Book Review of Hidden Embers by Tessa Adams

Title:  Hidden Embers

Author:  Tessa Adams

Release Date:  April 5th, 2011

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Romance

*If you have not read Dark Embers this may contain spoilers*

In the New Mexico desert there is a secret race on the brink of extinction-the pure-blood shapeshifters of the Dragonstar clan. Their last hope for survival lies in the hands of Quinn Maguire, the desperate clan healer lost in love with a human female.

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review:  I picked up the first book in this series, Dark Embers (review here) because it was recommended to me by my friend Monica.  She always gives me good books to read and the first in this series was no exception.  After I practically consumed the first one I immediately downloaded this book and began reading.

We pick up a couple of months after the first book and the Dragonstar clan is still being picked off one by one by the horrible disease they cannot seem to get ahead of.  Since they are rapidly running out of ideas they decide to call for reinforcements.  Phoebe (from book one) has a brilliant friend, Jasmine, that is on leave from the Center for Disease Control and asks her to come down for a couple of months to help out.  Jasmine is a woman who has had a rough past and her recent accident has kept her from working and left her restless.  She sees coming to help her friend Phoebe as a great opportunity, she does not see how coming New Mexico will change her life forever, until she meets Quinn.

Speaking of Quinn, the man has been through his fair share of pain in the past.  He has lost numerous members of his clan to a disease he cannot figure out and his brother is starting to show symptoms.  He places the weight of the world on his shoulders and has a hard time forgiving himself for the troubles of his clan, even if they are completely out of his control.  He has a good heart, but he keeps walls around it, until he meets Jasmine.  She walks into his life and all the barriers he built up, shatter.

Quinn and Jasmine have explosive chemistry from the first moment they lay eyes on each other.  They are completely wrong for each other, he is clearly alpha male material and she craves independence, from everyone.  It is definitely an opposites attract situation, which are my favorites to watch unfold.  While they may deny the chemistry between them, they balance each other perfectly.  When they are together they are so sweet and help each other heal.  That is, when they are not driving each other crazy and arguing since they are both very stubborn.

We also get to see life through the eyes of the villain in this book, which is always interesting.  Seeing how they felt and why they were betraying their own clan was informative and heartbreaking all at the same time.  It is hard to believe that someone would turn their back on people they have lived with for centuries, but that is the sad reality in this world.

The end of the story leaves us with some resolution, but still many questions about the fall out of recent events and what is going to happen with the Dragonstar clan next.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  I connected with the characters in the first book a little more than this one, but still loved it.  I also liked getting to peek into the lives of the other sentries in Dragonstar.  I am really looking forward to seeing more from this series and the characters in it in future installments.  I have a real fascination with dragons and this series just amps that up ten-fold.  I am especially excited for the next book coming out this fall since this one focuses on Logan.  Plus we get to go behind enemy lines in that one and see how the other dragon clans live which I think will be fascinating!