ARC Review: Dragon Arisen (Dragon Kings #6)

Dragon Arisen (Dragon Kings #6)
Donna Grant

Blurb:

You have to burn before you can rise.

Handsome. Commanding. Powerful. Alasdair isn’t a Dragon King to sit and wait. His carefully laid plans dissolve when he comes upon an enchanting woman. Lotti’s beauty beguiles him, her spirit intrigues him. The longer he’s with her, the more mysteries he uncovers. And the more his passion grows. He never expects she will lead him into the heart of Stonemore —while ensnaring his at the same time. With their enemies closing in, Alasdair will do anything to protect the woman he’s destined to love.

If there’s one thing Lotti knows, it’s that she’s a danger to others. She keeps her distance. Always. But all that changes when she lands in a difficult situation…with a gorgeous, seductive man. Every choice somehow leads her straight back to Alasdair. She can’t ignore his sexual magnetism or the undeniable desire between them. Their journey unravels everything she knew about herself to reveal a carefully constructed fallacy. Yet, she discovers an inner strength she didn’t know she had. But is her yearning for Alasdair worth the risk for them both?

Themes:  Paranormal, Dragon Shifters

Rating: 4.75 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Wow I have seen a lot of twists and turns in this crazy world of Donna Grant’s and a lot of them I saw coming, but this one I NEVER could have predicted … and I LOVE IT! Donna Grant fans have been following this story for a long time, some of us from the very beginning of the Dark World series when we first introduced to the magic of Druids and Warriors, through to the introduction of Dragon Kings and the Fae, but we finally learn the secret of it all in this story and it’s amazing.  Donna truly blew my mind with her imagination and the way she brings in creation myth from so many different cultures, weaving them together but then making them uniquely hers; being one of those that loves studying different cultures and spiritual paths a lot of it was reminiscent of known stories, but truly there is no match for the way Donna makes it distinctively hers as she weaves the truths into the plot of the stories.  If you are willing and ready to open your mind to an all-new direction to the Dark World and learn more than you ever imagined about the Dragon Kings, strap in and enjoy because Dragon Arisen is the book you have been waiting for.

Alasdair traveled to Zora when the dragons were first rediscovered in the hopes of being able to recover some of the peace he’d been denied for millennia.  But the pain just got worse as the dragons continued to turn their backs on the kings, snubbing them at every turn. Now one of the Dragon Kings has gone missing and Zora is on the brink of war, so Alasdair needs to get away from everyone, and heading into enemy territory on a recon mission sound like just the thing to deal with his restlessness. Lotti has been on the run for most of her long life and now that her latest refuge has been found she’s rootless again, but when she comes across a helpless infant in the wilds, she can’t bear to leave the babe alone there.  Alasdair comes across the babe and Lotti and together they travel to a safe place to leave the baby and then she can be on her way to a safe place for her.  Too bad the more time she spends with Alasdair the more she comes to like him and rely on him and then she learns the truth of the secret he’s been keeping and she runs.  Once on her own again, heading for what she thinks is safety she finds that leaving behind the man that has found a way into her heart isn’t all that easy.  Now Alasdair and Lotti are enmeshed in a dangerous mission to infiltrate the heart of treachery in an attempt to rescue his friend, but more they are coming to a realization that nothing they thought was true—about Lotti, her past, the world, or even their origins—is fact.  Can either of them come to terms with the truth or will the world falling apart around them tear apart two people so obviously bound together as the Dragon’s rise in a war that was always destined to happen.

Well, I’m going to have to keep this next bit a little bit vague so that I don’t give away too much of the story, because really you have to experience this one for yourself. Alasdair begins the story in serious emotional trauma, dealing with pain that has been festering for longer than most of us can even fathom, but it’s affected him mentally and he is at a breaking point.  True, Dragon Kings are some of the strongest beings in the universe, but without a shoulder to lean on, someone to truly balance them, anyone can slowly become despondent.  Alasdair needs his mate to balance him but he knows that the chance of finding her is low enough that its better to throw himself into fighting the war he senses brewing instead of finding that balance.  I loved getting to know him, seeing that even beings as strong, brave, and alpha as a King can be vulnerable, feeling the pain of abandonment and the fear that he will never find his place in the world again.  When he finally sets a goal for himself and looks to the future, as dark as they are, he finds himself again and his strength shows through, but he’s at his absolute best when he is fighting for Lotti and showing her how much he cares for her and can be a partner to her.  Lotti has never had roots, a true wanderer all her long life, but not by any choice she’s made.  Pushed out of any home she’s ever had and forced to run again and again, she doesn’t offer her trust easily, but when she does give it, she expects others to betray her anyway.  Her own secrets are devastating and despite her fears, she just doesn’t know herself or her past the way some others do because she’s been left in the dark.  With the help of Alasdair and the other Kings she slowly begins to learn about herself and her past and OMFG is all I can say to that.  Her power and strength are immeasurable and I loved seeing her finally come to that realization herself.  She was sweet and loving when she finally got the chance to open up to others, but when she needed to fight for her freedom and the safety of those she cared for, she never hesitated for a second to sacrifice everything she had and was for those in need.  That truly is the definition of a hero(ine) in my opinion and it made her the perfect match for Alasdair who was a hero, even if he’d temporarily forgotten that fact in his hopelessness.

This installment of the Dragon Kings series is truly one for the ages and my understanding is the next one, which obviously had to come after it will be the prequel to the entire shebang, one that begins back at the very beginning of the world when Dragons and magick first arrived (or met) for the first time on earth.  I am dying to read that one and Donna has set us up for it beautifully with Dragon Arisen as she opened our eyes to just how deep and twisted her imagination truly can get.  Alasdair has had a long time to sink into his despair, but the time has come that he is going to pull himself out of it in order to protect the dragons and fight for their place in their new world, whether they will thank him for it or not. His goals are few, but they are deadly and he needs the help of one very unique and deadly gifted female, even if no one—even the woman herself—really understands her gifts.  Lotti has never found her place in this world, never been welcomed or found home, but she will fight to prevent the entire world from being thrown into a needless war.  She doesn’t understand the instant and unheard-of attraction she feels to Alasdair, but at the same time she doesn’t want to fight their pull.  Her sass, strength, intelligence, and diligence will serve her well as she fights with and beside this bossy and annoying Dragon King to save all worlds from the evil that is bent on beginning the end of it all.  The passion between Alasdair and Lotti is unreal even as they both fight it every moment, not understanding how they can be so drawn together when they don’t know or trust one another, but once they accept there is no fighting it, the fire is beautiful to watch burn. I loved how they came together and found one another despite all the dangers, obstacles, and fears they and others kept placing between them, proving that truly nothing conquers true love.  I am absoluting dying for the next story coming our way, Ignite the Magic, and I know that when it comes, I will be taking time off from work unless I get it on a weekend because there’s no way in hell, I will be able to focus on any world beyond Donna’s Dark World once the magic hits me.

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