The book started off a little slow but it quickly changed into something very interesting. I love the story line, the romance, the characters. All of it! It was very captivating and I devoured this book in a day. I can not wait for the next one!

Various characters from previous novels in the Dragon Kings series appear in The Bastard King: Merrill, Lotti, Katla, and of course, the villain, Villette. But here we meet Derek, a new dragon who doesn't seem to know anything about the dragons' history on Zora and who is a slave to Villette's commands. Then there is Kora, a type of creature we've not met before in Donna Grant's Dark Universe. She has her own personal vendetta against Villette. As Derek and Kora start to develop feelings for each other, their conflicting backgrounds seem likely to tear them apart. Finally, there is another new character: Miena, who is locked away in the palace and keeps trying to regain her freedom. When she ultimately does, all hell breaks loose, resulting in a cliffhanger ending. While this novel can be read as a stand-alone, it's better to be familiar with the background of all these characters. Can't wait to find out what happens next in The Uncrowned King, the second novel in the Bastard Duology. As always, Donna Grant never fails to deliver suspenseful, action-packed tales.

So this is a prequel thing like from the Dragon King series, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, first read that. We are here to introduce you to Kora, a stubborn lady (hellhound) who miraculously survived because her cousin, uncle, and brother made a way for her so she wouldn't die, and her purpose is to get stronger enough to kill Villette. Derek , Handsome, calm, "I'm badass," a woman swoons behind me and says, "You can share my bed," with a straight face, and no one can keep up with me, guy. So he's a dragon, a powerful one that could be considered fetal to star people, but somehow (read books if you want to find out) his memories got tampered with. He now lives in a swamp and thinks Villette, the witch with B, is helping him to save the dragons from enslavement. She jokes on him about Villette using him to enslave dragons, so when he sees Kora dead, undead herself, he is intrigued by what she is, gets a good night sleep with her, and after some talks decides to help Kora enter the Stanmore so he could tag her to get to know her better and save her or some emotional setting. That's when the actual story reveals itself. Some scars bleed again when Kora finds the reason for her family's death, Derek, who got manipulated, but let me introduce you to the insane cliffhanger. Do you know Villette, who has a sister, and that certain sugar honey ice tea is the main reason why Villette has done all those ruthless things because they were planning with each other, and she is one level higher than Villette to the point where you can give the Crown of Witch with B to her?

I absolutely adore this book, it's from third pov and some from Kora perspective some from Derek, there is no way without the characters telling you can guess what they are, everything were playing like a good music in motion and considering the 8 books of dragon king series, building an image from Villette, I never expected the oncoming, there is a lots of mixed feeling when you know sure dragons did sth but they all just trying to save themselves and how humans despite being the weakest could be worst beings, some hidden truths a bout a corrupted city Villette built and use the enslaved dragons to do heinous deeds and then pretend to care a bout people to where in Stanmore, people live the worst . It's all described so well that I can actually imagine the situation and also the vibe, and there's no way you can ignore two different people acting coy and interested in each other's vibe. I feel sometimes unfair. Why two arrogant and tedious people just won't leave other beings alone? It really makes me want to see the worst torture for them, and just death won't satisfy because Villette and her sister deserve something ugly, like their nature.

There is a part where Kora is entrusting, and when she decided to get some help, it turned out to be the most wrong choices, Derek torture, and the fact that all happens because we thought wrong is really hit, and I shall say good job, I felt everything. Kora tried to kill Villette, and hating dragons turned to wanting to save them, and the first one is in danger of not remembering her, and it's critical, but honestly, I like her stubborn attitude to never back down; it deserves applause if only she never trusted the wrongs.

I rate the book 4.5 and the adventure 4.5 too. I can't decide 5 because I need book 2 and therefore the final book on Dragon King. My expectations got really high by this rate, and I say it's worth while; no regret even with the cliffhanger. This book contains lots of information that is considered a spoiler more than the reviewer offers.

LOOOOVE THIS BOOK! IT's so intriguing and the plot and storyline keep you in it. Would highly recommend. Great character development

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review. I wanted to love this book so badly, the description hooked me but the story felt a little lacking, lots of sex and not a lot of genuine connection I felt.

Firstly, thank you DL Grant, LLC and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.The Bastard King by Donna Grant is out on 14, October, 2024.
This book follows an outcast, Kora as she is seeking revenge on the person who is responsible for killing her family and her kind. On her path for revenge she meets, Derek, a mysterious ladies man. They journey together while Kora seeks revenge and Derek has his own motives and secrets. This has dragon shifters, Druids, Hellhounds and more magical creatures.
I enjoyed this book so much, it was so fast paced and the plot was intriguing and kept me changing my idea of what the end would be. I loved the world, even if there were a few world building holes in the story, it was still an enjoyable read. The book ends of a cliffhanger and I will definitely be picking up the second book in January, 2024

I typically love the romantasy genre but found this one hard to get into.
The tension never built for me, maybe I wasn’t attached to the characters enough.
I had too many questions and found myself more confused than curious.
I think this would do well in more of the romance audience as there is quite a lot of spice which starts early in the book.

I love fantasy romance and medieval stories and happened to find this book on NetGalley!
I really enjoy the writing style for this book, Its a classic enemies to lovers trope which I adore and I think it was executed veryy well. The ruthless male love interest and the intelligent female love interest, conflicts, political rivalries, betrayals. I feel as though the characters have great chemistry and this is definitely more of a slow burn type of book.

Wow this book started off quick which I really enjoy. It has dragons and magic, I just wish there was more information of the world we are in and how the magic works. I found the characters could've had more depth. I was still on the edge of my seat at some of the surprises and that ending wow talk about cliff hanger. I will most likely read the second one to find out what happened.

2.5 stars for the first half of the book (and ending) and 3/3.5 for the second half, average of 3 stars when taken as a whole.

Most of the romance is in the first half and most of the fantasy/story is in the second. I didn't really *love* either. The romance felt very rushed -characters immediately lust for each other and almost immediately (within a day) sleep with each other. The romance continues until the second half of the book, where it becomes more alluded to while the actual story becomes the main focus. There wasn't a ton of world building, which isn't necessarily a dealbreaker for a Romantasy, but I just felt like I was left wanting more. I also felt like a ton of characters were introduced randomly (especially in the last 1/4 of the book) with little to no background and, not necessarily, in a way that helped aid the story. I'm sure that those characters become more main players in the second book, but they just felt like very random introductions in this one.

The ending was also ooooof. The last 20% of the book is where the action really starts to pick up and things start to get exciting and then it just ends. Like in the middle of the scene, curtain falls, and that's that. I don't really like this trend of authors *forcing* readers to need to get the next book to finish the story. If you write a strong enough book, people will want to continue reading the series. Unfortunately, this one wasn't engaging enough to make me want to continue the duology and I'm left with a very irritating end to this book.

All that said, the writing itself was good. It was consistent and read smoothly. Some good banter between the characters and descriptions of surroundings to conversations all read in a fluid manner

When I initially read the description of this book I was super interested, but it unfortunately fell flat for me. I think there is a lot of potential for this world and these characters but there needed to be SO much more character and world building. I feel like I never really learned anything about any character/species that were introduced, and there were a lot, many of whom were introduced and then immediately gone form the rest of the book. I also didn’t think there was any chemistry between Kora and Derek, but there was A LOT of sex which did help make their romance seem real or genuine. I enjoyed some of the book but there is a lot that can be improved.

This book had great potential. It was not reached. I’m honestly unsure why the book is titled the way it is, as there is nothing related to that. Most of the book is spent with the 2 main characters keeping secrets from each other and then being shocked that everything ends badly. Definitely a miss for me.

˖ ࣪ ⟡˚ 2.5 stars ˚⟡ ࣪ ˖
⤷ ARC review! ⋆ˎˊ˗

the premise of this book sounded really interesting to me. a fantasy book with dragons, politics, and magic that’s set in a medieval world - that’s something that i should absolutely love.

ᝰ writing ⊹.˚
the language used in this book was very clear and understandable. at times, though, and especially the dialogue, sounded immature and very cringy. overall, it wasn’t anything special, but i didn’t absolutely hate it.

ᝰ world-building ⊹.˚
this is where i have the most complaints. nothing in this book was explained. even during the first 40%, which i enjoyed, i didn’t understand anything about the world, magic, politics, or even the characters.
what is a Star Person? why are they important? why can some characters shape shift into dragons? why are they dangerous? i feel like i know absolutely nothing. there’s a very nice map at the beginning of the book, but it doesn’t really explain that much either.

ᝰ characters ⊹.˚
⭒ Kora, i don’t really know how to feel about her. we know a lot about her past, but we don’t know her personality at all. it was more focused on what happened to her family, than on her alone as a character. in general, she’s very fierce, and would do anything to get what she wants, but unfortunately, i didn’t feel connected to her.

⭒ Derek, to be honest when i first saw him he gave me the ick. we don’t really know a lot about him either, but he seems like a very cocky character. he was introduced as this guy that everyone wants to sleep with and it really made me cringe. in the end, though, he was extremely devoted to Kora and would do anything to insure her safety, even by putting himself in danger.

⤷ what was really weird was that randomly new characters would appear that weren’t even introduced properly, and i just didn’t know who they were, or why they were important to the story. i know that this is a duology, but i think it’s important to give the reader at least some information about characters before making them have a huge impact on the story.

ᝰ tropes ⊹.˚
⭒ insta-lust
⭒ forced proximity
⭒ hidden identities
⭒ dragons
⭒ medieval setting
⭒ multiple 3rd person POV’s
⤷ spice level: 🌶️🌶️/5

ᝰ final thoughts ⊹.˚
overall, i have really mixed feelings about this book. i think the plot and setting are perfect, and if the world-building made sense and the characters were more developed, this could’ve been one of my favorite reads.

ꜱᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ: e-ARC
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you NetGalley for providing this e-ARC in exchange for a review.

I feel like this book was a rollercoaster of confusion. This is my first Donna Grant book and I have not read any of her works yet.

The book was entirely confusing to me. I feel the first half of the book made some sense but there was a lack of world-building. I had so many questions because nothing made sense. Random characters with names and nonso information were introduced.

Who is a star person? What is a star person? Who can use magic? What is going on? I felt the first hundred pages made no sense and could have used better editing.

The world-building came in the second half of the book but yet again, it was not fulfilling enough to understand the world.

We know nothing of both the MC's motivation that drew them to the story. They don't reveal anything and there's no emotion view from the character's point of view. We don't know how they feel at all.

The chemistry ---- it's basically non-existent. I understand there are books with no spice but there should be some sort of chemistry that makes us want to ship these character but there wasn't any here. It felt like the couple were only together for sex and to stay inside the city without getting caught.

The grammar suddenly changed in the middle of the book with the sudden usage 'no', doona, wouldna and didna'.

There were some good aspects about this book that I enjoyed. I wish there would be another round of editing to get rid of the parts that make no sense and are not relevant to the plot. It felt basic at some points and had great potential.

If you are new to romance and the fantasy realm of magic and dragons, this is a great intro story. The plot is easy to follow & the world building singular, and easy to follow with a slow, heavy burn and modest spice.

Well I devoured this book. I love a fantasy romance that becomes instantly immersive and this book was exactly that for me. You get both Kora and Derek's points of view right away in the book and I found both their stories compelling. The burn is fast like a wildfire.

I love getting a whole new world to explore in a book series. There are hints to a much larger universe and it probably explored in Donna Grant's other books. This is my first of her books so I now have some catching up to do.

I just wish the next book was out already. Nothing gets wrapped up before it ends.

Donna Grant has done it again! I absolutely love anything by Donna and this is no different. What's not to love about dragons?! I swooned over the MMC and loved the FMC. I loved the story as a whole and the writing was fantastic as usual! I'll forever be a Donna Grant fan!

The Bastard King was an amazing read that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. This story was full of action, mystery, suspense, magic, revenge, danger, betrayal, steamy scenes and more. I enjoyed all of the characters in this story, even the evil ones but you won't know whose truly even until the very end with a cliffhanger that will have you wanting more. Kora is determined to have vengeance against those who destroyed her family, but she never expected Derek to enter her life. Derek and Kora both have secrets they keep close to their hearts, however when those secrets and the real enemies are revealed, both of their lives are on the line and knowing who to trust becomes even harder. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series because I need to know what happens next. Readers looking for a paranormal romance story that is action packed until the very end should not miss out on this story. It's one that I don't think will disappoint and is one I will be recommending to my paranormal romance book loving friends.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, NetGalley.

A trigger list was not included in the book. I will add my own. TRIGGER WARNING FOR INFANT/CHILD DEATH, VIOLENCE TOWARDS CHILDREN (ON PAGE), AND GORE.

I feel like the first half of this book could have been scrapped without changing the story at all. The Bastard King was my first Donna Grant book. I don't know anything about her universe. If I did, maybe I would have enjoyed this book more. There was no world-building in the first half of the book. I had so many questions: what is a Star Person? How many species are there in this world? Who can use magic? etc. I felt like the first half of the book was unnecessary; most of the world-building and plot happen in the second half.

I feel I don't know the main characters. What are their motivations? They keep repeating them, but the reader is never exposed to any emotional content from the characters' point of view that could lead to an emotional investment. I just did not care about any of the characters. On top of everything both Kora and Derek seem to have the extraordinary talent to make the wrong choice 100% of the time. How can characters be so idiotic?

I feel the romance between Kora and Derek was rushed. They sleep together before the reader gets an understanding of the world they live in. It's like Donna Grant wanted her main characters to have sex so badly that she gave up world-building in favor of many, many sex scenes. Even when the almost non-existent plot started to pique my interest, the scene was cut short for Kora and Derek to return to bed. This is the opposite of c0ck bl0cking.

The second half of the book was much more enjoyable.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY!!!! OMG! Dragons. Evil rulers. Donna Grant has outdone herself with this one. A woman that is searching for the one person that destroyed her family and village. A man who is keeping a secret that could destroy his new relationship. Sex.
Kora has been looking for the woman, Villette, that killed her family and left her alone. She doesn’t trust anyone but she might have to so she can find Villette. Derek is a dragon and has been Villette’s “toy” for years. He believes if he does what she says, she will help him release the dragons. But he never expected Kora. The moment they touch, nothing else matters. Will Derek lose her when she finds out the truth?
I really don’t want to give anything away. I can’t wait to see what else happens. This does have a cliffhanger.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed for Netgalley *