★★★ ½ @authorzoeyellis @jennw23 #ALairsoPrimal
Truth in advertising, A Lair so Primal contains some deliciously primal scenes between a ruthless dragon lord and his female. New to me author Ms. Ellis whisks me away into a faraway war torn land of dragons, magic and above all else ... violence.
The Dragoria are a proud and powerful ancient people who have been hunted to almost extinction by terrible humans. Humans who continue to war against each other and create misery for all. Specifically a Southern Queen and Northern King are wreaking havoc with zero care about all their innocent collateral damage. Humans who want to survive either have to band together in factions or they must dedicate their service to the Dragoria. Whilst I did not read the first two books in the series, it is quite easy to dive into this book. It can be read as a standalone.
In this world of Alpha, there are also something called an Omega to match them. The symbolism is clear why they are Alpha and Omega. For Elora who mysterious is alone and away from the Faction she grew up in and loves, her new life begins with the Dragoria. She ends up in one Dragon lair only to be reprimanded to another. It is this 2nd lair which becomes so interesting.
The pace of this book is slow at times and then speeds up. It works well because I like seeing the contrast provided between the two lairs and how Elora handles it all. Essentially she is a female who knows that sometimes, there are no good choices so make the best of it. I liked her constant attitude of she cannot change others so instead, she will adjust how she responds to a specific situation. I wish more people were like this. It isn't easy and Elora does an amazing job. Whilst she may find that she does not have much to offer, her hidden assets reveal why she is so important.
I enjoyed the world building and want to learn more. The Seven Goddesses are an interesting concept and I want to see what their end goal will be. There are hints of other subplots that I want to learn more about. Ms. Ellis may be new to me now, but I definitely will continue to read her. Her writing voice is strong with complex characters. I really liked Elora. Zendyor is a bit more unrefined and undeveloped, but that is okay because Elora is the focus of this story. I enjoyed their verbal volleys as much as I enjoyed their primal passion. The sex scenes in this story are detailed but not too graphic. It is clear the erotic chemistry between Elora and Zendyor is off the charts. I enjoyed reading about the rough parts.
This fantasy romance is recommended to paranormal readers who love possessive alpha males and the women who defy them.
* An ARC provided by Social Butterfly
