like one of the supposed dragons in Barrow’s book: Grigori Barinov… Given how Madelyn first encounters Grigori, I was a bit wary of how the romance would develop from there. She is, thankfully level-headed if rather naïve, and she wonders about her attraction to her captor, she’s thinking some twisted Stockholm Syndrome; she’s a bit scared, but intrigued as well. What would a god of a man like him want with an ordinary girl, curvy girl like her? I have to admit, at the beginning the predator in Grigori made me rather uncomfortable; his inner dragon lusts dangerously after the human virgin… However, it made sense when it was explained later on. Madelyn is a pretty intriguing character who grows a lot throughout GRIGORI. From a young and rather timid woman who feels she doesn’t belong to … well, you’ll see when you read it. While the Barinovs’ story is interesting; Grigori is a study in contradictions and I ended up really liking him; he was much more than he first appeared, it’s really Madelyn who captured my imagination. The paranormal sequences were dazzling explosions of colours, the world building is very well done and the possibilities are nearly endless as there are so many angles to explore, such as the Brotherhood of the Blood Moon… Lauren Smith’s flawless writing is well-known, and she lives up to her reputation. GRIGORI is a surprisingly quick read and a very entertaining way to spend an afternoon or a sleepless night! I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

A great story with beautiful language but needs editing as there are some spelling/grammatic errors. An explanation of why some dragons died and others didn't during Madelyn's sonic boom would have helped understanding and why Madelyn didn't die when she was pushed off a cliff..

A sweet story, with a bit of jeopardy, some misunderstandings and you have it, however certainly nothing to get hot under the collar which is a shame as could have been so much more. It does have a HEA, but story features other brothers which lead on the series

About the author

Lauren Smith is an Oklahoma attorney by day, author by night who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She knew she was destined to be a romance writer when she attempted to re-write the entire Titanic movie just to save Jack from drowning. Connecting with readers by writing emotionally moving, realistic and sexy romances no matter what time period is her passion. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including: New England Reader’s Choice Awards, Greater Detroit BookSeller’s Best Awards, Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award.