Name: Dark Heat
ISBN: 9781250043788

Donna Grant

Including a bonus novella titled "Passion's Claim," this collection, for the first time, features the author's e-original Dark King stories - "Dark Craving," "Night's Awakening" and "Dawn's Desire" - in one volume. Original.

The Dark Kings Stories

Dark Heat

He knew her round eyes and the deep shade of brown along with the band of black that encircled her irises. He knew the slope of her breasts, the indent of her waist, and the flare of her hips. He knew the way she preferred to wear muted colors to help her blend in with a crowd. It had taken one look to put all that to memory, but he found his eyes going to her again and again, as if he couldn’t get enough. Nikolai is a dragon shapeshifter who knows well the meaning of loss. Orphaned and raised to be a Dragon King, he never accepts defeat. Now, Nikolai prefers his solitude. . .until a beautiful, irresistible woman calls upon him for help—and Nikolai’s whole world goes up in flames. Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like a stranger to herself. She looks to a notorious dragon, one who has the power to help her find her memory. But as she and Nikolai come closer to discovering what really happened to her, a dangerous passion ignites between them. Can this lone Dragon King help the woman he’s grown to love to uncover the truth about her past—or will a deep and fiery danger tear them both apart in Heat, the next Dark Kings novel by New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant. The Dark Kings series is: “Provocative [and] sizzling.” —RT Book Reviews (4 stars) “This series is a must-read.” —Night Owl Reviews

A Dragon Romance

Heat

Nicola Sarah Brooks

Esther may be a former MI5 agent but nothing really prepares you for when a Druid takes over your mind! She may have been rescued but she still feels that something is...off with her mind. There are huge gaps and she is sure things have been rearranged somehow. She also worries that the very people who took her in look at her sideways...is she still a threat to them, is she the weak link in their protection?

Nik may by a Dragon King but he is also a bit of an artist. When Ether finds his room covered in pictures of her, instead of being scared that he is a stalker, she realises he can see past her fears and into her memories. Maybe together they can sort through her failing memory and find what is lurking within her sub-conscious.

Another great book in the series. Esther is perfect as the emotionally damaged Esther, frantically trying to make sense of the gaps in her head. Nik is both Alpha male and sensitive soul, an unusual mix. Great pace to the book and nice to check in on the previously mated couples.

This is a series you really have to read from the beginning ig you don't want to get lost!

Jolie

If you have followed my blog for long enough, you know how much I dislike picking up a book mid-series. You would think that I know better by now and skip books that even exude that they are in a series. But I don't. I am a bookaholic and I can't pass up a book that interests me. Which Heat did. I was fascinated by the whole Dragon King/Druid/M15 triangle that was going on in this series. So I decided to chance it. Glad I did because I enjoyed this book....even if I got irritated when past books were referenced.

Heat was a bit different from the other shifter romances that I have read. The main female character was damaged but strong. She didn't have conflicting emotions about her Dragon King. She didn't try to lead him on a merry chase with him trying to guess her feelings. Everything was upfront. Which was very refreshing for a book like this. What got me also was how fresh this book was. Let me explain. I have found the longer a series goes on, the story seems too stagnant. Plotlines flounder and characters start to get boring. So for an author to keep the story as exciting and as fresh like it was the first book, I am impressed.

Heat has 3 main plotlines. The first plotline is about Nikolai and Esther trying to recover Esther's memory. They also come to the realization that there is more to Esther and her brother than what they thought. Plotline 2 is about the Druid and her uneasy alliance with Ulrich and his uncle. Plotline 3 is about the Dark Elves/Light Elves and their hatred of each other. All 3 plotlines are brought together for a spectacular finish.

Esther came across as such a vulnerable character at the beginning of the book. But the more the author revealed about her, the more I came to the realization that she was not vulnerable. She was a strong woman who was trying to track down the person who violated her. She was relentless, even at the cost of losing her mind/life.

Nikolai was also a strong man. He saw his parents being murdered by members of their own clan. He was taken in by the Silvers and raised by their king. He had to make a terrible choice when his King went, for all purposes, insane. He was everything that I love in a fictional guy. He stood by his woman, he protected her and he loved her.

I liked how the line was blurred between the bad guys and the bad, bad guys. The people who you thought were bad guys did a sudden turn around towards the end of the book. The bad guys who I thought were turning good did a 180. I like it when a book keeps me on my toes about who is bad and who is acting it to keep themselves safe. People that I started the book off having zero sympathies for ended up with my sympathy. The people who had my sympathy lost it. Like I said, I love it when a book does this.

The sex scenes in Heat were ah-maz-ing. Nikolai and Esther generated so much sexual tension in the first few chapters that I thought my Kindle was going to catch fire. When they finally had sex, it was off the off the charts hot. As was every sex scene with them afterward. I couldn't get enough!!

The end of Heat was pretty good. Nikolai and Esther's plotline was ended. But the plotline with Druid and the plotline with the Dark Elves/Light Elves were not. There was also another plotline added in towards the end of the book that made me very excited to read the next book. I cannot wait to see what will happen to some of the characters mentioned in this book.

Heat was a very fast read. Alternately action-packed and sensual, I couldn't put the book down. The author did a great job of keeping the plotlines fresh and engaging. I would reread this book and recommend it to anyone 20+. There are sex scenes, violence and language that I would feel are inappropriate for anyone under that age.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Paperbacks, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Heat.

All opinions stated in this review of Heat are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Chantale

So far I have read this and a novella by Donna Grant and I have so say so far I am a fan. I absolutely love these stories even though I haven't read the other books in this series. You can read this as a stand alone but I promise you will want to read this series anyways. 

I was hooked from the very beginning of each stories.

Dark Heat The Dark Kings Stories

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