I have wanted to dive into this story for some time now. I can happily report that it stole my heart and my very breath! The wonderful twists on dragon lore made my heart beat faster because more then anything I love originality. I carefully savored every second of this story as it slowly built a flame of excitement and appreciation for the tightly wound, vividly complex plot that left me holding my breath every time it turned a blind corner. What an amazing build up, excruciating reveal,and explosive climax! I am truly left in awe and wanting so much more.

Grigori is the head of a very distinguish and honorable line of dragon shifters who have guarded humanity from many unseen enemies. All he and his brothers want now is to be life in peace to live their lives as best they can. The last thing he expects waltzes into his very city and threatens everything that he has built for his family over the centuries. He will do everything he can to safeguard it, except how to safeguard his own heart in the process. Fate leaves him to the mercy and fear of something he never hoped to find for fear of a fate worse then death. Now he must choose between his heart and his duty. Will his iron wlll be able to trump his dragon's heart, or will love lead him into a dangerous storm that he could never hope to survive?

I couldn't get over the exquisite imagery and world building that had my heart aflame and my mind in absolute heaven! I had no idea what to expect when I walked into this world, but what I found was nothing short of astounding perfection! The characters were brilliant in their complexity and their capacity to love and live life. The plot was beyond amazing, and I am still in awe of it. What made my heart burst with love and hope was watching as Madelyn and Grigori seizing the other up in intent and achievement. Watching the possibilities flutter their minds until they could no longer doubt the impact the other had on their heart, their body, and their soul. What a beautiful, slow burning love story that knew how to sizzle and challenge the entire time!

This is the first book I have read by Lauren Smith, and I honestly can't wait to read another one. Her depth of creativity and love is truly endless and boundless. Her stories allow the heart to breathe, stretch, and dream all the while holding you utterly captive in anticipation and longing. I was left spellbound by this ingenious world, and I hope to be able to explore more of it! Do not miss out on this fantastic series!! It will both delight and entertain you as it frees your heart to dream and fly.

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.
This book started off great. I liked the premise and I liked Madelyn. I also liked Grigori. My problem was their initial reactions with each other. Grigori’s character once Madelyn wakes up just rubbed me the wrong way. I do like books with the soul mate aspect, but that just dragged down my opinion.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Very standard (dragon-shifter and heroine that has never fit in) but executed fairly well. To be honest when I read this I was in the middle of a shifter phase so I actually forgot I read this. It doesn't mean that the book was bad, just that it doesn't differentiate itself enough from all the other shifter romances out there. I did however like the fact that it was set in Russia.

Loved this story, it was very well written and pulls you in from the beginning. Must read if you like dragon shifter romance stories.

Apologies but this is a DNF for me. I liked the concept, which is why I requested the book, but the characters and story weren't as great as they could have been. .

Dragons and books! Two of my favorite things. I couldn't resist this book after I read the description and I'm so glad I received a copy. The author was new to me, but I will be seeking out more of her work in the future. The Russian setting was not one I had read much about before and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. Libraries, forests, myths, dragons. This was a very entertaining start to a series I hope to read more of in the future.

A well-done dragon book is one of my favorite things. I think this is a great start for the series. Grigori is an ancient dragon shifter and Madelyn is a Ph.D. student who I ended up really liking. This book was not quite four stars for me but I definitely would still recommend it and without a doubt will be reading the next one. The synopsis gives you a pretty good idea of what you are getting into but it is the complications and connections that really make this story. This is three solid stars of dragon shifter goodness.

*** 4 ‘Not All Gems Are Stones’ Stars***

I’ve had Grigori sitting in my TBR pile for a lot longer than I had planned on, but life got in the way and tough decisions had to be made. Now that life has settled a bit I decided it was time to dive in and as I went through the motions I stumbled upon the author’s “review” on GR and had to laugh at the words she put down, which only had me more intrigued with the book and I found and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick, fun, smexy read that was low on angst, but had enough outside drama going on to keep things interesting enough for me to keep turning the pages until the very end.

Grigori is a thousands of years old dragon shifter who is happier sitting in his library reading a book than heading out into the hustle and bustle of Moscow. What surprised me the most about Grigori, which stems from reading quite a few shifter PNR, was while he had the alpha thing going on, it never took on an overtly aggressive vibe. He was commanding, but calm and logical and that was kind of a turn on. Madelyn is, for lack of a better term, a nerd. She is happiest in a library surrounded by millions of stories than anywhere else. And despite her need for safety, her passion has dropped her in Moscow, one of the worlds biggest cities, without a safety net. I like how Madelyn came out of her shell as the story progressed and she found out more than she bargained for.

As for their romance. Ms. Smith did state in her GR review that it was insta-lust and things happen quickly, and they did, but I had no issue with it because this is PNR and in most, things happen quickly once the shifter catches the scent of its mate and Ms. Smith did it very well with Grigori and Madelyn. While they were extremely attracted to each other, they did get to know each other and that aspect was just as important and the physical. The little twist in their journey was an interesting one, I did figure it out when it was initially mentioned, but I like how it all came full circle in the end.

This is only my second read by Ms. Smith, my first was The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall, and as with the first one, I really enjoyed Grigori. The writing was engaging and I like how we were tossed into the story right away. The world is a simple one to understand, but has a well established history that I found fascinating, especially the connection with the Romanov’s, and I’m definitely looking forward to learning more about Rurik and Mikhail when their books drop.

Dragons! In Russia!

Madelyn is a decent character. She is into mythology, she is a teacher with a degree, and she is really smart. I don't think her intelligence really shines through though and she ends up becoming a plain jane for me who is excited to teach children... even though she currently is a professor at a university. I just don't get that. I feel like she had some potential to be different, or stand out, but didn't. Grigori is the classic alpha male stereotype with a few quirks, but nothing super exciting.

Yet, I still really liked the characters and enjoyed the story.

The twists were interesting and while predictable were still fun to read as they played out. Some of the things that happen do not seem consistent which did irk me a bit. If a shifter can tranform in an instant then why didn't that character? Also, something is stated and it seems more for dramatic affect, because the... condition, if you will, is not brought up again... even after the serious injury...

I feel with these kinds of novels are fun guilty pleasures, so I rate them more leniently. I do hope to pick up the next book in the series, but I'm not dying to get to it. I'll read when I feel like it. But, it isn't every day that I find dragon shifter books, so I might get to it soon :)

Dragons, treasures and damsels in distress are what make myths interesting. New to me author, Ms. Smith pulls me into a hidden world of magic, dragons and sexy men. This promises to be an exciting series that I want to read.

I liked Grigori Barinov. He is the oldest in his family and it is clear he shoulders the majority of the responsibility. He is centuries old and it is clear he is getting tired and losing hope of ever finding a mate. When a moment of weakness comes back to haunt him, it brings forth the one treasure he has been trying to find. Now that he has her, he will do everything to protect her.

Madelyn is on her last pipe dream to finish off her PhD. She does not know why, but she has to research dragons. She is obsessed about them and she does not know why. She learns of a possible legend she wants to check out in Russia to find that one last proof that maybe, just maybe dragons existed. And maybe there is a reason why dragons have faded from human memory.

This story is well crafted from the set up to the setting. The world building is carefully built with hints that may make a reader's stomach clench as the pieces start becoming an alarming picture. I loved the conflicts and the little nuances which made this story richer and more intriguing. Setting it in Russia is a delight because it is a place I have never visited and retains its mystery for me. Without giving any spoilers, there is a reason why Madelyn dreams of dragons and the ending of the story is beautiful. Fitting and one can only smile in amusement. This paranormal romance is recommended to dragon lovers.

What an unusually different read! I really enjoyed it. Now how to explain it is another matter.

This book mainly takes place in Russia so the author does a great job of making the reader feel like they are not only in that country but amongst the Russian people. Her presentation of the people and how they do or don't understand each other due to the language barrier is well executed.

Grigori holds an air of mystery and it enhances the interaction and conflict between Madelyn, his brother and himself. His character though alpha strong does show a softer side allowing the reader to fall in love with him and understand why he is such a hard nose.

Madelyn is full of surprises and at times she is so stubborn and inflexible that I want to shake her and knock some sense into her. Eventually she sees reason and as the book gets further along her character becomes more confident and stronger willed in a positive manner.

I give this 4 STARS because of it's unique storyline.

Paranormal reads are usually my go to. This book had a good story line. Some parts lost the steam and got a little long blown and drawn out. There was a lot of drama through out the story. Some points there was too much. There were a few mistakes but nothing that you couldnt over look. I do however wish the characters has more depth to them.

Grigori by Lauren Smith
Book #1: Brothers of Ash and Fire
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4½/5 stars

I am a sucker for a dragon book and Grigori certainly did deliver for me 😊

Madelyn Haynes has always felt different, separated from those around her, but she has no idea why. Her intense interest in dragons and proving their existence has led her to a desperate situation with her job and to Russia in a last-ditch effort to prove her wild theories. Little does Madelyn know, not only will she be able to definitively prove her theories, but she’ll also meet the love of many lifetimes.

Grigori is a man who has spent many lifetimes protecting his family, their secret, and their land. As a shape-shifting dragon, and one of the last of his family’s line, it is imperative no one find out about Grigori and his brothers. With only one slip about a century ago, Grigori and his brothers have done a fine job hiding who they are from the world at-large. Unfortunately, that one slip is now in the hands of the ultra-inquisitive Madelyn Haynes and Grigori has some serious damage control to do! The best way to control the potential damage? Kidnap the girl causing the problems 😊

While Grigori would normally put the mind-whammy on a human and be done with it, Madelyn seems to be somewhat immune to his abilities. Additionally, Madelyn stirs long forgotten feelings in Grigori that tend to indicate having found one’s life mate. Trouble is, Madelyn is human and mating for a lifetime with a human when you’re immortal never goes well. Finally, in the midst of everything else, an ancient enemy has chosen the here and now to poke at Grigori and his brothers in an effort to take full control of Russia. When it rains it pours ☹

For Madelyn’s part, the kidnapping certainly isn’t ideal, but the discovery of actual dragons is thrilling. Unfortunately, telling the world what she’s discovered just isn’t going to be possible. On the bright side, Madelyn’s feelings for Grigori mirror his feelings for her which makes her decision to sacrifice her research all the easier. All she must do is convince a one-thousand-year-old dragon he should absolutely mate with her, a mere human.

The Bottom Line: I am often quite fond of Lauren Smith’s offerings and Grigori is no exception to that rule! In fact, I’m sort of sad I found this book when I did and not after the other two had already been released. This was a devour it kind of read with loads of smoldering (HA! Dragons!) sexy, an old hatred coming into play, secrets revealed, and a few mysteries unlocked that will surprise everyone. I enjoyed this insta-love read immensely and can’t wait for the rest of the series to be published. If you’re a lover of all things dragon, you’ll want to check Grigori out for sure!!

What can say, I was blown away by this book, I am just in awe from the beginning all the way through. The characters are complete with no open ends, I love the slight twist on h and her story, especially how it was wrapped so well at the end. Excited to read more in the series and from the author.

3.5 stars. Decent story building, good characters. Some grammatical errors but easily overlooked. The story was good I just wish the characters had more depth. This had the potential to be an amazing story it just fell short. It's hard to explain the story just needed more, more character building, more story, just more.
Decent read, characters, story.
HEA/HFN, no cheating, pg 13, epilogue. Continued story & characters it seems in next book.

This is a new series that was introduce by one of the St’ Martin’s Marketing & Publicity Associate, and boy I trully enjoyed this book.

If you enjoy Donna Grant, you also love this series. Unlike her dragons, this one is bit different because they are only few dragons left and Grigori is the eldest of the three brothers.

I like the lore of this book. The thoughts of the people in the book are also entertaining. The thing that I really like with this is the twist of the plot. Who would have thought of that?

There is not much to tell, but I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I grade this 4 out of 5

“All that matters is that I found you. After nearly two thousand years of being alone, I found you.”

After coming off an intense and angsty read, we were in the mood for a story to lose ourselves in, a chance to suspend reality for a moment in time and Grigori, the first book in the Brothers of Ash and Fire by Lauren Smith, a new to us author, provided exactly that! We were captivated by this book! We love our PNR and easily devoured this read. We’ve read all kinds of PNR books but have to say, a Dragon Shifter is a first for us, and well, after witnessing those spectacular dragons on Game of Thrones, we were pretty excited to see what this was all about!

“Here there be dragons,” he echoed in a husky whisper.”

The series explores the Russian Barinov Brothers; Mikhail, Rurik and Grigori, the last three in a line of centuries old, Barinov dragon shifters. Grigori Barinov is the first brother we meet and his story sets up the series (which we’re dying for more of) perfectly. We were immediately drawn into Grigori and Madelyn’s fierce and fast romance. Yes, things do move very quickly for these two but the author does a splendid job of creating her world and providing reasoning for the intense and rapid feelings experienced between Grigori and Madelyn. There’s a familiarity between them that is later explored and explained.

‘The little human was bringing out old instincts in him, ones he thought he’d mastered long ago.’

Madelyn Haynes, a professor of medieval mythology, has been reading and researching dragons for years. Her studies take her to Russia on a fact finding mission to uncover the mythology of the dragons that have consumed her thoughts. Convinced they’re real, she uncovers a manuscript detailing the brothers Barinov and soon she meets two of the Barinov brothers first hand, confirming her beliefs.

‘He may have worn an expensive suit and looked like an Armani model, but he acted like an ancient warrior – one who took what he wanted. God help her, she liked it.’

Grigori has gone to great lengths to ensure his family secrets do not become public knowledge so when word hits him that a woman from America is seeking information, he acts quickly to find out more about this nosy American woman and veer her off their trail. What he didn’t count on was the fact that he may have just found his mate, the woman he has been searching for his whole life. But, Madelyn is human, he’s a dragon shifter – he’s immortal and couldn’t bear the thought of outliving Madelyn. After all, dragons are so connected to their mates, they grieve so deeply and don’t live much past the passing of their one true love, so Grigori must tread carefully.

‘Holding her like this felt right, natural, just like it felt to fly. In that moment he wanted to share himself with her, open his heart to her.

Of course, the heart rules the head in this case with Grigori providing so much of what we love about paranormal escapism. The one true mate, the intense attraction and chemistry, the alpha possessive male, the woman who his heart beats for; and let’s not forget the epic battles, the threats and problems that plague them. It all went into making this a fabulously entertaining read.

“It doesn’t matter what you are. You are mine and I am yours. The fates brought us together for a purpose and I will not forsake you.”

For us, this gave off a Twilight meets Game of Thrones vibe – oh don’t worry, it’s very tame (not murder GOT), but the dragons were very reminiscent of the series and their history the author provided was fascinating! If this first book is anything to go by, we’ve just found ourselves a new PNR series to fawn over and you can bet we’ll diving straight into Mikhail’s books when it releases in January. Oh, won’t his be a tale to tell! There was so much mystery surrounding this man who had lived a lot of his life in exile. If, like us, you love the mystery, history and romance of these types of stories, you can bet you’re gonna love Grigori!

“What I promise you is a vow of love and loyalty. A vow to never leave you. Mates become one beating heart, one infinite soul.”

“All that matters is that I found you. After nearly two thousand years of being alone, I found you.”

After coming off an intense and angsty read, we were in the mood for a story to lose ourselves in, a chance to suspend reality for a moment in time and Grigori, the first book in the Brothers of Ash and Fire by Lauren Smith, a new to us author, provided exactly that! We were captivated by this book! We love our PNR and easily devoured this read. We’ve read all kinds of PNR books but have to say, a Dragon Shifter is a first for us, and well, after witnessing those spectacular dragons on Game of Thrones, we were pretty excited to see what this was all about!

“Here there be dragons,” he echoed in a husky whisper.”

The series explores the Russian Barinov Brothers; Mikhail, Rurik and Grigori, the last three in a line of centuries old, Barinov dragon shifters. Grigori Barinov is the first brother we meet and his story sets up the series (which we’re dying for more of) perfectly. We were immediately drawn into Grigori and Madelyn’s fierce and fast romance. Yes, things do move very quickly for these two but the author does a splendid job of creating her world and providing reasoning for the intense and rapid feelings experienced between Grigori and Madelyn. There’s a familiarity between them that is later explored and explained.

‘The little human was bringing out old instincts in him, ones he thought he’d mastered long ago.’

Madelyn Haynes, a professor of medieval mythology, has been reading and researching dragons for years. Her studies take her to Russia on a fact finding mission to uncover the mythology of the dragons that have consumed her thoughts. Convinced they’re real, she uncovers a manuscript detailing the brothers Barinov and soon she meets two of the Barinov brothers first hand, confirming her beliefs.

‘He may have worn an expensive suit and looked like an Armani model, but he acted like an ancient warrior – one who took what he wanted. God help her, she liked it.’

Grigori has gone to great lengths to ensure his family secrets do not become public knowledge so when word hits him that a woman from America is seeking information, he acts quickly to find out more about this nosy American woman and veer her off their trail. What he didn’t count on was the fact that he may have just found his mate, the woman he has been searching for his whole life. But, Madelyn is human, he’s a dragon shifter – he’s immortal and couldn’t bear the thought of outliving Madelyn. After all, dragons are so connected to their mates, they grieve so deeply and don’t live much past the passing of their one true love, so Grigori must tread carefully.

‘Holding her like this felt right, natural, just like it felt to fly. In that moment he wanted to share himself with her, open his heart to her.

Of course, the heart rules the head in this case with Grigori providing so much of what we love about paranormal escapism. The one true mate, the intense attraction and chemistry, the alpha possessive male, the woman who his heart beats for; and let’s not forget the epic battles, the threats and problems that plague them. It all went into making this a fabulously entertaining read.

“It doesn’t matter what you are. You are mine and I am yours. The fates brought us together for a purpose and I will not forsake you.”

For us, this gave off a Twilight meets Game of Thrones vibe – oh don’t worry, it’s very tame (not murder GOT), but the dragons were very reminiscent of the series and their history the author provided was fascinating! If this first book is anything to go by, we’ve just found ourselves a new PNR series to fawn over and you can bet we’ll diving straight into Mikhail’s books when it releases in January. Oh, won’t his be a tale to tell! There was so much mystery surrounding this man who had lived a lot of his life in exile. If, like us, you love the mystery, history and romance of these types of stories, you can bet you’re gonna love Grigori!

“What I promise you is a vow of love and loyalty. A vow to never leave you. Mates become one beating heart, one infinite soul.”