I really wanted to give it 5 stars but.....

I love the Dragon Kings, I love them finding mates, I absolutely adore Rhi but....when is this showdown going to go down? When will Con find out about Mikkel? At this point, I'm not sure I want to know who Rhi's king was as right now I want to slap some sense into him. And as for Usuck (I know that's not the Light Queen's name but it's what I call her) she's gone off the rails, she's truly Cuckcoo for CoCo Puffs!

Okay....deep breath and concentrate.

This is the story of Devon Adams and Anson, King of the Browns.

They meet because Anson, Kinsey, Esther, and Henry have gone to London to investigate and see if they can find an "in" into Kyvor Industries...you know the company that sent Kinsey to Dreagan trying to lure Ryder out. The same that has a druid that mentally took over both Kinsey and Esther. The Kyvor who claims to have knowledge on all the Kings. Yea, might be important to know what they have, how they got it and who the hell is this powerful Druid that no one even knew existed.

Devon is chosen to be the one they approach to help as she is mid-level executive, looks like she has a clean background, and she can get to information without raising too many flags. She is devoted and happy with her job. Her lack of family and social life makes her a workaholic looking for a man to turn her from that into a well rounded woman with work and family.

Anson is the king of the browns. His power is the ability to take over the body of others. He has a lot of questions, and some of these...it's about time someone started asking them, and he's not entirely sure that they should be recruiting another mortal to help them. He is confidant in his dragon's magic and wants to basically bulldoze the building and just forcefully get what they need. A bit of a hot head one would say.

Sparks fly and the two of them spend a passionate night together. When circumstances lead to them both being taken prisoner by the Dark it serves Devon well. Being that she has "been" with a king the dark's magic seems to have no effect on her. Now when the "battle" ensue Anson is whisked away and Devon is left behind for Con and Fallon (the Warrior...OMG I've missed reading about them) to find.

Back at Dreagan, Devon is introduced to the Druids, Warriors, mates, kings and it makes no difference as she is in no shape to remember who's who. All she knows is Anson is being held and she needs to get to him.

In the meantime we have some glimpses into the others and their dealings. The captain of the Queen's guard has gone to Rhi to let her know he has spoken to the Queen about the unrest within the Light Palace, the fact that she and Con are/were lovers, and that her people need her as the Queen has no interest in the Light Fae until she is done having her fun. He also gives her the information that the Queen was behind the break up of her and her king's relationship. Cue scary you're going to die when all hell breaks loose music!

The Queen is way loca! She believes that outting her affair with Con is going to get him to realize how right they are for one another so they can be married....damn what is she smoking??? Oh, and getting rid of Rhi....asking Taraeth to kill her like he killed Balladyn (wouldn't that be a shock to her to find his not dead, just dark) for her? Yea, she really needs to lay of them mortal drugs!

Balladyn and Ulrik are both overcoming changes in plans (taking Anson what not in the original master plan...at least not yet) so they are thinking that they have "a couple of messes to clean up" meaning time has come to deal with Taraeth and Mikkel. (If V knows of Mikkel and recognizes him how do none of the other kings know....especially Kellan as he is keeper of their history and knows what they know when it happens?)

We do get a hint of the Druid super girl whatever you want to call her. The powerful one no one has heard about. She seems very confidant she can defeat the kings so ....what's her story. American from the accent she had while talking to Ulrik. She appeared to Anson....and in some strange twist the druid Isla...showing off a bit of her power. Nikolai has managed to paint a picture of her from descriptions of her.

So we all know Anson is saved, can't have a HEA without the hero. But it's what they learn from the mortal Upton that has them curious. Kyvor had been keeping tabs on Devon BEFORE she was recruited by Kinsey and Esther. It seems that if you look far back into her family history that her ancestors were from the Isle of Skye. Guess some were the most feared Druid warriors who were sort of the justice givers to the other Druids. Hmm....interesting twist. Also the fact that Anson and Devon share a telepathic link, Con has never known that to happen before.

At the end we are given a bit of celebration...the last five kings who have found their mates finally hold their mating ceremonies. We get to see Con give each of the ladies their special gift from him, hear the vows being taken and witness the appearance of the mates Dragon's Eye tattoo.

And let's not forget the teaser for the next book. Esther, Henry's sister and victim of druid brain washing, takes a liking to Nikolai, artists extraordinaire. Both people watcher but for very different reason. Her because as a trained spy it's what she does. Him, he is able to remember and recreate everything he sees in stunning detail in paintings, drawing or in weaving. Be interesting to see how they fall in love and what other pieces to the puzzle we get while we watch them. ( )

The yin to his yang.
Just like his tattoo.

The magic that surrounds Anson and Devon is one only Donna Grant can capture. Their romance is born out of trials, tribulation, and betrayal, albeit in a short time span. But isn't that what we have come to expect from true soul mates? They connect instantly and then hang on for the ride.

Anson and Devon’s individual backstories are very similar. A profusion of loss and heartbreak. Anson (and the rest of the Dragon Kings) had to send his dragons over the dragon bridge to save them from complete destruction.Devon’s father was nonexistent, very rarely visiting her before his death.

The Dark World series is # 2 of my all time favorite series. The Dragon Kings in particular. Behind Outlander. But not by much. In this episode (I call it an episode because it plays out like movie in my mind's eye while I'm reading) Kinsey, Esther, Henry and Anson travel to London to get more insight into Kyvor, Kinseys previous employer. They need to be taken down before they do more damage to the Kings. Enter Devon. Ryder and Kinsey (from Smoke and Fire) have deemed that Devon is the person for the job. If they can get through to her and convince her to help them.

We get a peek of our favorites at MacLeod Castle, (yay!!) a particularly interesting conversation between Inen and Rhi. And later some bad*ss magic courtesy of Anson. Epic I tell you. Epic.
The mysterious Druid.... Ulrik...

The fight against Kyvor takes you from battles in a Kyvor warehouse to the halls Dark Fae Palace. Of course Ryder is working his genius behind the scenes at Dreagan. And you know things are hairy when he has a box of untouched doughnuts.(gasp!!!) Well Kinsey is out in the thick of things after all.. And Con is at the top of his game. As always. I might be slightly obsessed with the King of Kings.

The Blog! I have to mention the blog featured in the story. (Mis)Adventures of a Dating Failure. No it's not a real blog. Yes I actually checked. Lol. Yes I'm a dork.

Donna Grant continues to outdo herself with every new release. You can always count on her stories to be filled with steamy romance, lots of action and sexy Dragon Kings who just happen to be hot, hot, hot highlander's.


I received a copy for review on Celtic Dragon Book Reviews. All opinions are my own.

( )

Blaze by Donna Grant
Dark King #11

In the complex entertaining supernatural paranormal world created by Donna Grant there are dragons, fae, druids and more. In the Dark Kings series the dragon kings are featured and though I came in on book 10 and missed out on much I find I can read the books as they come out and not feel I need to have read the previous ones. That said, I do hope to find and read each one of them at some point in the future.

In this book the two main characters are Anson, dragon king of the browns, and his mate-to-be, Devon. Devon works at Kyvor, a business that the dragons want to get information from. Two women from past books in the series are working to ally Devon with their cause and Anson is there as their bodyguard. The novel is action-packed and includes spying, kidnapping, bad guys, fights, attempted rape, torture, friends that come to the rescue, romance and a bit of backstory, some catching up with major players not necessarily part of this book and preludes to what may be coming next. There are a number of characters still waiting for their stories to be told and I am eager to find out what will happen to all of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars ( )

The yin to his yang.
Just like his tattoo.

The magic that surrounds Anson and Devon is one only Donna Grant can capture. Their romance is born out of trials, tribulation, and betrayal, albeit in a short time span. But isn't that what we have come to expect from true soul mates? They connect instantly and then hang on for the ride.

Anson and Devon’s individual backstories are very similar. A profusion of loss and heartbreak. Anson (and the rest of the Dragon Kings) had to send his dragons over the dragon bridge to save them from complete destruction.Devon’s father was nonexistent, very rarely visiting her before his death.

The Dark World series is # 2 of my all time favorite series. The Dragon Kings in particular. Behind Outlander. But not by much. In this episode (I call it an episode because it plays out like movie in my mind's eye while I'm reading) Kinsey, Esther, Henry and Anson travel to London to get more insight into Kyvor, Kinseys previous employer. They need to be taken down before they do more damage to the Kings. Enter Devon. Ryder and Kinsey (from Smoke and Fire) have deemed that Devon is the person for the job. If they can get through to her and convince her to help them.

We get a peek of our favorites at MacLeod Castle, (yay!!) a particularly interesting conversation between Inen and Rhi. And later some bad*ss magic courtesy of Anson. Epic I tell you. Epic.
The mysterious Druid.... Ulrik...

The fight against Kyvor takes you from battles in a Kyvor warehouse to the halls Dark Fae Palace. Of course Ryder is working his genius behind the scenes at Dreagan. And you know things are hairy when he has a box of untouched doughnuts.(gasp!!!) Well Kinsey is out in the thick of things after all.. And Con is at the top of his game. As always. I might be slightly obsessed with the King of Kings.

The Blog! I have to mention the blog featured in the story. (Mis)Adventures of a Dating Failure. No it's not a real blog. Yes I actually checked. Lol. Yes I'm a dork.

Donna Grant continues to outdo herself with every new release. You can always count on her stories to be filled with steamy romance, lots of action and sexy Dragon Kings who just happen to be hot, hot, hot highlander's.


I received a copy for review on Celtic Dragon Book Reviews. All opinions are my own. ( )