Dragon born brings in two characters featured previously in the Dragon Kings Series - Henry and Melisse. Good addition to the series, although I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story at first.

"Henry was still everywhere for her. In every leaf that fluttered in the wind, in the very molecules that shimmered unseen around them. He was in the warmth of the sunlight and the ethereal glow of the moonbeams."

Melisse has power and immortality, but what she really wants is love. Though Henry possesses neither power nor immortality, his desire for her rages just as strong. But being together means waging war--within themselves, and with powerful enemies they might not be able to defeat.

This is the 8th book of a series, but the only one I have read. It can mostly be read as a standalone. There is a handy guide in the beginning with names and descriptions so you can follow what's happening, but it was still a little confusing for me to try to keep them straight.

tropes:
second-chance romance
dragon shifter
magic wielding
cross-species romance (both humanoid, though)

Steam:
one explicit scene, but on the long side.

content warnings:
miscarriage briefly mentioned
previous child death recounted on page
pregnancy

what I liked:
interesting and complex world-building.

What I didn't like:
I did not like this book.
We are dropped into the middle of a romance--a second chance romance where the conflict that makes it second chance is largely glossed over. This might not be the case for people who did read the previous books in the series (perhaps much of this took place on page in previous books), but if you're reading it standalone, it means we also miss most of them falling in love. I build no ships and do not care if they are together. The book begins with pining already happening.
Dialogue reads stilted and unnatural, in my opinion, and at times it was difficult to follow who was speaking and I'd have to reread entire passages to make sense of them.
I found myself bored through much of this book, and completed it mostly out of obligation.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a recording on repeat when I say Donna Grant writes great books. It's a testament to her talent and consistency. Dragon Born is another great venture into her creative brain. Most of the characters are from previous stories and it's great fun to see them back., especially Henry and Melisse. It was fun to see these two finally get their time. Their story.

Set on Zora, Dragon Born begins with Henry so called to Melisse and an unknown Druid that he defies all rules and attempts to stop him from using the doorway. Far better respected than even he has a clue, he's given leeway to go into the brambles that have trapped unknown number of dragons including recently a young and Melisse. When he encounters the Druid he finds an angry, bitter, 1500 year old woman with immense power. Then surprisingly, he finds himself able to do magic for the first time ever and his magic is powerful. What is going on here? Is it Zora? Is it the brambles? Is it his need to protect the woman he loves? Melisse regrets being very unpleasant to Henry when she really wanted to pursue a relationship. It still takes a bit for her to realize how much Henry is risking, mainly for her.

I loved seeing these two get over themselves and start working toward their happily ever after. It was also fascinating to watch Henry piece together what's happening and how to convince the Druid of the error of her ways. He's able to bounce ideas off
Melisse, Con, Rhi, the kings, the fae, all his friends but they can't travel into the brambles so he's very much on his own. What a brave man! And he's got every quality a good mate needs. Melisse has always been the outcast as a half king, half fae. She's on a journey of her own through this situation. Finding her abilities, that she has others who care about her, that she has Henry.

Dragon Born is a fun, imaginative, compelling book filled with great characters. We're left with room to wrap up the problems on the planet in following books and I look forward to enjoying them too.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was action-packed, fun, sweet and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I loved following the adventures of Melisse & Henry through the pages of this book. There are dragons, magic, fae, druids and realms to explore during a budding romance. The character development and realm building are captivating.

“She’s the most magnificent being alive…And the only one I crave.”

I know I've said this at the start of each review but a special thanks to the author for allowing me to read their book early

Now on to the review

I enjoyed the book, I wouldn't say love or that it had me hooked but that could be because I didn't realise this was the 8th book in a series 😅😂

But none the less I did enjoy the read and how the story was told, it didn't feel rushed but I did find at times that I had to push myself to continue but again that could just be because I didn't realise that this was the 8th book in a series

Overall I liked the story and characters that I grew to really like and I may even go find book 1 to read and start the series from the very start

This is the 8th book in a series that I haven’t read. There’s a handy guide at the beginning saying who all the characters are, or else you can be rebel like me and just skip over that part knowing that I would never remember who’s who. I suspect it would be easier to keep track of characters and make sense of the storyline if the other books had been read, but I enjoyed this by itself. There are two worlds, Earth and Zora, there are dragons and fae and people who are 1/2 dragon, 1/2 fae as well as humans. There was a lot going on, but I enjoyed it enough to add the rest of the series to my TBR. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first Donna Grant book and I can say it definitely won’t be my last. I didn’t know anything about this author or book when I started reading (I didn’t even know it was part of a series), so the beginning of the story was a little confusing given all the characters introduced. It took me a little bit to understand the dynamics but once I was about bit into the book, I was hooked. Donna Grant does a fabulous job at world building and creating a story that has action, adventure, dragons, fae, magic, tension, and romance. There were times where I felt the story could have been sped up a little or I got a little lost and then time where so much was happening that it read so fast, but overall I really enjoyed it. Now I want to go back to the beginning of the Dragon Kings series and read them all!

I was waiting for melisse and Henry's story since their characters were introduced and the wait was totally worth it. The author does know how to satisfy her readers and even giving more than they were expecting. The book totally had me from the very first page and I literally couldn't put it down. 

The book states a mesmerizing adventure filled with magical battles. The twists, the turns, the plot, the intense passion and the thrill within the story had me on constant edge. The romance among all the dangers had me in complete awe.

The chemistry between melisse and henry was totally fire. Henry a normal human who worked as MI5 agent in London learns that he is not normal after all which somehow lead to his transformation to a protect the lady he loves despite the betrayals and is bound by the ancient magic is intriguing. Melisse, the dragon queen known as the queen of violets is definitely one of the strongest fmc i have read about, her strength and determination is captivating and is even feared by her own kind. The moment they met they form an unspoken unbreakable bond but their journey does take turns but they do find their way back to each other. Their story is all about love and magic.

The DRAGON BORN is definitely an outstanding choice among its genre paranormal romance and would definitely recommend if you love to live in a world of magic and dragons and everything that goes along with it.

I have been waiting forever for Henry's story and not only was I delighted but speechless with how the plot unfolded. It truly rocked my world. This book was exciting, multifaceted and profound. The author’s imagination never ceases to amaze me and I am astounded with how she keeps coming up with such unique detailed plots.

For me it was hard to imagine Henry stepping outside his cool levelheaded personality, but he did in a way only Henry could. Author Donna Grant expanded his character while staying true to his previously well-developed one and didn’t turn him into a stranger for this reader. Finally, the reader will get clarification on what really happened between Melisse and Henry.

Melisse shares her whole story in this book and the reader will finally get some clarification on what happened to her mom, Ailis a dark Fae and her dad, Lennox, King of Dragon Kings from Ignite the Magic. Her story will break your heart.
This book contains an exciting new character that I look forward to reading more about. I do hope she falls in love with a Dragon King. Only time will tell.

I enjoyed this book and gave it 5 STARS.

I came across Donna Grant and her Dragon Kings series at a book convention. After hearing the blurb for the first book I was hooked and bought the entire series in the spot! This next book in the Dragon Kings series was just absolutely perfect! Grant's writing is just superb and she knows how to captivate her readers! Dragon Born has become my absolute favorite Dragon book of all time!

This is the eighth book in the series and while I haven’t read the previous books that doesn’t matter. This was easy to keep up with, even without reading the previous books. The characters aren't super compelling and don't draw you in, and after reading it, I don't feel a need to read the other books in the series. I may have done both myself and this book a disservice by not reading the other books, but overall it is a series that I think would be interesting for others.

This book perfectly balances the elements of a true fantasy romance. It's a delightful mix of cozy romance and thrilling adventure, topped with a generous sprinkle of spicy scenes.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series until I started reading it - I was confused at first but just kept pushing on until I realized! I finished it though and it was great. Loved the relationships and the characters and obviously anything with dragons is my favorite. I will have to go read book 1 now and can update my review after!
Will be adding to our library though!

This was my first book from this series so it took me a while to understand everything that was happening. It was a bit of a slow read since I had to piece everything together but it was okay. The characters weren't my favorite in terms of personality

This was the first book I have read from this series. It took me awhile to understand everything, but once I did I enjoyed it. It is basically about different groups coming together to help defeat one bad fae. In the process, you have two individuals who have been fighting their feelings for each other for some time. After something happens, they no longer are willing to deny their feelings. Once that dam is broken, they have no way to ever go back to how things were before nor so they want to.

Dragon Born was an okay read for me. This is not my first book from this author, but I think that when it comes to her books, I either find them amazing or okay reads. The one thing that killed the story for me was the pace of it and I was hoping that it would pick up throughout the story, but it never did. This book gives us Melisse and Henry's story which I think is a second chance romance. Melisse and Henry find themselves in a situation where their lives are at risk. A druid is determined to end Melisse whereas Henry is determined to fight for their lives, but they are not the only ones. This book ends with a cliffhanger, but since it really isn't for me, I won't read the next book in this series. This paranormal story had love, revenge, hate, suspense, steamy scenes and a bit more.

This was great - but defently would have made more sense, if I had known it was a series before requesting it.. so my bad ;)

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal romance story. When Melisse is stuck and can't get away from the Druid who has been killing dragons, Henry tries to free Melisse and talk to the Druid. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story by the phenomenal author, Donna Grant.

This is the story of Melisse and Henry and how they reunite. It is also Katla's story and her misdirected hatred. Villette is the mastermind behind the vines and their mission. All is twisted together into a fabulous story.