Book Review-Dane’s Mark by Lora Leigh

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

About The Book

A new kind of Breed is faced with what happens when destiny and desire collide in the latest novel in the highly charged series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh.   A decade ago Katy Chavos was a proud misfit who had her heart broken, crushed by a man who drew her close with one breath and pulled away the next. He left a mark she’s done everything in her power to erase. But when Katy’s job brings her back to the hometown she couldn’t wait to escape, seeing Dane again awakens something inside her that won’t be tamed….   Dane Vanderale isn’t like other Breeds. As a hybrid he’s stronger, more primal, and more determined to hide it. He’s also certain that Katy is not his mate—not that that stops him from wanting her with every part of his soul. He knows he hurt her deeply and he intends to make things right, but she is dead set on keeping him at arm’s length.   Despite their painful history, Katy can’t deny the intense attraction she still feels for Dane. And before long, it will be impossible for either to deny the truth that has been in front of them all along….

My Review

First Impressions

Dane’s Mark is the most recent installment in the “Breeds” series. This is my most anticipated release of the year and really lets be honest, the whole decade. I absolutely adored everything about this book. There was so much wild fun that was packed into this story. Now was it the best of the series? No and I think I enjoyed “Cross Breed” a bit more. However, there were so many positive elements to this book and it had some amazing reveals that made it well worth the wait.

Summary

Katy Chavos had to practically raise herself, she lost her mother at a young age and never knew her father and was passed around different families in the town that she grew up in. Now she is just fighting to survive so she can leave the town as soon as she can and make something of herself. But there is someone else holding her to this town….Dane Vanderale. Dane is a man that she loves deeply but when he spurns that love, she leaves the town for good. Dane had his reasons for turning away from Katy, believing her to be too young and Dane trying to do what is right for his people. But never imagined the pain he would deal to Katy or the depth of her heart for him or how it would impact him. Now its been years, and Katy has made a woman of herself. She is confident and strong and empowered and has come back to oversee a building project she is in charge of. What she doesn’t plan on is the connection between herself and Dane to be more powerful than ever. But Dane isn’t going to let Katy go this time, and will fight for her no matter what it takes.

What I Loved

Dane’s Mark was such a powerful story. From the beginning, you are swept immediately into this story with such deep impactful emotion. I was literally feeling the pain from this heroine and your heart will immediately want to fight for her. And man their beginning scene together just had me melting for them and what this would do to their relationship and that there would need to be some good groveling for him to redeem himself.

What I really enjoyed though was the fact that even though the heroine turns into a woman that isn’t my favorite type of heroine, we still see plenty of vulnerable sweet moments with her so she ended up working for me. And you can see how much of the toughness stems from her protecting her heart due to how much Dane hurt her. But we do see such strength and resilience that comes from her character. You see the friendship that she has developed with others. Now do I think who she was before made her weak? Nope …there is strength in being vulnerable with someone and having a softer personality. And we still see glimpses of that softer personality at times within in.

The plot was so fascinating though, there is a plot of danger that is after Katy. But there is also a dynamic of Dane and Katy working through their issues. The spice is on point and I really enjoyed that element of seeing them learning to trust each other and even though at times they hurt one another, it feels real in many ways. Then we have the reveals that come into this story. These reveals happen in the third act so it was really fascinating to see what Lora Leigh reveals in the story. I was so BLOWN AWAY by what is revealed. Like Lora Leigh throwing out any knowledge you may have of the Breeds and thrown it into the mixer and now you have something different and deep that you never expected would happen. Lora Leigh definitely doesn’t pull any punches with this story at all. I am not sure where the author plans on taking the series moving forward, but its going to be wild and I am ready for it!

What I Struggled With

The heroine at times was a bit too hard but it didn’t really take away from the enjoyment of the story.

Overall View

I found Dane’s Mark to be a brilliant story that captivated my heart from the beginning! Dane’s Mark is a story that will enthrall you, guaranteed to pierce you deeply with impactful emotion and the plot growth will drive you wild! GET READY FOR A CRAZY ADVENTURE THAT BECOMES A TRUE GEM OF THE SERIES!

Title: Dane’s Mark

Author: Lora Leigh

Genre: Sci Fi Paranormal

Format: Kindle Book

Source: Self Purchased

Length: 300 Pages

Book Links

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

About The Author

Lora Leigh lives in the rolling hills of Kentucky, often found absorbing the ambience of this peaceful setting. She dreams in bright, vivid images of the characters intent on taking over her writing life, and fights a constant battle to put them on the hard drive of her computer before they can disappear as fast as they appeared. Lora’s family, and her writing life co-exist, if not in harmony, in relative peace with each other. Surrounded by a menagerie of pets, friends, and a teenage son who keeps her quick wit engaged, Lora’s life is filled with joys, aided by her fans whose hearts remind her daily why she writes.