Author Kerrelyn Sparks
Format e-ARC
Print Length 448 pages
Publisher St. Martins Press
Published March 27, 2018
From the brilliant imagination of Kerrelyn Sparks comes a bold new fantasy romance series in which passion and magic collide. Behold the Embraced…
Gwennore has a talent. An Elf able to track down the cause of an illness and heal it, she’s a valuable asset to her people. But when the kidnapping of a young girl thrusts Gwennore into the very heart of the realm of the dragons, she discovers not only a place of power and magic, but also a haunted land, plagued by an ancient curse that all but ensures extinction to the royal family. But when she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, they strike a bargain—save the country from its cursed illness, and he will return the kidnapped girl. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon, but never did making a deal with the devil feel so good…
Silas has no way of curing the family he’s loyally served for years. But when a beautiful elf, long considered the enemy of the dragons, comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to passion and desire in a way he’s never felt before. But can he trust a sworn enemy to save the very existence he holds dear? And can their love survive those that threaten to tear them apart?
My Opinion
Dragon shifter novels are my jam! If there is one coming out I am so there, ready to love the mean, typically hunky slightly angry dragon and hoping all the while that they can be tamed. So, as soon as this one came out I was there. Give it to me, please! Only, I didn’t realize that this was book three in a series. Normally I read a series in order, so it did throw me for a loop when I realized half way through that this one was the third book. At least then all the inside stuff that I was missing made more since to me.
Gwen is an Elf, one who was raised away from other elves on a magical island where people born like her are sent. She has created her own family with a group of girls that were also sent to the island, her “sisters”. She was playing with her niece who got kidnapped by a dragon, so she does what any loving aunt would do and hitches a ride with the same dragon to protect her niece. Once they are delivered to the royal family, she promises the brother of the king (Silas) to find out what is poisoning his people as long as her niece stays safe.
Silas is a good royal brother, he wants only for his brother to be a great king. He is happy out of the limelight and does not understand what is going on with either his brother or his wife. He will do anything to protect his people though, even it means trusting an elf. I love when he reacts to Gwen’s affection for a dragon. He is a good general for his people, and he does put their needs over his own.
Gwen has faced a lot of racism over who she is. The suitors in her sisters country are none to kind about what they really feel. So she keeps to herself and her family. Letting a dragon in was a big step, can she dare let a human in? I loved her interactions with the dragon, with humans sometimes not so much. She seemed to be more open with the dragon and less prone to insecurities.
The chemistry between these two is slow to build. Once it happens though, sparks begin to fly. The book starts of a little on the slow side, which was probably the author laying the groundwork for the world building. The dual points of view was a nice touch but after a while, I felt that the switching began to make the book seem like it was repeating itself.
I do recommend this one if you are looking for a good dragon shifter book. However, if I could have it to do over again I would probably have read the series in order.
My Rating 3 out of 5 stars
Favorite Quote “I’ve fought enough battles, seen enough of my people die, to know that success is never guaranteed.”
Other People
Eviana- Gwen’s niece
Dimitri- Silas’ besties
Aleksi- Silas’ besties
Brody- Gwen’s bestie
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