Mate Mountain Book 1 --> I guess I'll just say up front this whole review might be a spoiler for the book:
Elodie (a human female) interrupts an argument between August and his sister outside of a cafe... only problem is August is a dragon shifter and once he catches Elodie's smell this starts the mating process known as "heat."
Male dragons like to stay away from the human female population, they want to remain bachelors and the "heat" process could start at any point if they catch the smell of a human female that could potentially be their mate and their dragons fire begins to burns thru the woman's body (I think?). The "heat" process is painful for the female and lasts for 2-4 weeks where the "dragon magic" is trying to push the couple closer together (basically a month of high passion where they have to touch more and more). Very few couples make it through the "heat" without sealing their bond, basically it lasts for 2 weeks if they seal the bond and 4 if they don't but very little is known about how to make it through the month without giving in to their desires to "seal" their bond and become a couple there has only been 1 known couple in history to do this and they didn't give up their secret.
The argument between the siblings is due to August needing to report for his six month stay in prison soon. Made even more dangerous with all the other supernatural beings there and the fact that Dragons are more rare and essentially the police force for this world he might not make it out of prison alive if he goes, but if he doesn't go he will be banished from the dragon clan on top of the mountain and they are his family even if he doesn't always agree with their old fashioned rules (which are never really explained). A lot of things in the dragons world are "very secretive" and "dragon stuff"
The beginning of the book feels like I missed part of the story as there are things going on without much explanation at all and continues to not be explained later in the book either. Elodie once starting this heat process with August is placed in a car and driven to his cabin where she is basically given no choice in the matter she has to put her life on hold while this process is happening, she was in her last semester at college and her friends and family are going to worry about her, but she is allowed phone calls and minimal contact with her friends (due to her not being allowed to smell like anyone else) but has to give vague details of what is going on because of the "secrets".
**to help with reading the book if you decide to** all dragons are male, they can bond with human females through the heat process which starts if a male comes close enough to smell a human female that could be a potential mate, the "heat" process starts as a painful need to seal the bond by having sex (lots of it), once a dragon is in a bonded pair they can't fly without their female on their back so most dragons want the freedom to fly on their own and avoid human females like the plague. Human females do not become dragons after they are mated to a dragon shifter but do obtain some of their mates dragon magic and continue to go into heat once a month (only for shorter periods of time) once bonded** I think this is the just of it please feel free to let me know if I missed anything if you have read the series.
Elodie and August are very attracted to each other and at first touching helps with the pain Elodie experiences but then the "magic" makes it more painful until they have to get closer together and have spicy times they do this all over the cabin (which had been quickly furnished by his dragon friends sister and brothers) due to the pending prison sentence August doesn't want to subject Elodie to his fate too as once dragons are a mated pair their mate has to be incarcerated too, he isn't sure he will make it out alive and he can't put her through it as well she won't survive and he won't be able to protect her well.
August is spared having to go to the prison during the month they are together to wait out the "heat" process but they have constant guards outside of the home. A lot of the book involves thinking about sex, wanting sex or thinking about how they can do everything but have sex... this is a major plot point as it is part of the magical "heat" process that has started pushing them closer together. They also eat a lot because being this horny all the time makes you hungry.
Pages are spent just sitting around the house with Elodie doing homework and him rubbing her feet, they watch some movies, they eat a lot she takes many showers to wash off other scents and he keeps the house clean. If they work on really getting to know each other better during their time together it's not really on the pages. Can they get through the heat without becoming a mated pair? how will they survive in prison if they have to go together? Could they really make a lasting relationship work after what started as a mistake of wrong place at the wrong time?
Forced proximity at the cabin has them both growing closer together, even though they fight off their "urges" the best they can how are they supposed to hold back forever every day it's growing harder and harder to not just do what the magic... and maybe their hearts now want which is to seal their bond.
If you are looking for a book with detailed back story, detailed world building and well thought out explanations for what is happening this is not that book. If you are looking for a light read with lots of spice and a lot of things explained away as just being a "dragon secret" or "unknown" this is what you are going to get. many things in the book are built up to be a big deal but not really explained why they are a big deal (August has to go to prison for making a deal with different supernatural species to protect his sister... what was after her? and why were the dragons so mad that he was trying to protect her? not explained). I knew what I was getting into when I started this book so I wasn't disappointed, but it's the type of book you really have to be in the mood for to start.
I found it to be a quick read, and it was entertaining, I plan to read the rest of the series.
Have you read anything by this author? what would you recommend?
*spice *Protective MMC *Dragon shifter (male) *MMC Virgin *strangers --> more
*light read, not much of a plot *mates *slow burn *forced proximity *fantasy *paranormal romance
*happy ending *Insta love/lust
Trigger warnings: Brief mentions throughout the book of a vampire ex who was no good and ended up putting her in the hospital (DV)
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