Cover Image: Stealing the Dragon's Heart

Stealing the Dragon's Heart

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Member Reviews

This book was given to me on NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. - 2.5 stars.

The Dragon Lords series by Kiersten fay is a series I enjoy! I read the first two books and they were great! However, I am a little bit disappointed with the 3rd part.

What I enjoy most about the series are the fierce, strong females that do not need saving. In Stealing the Dragon's Heart we don't get this, and the main character Onnika is constantly putting herself in situations where she needs saving. This didn't really sit well with me, but if that is your favourite trope then this book will be perfect for you. She came across as annoying in several parts and really nagging. I am sure this was intended but again, not a trope I enjoy.

I did really love the sister bond between Onnika and Caryn. I have to say I liked Caryn more.

The second reason why I enjoy this series is... well... smut. And trust me, the first two books were great, however, in this one, there was not enough of the "action" and when it was there it felt hurried and quickly skipped. This is a shame because Kiersten can write such scenes very well.

This is a sci-fi/fantasy book and for the first time, I had an issue with this too. Look, I know this is a smut book, so I can forgive a lot when it comes to the sci-fi elements. Unfortunately for the first time, there were some mistakes regarding "how space works" that we already know and that were not incorporated in the book. Maybe the author chose not to describe the workings of the wormhole correctly, to make it fit the story, but this was really inaccurate and didn't make sense to me. It is like defying gravity in one scene of the book that takes place on Earth for the story's purposes. It was just.... strange.

The book was packed with action, there was shooting, there was a lot of running and danger. I really enjoyed these parts. I loved the concept of the Ninth Phase race and enjoyed the competition overall. Despite my low rating this was nice fun read that doesn't require much effort and is perfect to reset and relax.

I do hope to get my hands on the next book as these stories of Dragon Lords are my guilty pleasure.

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This was one heck of a story. Since the story revolves around the Phase Nine race, there is a lot of action. Then to add on the suspense of Onnika and Caryn’s captors catching up to them, Aidan tossing them off of his ship, and figuring out what Onnika and Caryn actually are. Well, let’s just say this story didn’t have any boring parts.

The pairing of Onnika and Aidan was great. Aidan is this very serious, almost jaded person. He doesn’t trust easy, and it’s clear that he’s kind of given up on life. However, when paired with the lively Onnika, he comes to life. Here’s this beautiful woman who will lie, cheat, and steal and she pushes all of his buttons. Little does he know she’s not simply just a thief, but it’s a means for her and her sister’s survival. Only, he has no clue what they are running from, why they are running from it, and why she hides her identity with a hologram device.

I also really liked the secondary characters and the developing story with Caryn (Onnika’s sister). It would appear that she gained the attention of a dragon and a stone giant. There’s also other crew members on the ship but the one that gets the most air time is Zeek. I bet he will also get his own story in the upcoming books.

All in all, this was a solid read. It had romance, suspense, mystery, and a lot of Indiana Jones moments that left me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to reading the next book, and if you’re in the market for a high suspense, romantic fantasy, then I would recommend you check this out. You do not need to have read the previous books to understand what’s going on since this story stands on its own.

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I’m a huge Kiersten Fay fan and a fan of this series. I’ve read everything, multiple times. I also re read everything just so i could go into Aiden & Onnikas book with a fresh memory of the story that lead us here.
But unfortunately this book was a miss for me.
So here’s my issue with their story. Aiden is an already liked character. He has our sympathy from the past books and he has our interests piqued enough that we want to know more about his sad past, right?
Onnika however is new. And at first we start to warm to her and sympathize with her situation. Girls in a bad way, do what they must to survive. It’s a good start to any book, right? Caryn is frail and timid and Onnika is the boss big sister. It’s a sweet and honorable scenario.
But unfortunately as the story progresses and she cons their way into Aidens life, I feel less sympathetic and more annoyed with her blasé and/or snarky attitude. Which really doesn’t change for a long time. Even when she wants to be better given their situation. I’m just confused.
Anya was sweet & naive. Sonya was rough but also had a sweetness to her. Plus we had a good amount of pages to get to know these characters. All the females up to this point had something likable about them. Even if they were rough around the edges. I don’t feel this with Onnikas character. And it turned me off as a reader.
Why would Aiden, this guarded, closed off guy, be so enthralled by this borderline conceded, jerk of girl (regardless of her sad past/situation)? Every time she’s rude to him he just takes it and internally praises something about her? I’m just don’t get it. Every time I think she’s about to let her guard down and become humble, she just says or does something calculating again.
Everything just feels rushed. They kiss. He ends it. They kiss again. He ends it again. But it’s happening way to fast too soon and it’s just making the story less endearing. Which is so surprising because every other book so far has totally enthralled me.
I wanted to love this book. But I’m just overall disappointed. I’m hoping the next book in this series is better.

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I loved the setting I am a huge sci-fy fan and just the semantics were amazing. Also it was something new and great for me, totally something to recommend. Also the mix between fantasy (dragons) and sci-fy (space travel) was greatly written and phase 9 as a concept is so interesting!

Looking forward to read more from this author!

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Aidan never intended to enter Phase Nine, a deadly race through the universe that had once cost him everything, but he’d made an impossible bargain.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Kiersten Fay is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this books.Can't wait for the next book

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I'm a fan of this series, especially since it a spinoff of one of my absolute most favorite books! This book was fun and a hoot to read, though it was difficult to deal with the self-made roadblocks. I can't wait to read the other books to come.

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Another action-packed instalment in the Dragon Lords series with some tie-ins to the Shadow Quest series; Onnika and Caryn become stowaways of sorts as they make their way onto Aidan's ship as he embarks on the challenging and risky Phase Nine race. Loved the banter among all of the crew and especially between Onnika and Aidan. Kiersten Fay creates vivid worlds, characters and a plot that kept me on the edge of my seat at times. Can't wait for her next book!

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Not only was Stealing the Dragon’s Heart a great story full of twists and turns, danger, adventure and romance, it was also a lot of fun. Something that I’ve come to expect from all the books I’ve read from this author. Also, worth mentioning is even though this is the third book in the Dragon Lords series, other than missing out on some awesome stories and world building, it could easily be read as a standalone. Although, being a known series lover, I wouldn’t recommend it. 😉

This is one of those books where I was grateful for varying points of view. While only getting one POV in a story can add to the mystery, I feel like it would have done either of these characters a disservice if we wouldn’t have been able to get inside their heads.

Onnika and Caryn’s back story was heartbreaking. The reasons for keeping their true nature a secret were totally understandable. Aidan knew they were keeping something from him and his crew. Although some of his crew/friends were quicker to give them some slack and understanding, Aidan and a few others weren’t so trusting. The trouble was, Aidan was finding it hard to fight his attraction to Onnika. Onnika was having the same problem with that attraction, but keeping her secret was more about not just protecting herself, but more importantly, protecting her sister. She would do anything to keep her safe, even sacrifice herself in the process.

This series is full of witty characters, loyal friends and a common goal that brings them together with some interesting allies. I adore that in a fantasy series and I can’t wait to continue reading whatever comes next and checking out other books in this world found in other series by Kierstan Fay.

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Although I had read the first two parts of the Dragon Lords series, this story didn’t have a lot of connections to the first two books. So, I still needed to get into the story at first. We meet Onnika and her sister Caryn who are on the run. They end up hiding at a space ship, which is about to take off to start Phase Nine, a deadly race.

Aiden is a dragon shifter, who has already participated in the Phase Nine race before. (I still don’t quite understand why he entered this gruesome race for the second time, but okay). When he finds the two stowaways, it is too late to get them off his ship, therefore he decides to put them to work. Both Aidan and his dragon can ‘t help but to feel attracted to the feisty Onnika. But she is hiding something and she is fiercely protective of her sister.

While working together to win the race, their mutual attraction grows, as well as their mutual trust. But when secrets are revealed, can they still trust each other? A great read, with suspense, fun, a lot of sparks flying and some steamy scenes.

In the middle of the story, the pace started to dwindle a little, therefore three instead of four stars this time. But I’ll keep my eye out for the next Dragon Lords story. And a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

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The book isn’t bad but felt like it dragged on . The story line was still good I love books about dragon shifters . But like I said I felt like I couldn’t get fully into it as it dragged on but that is me . Would still recommend anyone to read .

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This was the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump! The action was fast-paced and fun. The sexual tension was thick. The sex was hot! (And yes, it’s part of a series but it’s a stand-alone that doesn’t require the rest of the books to understand.)

I love an enemies-to-lovers story that actually makes sense. Most could be cleared up in a single conversation or by someone taking their head out of their ass. In this case, both Aidan (our sexy shifter dragon and captain of the ship) and Onnika (ethereal and sassy magical being) have perfectly good reasons not to trust anyone at all and especially each other. I love that their mistrust doesn’t overshadow their lust for each other. They both have a carpe diem kind of attitude about taking pleasure where they can find it — and they find it with each other in the middle of a brutal space race. There was just enough angst to make you think, "Will they? Won't they?" but not so much angst that the characters (and me as a reader) didn't have a lot of fun along the way.

This is such a fun read that I managed to finish in a few hours because I didn’t want to put it down!

All the side characters were interesting enough to make me want to know more, especially about a certain love triangle that was clearly brewing throughout the story.

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Secret identity + dragon shifter, count me in! While this isn't your typical shifter book, meaning that it does take place in a more magical "medieval" kind of world. But everything about this book I instantly fell in love with! Both characters have their own issues, and for obvious reasons need to focus on their own task on hand. This book is filled with magic and spice and would recommend for anyone who loves a good fantasy romance!

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This was the first book in the series I have read.

I found it to be thoroughly entertaining with a great mix of Romance, Fantasy and Science Fiction.

The characters were well developed and storyline kept me engaged.

A wonderful read.

I shall certainly read more in this series.

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A scifi Amazing Race with a very interesting cast of characters.

Trusting anyone beside her sister has always been Onnika’s downfall. Every time she and her sister have shared their abilities with others, they have been turned into tools to gain riches, even going to far as to being sold to slavers for profit. Onnika and Caryn have vowed never to let anyone know that Onnika can tell what decisions someone has made nor that Caryn has the ability to chose the right path.

When they escape from the men holding them enslaved, what Onnika and Caryn want most is to find their way back to their home world, Evlon, a world kept hidden and off the galactic maps. They come upon ships about to leave on the Phase Nine race, they decide to join a crew since the Commission gives each of the racers detailed maps of the galaxy. They hope to steal one of these maps and find their way home to safety.

Caryn’s feelings lead them to the Dragoon but after Onnika realize the captain of the ship is the man whose purse she just stole, for the first time Onnika begins to question her sister’s ability to lead them true.

Captain Aiden Chase wants to get the trespassers off his ship as soon as possible but since they signed up as crew, he has to at least leave the starting line with them, but he is dumping them at the first planet. At least that was his plan, but Aiden isn’t so heartless as to dump them onto some of the more dangerous or deserted planets this race takes them. And before he can find somewhere suitable, his crew has become too attached to the sisters, everyone including himself. Onnika fights his decisions at every turn, but verbally sparring with her has raised his blood like nothing has done in way too long.

Onnika is the protector of her more shy sister, Caryn, but Onnika is brave to the point of reckless. She risks herself every time to protect her sister. Even after Aiden and Onnika admit their feelings for each other and she learns that losing his wife and child nearly broke Aiden, she still rushed into danger to protect her sister. I believe that the one place the author fails in this story is that in the final challenge after solidifying her relationship with Aiden, Onnika once again runs in to protect her sister and I think the relationship would have been better served if she had risked her life for Aiden rather than once again risking her life for her sister. In once again risking herself to protect Caryn, this simply proves that Aiden will always be second to Caryn in Onnika’s life. And knowing that once again losing someone else he loves would destroy Aiden, Onnika still risks her life to protect her sister. I think the author should have shown that Aiden meant as much to Onnika as her sister that she would not hesitate to risk her life to protect him as well.

The author’s note states that this is a “bridge” story between series. This story is a race through the stars but more of the excitement comes at the check points long the way where the contestants fight for vouchers to cut hours off the required docking periods. As this was my first book, I don’t know which characters we have met before but the secondary characters were well fleshed out as well as quirky and interesting. We had good character development, as well as very interesting secondary characters. I really like Onnika, who faced Aiden’s wrath fearlessly with a mixture of flirt and snark which always knocked him off balance but also winning his admiration. These stories might be interesting to check out..

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Who doesn't love a good dragon shifter book! It was a little slow in the beginning, but once it started picking up I could not put this book down. I love how Onnika was spunky and did what was need to be done regardless of it being dangerous. I would highly recommend this book, and just to note this is book three of the series. I have not read the other two previous books, but I was able to read this book without any questions or feel like I was missing something. I plan on reading the two previous books just because of how much I enjoyed reading this book.

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Dragon’s heart – Kiersten Fay
Dragon Lords #3

I’ve previously read “Seduced by the Dragon Lord” and this follow in the same ilk.

Our main characters, Aiden and Onnika, progress from enemies to lovers to enemies (back and forth throughout the book).

Accompanied by a fantastic crew of characters the story flows effortlessly and quickly, it’s gripping and very enjoyable.

One Questions though…
Who is Lex??
The name was mentioned around chapter 32/64% ish and I still can’t figure out who that person is?
Vin is the mechanic/engineer soooo????

4 ⭐️

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This was a fun read. My first book by Kiersten Fay. I enjoyed the story and felt thoroughly transported to a new world. I enjoyed the relationship between Aiden and his crew mates and Onnika. I’m hoping there’s another story with Caryn and Asher and Lear so we find out what happens there. It was exciting and entertaining and outside of my usual read. I do recommend it.

My only negative remark is that this is listed as Erotica here on Netgalley. There are only a couple of “erotic” scenes and none of them were graphic enough for me to consider it Erotica.

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Dragon shifters are a weakness of mine. I don't care about the story blurb, give me the book if there is a dragon shifter. I didn't read this blurb either, not only because it has dragons in it, but because it is from Ms. Fay who is an auto read for me. I really enjoyed this book. This Dragon Lords series is captivating and I can't wait to see what will happen next.

When a book starts out with action and conflict, I'm pulled immediately in. Onnika and Caryn's first appearance in this book is filled with anger, hate and running for their lives. I want to know what is going on and soon, we learn their history and it is pretty dire.

I enjoy action packed books. This latest book is filled with danger, obstacle courses and the fight to survive. The race ... Phase Nine is a race like no other. There are few rules and many times contestants do not survive. Aidan's been manipulated to run this race. Under duress, he will get it done, but his heart is not into it.

The conflicts in this book are well thought out and mesh well with one another. I've been reading Ms. Fay for a while now. I'm not sure if this genre is more her writing groove or her writing ability has matured. Either way, I'm loving it. This book is filled with angst, strong characters, meaningful backstory and hope. The world building does take a little bit of a backseat as this is a series with each book revealing a bit more about this world of different mythical creatures.

What I also enjoyed about this book is along with the serious tone of it, there is brevity. Onnika is a minx of sorts. Her sense of humour and playfulness is much needed. It helps pull Aidan out of the funk he's been in for years. On top of that, her daredevil attitude is merciless. Some of the challenges in the race are literally lethal. She is a risk taker and pulls Aidan into her shenanigans. Her fast reflexes and ability to think outside the box is fantastic. I loved when she coaxed Aidan to transform into a dragon for one of the competitions. That was a memorable one.

This action packed fantasy is recommended to paranormal romance readers who also enjoy space operas and females who have zero regard for authority.

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**Copy Provided by Netgalley and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for an honest review**

This is the third book in the series, but can certainly be read as a stand alone story.

Onnika and her sister Caryn have stuck together ever since their uncle Ethanule managed to get them off their home planet when it was invaded many years ago. Onnika has always been the one to be in charge and trusts her sisters powers more than Caryn does. It doesn't mean however that their past has been easy and it always seems to have been more trouble that they get into.

Aiden was in the other books as the Navigator and he flies the ships he has been on, but now we get to see him as he goes on the Phase Nine flight for the second time as part of an agreement for help for his friends.

When Onnika first meets Aiden he is captivated until he realises that she has stolen his wallet, when she ends up on his ship he is angry, but as Prince Lear has added them to the crew manifest, their is nothing he can do with them.

Lots happens on the phase Nine trip, luck, attraction, battles, a baby who is after Onnika and her sister, poison, and of course a growing attraction that leads to more for Aiden and Onnika along with then going back to her homeward where she finally gets to meet up with her uncle.

I am really enjoying this series and I am looking forward to reading Prince Lear and Caryn's story next.

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Dragons and Faeries in space, participating in a space race, where there are challenges to perform at the waypoints. He's a dragon whose heart was broken and she's a flirty thief who has learned to manage people to survive and keep her sister safe. There are some interesting side characters in the crew of the racing ship the sisters talk their way onto.

This apparently a crossover between to of the author's series but worked fine as a standalone. I thought Stealing the Dragon's Heart was fun and sexy.

ARC via NetGalley courtesy of the publisher, this is available now.

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