Kruze: Companion Novellas from the Brides of Driegon Series

Brides of Driegon, Book 5

De: Ava Ross

Narrado por: Tawnia Murray, Teddy Hamilton

Contains three companion novellas in the Brides of Driegon Series: Kruze, Allor and Skoar.

KRUZE

Clara: A hot alien dragonish dude seems to think I'm his mate. No way! Sure, I came to the Driegon Kingdom with the matched brides, but I was hired to take pictures. I didn't expect to get lured into a secret matebonding ceremony called the Torrent. When my skin ignites like a sparkler during the reception—seriously need to see a doctor about that—Kruze takes flight with me as his intended bride. He says he'll release me if he can't prove we're fated, but… If only his touch didn't set my veins on fire.

Kruze: As a member of the king's elite guard, I'm used to others obeying my commands, until I meet Clara. When her skin responds to the Torrent, and my horns flare, it's clear she's my fated mate. Following tradition laid out eons ago, I take her deep within the subterranean passages of Driegon, where I'll initiate our pairing. Clara insists she'll return to her home planet, but she agrees to give me three days to change her mind. With my heart at risk, there's nothing I won't do to show her she's mine.

ALLOR

Darcy: When an alien duke touches my hand, flames erupt up my arm. Allor says this means I'm his fated mate, but I'm here in the Driegon kingdom to work as a hair stylist; I'm not a mail-order bride. I'm returning to my thirteen-year-old son back on Earth, no matter what this supposed matebond says. But before I can tell him hell to the no, I'm abducted by a different alien and taken into the caverns deep below the kingdom. Allor gives chase, and we're soon on the run with the bad guy hot on our tail.

Allor: One touch, and I know Darcy's my fated mate. Convincing her she's mine may take some time. When we're trapped together far from the kingdom, we must work together to survive. One touch leads to another, and things heat up between us. Darcy insists she'll return to Earth and there's nothing I can do to persuade her to stay. Challenge issued and accepted.

SKOAR

Layla: When I'm enlisted to play tour guide to a visiting alien dignitary of the Driegon race, the last thing I expect when we touch is for flames to shoot up my arms or for him to announce I'm his fated mate. My life is on Earth and he plans to return to his home planet. I'd be foolish to think a long-distance romance between me and a dragon warrior could work. But I have to admit, this scaly, seven-foot-tall alien can be awfully persuasive.

Skoar: The minar I meet Layla, heartspire blood roared through my veins and my horns elongated, proving she was my Torrent mate. She insists we can't have a future, that our two worlds cannot combine, but I'm determined to prove her wrong. Before I leave Earth, I will show her we're fated, because the heart of a Driegon warrior will not be denied.

©2022 Ava Ross (P)2022 Podium Audio

Best short stories in one book!

Loved all the characters.. stories were short and sweet . My favorite was the last one with Layla and Skoar… sweet as pie!

Fated, Flustered, and Falling in Love

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💚
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😋😉😎🤯
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

Characters and Plot Summary

Kruze, Allor, and Skoar each get their own fated-mate story, and I enjoyed how different the women’s reasons for resisting the bonds were. Clara arrives in the Driegon Kingdom as a photographer rather than a bride, so when the Torrent suddenly reveals that Kruze is her mate, she is understandably determined to return to Earth. I especially liked that Kruze, an elite guard accustomed to giving orders, has to learn that Clara is not someone he can simply command into accepting him. His decision to give her three days to reconsider gives their relationship a little more room to develop.

Darcy’s story with Allor had a different emotional hook because she is a mother with a thirteen-year-old son waiting for her on Earth. Her determination to go home makes her resistance feel more grounded than simply being nervous about an alien mate. When she is abducted and Allor follows her into the underground caverns, their relationship develops while they are also trying to survive and escape their enemy.

Then there is Layla and Skoar. Layla is working as a tour guide when touching the Driegon dignitary triggers the Torrent. She immediately sees the practical problems of trying to build a relationship between Earth and the Driegon world, while Skoar is convinced that fate has already made the decision for them. I liked that each heroine had a legitimate reason for hesitating instead of simply falling instantly into line.

Highlights and Limitations

The biggest highlight for me was the way the Torrent affects each couple differently. Clara’s reaction to her skin igniting during the ceremony was both funny and startling, especially because she responds to the whole situation with a very practical, “maybe I need a doctor” attitude. That made her feel refreshingly human in a situation that is anything but normal.

I also really enjoyed the forced-proximity element in Allor’s story. Darcy and Allor being trapped together while an enemy is pursuing them gives their romance something to do beyond simply discovering that they are mates. Darcy’s determination to return to her son also gave her choices more emotional weight.

My biggest limitation was that these are novellas, and I occasionally wanted more time with the couples. Some of the romantic transitions happen very quickly because there simply isn’t room for the slower development I usually prefer. I also found myself wishing the ending of some conflicts had been given a little more breathing room. One reader specifically described the ending as rushed, and I could understand that reaction.

Narration

Tawnia Murray and Teddy Hamilton were a great pairing for this series. I liked having distinct male and female voices because it made the alternating perspectives easy to follow, particularly when the stories moved quickly between romance and danger. Teddy Hamilton gives the Driegon warriors the confident, possessive quality that fits characters like Kruze, Allor, and Skoar, while Tawnia Murray handles the women’s skepticism and emotional reactions well.

What worked particularly well for me was the contrast between the warriors’ certainty about the Torrent and the women’s much more cautious responses. The narration helped sell that difference instead of making every couple sound identical.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I had a really enjoyable time with this audiobook. Kruze was probably my favorite because Clara’s determination to return to Earth made her resistance feel believable, and I liked watching Kruze discover that being an elite guard did not mean he could simply command his mate into loving him. Allor and Darcy brought more suspense into the collection, while Layla and Skoar leaned more heavily into the impossible-long-distance-romance problem.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy short, steamy fated-mate romances with dragon-like aliens, protective warriors, danger, and heroines who are not immediately convinced that destiny knows best. I did wish some of the relationships and endings had been allowed more space to breathe, but I still came away feeling entertained and invested in these couples.

Ending was just rushed

It was ok the ending was too rush wanted to know more about their lives not epilogues like a regular book.

a bit rushed but a good read

I was looking forward to this and pre-ordered it the three stories were ok. the first was a bit on the anticlimactic side with the bad guy I thought from the other book he appeared in hr would be more dangerous the second was just very blah to me all were so rushed the last was the best I feel. still a good read and I would still recommend I just wish there had been more to the second and just a tad more to the first the third again was pretty 👍 love these books and will read more