To Match a Dragon’s Fire by Heather K. Carson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You know what’s worse than my ex-husband?
The apocalypse.

That’s why I’m putting the past behind me as I drag my best friends to safety. My ranch is the perfect place for us to lay low while the world falls apart—as long as I can survive the small-town drama.

But I wasn’t expecting to come face-to-face with a smoking-hot trespasser who says he owns my property now. Kieran has another thing coming if thinks he’s staying on my land. I don’t care if he’s working for the government or trying to solve some sort of apocalyptic prophecy that might involve me and my friends.

I’m definitely not swooning over his brooding scowl or beautiful eyes that seem to stare into the depths of my soul while he warns me to stay away.
He doesn’t scare me.

Even if he does have wings.
And a tail.
And…
Um…
Did he just turn into a dragon?

To Match a Dragon’s Fire

A Unique Mix of Fantasy, Romance, and Survival

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚❤️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂😁😛
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

Characters & Plot Summary

I went into To Match A Dragon’s Fire expecting a dragon romance, but I wasn’t expecting the post apocalyptic setting to play such a big role in the story. Ember is trying to rebuild her life after a difficult divorce while the world is falling apart from massive earthquakes and failing infrastructure. When she heads to her family’s ranch hoping to find some stability, she instead finds Kieran already living there. Their first meetings are tense because neither of them trusts the other, and Ember is not about to let a stranger tell her what to do. I really enjoyed watching that relationship evolve, especially after Kieran finally reveals that he is actually a dragon. That scene completely changed the direction of the story and raised the stakes for both the romance and the larger mystery surrounding the dragons.

Highlights & Limitations

The blend of survival, fantasy, and romance worked really well for me. I liked that the outside dangers never disappeared once Ember and Kieran grew closer. The threats facing the world kept the story moving, and the mystery surrounding the prophecy gave me a reason to keep listening beyond the romance.

I also appreciated how important Ember’s friendships with Riley and Willow remained throughout the book instead of disappearing once the love story took center stage. I have been in to the post-apocalyptic paranormal romance and was sad to find not many of these in my searches, so I really enjoyed this one. I also liked that this wasn’t any of the standard end of the world tropes, like EMP’s, nukes, alien invasion, zombie’s and so on, it is actually something that is more likely to happen.

The only thing I wanted more of was the dragon lore. The discoveries about the prophecy and the dragons hinted at a much bigger history, and I found myself wishing those parts had been explored in greater detail. I also thought Ember and Kieran fell into their relationship a little faster than I expected, although I still enjoyed their chemistry and the way they challenged each other from the beginning.

My main criticism is regarding the issue of Ember’s land. She had never missed a tax payment to the county, and the county accepted her payments and never sent her back the money, so it didn’t make sense that the land now belonged to Kieran.

Narration & Performance

Bridget Bordeaux and JD Tomlinson were a great pairing for this audiobook. Bridget gave Ember plenty of personality, balancing her vulnerability with her stubborn streak, especially during the early confrontations with Kieran. Though I wasn’t too fan of the slightly whiny quality to her voice, like she is always complaining or depressed.

JD Tomlinson brought a calm confidence to Kieran that fit his character, though I would like a deeper voice for a dragon shifter. I did enjoy hearing his perspective during the moments when he struggled between his responsibilities as a dragon and his growing feelings for Ember. Both narrators kept the pacing engaging and made it easy to stay invested in the story.

Final Opinion

This was a fun mix of dragon romance, adventure, and end of the world suspense. I ended up caring about the characters more than I expected, especially as Ember found the strength to move beyond her past while Kieran tried to balance destiny with what he wanted for himself. I finished the audiobook wanting to learn more about the dragons and where the overall story is headed. If you enjoy fated mates, protective dragon heroes, capable heroines, and romances with an action-packed fantasy backdrop, I think this one is well worth a listen.

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