A Lair So Loyal

I absolutely loved this installment. Perhaps it was because I have an emotional connection to Oshali due to her abandonment issues and feeling that she always had to fend for herself even when help is offered. But I absolutely adored the trope where she and the hero Tyomar seem to not be able to get along, even though we know they secretly adore each other. Ellis did a wonderful job as usual of writing in the 3rd person (my personal preference actually) but still presenting the characters in such a way that you get both of their POVs. I adore having insight into both characters’ views of the same situation without the typical chapter from her perspective and chapter from his, which I find stilted. The author is really quite talented at this. The typos notwithstanding, I very much enjoyed the story and the love scenes as usual. I read eagerly and emotionally connected to all the characters and I appreciated how the brothers were vividly drawn, creating anticipation for their installments particularly Sethorn. ;) The colder they are, the harder they fall lol. Although Oshali was a little too quick to get upset with Tyomar about something he did (but actually explained why he had to do it), I related to her being triggered by it and I found that it didn’t slow down the story even though it challenged the couple. And again their passion for each other which arose from a ton of frustration was very satisfying once it unfolded. ;) I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

The second book in this series had a lot lighter flavour than other books by this author. The couple at the centre of this are Tyomar a Dragorai and Oshali a Mheyu Guardian in training. The two have interacted for years Oshali being Tyomar’s liaison at the sanctum she’s always been veiled as per custom and the two have some history in the fact that he brought her to the Mheyu’s for sanctuary when he found her as a baby. Oshali’s twenty-fifth birthday is approaching and she has to decide what she wants to leave her home for shores unknown or commit to a life in service. Owing her caretakers a debt she undertakes a pilgrimage south to retrieve a scroll something Tyomar is not happy about so much so he decides to accompany her on the journey. This was actually a sweet love story it still had all of the heat I anticipated but it also felt warm and loving. Oshali well she can be rather stubborn and she’s convinced herself that Tyomar will leave her like everyone else in her life so far she definitely has some abandonment issues. Tyomar certainly doesn’t help his own cause by not being fully transparent and feeding her fear when a simple explanation would have sufficed and put her mind at ease. This series is incredibly imaginative with some great world-building. This furthered the story arc and I’m incredibly interested in seeing where this series goes next. Book one did have the slight edge for me but I still enjoyed this one a lot and if fantasy romance with dragons is your Jam then this is sure to be a hit. I voluntary reviewed a copy of A Lair so Loyal (The Last Dragorai #2).

This series is fascinating and I’m enjoying it so much. The world Zoey Ellis has built is enthralling. I’m a huge connoisseur of dark romance and dark omegaverse but this lighter version of omegaverse is amazing. I have adored both of the alpha dragorai we’ve gotten to know. The dragons being separate but connected entities is perfection! Oshali was given to the Mheyu to raise when she was just a baby by Tyomar. He never fully revealed the story of how he found the baby to the Mheyu, his brothers never knew he’d even found a baby. I don’t want to give anything away but it’s so perfect! Oshali is ready to go out on her own now but Tyomar has other ideas. He can’t let his little cloak go and this being a fated mates story I’m sure you can figure out where they end up. Story 4.5, Heat 2.5/5, Darkness 1/5, Angst 2/5 Medium burn, there’s a bit before they get down to business but they consummate their relationship at 50%. Omegaverse, so typical expectations of knotting and heats. Virgin h, push away from h, no OW/OM drama, small separation. No cheating, no cliffhanger and HEA. I’d consider this a safe read. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.