⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. An undiscovered Dragon King with a murky past enters the fray in this gripping tale of dragons and magic and revenge.

I am fire and death. My very presence brings terror and panic. For most, I am the last thing they will ever see. For there is only one thing I live for – freeing my kin. Every action, every battle brings me a step closer. Nothing distracts me from my purpose. Until she crosses my path. Brave and fearless, she holds me utterly enthralled. I have to know her. Her past and her future. But especially the secrets she keeps closely guarded. One taste of her lips, and I’m caught. Trapped. Seized. The more I’m with her, the harder it is to leave. But I have sworn allegiance to another who promises to free the dragons. Her or my kin. It was once an easy choice. Before my heart got involved.

MY THOUGHTS

Bastard King is part of a brand new duology in Donna Grant’s Dark Universe, which is a huge universe made up of interconnected series. This duology fits in with the Dragon Kings series and advances parts of the plotline of that series. If you’re up to it, I’d say read all of it, it’s well worth it. You can also start each series on its own, as long as you start that series at the beginning. Each book builds on the previous one.

I knew going in that this was part of a duology and would most likely end in a cliffhanger, but that one was quite a doozy. Along with some other unexpected twists, the ending had me gasping out loud while clutching my heart. Despite some slow-moving parts and me wondering at times where this could possibly be going, I was heavily invested and couldn’t stop reading.

This book added another interesting dimension to the history of the dragons on Zora. I would say that you need to read some of the Dark Kings and Dragon Kings series to get the necessary background for this world. The author doesn’t do much explaining of why things are the way they are in this book. We get some of Derek’s background, but there is definitely much more to his story. The same goes for Kora. I was way more interested in uncovering all the secrets than in Kora and Derek as a couple. I can recommend this entire series if you like dragon shifters, magic, and steamy romance.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Published: October 14, 2024
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Book 1 of The Bastard Duology