Why I picked up this book:

I’ve been recently hashing around an idea with a new story I’m working on, and in the spirit of this, I decided to hunt down books that had both dragons and love stories. What caught my eye about this particular book is elements similar to one I wrote two years ago. So, I decided to check it out and see if the similarities were few, or how deep they ran.

This review may contain spoilers.

Heart of the Dragon’s Realm

Princess Kimri is used to betrayal. Her brother sold her to a king in exchange for swords to defend his lands. King Tathan’s reputation is as fierce as that of his mountain kingdom where dragons are said to guard the castle walls but the realms are unstable enough without angering the mountain-king, so Kimri reluctantly agrees to the union. When she arrives in Helsmont, the king promises her a year of courtship before marrying or parting ways. Before long, Kimri thinks she may find comfort, and perhaps eventually love, with the stoic king. But the realms are more unsettled than Kimri realizes, and she soon finds herself caught in the middle of a war between the kingdoms. Can she count on her betrothed to take her side? Or will his loyalty to his kingdom come before his loyalty to her?

    

What I loved:

This was such a sweet and simple story, and after the first chapter, I wasn’t sure how much further I’d continue. But once the Dragon King came on the scene, my curiosity got the best of me. I’m really happy I finished this one as the tale grew stronger and more engaging, and by the time I hit the 60% mark I couldn’t put it down.

Tathan is wonderful! As a character he has a very shy but powerful presence at first, which only gets stronger. By the time readers learn the truth, he’s got such a fantastic complexity that you can’t help but love him.

Areas needing a touch of refinement:

Kimri’s the main character, and she’s a lot of fun to follow. But a few times it felt like I had to suspend my disbelief a little around her. The story really tried to play up a rebellion side, but I found her more mischievous than a rebel. Also, it seemed very odd that she was allowed to roam around the kingdom with no escort of any kind. She’s a pretty important person, so this is one of the areas that often rang a bell with me.

Overall:

In the end, I fell in love with this story. It’s a clean read that keeps characters rooted in tradition, and would be enjoyable for any reader who loves a sweet romance without explicit sex. Yet it still has the underbelly of a darker world lurking beneath the surface.

Want to read more reviews like this? Be sure to subscribe to my blog and be the first to know when new content is posted.