Heat: A Dark Kings Novel

***4 Stars*** Sooooooo, I kinda did a thing I don’t typically do...like ever. I read a book that was apart of a series and I haven’t read the series. *drops head and winces a little, then snaps head back up* Well, I have read something of the series, but it was a novella, so I’m not all too sure it counts, but at least I know something about the world right? Okay, maybe not, but let’s cut this part off for now and get to the nitty gritty. Despite not reading any other novels in the series, my curiosity was peaked by the whole recovery of memories issue with Esther and how a Dragon King could help her retrieve them, so I went against my own OCD and dove in and I really enjoyed their story. It was intriguing, sweet, smexy, filled with intrigue and had me wishing I’d started from the beginning, but also had me wanting to continue with it regardless because of that ending. I had a great time getting to know Nikolai and Esther. Nikolai, for all the big and bad Dragon King that he is, is a quiet sort of soul. He observes more than anything, but has no problem making his opinion known when it’s important, and his magic is really, really cool. Esther, on the outside is calm, cool and collected, but that has more to do with her training and the fact that her mind was scrambled by a Druid. I loved her determination to hunt down the Druid in order to retrieve her memories, but also the fact that she didn’t go off the rails. She was logical in her pursuit and as the fog started to lift, I loved the bright and golden heart it revealed. Their journey to their HEA was an interesting one considering the reason why Esther needed Nikolai’s help with retrieving her memories, there was no where for her to hide, but on the flip side, Nikolai was just as transparent so their mutual attraction built as they got to know each other on an emotionally intimate level. With all that was going on around them, the angst was kept to a minimum and I liked how their relationship evolved at a good pace. As I said in the beginning, I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, so jumping head first into the 12th book in the series was definitely outside my norm. But, I will say that though I didn’t pick up on the little threads of connections between the characters, I never felt lost when it came to the main series arcs. Ms. Grant did a great job of getting the reader caught up with all that was going on without it being a huge information dump and moving things forward. I really liked a lot of the secondary characters and with all that happened throughout the book and that ending, I’m thinking that I’ll be needing to keep an eye out for the next book because things look like they’re going to get even more interesting. ~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Once again the Dark Kings series brings suspense, excitement and romance into the lives of readers. Nikolai and Esther are strong, captivating characters that grabs reader’s attention and refuse to let go as they charm and delight readers throughout their story. Nikolai and Esther both capture the heart and has brings out some strong empathic feelings from readers during their story and their romance sizzles with electricity that practically leaps off the pages. Heat is a fast paced story full of suspense and thrills that keep readers on the edge of their seat and glued to the pages throughout. The story not only has Nikolai facing his past with Ulrik which gives readers better insight into Ulrik, but the story also has our characters on a journey that full of danger and excitement as well as emotional turbulence. Let’s not forget about the light fae and the dark fae who are also causing quite a bit of mayhem and interest throughout the story with quite a few changes are in their worlds as well. As always, Donna Grants Dark Kings series enthralled me from beginning to end and there was no way I could put it down once I started reading it and since Heat revealed a few secrets and brought about quite a few changes, I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

A BABY DRAGON!!!!! Shapeshifting dragons, Dark Fae and an MI5 Agent with a memory altered by magic. Nikolai is a dragon who was orphaned at a young age. He was adopted by Ulrik and raised to be a Dragon King. Dragon Kings apparently sleep a lot. Nikolai is awakened and is tasked with easing tensions with Ulrik and other Dragon Kings. This task includes helping Edith, a MI5 agent retrace her steps she she can remember her past. It turns out Edith has magic of her own that she never knew about. They discover Edith’s magic, Nikolai shifts into dragon form. 3 stars The book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.