Quick Reads, Quick Reviews 33

  

• Dragon Claimed: Dark Kings Book 14.5, Donna Grant
• Sweet Haven, Dean Hodel
• Megan's Mate: Borough Boys Book Book 4, Tamsin Baker

I honestly cannot get enough of this series.  Strong women, incredible males, drama, intrigue, mystery, and dragons.  Dragons.  Done.  I'm sold.  Gemma is strong and has her moments of fear, but when it counts she listens to her gut and acts with grace, strength, and wisdom.  Cináed is a quiet strength that supports and thinks before rushing into things.  He's honest and subtle.  While both of them were a bit mild and generally tame, I appreciated their understated fortitude.  It was clear that their backbone and power were present, but it wasn't necessary to go into everything with guns blazing and cocky smirks.

With such an intricate plot this really isn't a standalone, but for the romance itself, it works.  Bear that in mind when reading any of these novellas; as a part of the series they're fantastic, alone they're a bit confusing.  What makes this addition to the Dark Kings series so great is the way it all came together and made my insides tighten in anticipation, my heart flutter when they got to the heartfelt confessions, and my mind whirl with all the implications of the revelations.  4.5 stars.

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This had an interesting premise and I was looking for something light and sweet.  While the story filled the brief it was also a little plain in terms of depth and believability.  Lili and Conrad don't really have chemistry that jumps off the page and their evolution is a bit confusing without a clear genesis or satisfying resolution.  With more jumping to conclusions than mature confrontation, it was frustrating more often than not.  I always enjoy a significantly curvy woman finding love and acceptance within herself and finding someone who appreciates all she has to offer physically as well as every other way, but this didn't really have a lot of character growth featured.  Overall this was a sweet story that was very simple.  Not great, but not really a bad story either.  For me it was just a bit bland.  3 stars.

As a woman born to an alpha family I was intrigued by Megan and the dynamic not only in the family, but in her pack.  Megan was strong and independent and yet also quite naive.  I liked her.  Lucas was a bit difficult to figure out for me.  He was obviously in a precarious situation with his own pack and their blatant ownership and hatred of him, but the deal with him smelling like alpha, smelling like beta, and the mystery surrounding his predicament was all a bit confusing.  The relationship wasn't really built up, it was a fated meeting, lots of roadblocks, and a passionate claiming.  Nothing wrong with that, but it was a bit light on the depth.  Overall I actually quite enjoyed this one because it was different and the supporting cast are fantastic in their attitudes and treatment of others.  I enjoyed Megan's story.  3.5 stars.