ARC Book Review-When a Dragon Falls by Kerrelyn Sparks

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

Brimming with humor, romance, and magic, the delightful new novel in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks’s Embraced by Magic series, which Kirkus Reviews calls “an adventurous fantasy romp,” is perfect for readers of G.A. Aiken and Lynsay Sands.

Princess Lenushka of Norveshka prides herself on her courage. She’s faced down the doubters who think a woman dragon shifter is worth less than a man. She will marry to secure the support of her nobles—and ensure she’ll hold the Norveshki throne. A battle-hardened soldier, she’s prepared to destroy the Brotherhood of the Sun, who threaten all Aerthlan. But she can barely look at Bran Morris, the Raven. His dark, brooding beauty is off-limits for a princess who must wed for advantage. And he has far too many secrets of his own for Lennie to trust him with hers.

Bran’s quest is for vengeance, against the Brotherhood monsters who killed his brother and abused his sisters. He can’t dream about the sharp-eyed woman warrior whose memory haunts him, not even when she appears to rescue him from an unknown dragon shifter. But when Lennie and Bran discover they’re Aerthlan’s last defense against a powerful, murderous mastermind, they can no longer afford to deceive each other—or themselves. And when a dragon’s passion is freed, anything is possible . . .

My Review

First Impressions

When A Dragon Falls is the seventh installment in the Embraced series. This is a book that features more than one couple but the primary couple that we see is Princess Lenushka and Bran. Lenushka is the daughter of Silas who is our dragon king from the previous books. So Lenushka is the heir to the throne and is the first female dragon in existence. This story is packed with plenty of world-building of this fantastical world that this author has created and we see how the plot lines work together and the justice in getting rid of an enemy who is seeking to destroy all the kingdoms that have been united. When A Dragon Falls was a bit of a forbidden romance, with some conflict between the couples and mistaken identity factors. Kerrelyn Sparks really delivers in this one and I had a action-packed time with this installment.

Summary

Princess Lenushka is a princess but has had to work hard to prove herself to her people. She is a warrior in training as she would need to be the next leader. She has never shirked in her duties and is devoted to her parents and her brother. She will marry because she knows that its expected and she always lives up to the expectations and knows its required and needed for the kingdom. Then we have Bran, who is on a journey for revenge. He is determined to protect his siblings no matter what it takes and will get rid of the Brotherhood monsters that have manipulated his family and he has had enough of that manipulation. He is drawn in the crossfire and ends up injured by a pink bellied dragon but doesn’t know that dragon is none other than the beautiful female warrior who has only built a connection with him and traveled with him on his journey to regain their loved ones. But when everything is revealed will they find a way past the secrets and past the forbidden relationship between them?

What I Loved

This book was a roller coaster ride and I couldn’t get enough of these two. Bran and Lan were so brilliant together and I really enjoyed how their relationship builds throughout the story. The romance is well balanced with the fantastical plot of redemption and revenge on this one. We actually have more than one love story here, but our primary couple that is features is Lenushka and Bran. I really enjoyed seeing the descendants of the original embraced find their way together and work together to bring down the Brotherhood and those that want to destroy their loved ones. It also had plenty of laughs which you can expect from this author. There were also some fun side characters that really intrigued me throughout the building of the story. The plot of this book was brilliantly built. I loved the thrills and intrigue that are built alongside with the fantastical world building that we see grown within this one. There is also a strong sense of family within it that gives you all the warm fuzzies. Then of course we have the romance being built between Lenushka and Bran. I adored these two together. They have such a strong attraction, but also a relatable emotional connection that builds throughout the story. Seeing our couple find their way together and past the forbidden was so satisfying. The way that these two come together and have such forgiving hearts for each other. There is a sweet steady understanding between them that even when there are secrets, they have this patience and acceptance of each other that is so gratifying. The romance was solid and steady and one you can easily stand behind on.

What I Struggled With

So the only real aspect to this story that I struggled with is the pacing. It goes kinda slow, especially in the first half, but once you get past that hurdle then the story really picks up and then you can’t put it down. So keep in mind this quality and just stick with it and it will deliver for you.

Overall View

When A Dragon Falls is a beautiful story that captures the heart and poignant emotion in the small moments. Its a story packed with adventure, fantastical world-building and love worth fighting for!

Title: When A Dragon Falls

Author: Kerrelyn Sparks

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Format: eARC

Source: Kensington

Length: 366 Pages

Book Links

Amazon| Barnes and Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club

About The Author

Kerrelyn Sparks apparently has issues with reality. After writing more than a dozen books about vampires, she has now completely gone off the deep end and wound up on another planet. But how thrilling that she can share this magical new world with her readers! Although she is best known (so far) for the Love at Stake series, which has hit as high as number 5 on the New York Times list and 22 on the USA Today list, she hopes her readers will love The Embraced as much as they did her merry band of vamps and shifters. To learn more about her paranormal, historical, and upcoming out-of-this-world fantasy romances, please visit Kerrelyn on Facebook, Twitter, or her website at www.kerrelynsparks.com.