This was a wonderful story that reminded me why I love this author! It is a later book in the series so I can't say much except that the story continued the series arc and I can't wait for the next book!

this was very well written and a very interesting story.. it was hott and sexy.. i love the characters.. it is def not a standalone so i recommend reading the others first but this author is amazing. i loved it and am glad i read it

A fantastic addition to a super series.This is the 12th book in the Dragon King series and cannot be read as a standalone if you have not read any of this series you really need to give it a go a must read for all paranormal fans

Having read Dark Kings #11 (Blaze) made the story a lot easier. However I was still trying to catch up on all the old enemies, feuds and grudges which were undoubtedly told in the first 10 parts of the series.

So indeed, the story gets better, if you have read the whole series. But although I missed the first books, I'm glad to have read this one. Nikolai is a seriously hunky dragon, who has awakened after centuries of sleep.

He offers his help to Esther. An MI5 agent, who is aware of all the magical creatures in the world. She has had an encounter with a druid (in a previous book), who has altered her memories. She is scared, but determined to find out who did this to her and to make sure she gets her memories back.

Together with Nikolai they retrace her journey in London, to find out what has happened to Esther. During their time together, they can't deny the attraction between each other. But where Esther doesn't want to rely on her memories and feelings, Nikolai doesn't know what to believe or who to trust after his long sleep. His old mentor Ulrik, has turned against humanity and is responsible for the death of humans. Or is he not? And what is his connection to the druid who altered Esther's memories?

While trying to find Esther's memories, another substory unfolds for Balladyn and Con. Will Light and Dark unite? Or will they be ripped apart by lies and deceit? The answer to that question will probably be answered in the next parts of this series.

For this part, 3,5 out of five stars from me. And a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Dark Kings #12, Dark World #31. I don't know what I was thinking jumping in at this point. I love Donna Grant's Contemporary and Romantic Suspense, but I was always afraid of her paranormal because it is already such a big series, even though it is divided up into different series they are all tied together. Aside from feeling lost with the huge cast a characters and their backstories and side stories I did enjoy the book. Nikolai and Esther's story was exciting and hot. I loved Nikolai he's a great character and his ability is pretty cool. I love how strong and determined Esther is and the romance between them fits in to place, there's hardly any angst with is good they have enough problems as is the extra angst would have just been silly and would have made it seem like it was making it more difficult than it had to be. I wouldn't say their romance was easy because Nikolai has some issues from his past that he has to deal with before they can really have a HEA.

Esther is trying to find the Druid who took away her memories and controlled her to the point she almost killed someone. Nikolai has the ability to draw whatever he sees in perfect detail, with his connection to Esther -she's his mate he knows it he's just waiting until she's ready to hear it- he can draw her past. So together they go to London and backtrack until they get to the point where she comes across the Druid. It's a good thing her hobby is collecting bar coasters they use those to retrace her steps. Visiting each bar and Nikolai draws picture after picture of her in those places until they finally discover one commonality each picture has besides Esther, she was being followed. There's a lot that happens in this book most of it is Nikolai and Esther's story but they are also dealing with Fae problems which I was completely lost with and then you throw in the reapers and the witches, although the witches/druids/warrior tie in is mainly with the main story.

Overall, the main story of Nikolai and Esther, I loved it was exciting and I really got invested in their story but with everything else happening I felt in over my head.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I received this copy from netgalley but nowhere did it say that it was book 12 in a series. It is very confusing to start with as you are thrown in to the story but if you have not read any previous books, you are lost as there is a huge host of characters in this book.

The actual story of Esther and her search for answers along with the help of the Dragon King, Nikolai was great, and I enjoyed their search for the Druid who messed with Esther's mind. Along the way, they found some answers BUT there were many unanswered questions at the end of the book.

It would have been nice to have the issue of finding Esther and Henry's birth mother solved in this book as I want to know the reason she gave her two children up for adoption and hide them so well. I am guessing that the Druid, Eilish, won't find her birth mother as Mikkel needs to keep her in his power so that he can continue to use her powers.

Esther may be a former MI5 agent but nothing really prepares you for when a Druid takes over your mind! She may have been rescued but she still feels that something is...off with her mind. There are huge gaps and she is sure things have been rearranged somehow. She also worries that the very people who took her in look at her sideways...is she still a threat to them, is she the weak link in their protection?

Nik may by a Dragon King but he is also a bit of an artist. When Ether finds his room covered in pictures of her, instead of being scared that he is a stalker, she realises he can see past her fears and into her memories. Maybe together they can sort through her failing memory and find what is lurking within her sub-conscious.

Another great book in the series. Esther is perfect as the emotionally damaged Esther, frantically trying to make sense of the gaps in her head. Nik is both Alpha male and sensitive soul, an unusual mix. Great pace to the book and nice to check in on the previously mated couples.

This is a series you really have to read from the beginning if you don't want to get lost!

4.5 Dragon stars!!!
Gifted read by netgalley.
Wow you would expect that by book 12 it would be boring, or repeats of previous books but this author and this series has nothing boring about it.
This series has all the syfy qualities of Lord of the rings, Game of Thrones, and Karen Marie Monings Fever series rolled into brilliantly told stories.
In this series you are introduced to the Dragon Kings, light and dark fae, reapers and druids and so much mythological stories set in and around Ireland. It is a testament to this author's brilliance that by book 12 you the reader are still sucked into each story and await the next segment in this in going saga.
You must read in order to fully understand and obtain the true meaning and depth of each book. Even though these books are a continuted storyline each deal with one of the Dragon Kings finding and loving his mate.
So fantasy, syfy, romance, mystery, mythology set in and around Ireland, what more could you want?! This author is amazing at world building and keeping each installment of her series fresh, intriquing and spellbinding!
Donna Grant 's Dark King series is one you will binge read and count down until another Dark King book is released!
Highly recommended reading this series!!

Wow! No one does Dragons better than Donna Grant.
I've been following the DK since the beginning and each book just keeps getting better.
Inside the pages of this book, there's angst and intrigue. There's secrets revealed and more made to discover the answers to.
But best of all there's a budding relationship that is sweet and careful and sexy.
After reading this book you'll be left asking, "Wait, is the 'bad guy' , really that bad?"
Seriously though, if you're a fan of PNR, the Dragon King world is the best place to visit.

Heat by Donna Grant is book 12 in the "Dark Kings" series. This is the story of Nikolai and Esther.
This book can be a standalone book but some back story lines from previous books are showing in this book. Esther mind had been taking over by a Druid in a previous book and in this book she is looking to find out what happened during that missing time. Ester is a part of the M15 along with her brother Henry. So she is used to mystery and adventures but loosing that period of time is working on her. Esther goes to Nikolai for help with trace her steps back to get the answers that she needs.
Nikolai was an orphan who was found by Ulrik and he became a mentor to Nikolai. Nikolai and Ulrik become close as a family. But now in their present day Nikolai and Ulrik have become on different sides of a issue deal with humans. This conflict and the possibility of a fight is weighing heavily on Nikolai. Nikolai has a gift for drawing and telling a story of what had occurred at certain places, so when asked for help by Ester he quickly agreed. Nikolai has been drawn to Ester since he first met her and this would be a distraction that he needs to break from the worry of what is to come with Ulrik. Ester too has been attracted to Nikolai, but has been to absorbed in this issue with what had happened in her past....can these two find more than what they started to look out for?
This was another exciting story by Ms. Grant!

Heat was a riveting read, Donna Grant has a way of pulling you into her story and keeping you hooked. I enjoyed the world building in this book, I loved immersing myself in the author’s vivid and vibrant writing. Her characters are likeable and intriguing. I have not read (yet) the other books in the Dark Kings series, but I really enjoyed Nikolai and Esther’s story. They were great individually, but together their chemistry was off the charts. I loved seeing Nikolai, a Dragon King possessing immense magic abilities, falling hard for Esther, a mere mortal.

Esther is a spy from MI5 who has learned the hard way how easily her species could be swiped from the earth. The Druid has gotten into her mind and controls her. She is strong, determined and always puts on a brave face, but she feels trapped by the Druid. She needs Nikolai’s help to deal with the aftermath of the attack. Esther has no power or magic, but she is protected by Nikolai. Their intense connection allows him to see into her life. He will do everything in his power to remove the magic from her mind and set her free of the Druid’s control. I loved seeing Esther coming out of her shell and slowly gaining back control of her life.

Lots of tension, great pacing, and a mysterious quality that kept me eagerly turning the pages all add up to this being a thrilling read full of surprises and extraordinary characters.

Sooooooo, I kinda did a thing I don’t typically do...like ever.
I read a book that was apart of a series and I haven’t read the series.

*drops head and winces a little, then snaps head back up*

Well, I have read something of the series, but it was a novella, so I’m not all too sure it counts, but at least I know something about the world right?

Okay, maybe not, but let’s cut this part off for now and get to the nitty gritty. Despite not reading any other novels in the series, my curiosity was peaked by the whole recovery of memories issue with Esther and how a Dragon King could help her retrieve them, so I went against my own OCD and dove in and I really enjoyed their story. It was intriguing, sweet, smexy, filled with intrigue and had me wishing I’d started from the beginning, but also had me wanting to continue with it regardless because of that ending.

I had a great time getting to know Nikolai and Esther. Nikolai, for all the big and bad Dragon King that he is, is a quiet sort of soul. He observes more than anything, but has no problem making his opinion known when it’s important, and his magic is really, really cool. Esther, on the outside is calm, cool and collected, but that has more to do with her training and the fact that her mind was scrambled by a Druid. I loved her determination to hunt down the Druid in order to retrieve her memories, but also the fact that she didn’t go off the rails. She was logical in her pursuit and as the fog started to lift, I loved the bright and golden heart it revealed.

Their journey to their HEA was an interesting one considering the reason why Esther needed Nikolai’s help with retrieving her memories, there was no where for her to hide, but on the flip side, Nikolai was just as transparent so their mutual attraction built as they got to know each other on an emotionally intimate level. With all that was going on around them, the angst was kept to a minimum and I liked how their relationship evolved at a good pace.

As I said in the beginning, I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, so jumping head first into the 12th book in the series was definitely outside my norm. But, I will say that though I didn’t pick up on the little threads of connections between the characters, I never felt lost when it came to the main series arc. Ms. Grant did a great job of getting the reader caught up with all that was going on without it being a huge information dump and moving things forward. I really liked a lot of the secondary characters and with all that happened throughout the book and that ending, I’m thinking that I’ll be needing to keep an eye out for the next book because things look like they’re going to get even more interesting.

A steamy paranormal romance novel that is will not disappoint!

HEAT is scorching! Nikolai has always stood out to me in a good way. He was the quiet one and knowing his back story made him even more intriguing, he was torn but did what he thought was right for their race though it hurt him to turn against Ulrik. I always admired Esther for her strength and even more so as this story moved on. She needed to know everything that happened to her and why, so she could move on. But in the finding of herself, will she find an even bigger mystery that will have her questioning all she ever thought she knew?

There are many things that develop in this book that involves the Fae, Balladyn, Rhi, Druids, Mikkel and, of course, Ulrik and other Dragon Kings that those not familiar with this storyline might find it intimidating. But, author Donna Grant writes this series in a way that does make it easy to go with the flow, though you really will want to go back and pick up the others, because they are that good.

HEAT will give you gorgeous dragon shifters, a feisty woman who wants to find herself again, magic, mystery, love and steamy moments that will blow you away.

~ Annetta Sweetko, reviewing for Fresh Fiction

Complete review may be found at: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=64740

I've fallen in love with this series. Often I get bored and give up on a series when I start with the first book, but I've found that a great author can get you hooked later in the series causing you to read any new books and all the previous books. This is written wonderfully, I love how in every book the central plot is the focus for all the characters even through creating, establishing and modifying romantic relationships, and alliances. Of course dragons, magic, action and sex only add to my love of this series.

I love this series! The sheer depth of characters never fails to impress me, along with the complexity of the story that is ever changing and endlessly entertaining. I love how the plot and pace go hand in hand, and even when the pace is slow there is enough going on that it keeps it moving. I can't help thinking that the title doesn't at all go with the story, but it feels like an undiscovered treasure when you dig into it expecting fluff and get a complicated, intricate story instead. Absolutely loved it, and thank you so very much for the opportunity to review this gem!

Ok so this is my first book from this author and well, though I started in the middle of this vast world and might be missing the back story (intro of Ester) and stories (of everyone else), it didn't detract from how big this world is and how different this love story is from others I've read so far.

Nikkolai is a dragon king who is helping Ester hunt down the druid that messed her up so much, she doesn't know who she is anymore. Through their journey, Ester discovers more about herself than she thought. And Nikkolai and Ester find their way to each other. And the plot thickens in this world... Now I think I want to read the series from the start now.

This is not a book with hot sex and dirty words and all. You don't need them all the time anyway to make a good story.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

Another fantasy novel in a long series with lots of characters with funnily-spelled names, everyone is working on different teams, and there is so much backstory one feels lost any time we aren't focused on the two main characters of this installment. When I was reading about Esther and Nikolai and their quest, I enjoyed the story. The rest of it was rather overly done and confusing.

First I have to admit I haven't read any other book in this series, so I obviously missed a lot. So, I would say read from the start and keep going. I'm guess that these books are like most series where each book focus one couple but each book builds on the previous and the couples have appearances in following books.

With that said, I may not have get all the background on the characters but this book alone showed me what a talented writer the write is. She has written a world that I can picture in my head with characters that are charismatic. I love the depth of this relationship and have to say this book had me hooked. If the rest of the series is anything like this, I will have to go back and absorb all the characters and see where the end will lead us. Excellently written.

Heat is such a mild word for the intensity and action of this story. Nicolai is dark, brooding, mysterious and the perfect gentlemen (when he feels like it.) Esther's amnesia is the source of irritation and confusion. But her determination and dedication to figuring out what happened is inspiring. Add murders, conspiracies, and complications to get a read that will draw you in from the very first page and leave you with wanting to re-read the entire series by the end.