ARC Review: Ancient Guardian (Ancients Rising #9)

Ancient Guardian (Ancients Rising #9)

Katie Reus

Blurb:

He lost everyone he ever loved before…

Alpha dragon shifter Orion woke from his millennia-long hibernation into a different world—and found a band of humans struggling to survive. He’s been living among them, secretly keeping the predators away, but he’s kept his true identity hidden from everyone. Until an enemy threatens everything he’s come to love, including the human female he’s obsessed with. The female he can never have but will sacrifice everything for.

Now he has to step up and be the Alpha they all need…

Violet fell hard and fast for the stranger who joined their small farming community after The Fall. He lives with them, works alongside them, but there’s something different about him that she can’t quite put her finger on. When a group of visiting supernaturals upends everything in her community, she discovers he’s been hiding a huge secret. But that’s the least of their issues. If they don’t claim their territory and eliminate the growing threat outside their borders, there won’t be anything left to fight for.

Themes:  Paranormal, Dragon Shifters

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Well what girl doesn’t dream of having a beautiful man come into her life and devote himself to protecting her and her family… and all the better if he turns out to be a dragon right? Katie Reus takes us on another adventure as sexy dragon shifter Orion finds himself awakened to an all-new world, one after the Fall of civilization as we know it due to idiot dragons that tried to take over the world.  As always Katie’s characters take us through a journey of passion, danger, drama, and love and in the end, we learn just as much about ourselves as we do about them.  I loved every moment of reading the story of Orion and Violet as they learned more about one another and learned how to accept their differences and similarities in order to share their love and find their HEA.  For fans of the series, it was fun to see not only all new characters finding love, but getting to see some of the previous couples getting to explore their new world and meet new people.  As the series continues, we have to wonder where Katie will be leading us and if we are going to explore more outside the borders of New Orleans, meeting new characters and getting to find out how other areas of the country and world survived the Fall. I am really looking forward to more in the series and experiencing Katie’s imagination as she branches out.

Orion woke to a whole new world after millennia of Hibernation, and of course the first female he ran across captivated him and drew him into the world.  Violet and her sisters have world with their neighbors to form a community to survive together after the Fall, managing to survive and thrive, but having Orion in their lives has definitely enriches it.  Orion feels drawn to Violet but he fights it constantly, unwilling to admit to the connection between them, even though Violet is just as attracted.  When a grow of strangers arrives, offering a new allyship Orion is forced to admit what has become his unacknowledged role as Alpha of the community, especially with the growing danger of rogue wolves and vampires attacking them.  Now Violet and Orion also have to deal with the attraction that is becoming undeniable, new people joining their community, enemies on their doorstep, and there’s just so much a dragon can take before he cracks.  Can Violet make him confess to his feelings and allow their connection to grow or will she forever have to hide just how much he means to her?

I truly loved this story which focused so much on the relationships and connections between the characters.  Violet and Orion have already become friends and their trust runs deep, with only one huge secret between them.  Orion went into Hibernation after a tragedy that almost broken him, but when he is pulled out there is no denying that he is drawn to Violet.  He denies so much that he is the leader of the group, refusing to take on their responsibility again, knowing that if something happens to his people again it will break his heart.  It was painful to watch him work through everything in his past, but with Violet’s help, and a few pokes from a very old friend, I loved watching Orion finally grow into the Alpha he needed to be in order to take control.  He is protective, loving, sweet, strong, dedicated, and willing to give everything of himself to his people.  I really could not think of a better male for Violet and to be a leader beside her for their community.  Violet was awesome too; a doctor, before the fall, she is smart, sassy, determined, opinionated, brave, compassionate, and sweet.  When she needed to be she stood up to Orion, stood behind Orion, and even stood in front of him, knowing just how to be the alpha female necessary to be his mate.  She refused to give up no matter the situation and even when she trusted Orion to come to her rescue, fighting to rescue herself too. The love she had for her sisters and those she cared for her in her community showed her compassionate nature as well and that she was a perfect leader.

There are some stories that focus too much on the overall plot, losing the relationship, others that are the opposite, but Ancient Guardian was the perfect balance, the plot and the romance feeding each other beautifully. Orion’s life has been tragic for millennia, but finally he has found his home, the woman that truly calmed him and gave him a sense of peace.  Violet has come to depend on Orion’s presence in her life since he stumbled into their community, but she knows that he is hiding his past form her.  When Orion’s secrets finally come out, Violet and Orion can no longer deny that their connection is more than just a friendship.  Orion was a perfect Alpha, strong, protective, and loving without being controlling or demanding.  Violet was sweet, resilient, and warm but she wasn’t a pushover and demanded her due from Orion as her lover and partner. The passion between these two, even when they denied it and fought the heat, was off the charts.  I also loved that there was a secret love story that built in this story, one not mentioned in the blurb, but that was amazing to experience.  I won’t spoil the surprise by sharing the names of the characters that find love, but I sill say its one of Violet’s sisters and another sexy dragon.  All in all, this installment of the series was one of the best since King’s story and I loved every second of it.  I have no idea where Katie might be taking us next, but I can’t imagine she can top this greatness of this story, so if she manages it, we’re seriously in for a treat. 

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