This is the second time in as many weeks I've picked up a book three in a series because, "ooh, dragons!" I must be in a mood. Drakon's Plunder worked out a little bit better for me than the other book, but watch for that review in a few weeks.

I loved the idea of an archaeologist hunting mystical artifacts and being hunted in turn by a secret society. And a dragon salvager gathering treasure for his horde - love! Those parts of the plot did not disappoint and I didn't feel like I missed too much by starting in the middle of the series.

I was surprised by how little action (outside the bedroom) there was given those elements though. And I thought it was odd that Sam and Ezra interact with so few other characters. The couples from previous books do appear, but only on the phone.

Still I enjoyed Drakon's Plunder. It reminds me of Julie Ann Walker's Deep Six series, which I love, but with dragons. (That connection may be what had me expecting a more action packed story.) I'm interested enough in the series story line that I'll probably check out the earlier books. I'll definitely pick up the next one which looks to feature Ezra's brother Nic.

3.5 stars

Drakon’s Plunder is book three in the Blood of the Drakon series by N.J. Walters. I am so in love with this series. How could I not be? These drakons, half man, half dragon, who have lived four thousand years in a mostly solitary existence except for the occasional interaction between the four brothers. These drakons that once they meet their mate, once they fall in love, they love with a ferocity that is unbridled, a passion that ignites, a protectiveness that is unrivaled. These drakon men have stolen my heart. I was especially excited about getting to know Ezra, the man who in the previous books rarely even spoke. I think Ezra stole my heart even more than the others. I hope you’ll read on and let me tell you about him.

Ezra Easton was a water drakon. He could breathe fire as all drakons could but his element was the water. He needed to be near the sea. He could swim with the fish of the ocean as easily as he could walk on the land. He owned a private island off the coast of Maine where he led a quiet, solitary existence. He owned a salvage company on the main land.

If a human drinks the blood of a drakon, it would heal any illness and keep them alive forever, as long as they continued to drink the blood regularly. Karina Azarov is the head of the Knights of the Dragons, a secret organization intent on capturing drakons in order to drink their blood. She is currently looking for any ancient artifacts that would help her in her quest to capture the drakons. She has hired Sam Bellamy, an archaeologist specializing in finding ancient artifacts.

Sam wants revenge against the Knights for killing her mentor, a man who was like a father to her. So she took the job with the Knights and is currently aboard a ship searching for sunken artifacts. When she finds something that she senses holds an evil power, she tries to escape the ship, only to be rescued by a man who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

This is how Ezra and Sam first meet but only the first time Ezra will be required to save his beautiful Sam. The pull between them is immediate. All Ezra can think about is that he has to protect this beautiful human with the flaming red curls, that she was made for him, that she is his mate. He watched two of his brothers go through it and now he understands so much better what they experienced.

“I plucked you out of the sea, you’re mine now.”
“I’m not salvage.”
“No, you’re not salvage. You’re treasure. My treasure.”

As love quickly develops between these two, danger grows. Sam is now missing and so is the artifact she found. And there are those that won’t rest until they’ve found it. Sam, without really understanding what Ezra really is, knows that she is bringing danger to Ezra’s door step. But Ezra is not letting his human out of his sight. She’s his now and he will protect her with all that he is.

“He’d faced entire armies in centuries past without batting an eye, but this one woman’s touch made him tremble.”

I absolutely loved Sam and Ezra. They truly were made for one another. We don’t get much of the other two brothers and their new mates except for phone conversations but we do get a hint of Nic, the only brother left who hasn’t found his mate. And there are some other little hints throughout, just little things that I hope turn in to bigger things in the next book.

I literally couldn’t put this down. I was grabbed immediately and stayed that way throughout. You could probably figure out enough if you read this before reading the previous books but you would understand it better if you started at the beginning and read the series in order. You don’t want to miss any of these drakon brothers and the women who tame their inner beasts. This series is fantastic and I hope I’ve convinced you to give it a try.

“You’re the treasure I’ve been searching for all my life.”

I am loving this series and Sam & Ezra’s story is another great addition. From the imminent danger to the character interaction this was a real page turner. Ezra is a water Drakon and brother to Tarrant and Darius, Sam is his mate and this couple has been well matched. The melding and interaction of all the characters is well written and I look forward to reading more. I would recommend this series to lovers of this genre

Drakon's Plunder, N.J. Walters

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance,

First thing to say is that I didn't realise this was the third book in a series.
I was still able to follow the story, and the characters from the earlier books are referred to here, but not having read them didn't mean I lost the plot so to speak! They look interesting though so maybe a future read? 

Anyway, Sam. I liked her. She'd had a tough time as an only child losing both parenst and regarded her mentor highly. He was killed, and having discovered it was a group called Knights of the Dragon, she wants vengeance.
They think she's a simple archaeologist, don't know of her talent for sensing powerful objects and she's keeping it that way. She's under no illusions about what type of people they are and what they plan for her, but she's out to stop them getting their hands on whatever is on the wreck. If they want it then its too powerful for them to have it is her thought, and she's out to stop them any way she can.
She's a great lead, strong and determined with a definite sense of whats morally right.
 
Then things go wrong, and she finds herself with a strange man, in a place that's unfamiliar. Slowly what happened comes back to her, but she doesn't know if she can trust him or if he belongs to the Knights group.
He's being very cagey which doesn't help, but that's because he doesn't know whether he can trust her. He's got a lot to hide, and a lot to lose if he gets it wrong.
I liked Ezra, hiding in plain sight, very close to his brothers and their mates, he's surprised at the possessiveness he feels for Sam. The Drakon's Tears...I loved that tough. 
Between all that there's this sensual thread of arousal spinning between them....

Its a good read, a step up from the Human meets Shifter/Vampire/Supernatural of some sort that dominates the best sellers. Clearly readers love them, but I need a bit more story to my romance and this book delivers.
Its not as solid a story as a Mercy Thompson or Kate Daniels read, but it's an entertaining novel, in a series that sounds to build on each book with a stronger overall story. I do like those. 

Stars: four, interesting and absorbing read with an unusual shifter type. Lots of sensual heat and spice too. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Another good paranormal by N.J. Walters. Enjoyed the book

I really like this one I had not read the first 2 in the series but had no problem following the book and now I will go back to read the first 2 because I loved the characters and N.J. Walters writing is as alway fun to read.

Absolutely fabulous! Loved the whole series so far. Love the different brothers and all their talents. Really strong heroines. Great, fresh premise.

This is the third book and we once again jump into artifacts and history along with the pending danger from the Knights of the Dragon. All of the books so far have been page turners and this one was no exception. Ezra is brother to Tarrant and Darius. He is a water Drakon and of course his "treasure stash" is actual treasure. When he scoops a woman out of the sea, she is destined to become his treasure too.

Sam fits in well with the group already assembled. I loved where her inquisitive mind was taking us as it relates to Drakon kind and the need to settle down after 4000 years. I loved that she was geeky and less than perfect. There are still secrets to be revealed I think.

Just perfect! I will be sad to see the story end after Nic's book. Looking forward to more!

Ezra and Sam are a great addition to this series and I enjoyed their story. Now Sam wasn't my fav of the drakon mates we've met thus far but I'm holding out hope Nic gets one with spunk. If you are a lover of this series this won't disappoint although there is little plot development from the last to this one you are given a few nuggets to think on. If you haven't read this series yet I highly suggest you do as they have an interconnecting storyline and recurring characters.
This was a complimentary advanced reader copy from the author/ publisher in exchange for a honest review via Netgalley.

Sam does Ezra some good, “you can do all the work. I’ll just lie here.” She was teasing him. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had teased him like this..." I loved the placating tone Ezra has with Sam at times, "it was getting more difficult to think with her touching him. “I’m a water drakon, sweetheart. I don’t need rescuing when I’m in the water.” I really liked this, I loved Ezra and how protective he was.