Daughter of the Dragon Princess

Nina Croft

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: October 7, 2013

ISBN: 978-1301417209

Pages: 240
Word Count: 59,640

Goodreads Rating: N/A
My Rating: 4.5/5

Book Description:

Found abandoned as a baby and brought up in a children’s home, Lily Palmer has no clue that she is the last of the Dragon Princesses and destined to be mated to a king. But when she wakes up one night to find her apartment invaded by a stunningly gorgeous, but totally deluded madman, she can no longer ignore the dreams which have haunted her life. Exiled on Earth, and trapped in human form, the dragons have waited two thousand years for the only person who can open the portal between their world and this one. Now they have found her and Malachite Smith has one job—to deliver Lily to his King. According to dragon law, only the King and the Dragon Princess together can open the portal and take them home. But neither Mal nor Lily are prepared for the overwhelming attraction which flares between them. Or for his reluctance to hand her over to a king he despises. Can they stand as one and challenge the old ways, even if it means destroying his people forever?

My Take on the Book:

This book was in one simple word, riveting. I loved it from page one, an almost perfect read. The title was a bit long and I found myself tripping over it but that w.e. no skin off my teeth lol. As the title suggests this book is about Lily Palmer, the last daughter of the dragon princess and how her she is thrust out of her seemingly normal life and into an age old conflict, which involves her more than she could have ever imagined. This story is literally dripping with umph. And that is literally the only word I could think of to describe it. It’s sensual and sexy and downright action packed.

The Great (Pros):

The Characters. Each character was well developed and perfectly outlined in this story. The author gave us the perfect combo of information and story progression.

Lily Palmer. What’s not to love about this girl? She’s kick butt and fallible. She tries, she fights and she’s loyal. A perfect combo for a heroine. She isn’t someone you’d expect to win a fight and she most likely won’t. She’s a damsel in distress but she’s snark your ass off.

The Dragon mythology. I loved the story behind these dragons. Their homeland, their faults, their triumphs. I loved it all and how every aspect of it intertwines into the storyline. Every action and decision leads to a consequence whether it be good or bad but the author doesn’t balk at the possibilities and just keeps on through, which makes this story not good but great.

The Scenery. It wasn’t something Ms. Croft spent too much time on. In a few perfectly strung together words she depicted the surroundings and moved on. I love it when an author can paint a picture for you without having to constantly repeat the same words.

The Tattoos. Something this simple, also happens to be one of the elements in this book that stands out most to me. It falls slightly under my con predictability because its one of the reasons I knew what would happen and the author basically said the outcome if not in so many words but regardless I love the detail put into these marks/tattoos. Keep in mind they aren’t really tattoos and more like birthmarks.

The Not So Great (Cons):

Speed. Really the one of the only things, I didn't like about this book. I found myself, frustrated with a couple of scenes because they just seem to rushed and overly constructed. I’m not sure exactly how to explain it except that I felt like some of the more important scenes were a tad less than what they should have been. When it came to the steamy scenes between Mal and Lily, Nina Croft was spot on if not dwelling too much on what had already been established but in some of the more action packed scenes, she was lacking. I’ve come to expect a bit more from a book in the action department so this was a letdown for me in my opinion; this was such a well written story and well developed story line.

Predictability. Unfortunately, this book also suffered from this problem. Maybe I’m psychic or maybe the author gave too much detail and a lot of the major twists and plot points where predictable. I found myself sagging with disappointment when certain events came to pass, I just knew and I was unable to push it to the back of my mind that they would happen.

4.5 Stars/Quills

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book; it was such a great read. Definitely for adults as it has quite a few of the more risqué scenes but a great read that will great you just as invested in the outcome as the characters are. Nina Croft definitely created a world where the characters are people you can connect with. You get the action you would expect from a group of mythological beings such as dragons and you get the romance you’ve come to expect for the adult genre. Make sure you read the excerpt below to get your first glimpse into Daughter of the Dragon Princess

Excerpt:

The hallway was dark, and she reached out her cuffed hands for guidance and encountered his hard body, her palms resting against him.

“Shit,” he muttered, then turned and backed her against the wall. She could just make out his form towering over her, as his head lowered and his lips slanted across hers. Her mind went numb, her body took over, and she didn’t resist as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. The kiss was hard and held an edge of anger barely contained. It didn’t matter. He tasted like her dreams, of heat and spice. Her tongue thrust back against his as a pulse started its incessant throb between her thighs. She stood unmoving as he deepened the kiss, pressing his long, hard body into hers so she was plastered against the length of him. Hunger ignited low in her belly, and she groaned against his lips while her hips shifted restlessly against him trying to get some relief from the craving building inside her.

One hand slid beneath her top to cup her breast, his palm rubbing over the peak, and pleasure shot from her nipple to her groin. Her head fell back, and she raised one leg, wrapping it around his hip so she could press her core against the hard length of his erection. Desire was building like a heaviness inside her, swelling…

A bolt of lightning lit up the room, briefly illuminating the savage intensity of his expression. His mouth stilled, his fingers tightened on her breast, then the light flashed again and he jerked free of her and swore viciously.

A second later, his fist slammed into the wall at her side.

Her hands came up to drag him back to her. She was clumsy in the cuffs and her senses returned—what sort of woman kissed a man who’d cuffed her? A crazy one, that’s what sort.

She pressed her wrists against him, so the metal dug into her skin and the fog of desire cleared enough for her brain to function. She shoved him hard. He didn’t budge.

“Get off me, pervert!”

His brows drew together. “Pervert?”

“You know, the sort of man who likes to tie women up?”

He didn’t answer, just took a step back, and shoved his hands in his pockets. He breathed out deeply and the tension drained from his body.

“Why?” she asked.

He didn’t pretend not to understand. “It occurred to me that we may not get another chance. And I was…curious.”

She gritted her teeth. “Curious?” Her tone was filled with outrage.

“Just leave it.” Lightning flashed again and he frowned, then took her arm. “Come on, I don’t like this.”

“Like what?”

He didn’t answer, just led her along the hallway and through a door. In the dim light, she could make out a comfortable sitting room. Everything appeared so normal and she blinked in confusion.

Mal pushed her toward an armchair. “Sit.”

“Yes, sir,” she muttered and sat. She didn’t understand him. Why would he kiss her like that, as though he cared?

He seemed about to say something but instead moved away to peer out of the window. She followed him with her eyes as he came back and stood over her again, rubbing a hand across his face.

“Lily…” he said.

She searched his expression, and he shifted under her gaze, not meeting her eyes. “What?”

“This man you are to meet tonight...”

“The one you’re handing me over to like an unwanted parcel?”

“Jesus,” he almost snarled the word. “Just don’t get him angry. Do as you’re told, and you’ll be all right.”

Was he actually afraid for her? “You’re frightening me,” she said slowly. “Mal”—for the first time she used his name—“am I going to die tonight?”

She held her breath waiting for the answer.

“No, he won’t kill you.” He paused. “But there are worse things than death.”

Icy cold washed through her. “Now, you’re really scaring me.”

Meet The Author:

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

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