Of Dragons & Desire

Forgotten Kingdoms

by G.K. DeRosa

A lost princess.
Two dragon princes fighting for her heart.
A love that will either destroy their kingdom or save them all.

Raised in a world where humans are oblivious to magic, I always thought I was ordinary. Until a breathtakingly handsome stranger pulled me into a world where creatures of unimaginable power reign, hidden from mortal eyes.
The whispers in my mind? They weren't madness. It was the voice of my inner beast. It turns out I’m not a human at all—I’m a dragon princess.

My infuriating captor claims it's my destiny to marry a prince, to become the savior of an ancient dragon race, and end a curse that's left them barren. But Draconia, the isle of dragons, is a maze of ruthless royal courts, treacherous lands, and dark secrets.

With each passing day, my heart is tossed in a tumultuous storm between two princes: the charming future king—my betrothed, and his mercurial brother, who ignites a fire that could raze the entire kingdom.

And I desperately need that inner fire because it's the key to surviving the deadly Imperia Trials. In this brutal contest, the last dragon standing will reign over our divided kingdom. Beyond love and duty, it's a battle for survival.

But how does one choose between heart and soul when both could mean certain death?

One-click above and dive into a realm where passion, duty, and power collide.


Author note:
This book contains a growly alpha dragon, a fierce princess, smoldering slow burn with forced proximity and fated mates. Content is for mature audiences and 18+ recommended.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

G.K. De Rosa has been an avid reader from a very young age. In fact, before she could even read, she tried fooling everyone into thinking that she could. At the precocious age of two, while living in Italy, she had memorized an entire children’s book in Italian and expertly turned the pages at the exact right moments of the story. As she grew up, she always enjoyed literature, no doubt having been instilled with a love of story telling from her early years in Catholic school where she was greatly influenced by exemplary teachers who taught her the value of English and Literature. Though she did not pursue writing in college and instead went for the more traditional route of International Business inspired by her love for travel and all things foreign, after a move to New York City, she found her creative writing side calling once again. She began writing a restaurant review blog, City Lights and Tasty Bites, detailing her other passion – food! The hectic hustle and bustle of the city, combined with long commuting times gave her the opportunity to spend more time reading and rekindled a lost love. After reading countless books in many diverse genres over the two years in New York City, and returning to her home state of Florida, she felt compelled to write something for herself. She had always felt particularly drawn to Young Adult novels and having been an eternal romantic at heart, a fantasy romance was a natural choice. She currently lives in South Florida with her real life Prince Charming and their fur baby, Nico the German Shepherd.

Reviews

[Dovahqueen Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐ rounded to 4.

I'm absolutely loving this series and how each book is written by a different author. Really enjoyed this one about dragon shifters! Had a little heartbreak, romance and a good dash of steamy. 🖤

[R Rais · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb was enticing. I was excited to see the dragons. Was wondering how the dragons segs scene gonna be.

But...
It all goes super slow for me.

The idea of another realm beside our world where supernatural beings lives. Princess and Prince of every supernatural being you can imagine along with their abilities are intriguing.

But...
The plot surrounding Saphira return, her lost memories, two Prince captured her attention equally, royal politics and lastly... The Olympians kinda tournament dragon style... These combined felt too much, it takes away the vocal point of the plot, I don't know anymore what was the plot at the end.

Finding a long lost mate?
This part is super slow burn, while supposedly mate bond are hard to denied. And for Saphie to take so long to decide between Ryland and Ryker? Seems like the readers know it who is the one faaaar from when Saphie finally decide.

Saphie finding her memories back so she'll know her role in this realm?
When it finally struck her, it was, sorry to say, bleh moment. Cause, that's it??!! And to repeat moment in the next chapter? Nope!

The prophecy?
Too slow on memories finding. Too slow on the chemistry to finally fulfilling the prophecy. I didn't even get any spark of passion supposedly from a mate bond.

Overall, overtly slow pace with slower burn on the chemistry. At the point the segsi scenes comes, I just read the words and didn't feel anything. At the end, I'm not sure what's the plot line.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[chlogirlll · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️’s

The idea of this story was intriguing; however, it was poorly executed. The writing was not detailed enough, and so many questions went unanswered, or weren’t described well enough to provide me with the clarity I needed.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This dragged on and on. I enjoyed the beginning, but once the two brothers started fighting for her, it felt like everything was go sudden stop, paused for romantic thoughts...go, sudden stop, pause for... I was so annoyed.

[Manon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actual rating 1.5.
Im glad its over. 400 pages of dragging myself through it. First of all its very wattpad. It also seems to want to press in a bunch of tropes. Normally tropes like the trials would take several chapter, this could be summarised in two sentences and was extremely predictable.
It all starts with rhis hugely important prophecy that is completely forgotten about but in the last few pages it is crammed in with an "oh yeah its fixed based on this technicality".
The writer, im sorry, is either lazy or inept. To me it is a sign of a no-so-good writer if you say the main character had an amazing speech... But then show nothing of that. It is said twice by the fmc supporters that it was apparently such an astoundingly good speech that it could change everything... And thats all. No reactions of anyone else in the room, nothing about what was in the speech... And then there is dragon smex and.... you just make an afterthought comment about how it was amazing??? You don't let us experience it??
All the side characters feel like NPCs and i wasn't into any if them. And neither were the main characters. Someone important dies and the next minute they are basically dancing on his grave... Except it was immediately after his death. He wasn't even cold yet.

There was a severe lack of story, sloppy writing and editing (many grammar and spelling mistakes as well as typo's) and overall just meh. Also, it is marketed as a stand-alone but the author put one very confusing chapter in it that i think is supposed to connect to another book in the series and i thus didn't understand at all. And won't understand because i shall not be reading any more in this series

[Victoria Jones (nee Crosby) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 10%.
I started this series because one of the books is by LJ Andrews whose work I really like. I read the first book, thought it was dreadful but started this one in the hope that this writer might be better. Alas.
It reads the same as the first one- poorly. Both these women have been cast into another world and seem to be ok with it very quickly. Too shallow, not enough development and childishly written.
Disappointing.

[Fatima Rezigui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon shifters, a love traingle, fated mates, rebellion, forgotten memories and so many secrets. Thats the main premises of this book! I had fun reading this book, the same as the first one! I still find the idea of different authors writing in the series to be fascinating!

Saphira is funny, she is cute and i enjoyed her POVs so much! Especially when she was confused about her feelings toward Ryker!

Ryker is the second born prince of dragons! He is soo charming and hot and protective of Saphira. I loved how he is kind and loyal to the people he love!

The trials were kind of fun, i hate that we didn't get a lot of them though! This story wasn't very high stakes like the first book, but it was fun! It is also spicier than the first book!

Favourite scene is when Saphira finally used her power to save Ryker. Its like her love for him did it!

[Lizavetafantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Giuliasag · Rating 1 out of 5]

Provo più emozione nello scegliere la carta igienica al supermercato che leggendo le scene di battaglia e sesso di sto libro, oh well

[Mona Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story

This is the second story in this amazing shared world, and it's absolutely amazing. In it you get to meet Saphira and the amazing Ryker and learn everything that they are willing to do not only for each other, but for their kingdom and their people.
This story is beautiful and will draw you in.
I am so excited for all of the others and can't wait to see each of the eight women who make up this prophecy

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of Dragons and Desire

What a wild ride! The story pulled me in from the start and it was easy to get swept away in this fantasy world with dragons and magic.
I enjoyed the characters and loved the forbidden love aspect of it. Their relationship was steamy and all consuming!

Tropes found here:

- forbidden love
- prophecy
- royalty
- arranged marriage
- forgotten memories
- deadly trials
- steamy
- body guard/princess
- dragons

[Xhex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book

I loved it!!!! Once I passed the club scene, I couldn't read it fast enough. I know I have read the books not in order but overall I still think it's a great series. I really recommend it!!!! Happy reading everyone!!!!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im in between 2.5 to 3 ⭐️This one had so much potential in its synopsis and it just fell short. There was too much going on and it felt rushed. Entertaining and fun regardless

[AnnaMeansFun · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nah, that one wasn’t it and not only because I despise love triangles.

It was just… boring, lackluster and incredibly predictable.

And the fact that the mfc was taken to a whole other realm, then found out she was a dragon shifter and she didn’t even bat an eye, was utterly ridiculous. Every person would freak out at least a little bit, would take some time getting used to the craziness of it all.
Nah, even though she had absolutely no memories and apparently left her sisters behind, that chick just immediately went: “I’m back, bitches” and carried on. Come on.

Oh, and her memories turned out to be completely insignificant for the plot. She got them back, said she did and that was it.

Even the whole mating thing that turned out to be the only kind of conflict in here, was never properly explained. There was some concept of an idea with the twins sharing soul (huh?), but the author never bothered to actually provide any reason for the bond not being there before, then kind of being there with a twin, but just for a second, then actually being there with the mfc.

It’s like the author had a concept of a plan, when it came to that story, instead of an actual story.

The only thing that was remotely working about this, was the chemistry between the main characters, but it was diminished by the fact that she had feelings for his brother, which was also never explained either.

Seriously, it felt like a first draft and a bad one at that.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was hard to get through. I read the first book and I liked it but the FMC in this book, Saphira, was vapid. It seemed like the author never really developed the characters so when ever the author wanted the story to go in a certain direction the FMC just accepted whatever the information/event/etc was without question.

Saphira was a orphan who suffered abuse in the foster system so she claimed to have trust issues. She then just blindly trusts everything that happens to her because "she feels something". She gets abducted from a nightclub in Las Vegas and doesnt even attempt to fight off her abductor. She gets told that she is going to mate a prince she doesnt know. When asked is she gets a say in it she is told no and this is appearntly okay so there is no need for conflict and push back.

I read the book all the way to end hoping that somehting would happen with the character to make this book better but she just cheats on her betrothed (she had a sex act performed on her with her father and her betrothed in the room, it was gross), acts like a spoiled entield brat, and never seems to exert her own will. It just went from bad to worse. Things didnt even improve once she got her memories back. Apparently even having all her memories restored to give her the knowledge to do things she did effortlessly (like summoning her dracon) before she was sacraficed didnt help her.

[Tracy Booktalk · Rating 5 out of 5]

💖 I am a huge fan of this author. Her books keep me riveted to the page. I love the banter, the magical creatures, the characters, simply everything! And dragons!!
💖 I loved the premise of this book. Going to this kingdom, just the journey was exquisitely written.
💖 I cannot recommend enough for you to put this book at the top of your list to get swept away in the imagination of G.K. DeRosa! Fantasy at its best!

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abducted! Although he was gorgeous, I had a real aversion to being snatched out of the club my two best friends and I were enjoying and dropped into the strangest place I’d ever seen. Nothing but dry, cracked earth and mountains in the distance. Okay, so all my life there had been a voice in my head that spoke to me. At the home, where I grown-up, they believed I was schizophrenic and had shoved pills at me which I refused to take, but this place, this guy who called me Princess, they were real. Even the voice called out to me “Welcome home Saphira.”

He wouldn’t answer my questions, just hurried me along for hours towards what he said was my home. He told me he was taking me to my betrothed. My betrothed? I wasn’t engaged to anyone. On our way we were attacked by surreal creatures, Ryker had to fight off and destroy. Finally, reaching our destination, the Kingdom of Fuoco, the next day. Introduced to King Kiran, Queen Aisling and Rhyland, my betrothed, the King rushed to announce that Rhyland and I would be mated/married that very night. Now just one minute! Hold on! I wanted answers, even if I was drawn to Rhyland.

I was told that we were in Terra, a pocket realm of Earth. There are eight islands each with their own distinctive kind of magical beings, vampires, fae, dracons, demons, and others. I had been a dracon princess, of Draconia, in my past life and that I had sacrificed myself along with 7 other women to save my people and our land after a terrible battle with the vampires. The prophecy had foretold that I would be reborn, to be reclaimed from Earth when once again the veil between Earth and Terra would open. I had nor memories of a past life, so either they were crazy, or I was as others had always contended. It was soon clear to me there was much more to the story than I was being told. I couldn’t shift into a dracon, I didn’t have any memories of the time before and I found myself drawn to both Prince Ryker and his brother Prince Rhyland.

This is a dream of a tale. So much happening, a prophecy tied to Saphira’s marriage, attacks by the commoners who want equality, lost memories of love, family and friendship, Saphia’s struggle to shift, rivalry between the four Kingdoms of Draconia and a trial that would determine the next ruler and unite the four under one rule. Each of the four kingdoms has their own king, however with the Imperial Trial, a royal from each kingdom faces challenges that will determine the next Imperial who will govern the land and its people. The prophecy had foretold that the Princess would bring about peace, prosperity and once again all people would be able to shift into their dracon form. And for this to happen Saphira must enter the trial and win to become the next Imperia.

There were eight women who gave their lives, and each has their own tale to tell. For this tale Ryker and Saphira is the second book in the series, the land of dragon shifters. There is world building, reincarnation, and the struggle of memories lost, secrets, mysteries, battles for freedom, sibling rivalry and love, friendships, death and steamy romance. I enjoyed the story and the characters that brought life to the tale. The fact that there are more books that will share the stories of the other women and therefore continue to fill out the story makes it seem like a puzzle I want to piece together. Within the romance there are elements of secrets held, memories forgotten, jealousy, and soulmates, where one will lose more than his love in the end. My one confusion is in the way the soulmate trope spun out. The story behind the one true love was told in bits and pieces, as the story went along. For me, it was confusing at times and didn’t completely come together to answer all my questions in the end. It disrupted the telling of the whole story for me sometimes, I would get sidetracked trying to put it together. The rest of the story is well written, and, in the end, I really enjoyed it so much I will be reading the rest of the series. However, I gave this tale a four because I felt that with a little more tweaking of the soulmates situation it would have worked beautifully since, it was uniquely different from the other soulmate tales I have read.

[Sarah Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating, thrilling, humorous at times, and totally swoon-worthy. I loved this story!!! Of Dragons and Desire is classic GK DeRosa but with more fantasy elements than her usual urban and portal fantasy or paranormal romance. Her world-building has always been top notch, but it is elevated this shared world of Terrea. I loved all the descriptions used for the various locations on the Isle of Draconia, but my favorite was the arena. I won't spoil anything, but think Wolfish but with DRAGONS!

Speaking of dragons, or dracons... Saphira is hilarious. Poor thing! Not only does she have no memory of her past life, but now she's stuck in this love triangle where she has to choose between her heart and her sense of duty to save her people. Add to the fact that she grew up in the human world and spends most of the book just trying to process and grasp the concept that she is, in fact, NOT human. Meanwhile, there are two smouldering hot princes vying for her affection... one she is betrothed to, and one she feels a viceral connection to. Plus there is an underlying danger from rebels and a dash of political intrigue. So, there is a lot going on here.

I loved the brothers! Rhyland is the heir to the throne and her betrothed. He is a duty-bound cinnamon roll who is utterly clueless to her obvious pull toward his brother. But he still gets growly, because he is a dracon (dragon shifter). Ryker is our MC and we do get his POV now and then. He is your typical dark and broody alpha, but he has such a sweet side when it comes to Saphira. He is also snarky, and I may have snort-laughed when he attempted to drop a "humanism" here and there.

And since this is fantasy romance, obviously the romance takes front and center... and it's delicious! The chemistry between Saphira and Ryker is pretty much spellbinding from the moment they lock eyes the first time. They have some history, and there is a huge twist, but he gives her time and space for her memories to emerge all while he is trying, and kind of failing, at holding back his own feelings. And there IS spice and some on-page smexytimes in this book. Descriptions are mild, but it's no less steamy!

I would highly recommend this book if you love dragon shifters, fantasy romance, second chance romance, love triangles, betrothed's brother, fated mates, forced proximity, and lost memory tropes... or if you just love G.K. DeRosa's writing!!! This is definitely one of my favorites now, and I hope she writes more in this vein. It was super bingeable!

Note: Although this is book 2 of a shared world collection, it is totally ok to read as a standalone.

Fav Quotes (edited to avoid spoilers):
How could I love another when my heart had already been claimed by this man in another life?
"You are the strongest woman I know. You died and f*ck!ng came back from the de@d. You can and you will do this... And because I can't live in a world where you don't exist.".

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lost princess. Two dragon princes are fighting for her heart. A love that will either destroy their Kingdom or save them all.

An orphan girl named Saphira grew up believing she was human until her 21st birthday, where she was dragged into an unknown fantasy world that she thought could never ever have existed. Truth is, she has already lived another life in this exact world before in which she has no memories of. Saphira is infact a dragon princess, but her powers and dragon haven't yet emerged. In her other life, she was betrothed to Rhyland, a dragon prince, and is being told that she has to marry him to fulfil a prophecy to lift a curse and save the Kingdom and its people. Prince Rhyland has a brother Ryker who is Saphira's royal bodyguard and friend, who also turns out to be her fated mate. Saphira must now choose to save her Kingdom and uphold the prophecy by following through with her marriage to Rhyland or following her heart and soul to be with her one true love, her fated mate.

I absolutely loved this story. I couldn't help but reading, it sucked me in from the start. I love the relationship between Ryker and Saphira. They are perfect together and are meant to be. I did feel sorry for Rhyland a little bit, but him and Saphira just didn't have the same connection her and Ryker did. We got to know some characters in this story quite well but there are a few characters that weren't really touched on much so im looking forward to getting to know them more in the other books in this series. There are some steamy scenes in this book but they are quite mild nothing too full on or detailed so should be fine for young adult ages 15+ I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy and dragons and fated mates I very much enjoyed it and will be reading the rest of the series for sure.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jassicca · Rating 4 out of 5]

For as long as Saphira could remember, she has been hearing a voice inside her head. It was not until during a night out with her friends, Rhodelia and Morgana on her 21st birthday in Las Vegas that she had the opportunity to understand what the voice is about and also about her past life.

After being kidnapped by Ryker to the realm of Terrea in the kingdom of Draconia, she starts to understand that the voice she hears belongs to her dragon and that she has been granted a second chance for the sacrifice she made fifty years prior. It is now her moment to thrive in her rightful world and fulfil the prophecy that will aid both the commoners and the royal family lineage.

This second instalment of the Forgotten Kingdoms series written by G.K DeRosa is a much easier-to-read book than the first instalment. However, both stories share common themes of kidnapping, memory loss, and getting the memories towards the conclusion, along with a slow-burn romance. The key distinction between the two books is that the first centres around enemies-to-lovers, while the second explores a forbidden love story.

I mostly skimmed through the two parts: the story's introduction, which recounts events similar to those in Las Vegas, and the middle of the story which rehashes information we've already covered from the first book regarding the encounter between Rhodelia and Saphire.

The Imperia trials that Saphire must prepare for and partake in bring to mind G.K. DeRosa's Wolfish Series! If you appreciate stories that revolve around preparation and overcoming challenges, I highly recommend checking out that series! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Saphire's adventure and look forward to reading Morgana's story in the demons' kingdom!

[Angela Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snatched by a hunky dragon who calls her princess!!

I loved this book! I found out it is the second book in a series but that didn't impact this story. It was totally engrossing as a stand-alone, but now I have a series to read yay!!

Saphira and her friends are on a trip to Vegas when she is suddenly whisked away to another realm by a stranger she is inexplicably drawn to. She finds out she is the reincarnation of a princess that made the ultimate sacrifice (along with seven others) to save her world. She is betrothed to the future king of the neighboring land and everyone has been waiting 50 years for her return. The marriage will break a curse on the royal dragons and restore the species. But she has deep feelings for his brother, who is hiding secrets from the past she can't remember. A civil war is brewing, and intrigue abounds. Can she survive and find her HEA?

I loved this story of a princess struggling to piece together the story of her life from flashes of memory that are frustrating and brief. She should be whole and remember her past life if she could only summon her dragon, but something is blocking her. G. K. DeRosa tells a great story, and I was totally caught up in Saphira's world. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, which is a collaboration by a group of authors, each telling the story of one of the sacrificial girls. Happy reading!

I read an ARC of this book. This is my honest opinion of the story and is in my own words.

[Emily Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

This is quickly becoming my favorite world! After reading Of Blood and Nightmares, the first book within this shared world, I couldn’t wait to read Saphira’s story. And it definitely did not disappoint.
50 years ago, Saphira and 7 other women sacrificed themselves to save their kingdoms. To repay them for their sacrifice, they were reborn on Earth with no memories of their previous life. Saphira hasn’t had the easiest life on Earth. As an orphan, she spent most of her childhood in foster homes until she met Rhodelia (Of Blood and Nightmares) and her sister Morgana. The 3 became like sisters and the closest thing to a family Saphira has ever had. When she’s carried through the Veil to Terrea, she learns about a previous life with friends and family that she has no memory of, as well as the cause of the voice that has always spoken into her mind.
I loved Saphira, she has such a big heart, but she’s also a warrior. She wasn’t afraid to run into a fight and refused to hide away while her people were in danger. I still don’t know how I feel about Ryker, but I also wasn’t real sure about Rhyland either. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I didn’t like how the spirit of someone was there between their relationship. I don’t think it was meant to come across that way, but that’s how I took it, and it just left me with a bad feeling. Regardless of that though, I loved this book and I may have shed a few tears when it was over. Can’t wait for Morgana’s story, as well as the other girls!!

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of Dragons and Desire by G. K. DeRosa Book 2 of the Forgoten Kindoms series tells the story of an orphan named Saphira, who, until the age of 21 thought she was human . On her birthday, she is being kidnapped by a breathtaking stranger and thrown into a completely unknown world to her of so she though...now she is being forced to fight between her feelings and the future of the whole kingdom.

I loved Saphira's selflessness and how hard she fought for what was right, even if it meant she will never be happy or experience a mate's love, like she hadn't sacrificed so much already.
I liked her rich vocabulary and how confused she was when she started swearing in a completely new way... I will definitely use some of those in real life 😆
Her friendship with Ryker ,the brother of her betrothed, was funny and beautiful, but a little unfair to Rhyland .
Fates were really unfair to him...
It gave me peace that Saphira had a part of her family with her in the end and that all her sacrifices were not in vain.

5/5 stars for the humor,love story and great world-building, for all emotions that stirred inside me and the tears of happiness at the end and who doesn't love a strong main female character?💚

I recommend this book to all dragon lovers (I am one of them 🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉) and all fantasy readers 16+ as it has some steamy scenes and a few swear words which are part of the book's charm 💚💚💚.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Idalia Helaena · Rating 5 out of 5]

G.K. DeRosa is a new to me author, and so while I wasn’t sure what to expect at first when it came to her writing style, I was definitely super excited to start reading this book. And I’m very glad I did!

“Of Dragons and Desire” is the second book in the Forgotten Kingdoms series, and I thought it was a highly entertaining and incredibly addicting read. The blurb was very intriguing, and the book definitely lived up to and even exceeded my expectations!

I can’t even begin to express how much I loved these characters, but I’m going to try. This book centers around a love triangle: two brothers, Princes Rhyland and Ryker, are both trying to win the affections of Princess Saphira, a dracon princess who has only recently returned to Draconia.

Saphira is technically betrothed to Rhyland, but at the same time, she can’t deny the connection she and Ryker share. I actually really loved Saphira, she was an intelligent, capable heroine who truly cared about her people and wanted to do whatever it took to bring peace to their realm.

As for Rhyland and Ryker… at first, I honestly didn’t know which one of them I wanted Saphira to end up with. While Rhyland seemed like a good choice, there was something about Ryker’s possessive bad boy attitude that drew me (and Saphira) in. It was honestly a very complex situation, but I was really happy with how it ended. I highly recommend this book to any fantasy romance fan!

[Kathy Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite in the series so far!

This book I could barely put down. I'm not joking. I loved that the author chose the name Sephora for a dracon. We named our German Shepherd that. And how could you not go wrong with a guy named Ryker? Especially, since he was a character in a long running tv series. This story is about fated mates or whatever they called them in this book. I can't think of how they were spelled. This book is steamy. It has a love triangle. Sephora thought she was human but she was wrong. She's actually a reincarnated dracon. What humans call dragons. She is kidnapped by a hot mountain of a man. She is taken to Draconia. It exists in another realm. The portal only opens once every 50 years. As much as Sephora would like to go back through it closes at midnight. This story isn't like the ones before it because Sephora doesn't get her memories back till practically the end of the book. Even then she gets all of her memories back at once. Plus Ryker is okay with Sephora having a higher rank than himself. He even trains her to enter the Imperia trials. First they have to fight to let a girl compete. Sephora really wants to win because the poor are segregated. They aren't allowed jewels which help strengthen their magic. Also they are forming rebel factions to take down the royals. The current kings are responsible for the way the poor are treated & power hungry. The ending was so amazing!

[Crissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read from this author, and it was a good read but it's also a one-time read for me. The story was interesting and even though I thought that the flow of the story was a bit slow at times, it was interesting enough that I wanted to find out how the story end. I thought that in the beginning of the story there were some parts that were a bit too repetitive. The characters were okay but there was nothing about them that made me love them. However, I enjoyed Prince Ryker more than his brother Prince Rhyland and that could have been because Ryker was more a part of the story than his Rhyland. Saphira is a princess that made a sacrifice and doesn't remember her past. I wish it was revealed to her in the beginning or even the middle, but I guess that was a way to build anticipation between her and Ryker because the chemistry between the two of them was undeniable. This story has suspense, anticipation, war, trials, death, surprises, romance, steamy scenes, love and a HEA. This wasn't a five-star read for me, but I would definitely give other books from this author a read. Readers should remember that just because a book is a five-star read for me doesn't mean that it won't be for you, so I'd say to give it a try and see if this is the book for you.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saphira’s Destiny . . .

Saphira has always heard a voice in her head. She hears it even now on the loud dance floor at the club, telling her it is almost time. She has just turned 21 was enjoying an all-expense paid trip to Vegas. Her 2 oldest friends, Rhodelia and Morgana, would be joining her, if she could find them in this crowd! In the spirit of Halloween, she is dressed as Xena Warrior Princess. The sword and daggers felt like they were part of her. And when she is kidnapped by a silver-eyed man and taken away to another world, she finds out about a previous life before she was reborn on Earth! And she finally discovers what that inner voice was that she had heard all her life… it was her inner beast talking to her! She is a dragon princess from another world!

Now the fun begins as two dragon males, both princes, are ready to claim her and save their dwindling dragon race. Will she choose the charming future king? Or his wildly different brother who could truly set her on fire with just a look? She needs both of them to survive, especially with the Imperia Trials looming. Grab your copy of this exciting story and discover the choice she made! Did she choose wisely?

[Sarah Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is part of a shared world between several other authors but I would say that you can definitely read it as a standalone and get full enjoyment out of it. (Though the concept behind it is unique and I recommend giving them all a try!)
Fifty years prior, 8 young women gave themselves as a sacrifice to stop evil but in return, they were reborn in the human realm without any memories of their past selves. The stories in this world begin fifty years later as the young women (now in their early 20's) are brought home. This is Saphira's story.
I really enjoyed the aspect of learning Saphira's history a piece at a time, especially when it came to Ryker. It's one of those things that makes you frustrated while also loving the emotional toying. It kept me engaged with some great twists I didn't see coming. And Ryker...*fans self*. I loved getting things from his pov and seeing the inner turmoil over Saphira (in both lives) and the commitment he has to her.
The back history of Draconia with the different royals and factions was well done and I liked how there was some political intrigue and upheaval in there.
Love, heartbreak, intrigue, and fabulous chemistry make this a highly entertaining read.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second book of this series we follow the next girl who sacrificed herself to save their realm. Saphira starts her night out with her foster sisters, but soon finds herself swept away by a man who claims to be her protector and that she must return home. To Draconia. The island of dragon shifters. And turns out Saphira is a princess of one of the territories. One who supposedly has a betrothed and must marry him to save their race. No pressure there. Her memories are gone of this time, but her heart tells her more everyday. Like her connection to her protector who turns out to be the younger brother of the prince she is supposed to marry. The voice in her mind that made her think she was crazy at times is really her dragon who refuses to come out. And with so much turmoil between her people, she wants to find a way to help them and make things right. And to do that she’ll have to win the Imperia Trials. Winner becomes the ruler of the dragons. And only then can she bring peace they so desperately need. But she won’t be alone. Ryker, her protector and the one she can’t help but feel connected to, will be by her side. But with so many secrets of their past and present between them, can they survive what is coming for them? This world is only getting more interesting! I love dragons and dragon shifters, so this was definitely a fun one to read. Can’t wait to pick up book three!

[CelticMoonGoddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series of Forgotten Kingdoms books and after reading Of Blood and Nightmares was not disappointed that Of Dragons and Desire was just as good, exciting and love the strong female characters in these books.
In this adventure we follow the return of Saphira as we enter the kingdom of dragons. What I enjoy a lot of the books besides the humour, great banter between characters, cast and sexy men is the main characters are no damsels in distress but rather strong females who can stand on their own two feet, fight, integrity and yet still vulnerable especially as they have to suffer the terrible torture of lusting after moody, grumpy sexy men!
The sexual tension is enjoyable and makes you keep turning the pages as enjoy the interaction between the main characters and this time Saphira is drawn as two princes to choose from.
The storylines and narrative is exciting, enough to give you time to get to know the characters, the realm and as Saphira's memories return also the unveiling of old life merging into new life as choices, prophecies and duties combine to make interesting adventures.
Although listed as stand alone and the stories are it is nice to have a little cross over with other characters from the other books and with Rhode and Varan from Of Blood and Nightmares.
Page turner as kept intrigued into how will turn out for the characters.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.