Rage, Sex, and Teddy Bears: Review/Giveaway–The Queen’s Wings (The Emerging Queens #1) by Jamie K. Schmidt

Published May 27th 2014 by Entangled: Edge

Save the Dragons.

Long ago, the Cult of Humanity sacrificed the Dragon Queen, crippling the breeding process.But now Carolyn hears the voice of that long dead queen telling her that she holds the key to breaking the spell that will free all the female dragons.

FBI dragon Reed’s disdain for humans can’t mask the magnetic attraction he has for Carolyn, but when she tells him she’s going to shift into a dragon he thinks she’s crazy. A female hasn’t been hatched, or shape shifted, in over a thousand years.

He’s proven wrong after Carolyn shifts and is named the new Queen on the block. A never ending line of suitors forms, but she only wants Reed. Too bad he doesn’t want in on the competition. But when the Cult kidnaps Carolyn to sacrifice her in an effort to make the curse against the female dragons permanent, Reed must face his fears—and feelings, racing to save the woman he realizes he can’t live without.

I am really, really getting into this whole dragon shifter craze! I mean I've always liked dragons in an abstract, that's cool, kinda way, but all these new versions and worlds are just working for me. Dragons are coming off as much more urbane and sophisticated. I guess it's the whole hoarding of the treasure mythos. The Queen's Wings was very unique for me because 1) it was written in first person POV and I didn't immediately go yuk, and fling it across the room, and 2) it focus mostly on the females of the species, and I didn't immediately go yuk, and fling it across the room. 3) Reed was kind of a tool and I still didn't go yuk, and fling it across the room. When I get a new book in, I will skim it immediately, just to get an impression, Ninty-eight percent of the time, it goes in my TBR to be read in the order that my schedule dictates. Sometimes, in a rare two percent of the cases, I cheat, because something hooked me. Something stood out and said, this one is in need of immediate reading or you will perish and mankind will be deprived of your wisdom forever. The Queen's Wings had that "Umph" "It" "Star" quality. I skimmed, I read, and never put it down until I finished the entire book.

The world building was intelligent, fun and had me looking out my window for winged reptiles in suits. The heroine, oh my goodness, Carolyn was a hoot and a half. SHE WAS THE HOOK! She was quirky, stubborn, funny, and just knew she was right. I loved her! I identified with her. It IS hell being right ALL the fricking time. I felt her pain. Annnnnd, even though she was definitely feeling Reed and the thought of having to put up with more than one lover didn't exactly cream her coffee (on this point we parted ways), she was not going to let Reed's toolish attitude keep her from being the dragon queen she knew she was. She also wasn't going to let the other dragon queens dictate who she would be. Go on with your bad self, dragon queen!

Reed does come around and become a dragon worthy of Carolyn's greatness. (Mark this down because you hardly EVER hear this from me!) Carolyn was almost too good for Reed. I don't think he appreciated her nearly enough and he could have done with a bit of chest thumping and "mine". Still, I adored this book and will definitely be following up on what's going on with future books. Outstanding job, Jamie!! Brava.

Amazon/B&N/Entangled Publishing

Jamie Kleinkauf-Schmidt has over thirty short stories published in small press and ezines. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz in Secondary Education English, which is a fancy way of saying she went to college to teach high school English. When that didn’t pan out, she worked as a call center manager, a Tupperware consultant, a paralegal, and finally a technical writer for a major conglomerate company. She is an active member in the Romance Writers of America (RWA), serving as the PRO liaison for her local chapter Connecticut Romance Writers of America (CTRWA).

When not writing, Jamie relaxes with a mug of hot tea and knits or makes beaded jewelry. She sells her handcrafted items at The Dudley Farm during the summer. A voracious reader, Jamie has a Kindle and is not afraid to use it.