Never fall for a dragon by Lola Glass
Narrated by Nick Mondelli; Renee Thorn

Thank you Dreamscape media and Netgalley for the audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review.

As I read the premises of this book, I found myself intrigued. A dragon shapeshifter? Wonderful. As much as I enjoyed listening to it, I rolled my eyes even more than that. Some tropes irks me and it was full of those ones.

* Forced proximity
* Insta Love
* Insta lust
* Angsty / slow burn

It is kind of cliched. Too cliched for my tastes. In my personal opinion, I feel that character development and world building would have saved this book for me. There was almost no information on dragon pack or how it works. Also mating/ bond too had no much information. Another thing that I like to point out is there's almost no plot in the book, nothing exciting really happens in the book. It felt mundane and boring at points except for the exchange between the characters which kept me entertained till last.

Audiobook rating : 3 stars
Book rating : 2.5 stars

This was such a fantastic book! The synopsis sounded really entertaining, and oh, it was, I had a blast listening to this audiobook-and given that it's under 7 hours, means that it was a quick listen, and I adored every minute of it, I really enjoyed getting to know Elody and August!

I didn't know going in, that this was a spin off series. So I do think that I'm going to have to go back and read the previous books in this world, so I have a broader understanding of the world and these characters! Because oh, I had a great time reading this book and I want more!

I recently saw a video by Elizabeth Wheatley, about fantasy age gaps, and it's about the fantasy of a man who can take care of himself. And that idea is the fantasy in this relationship, that he's hot, rich, and he cooks and cleans-and wants to give foot rubs? What of that doesn't sound great?

Reading about these two dealing with heat-trying to reject trying to be mates, because he's going to prison for 6 months shortly, yeah, loved getting to know them as characters, and the world. They were a team, and I enjoyed watching them work together!

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more, to see these Dragons who don't want to find mates, fall in love!

I had a fun time reading this in one sitting! The narration was good and added to my enjoyment of the overall story. It was cute, steamy, and a quick read. However, it felt rushed, and I think it could have been fleshed out better. If you're looking for a quick, practically insta-love romance with some fun banter, then this is the book for you!

The plot kicks off when Elodi and August accidentally spark a dragon mate bond right before August faces jail time for protecting his sister—a move I think was totally justified.
They’re stuck battling intense feelings and an undeniable connection for four weeks, trying to resist their dragon-mate heat.

This book is the kind of Kindle Unlimited smut I love: enough plot to keep you hooked, but it’s really all about that sizzling chemistry.
I scored a NetGalley audio copy and it was a solid listen. Can’t wait for the sequel, which I’ve already got on hold at the library for its September 3rd release!
4⭐

This was a fun steamy book for those who enjoy a bit of smut and fantasy. It is relatively simple storyline. However, I did find it lost its way a bit in the end with misunderstandings and miscommunication. I found that to be slightly frustrating, but overall not a bad book.

After rushing to diffuse an argument between August and his sister, Elody ignites the mating heat between August and herself. Initially, they are both resistant to this new connection forcing them together, but they agree to work together to resist the heat (and mating for life). If they can not mate during the heat, they get to choose their fate.

The other complication is that as soon as their heat is over, August has to spend 6 months in prison for protecting his sister. If they are mated during his imprisonment, Elody will likely not survive the cruel supernatural prison as a human.

As the heat’s power increases, August and Elody’s connection does as well. Is this connection just to get through the end of heat or is there something more to it? Also, how does the prison sentence impact their budding relationship? Will they be mated when all is said and done?

****************************************
Advanced Listener Copy Provided by Dreamscape Audio, Netgalley, and the author (Lola Glass). All opinions are my own.

Audiobook production:
5/5 stars
Dual narration

I thought both narrators did a great job performing the roles of August and Elody. No notes.

******************
Was this as cliche, predictable, and captivating as the premise indicates?
Yes.
Did I thoroughly enjoy it?
Yes.


This is a clever take on the insta-lust/fated mates/heat tropes. Including the threat of imprisonment provides additional incentive to not succumb to the effects of heat, other than the traditional “this is going to fast” reasoning. However, the on-page interactions didn’t provide enough evidence of August and Elody’s relationship development to fully understand the connection between them (other than the handy “fated mates” reason). While I typically don’t need a ton of justification in this type of paranormal romance, the ratio of spice to relationship development was a little out of balance for the length of the book. Additionally, I felt that the story tried to jam-pack a lot of details and stuff into the last 30% of the book (which I won’t elaborate on to avoid spoiling the story).

This appears to be an interconnected standalone with How to Fall in Lust with a Devil (Deceit & Devotion #3) which covers August’s sister’s romance. (I can not say with certainty as I have not read this book). As with most interconnected standalones, the cameos of August’s sister and her mate were enjoyable but didn’t overshadow the couple in this story. However, I felt the background on why August must spend 6 months in prison was poorly explained because of the information covered in the sister’s book. This gap in understanding took away from my enjoyment of the overall story.

Finally, I didn’t fully understand the “pack” aspects of the dragon shifter culture. The Thunder, or the “pack” was this amorphous aspect of the story that required August to go to prison, but I just didn’t get all the details with regards to that.


In summary, I think this story delivers on the heat vibes with an emphasis on the insta-lust, but lacks a little in the plot and relationship development aspect. I can see myself devouring multiple books in the series in quick succession (especially if I had read them in ebook format) but they don’t necessarily have great staying power.

Plot: .5
Writing: .5
Worldbuilding: .5
Characters: .5
Themes: .5
2.5/5

Spice: 2.5/5
Audiobook: 4/5

What you can expect:
- Dragon shifter (MMC is a shifter but it doesn't really play a big role in the story)
- Mates
- Angsty, kind of a slow burn
- Forced proximity

I felt like we were dropped into the middle of the story and only got a tiny snippet of what was going on. It seemed hot and heavy right away...and that was all that it was. I didn't love the worldbuilding. A lot of it didn't make sense to me.

On another hand, I did enjoy the audiobook for this. The narrators did a good job and allowed me to somewhat enjoy it.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an ALC of Never Fall for a Dragon in exchange for an honest review.

Hooooboy, here we go! August is a dragon shifter and Elody is a spunky human who accidentally caused each other to go into heat! They must live together for a month, constantly touching to prevent the pain and insanity that comes with heat but not having the actual coitus to prevent being mated for life. This was a short, steamy, sweet read! The audiobook was great and the sexual tension was toe curling good! I'm excited to read about the next set of characters in this world!

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Simple, easy to read, spicy fantasy romance. Very easily digestible. and kept me entertained. I would definitely recommend this to all fantasy lovers. Thank you so much for this ARC opportunity

**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ALC of Never Fall for a Dragon in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.**
☆Review live on Goodreads as of 8/15/2024.☆

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
4🌶


This was a very quick listen, and a fun and spicy story about found mates between a human and a dragon-shifter. It's not anything super fantastic, but if you're in the mood for something fast and pretty spicy, then this might be for you!

Elody is a woman. August is a dragon. They fall in love. Bonded. Mates. The usual fantasy story with forced proximity and tension. This was a strange read if I’m honest and I kept picturing Elody and August as humans because it was too weird. Easy audiobook to listen to, and it definitely kept me engaged! Read if you want an easy fantasy audiobook to listen to while you’re doing chores around the house!

Thanks to Net Galley, Lola Glass, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook!

Absolutely fantastic book. It's fun, it's sexy, and yes there's a really good plot amongst the smut!

Melody and August are stuck with one another when she interrupts an argument between him, a large supernatural, and a woman. Who happens to be his sister. Well intended Melody unwittingly causes August's heat to ignite between them, and he sweeps her away to his cabin to ride it out together.

This book came along at just the right moment for me, it's had long between monster romances and it was just the right balance of plot and spice. The humor hits, the angst hits, it just really good and I look forward to the next audiobook in this series.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, 3/5 ⭐
August & Fireball! What a crazy fantasy based whirlwind romance! I really enjoyed listening the the audiobook Never Fall for a Dragon. It was FULL of spice! ♥️
For the listeners and readers that enjoy that intimacy several times per chapter.. then this is the book for you!

I would say that overall plot was quite basic, that was the only downside. There wasn't much to the storyline other than lots of sex, touching & needing each other. A fun and quick audiobook, that was a great little escape and easy to get into from the start. Their romance began after just 10 or so minutes into the book & I did find myself rolling my eyes at parts - just due to more sex than storyline. (In my opinion I do like more adventure/challenges/back story in romantasy.)

Overall I really liked the side characters and wished the family members were more involved in the day to day of August and Elodies' blossoming romance. It was quite predictable and I did find myself knowing most of the time what was going to happen next. Very little intrigue and zero plot twists. This book has the potential to be much more!

However, that said, I definitely enjoyed the parts outside the cabin and when Elodie had to approach the dragon prison council. I'm super thankful I got the opportunity to listen to the audiobook! Thank you Dreamscape & Lola 🐉✨ would recommend to the erotica fantasy based listeners & readers!

This book is smutty but so incredibly swoony. Fated mates is such an addictive trope for me. I am not a huge fan of instalove even with my slight obsession with fated mates. This take on fayed mates was so unique and so much fun. I love how they had to basically bunker down to try and not do the deed. Of course nature and magic takes its toll on them. I live this take on heat and fated mates and I am now obsessed with this author. This was my first time reading them, but this book dragged me in, kept me enthralled, and had me wanting more.

I got an audiobook arc thanks to NetGalley and I got to say that this book apart for being spicy, I found it really cozy. A cozy spicy fast read, it kinda felt like a cleanser palette after reading a long series, this fast read is cute romantic and fantasy driven a straight forward plot. Really enjoyed it! The narrators were also a great, I had my fair share of audio books and I could say they really did a good job! Would recommend this.

This book had no depth to it. It was instant “ur trapped in a mating bond with me” and it didnt really get better from there. I was hoping this would be similar vibes to kimberly lemmings books but it wasnt.

In a world where supernaturals and humans coexist, Elody won't tolerate a bully of any species. After she attempts to defend a stranger, she suddenly finds herself with a dragon shifter insta-mate who has triggered her heat. She just wants to get on with getting her college degree and instead has to work with August to discover how they will survive this heat... but through the course of it, they become something more, or so she thought...

This was a run-of-the-mill romantasy with fated mates. Elodie interrupts an argument between a man and a woman and before she knows it, she's being whisked away to a cabin in the mountains. The man, August, is actually a dragon and has gone into heat with Elodie's smell. Dragons don't like to be mated for life (in this world dragons are mostly male and mate with human women for life). Neither of them want this so they just need to survive the pain together for a month without consummating the relationship - however other physical contact is total fine, and happens quite frequently. The banter was decent, there were no high stakes and I enjoyed the read and I will more than likely continue the series, but it will not be a priority.

I would recommend Never Fall for a Dragon to Ruby Dixon fans, particularly those who enjoyed her Fireblood Dragon series. While the hero in this story is less animalistic, the wild natural instinct during the intimate scenes hits the same. Overall, I enjoyed this listen, but it didn't fully carry me away. I think I would have been more invested if the characters had more dimension. That said, the plot and spice were solid.

Thank you Lola Glass, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for my advanced review audio copy. My opinions are my own.

Never Fall for a Dragon is out now!

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 2
Personal Bias - 3
Narration - 4
Final Score - 3.2

um.... There isn't much of a plot to speak of..... but the spice is there so if you are looking for a lot of that and you don't care about the rest... this is the one for you.

I needed more but I kinda understand that its starting a series and maybe the author overcompensated for setting that up but it didn't ring my bell

3 stars