Ignite

April 1, 2019
A woman who's convinced she'll never find a man is suddenly in the arms of her dream lover, a Dragon King, just as he and all his friends are preparing to go to war. All Claire wants is a man, but she keeps winding up with jerks. Of course she's noticed the gorgeous Dragon Kings, the dragon shape-shifters who live nearby. Claire knows something of the Kings and their secrets because her best friend is married to one, but she never expects to attract any of them. She's drawn to V, the enigmatic King who's mostly slept for centuries. Trying to help him acclimate, his friends arrange for V to spend time with Claire, hoping they'll connect and give him something to focus on. Claire and V's chemistry is electric, though Claire is convinced his interest will be fleeting. Meanwhile, a powerful enemy is rising against the Kings, and Claire becomes an unwitting pawn in a dangerous game. Her uncertainty regarding V's feelings makes it difficult to feel welcome in the Dragon Kings' tight community, yet as V and Claire grow closer, it becomes clear that their bond strengthens V, his magic, and everyone around them. Grant's Dark Kings series is a deeply drawn world that revolves around dragon shape-shifters but is also inhabited by a variety of other magical beings who are fighting against the control of a power-hungry few. The cast and canvas are fascinating, and the war is obviously brewing. However, the central love story has little conflict beyond V's wavering or Claire's bad romance history, and her evolution from weepy self-described lonesome loser to insecure partner to steel-spined mate may make readers wonder what he sees in her at first and where she came from in the end, despite attempts to explain it. A surprising miss in a notable series.

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