What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dragon at Midnight: A Monsters in Uniform Romance
Not yet published
Expected 20 Jan 26
I swore I’d never fall for a non shifter. Then I saw her under the lantern light… and I knew I was lost.
Berlin is rubble. My parents are gone, our home is a ruin, and my six-year-old brother Peter is always hungry.
I work nights at a bar where American pilots drink, laugh, and look for women. My coworkers dream of snagging a husband in uniform. I dream of one thing only—survival. Food on the table. A roof that doesn’t leak.
Then he walks in. Gideon Griffin.
He’s not like the others. Cynical, scarred, with eyes that burn like embers when he watches me. He should hate me—hate all of us—but when the Soviets corner me in the dark, it’s Gideon who steps forward. Gideon who protects me with a fury that feels older than war.
And when he touches me, I swear I feel fire beneath his skin.
I lost too many brothers in the war. Buried too many friends. Berlin should mean nothing to me but smoke and sorrow.
Until I see her. Inga Weber. A German girl working tables for scraps, raising a little brother with nothing but grit and hope.
I know what women like her want from American pilots. I know better than to look twice. But then I spot her brother racing through the ruins below my wings, waving at the candy bomber as if I were a hero. And I remember my own kid brother back in the States.
For the first time since the war, I feel something break loose in my chest.
When I catch Russians laying hands on her, the dragon inside me—my secret, my curse—rises with a vengeance.
Because Inga is mine now. And I’ll burn the night itself before I let anyone take her from me.
Would you fall for a monster in uniform?
Berlin is rubble. My parents are gone, our home is a ruin, and my six-year-old brother Peter is always hungry.
I work nights at a bar where American pilots drink, laugh, and look for women. My coworkers dream of snagging a husband in uniform. I dream of one thing only—survival. Food on the table. A roof that doesn’t leak.
Then he walks in. Gideon Griffin.
He’s not like the others. Cynical, scarred, with eyes that burn like embers when he watches me. He should hate me—hate all of us—but when the Soviets corner me in the dark, it’s Gideon who steps forward. Gideon who protects me with a fury that feels older than war.
And when he touches me, I swear I feel fire beneath his skin.
I lost too many brothers in the war. Buried too many friends. Berlin should mean nothing to me but smoke and sorrow.
Until I see her. Inga Weber. A German girl working tables for scraps, raising a little brother with nothing but grit and hope.
I know what women like her want from American pilots. I know better than to look twice. But then I spot her brother racing through the ruins below my wings, waving at the candy bomber as if I were a hero. And I remember my own kid brother back in the States.
For the first time since the war, I feel something break loose in my chest.
When I catch Russians laying hands on her, the dragon inside me—my secret, my curse—rises with a vengeance.
Because Inga is mine now. And I’ll burn the night itself before I let anyone take her from me.
Would you fall for a monster in uniform?
- GenresMonsters
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 20, 2026
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy
4.5⭐️ rounded up
This was such a sweet, hopeful story set against the ruins of post-war Berlin, and it really surprised me with how gentle and emotional it was. Gideon and Inga both save each other in different ways. She gives him a reason to feel again after so much loss, and he gives her safety, stability, and the space to hope for more than simple survival. Their connection builds slowly, with small acts of kindness and protection that made the romance feel really sincere.
Gideon being a dragon shifter doesn’t really come into play until about the halfway point, and it isn’t the dominant part of the story, which I actually ended up liking. When the dragon does appear, it’s in crucial moments where it really counts. What completely melted me was Gideon (and his dragon) accepting Inga’s brother Klaus, and two other war orphans, as his brood. That found-family element was very endearing and added an extra layer of warmth to the story.
There is a small bit of on-page spice, but the focus here is definitely love, healing, and hope after devastation. The ending had me crying, not because it was sad, but because it felt so comforting and full of promise for their future. Overall, this was a heartfelt, tender read, and I’m definitely interested in picking up more from Bella Blair.
Thank you to Bella Blair and BookSirens for the ARC!
This was such a sweet, hopeful story set against the ruins of post-war Berlin, and it really surprised me with how gentle and emotional it was. Gideon and Inga both save each other in different ways. She gives him a reason to feel again after so much loss, and he gives her safety, stability, and the space to hope for more than simple survival. Their connection builds slowly, with small acts of kindness and protection that made the romance feel really sincere.
Gideon being a dragon shifter doesn’t really come into play until about the halfway point, and it isn’t the dominant part of the story, which I actually ended up liking. When the dragon does appear, it’s in crucial moments where it really counts. What completely melted me was Gideon (and his dragon) accepting Inga’s brother Klaus, and two other war orphans, as his brood. That found-family element was very endearing and added an extra layer of warmth to the story.
There is a small bit of on-page spice, but the focus here is definitely love, healing, and hope after devastation. The ending had me crying, not because it was sad, but because it felt so comforting and full of promise for their future. Overall, this was a heartfelt, tender read, and I’m definitely interested in picking up more from Bella Blair.
Thank you to Bella Blair and BookSirens for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a captivating historical dragon-shifter romance. It’s part of the Monsters in Uniform Romance multi-author series, but is a standalone.
FMC Inga is living in post WWII Berlin in 1948, during the The Berlin Blockade. She’s surviving in the ruins of the city, scraping by to make ends meet for herself and her little brother. One night, she catches the attention of MMC Gideon, an American pilot who also happens to be a secret dragon shifter. He rescues her from would be assailants and then takes a special interest in both her and her brother.
I loved this book! I really appreciated the author’s foreword about her personal connection to the time period and some of the historical references woven throughout the story. The atmosphere was vivid and drew me into the story. The characters were endearing, and while it is a slow burn, it builds to some very sweet, emotional, and of course steamy moments.
This was a great start to the Monsters in Uniform Romance series, and I would love to see Bella Blair write more historical monster romances like this in the future.
Spice 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
My Enjoyment: 5/5
*** I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
FMC Inga is living in post WWII Berlin in 1948, during the The Berlin Blockade. She’s surviving in the ruins of the city, scraping by to make ends meet for herself and her little brother. One night, she catches the attention of MMC Gideon, an American pilot who also happens to be a secret dragon shifter. He rescues her from would be assailants and then takes a special interest in both her and her brother.
I loved this book! I really appreciated the author’s foreword about her personal connection to the time period and some of the historical references woven throughout the story. The atmosphere was vivid and drew me into the story. The characters were endearing, and while it is a slow burn, it builds to some very sweet, emotional, and of course steamy moments.
This was a great start to the Monsters in Uniform Romance series, and I would love to see Bella Blair write more historical monster romances like this in the future.
Spice 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
My Enjoyment: 5/5
*** I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
Review of advance copy
I really liked it. The setting is so well done. The atmosphere feels tense, melancholy. The author really transports you to post-war Berlin. Gideon is very grumpy at the beginning, but you can see the transformation into this golden retriever and it’s heartwarming. Inga also grows a lot, from this guarded, jaded person to someone who enjoys life. The children felt like actual children, and all the secondary characters have some depth.
This was somewhat of a slow-burn, so it’s not very spicy, but every bit of it feels earned, and it’s good. There’s internal conflict both from Gideon and Inga, paired with the external factors of a war-ravaged city, and the third act conflict was tense and had a lot of action. Most of the paranormal elements come from this part of the story.
Overall, it was very good. It was haunting, it was tense, and it was romantic.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was somewhat of a slow-burn, so it’s not very spicy, but every bit of it feels earned, and it’s good. There’s internal conflict both from Gideon and Inga, paired with the external factors of a war-ravaged city, and the third act conflict was tense and had a lot of action. Most of the paranormal elements come from this part of the story.
Overall, it was very good. It was haunting, it was tense, and it was romantic.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Truly outstanding in epic proportions.
I am absolutely and unashamedly gobsmacked by the brilliance and depth found in this book. A standalone HEA historical tale where every aspect and character has been lovely handcrafted, polished, and presented to the readers with love, humility, and compassion. I feel undone - in all the good ways. The PNR component (dragon) was flawlessly integrated into a beautiful tale that wholly captivated me from start to finish. I loved the introduction by the author; it’s a must read to help set the context. I was so enthralled and humbled by the start of this book. Never one to enjoy ‘modern’ history in school, my eyes and heart have now been opened in a wholly new way into the aftermath of wars and its impact on civilian survivors. Thank you, Bella. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.
I am absolutely and unashamedly gobsmacked by the brilliance and depth found in this book. A standalone HEA historical tale where every aspect and character has been lovely handcrafted, polished, and presented to the readers with love, humility, and compassion. I feel undone - in all the good ways. The PNR component (dragon) was flawlessly integrated into a beautiful tale that wholly captivated me from start to finish. I loved the introduction by the author; it’s a must read to help set the context. I was so enthralled and humbled by the start of this book. Never one to enjoy ‘modern’ history in school, my eyes and heart have now been opened in a wholly new way into the aftermath of wars and its impact on civilian survivors. Thank you, Bella. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
One word: ATMOSPHERE!! I don’t know how—or if—the author uses magic, but the atmosphere was absolutely stellar. Seriously… can we make this a TV show already? I went into this sceptical, mostly because the cover was intriguing but unconventional. However, this completely blew me away. Considering how “out there” some of the concepts were, and the genre it falls into, it still felt like a solid romantasy. Yes, it has its quirks, but it was genuinely fun to read and had far more emotional depth than I expected. And no surprise here—bucketloads of atmosphere. Give this book a go!
January 4, 2026
This is not normally a time period I’m interested in but the cover caught my eye so I had to check it out.
I loved learning about what was going on in the period of time this takes place. The war/living situations was super interesting and the twist with the “cia guy”.
I loved our hero (Air Force/dragon in shiny armor) and our FMC was so strong and caring. I loved the ending and getting their new family back home to Montana.
Lots of German throughout but the author did a great job of translating via other characters so I didn’t have to keep translating.
I loved learning about what was going on in the period of time this takes place. The war/living situations was super interesting and the twist with the “cia guy”.
I loved our hero (Air Force/dragon in shiny armor) and our FMC was so strong and caring. I loved the ending and getting their new family back home to Montana.
Lots of German throughout but the author did a great job of translating via other characters so I didn’t have to keep translating.
Review of advance copy
Very interesting story. Part history lesson. Part paranormal romance. Berlin at the end of WWII. Inga works in a bar catering to American pilots. Gideon, A dragon shifter, is a customer. One look and Gideon knows that In-game is his fated mate. Wonderful characters. Good story.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Wow what a wonderful story. So powerful. Inga and her little brother are struggling to survive in the ruins of Berlin after World War II ends. Gideon is a dragon shifter who is a military pilot who bombed Berlin during the war and now brings in supplies for the survivors. I just loved their love story.
Review of advance copy
Monsters in Uniform story of Gideon Griffin and Inga. This one is good but will have you all kinds of emotionally invested in saving the people in this war torn story.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews