WICKED DARK DRAGON (Dragon Heat #3) by Lolita Lopez-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 3, 2015

Adopted a few weeks after birth, Ivy Morales suspects that she might not be totally human. Fully aware that one whisper of such insanity would land her in a mental institution, she keeps the outlandish thought to herself. But there’s no ignoring the increasingly vivid and stunningly powerful dreams of an ancient blood feud that plague her nightly—or the darkly erotic turn those dreams have recently taken.

Drawn to Mexico for Spring Break, Ivy unwittingly stumbles right into the path of the same evil presence from her mysterious dreams. Kidnapped and held hostage, she has only one chance to survive. She reaches out to the wickedly sexy man from her dreams and prays he’ll answer her call for help.

Welsh dragon shifter Ian Madoc struggles to understand the strange dream connection he shares with this unknown woman. In all his centuries of life, he’s never experienced anything like it—and it unsettles him. When the dreams turn to pleas for help, Mad rushes off in the middle of the night, hell-bent on saving the young woman he fears may be his mate.

But rescuing Ivy from the clutches of the Knights is only the beginning of Mad’s problems. When Ivy’s true identity is revealed, old secrets and a close friend’s betrayal put him at odds with the rest of the Brotherhood. Protecting the dragon species is no longer his top priority. He’ll do anything to keep Ivy safe, even if it means walking away from the only life he’s ever known.

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REVIEW: WICKED DARK DRAGON is the third novella in Lolita Lopez’s contemporary, adult Dragon Heat paranormal romance series focusing on the few remaining dragon shifters in the world. This is Welsh dragon shifter Madoc and university student Ivy Morales’s storyline. WICKED DARK DRAGON can be read as a stand alone but there is a bit of background information required to understand the ongoing war with the Knights (more is revealed in the current story), and the future storylines will continue upon the same path. The novella picks up immediately after events of Red Hot Dragon-book 2.

The focus of the novella finds Ivy imprisoned by the Knights. The Knights are an ancient group, humans, who have sworn to destroy and kill every last dragon. Their ongoing war with the dragons finds the current group of Knights going against the rules of combat and entering into territory they do not belong.

Ivy knows she isn’t quite ‘normal’; she has dreamt about dragons since the age of six; and she has the ability to match make and see the future. It is Ivy’s true heritage and DNA that the Knights will use against the dragons and their mates.

The relationship between Ivy and Madoc is one of immediate attraction; they are mates but the mating heat has yet to touch Ivy as she is not fully dragon. Enter Mad’s friends and fellow dragons who betray our couple sending them into a frenzy not of their own making. It is the ‘dragon mating heat’ that will draw out the Knights, and in this, the dragons have placed everyone in danger with their underhanded actions and dishonesty towards one of their own. To understand the intent does not necessitate the approval of their actions. Mad and Ivy are likeable characters; there is definite heat and intense attraction.

The secondary characters include all of the dragons previously introduced throughout the series. Griffin and Avani ( book 2) are still experiencing the call to mate; and the revelation of someone long thought dead, adds a twist to the Knights’s attempts to bring Ivy back alive.

The world building is a little more detailed and developed in book three. There isn’t always room for vast amounts of back history, elements or components in short stories, but WICKED DARK DRAGON reveals more information than the previous two storylines, in this, the reader begins to better understand the who, what and why.

Lolita Lopez continues to build upon a history between human and dragons; the ongoing war with the Knights; and the dragon’s need to mate. With only a few remaining dragons in existence, time is running out to ensure a future for their own kind. There are moments of betrayal and revenge; romance and love; and in the end, the storyline ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.

WICKED DARK DRAGON is an entertaining storyline; a paranormal romance where another dragon finds his mate; where betrayal comes at the hands of someone you know. Lolita Lopez invites you into her world of dragon shifters. Here’s looking forward to many more stories.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Dead Sexy Dragon
Red Hot Dragon
Wicked Dark Dragon

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy