Swallow

By: Piper Scott, Virginia Kelly

Narrated by: Michael Ferraiuolo

Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Grimbold Drake, influential patriarch of the Drake family, revels in his solitary life of order - a life which is thrown into chaos when his son pays him an unexpected visit, bringing with him a broken but gorgeous young man more than a millennium Grimbold’s junior. A man Grimbold instantly finds himself yearning to fix, protect, and claim.

Meek, subservient, and eager to please, Wally Brand doesn’t doubt the tales he’s been told of the cruel and deceitful Amethyst clan. So, when he’s forcibly taken from his home and entrusted to Grimbold Drake - the most powerful Amethyst dragon of all - he knows he won’t be long for this world. 

Only, there’s a gleam in Grimbold’s eyes when he looks Wally’s way and a tenderness to his touch that Wally can’t understand. All he knows is one thing: Whether Grimbold means him harm or not, if he can be good to his dragon captor, maybe...just maybe, he’ll get out of this mess alive.

Swallow is a steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance set following the events of the Forbidden Desires series. It contains a broken young man who badly needs love, a curmudgeonly dragon with a heart of gold, new nicknames, familiar faces, and the sweetest dog known to dragonkind. 

For maximum enjoyment, Swallow is best listened to as a companion piece to the Forbidden Desires series. 

©2019 Piper Scott; Virginia Kelly (P)2019 Piper Scott; Virginia Kelly

Interesting story

I enjoyed the way this novel built on the world that it spun off from. Lots of cameos from past couples, which could get overwhelming for a new listener. Wally certainly had a ton of trauma to work through, it felt like he maybe got over past mistreatment a touch too easily. The villain was enjoyable to hate. Courtship by dessert is a win, and I enjoyed the way Wally's favorite fandom carried through with little details and larger themes. Well narrated, emotional listen.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!

I love all of the audio books in this series. The narrator does a fantastic job bringing all of these characters to life. I was very excited that the narrator didn't change how Grimbold sounds. I was afraid that he would try to tone down the gruffness of the character's voice as it sounds in the other three books. But he doesn't do that and I absolutely loved it. Fantastic job.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Nice job Scott and Kelly

Awesome narrating by Michael Ferraiuolo, as always. Nice to hear his music too. Great short listen to tie up a really great series. Nice to see Grimbold get another chance at love and a mate. No one deserves a solitary life. Wally so deserves a HEA and a family to Love and protect him... Hopefully there are more stories to come, I'm a fan of the Scott, Kelly team of writing. Well worth you credit and your time. Enjoy the cameos from the forbidden desires series cast of characters...⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

More please

I loved this spin off. I want more and more of this series. So freaking funny. Totally worth listening to.

Love it

I’m so happy we got a story for Grandpa Grimmy. This was such a great story, despite it being shorter than the original series stories. I love how Grimbold has grown throughout the series in regards to dragon rules and traditions and it comes full circle with him getting his HEA with Walter.

I really hope to get more stories about the other Drake dragons and look forward to listening to Michael narrate them. He has done such a great job bring everyone to life.

An unbeatable team!

Once again, this fantastic team of authors and a talented narrator made my day. Awesome!

A buffet of emotions

Mix a thousand year old dragon and an abused 22 year old dragonet who has been told his entire life he is a "disgrace" and you have one amazing story. Swallow/Wally/Walter is brought to the ancient dragon Grimbold when he is found abused and abandoned. Grimbold is drawn to the boy and decides to keep him in his house to try and discover exactly what is going on with him. That opens the first third of the story where the author takes us inside Walter's head and we become just like a scared animal, not understanding what is expected of us and fearing punishment at every turn. This is a heartbreaking section as Walter fears to set foot on the carpet in his room, sleeps on the floor not the bed, etc. We also feel Grimbold's confusion at his behaviour until some episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer open up lines of communication between these two. In the second third we watch trust, attraction and a relationship develop. That happiness is almost shattered by Grimbold being too noble and the appearance of a satisfyingly evil villain. Grimbold shows his power and we enter the last third, where we get our incredible happy ever after. The story is wonderful but this is one that I think will be more enjoyable in audio format. Michael Ferraiuolo does an incredible job of portraying the young, fearful Walter, the powerful mature Grimbold and an large array of secondary characters. One of the best vocal performances I have heard in my long experience with audiobooks. I will definitely look for other narration by him. He also does music for the book! This is a spin off from a series that I am not familiar with. That did not keep me from enjoying this book. While fans of Buffy and the Forbidden Desires series may pick up nuances and understand a bit more of the dragon lore and background, don't hesitate to pick this up if you are neither of those. You will easily follow this story.

Loved this audio and story!

I loved this book. This series in general is one of my faves! Grimbold is the head of the Drake family and has been alone for so long. Wally stumbles into his life in the best way. They have an instant connection. Grimbold tried to resist but he really cannot. This is a story of love and respect for one another. It’s special and I will definitely will be re-listening to this one!
Narrated by Michael Ferraiuolo in his perfect pitch. This audible is one of my favorites of the series!

Grimbold & Wally

A great story where the head of the Amethyst Clan, Grimbold, gets his own mate and HEA. Wally has suffered so much abuse that it's made him very scared. Grimbold has always seemed very closed off and stern but he really surprises me with Wally. Grimbold is very protective of Wally right from the start and he's incredibly patient, sweet, and caring with him. I really enjoyed watching their relationship unfold. The narrator was wonderful with all of the characters and the story. I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this audio book.

OMG so good

Oh my god so good! You just want to bundle up Wally and hug him.
And Grinbald turns out to be the big teddybear dragon Wally needs.

And I’m absolutely amazed over the work the narrator has done.
Very enjoyable, and highly recommendable.

Loved it

This was a really great audiobook.
I love this story and I loved listening to it brought to life.
Definitely a must read.

4.75* of dragon greatness

The first in a spin off series following the events in the brilliant Forbidden Desires series written by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly, narrated wonderfully by Michael Ferraiuolo.

We are back with the dragons, yay, and Geoffrey, Everard and Harry make appearances as Grimbold comes face to face with the neglect and abuse his lack of attention has caused and has regret, shame and guilt for that in the form of the young dragonet Wally, who has had a traumatic beginning, I’m not giving anymore away.

I loved the first series and this spin off is just as good so if you like hot dragons, who like to claim what is theirs, then this is the book/series for you.

Loved it!

The Forbidden Desires series was one of my top audiobook favorites last year, and Swallow, its first spin-off, was just about as amazing.

Michael Ferraiuolo is one of my favorite narrators and while I wasn't sure I was going to like listening to Daddy Grimwold's voice for too long—he sounds old, which well, he is and I already knew after listening to the Forbidden Desires series, LOL—but he looks hot on the cover, so it kind of ruined the fantasy for me at first. However, Michael's performance and Piper and Virginia's words won me over to the dark side and I ended up loving him despite Grimwold sounding old. Hahahahaha! He was so patient and gentle with Wally, despite being a formidable clan master and a centuries-old dragon. Wally was sweet and Michael captured that perfectly. And of course, getting to revisit my favorites, Everard and Harry, was delightful, too, which, coupled with a strong storyline and some fun, hot and even jaw-dropping, twists and turns, made for a great start to this new spin-off series. I'm already looking forward to more and I can't recommend this audiobook enough.

Great dragon tale.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Grimbold from what we saw of him before, however Swallow changed that and now I love him. Poor Wally has had such a bad past and my heart really broke for him. I loved how Grimbold helped him come into his own.

The narration really worked and I loved all the characters as portrayed by the narrator.

Grimbold!

Grimbold is an ancient and powerful dragon. He gets to take care of Wally, a very shy and misguided omega. Their relationship is one that has to be handled with outmost care since Wally has been made to suffer and everything makes him suspicious and untrusting. It’s a very different story but one with lots of heart.
The voice of Grimbold threw me off a bit but I am a fan of Ferraiuolo so I won’t hold it against him.

excellent

I love Wally (walter) he is so sweet, he just tugs at your heart strings and the narrator did his voice beautifully. It was lovely seeing a sweet and caring side from Grimbold.

I have loved every book in this series and harry still makes me laugh

Great story, not a stand alone

I received an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this spin off story. It was such a sweet tale and great to see Swallow get his well deserved HEA. Although the story is about one couple, you get to see the established couple and their children too, which adds to the fun.
Michael Ferraiuolo does a great job. as the characters were already established the voices can't be changed but, and this is just my personal taste and no reflection on Michael at all, I couldn't find Grimbold's accent sexy.

Wonderful & Ferraiuolo is Marvelous!

Completely and thoroughly delicious. To see gruff and growly Grimbold Drake find his mate? *sigh* It was truly perfect. I couldn't dream up a better true love for him than Wally. He's adorable, and after everything he's been through at the Cloister, well he's just as sweet as he can be.

Plus there are some bonus visits from a few of our favorite characters, and scenes of Grandad Grim!

Michael Ferraiuolo is always spectacular and he rises to the occasion in Swallow. One of his finest talents is his range and variety of voices, and the stories in Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly's Forbidden Desires series are a wonderful showcase for this amazing performer.

an audiobook copy of Swallow was provided to me for the purpose of my review

Wally and Grimbald and Joy

I have loved this series from the beginning and was thrilled Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly were returning to this omegaverse story. I hadn’t given Grimbald much thought. After all he was father to Alistair, Everard, and Geoffrey. He would poke his nose into his children’s lives periodically but they were all several hundred years old and Grimbald is over the millennium mark. If a guy’s that old, he’s not getting any action, right? Alas, this is dragon world where five hundred years old is considered barely beyond the whelp stage.

When Grimbald is presented with Swallow, he’s being asked only for his advice. He sees a chance to help the young man so he steps up. Swallow (and let’s be honest, I hadn’t been thinking of the bird when I heard the title) hates his name, is terrified of dragons, and just wants to escape. He calls himself Wally but Grimbald dismisses such a plain name. Instead, he settles on Walter, taking away what little autonomy Wally has.

My heart broke over and over and over as Wally’s time in the cloister was revisited. There is a special place in hell for people like his abusers. I loved that Grimbald kept telling him over and over that he wasn’t a disgrace or a mistake. And the showdown with his sire was something to behold.

I enjoyed this book because I got to revisit with so many of my favorite characters (hello Harry and his lizard Steve). I also had a great time because I got to listen to the incomparable Michael Ferraiuolo. He’s done a great job with all the books in this series and this one is no exception. I’m always impressed by the quality of his work and I especially love the haughtiness of the dragons. This was a lovely book with a heart-warming ending, a lovely whelp, and a beautiful dog. What more could I have asked for?

Fantastic

I loved this story! It was so great to see another, more human, side to Grimbold. He always seemed to me to be a stodgy, resistant stick in the mud in the other books, so I loved seeing him get more color, personality, and kindness. Things have been changing in the dragon world thanks to Steve's research, and Grimbold is realizing and accepting he has made mistakes in the past. Swallow (or Wally as he prefers to be known) is a disgrace from the Brand cloister who has been abused and is unresponsive to rehabilitation efforts. He partly lives in his own fantasy world with characters from Buffy the vampire slayer, and he expects the very worst when he is taken by the Amethyst clan. He has always been told they are mean, vicious, and ruthless.

It was heart-warming to see Wally slowly open up to Grimbold and his dog Beatrice and discover truth and lies for himself. The romance between Grimbold and Wally developed slow, sweet and believable. The love scenes weren't quite as hot as some of the related books, but were just as sexy and satisfying.

The narration was spectacular. Micheal expertly channeled all the different characters from Grimbold's firm and occasionally gruff persona to Wally's shy and frightened viewpoint. Excellent at bringing the feels to the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.