Book Review
Title: Blaze
Series: Dark King’s #11
Author: Donna Grant
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: May 30, 2017

Add to Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31451014-blaze

4 Stars

*This story is for mature audiences only. Contains explicit scenes and language intended for adults 18+

Synopsis:
His strength, his masculinity brought out something primal within her. In his arms, she felt like the Amazon warrior she'd once pretended to be as a little girl.

Anson is a fierce Dragon King, a dragon shapeshifter born and bred to protect his own. But when a rogue tech company hacks into their world, he must join forces with the unlikeliest of allies: a human female. Her name is Devon Abrams. A rising star at the firm, she has no idea that her boss is in league with the sinister Fae and their secret war against humanity. If Anson gains her trust, he can defeat the enemy from within. But first he must fight his own attraction--to this exquisitely beautiful mortal...

Devon loves her job at the firm. But sometimes she wishes she could find a man--a real man--who isn't threatened by her success. When she first meets Anson, she's overwhelmed by his powerful masculine presence and disarmingly gorgeous smile. But when he reveals his true mission--and his ability to transform into a dragon--she's irresistibly drawn into an epic battle between humans and immortals, magic and technology, danger and desire. Anson vows to protect her from the Fae. But can he control the flames of passion that blaze within his heart, in Blaze, the next sexy Dragon romance in the Dark Kings series from New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant.

My Thoughts:
This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I have to say, I have been missing out. This is the eleventh book in this series and I read through this story without any problems. It is written well enough that I didn’t feel like I couldn’t keep up or grasp what was happening. I will, however, go back and read the previous books in this series.

I love paranormal romance and have read my share of vampires, werewolves, fae, mages, druids, shape shifters, but this is the first dragon shape shifter book I have read. Did I like it? You bet I did! It had just enough romance, intrigue, mystery and suspense and kick ass characters to keep me involved. The book is over 300 pages, but I blew through it. Another great thing, the Dragon Kings are from Scotland, so they have that amazing Scottish brogue!

I enjoyed this book from start to finish and if you love paranormal romance, give this book a try. You can read it as a standalone, but if you are a stickler, then by all means start at the beginning.

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an honest review.

4.25 stars-- BLAZE is the eleventh full-length installment in Donna Grant’s contemporary, adult DARK KINGS paranormal/fantasy romance series focusing on the Dragon Kings and the women they love. This is Brown Dragon King Anson, and IT specialist Devon Abrams’ story line. BLAZE can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and backstory I recommend reading the series in order. There is a war approaching between the dragons, the fae and humankind, and the buildup has been ongoing for several installments.

SOME BACKGROUND: The DARK KINGS is a spinoff from Donna Grant’s DARK WARRIOR series which in turn is a spin off from Donna’s DARK SWORD series- all set in the Highlands of Scotland. The Dark Fae and their King Taraeth, along with the Ulrik the Silver Dragon King and his uncle Mikkel have declared war on the Dragon Kings by exposing the dragon’s existence to humankind. The last wars between man and the world of the paranormal saw a great loss of life on all sides-but Ulrik wants revenge against King Constantine of the Dragon Kings; Mikkel wants to become King of the Silvers, and the Dark Fae want the Dragon’s hidden weapon and to rule Scotland and the rest of the world. FIRESTORM overlaps with Donna’s new spin off series THE REAPERS who may be a potential ally with the Dragons Kings in their war with the Dark Fae.

Told from several third person perspectives including Devon and Anson BLAZE runs parallel to several other recent Dark Kings story lines including FIRESTORM ( #10), and picks up shortly after the events of SMOKE AND FIRE (#9). Like Kinsey Burns (Smoke and Fire) Devon Abrams works for the tech company Kyvor, and unbeknownst to our story line heroine, Kyvor has plans for Devon Abrams. Enter Brown Dragon King Anson, who has been assigned, along with Kinsey Burns and former MI5 agent Esther North, to keep an eye on our story line heroine. What ensues are Anson’s attempts to persuade Devon to search for the truth about Kyvor’s involvement in the upcoming inter-species war, and the building but forbidden relationship between Anson and the woman with whom he will fall in love.

BLAZE reveals much of the backstory and history of the war between the Dragons and the humans that led to the eradication of most of the dragons that once dominated the world. We are one step closer to learning the identity of Rhi’s Dragon King-the man that destroyed our heroine’s heart but a Dragon King who may have been duped by a rival for his love. BLAZE also brings Mikkel to for forefront of the Dragon King’s search for the truth, and Ulrik is hoping to take down two dragons in the war with the Fae.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several couples that cross-over from Grant’s Dark Warriors and Dark Swords series that begins the build-up to a final show down between the Dragon Kings and the Fae. The Reapers, once again, make a cameo appearance but their presence is limited to Rhi’s acknowledgment of Daire’s existence.

BLAZE is a captivating, revealing, and encouraging look at Dragon Kings and the women they love. The premise is intense; the characters are energetic and colorful; the romance is fated and seductive. There are some scenes of violence that may not be suited for all readers.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

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BLAZE is book eleven in the Dark Kings series. I can’t believe how many books are already out in this series. Somehow, Grant has managed to keep this series feeling fresh and interesting and I especially think she did a good job with this book.

I’ve always said Grant’s heroes are especially delicious in this series and Anson is no exception. As a fierce Dragon King, he is everything that you want in a hero. And yet, this unstoppable man requires the assistance of a human female named Devon Abrams.

Devon had no idea that her work life is steeped in the magical world of Fae. Out of the entire series so far, I think Devon might actually be one of my top favorites. To me, she was the most unique and the most independent. I loved that she is so career-oriented but still had that balance of personality to her. The blog aspect was really cool to read and I thought it added a fresh touch to the series while giving Devon’s character a lot more spunk and personality. There aren’t many heroines who think like Devon does so I found her especially refreshing to read about. I actually think the main reason why I enjoyed this book so much was because of her. So kudos to Grant for creating such a unique and fun character.

Of course, there’s plenty of worldbuilding and progress made in this book. If you’re a fan of Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series then you will probably enjoy this one as well. They have the same level of worldbuilding and frequent cameos from other characters in the series, so that being said, I would highly suggest reading this series in order.

BLAZE totally exceeded my expectations and I definitely think the Dark Kings series is one of the best Paranormal Romance series out there right now.

Intense battles and fierce romance between a protective dragon and a human computer specialist. Anson is all a dragon King should be. But when he meets Devon, those instincts that drive him go into overdrive. Fall in love with the characters, stay for the action and begin a journey.

this was an interesting read.. it wasn't my favorite of donna grant but it wasnt bad either.. the characters were interesting. it left some questions that weren't answered and parts of it were slow moving and a bit confusing.. overall though it was a good read and i enjoyed it. i am glad i got to review it

I couldn't put it down. I really like the characters and world that Donna has created. Readers will be drawn into the story from the first page. Definitely one to add to your TBR list.

Blaze is not only a Dragon Romance as stated, it’s a fascinating one by Donna Grant. The love for a lifetime romance between Anson and Devon is one for the books. I don’t usually have quotes in my reviews but this one stood out to me.
“She wanted a true man. One who wasn’t threatened by her success. One who knew how to treat a woman with respect. One who was faithful and honest. One who wasn’t afraid to give his heart.”
Doesn’t that just sum up the Dragon Kings to a T. Devon didn’t need a man, she needed a dragon! Anson is just the Dragon King for her!

However, what it isn’t is a book of answers concerning the Dragon Kings, Dark and Light Fae, Reapers and humans. If anything, it leaves the reader with more questions. Within Anson and Devon’s story is little reveals on many of the heroes and villains in this series. For that reason, I do not see this being a stand-alone novel. A new reader would be confused about Rhi, Balladyn, Con, Ulrik, and Usaeil. The ending scene between Balladyn and Ulrik only hints at all that has gone on in the previous books up to this point. I would highly recommend that the books be read in order. Each has an amazing love story in the middle of an epic battle between the forces of Dragon Kings and Dark Fae with many others becoming involved.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

I always find it so hard to review the books from Donna Grant's Dark Kings series because they are always so chock full of little details that are building slowly on to one another. Anson's and Devon's story is no different although I will say that it feels like in this story we are getting past the little blocks and into the bigger details. Those moments we have all been waiting for are finally starting to reveal themselves. Now don't get to excited, this is Donna Grant we are talking about, haha. There isn't some big huge HOLY MOTHER OF DRAGONS moment. No, you don't find out what the weapon is, no we don't find out who Rhi's Dragon is, no, we don't get an answer to what's happening between Rhi and the Reapers, and no, we don't find put why Con has been a total ass for oh....9 books now. But, there are some pretty interesting moments. Some memories are brought to the surface that give some good insight. If you are a reader who has been meticulously been keeping notes for this series (Man, I wish I was you right now) you will have plenty of things to put into your notebook and plenty of things that will have your detective mind spinning.

This is a hard thing for me to say but I have been dragging with this series. I was starting to wonder why I kept putting myself through the torture, knowing that we weren't going to get answers. It is difficult as a reader to continue reading through a series this long when you don't feel like you are getting anywhere. We have been waiting to answers to several questions since book 1 and now we are on 11, that begins to really drag a reader down. Thankfully though in Anson's and Devon's story not only do we get the romances that we have come to expect from Ms. Grant but we also get moments of hope that answers are coming. We get the boost we need to continue on down this path, knowing that there are several more books still to come.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Anson and Devon. There is something truly pure about it that has felt like it's been missing for a few books now. While I have loved the other books romances, there was a stale feeling that I don't get with Blaze. I almost feel like Donna has been down in the mire as much as we have these last several books and the story between Anson and Devon pulled her up as well. There is a renewed energy to this book and that makes me ecstatic because I love these stories. I love Donna's 'world' building, I love when you can feel the passion she has for these characters come through. I think this book more than any other has given me the hint that it's all actually (not too soon, but in the 'near' future) coming to an end and I am both thrilled and saddened by that. I am excited to have been a part of the Dragon King's journey from the beginning and I am anxious for more.

Paranormal Romance and Shifter fans this is a great series. Yep, not gonna lie...it's a long one (book 11 now) and there are times when you start to drown in all of it, but it's so worth it. If you haven't read this series, I highly suggest it, but you MUST start from the beginning. In fact if you haven't read Donna Grant before I would suggest going all the way back to the beginning of Donna's Dark world and read Dangerous Highlander. It isn't a must do, you will be absolutely fine starting at Darkest Flame, book 1 in the Dark Kings series, but if you love PNR like I do and you have the time to invest you will not be disappointed.

~ HAPPY READING ~

Love doesn't come easily to these Dragon Kings!

Devon has clawed her way to the top at Kyvor. She has sidelined any kind of personal life as she wants to ensure she makes it to the top.

When Anson she finds bumps into her, she recognises him as just the kind Alpha male she needs, one that won't buckle at the fact that she is a successful woman under her own merit. But when he reveals who he is and just what is happening behind closed doors at Kyvor, she joins the fight against the druids.

Fabulous mix of action, adventure and romance!

Dragons. I've always been fascinated by them, even better when they shapeshifted in handsome and dignified men.
Anson was a Dragon King and was on a mission to protect his race.
There, he had the help of Kinsey, who was Ryder's mate, friend of Anson, and Esther. The two humans were trained in technology and disguised. But they would need someone inside the company where the enemy was. That's where Devon Abrams comes in. She was the key.

Devon was a successful woman. But she wanted to be loved too, and it was hard to find a man who wanted her out of bed for a serious relationship. The men were intimidated by her.
So it was refreshing when she met the self-confident Anson.

But the coming of Anson in Devon's life brought two dangers: the first one was her life, since she discovered that her boss actually participated in a plan that could put the human race in extinction; And then to her heart. How could she resist her attraction to Anson?

Adventure, fantasy, mystery and romance.
4 stars

I just love this series. Not only is the story good, but the Kings are awesome. And I want one! Not sure how much I think that Anson and Devon make a good couple but I was okay with them together. Devon was a very hard worker that keeps striving to go higher up the corporate ladder for the company she loves. When she's approached by Kinsey, Esther and Anson though, she starts to question those she has devoted herself too. Anson didn't want to involve anyone else in order to bring down Kyvor, but he'll give the girls a chance. When up close and personal with Devon, he can't help the desire he feels for her and wants to protect her even more. Things go down hill pretty fast for the two of them and Devon is forced to confront a world that she doesn't believe is possible. Not much comes out of this book except we're told the information on Dreagan and the Kings has been destroyed. Unfortunately, we're not told how. We end with five bonding ceremonies and no doubt the next couple.

We didn't get a lot of Ulrik and Mikkel, but what we did get leads us to their showdown sooner rather than later. Rhi is around little bit too, and I think she's soon going to have to decide what she's going to do for her people seeing how their queen is useless. V also comes home to Dreagan, and I'm hoping he'll decide to fill the others in on what really going on once he gets their side of the war. The Warriors are determined to help the Kings in their fight against the Fey and one of my favorite parts was with Rhi's Reaper watcher Daire.

So looking forward to more.

As you all know Donna Grant is one of my favourite authors and I try to read everything she writes as soon as I get my hands on her books so I couldn't wait to read this one as soon as I got it.

This is book eleven in the Dark Kings series and just like all previous books in this series and this story overlaps the same time period that book ten does but these characters are located in London.

I very much enjoyed this book. I am so happy that even though this is book eleven then the story hasn't been getting boring. Donna Grant just knows how to write a good long series that will keep her readers reading her books and will not get bored with her series.

I highly recommend this book but if you are new to this series I do recommend you read this series from the beginning. You will not be disappointed.

I give this 5 out of 5

If you have been reading the Dragon Kings series you will not be disappointed. Blaze ties up a lot of loose ends but introduces more questions. The chemistry between Devon and her dragon king Anson is as hot as the title indicates. It was nice to see old friends come to the aid of the kings when needed. From what we have here learned in Blaze and Dark Alpha's Lover (Reaper Series) a storm is definitely brewing. I never thought I would feel sympathy for Ulrik but maybe he is redeemable, we will see. Donna Grant instills twists and turns that I never expect.

This is not my usual genre but I read it. I enjoyed the story very much. I really enjoyed the story telling of the author. The chemistry between the characters is good. This author has given the characters a fab relationship. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Donna Grant's Dark King's series is well underway and I jumped in at a way later date than any reader should. There's a lot going on as far as sides to choose, enemies to face and trick, and humans to avoid detection from.

I loved the story as for as Devon and Anson discovering their feelings for one another. I got giddy every time the chapter switched to one of their points of view. They both didn't want to just give in to their feelings but knew there was an undeniable pull there.

My other winning point was the crossover of dragons and Scots. I honestly think there is so much opportunity for that area of shifter romance. Katie MacAlister and Deborah Cooke hold that market for me but I want to give The Dark King's series a go and start from the beginning so I can place this story into the right slots in my head.

My only downside to this story is how MUCH is going on within one book. I honestly think it has a lot to do with my late arrival to the series but it made finishing this book tougher than most because I had to push myself through the side chapters of characters where I didn't understand their significance.

For long time Grant fans, this is a slam dunk with the series! Newbies, I highly recommend starting with book one so you don't miss a single second of the action.

Another great read from Donna Grant that will have you gripped from the first page.

This is the eleventh book in the Dark Kings series and a continuation from book ten

Anson is a dragon shapeshifter, known as a Dragon King,
Devon Abrams is a human working for the tech firm which hacks into Anson's world which is in league with the Fae and he needs her trust and help to battle them from within and stop them.

Can he protect Devon from the Fae, and win the battle and protect his own.

You won't want to put this down

I received an advanced readers copy from Netgalley and I voluntarily leave my own honest opinion

Nice read. Blaze is Anson's story. The start of the story is intriguing. I was intrigued on how Anson and Devon's love story bloom with all the drama and issue regarding the war among evil and the dragons. Things will get intense when Devon uncover secrets about dragons and faes. What I love about this book is that the suspense and romance are there. Love the chemistry of the characters! And the side story of some characters in the series. :)

Goes live on blog on June 02 at 11.30 am and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Hot&fun!
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The world of the Dark Kings series is full as delightful elements – dragon shape shifters, dark and light fae, druids, warriors, magic – but also built around power structures that are fun and full of intrigue each in their own right – the light and dark courts, the dragons kings, the reapers too.
Characters: Devon and Anson were very together. He’s the alpha type, all strong, dark, brooding, super-intense, protective. I liked how he slowly realized his feelings and acted accordingly. I felt Devon had a bit of a strange reaction when they went to her with the info and offer to join their cause, in a way – she made the jump from having a job she absolutely loved to turning against the company pretty fast. But she decided to do the right thing due to her compassionate and correct nature, which is always cool.
My obsession with Rhi hasn’t diminished any. If anything, I’m dying all the more to find out who her dragon king ex is, for one – is it Con or not? Arrrrrgh!!! – and I can’t wait to see who she gets her HEA with, because I can think of 3 contenders right now. I’m not sure who I’d want her to end up with. If her is Con, I kind of wish them to end up together, just so he’d get the due amount of sass. The dude is really uptight, which would make him and Rhi the ideal pair in my evil reader eyes xDDD
Plot: The romance moved at a rapid pace, but it was tense and hot each step of the way, so very satisfying. The intrigue outside of the romance is neverending – as court and power struggles usually are – and all tangents are super fun for me: the fae courts, the dragon kings vs Ulrik, Ulrik vs Mikkel, and the Reapers tangent that was introduced in this series and evolves in the Reaper series. Lots of intrigue and action, in short.
Writing: Third person, past tense narrative, his/her POV.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb – instabuy author name for my dragon PNR cravings.

I had a lot of fun reading Blaze and would recommend it to fans of dragons and alpha PNR. You can jump in at any point in the series and it will make sense, no worries. You might miss out on yummy from previous books, but just saying, don’t be intimidated by that #11 thing. Give it a try and enjoy the ride xD

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.~

The 11th book of the series. If you read books 9.5 and 10, you will be able to notice that there are some events that are parallel to this book. It is because the events were happening at same time. I was thankful that I actively read this series. If this is the first time you read this book, I recommend that you read Dragon Fever and Firestorm to understand some of the events that are mentioned within the book.

Blaze focus on some of the loose questions that we had on Firestorm. We are given other questions that made wonder "Where?" It certainly made things clear for me.

Devon, a woman that do not believe in magic and anything that resembles the unknown, is suddenly thrown into a world she is skeptical about. Doubts assailed her when she found out the people she have been working for had her under surveillance.

Anson, one of the Dragon Kings is tasked to protect Ryder's mate Kinsey and Henry's sister Ester, as they hack into Kinsey former company. He had no desire to involve himself with humans, however, Fate has other plans.

As the story progresses, we are presented with some events that could affect the future of the characters in the next book. From the Ulric's form or revenge, to Rhi's involvement with the Warriors, to Con's affair, and to the repercussion of the Fae queen's actions. We cannot really say, as a reader what each action result. All we can do is wait of the next book.

I enjoyed reading this book. Especially at the near the last two or three chapters of the book. It was such a nice ending.

However, trouble brews as the book ends. How will affect the future? I hope that what ever the two plans, our heroes can survive.

Devon Abrams has been working very hard to climb the corporate ladder. She has a most important presentation coming up that might get her promotion. It's a shame her love life isn't as good.
Dragon king Anson is not happy to be in the crowded city of London on babysitting duty. He would much rather just go in himself and get the information they need. Unfortunately because no humans are to know what's happening they must do things quietly.
Our poor heroine is about to find out there is much more to her world than she ever believed and have all her opinions challenged.
A very exciting and magical story. Our hero's temper is going to be pushed to his limit. That could be very dangerous for those on the receiving end. You can read this on it's own but, it is part of a series that is best read in order because of the background to the series. However I still enjoyed this very much and I haven't read the others YET. Our protagonists do get their full story told here. The secondary characters are very important to the story and it's them that the other books will be about. I will definitely be looking for the rest of the series.