Drakon Jericho Drake, the child of a pure-blood dragon and human, has a simple plan: Kill the leader of the Knights of the Dragon and start a war. Except, when he meets his target, Karina Azarov, she can’t remember who she is. Worst of all––he can’t kill her. His dragon side has just claimed the dangerous woman as his mate. Karina has no idea why these Drakon’s have taken her to their home. And she most certainly does not understand why she’s so drawn to her captor. Maybe because he’s strong, intelligent, and caring, in his enigmatic sort of way. One thing she knows, he’s not going to hurt her. If only she could remember something from her past that would explain why these Drakon’s hate her so much. But if her memory returns, mated or not, he may get his war.. And one of them will die.

This was a great story that had me from the beginning. I loved both characters and loved following them as they went through their journey together. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series. I highly recommend.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

August turned out to be a great reading month for me. I didn't read a single "bad" book this month. At the beginning of the summer, I started a challenge with the goal of finishing 50 books before the end of August. I only read 29 of my 50 books but I made some great discoveries along the way. 

Some of the highlights of the month include:

Shinju- This was a welcome introduction to a culture I know very little about. I look forward to continuing this series and seeing how the main character wrestles with his obligation to honor his family and his desire to seek the truth at all costs.

The Girl in the Glass Tower- Since her debut novel, Queen's Gambit, Elizabeth Fremantle has found her way on to my list of "day of" authors. These are authors who I think are so wonderful, their books are worth buying the day they are released. Fremantle did not disappoint with her latest work. Arbella Stuart is such a tragic figure. The only knock I have on this book was the use of Ami as a vessel for storytelling. She just didn't work for me. 

Bloodlines (Wars of the Roses #3) by Conn Iggulden- This book is not shown on the above list but it needs mentioning. This series just might be the best historical fiction series I have ever read. I am withholding judgement until I read the fourth and final book in the series. 

Not-so-much-a-highlight:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child- Another book not listed above that needs mentioning. The Harry Potter book includes some of my favorite books of all time with the series being my favorite series of all time across all genres. Of course I was excited when it was announced there would be more Harry Potter after all this time! I bought this book as soon as Target opened on 7/31. I set myself up to be disappointed. It was a good thing I did. Lowering my expectations helped. I had no problems with the story. I thought the story by itself was another incredible work from J.K. Rowling. My problem was the format. Using the play format to tell a story took something away. Part of the wonder of the Harry Potter world is Rowling's ability to fully immerse the reading into the wizarding world. When you are reading a story that is just strictly dialogue, you loose some of that wonder. 

This is the third book out of four in the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series and I enjoyed it a lot – about as much as I enjoyed the second book.  This book felt a little more concentrated on a smaller set of story lines and characters, although that perception may be inaccurate.  I think in reality it had close to the same number of characters, but fewer distinct storylines because events have begun merging together more.  However, the over-all story seems to be getting progressively more intricate and interesting as it goes on and the world continues to gain more and more depth.

This book explained a lot more about some aspects of the world and its inhabitants.  By the end, I felt like I understood the big picture better. However, there are still lingering questions that will hopefully be answered in the fourth and final book.  Some interesting events also occurred near the end, and a couple of choices were made that I’m sure will lead to more trouble.  I look forward to seeing what happens in the final book, and I hope the ending will bring everything to a satisfying conclusion.

I like medieval stories well enough, but when I'd hit the halfway mark in The Blood of The Fifth Knight is was already waiting for it to end.

In this sequel to The Fifth Knight (which I hadn't read) sir Benedict Palmer is called to King Henry II once again to save the day (and his precious mistress). Who exactly is playing the game of thrones?

It started quite interesting, even though I hadn't read the first book, but after some time it started to annoy me that I didn't have any connection with any of the characters. The story starts to drag a little, or I was just losing my interest as the plot twists were far from really unexpected and everyone seemed more naive than I would have been (should I've been thrown into a medieval court that is). Probably I would have enjoyed it better had I also read the first book, or perhaps this book just wasn't for me. The writing was quite nice too, but it couldn't save the book for me.

The Blood of The Fifth Knight is the second book in the series around sir Benedict Palmer. The first book is called 'The Fifth Knight'.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Blood of the Fifth Knight continues the story started in The Fifth Knight. Sir Benedict Palmer and former nun,Theodosia are now married and have two children and live a quiet life, far away from the court of Henry II and all of it's intrigue. King Henry has his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine imprisoned for attempting to overthrow him. Rosamund Clifford is the king's mistress and after a failed assassination attempt, King Henry enlists Sir Benedict to protect her. Is Eleanor behind these attempts? Good question and it is up to Sir Benedict to make sure nothing happens to Rosamund. Sir Benedict is ordered by Henry, and is reluctant to leave his wife and children, but feels they would be safer where they are, not with him. Nothing could be further from the truth as an enemy has penetrated the Palmer household and Theodosia and her children are at risk from this new enemy.

Even though Sir Benedict does all he can to protect Rosamund, he is not successful and is accused of her death, beaten and imprisoned waiting to be hung. At the same time Theodosia is also imprisoned, along with her children for being in league with the devil. While this is not true of course, it makes for a harrowing course for Benedict and Theodosia. Can they both be acquitted of their supposed crimes? Well that is why you need to read this book, to find out what happens in this medieval thriller.

The amount of research that went into this novel is evident in the writing. She has put a voice to the characters, whether real or imagined, that makes this book a page turner. I hope that there will be another book with the continuing of a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.