Made with love
© Victoria Gryson 2024
A princess by birth right.
A warrior in spirit.
A bargaining chip for my kingdom that marks me for death.
Everything I dared dream of for my life is scorched to ash when I’m forced to marry our enemy. A dragon king with an endless amount of rumors that all hold one thing in his brutality.
All of this in hopes of preventing a catastrophic war between our people, and the dragons we once held an alliance with.
They say a curse befalling the dragon shifters was the catalyst to the demise of the bonds we once held. A time when humans and dragons openly mixed to find the other half of their soul. I say the curse is just an excuse those monsters use to let the true versions of their beasts be known by all.
At the very least, I’m thankful they can no longer hide their shifting abilities. A glimpse of their dragon being ever present on their human body marked the clear divide now between friend and foe.
In no time at all in his dominating presence, it’s clear to me the rumors about my betrothed are true. He wants me and all those beneath his rule to fear him, but I refuse to tremble beneath the ire of his gaze and sharpness of his tongue. Somehow the way his heart syncs with mine each time I find myself pressed against him for safety in this new world, is what truly scares me.
A dangerous dance begins between us as we navigate our burning hatred and undeniable draw for one another, while unraveling the magic that leads both of our peoples to the edge of ruin.
In the end, will it take our damnation to be their salvation?
This book is a fantastic start to a new series!
For the last 27 years, the undine dragons and humans of Andrathya have been on the outs with each other, and it’s getting worse.
Human females are getting abducted, just disappearing left, right, and center, even from the castle itself, and that has got to stop.
And so we have our two headstrong main characters meet… when the marriage contract between a human princess and the king of the undine dragons is signed. She didn’t even know what was about to happen, let alone have a say.
Yeah… let me tell you, those two did not start on the best of terms, haha!
The world-building is interesting; we learn about the different dragon races and where they live in this fantastical world.
We even learn a bit about the gods and the games they play to keep them entertained.
I loved the dynamic between Sia and Theo. Their fire and ice personalities (that last one pretty literally actually) clash in the most entertaining ways.
Both have very strong opinions, hopes, dreams, and fears. And all the buttons get pushed by the other.
Moving from dislike, anger, and resentment to banter, getting to know each other, or, you know… even caring about the other wasn’t easy, but it was so worth the journey.
I enjoyed reading about the side characters, Tillie, Brenson, and even the little bit of Mira we’ve seen, but I had hoped to see more of them.
But then again, who knows, we may see them all (oh, and don’t forget Kaida and Katla) in one of the following books (fingers crossed).
The banter, the exchanges… it all felt lifelike, true-to-life, and well-written.
I read this book in 2 sittings (cause I unfortunately really had to work), but it was a very smooth read from start to finish.
I really enjoyed this installment and I cannot wait for the next book in the series and its fiery story!
And don’t worry! Since it is a standalone, there is no cliffhanger, this book’s main story is tied up with a bow, and all there is to do is hope we get to see more of the characters we fell in love with throughout the series.
© Victoria Gryson 2024