A Whisper of Claws (Steel Vanguard #1) by Jennie Lynn Roberts
- Merissa
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
@Jennie.Lynn.Roberts.Romance
@jennielynnroberts_author
Knight Captain Luka has two problems: an assassin trying to start a war… and Izabel. He already knows which one of them is going to break his heart.
Luka keeps castle security, and his life, under strict control. He gave up the right to happiness when his actions led to his best friend—Izabel’s brother—dying alone. He could never ask for forgiveness, especially not from Izabel, no matter how much he wanted her. So, he pushed her away instead. But now there’s a dead body on the side of their ancient holy mountain, Izabel has been drawn into hunting for the killer, and having her close enough to touch is driving his beast insane.
Izabel has a new home and a flourishing apothecary well away from the castle… and well away from the man whose cold rejection still haunts her. But something sinister is happening, and it feels all too similar to how her brother died. When the prince asks her to help investigate, Izzy can’t refuse. Not with war threatening everyone she loves—and the chance to finally learn the truth—on the line.
Forced to work together, Luka and Izzy find the pull between them burning hotter with every shared moment. With enemies already inside the gates, they must decide exactly how far they’re willing to go— for their kingdom, and for each other.
A Whisper of Claws (book 1 of The Steel Vanguard) is a steamy dragon shifter romance with tons of action. Expect chosen mates, forced proximity, off-limits (he thinks so anyway), found family, second chances, protective hero, fierce heroine, court intrigue, inner beasts with sharp claws and sharper attitudes… and a hard-won happily ever after.
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Luka couldn’t do it. He couldn’t hurt her. Not again. Not even to protect her. Gods, that look on her face. The way she’d closed her eyes and braced. He never wanted to see that again. Ever.
He turned away, swallowing the emotion that still shuddered through him, and quickly finished stripping. He wrapped everything in his dark cloak and pushed it beneath a dense shrub. Then he rolled back his shoulders and took a deep breath. This was going to hurt, and he had to do it silently.
He glanced toward the mountain, checked the patrols along the battlements—no one was looking into their shadowed nook up against the wall—and then let himself settle, opening his mind fully to the beast. Allowing himself to feel the rush of heated power that he’d blocked off for so long.
His beast uncoiled deep in his belly, shaking out its wings with a groan of aching relief. Scales flashed up Luka’s arms and over his neck and face, rippling over his chest as his beast twisted.
His tendons stretched and spread, while muscles for flying, leaping, roaring, and belching flame screamed from long disuse. His senses billowed out in a rush. He could feel the wind and the cool droplets of mist in the air. He pushed further, sensing the mountain’s peaks and ridges, rocky and barren, strewn with thorny lace bushes and brambles. Beyond them, hidden gulleys lay green and verdant in the humid dark, their heated pools feeding the lush shrubs and flowers growing on their walls.
His awareness dipped lower, through the layers of sand and rock, down to the very depths of the mountain. To the magma, glowing, potent, and calling to him. The energy and fire sang loud enough that his ancestors had followed it for months, flying through storms and over deserts just to reach it.
And below that lay the subtle hint of something more. Something that the people of Hugaeb had worshipped for centuries before the Verturian drakes had even arrived.
Luka dropped to his knees, dug his hands into the soil, and whispered a prayer. A quick recognition of the gods of Chaos and Order, their Mother of the Weave, even the older gods of earth and air and fire.
The drake in his belly growled, low and long. Warmth ran up through the earth, through the rocks and stones and sand, seeping into his skin and winding around his heart. Pooling deep in his belly.
He stretched his fingers, reaching deeper, searching until he found a scorching strand of something vast and magical, and pulled. Scalding heat rushed into him, drawn up through the earth, pouring into his beast in great, agonizing waves. He—they—threw back their head, shuddering as they held in a violent roar. Luka clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay silent. His body shook as his spine cracked and his skin split. His beast howled, vibrating with the growing tidal wave of power that raged through them. And they transformed. Green-black shimmering scales spread out in a rush, leathery wings unfurled, viciously curved claws gripped the earth… and a heart fifty times bigger than that of a human beat heavily in his chest.
He was the beast now, and the beast wanted to fling itself into the sky and soar. He wanted to be free after so long in a cage. He wanted to revel in the earth and the sky and the flames still singing through his bones. This was always the moment—as skin and bone knit together once more, as magic coursed through every organ, every muscle of his body, healing and repairing—when he felt most vibrantly alive.
And then he smelled her.
The beast didn’t care about Luka’s plans and reasons. It thought staying away from Izzy was stupid. And now he had control.
He stalked over to her and lowered his head to nuzzle her. She smelled of warm skin and the geranium she added to her soap. Her skin was cold from the night air, and her hair blew in soft strands barely touching the scales of his face, but the beast felt every one. He let out a long, rumbling purr, and Izzy laughed softly. She lifted her hands to stroke his snout, and he purred louder.
You’re a menace, Luka grumbled within the beast, but the beast didn’t listen.
He pushed closer, sweeping a wing around to hold Izzy cocooned as he gently rubbed his snout over her face and neck, breathing her in, marking her with his scent.
“I missed you,” Izzy whispered.
“I missed you, too,” the beast rumbled. He hadn’t intended to say it, but Luka couldn’t hold the words in…
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
A WHISPER OF CLAWS is the first book in the Steel Vanguard series, set in the same world as The Hawks series, but in a different land.
And I made a mistake! A huge one! I had all weekend to read this book, and I started it on Friday night. I also finished it on Friday night. Well, technically, it was Saturday morning, but either way... I should have known better. I really should have. It's a JLR book, which means I'm never going to be able to put it down once I start.
Anyway, in case you haven't already been able to tell, this was a fantastic story that gripped me from the very beginning. There is no slow build-up to this story. It starts with a death and continues on from there, giving the backstory in a natural way as the story progresses.
The characters are all great, although some need to get their heads out of their a$$es. Yes, I'm looking at you, Luke and Shane! Okay, so Luka kinda did, but still... it took long enough. Izzy deserves a medal for putting up with him. She is a strong, independent character who was a delight to read.
You don't have to have read The Hawks series to enjoy this one. There is enough backstory and world-building for anyone. Plus, the overall story arc is going to be a good one, and I can't wait to read more in this series. The Steel Vanguard are bound to have a multitude of adventures, with love and loss along the way, and I am here for it! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Fantasy romance author Jennie Lynn Roberts believes that every kickass heroine should have control of her own story, a swoony hero to fight beside her, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Because that doesn’t always happen in real life, she began creating her own worlds that work just the way they should. And she hasn’t looked back since.
Jennie would rather be writing than doing anything else—except for spending time with her gorgeous family, of course. But when she isn’t building vibrant new worlds, she can be found nattering with friends, baking up a storm, or strolling in the woods around her home in England.
If you want to talk books, romance, movies, reluctant heroes, or just about anything else with Jennie, feel free to contact her at www.jennielynnroberts.com. But be prepared to settle in for a long chat if you bring up shifters, vampires, Star Wars, or The Princess Bride….
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