The story is interesting and engaging, but there are also a lot of moving parts and characters of which you need to keep track. Not to mention, there are two main plots and a few minor ones to follow, so this is definitely a read that demands your full attention.

If you like sci-fi romances and have the time to sit down and get engrossed in a read I think you'll be happy with this one. The romance ends in a HEA, and then the epilogue is a teaser for the continuation of the series. If you don't want anything resembling a cliffhanger, skip the epilogue. It doesn't have anything to do with the two main characters in this first book.

On a side note, I don’t get how the title relates to the book, unless, I guess, it’s meant to refer to passion or a dragon’s fire.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Nikolai is a dragon shapeshifter who knows well the meaning of loss. Orphaned and raised to be a Dragon King, he never accepts defeat. Now, Nikolai prefers his solitude . . .until a beautiful, irresistible woman calls upon him for help—and Nikola’s whole word goes up in flames.

Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like stranger to herself. She looks to a notorious dragon, one who has the power to help her find her memory. But as she and Nikolai come closer to discovering what really happened to her, a dangerous passion ignites between them. Can this lone Dragon King help the woman he’s grown to love to uncover the truth about her past—or will a deep and fiery danger tear them both apart?

Review:

I liked how this series gives an alternative world where dragons are hiding and fighting against their own and other dark forces to protect dragons and humanity. Her characters are interesting too. Nikolia and Esther have great chemistry and are both strong individuals who make a strong team. I have to say I liked reading about Nikolai's back story, it added a depth to his character. I liked how they both are attracted to each other, but have to go through some complications to get to their place where they can enjoy each other as a couple. Of course, the intimate scenes are very well written and quite steamy. There is lots of action in this story also. So many different ulterior motives and machinations going on also. This is where I say that you really should have read the other books in the series first because of the continuing storyline woven through the books in the series. If you do read as a stand alone I think this one is much more self contained. One other thing I would say is that because this is a continuing storyline not everything is wrapped up in the end of this story.
4Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

Heat (Dark Kings, #12) by Donna Grant outstandingly lives up to the title and whoa!, the chemistry jumping from the pages is phenomenal. This has been a great series thus far and Heat only adds to the theme, building in intensity. This one just moved Blaze down from my favorite in the series. I love that the reader gets to revisit characters from other books that are intertwined with this world. Nikolai and Esther's story unfolds flawlessly without the male/female drama of I do but I don't. It's refreshing. I do recommend that this book not be your first read of the series because you do need more background before diving in, but once you're there, these Dragon Kings will never let you go! If you enjoyed any of the Dark Kings books, I highly recommend this because I think it's pivotal to what's coming. I can also recommend The Sons of Texas Series.

This is not a standalone book. I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and the blurb said nothing about this being book 12 in a series. Disappointing. Most of the book felt like wading through bits of backstory. Too many characters to keep track of. Too many reminders of things that happened in past books. I couldn't focus on this book's story arc and there wasn't much in the way of character development for me so I guess I needed those other 11 books to care about what happened in this one.

Esther is a former MI5 agent whose memory was messed with by a Druid. Esther then requests help from Nikolai, a hot Dragon King, to help her track down the Druid and recover her memories.

There are several story lines happening in this book. I had a hard time following along with parts because I haven't read any of the previous books.

I am glad I read this anyway. I also really liked the story line with the light and dark fae quite a bit, too. I want Rhi to reunite with her Dragon King. Whoever that may be. That alone is enough reason to start at the beginning and get all my questions answered. So, really, this book has made me want to read the whole series and that makes it a darn good book.

I received a copy from NetGalley, this is my review.

Loved it! 4.5 stars. Another great story in the series. Love these dragons! Terrific exciting well written plot with fabulous H/h. Ending sets up for next story.

Who is the smarty-pants who keeps picking up books that happen to take place in the middle of a series?

Yeah, so I’m the idiot. Sue me. Actually, please don’t. Anyhoo, I would have given this book all five stars if I wasn’t a bit lost as I read it. I got the overall gist, however, I definitely wouldn’t recommend this as a standalone. Although it seems each book tackles a new couple, the background story and stories of the other characters continue in-line with the main story. Sounds confusing? Well, it was… a bit. But I enjoyed myself far too much to nitpick.

Okay, so Nikolai, one of the Dragon Kings, goes on a mission with Esther, an MI5 agent and an ally, in order to help her find the druid who erased her memories. Along the way, their undeniable attraction gains momentum and becomes an unstoppable force. Luckily enough, neither of them were complaining. Amidst the love-making and overall love connection, these two came across some interesting facts and figures. Esther finds out some hard truths about herself, truths that could affect the world as they know it. There was a really amazing fight scene with the Dark Fae that I still can’t get out of my head. It was so exciting! However, we also gain some insight on the truth to what’s going on with Ulrik, Mikkel and the Druid.

For someone who hasn’t read any of the previous books, even I’m completely invested in finding out how things will end. Will the Dark and Light Fae ever unite? What will Rhi do about Balladyn? And just who is Con destined to be with? I have so many more questions, but you know what I’m going to do in the meantime while I wait for the next book, Torched to come out?

Oh hell to the yes I’ll be going back to the beginning. Although this wasn’t as erotic as I thought it would be (slight bummer), it was no less intense and I thought it was incredible. I loved the inner workings of the Dragon Kings, how the other creatures of myth walk around humans, and the idea of these strong and fierce men finding their mates. How can I resist this delectable concoction? How can you?

Release: Jan. 30, 2018 | Genre: Paranormal Romance - dragon shifter | POV: Multiple - 3rd person | Heat: 3 out of 5 | Book #12 of the Dark Kings series | Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks

I was offered an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review but unfortunately, I couldn't finish the book. As I began reading, while I as intrigued by the story and characters, the chapters kept interchanging between the main characters and others that were introduced before and I just couldn't get in to the story. I didn't know who I was supposed to know, and why things were happening and I got a bit frustrated. I would love to start he series from the beginning because the writing was solid and I do love dragon shifters, but for right now, this was a DNF for me.

This is the 12th book in this series and I recommend reading the previous books first (which I still need to finish). There's a lot going on in this book with the main story and several "side" stories but I actually enjoyed this as I feel like it makes the book very interesting and multi-dimensional. No spoilers so I'll just say how much I loved Nikolai and Esther together and that, after all they had been through, they really deserved their HEA.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Love this series! Nikolai is trying to help Ester get her memory back and as they do they grow closer together. The fight continues between the dark and the light and the continued battle between Ulrik and Con. Rhi’s heart may be getting broke again. This series really draws you and the story has plenty of action, drama and steam. I was hooked from beginning to end! Looking forward to more in this series!

Dragon King Nikolai has a gift for drawing. He only needs to see something once and he can reproduce it in great detail. There is also a little magic that helps him take his drawing just a bit further.
Esther North is now working with the Dragon Kings, but is suffering the after effects of a druid invading her mind. Maybe Nikolai can help her. Our characters have several problems to solve. Lots of different villains all with their own agenda.
This is a series that should be read in order. The underlying story carries on through each book although they each have a different hero and heroine.
Lots of magic , danger and intrigue.
A very exciting and magical series.

Once again the Dark Kings series brings suspense, excitement and romance into the lives of readers.

Nikolai and Esther are strong, captivating characters that grabs reader’s attention and refuse to let go as they charm and delight readers throughout their story. Nikolai and Esther both capture the heart and has brings out some strong empathic feelings from readers during their story and their romance sizzles with electricity that practically leaps off the pages.

Heat is a fast paced story full of suspense and thrills that keep readers on the edge of their seat and glued to the pages throughout. The story not only has Nikolai facing his past with Ulrik which gives readers better insight into Ulrik, but the story also has our characters on a journey that full of danger and excitement as well as emotional turbulence. Let’s not forget about the light fae and the dark fae who are also causing quite a bit of mayhem and interest throughout the story with quite a few changes are in their worlds as well.

As always, Donna Grants Dark Kings series enthralled me from beginning to end and there was no way I could put it down once I started reading it and since Heat revealed a few secrets and brought about quite a few changes, I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

A BABY DRAGON!!!!!

Shapeshifting dragons, Dark Fae and an MI5 Agent with a memory altered by magic.

Nikolai is a dragon who was orphaned at a young age. He was adopted by Ulrik and raised to be a Dragon King. Dragon Kings apparently sleep a lot. Nikolai is awakened and is tasked with easing tensions with Ulrik and other Dragon Kings. This task includes helping Edith, a MI5 agent retrace her steps she she can remember her past. It turns out Edith has magic of her own that she never knew about. They discover Edith’s magic, Nikolai shifts into dragon form.

3 stars

The book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Well if you have been reading my blog for a while you already know that I will read and review anything Donna Grant writes because I have been a fan of hers for a few years now.



Heat is book number 12 in the Dark Kings books and you do have to read the previous books in this series before you read this one.



I don't know how Donna Grant does it but this series is still one that I am hooked on. I love the story of Nikolai and Esther and yes I love them together. I love that we get to see previous characters in each books .



I can't wait to read the next book.

Wonderful new book in the series. Keeps the reader interested and sexy dragons to boot!! The story was engaging and well written. I would recommend reading the others in the series first before starting this one. Overall it was nicely done and another spectacular work by Donna Grant.

Unfortunately, this time around the couple just didn't do it for me. While I thought that Nikolai and Esther made a good couple because they had much in common and got each other, every part with them was my least favorite. Though I really liked learning about Nikolai's past, and Ulrik's role in it. Theses last few books are really working hard to influence my opinion of the guy. What saved the book for me was everything else going on. And boy are things gearing up!

Nikolai and Esther have gone back to the beginning in order to retrace Esther's steps and hopefully find the druid responsible for messing with her mind. Along the way they meet an important guy, find out that there is much more to Esther and Henry than anyone expected, reach their goal, and Nikolai also talks to Ulrik. They obviously also hook up, which was inevitable.

I can't even say how thrilled I am that Con and Rhi are actually working together lately. Not going for each other's throat every time they see each other. This is really important because Usaeil has gone off the deep end and is fast becoming another problem for the Kings to deal with. At least they won't be alone.

Everything keeps getting worse and Con has an ominous feeling about the future. And who can blame him? Now that he knows that Ulrik is not responsible for everything thrown at them, the ending was so exciting with Ulrik appearing before him in the caves.

I cannot wait to read more!

This review is going to be a bit strange.

I was given the opportunity to review Heat (unsolicited), and I did because - uh, hello? DRAGONS. What I was unaware of at the time was that Heat ​is #12 in the Dark Kings series. I usually do not review books in a series where I have not read the previous books. What can I say? I am a completist.

​With that said, I can review what I know from what I did read of this book. I enjoyed learning what I could of the dragon clans. It reminded me of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series because of the connection each of the "brothers" has with the other.

There is definite chemistry between Esther and Nikolai that is steamy off the pages. However, there is obvious background on both of these characters that must have been discussed in the previous books. In the reviews I've read from other readers, it seems that this book is in perfect conjunction with the others in the series.

​I will definitely add this series to my TBR list, but I believe that anyone wanting to take it on will definitely be pleased.

Ok

Interesting main story line but there were so many smaller stories to keep track of that it took some of the enjoyment out of reading jumping around so much.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

I only gave this book 2 1/2 stars, but to be fair, when I received this as a Read Now from Netgalley I did not realize it was Book 12 in a series or I would not have said yes to read it. I was lost for much of this book due to having not read any of the previous books. Because of that I could not get into it nor did I understand much of it. I actually put it down a few times and wasn't planning on finishing, but I finally decided to. I really didn't connect with the characters and I am not sure if that is because I am coming into this series so late or if I just don't feel anything for them regardless.
I would maybe consider starting at Book 1 and reading the series as I think I may find a new appreciation for it then because the author is a good writer with a good imagination.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.