Scan barcode
A review by booksplantsandtea
Dragon Lover by Donna Grant
4.0
I should probably preface this by admitting this is my first ever Donna Grant, so I went into this book with zero backstory knowledge.
"Are you suggesting I walk around shirtless?"
"I'm saying I wouldn't mind."
My heart is so full of fuzzy feels! I am in love with the way the romance was developed in this one. Donna Grants focuses on the small interactions between Kendrick (MMC) and Esha (FMC) to build intimacy, showing how one would make a bid of connection, the other would respond to that, to which the first would often joyfully smile. It was so beautiful to read and it filled my heart with so much warmth. You could feel the intimacy between these two rise with each of these positively answered bids of connection, which made the entire relationship build up feel so natural, even though it was very fast paced (within 2-3 days). I think this is what made me fall in love with them, as they were falling in love with each other. This just goes to show you how strongly human beings react to bids of connection, as it even has its effect through written word!
"Can I come in?" she asked.
As if he would deny her. As if he could.
Anyway, moving on to my love of Kendrick's character, because I am absolutely smitten. I admired the way he carried himself with such grace and respect towards a people he thought was only a myth. He entered each interaction with the Elves in such a de-escalating way through showing respect and being truthful about his intent, all the while still being genuinely curious and wanting to learn more about these people. Also, the fact that he considers himself as equal to the elves even though he's way more powerful, and that he respects every choice and decision Esha makes, I loved that about him so much!
"He had known with their first kiss, but he hadn't admitted it until that moment. Esha was his mate."
This moment made my heart burst with love. It was the perfect moment to introduce the fated mates trope,. I can't elaborate without spoiling it, but let me re-iterate that the fact that he is so respectful of her, her wants and feelings, the boundaries she implicitly set... It made me love Kendrick even more.
Now concerning how standalone this book is - since that's what it claims - I must admit chapter one was a heavy one to take in. We get bombarded with information and I wasn't completely sure I had a good grip of the world and its characters. Thankfully, as Kendrick and Esha build intimacy by sharing about themselves and their people, we get spoonfed the necessary information in a way that makes it easy to grasp. So, yes, this is a very good standalone novel and I would even say a good introduction to the series as a whole. I can say I am a fan and will be reading more from this author.
The side characters were great (Dain was amazing), the intrigue was good, the world-building was decent, and the romance was swoonworthy AND fan-yourself-Kendrick-is-coming-out-of-the-lake-naked. An all around enjoyable read!
So, why only 4 stars? As much as I enjoyed reading this book, I think it might've benefitted from being a full length novel to fully wrap up the 'entity' storyline, which was left unfinished and not mentioned at the end of the book. I also would've loved to learn more about how the shift happens, since that is a major part of the shifter world building. And I felt cheated out of seeing their mating ceremony, which made me just a tiny bit sad...
**I read and reviewed an advanced reading copy, granted to me by the publisher through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
"Are you suggesting I walk around shirtless?"
"I'm saying I wouldn't mind."
My heart is so full of fuzzy feels! I am in love with the way the romance was developed in this one. Donna Grants focuses on the small interactions between Kendrick (MMC) and Esha (FMC) to build intimacy, showing how one would make a bid of connection, the other would respond to that, to which the first would often joyfully smile. It was so beautiful to read and it filled my heart with so much warmth. You could feel the intimacy between these two rise with each of these positively answered bids of connection, which made the entire relationship build up feel so natural, even though it was very fast paced (within 2-3 days). I think this is what made me fall in love with them, as they were falling in love with each other. This just goes to show you how strongly human beings react to bids of connection, as it even has its effect through written word!
"Can I come in?" she asked.
As if he would deny her. As if he could.
Anyway, moving on to my love of Kendrick's character, because I am absolutely smitten. I admired the way he carried himself with such grace and respect towards a people he thought was only a myth. He entered each interaction with the Elves in such a de-escalating way through showing respect and being truthful about his intent, all the while still being genuinely curious and wanting to learn more about these people. Also, the fact that he considers himself as equal to the elves even though he's way more powerful, and that he respects every choice and decision Esha makes, I loved that about him so much!
"He had known with their first kiss, but he hadn't admitted it until that moment. Esha was his mate."
This moment made my heart burst with love. It was the perfect moment to introduce the fated mates trope,. I can't elaborate without spoiling it, but let me re-iterate that the fact that he is so respectful of her, her wants and feelings, the boundaries she implicitly set... It made me love Kendrick even more.
Now concerning how standalone this book is - since that's what it claims - I must admit chapter one was a heavy one to take in. We get bombarded with information and I wasn't completely sure I had a good grip of the world and its characters. Thankfully, as Kendrick and Esha build intimacy by sharing about themselves and their people, we get spoonfed the necessary information in a way that makes it easy to grasp. So, yes, this is a very good standalone novel and I would even say a good introduction to the series as a whole. I can say I am a fan and will be reading more from this author.
The side characters were great (Dain was amazing), the intrigue was good, the world-building was decent, and the romance was swoonworthy AND fan-yourself-Kendrick-is-coming-out-of-the-lake-naked. An all around enjoyable read!
So, why only 4 stars? As much as I enjoyed reading this book, I think it might've benefitted from being a full length novel to fully wrap up the 'entity' storyline, which was left unfinished and not mentioned at the end of the book. I also would've loved to learn more about how the shift happens, since that is a major part of the shifter world building. And I felt cheated out of seeing their mating ceremony, which made me just a tiny bit sad...
**I read and reviewed an advanced reading copy, granted to me by the publisher through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**