★★★ ½
A prequel? Colour me intrigued. To find out this "First Contact" between the Fae and Dragons . . . I'm all in. This story brings an almost fresh new look at the this amazing world of Dragon Kings. This is when dragons freely roamed the earth and didn't have to deal with pesky humans or any other sentient beings. This would be paradise, but there are still issues, even without outside forces.
This was a hard read in some ways because of the biases and the desire to keep to the old ways. I cannot fault the opposing sides in the conflict that arose in this book. I feel sad and understand in my older age that sometimes there are no good choices. Whilst this is a romance between Ailis, an incredibly inquisitive and determined fae traveler and Lennox, the king of all dragons . . . to me, this is a book about change and racial discrimination.
The heavy responsibility Lennox must take on as a king who cares about all his dragons is hard. Thankfully, he is receiving outside perspective with Ailis. The views are so different it helps Lennox to make a difficult decision that still ends up in sorrow and heartbreak. I am more invested in the conflicts between the dragons than I am about Ailis's existence and her love for Lennox. Their romance is almost a secondary plot. This is a great set up for the future and I like this back history. Just when I think we have learned everything about the dragons, Ms. Grant throws us another curve ball. I love it.
This paranormal romance is recommended to romance readers that appreciate and understand that black and white rules only end up in broken hearts.
* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
