RLbooks (on a break)'s Reviews > Dragon Revealed

I enjoy these 1011 Dark nights novellas to help try out different authors, esp when I'm not sure where to start in their backlists. Dragon Revealed starts a new series, but is connected to a whole lot of other happenings from prior books. I didn't feel lost though, since the focus of the book remained on what was happening in this new realm, just with small references to individuals from previous series.

Both the h and H were interesting characters, both passionate about their responsibilities. The h is very single-minded at first and the H challenges her to question the information that's been presented to her over the years, as well as if he should truly be considered her enemy. There's also a hefty dose of attraction/lust that occurs on both sides, even while the H is technically the h's prisoner still. Because she spends long periods of time questioning him and then bouncing info off of him in the dungeon, it did feel organic when they began to give in to that attraction in small doses, but the deeper feelings that are declared close to the end felt sudden, even with mates being in the equation.

Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and both were experienced (H seemed more experienced and had recently been with a woman, prior to being captured, though no explicit scenes of him with her or recollections given; both H and h have been alive for a long time, though H much longer).

When the action picked up in the book is kind of when I began to like it less. Maybe because the pacing was slower to start and then the climax felt rushed, like pieces that had been unknown suddenly had a place to go. Except we also don't get answers on some big questions. Magic also solves so much and was very conveniently timed here. The plot regarding what was actually happening in this realm started off strong and then left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. However, this is meant to be a taste of what's to come in the series so I have to assume that other books more fully develop the mortal side vs. the dragon side of the realm, as well as showing consequences for the events that occur in this story and providing more depth and answers.

The ending is HFN for the couple with no real info given on what their life is going to look like, which was disappointing. They're already in love and will be together, but I wanted more closure, even knowing that they're very likely to be side characters in other books. Kind of a mixed bag, but I did like the writing style and the ideas were intriguing, including the world building. I might try more by this author.