Dragon Forged (Dragon Kings #10)

Donna Grant

Blurb:

He is fire and fury. I am forbidden to want him. But some fates refuse to be denied.

I have seen the war that will tear our realm apart. As a seer, it is my duty to stop it, and the path to peace is clear—until him.

The Dragon King is dominance and destruction, a force of nature my gift didn’t foretell… and one I cannot escape.

He is dangerous—untamed, possessive. And the one man I cannot afford to want.

Yet every glance, every searing touch, threatens to unravel the future I’m fighting to protect.

Loving him could mean my ruin.

Wanting him could mean the end of everything.

But when betrayals rise and destiny shifts, one truth becomes clear: I saw the war. I never saw him.

And now, I don’t know if I can stop what’s coming… or if I even want to.

Themes: Dragon Shifters, Paranormal

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

Time to return to Zora and the never boring saga of the Dragon Kings in the newest installment of Donna Grant’s fascinating Dragon Kings series. Here we find ourselves in a new area of Zora filled with intrigue, danger, and drama that leads one of our favorite Kings not only to the woman that steals his heart but also into the middle of a political trap that none of the group ever saw coming. I have been looking forward to Hector’s story and I was not disappointed as his innate curiosity and arrogance led him into trouble and he had to trust in his friends and family to help him save not only himself but his mate and ultimately everyone around him. When Hector is helping one of his fellow Kings explore a new area of Iron hall he finds himself inexplicably drawn to what turns out to be a portal to an area of Zora that none of the Kings, and possibly not the twins, ever even knew existed. Upon his arrival he meets a beautiful but sneaky woman and soon finds himself sent somewhere else entirely, sending him on a quest to find his way back, not only to that strange land, but to the woman that tricked him for some answers. Emilia hates to trick the Dragon King but she knows she cannot let him stay when she intercepts his arrival on her island home; she is a seer and her visions show her that the arrival of the Kings will bring about nothing but devastation and she is determined to prevent it at all costs. But when Hector returns, tracking her down and forcing her to explain a few things, she knows that she might just be too late to prevent disaster, especially when others intercede and Hector becomes a prisoner to the island. Now Hector and Emilia are caught in a dangerous political web and have to work together if they have any hope of either of them escaping much less preventing war.

I genuinely enjoyed every moment of this fast-paced, twisty, and interesting story as Hector and Emilia learned more about one another and came to find love in the most unexpected of circumstances. Hector has an adventurous, but reckless spirit that leads him into believing himself to always be the strongest in any situation, but he finds out quickly that even he can be beaten and he isn’t always the baddest in a given fight. He is sweet and caring, forgiving and understanding, and he is one of the bravest of the Kings I think, sacrificing himself to protect his friends, family, even just innocents around him. I enjoyed finally getting to see him in action, flexing his muscles and finding his place in this new world and accepting his mate. Emilia has lived her life in fear, melting into the background and letting those around her always shine and sadly someone manipulated her she thought she loved for far too long. Once the scales fell from her eyes, she sees those around her for who they truly are and takes a stand, knowing that she is the only one that can protect the innocent and keep those hungry for power from abusing Hector’s power themselves. She is smart, brave, intelligent, and once she allows herself to trust the right people finds her true power and takes a stand that shows her to be a great hero.

Looking back on this story I wonder if the title might mean something different to different people, but for people I see it as a description of Emilia as she developed and grew in this story—her power and faith in herself truly was forged by her love in her Dragon King. Hector has to go through his own growing pains, but mostly he finds himself being humbled and learning that he needs help from time to time in order to defeat his enemies, he cannot always stand alone. Emilia though has to come to terms with the fact that her past was all a lie, and everything she thought she knew about herself and her power was wrong, until finally she finds her footing and is able to save not only Hector and herself, but all the innocents that have been put in danger by a power-hungry despot. I loved the friendship that developed between Hector and Emilia and eventually blossomed into a passion and love that showed them both the power of love that would sustain them for millennia as mates, no matter who tried to break their bond. It was also interesting to see the way the magic in this story was introduced in a unique way, giving us a new idea of how life on Zora might move forward. I am looking forward to this next story in the series so that we can learn more about the Kings and life on Zora and see more mates bring new perspectives and adventures to the Kings. This vastly expansive world of magic, conspiracy, and devotion only continues to get better with each new story of danger and love.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.