Shana Abé

I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed the first of Shana Abé’s books that I read. The premis sounded very interesting, but the book was described as a historical romance. I decided to give it a try anyway, and I can honestly say that I am looking forward with great anticipation to reading more of her books.

Books I’ve Read by Shana Abé

The Drákon

1. The Smoke Thief (Mass Market Paperback) or (Hardcover Edition) or (Amazon Kindle Edition)

   In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us to an exhilarating world of romance, adventure, and magic. Here, among northern England’s misted hills, live a race of extraordinarily beautiful and sensual beings with the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret—and their survival—is threatened by two forbidden lovers . . . and a passion that will break every boundary. Dubbed the Smoke Thief for a series of daring jewel thefts, Clarissa Rue Hawthorne didn’t expect the drákon leader himself to come to London dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel as bait: the Langford Diamond. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, had to catch Clarissa before anyone else did—or risk exposing the entire clan to the world of ordinary mortals. He never expected that the outcast halfling he pursued would have a proposition of her own to save the drákon—a proposition so dangerous, so tempting, that Christoff will find it impossible to resist: to join forces with her. (book description) Personal note: I was hesitant to read this book, what with the front cover declaring it to be a historical romance. I'm glad I overcame my trepidation, because this was a really great book. I've never read a romance novel, but I'd classify this book as a historical fiction / fantasy / alternate history / adventure book with a little bit of romance sprinkled in for good measure.

2. The Dream Thief (Mass Market Paperback) or (Hardcover Edition) or (Amazon Kindle Edition)

   In the remote hills of northern England lives a powerful clan with a centuries-old secret. They are the drákon, shape-shifters who possess the ability to Turn—changing from human to smoke to dragon. And from the very stones of the earth, they hear hypnotic songs of beauty and wonder. But there is one stone they fear . . . . Buried deep within the bowels of the Carpathian Mountains lies the legendary dreaming diamond known as Draumr, the only gem with the power to enslave the drákon. Since childhood, Lady Amalia Langford, daughter of the clan’s Alpha, has heard its haunting ballad but kept it secret, along with another rare Gift . . . . Lia can hear the future, much in the way she hears the call of Draumr. And in that future, she realizes that the diamond—along with the fate of the drákon—rests in the hands of a human man, one who straddles two worlds. Ruthlessly clever, Zane has risen through London’s criminal underworld to become its ruler. Once a street urchin saved by Lia’s mother, Zane is also privy to the secrets of the clan—and is the only human they trust to bring them Draumr. But he does nothing selflessly. Zane’s hunt for the gem takes him to Hungary, where he is shocked to encounter a bold, beautiful young noblewoman: Lia. She has broken every rule of the drákon to join him, driven by the urgent song of Draumr—and her visions of Zane. In one future, he is her ally. In another, her overlord. In both, he is her lover. Now, to protect her tribe, Lia must tie her fate to Zane’s, to the one man capable of stealing her future—and destroying her heart . . . . (book description) Personal note: I requested this book from the library months before I finally received it. Turns out it’s quite a popular book. I decided I should read it immediately and not risk being unable to renew it. I must say that this book was every bit as good as the first one, and well worth the long wait. My biggest complaint is that the book isn’t long enough. When I finished it I wanted more.

3. Queen of Dragons (Mass Market Paperback) or (Hardcover Edition) or (Amazon Kindle Edition)

   They are the stuff of glittering legend, supersensual creatures able to shape-shift from human to smoke to dragon. Now they face an enemy determined to destroy their dazzling world of magic and passion. It’s a stunning claim: the existence of a lost drákon tribe. And it comes from an intriguing source: a woman calling herself Princess Maricara of Transylvania. Alpha lord Kimber Langford, Earl of Chasen, can’t ignore the possibility. For whoever this unknown princess may be, she’s dangerous enough to know about his existence—and where to find him. And indeed, it isn’t long before Maricara breaches the defenses of Darkfrith and the walls around Kimber’s heart. Yet the princess arrives with urgent news: a mysterious serial killer is targeting the entire drákon race. To save their kind, Kimber and Mari must ally themselves body and soul in a battle that can spell their salvation, their extinction . . . or both. (book description) Personal note: Yeah, 5 stars. Again. That's how much I loved this book. This series keeps me reading and wanting more. And they are romance novels, but they're awesome anyway. This book left room for a fourth, and lucky for me, that one has already been written. I'm sure it will be as good as this one was.

4. The Treasure Keeper (Mass Market Paperback) or (Hardcover Edition) or (Amazon Kindle Edition)

   With such novels as Queen of Dragons and The Dream Thief, Shana Abé has created a unique and vividly imagined world that exists side by side with our own—a realm populated by a race of supersensual men and women whose power to change shape permits them unlimited acts of pleasure . . . and ever-present danger. Now the survival of the drákon rests in the hands of a young woman with untried and unexpected powers—and the powerful Alpha male she must break every drákon law to save. The drákon are at war, surrounded by an enemy they have every reason to fear. The sanf inimicus are no ordinary human beings but the most dangerous of hunters. They’ve sworn to exterminate the shape-shifters whose presence they now can detect, and they’ve already claimed a prize prisoner: Lord Rhys Langford. It’s a blow the drákon clans feel from Darkfrith, England, all the way to the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. But it strikes no one harder than Zoe Cyprienne Lane. A mere seamstress’s daughter, Zoe isn’t even in the same league as Rhys. In fact, as an unwed male in the Alpha line, according to drákon custom, he owns her. So nothing could be more outrageous—or personally ruinous—than the mere notion that she might set out on her own to find her childhood friend . . . and first true love. But the unexpected is exactly what Zoe intends to do. For years she’s been hiding two extraordinary Gifts that have set her apart from other drákon females: the power to become invisible and the power to feel others’ emotions. Now, guided by a link to Rhys—his presence and touch as electric as if he were beside her in the flesh—Zoe uses both Gifts to infiltrate the sanf inimicus. And for Rhys, whose time is running out, Zoe is his last lifeline to a world—and a love—he never thought he’d regain. Only together again, hunter and huntress, can they save the drákon from the traitor in their midst who would destroy them all. (book description) Personal note: An outstanding addition to a wonderful series. I’m so glad I gave this series a try, despite the fact that it is billed as historical romance. Now if I can only get my wife to read one . . .