Top notch world building, lovable characters, suspense, and a romance that will melt your heart.
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If you follow my social media, you'll know that I got myself into such a huge reading slump this year. I went from reading at LEAST 12 books a month in 2022 to reading MAYBE 1. When Mona decided to give my books a try and began gushing on TikTok about my dragon series, I decided to pick up her book in return. I don't always do this. If an author writes a genre I am not into, I find it hard to get into their books and then I feel like my review will be forced or I simply won't give one. In this case, when I checked out her work, I realized she writes dragon shifters!
OF COURSE, I was going to give it a chance, despite that I have not been able to finish a book in months.
Like every other book I have picked up in 2023, it took me a bit to find my momentum, but when I did...wow.
As someone who likes heavy romance in her books, I was admittedly waiting for the romance to really heat up. This book is considered a slow burn, but the affection started pretty quickly and that's what I LOVED. It created tension and suspense and kept me turning the pages.
When the book starts, we find ourselves in a world where politics are heavy and are forcing the FMC in a direction she doesn't want to go. In this case, she's being offered as the prize in a tournament where eligible men will fight for her hand in marriage and for the right to breed with her. Surrendering (mostly) to her duties, the FMC and her family travel to where this tournament will be held and are delayed inside a mountain belonging to the MMC when powerful storms hinder their journey. This is a story of two dragon shifters from vastly different backgrounds. Neither was looking for love, but both were hit with it hard when they met. And I will say that the MMC's kink for being overpowered by the FMC was *muah* absolute FIRE. That's not to say he isn't a powerful character himself. These two are the definition of a power couple with one who can control the shadows and one who can control light (among other things).
The romance in this book was a large part of the story progression, but on the lighter side for those who enjoy heavy steam. However, the world itself and the intricacies of the plot and all its little twists, turns, and secrets really captured me. It's been a long time since I've read a book with this kind of originality. I am EXTREMELY interested in reading a sequel and I can't recommend this book enough to fans of indie fantasy romance. It's also a good middle ground for those who desire a strong, well-built world and deep story and those who love their spice.
What you can expect:
🐲Dragon Shifters
🍳Political Intrigue
🌎Top-notch world building
🌶🌶🌶 3/5 steam
🔥Slow Burn
💘Forbidden Romance
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ FIVE STARS, Mona!!
(You can find her work on Amazon)