Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings #2)
by Donna Grant
Blurb:
Vaughn has spent
eons searching for the woman who captured his heart, only to be disappointed
time and again. Sure, he sees her in his dreams. May get to touch and hold her.
But it’s not the same. As the emptiness inside him grows, he jumps at the
chance for a distraction. Setting his eyes on the dragons again in Zora is a
balm, but it can’t compare to once again coming face-to-face with the gorgeous
beauty who holds a piece of his soul.
With responsibilities comes sacrifice...
Eurwen has never
known anything but the burden and joy of ruling the dragons. But unlike her
twin, she’s always been curious about Earth and the Kings and felt as if
something were missing from her life. When her reunion with her parents brings
an unexpected surprise, she can’t help but give in to the pleasure that Vaughn
offers. Still, her loyalty lies with her realm, and the hurdles in their way to
happiness seem insurmountable—especially with a new and unknown foe seeking to
destroy them.
Trust doesn’t
come easily, but love conquers all. And no amount of time or space can keep
those who belong together apart.
Themes: Paranormal,
Dragon-Shifters, Fe
Rating: 4.25 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
The
newest Dark World Series spinoff by Donna Grant continues with this story rich
in love, heartache, forgiveness, and acceptance. For long-time fans of this series, like
myself, Grant has been building up to this latest round of novels a long time,
leading us through the world of the Dragon Kings, meeting their mates,
defeating horrendous evils, and finally reuniting the King of Kings with his
mate. Now it is the time for their
children to come back into the fold and Dragon Mine accomplishes that in a mammoth
way. The story has so many unexpected twists and turns, introducing new
enemies, bringin families together at long last, and reuniting the Kings with
their dragons in a display of ultimate love and unity that makes Grant the
Queen of paranormal fiction she is. The
story leads both the primary characters on journeys through their hearts and minds
to find their true destiny, but it also brings the Kings together to fight to
help their brethren and bring new life into the world. I wondered how Grant would handle Con’s
reaction to his daughter mating with one of the Kings, but it was handled so beautifully and seamlessly that you almost imagine he never threatened to kick Vaughn’s immortal ass if he hurt his girl, but I kind of assume it was implied
anyway. I am dying to see where the
series takes us next with the new challenges this extended family will face in their
now much more closely joined realms and seeing which of the previously unmated
Kings will fall under love’s spell.
Grant remains a force of nature and her stories continue to steal our
hearts and minds away from reality and into the Dark World of her Dragon Kings
and their mates.
Vaughn,
the King of the Teals, has been searching the world for millennia for
his mate, ever since they had one beautiful, blissful night together before she
disappeared from his life. From that day
he has only been ever to find her in his dreams, but the longer they are apart
the hazier she is in his mind. When Rhi
and Con decide to finally head to Zora to meet their children, Vaughn feels a compelling
drive to join them there, his entire being focused on just one possibility,
though he can’t believe it could really be true. Eurwen has ruled Zora with her twin since
they arrived to save the dragons from annihilating themselves and is determined
they will protect them from any threat, but she wants to get to know her
parents. Arriving on Zora, Vaughn sets
his eyes on Eurwen and he knows immediately she is the woman he spent that
night with so long ago and lost right after—his mate. Eurwen can’t believe her
eyes when Vaughn arrives in Zora with her parents and her world is thrown for a
loop, not only are her emotions all over the place when it comes to her
parents, but the attraction between her and Vaughn is too much to resist. As they spend more time together, in both
worlds, Vaughn and Eruwen’s connection only seems to deepen, despite Eurwen
fighting the truth of their relationship.
Then an all new evil threatens to take away any chance they have at
happiness if they can’t find a way to overcome and protect their love.
These
characters were both so intensely rich with life and drama that it was almost
as if we were in their minds as they worked through their relationship problems
and found a way to lead with their hearts.
Vaughn has been hiding the truth from his friends for so long, but the
missing piece of his soul, the mate he knows is out there but he just cannot
find, is slowly driving him mad. I loved
seeing him stand up for his love, expressing his surety in the fact that Eurwen
was his mate, and fighting for her until the very end. His strength has always been in his
dedication and determination, but what really makes him unique is his silver tongue
and ability to change people’s minds and hearts. It was heartbreaking to see him in a few
moments when we almost thought he would give up, but with the little push from
friends, he got right back on track and proved he was a man filled with
forgiveness, a huge capacity for love, and the willingness to give his all for
his mate. Eurwen kind of pissed me off a
good bit of this story, I have to say;
while she seemed, in the beginning, to be openly ready to reach out to her
parents, it was clear that she carried a whole hell of a lot of resentment and
bitterness. Her views of their choices
and belief that she could have done and made better choices, without
knowing the full story or emotional toil the choices took, made me feel she was
just that little bit immature still. Once she opened her eyes, and grew up a
little with the help of Vaughn and some new friends, I began to like her a lot
more. Her ability to forgive needed some work, but in the end she proved she is
as much her parents’ daughter as anything and opened her heart in a big way,
allowing not just her parents, the other Kings and their mates into her circle,
but finally giving her all to the love that her mate offered her so many centuries
before. Her bond with her brother showed she always had the capability for
love, but I think part of the issue is that they never had anyone to truly
show them any differently, right or wrong, so the final bit of maturing they
needed to do, had to happen quickly. I
also loved the small moments that Eurwen allowed herself to just be a woman,
with both her new friends and her mother, as it’s something she never before
got to experience and no matter how antisocial we are, every one of us needs
her pack of females at her side at some point in our lives.
The
love between two individuals truly can shape the world(s), and Grant proved it
in this latest installment of the Dragon Kings series, Dragon Mine. Vaughn has spent eons on the hunt for the woman that
he knows is his mate, despite the logic that tells him to give up, and when he
finally gets a chance to make her his, nothing will stand in his way, not even
her stubbornness. Eurwen has fought so long for the peace she shares in their world,
that she never thought about how small-minded and hardhearted it might have
made her and her brother. When she finally
has to face some hard truths, the fact is that nothing is as important as
having her mate by her side as she rules the Dragons with compassion, caring,
and authority. Finally allowing herself
to love opens both Eurwen and her world up to so many new experiences and
allies, with her brother’s begrudging acceptance, and there is no way that with
the whole team aligned for one cause, the Dragon Kings and Queens, and their
mates could lose against any enemy. The
passion shared between Vaughn and Eurwen has been stirring for thousands of
years so it’s safe to say, that when they finally meet again in person there is
no denying that even we could feel the heat there. I loved seeing these two find their way
through the obstacles in their own hearts and minds, the ones places in their
way by others, and ultimately overcoming the complications fate has thrust into
their lives. I cannot wait for the next
in their series, obviously dying to know what happens next in Zora, who the new
big bad is, and what happens with the Kings.
In the meantime I will survive with the next Reapers story, Dark Alpha’s Need, and hope that we get
to see some of the Kings and their friends make cameos there. The magic of Donna Grant and her Kings never
ceases of amaze and delight me.
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
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