Oh Grace Draven, you never fail to deliver. OK, upfront, the con on this book is pacing-- it's really back heavy in action, which means the front half feels far too slow. BUT-- who cares, honestly? We've got a bomb ass fantasy world. We've got compelling, nuanced characters with interesting backstories and motivations. We've got an absolutely delicious slow burn-y romance. We've gotten beautiful prose and descriptions. All around-- this was so satisfying, and I think folks who struggled with the more difficult aspects of the characters' backstory in the first book. I don't think I've ever read a Grace Draven book I didn't enjoy, and this has certainly not broken that streak.

This story takes place after the events of Phoenix Unbound, though it’s not necessary to have read that one to get enjoyment from this one. You would get a little context, perhaps, but this one gives a few of the events from the end of the previous volume away though, and so I’d recommend reading Phoenix Unbound first, unless you don’t have a problem with potential spoilers.

This is the story of Halani and Malachus. Halani is a free trader, and has some earth magic, which is outlawed by this empire’s crazy empress. Malachus is a draga, a creature that most think extinct. In this world, a draga mother bites a piece off herself and enchants it to keep her children in human form until they are mature, to prevent them being hunted down as children, when they would be easy prey. Malachus is in search of the piece from his own mother, which was stolen long ago, and is stuck in human form until he finds it… or his magic immolates him alive. You know… that old chestnut.

This one did have a fairly decent plot outside the romantic elements. The insane Empress of the Krael Empire (who people refer to simply as ‘Herself’ most of the time, which I thought was appropriate) had the draga bones that were decorating her throne room destroyed in… a thing that happened (I’m so good at the vagueness), and she would like to replace it with another draga skeleton. Also, the blood from the pre-skeletal draga decor will likely make her more powerful, so, that’s a boon. She has her people out looking for a rumored draga-bone artifact that’s turned up in some of the markets around the empire. Meanwhile that draga bone is the one that Malachus needs to… not explode.

I enjoyed this story rather a lot. Where Phoenix Unbound was a sort of adversary-to-ally-to-lover sort of story, this one doesn’t have Halani and Malachus as adversaries to start out. The romance is a fairly slow burn, with obvious attraction but a pretty good lead up to the sexy bits. ^_^ It kept me reading well into the night, and at work during any break I could take.

I liked Malacus and Halani, and I thought they were adorable together. My favorite character though was Halani’s mother Asil, who is so cheerful most of the time, that it was difficult not to be cheerful with her. She is Halani’s mother, but the roles between them seem reversed a lot of the time, as Asil has an intellectual disability due to a long ago head injury. Asil and Halani’s relationship was also super adorable and I got a touch of the feels from them just as often as I did for the actual romantic partners.

All told, this was a sweet and often touching story of a dragon-stuck-in-human-form and a magical-but-hiding-it woman. Grace Draven has yet again wowed me with this well written story that takes place in a well thought out and well built world.

Phoenix Unbound was one of my favorite books of 2018, so Dragon Unleased had a hard act to follow. It’s a really great story full of longing, deception, lore and danger. I liked so many things about it but I didn’t love it quite as much as the first book of the series. Just remember it was a really high bar.

Halani has travelled with a trading caravan for most of her life. She is a gifted healer with earth magic. Magic welding of any kind is outlawed so Halani has hid the source of her potent healing powers for her entire life and is used to living with many secrets and lies.

Malachus is also used to living with a lot of secrets and lies. He is one of the only draga in the land, currently in his human form he is forced to search for his mother-bond (a gift of bone from his mother that will help him shift from human to dragon form). Stolen long ago by tomb raiders it has passed hands many times and it has now come into the possession of Halani’s Uncle.

In a chance meeting, Malachus helps Halani’s child minded mother Asil at a vendor stall. He definitely makes an impression on her with his charm, looks and the tingle of earth magic she feels coming off him. Their next meeting is not so kind as Malachus was jumped and left for dead in a field. Halani cannot let the man who was so kind to her mother die without at least trying to save him and thus they end up spending a lot of time together while he is healing.

“You’re a woman of standing among your folk, with skills to spare and a kindness this world hasn’t beaten out of you yet. That you’re unmarried is surprising. That you don’t have a line of suitors from here to the Goban market wanting to court you is remarkable.”

The longing between the two is so think you could slice off pieces of it like butter. The romance builds slowly as each confides some things to the other. Hints are made as to what Malachus is and why the stories he knows of the Draga are so different from her own. Each is so reluctant to trust the other with their secrets.

The Queen lost her King consort and an arm in the last battle she faced against the Phoenix. She is sure if she can drink the blood of a draga she will be restored to her former glory. Her hunter has been tasked to find the mother-bond rumored to be in her land and bring it to her in order to trap the dragon and take its life to fuel her own.

As time ticks down for Halani and Malachus each will have to decide whether they can trust the other with all of their secrets, if there is a place for love between a mortal and a draga somewhere in this world and how to find a way to it.

***He burned for her, body and soul, a fire unlike the draga’s imperative to be free but no less consuming.***

Another really good book from Grace Draven. While I didn’t give it all five stars it is really a solid read and I loved how each individual got to see the world through the other’s eyes. Both Halani and Malachus see the other for who they truly are and change their world view because of it. A lovely Romantasy

I was super excited for this sequel and you know what? It did not disappoint. Grace Draven is my go-to for fantasy combined with romance and I'm so happy with this latest novel of hers as she always does such an amazing job combining all of the elements.

As always characters are number one for me when it comes to me loving a story and the two main leads were both likable and well-written. Halani is such a caring person, you can see it not only in how she takes care of her mother, but also how she immediately takes in Malachus when he's found nearly dead outside of their camp. She's caring but she's also someone you'd want in your corner fighting for you--maybe not physically, but she's not likely to let obstacles stand in her way of helping those she loves. That's not to say she's without flaws--she is perhaps just a little bit of a push-over when it comes to men of higher ranking in her group, especially her uncle. In interest of the greater good of the group but also for respect, she lets some things slide or lets herself get talked into doing things she doesn't agree with. It's very clear, however, where her heart lies and at the end of the day she's a good person which makes you want to root for her.

And Malachus. I just LOVE Malachus. I've found myself getting pretty picky when it comes to the way male characters are written in romantic stories and I'm very happy to say that Malachus was just the type of character I'm looking for these days. He's a badass sure, but he's not a jerk. He could have easily sniffed out his mother-bond much sooner and just taken it by any means necessary, but instead he takes time to heal and he repays Halani and the caravan's kindness with kindness and consideration of his own. He's also a good listener! He doesn't want to press Halani into doing things she doesn't want to do! I mean, this should be normal but the fact that I have to remark on it says a lot about the romance genre as a whole (although it is getting better, and not that this is strictly a 'romance' book as it firmly fits within fantasy). I love Malachus's determination and also his commitment to his own history. I also love that he spends a lot of time discovering a new side to himself through his relationship with Halani and other friends he makes among the traders.

Since this is a sequel much of the world-building was established in the first book, Phoenix Unbound, but there's still some new things we learn here about the world of The Fallen Empire. Halani wears many hats among her people and one of them is storyteller. Through some of these stories, some false and some true, we learn myths and legends about the great draga that once lived within the empire. And then through Malachus, who becomes a bit of a storyteller himself, we learn what the actual history is that inspired these legends. No surprise here that these legends are false as they were built up by the winners which left one side of a war nearly destroyed. Malachus isn't on a mission to set things straight but that's certainly a bonus as he becomes more and more enmeshed with Halani and the folk of the caravan. So we learn a little more about some of the older history of the empire where it pertains to the draga and some of the 'heroes' of olden times. We also learn more about the trader folk, Halani's people, whom we first encountered back in book one. We re-establish the empire's cruelty, even more so under an extremely cruel leader.

The plot here is pretty a to b but it's not the destination in this of course, it's all about the journey and the characters getting to know each other. I thought the pacing of this was great as well, fairly flew right through it.

If I have one small nitpick it's that the empress is almost comically villain, cruel for the sake of cruelty. Not that such people haven't existed in our own history, but I do think that people tend to be more nuanced and it's a shame we didn't get to see more behind the face of things here. But there are some other fantastically written villains in this--Gharek, the empress' number one henchman, is clearly a bad guy who does bad things, but he has a very real motivation and he's not without a heart-even if it's focused on one thing. And Halani's uncle Hamod who is not a completely terrible person but just lets greed get the better of his decision making process.

Overall, I couldn't have been much happier with this one and I'm definitely going to be reading whatever Grace Draven puts out next. 5/5 stars.

NOTE: Review will be live on my site 5/28/2020

I’ve read Grace Draven’s books for years now, and I’m always extremely excited about her next book, but I would be lying if I don’t mention that I have been struggling with her last two novels.

Although Dragon Unleashed had wonderful world building, enchanting characters, and everything a fantasy novel needs to be captivating, the book was slow at the beginning. Very slow. The action was missing, and the story focused instead on character development. Throughout the entire book the story drags quite a bit, because of a slower and more sedated pace, which works well for the characters, but not so much for me. I caught myself zoning out early on.

The romance between the couple was slow burn too. So I had a really hard time not getting pulled away from the novel to something more fast paced.

On the other hand I love everything DRAGON and just loved the plot that revolved around a hero that was trapped in human form.

As always the writing was beautiful, and the relationship between the couple had tender and enchanting moments, but the pace was off for me. Nothing could take away from the overall slowness of the plot.

Great followup to Phoenix Unbound, this time following the story of the traveling healer, Halani, who helped the previous story's heroine, Gilene. This book picks up right where the last one left off. There is more good world-building, and a satisfying comeuppance for one of the previous book's villains, although I guess I will have to wait for one of my least favorite characters in this book to get what's coming to them...

Malachus is a draga trapped in a human guise. He needs to find his mother-bond, so he can finally attain his beast form. Malachus’ search brings him to the Krael Empire and the free trader camp. Halani and her nomadic people offer him care and shelter after he is ambushed. Something about the gray-eyed healer calls to both beast and man. Will Malachus give up the mother-bond to protect Halani? Or will they both perish at the Empire’s hands.
Halani is a free trader woman and her caravan’s healer. She is born with the gift of earth magic, something she must keep secret from the Krael Empire. Halani warns her uncle against buying a strange yet enigmatic artifact. She and her people discover a wounded man near their camp. Halani realizes that Malachus and the artifact are connected. Will Halani aid her uncle by keeping the artifact secret from Malachus? Or will she defy him by giving Malachus the artifact?
Malachus is the perfect fit for Halani. He being a creature born of magic, and she being a woman gifted with earth magic. I adore Malachus’ gallantry. He refuses to allow anyone, especially the privileged, to mistreat women beneath their cast. I like how ruthless Malachus can be. Like the beast within, he does not believe in holding back, especially to those who deserve retribution. What I love most about Malachus is his decision to teach Halani how to read. He knows teaching her will also benefit her people.
I am happy that Halani got her happily ever after. She definitely deserved to find a man who would respect and appreciate everything that she is. I adore Halani’s natural empathy for the dragas in the stories she tells her people. She senses there is more to the tales than what is told. I like how Halani’s view on humanity almost mirror Malachus’. However, she refuses to allow their atrocities keep her from showing kindness and compassion to those who deserve it. What I love the most about Halani is her devotion towards her mentally challenged mother. She never once resented being the parental figure for her mother. Halani always put her mother’s well-being before her own.
DRAGON UNLEASHED is book two in Grace Draven’s fantasy series, FALLEN EMPIRE. The story picks up right where PHEONIX UNBOUND, the first book, leaves off. It is necessary to read the prior book to get a better understanding of the series’ world-building. I am so glad the couple from the first book makes an appearance at the story’s beginning. I also like the author’s take on dragons. She has done a wonderful job tweaking the majestic creatures enough to make them her own.
DRAGON UNLEASHED is a harmonious blend of fantasy and romance. I hope the author plans to give Siora, the Spirit Whisperer, a book. I cannot wait to see what new adventures await in this spellbinding world.

Dragon Unleashed is the second book in the "Fallen Empire" series by the epic Grace Draven. It seems like forever since we had the first book "Phoenix Unbound" and the story starts off around the time of the epilogue of the first book. We get to see the reunion again of Azarion and Gilene. So that was a delight and had me wanted to read that book again and kinda wished I had done a reread of that book because there were many connecting details that I had previously forgotten and would have preferred a retouch on before reading this one. So that is what I would recommend since these two books are connected.

Our heroine of the story is Halani who is the trade camp's healer and trader and works with earth magic. She works for her uncle and is devoted to taking care of her child like mother. In this story we see two plot lines form before our hero and heroine have the chance to meet. Our hero, is a Drago. A dragon hidden in a man's body until he finds an ancient artifact, one that could save him before his body turns on him. Its his "mothers heart" a way of dragons protecting their young from mankind finding Dragon children before they mature. But now he is hunting those who had stolen the artifact which rightfully belongs to him. This leads him to a trading camp where he meets Halani. As they travel together, both contain secrets from each other but there is a burning passion that erupts between them. But the empress is hunting them and will stop at nothing to have Malachus and the dragon inside of him.

Dragon Unleashed was such a delight to read, I am not sure if this book is better or not than the first book. I would say that I enjoyed both installments on the same level. I will mention that my lower rating is due to the fact that the first half of the book is a bit slower going. There are engaging moments but it doesn't really kick up speed till really the last third of the book. The same thing happened in the first book for me. Not sure why I am struggling with the later installments of this author, when other books from her I have had no issue in getting into the stories. Or maybe it could be just me.

I will say that I adored the characters in this book. Both Malachus and Halani are fabulous characters. Malachus may seem arrogant at times, but he also has a strong sense of honor and what is right and wrong and I truly admired how he sticks by his own principles. Halani does what she does to protect herself and her family. Even when she commits wrongdoing she admits to it and doesn't make excuses. I really admired that trait about Halani that she knows she does wrong but doesn't hide it when she is confronted by it. She owns up to her own mistakes. Both of them have some hurdles to cross that is for sure, but the adventure and journey we see them go on in finding their HEA was pure delight and quite invigorating at times. There is such a strong level of intrigue and mystery in what unravels throughout the story and true justice happens in the end....YES!! And those who have read the first book will be thrilled with the ending and what happens with the villain.

Overall I found Dragon Unleashed to be a truly awe opening installment, a world of mystery, danger, dragons and magic....a story guaranteed to delight its reader.

3.5 STARS for a beautiful love story between a healer with Earth magic and a dragon that can bring lightning to his foes.

I was SO HYPED for this book, because I absolutely devoured the previous book PHOENIX BOUND and adored it. While DRAGON UNLEASHED follows a different couple and storyline, it starts right off after the end of book 1. And let me say first: the energy is VERY different. PHOENIX BOUND is brutal and vicious, with a lot of action and violence. DRAGON UNLEASHED is about a healer, and thus has more calmer moments, traveling, and dialogue, rather than straight-out battles. I would warn readers to be aware of that before starting DRAGON UNLEASHED, and with expectations that it'll be like book 1. Different characters = different ways to outline the story. While I'm enjoying this world and lore, DRAGON UNLEASHED follows the same meandering pace that book 1 had, where the middle section dragged for quite some time without an actual progression in plot. I'm all about character interactions and development, but that seemed a bit stagnant as well. And while I love every page immersed in this world, I couldn't help but feel my attention slip in the middle. Other than that, I enjoyed the rest of the book mightily and thought it was a solid sequel. Book 1 was definitely a bit more impactful for me, but DRAGON UNLEASHED was on the quieter and calmer side, and still as lovely and wonderful.

We begin with a hunt.

Malachus is a Draga (dragon-shapeshifter) that traveled from another nation to Krael to find his mother's heritage: a bone. While following the lead of the two thieves, he ends up killing them... but left half-dead himself, and without his bone. Halani finds him and nurses him back to help, despite the threat that her uncle poses in letting a stranger into her nomadic trading camp. I loved seeing the interactions of Halani's free trader family and their loyalty towards each other (sans Halani's uncle). While Malachus is healing, Halani's greedy uncle is off to try to sell Malachus's bone to mysterious people with nefarious plans. Their paths are slowly about to meet, as an evil empress also sets out to hunt for Malachus and his bone. And while the path is a slow one, the final climax is explosive and dynamic, making it well worth the wait.

"'I don't measure my days by when I may or may not find a husband. I will be happy in other things. Life is more than just a marriage. I am more than a woman waiting to become a man's wife.'"

Halani is a healer with hidden Earth magic that is just trying to get by. She has a fiercely loyal parent who's neurodiverse (it isn't explicitly mentioned in the book, but seems like it could be similar to autism) and who she loves. I personally was really touched by their relationship, as both mother and daughter would fight to protect the other. I've read several of Draven's books that have disabled characters, and I think she writes them as wonderful additions to the story that really shine. Halani herself isn't really expecting much to her free-trader life other than helping out the community, but that changes when she saves Malachus. Instead, she finds herself intrigued by this wandering warrior and wondering if there was more to fight for, as well as more to sacrifice, as she starts a slow-burn romance with him.

"'You are a gift, Malachus,' she whispered.
'And you're a blessing, Halani of the Lightning.'"

Malachus was a really endearing character, who honestly just wanted his bone back. He's always had a negative perspective on humans, especially given his family history. But Halani's quiet resilience and compassion in helping people has him rethinking that viewpoint. He finds himself falling in love with her as she tends to his wounds, despite being a total stranger, and also becoming friends with her mother as well. I enjoyed seeing Malachus's development from a human-hating Draga to someone who was touched by another person's compassion and sought to deliver the same kindness to others. He has a tragic backstory, but starts healing in this book as he spends more time with Halani.

Both characters, and the excellent expansion of the setting, made this book a great fantasy romance read. The villainess was fiercely evil (albeit a bit one-dimensional), and several secondary characters added to the fun in the story. I really recommend this series for fans of fantasies that lean more heavily towards romances, and if you're a fan of the author's previous works. It's a quieter romance, for sure, but the slow-burn will also pull at your heartstrings as Malachus and Halani work together to find themselves and help defeat evil in a kingdom with more magic than it seems.

Full review to be published online in mid June.

Grace Draven does poetic Fantasy like no other, and DRAGON UNLEASHED is no exception. Halani is an earth witch, whose uncle is a free trader leader. Her uncle has found a treasure he wants to buy and consults Halani. Unbeknown to both of them, the treasure is a mother-bond and belongs to Malachus, a draga trapped in human form. He is on borrowed time, ready to change into his draga form. Without the mother-bond, however, the transformation from his human prison to draga will kill him. He is a great hero, one of the better ones Draven has crafted.

Wonderful book, it’s like this author can do no wrong; and I’m happy to see her picked up by one of the better Fantasy publishers. Recommend read.

Dragon Unleashed was a continuation in Grace Draven's Fallen Empire series and I was excited to see how the story continued after the exciting ending to the last book. In this story we follow Halani and Malachus as they learn about each other and search for a way to save Malachus from a deadly fate.

I really enjoyed going along with the characters in their adventure through the fallen empire. There were times where I felt strong emotions for what was happening and couldn't help but cheer on the protagonists as they faced each new challenge. I recommend this book and this author to anyone who enjoys a little bit of fantasy and magic with their romance and adventures.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review.

Dragon Unleashed is a delightful sequel to Draven's Fallen Empire series. Malachus and Halani have great chemistry and respect between each other. If Phoenix Unbound was an enemies to lovers story, then Dragon Unleashed is a mutual pining story of two souls who clearly want each other but are limited and/or literally imprisoned by their duties and purpose. It's a tender and heartbreaking love story, with Draven's signature warmth and adoration between the two love interests. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Malachus, a draga, is trapped in his human form. He has travelled across the sea hunting the thieves that stole his mother-bond - the artifact that will help him transform into a dragon. Halani is an earth witch, healer, and tradeswoman just trying to survive in a harsh kingdom where magic is punishable by death. Malachus is captivated by Hali, but his trust might be misplaced: Hali is hiding just as much from him and he is from her about his true nature.

This book was a great balance between fantasy and romance. While this is the second in the Fallen Empire series, I had not read Phoenix Unbound and I was able to follow this story well. The world building left something to be desired, but much of that may have been done in the first book. I'm very eager to go back and read the first in the series, and I can't wait to see where the next book takes us. I have a feeling we'll be seeing Soira again.

One of my favorite books growing up was Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde, and this book gave me similar vibes. A grown-up version of one of my favorite books!

Although this is the second book in the series, it could easily be read as a standalone. The beginning was slow, but once I got into it I didn’t want to put it down. Malachus is on the hunt for his mother-bone, which was stolen from him. It leads him to a foreign land where he encounters a group of free traders who travel from place to place. One of the women in the group Halani intrigues him.

Both of the main characters had secrets they were keeping from each other, but they had good reasons for it. They lived in a world where having magic was dangerous, so it made perfect sense that they wouldn’t reveal their secrets to a stranger. Halani had her people to consider as well since her secrets would have reflected poorly on them if exposed.

I loved Malachus and Halani. They were genuinely good people who did what they thought was right even if it wasn’t popular. It was their relationship that made the book wonderful. I loved every interaction. It was a slow burn romance which is my favorite kind. I hope there will be another book in the series because there is so much more that can be explored in that world.

This is a another great series by Grace and I am looking forward to more that will be coming. Keep it up.

Every new Grace Draven story is a treat. Her worldbuilding is always original, her characters intriguing. Dragon Unleashed is no exception. It is a compelling addition to the series-I liked it even more than the first.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and I had high hopes for this one. I really liked it, not as much as I loved Phoenix Unbound, but it was still a stunning book. Grace Draven's prose is beautiful and flowing. I loved the romance between the two mains as well, although I wish she could've sat with that tension for a little longer. Anytime there was a big disagreement between them and Malachus seemed to hate Halani, the resolution seemed to come too quickly. Even so, I absolutely loved the book.