I had been waiting for Rhys' and Lily's story since it's been obvious that they were attracted to one another since Lily first came to Dreagan how many books ago. Then with Rhys losing his ability to shift...he needed his love more than ever.
For two broken people to find one another's courage, love and hope..yup I'm a sucker for a good romance. Shed many a tears with these two.
With the mushy part out of the way just let me say this about everything else going on...
Ulrik...WTF? What do you mean it's not at all like we were lead to believe?!?! His help at the end, OMG. Rhi...and Henry....and Balladyn...and Darius. Could we have the makings of a triangle here? And this new source of evil, just how big a part is Ulrik going to play and will some of the other Kings show mercy?
ARG...so many new questions that I need answers to. Guess it's time to see if the next book is ready, or am I ready for it, oh I need a refill in my wine glass and some popcorn for this. ( )

Stripped of his ability to shift into his dragon, the hero is tormented by his weakness and inability to help his brothers. In truth, he would much rather live is isolation in the mountains than the around them but his love for the shy, insecure shop keeper draws him back. The heroine is hiding from an abusive ex boyfriend who burnt her and scarred her repeatedly and she spends the beginning of the book living in absolute fear that he will return. But when he does make himself known to her again, she suddenly realizes just how unafraid she is of him now. The only thing that gets her to spy of her new friends in the fact that he's holding her brother hostage. The hero, a rake and a ladies man by nature suddenly finds himself unsure of how to deal with a woman he actually cares about. He's denied himself her so long because he feeling inadequate and undeserving of her. But together they were really very sweet and tender. I really liked this book because it took the dragon king hero and made him human. The author gave each character real true human fears and problems. The feelings of insecurity, of being an outcast in a group made the hero so much more believable. He wasn't the all powerful dragon, although he was certainly no push over. Also the man villain was human, the heroine ex boyfriend. I really liked the idea of reading about these immortal creatures with all their power, do battle with a mortal. The hero was so deliciously romantic, reading about him hiding behind the wall on multiple occasions just to be need the heroine but without her knowing he was there. The heroine went from a scared woman afraid of her own shadow to realizing that the big bad wolf wasn't so big and bad after all. Hey, she left him once and it didn't break her, she'll do it again. It was a great tale of own female empowerment that really needed no help from the hero. ( )