Dragon Sieged (Dragon Kings #11)

Donna Grant

Blurb:

Something called to me from the darkness…

I should’ve ignored it. Walked away like I have from so many things. But I couldn’t. Not when it whispered my name like it knew me.

Then I found her.

Hidden. Untouched by time. A mystery I don’t understand—and a temptation I can’t resist. There’s something about her that pulls at me, threads through wounds I thought long buried.

I don’t trust it. I don’t trust her.

But I can’t stay away.

Something is stirring. Something that shouldn’t exist. And the closer I get to her, the more I feel it…waiting.

She may be the answer.

Or the beginning of the end.

Either way—I’m not walking away.

Themes: Paranormal, Dragons, Magick

Rating: 3.75 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

Ok I will have to preface this review by saying I am a romance reader… almost exclusively. I love all kinds of romance and there’s really not a trope or type of romance I haven’t read and enjoyed (assuming the writing is enjoyable). But I am not crazy about straight fantasy, this new Romantasy, or similar reads where the love story is an after thought to the main plot revolving around the magick, mayhem, and danger. And that is where this story went awry for me. I have been a huge fan of all Donna Grant reads for almost two decades, but lately her stories have focused more and more on the universe and the drama surrounding the characters as a whole and less around the characters and the relationships they are building in each story. Yes, they are finding their mates, and falling in love, but that part of the story is often rushed, sometimes feels contrived, or in this story’s case seems to come as an after thought at the very end of the story. I enjoyed learning about Fedra and Marcus, but they spent far too much time on opposite sides, not building trust that when they finally found love it was too hard to believe in for me. The overall plot, with so many twists and turns, was well written and certainly terrifying, filled with so much pain and trauma that I surely hope they are able to bring in a therapist for Fedra. I liked seeing her find a way to stand up for herself, but the way that she made everyone around her have to repeatedly prove themselves in order for her to believe anything they said, even though they’d never given her a reason NOT to trust, was a little bit irritating. I would have loved for some of the chapter in the middle to have been a little shorter or glossed over and have had more chapters with Fedra and Marcus building a relationship so they could be fates that we could see were well matched and would grow together and form a lasting and loving relationship, despite all the challenges they would be faced with in the future. I am looking forward to whatever comes next in the series, but I hope there is a return to relationship building that used to be such an integral part of these stories.

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