HEAT (Dark Kings #12) by Donna Grant-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 30, 2018

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 Nikola’s whole word goes up in flames.

Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like 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?

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REVIEW:  HEAT is the twelfth full-length instalment in Donna Grant’s adult, DARK KINGS paranormal / fantasy romance series focusing on the Dragon Kings and the women they love. This is dragon Nikolai the ivory, and MI5 agent Esther North’s story line. HEAT can be read as a stand-alone but for cohesion and backstory I recommend reading the series in order. There is a war approaching between the dragons, the fae and humankind, and the build-up has been on-going for several installments.

SOME BACKGROUND: The DARK KINGS is a spinoff from Donna Grant’s DARK WARRIOR series which in turn is a spin off from Donna’s DARK SWORD series- all set in the Highlands of Scotland. The Dark Fae and their King Taraeth, along with the Ulrik the Silver Dragon King and his uncle Mikkel have declared war on the Dragon Kings by exposing the dragon’s existence to humankind. The last wars between man and the world of the paranormal saw a great loss of life on all sides-but Ulrik wants revenge against King Constantine of the Dragon Kings; Mikkel wants to become King of the Silvers, and the Dark Fae want the Dragon’s hidden weapon and to rule Scotland and the rest of the world. HEAT overlaps with Donna’s new spin off series THE REAPERS who may be a potential ally with the Dragons Kings in their war with the Dark Fae and Mikkel, the silver.

Told from several third person perspectives including Nikolai and Esther HEAT continues the build-up towards war as Esther goes in search of her memories, stolen by a Druid working for the other side. Esther’s memories buried deep within her mind are her only connection to the who and what of her recent excursion where she posed a danger to the Dragon Kings and the women they love. For weeks, Esther has suffered with unimaginable nightmares that threaten to destroy the person she once was but nightmares that warn of what was and things to come. Partnered with Nikolai, the Ivory King, he and Esther go on a European tour searching for the truth only to discover that the truth has been buried for far too long. What ensues is the building relationship between Nikolai and Esther; Nikolai’s reconnection with the Dragon who raised him as his own; and the discovery that Esther, and her brother Henry are not whom they believe themselves to be.

Like all of the previous story lines HEAT continues to build towards war-a war the Dragon Kings are desperately trying to avoid. The Light Fae Rhi discovers that helping a friend inevitably helps the other side- a lesson learned too late for the fate of humankind. Mikkel continues to plot the demise of Ulrik and the other dragons, while Ulrik’s motives are no longer clear, or whose side he is on.

Once again there is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including many of the Dragon Kings, druids and witches, dark and light Fae, as well the return of the Reapers.

HEAT advances the series but a few weeks in time but reveals the potential for new alliances, and the fall out between Rhi and the fae. We have yet to discover the identity of Rhi’s Dragon King-the man who broke the Light Fae’s heart-I am hoping the identity is soon revealed. The premise is intriguing and revealing; the romance is fated and passionate; the characters are numerous, eclectic and colorful. HEAT is an informative, revealing and welcome addition to the Dark Kings.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy