Heat by Donna Grant

Amazon Link

I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of Heat by Donna Grant from NetGalley. Heat is the latest installment in Dark Kings series, but reading it as a stand-alone alone novel is possible. Past plot points relevant to the current storyline are summarized when necessary. I like to read books part of a larger world, and the Dark Kings are one of my favorites. Several of the subplots reach climactic levels in this story.  I dread these conflicts playing out as much as I cannot wait for them to happen, as a lot is on the line for these characters. Nikolai and Esther integrate into the Dark King world in an authentic way that held my attention.

Esther goes to Dreagen under mind-control to be an assassin when triggered. The Kings contain the threat she presents, but Esther remains troubled by her missing memories. Nikolai has carried the weight of guilt since his mentor Ulrik's banishment. Nikolai was content to spend his time sleeping as a dragon in his mountain, but the growing threats to the Kings have required him to awaken. Since Esther's arrival at Dreagan, Nikolai can think of nothing but her.

Esther and Nikolai are well paired.  Their connection to each other gives Esther hope to find her lost memories and helps Nikolai find peace with his past.  Their gravitation toward each other was believable from the beginning, and their physical encounters were very seductive. Nikolai and Esther did not deny the attraction they felt for each other. I prefer this to a couple that spends half their story convincing themselves the reasons they can't be together are insurmountable.

Heat lived up to my expectations of this series. Nikolai and Esther are my favorite Dragon King couple since Ryder and Kinsey in Smoke and Fire. I am very eager for the story to continue. All opinions are my own and may not match that of others. I encourage all readers to come to their own conclusions.