In the secret city of Sobek, Domin Thorne is making his way as the newly chosen semel-aten, the leader of the werepanther world. He aspires to make sweeping changes – he’s set goals for himself and the people he chose to bring with him, modeling his reign after that of his friend, Logan Church. But Domin may have set too lofty a goal: His normal leadership style isn’t working.
While juggling a homesick Crane, a moody Mikhail, a bullwhip-wielding Taj, servants with murderous intentions, a visiting ex, and a mate on a dangerous goodwill mission, Domin has to figure out his new role alone. He also must determine how to deal with a conspiracy, all the while falling hard for a man who, for the first time in Domin’s life, reciprocates that love.
Whether Domin is ready or not, Fate has stepped in to teach him a lesson: Internal threats are just as dangerous as external ones.
Review
(From previous site.)
Most of this book is Domin learning about his new role as semel-aten and making wide spread changes to the way things are run. There are some pretty intense battle/kidnapping scenes and some moving relationship building between him and Yuri.
We get to see a bit of Logan, Jin and Crane, but most of the book is Domin, showcasing his growth as a leader, a man, and a mate.
There is no way you could understand or appreciate this book without having read the first three, and even having read the first three, it is tough to keep all the “foreign” phrases and terminology straight. I highly recommend reading all four books in a row to fully appreciate this book.
Before this, Yuri and Domin had gotten together, but it was a tenuous relationship. Some of the best, most emotional parts of this book are Domin and Yuri cementing their relationship with one another. Mary writes excellent sex and there are some scorching scenes in this story.
The politics of the changes Domin works toward are fascinating, but very complex. In many ways this is a departure from Mary’s works in that Yuri and Domin are not the exact center of this book, but an integral piece. This really feels like a book that ties up loose ends and focuses on Domin and the entire were-panther world more than anything else, his relationship included.
I loved this book as a giant epilogue to the series, but wished for more of the heart-wrenching, tender relationship scenes between Yuri and Domin.
While it is not my favorite Mary Calmes book, nor even the favorite of the Change of Heart series, I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone who read the first three books.
Audio
Sean Crisden did a great job with all the “foreign” words, the dialects, the different characters… his voice for Domin’s doctor was fantastic!
I really enjoyed listening to this book in audio format. I think, sometimes, the new words were hard to understand in audio format and I found myself sometimes looking to the book to see what he was talking about, but if you only ever heard the entire series then the words would make sense to you. Since I read the first three books, I had to look some up while listening to the audio book for book four.
I give the book a 4 of 5 hearts, the narration a 5 of 5 hearts for an overall 4.5 of 5 hearts
Called before the new king, Laird Artúr was shocked to see his old lover walking through the door. His anger ignites when the king commands them to mate and fortify his borders to the north. He is heartbroken when he discovers that his new mate has no recollection of their time together. Can he forgive Dainéal and let go of the past to build a future or will his resentment end what they could have before it begins?
Laird Dainéal balks at being commanded to mate, especially to a man he knows has to be insane. Despite how much Artúr insists that they have met before, Dainéal has no memory of the man. And he would have remembered a man that was so sexy he made Dainéal’s teeth ache.
Commanded by their king to establish a stronghold to the north, Artúr and Dainéal have to fight not only their past but those that want to keep them from their future. When betrayal comes from within, the bond between them may be the only thing that saves them.
Book Two: Eastern Embrace
Blurb
By the King’s Command… Daimyo Akihiro Shimada didn’t have the hatred for humans that many of his kind did. It was a known fact that humans were weak. Every dragon knew that. When the king commands him to take a human as a mate, Akihiro is instantly smitten with Isei but fully aware that he must treat his mate with gentle care, even if his gut instincts say otherwise. Isei Hironaka is a second son. He has no chance of ever being anything more than he is until he is forced to impersonate his brother at the King’s coronation ceremony. When the new king orders him to mate with a dragon, Isei is positive his ruse will be discovered. Mating to strengthen the bond between clan and clutch is one thing. Staying mated is an all together different story, especially when those around Akihiro and Isei believe dragons and humans have no business falling in love and they will do everything within their power to keep them apart.
Book Three: Southern Heat
Blurb
By the King’s Command…
Diego de la Vega is quite pleased with the king’s command to mate the dragon leader, Xavier Rodriquez. The man’s strength and bravery in battle were legendary, as were the scars that marred his massive body. But there is a vast distance between admiration and love, and despite Diego’s efforts, he’s not sure the two of them can find a middle ground.
Xavier Rodriquez is a man used to the rigors of battle and being alone to lick his wounds. Experience has taught him that the scars littering his body would disgust even the most indiscriminant of lovers. When Diego says he sees them as symbols of valor, Xavier is skeptical, growing even more so when Diego’s gorgeous ex- lover appears, claiming to want Diego back.
Trust is not an easy thing and neither is accepting a mate with all their faults. Stubbornness and the need to protect their hearts might be more dangerous to their mating than the mysterious foe bent on stealing their territory, and maybe even their lives.
Book Four: Wicked West
Blurb
By the King’s Command…
Prince Grigory Krayev is thrilled when the king mates him to a handsome dragon prince. His excitement quickly turns to uncertainty when he learns there are two of them. How could he ever hope to please two dragons that didn’t need him when they had each other?
Prince Konstantin Victorovich is angered when the king orders him to mate a human. He already has a lover. He doesn’t need another one. When he discovers just who the king wants to mate him to, Konstantin realizes he might have to rethink his objection.
Prince Mikhail Dubolazov has loved Konstantin for years, serving the man faithfully as his manservant just to be at his side. When the king orders Konstantin to mate, Mikhail sees his life slipping away. Even when his status is elevated to that of a prince, Mikhail worries he will never have what it takes to keep them.
When forces beyond their control threaten all they hold dear, they will need more than trust to keep them together. They will need the belief that only by standing with each other do they have a chance of beating a foe that works in the shadows.
Book Five: Mate Challenge
Blurb
By the King’s Command…
When the high council orders a mate challenge in his name, King Críostóir is furious. There is only one dragon he wants as his mate. But in order to have the man he’s loved for years, he’ll need to enter his own mate challenge as one of the contestants.
Trust doesn’t come easy for Kurgan. Only one man has ever held his loyalty. When a mate challenge is ordered, Kurgan is enraged until he arrives and discovers one of the contestants is the man he has had an on-again, off-again affair with, and then he is enraged. If he beats his lover then he becomes the king’s consort. If he loses, he loses the man he loves.
When an attack comes and the mate challenge canceled, the truth King Críostóir has kept from Kurgan for over twenty years is revealed. Despite the betrayal burning in Kurgan’s eyes, King Críostóir must depend on the dragon to help him save his kingdom and hope Kurgan will listen to him if they survive
Review
This is one of those “guilty pleasure” book series.
First, know that in each book the king pairs a human with a dragon (or two) and there is initially disgust by one or both at the pairing with another species. Second, the general theme of hate, insta-love, problem/separation, reunion is the same in all 5 books. Third, there are some pretty fun “differences” between human anatomy and dragon anatomy. Fourth, everyone ends up pregnant at some point.
That being said – this is a GREAT series. I LOVED it. The writing pair of Stormy Glenn and Olivia Black is an excellent one. Stormy (I think) tempers some of Olivia’s darker tendencies and Olivia seems to add some grounding to Stormy’s more fantastical nature. Both are great at hot male on male romance and so, so creative!
In book one the world is set up – sort of Medieval with a twist – where the King is magical and is protecting his boundaries by pairing up humans and dragon-shifters so that all the beings in the area will be on the same “side”. When the King mates the couple they have 24 hours to bond then they must go to their home to present a united front to their “subjects”. In this case the couple has previously met but there was a big misunderstanding and now they must see if they can find that love again.
In book two the human is not the actual leader of his people, but a stand in for his brother. He ends up being mated to the dragon and therefore the new leader by default – even though he is quite small and timid. It’s this timidity that makes his new dragon keep him sequestered away (at the advice of the evil midwife) which ultimately leads him to believe he is not good for anything and thus gets him almost killed. (This is my favorite of the series!)
Book three has a scarred battle hero mated with a gorgeous man whom the dragon has been admiring from afar for years. The dragon believes himself to be too ugly for love and the human has to show the dragon that love is more than skin-deep.
Book four is the first (and only?) menage in the series. A pair of lovers (dragons) must bond with a human. In order for the royal dragon to have his lover of many years become his mate, he must become royalty. The King makes the dragon commoner a prince, then binds the pair of dragons with a human prince. Of course the human feels like an outsider and the struggle here is for all three to accept their new roles and to truly believe that all three are necessary for the relationship to work. (This was the weakest of the series IMHO.)
Book five (hopefully not the last) is the King himself becoming mated to save the throne from being taken over. The King disguises himself as a competitor for his own hand in marriage and pairs himself with the lover he’s had over the years but never in public. When the competition gets called off after an attack, the King reveals himself to his lover and now must face whether or not his lover can accept his true status.
**
If you are a fan of shifter/insta-love/medieval type fantasy with dragons, sword fights, male pregnancy and lots and lots of sentimentality – this is the series for you. It’s very well written, well edited and though it does follow a similar trajectory in each book, there is enough of a difference to make each book well worth the read.
I highly recommend the series and give it 4.5 of 5 hearts
Blurb
