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Dragons, Protectors, Ivy: Fave Reads – March 17

By April 23, 2017November 16th, 2018Recommended Reads

So it’s time for my favorite March reads. I read the following books during March 2017 and highly recommend them!

1 – Top March Read

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (Paranormal Romance)

I have no idea how I didn’t know about Thea Harrison already! This book was brilliant. A bit from the blurb:

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful – and passionate – of the Elder Races.
As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in each other.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Firstly, the writing is so beautiful. Yes, it’s also functional but Harrison’s descriptions of both physical and emotional are so great to read and brings the world and characters to life. The characters are also great – I loved Dragos and his beastly nature as well as his willingness to learn once he realizes he wants and needs to please Pia, the thief who dared steal from him. I love Pia’s resourcefulness and her intelligence. There were times she was scared and unsure but that didn’t detract from her being a strong female character. She intuitively knew how to deal with Dragos and his possessive ways, and it was so sweet! I also LOVED the way she dealt with the Harpy bitch, strong without being fiery. Pure satisfaction reading that. lol

The world-building was fantastic, I really enjoyed the alternate reality Harrison built. The existence of the Other-World and it’s rules and what it meant for both Pia and the story, was fascinating. The plot twisted and turned and kept me guessing. There were times I felt like it was too long, but I’m not sure if that’s just because I’ve been reading/writing novellas lately and my tolerance for full length has dwindled. But this is highly recommended – I’m looking for other Thea Harrison books to enjoy straight away!

 

2

Dark Protector by Celia Aaron (Contemporary Romance/Dark Romance)

From the moment I saw her through the window of her flower shop, something other than darkness took root inside me. Charlie shone like a beacon in a world that had long since lost any light. But she was never meant for me, a man that killed without remorse and collected bounties drenched in blood.
I thought staying away would keep her safe, would shield her from me. I was wrong. Danger followed in my wake like death at a slaughter house. I protected her from the threats that circled like black buzzards, kept her safe with kill after kill. But everything comes with a price, especially second chances for a man like me.
Killing for her was easy. It was living for her that turned out to be the hard part.

A ruthless assassin falls for a girl he sees in a flower shop and unwittingly puts her in danger just by watching her. Damn, this was a great read! A wild ride, beautiful writing, and great characters. I adored the first half of the book – the H and h coming together and getting to know each other and their strange circumstance – and that carried me through the second half. I loved Conrad and his possessive nature, his ruthlessness and intelligent logic. The writing around the action scenes with him, his feelings… just brilliant.

Charlie was great. She seemed a bit blank in the beginning but as we get to know her more, you realize she’s is a strong character with a unique past who is perfect for Conrad.  There was always the feeling of real threat and danger for the characters as well, it wasn’t superficial – these guys were really trying to kill them! And I loved every surprise. You just never knew what was going to happen next, though I would have preferred more varied ways the baddies threatened Charlie, when she was in a situation.  The sex was also both sweet and steamy, lovely combo. I loved the sexual tension at the beginning, once they actually started having sex, I kinda wished that that had lasted longer (but it was still hot).

Lastly, I had a soft spot for Nate, Conrad’s accomplice/friend. He was witty, sarcastic, fiercely loyal and a great character to have in the mix of the situation. I’m guessing he’ll have his own story next, and I’m sure it’ll be great. Overall a beautifully engaging read.

 

3

The Awakening of Ivy Leovold by Sierra Simone (Historical Romance)

When Ivy Leavold is left destitute by her brother’s death, she is taken in by her cousin’s brooding, tortured widower—Julian Markham. Handsome and possessive, it’s not long before Ivy falls for him. But Mr. Markham has dark secrets, secrets that may put Ivy in danger…
As Ivy unravels the mystery surrounding her cousin’s death, she falls deeper and deeper in love with Julian, who opens her body and her mind to his indomitable will. But even as he draws pleasure and desire from her night after night, Ivy can’t shake the feeling that their passionate affair may end in violence…

This was a short little tale that was really interesting. This is a kind of Jane Austen type set-up with Ivy falling for her dead cousin’s husband and him wanting to truly dominate her.

I really liked this one, the sexual tension was great, as well as the sex scenes (because of course, Simone is brilliant at that) and Ivy was an interesting character. I didn’t feel like Mark was an alpha type male, which was a little disappointing, but he was still a tortured hero who’s persona leapt off the page. There are four more short books in the series if you’re interested in this kind of tale.

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