This is the second book in Kiersten Fay’s Dragon Lords series, and it is as steamy and exciting as the first! The story follows Orik and Jessie and takes place primarily on Orik’s home planet, which is home to dragon shifters and witches.

Orik and Jessie’s personalities are very different, as Jessie is more outgoing and Orik is more reserved and controlled, but both characters are fearless and strong. Like Orik, Jessie is a survivor, and being raised by her military father helped prepare her for the unknown world she’s thrust into. (Though her reactions to some of the supernatural elements are fabulous!) She uses her wisdom and instincts to guide her as she learns about her surroundings. She’s also really adventurous and thrives when outdoors.

Orik, King Tristan’s head guard and brother, is a super hunky alpha male who is inexorably drawn to Jessie. Rugged, handsome, and a fierce protector, Orik isn’t used to having such strong feelings for women, and he doesn’t know how to react to the intense desire he has for Jessie. Held captive and tortured by witches as a child, Orik has much hatred for the supernatural beings. So when Jessie’s power manifests, his feelings for her become much more complicated. How can he care for someone who possesses the magic he hates?

The romance is super steamy, and Orik and Jessie have amazing chemistry. They are so attracted to each other, and there are times when it seems like they can’t keep their hands off each other. Though they try to resist, it’s a struggle. As much as I love their sexy times, other scenes are just as romantic. When Jessie, for example, is wounded, unconscious, and in bed healing, Orik decorates the room with plants, paintings, and other objects that will bring her comfort. I thought this was so romantic and showed just how much he cared for her, even though he struggles to acknowledge it.

There are several other wonderful scenes in the book that highlight the strength of family. June, Tristan, Orik, and Tristan and Orik’s mother are a united front. They support and love each other and show affection easily. They also tease and have fun with each other. They inspire loyalty and respect, and they love unconditionally. The intimate moments that this family shares are lovely and special. I love that Tristan and June, the main characters inTempting the Dragon King , have prevalent roles in this story. It’s great to see how June is acclimating to her new role as queen, as well as her new abilities. Tristan and Orik’s mother (love her!) is also present in this book, and I love learning more about her character and her role in helping Orik when he was younger. She is such a good person, and her love for her family is strong.

As in the first book, the world-building in this book continues to grow. Many creatures native to the planet are introduced, as is more of the terrain and foliage, which I found fascinating. Jessie befriends one creature in particular that, though horrifying to Orik, sounds so cute! Jessie’s connection to nature and its inhabitants is strong, and as she discovers this unique planet, the reader is immersed in a vivid and complex setting.

Many conflicts arise throughout the story, most especially the dissension on the planet, and Orik suspects some of the treachery might reside within the castle. The enigmatic witches and other potential threats add mystery and tension to the story, and when Jessie becomes bound to a specific witch, her situation becomes even more dangerous. The quest for power and the threat to Tristan’s rule is serious and puts Jessie and Orik’s life in danger more than once. Now that we know some of the characters behind the deception, it will be interesting to see how Tristan, Orik, and others deal with the knowledge.

This story can be read as a standalone, but I think it would be easier to follow if you read the first book in the series before you read this one. I think readers who enjoy paranormal fantasy with hunky dragon shifters, humans with newfound powers, nefarious villains, and great family dynamics will love this story! Thanks to NetGalley and Kiersten Fay for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Dragons & Witches Oh My!!

I really love this Sci Fi Dragon shifter series. Jessie is propelled into another planet and her life changes forever.

“Second, I want to assure you that you can trust me. I’m not some crazy wackadoodle. And if it makes you feel any better, my knife’s not even in here. Third, I think you look very handsome in that vest.”

Orik is one of the kings guards and suspicious of everyone. He absolutely hates witches.

Humor and a strong female lead along with a sexy alpha broody dragon make this a total winner.

Three and a half
I loved this authors Shadow Quest series so was very excited when I spotted another sci fi romance book by her. Now from my rating you probably think I didn't like it very much but that kind of is true and yet at the same time not. I need to explain.
This starts with Jessie finding an apparently abandoned space ship that she somehow accidentally triggers and boom away from Earth she goes. Next she's somehow on a planet of Dragon shifters and Jessie has barricaded herself in. For this reader that obviously left out how and why she ended up there and if honest it felt like the author had cheated her readers although I do get she just wanted the good stuff to start happening. Jessie truly fears for her life and shoots Orik but hey he has super fast healing so a few pages later she's admiring his strong jaw line and wondering if he finds her as attractive as she finds him ! Oh no that's just much too soon and well kind of cheesy . So for me the beginning definitely did not work. Also I was expecting more of a sci fi element but these guys could just be from Scotland or somewhere similar because as this progressed it became a paranormal romance which obviously wasn't exactly what I expected.
Enough with the negative and let's get to the positive ! Jessie is a gung ho , fun and brave protagonist. Orik can be very distant and cold but boy can be burn. Their romance is steamy so if you enjoy a couple who tease and torment each other into oblivion standby for lots of heat. This became a very interesting story about a tortured soul accepting that things are never just black or white. There's obviously a big bad but also treachery much closer to home. I did smile at Jessies thoughts and antics at times and loved the way she powered through to learn about what being on a new world could mean for her. If you enjoy action than there's a monumental scene near the end that was just mind boggling. So my final thoughts are I wasn't sold on how this began but cannot fault how it ended. I did want the aliens to feel more alien and no they don't have to be blue, have horns, scales or even worse tentacles because that's just yucky but as we get Dragons I can live with that. This certainly isn't a bad book it's just not what I expected.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This is another amazing book by Kiersten Fay!! The men are all top notch alpha males that are super sexy.. The women are all independant, kick ass in their own ways, and hiliarious... I love all the pop culture references that have our sexy aliens scowling in confusion.. This book had me laughing out loud, and rooting for Orik and Jessie to become a couple.. They clearly had some serious chemistry for each other but didn't know what to do with it especially at first..
Orik is the head of the guard, and adopted brother of King Tristen.. He hates witches with a passion, and ever since the events in the last book he as been even more watchful of his adopted family..when a human finds her way onto their planet he finds himself watching her very closely.. Not just because he finds her beautiful, sexy, and very very stubborn.. but because things are a bit weird when shes around.. like the lights flickering when shes upset..
When Jessie, who has like June stumbled upon a random alien ship on earth and found herself on a planet full of Dragons....well she takes it a bit better that June.. the random Alien animals and plants don't scare her at all.. She loves being outside and doing things like freeclimbing, and camping.. Definitely an athletic outdoors girl at heart..
She quickly realizes that something is changing within her.. even if she just hopes she is delusional.. Especially since she has heard how much Orik doesn't like the witches.. The two of them have alot to overcome with their potential relationship, and also trying to figure out who else might be behind the events in the first book.. (While i don't think you have to read the first book to love this one, you should because its amazing too!)
While I had some suspicions left over from the first book who was behind the attacks I definitely had no idea how everything was going to play out.. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and ended up flying through it in just a couple of hours..
We get a little glimpse of who the next book will be about and I am soooo excited to see whats going to happen!! Thankfully I have plenty of books from her backlist to tide me over until the next book releases..