Wyvern's Mate

The Dragons of Incendium, Book 1

By: Deborah Cooke

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Once, in the Kingdom of Incendium, there were 12 princesses of the realm, each a dragon shifter. Each fiery and passionate. Each possessed of an appetite for pleasure that only her destined mate can satisfy. Twelve men are expected in Incendium, each with special powers of his own, each with the gift to claim one dragon princess's heart forever.

Troy will do whatever is necessary to earn his freedom from solitary confinement on the penal colony of Xanto, even assassinate a princess of Incendium. Being a MindBender, he has a serious advantage as a predator and thinks the princess in question doesn't have a chance. Only one of them can survive and Troy knows who it will be - until he meets Drakina.

Royal dragon shifter Drakina has a quest of her own, to seduce her destined mate and conceive the crown prince of Incendium. Her father will free her from all other responsibilities if she completes this one task. Drakina craves her independence enough to seduce the unattractive Terran who is the Carrier of the Seed. She's sure it will be a quick seduction - until she meets Troy.

World collide when Troy and Drakina meet, and passion flares. The attraction is so powerful that they both choose to put their goals aside for one night of passion together. When their respective secrets are revealed, will the truth turn one against the other? Or will destiny allow this star-crossed pair to save each other and their unborn son?

©2016 Deborah A. Cooke (P)2016 Deborah A. Cooke

Gripping start to a new series!

Would you consider the audio edition of Wyvern's Mate to be better than the print version?

I'm a huge fan of Deborah's dragon books, and when I heard she was doing a new series with women dragon shifters, I was very intrigued. I love the sci-fi feel of these, with the dragon realm being on another planetary realm, and Deborah did an amazing job with the romantic tension in this first installment of the Dragons of Incendium.

Drakina must join with her prophesied carrier and conceive a son who is set to be the crown prince and the savior of their planet. However, the dragon princess has no intention of staying with the human once she's gotten what she's after. But when she gets to know him, she realizes that Troy is her heartmate, not just her baby daddy. Unfortunately, the man's intentions for the princess are nefarious.. He's bartered to get out of prison in exchange for the dragon's life. But once he meets her, he knows he'll never be able to do it, and his life might just be worth a few moments of pleasure in her arms.

Drakina and Troy's journey of discovery is rife with surprises and will keep you riveted. The only reason I didn't give the book the 5th star was because it was very short and left me feeling as if the story were rushed a bit. Someting to be expected with novellas, however. I'm looking forward to listening to more, as Saskia is perfect for the narration of these tales!

What did you like best about this story?

The character interaction

Which scene was your favorite?

I had several

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did!

Amazing start to a new series!!

I have always loved Deborah Cooke's dragon books!! This new series only gets better!! I loved listening to it!! The narrator does a wonderful job!! I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed!!! Looking forward to the rest of the series!!

Paranormal romance with heart and passion!

Any additional comments?

Wyvern's Mate is a paranormal romance with lots of heart and insatiable appetites. It is the first in the Dragons of Incendium series by Deborah Cooke. The overall premise of the series is that there are 12 princesses in the Kingdom of Incendium, all of whom are dragon shifters and each princess possessing an unique ability to find her one soulmate through time and space.

Wyvern's Mate is Drakina's story, the oldest of the dragon-shifter-princesses from space. She wants nothing to do with the kingdom and her father agrees to give her the freedom she so desperately desires if she seduces her destined mate and conceive the crown prince of Incendium. Two problems stand in her way: (1) her destined mate, Troy, is an unattractive Terran and (2) Troy is a slave who will be granted his freedom if he assassinates Drakina and if he is unsuccessful he will be executed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when the pair meet, fireworks and passion ignite. The only question left is who will survive.

I listened to the Audible version of this book narrated by Saskia Maarleveld who was outstanding. Her smooth overtones and subtle character nuances made for a very enjoyable experience. Her style is very natural that makes it easy to become totally immersed listening to the book. If you are like me and are fascinated by dragons, plus enjoy reading or listening to a good romance novel, I recommend you give Wyvern's Mate a try.

Cooke's new series shines in audible

What made the experience of listening to Wyvern's Mate the most enjoyable?

The narration is perfect, she masters both male and female voices plus puts emotion into each word

Who was your favorite character and why?

Troy, the underdog

Have you listened to any of Saskia Maarleveld’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She does contemporary and historical books great

Thrilling SciFi Romance you won't be able to put d

If you could sum up Wyvern's Mate in three words, what would they be?

Passion, Adventure, Excitement

Who was your favorite character and why?

Troy - he's a sexy, heroic, strong and brave character with a heart that will melt under a dragon's fiery embrace.

What does Saskia Maarleveld bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She's a delight to listen to! Her voice is melodic with a great range to allow her to expertly portray both male and female characters. Her reading is clear, crisp, and enticing. Shes one of my favorite narrators.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The romance in general was moving. It was beautiful and heartfelt and sweeps you away as a reader.

Any additional comments?

Deborah Cooke thrills again in this exciting romance! Wyvern's mate is a heart pounding mix of adventure, romance, and action. The hero, Troy, is a mind-bender who is strong, determined, and will melt any readers heart. To escape imprisonment and death, he's sent back to his homeland to complete one task - to slay a dragon princess. After years of hard labor, including completing executions for his ruthless captors, Troy cleverly plans how to earn her trust to ensure he' can complete this last mission and gain his freedom. What he doesn't expect, however, is just how far he will fall for the Dragon Princess. With his life and her life on the line, only one of them will be able to survive.

Drakina is stubborn, headstrong, and determined to win her freedom from her family. The oldest of a brood of dragons, she is responsible for providing a male heir to her father's throne. After her pending wedding doesn't go as planned, her father sends her on a quest to find the seed which will sire his grandson and future heir. Drakina is furious at the errand, but agrees knowing that by completing this lat task for her father she may gain her freedom. What she doesn't know is that completing the errand may cost her her life. It also may cost her her heart.

For lovers of romance, adventure, and science fiction, this book is a must read! A sci-fi passion is a must as the story includes multiple worlds and characters with superhuman powers and who transform shape. Debrorah Cook delivers a gripping story which makes the novel hard to put down. I listened to the audiobook version which was outstanding!

Dragon shape-shifters from a galaxy beyond

Any additional comments?

Knowing both the narrator and author in a historical romance setting, it was a little hard to shift gears. Nevertheless, the story caught my attention and held lots of appeal.

Drakina, the first of the princesses of Incendium, is pretty much like any rebellious daughter when parents lay down the law. But Drakina is not a human, but a dragon shifter and comes from a planet more highly advanced than Terran, which we know as earth.

Her father’s astrologers have foretold Drakina must journey to Terran where the carrier who carries the seed is. Her body must be impregnated by this seed to bear a royal egg, a child destined to save the kingdom.

Drakina is obstinate, doesn’t want to do her duty, but is told this is the last thing she must do for the kingdom. Then she would have her freedom. Again, this sounds suspiciously like our teenagers of today! Drakina, knowing this, says she will not marry him, but will bear the royal prince. She sees her freedom ahead of her, therefore, prepares for the journey, learning several languages, and does what she must to ‘fit’ in.

Drakina is such a beauty with a curvaceous, voluptuous body that no matter if her clothes and speech fit in the small town of St. Anthony, she does not. Troy is drawn in like bee to nectar.

Troy is aware the princess wants him. He, in fact, is returned to earth to destroy her. By so doing, he gains his freedom from the penal colony where he’d been for the last ten years. If he fails, he will be executed.

Both Troy and Drakina have every reason to succeed in their individual quests--the stakes are high on both sides. Drakina is intrigued by Troy and decides to draw out her time with him--she has 48 hours. Troy is captured by not only her beauty, but her spirit and finds joy in her dragon form. So what to do? Can either do what they set out to do?

I hope you enjoy this story where galactic justice just may prevail and two souls find true love.

An off planet, paranormal romance w/DRAGONS!

Any additional comments?

Deborah Cooke creates these unique worlds, and this time she takes us to the far side of the galaxy where two planets orbit a dying sun. The first and where are story will focus is Incendium, where a dragon-shifter king resides with twelve daughters. Regalia is their neighboring planet, and its Queen has twelve sons. Long embroidered in conflict the monarchs decide to put aside their differences and join through the marriage of one of their offspring. However, prophecies indicate that the oldest Drakina, the feisty, headstrong daughter must bear a son who is destined to save their planet. To do so, she must travel to Terra (Earth) in search of the Carrier of the Seed to get pregnant.

Enter Troy. Troy is from Terra where he was abducted because of his Mindbender abilities made a slave. He was forced to become an assassin for higher. Politics and fear of discovery from his captors land him in the penal colony of Xanto. Men of power and wealth place a wager and Troy ends up their pawn. If he completed the mission, he could gain his freedom, but if he fails, it will mean his death.

Both Drakina and Troy are well developed. She is snarky and will eat you if you piss her off. He is smart and lethal. I loved seeing them trade barbs and their sizzling chemistry curled my toes. I adore when characters have clear goals, but upon meeting, it all goes to hell in a hen basket. It is always fun seeing how it all works out, even while worrying that something will go awry. I enjoyed watching the romance that developed. Cooke offered some laugh aloud moments allowing me to connect to these strong individuals.

Despite Cooke introducing this world, the length of the tale made things develop quickly. While this is dubbed book one, it read more like a prequel. I loved the Dragons, from the stubborn entitled Kings to the reader of prophecy. Some of the tidbits from pregnancy to diet were fabulously entertaining. I do marvel at Cooke’s vivid imagination.

Wyvern’s Mate is a complete story regarding the couple, but there is so much more to learn about these planets, their sun and the other planets in their galaxy.

Saskia Maarleveld once again narrates for Cooke, and she is such a perfect match for these stories. She captures Drakina’s personality, sets the pace, and her male voices aren’t raspy.

Dragons! (With some intrigue and romance 😉)

Ms. Cooke had created an intriguing tale involving other worlds and other species. The best part? She intwined it with our own in one of the most intriguing ways possible. I highly recommend joining this amazing storyteller and the beautifully voiced Ms. Maarleveld as they take you on a dazzling journey to Incendium!

Steven's Mate

I listened to this audio book because I am a big fan of Deborah Cook and Saskia Maarleveld. To be honest, at first it took some getting use to since it is so completely different from the books I have been reading lately. In the end, I'd say I actually was surprised by the fact that I enjoyed listening to it so much more than I ever imagined. It's always good to break out of a rut/habit and read or listen to something completely different from your norm. I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to reading/listening to the remaining books in this series. If you're looking for something unique and refreshingly different, you should check out this series by Deborah Cook. I really enjoyed this experience.

Boring book

I found this book extremely boring in spite of the fact that it was short. It was hard to get through it. The narrator was good, but not as good as she was in other books I've listen to that she has narrated. The book started to get better about 3/4 of the way through. I think the author was laying the groundwork for the series. If other books come to Audible, unfortunately, I will not be following this series.