ARC Review: The Ice Dragon by Bianca D'Arc

The Ice Dragon

(Dragon Knights #3)

by Bianca D'Arc

Bianca D’Arc delivers yet another stellar story in the Dragon Knights series. But this time, it’s a little different. Instead of the Dragon Knights finding their one true love, the elite black dragon is now finding his happily ever after. You know what that means? There’s no permanent threesome. However, this fact doesn’t make the book feel lacking. In fact, I loved it even more!

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. D’Arc continues to create an elaborate world for her dragons and their caretakers. The writing has a fairy tale feel to it that I think adds to the whole ambiance  The story starts off with Lana as a slave for her enemy and an abandoned dragon egg. Lana discovers that she has the unique ability to speak to the little dragon inside the egg when she touches it. As it grows, she and the dragon can communicate without touch. When the dragon finally hatches from the egg, Lana fears that she will be used as food, but instead the dragon has forged a bond with her that is now unbreakable.

 As they escape their enemies, Lana soon finds out that her dragon must be an Ice Dragon, a rare breed amongst dragonkind. They hide but one day, the ice dragon named Lor stumbles upon a much smaller, black dragon who has been badly injured. Lor helps this black dragon and brings him to their home where Lana can heal him. But they are oblivious to the black dragon’s true identity.

This book brought forth a lot of sweet emotions. While I adored Lana and Roland, I think for me Lor was my favorite character. He was so sweet and kind and I loved the bond that he and Lana shared. It’s nice to see a different type of love be explored.

 That is not to say that Roland is outshined. I really enjoyed him as well. D’Arc weaves great characters into this intricate world and with all the politics on the side, I really believe that readers who enjoy dragons and erotica romance will find the perfect fit with the Dragon Knights series.

Though this book is book 3 in the series, it helps that you read the books in order to understand the connections between characters. It will only enhance the reading experience and make for a bigger, better thrill ride!

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: Border Lair by Bianca D'Arc

Border Lair

(Dragon Knights #2)

by Bianca D'Arc

BORDER LAIR is the second book in the Dragon Knights series. While I do believe that this book is strong as a standalone, Adora and Jared are introduced in MAIDEN FLIGHT and their romance really stems from there. This book takes on a different approach than the first book. I thought D’Arc really changed the tone of the series with this one. Things are far more bigger in this book - war is approaching and dark times are ahead.

Unfortunately for Jared, his life has been in constant darkness since his wife and child died. His grief still lingers within him and he feels unworthy of Adora’s love even though she is willing to give it freely. He deems himself undeserving and I think readers will be touched by Jared’s gentle heart. Adora gentle coxes Jared out of his shell and slowly learns his ways. As their romance continues to bloom D’Arc really cements the fact that they are meant to be together, a third member is introduced. Lord Darian comes to warn them that death and destruction come their way and though he is seen as a traitor now, Jared welcomes his old friend. Darian takes an immediate interest in Adora and sparks fly between the two. However, as Darian is a member of the royal line of black dragons, Adora is aware that she cannot have something permanent with Darian even though she desperately wants to.

D’Arc experiments with the mating rules and rituals she introduced in the first book and I liked seeing the happy ending at the end, but felt that the solution to the conflict seemed to happen too conveniently. I also felt that the romance was slightly impeded by Jared’s hesitancy and seemed to fast-track too quickly after when he made the decision to be with Adora to make up for the time lost. Nevertheless, I was enraptured by D’Arc’s world. Bringing together dragons, war and love, D’Arc is readily able to transport readers to another time, giving them an escape that they will sure to remember.

 The sex scenes, again, are very explicit but are well-done. D’Arc explores light bondage and ménage well and am always looking forward to seeing how she will bring three different people together for the purpose of love. She seems to do a stellar job each time.

*ARC provided by publisher

ARC Review: Maiden Flight by Bianca D'Arc

Maiden Flight

(Dragon Knights #1)

by Bianca D'Arc 

Bianca D’Arc takes readers into an alternate world where dragons exist. In this unique world, dragons are bounded to their knights in a way that makes them both experience what the other is feeling. When Bolera, a fair maiden goes out to hunt a stag for some food for her family, she comes across a huge dragon named Kelvan who tries to steal her latest game. As they argue over who made the kill, they decide to see Sir Gareth, the dragon’s knight to settle this matter.

Bolera and Sir Gareth experience an instant attraction to one another. Sometimes I felt that the dialogue between the characters was a tad bit cheesy, but this book does have a fairy tale feel to it. Their romance blooms, and soon Gareth wishes to make Bolera his for eternity. The mating rituals for the dragon knights are very different. Going into this book I knew there would be ménage in it, but in the first half of the book, the three major characters are Bolera, Sir Gareth and Kelvan, the dragon. For a second there, I thought she was going to have sex with the dragon! But no, fear not...there’s none of that in this book. :)

This is where Lars enters. Lars is the knight that is bounded to Kelvan’s new mate. Since dragon and their knights are connected on a visceral level, when a knight finds his mate, the dragon is now able to mate as well. So since Gareth found his new wife is Bolera, Kelvan can now find his own mate. Kelvan’s new dragon mate also has her own knight, Lars. Lars feels the erotic pull through his bound with the dragons and soon, he can’t resist the urge either.

 Essentially, if the bound goes right, Bolera, Sir Gareth and Lars will all be mated while still being connected to their newly mated dragons as well. Together, they make their own family. While complicated at first, this story was a very unique take on dragons. I don’t think I’ve read any dragon book so deliciously intricate.

There’s also a great introduction to the next book in the series, which will feature Bolera’s mother, Adora. Despite my initial hesitation about this series, I think I enjoy the world enough to read more about it!

*ARC provided by publisher