Review: Fire Rising – Donna Grant

Tristan, the newest Dragon King, is having a tough time fitting in. Despite his ability to transform into a proud, strong dragon at will, no one knows where he came from or how he became a Dragon King, including himself. When trouble arises in the form of the mob, Tristan is going to have to put aside his questions and band with the other Dragon Kings to protect Dreagan. As if things weren’t complicated enough, he is about to find something worth fighting for more important than the Dragon Kings…

Sammie Miller, pub owner in Oban, has been scorned by her business partner—and former lover. Used as a front for money laundering with the mob, Sammie is in great danger once she realizes what has happened. Barely escaping, she plans to rest at Dreagan for only a day before going back on the run. When Tristan swears to protect her, Sammie thinks his efforts will be in vain—the mob is too powerful, and it will take more than the average man’s devotion to keep her safe. But the closer she gets to Tristan, and the more he learns his secrets, Sammie can’t deny that having a Dragon King who worships you, body and soul, isn’t such a bad thing…

Series: Dark Kings #2
Release Date: June 3rd 2014
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Source: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Iris
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

Donna Grant continues to out do herself. Never one to start a story with a slow progression towards the action, Grant hits you with it as soon as you being the first chapter. Those familiar with the Dragon Kings will not be disappointed. If this is the first Dragon King or you, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.

Sammi, Jane’s sister, is on the run. Mind you, she didn’t actually do anything to warrant having the mob after her. She is merely guilty by association. That of course matters not one bit to the men who are out to kill her.  Sammi’s character is quite resourceful. She’s naïve enough to not have realized that her ex lover was laundering mob money through her bar, yet intelligent enough to evade the mob for over a month. While injured nonetheless.

From the moment Sammi and Tristan set eyes on each other the sparks fly of the page and you know that something special is going to happen. What you don’t know is what they will have to survive to be together to begin with. Remember… Sammi, like most humans, knows absolutely nothing of dragons much less Dragon Kings. As for Tristan, he can’t stop thinking about this incredibly brave human. He feels drawn to her even though he knows he can’t have her. But of course as we all know, the path of true love has never run smooth, so why should romance novels be any different? Roadblocks are coming at the characters from every direction at this point. They come in the form of Tristan’s unremembered past as a Warrior, a twin brother he also can’t remember, and to be honest, it really does not look as if he wants to remember all that badly, an unseen enemy that the Dragon Kings assume is one person but Grant really never addresses by name when he makes an appearance, so you don’t really know for sure if he’s the bad guy and hero willing to give himself up if it means keeping the woman he has yet to admit he loves safe. Are you confused yet?

All that being said, I can safely say, “Oh my God I love this book”.  After a few unsuspecting events popping up, Dragon Kings willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save Sammi and the Warriors and Fae getting involved in ensuring her safety, everything finally comes to a head at this point. It may be my OCD demanding that the villain’s name be clearly stated, but in all honesty, because it is not stated and his name is never actually said at any point when any of the characters address him, we still do not know definitively who the villain is. There is the obvious confrontation between the Warriors and Kings and the bad guys, and yet again… the mastermind behind it all remains unnamed. Could it be the defeated and disgraced former Dragon King? Sure. That would be the obvious choice for villain. But I can’t help but point out his look of confusion when confronted not once, but twice by Kings about his supposed involvement. Am I playing devil’s advocate and trying to build the suspense by leading you down a different path? I’ll admit to possibly doing that. But think about it… what a twist it would be for the villain to be someone completely unexpected.

Although you will not find any real cliffhangers here, I do feel the need to point out that I will be waiting with pins and needles for the next Dragon Kings book to answer a few important questions. Not to mention that we just lost one of our own to the Dark. Yes, I say we because by the time you get to the end of the book, you feel as embroiled in this story as if it were taking place around you, not within the pages of a book.  Grant’s unique way with words has you believing in ancient dragons and god-like warriors. They are out there, keeping the world safe from demons and other dark beings. I felt it and once you’ve read Fire Rising so will you.

At this point I’ve only got one more thing to say… It’s time to mount a rescue! Hit me with your next book, Ms Grant.