In order to pay for her father’s life-saving cancer treatment, Holly Anderson offers herself up as a sacrifice and sells the vial of dragon’s blood. In return, she will try to bear a Scottish dragon-shifter a child. While the dragonman assigned to her is kind, Holly can’t stop looking at his twin brother. It’s going to take everything she has to sleep with her assigned dragonman. If she breaks the sacrifice contract and follows her heart, she’ll go to jail and not be able to take care of her father.
Even though he’s not ready to settle down, Fraser MacKenzie supports his twin brother’s choice to take a female sacrifice to help repopulate the clan. Yet as Fraser gets to know the lass, his dragon starts demanding something he can’t have—his brother’s sacrifice.
Holly and Fraser fight the pull between them, but one stolen kiss will change everything. Will they risk breaking the law and betraying Fraser’s twin? Or, will they find a way out of the sacrifice contract and live their own happily ever after?
Note: This is a spin-off series from the Stonefire Dragons. It can be read as a standalone but it takes place after Reawakening the Dragon.
Jessie Donovan has sold over half a million books, has given away hundreds of thousands more to readers for free, and has even hit the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists. She is best known for her dragon-shifter series, but also writes about magic users, aliens, and even has a crazy romantic comedy series set in Scotland. When not reading a book, attempting to tame her yard, or traipsing around some foreign country on a shoestring, she can often be found interacting with her readers on Facebook. She lives near Seattle, where, yes, it rains a lot but it also makes everything green.
Once again Donovan has created a vivid & vibrant world that invites readers deep inside. She brings her world of dragonmen to live in a big way, not just telling readers about it but inviting them deep into the story. Not only does she bring the land to life, but the culture and customs of her people to life as well. Donovan’s precise writing melds with her fun and inviting tone to take centre stage as she weaves a tale that’s pure gold.
The characters in this novel are larger than life. Not only that, but the characters are so well developed. For those who’ve read Donovan’s Stonefire novels, the characters we met there continue to grow. For those who are entering this fantastic world here, the characters come to life in such a way that you can’t help but picture them. I love how intricately the characters’ lives intertwine. Even though the story is focussing on one of the most fun and explosive couples I’ve seen in a long, long while, the way that their lives intersect with the rest of the clan puts their stories into a much larger perspective.
This was an extremely vibrant and absolutely unforgettable beginning to Donovan’s new series. I couldn’t put it down for a second.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
Fraser is a cocky thing, "I knew your tightly controlled appearance was hiding the true lass beneath.” He slapped her bum lightly. “I look forward to seeing her free and open to my hands, my mouth, and my ***k.” Holly knows how to keep her man in line in the mating frenzy, "not even the dragon half was strong enough to withstand the pain of being punched in the ***k and he grabbed himself and rolled over." Fraser likes to tease his woman and I found it cute, “your dragonman, eh? I like the sound of that. Maybe I should tattoo ‘Holly’s dragonman’ on my forehead. That will keep the lasses away.” I loved this book, I especially loved we didn't get it in novellas! I can't wait for more from this series.
You know, when the premise of the story is Highlander dragons in a modern setting, with an arranged marriage/sacrifice, it’s nice that the book doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Fraser was funny, Holly was ok. Not bad for a freebie.
Holly Anderson offered herself up as a sacrifice in order to pay for her father’s medical treatments but while the dragonman assigned to her is kind, she can’t stop looking at his twin brother in this spellbinding paranormal romance.
Fraser’s dragon is demanding something he can’t have…his brother’s sacrifice and the reader can’t help be held spellbound by this dragon’s dilemma as Fraser and Holly’s attraction causes quite a bit of mayhem. The chemistry leaps off the pages with fiery heat and the sex scenes are scalding hot but the relationship is one hot mess as family friction and family obligations causes quite a bit of emotional distress that captures the heart. Strong, dynamic characters grab the reader’s attention while the fast paced, smooth flowing plot thrills readers with lots of suspense, action and romance.
Not only does this mating dilemma cause lots of tension building chaos among the Lochguard Clan, there is a new threat to the clan and that threat has decided that Holly makes the perfect target for revenge adding lots of adrenaline pumping action and excitement to the story. The scenes are well written and the details are vivid making it easy for the reader to become completely absorbed in the story as the intriguing events draw them in and refuse to let go.
Jessie Donovan’s dragon series just keeps getting better and better and now that there are two series to fall in love with well that just makes my day! I love men in kilts and I love dragons put them together and that just makes me want to swoon in utter bliss. Holly and Fraser’s story captivated me from the very beginning and I have to say it is full of surprising twists, excitement and humor from beginning to end and I am so excited that Fergus’ (Fraser’s twin) story is the next Lochguard Highland Dragon story.
Holly Alexander has agreed to be a human sacrifice to one of the Lochguard Dragons in order to save her father’s life. Holly is beautiful, headstrong and a smart a$$ who will do her perfunctory duties and become impregnated, hope to survive the birth and flee Lochguard territory and return to her father’s side. As if...
Fergus Roger Mackenzie is handsome, kind, caring, responsible and is the lucky dragonman who will mate with Holly and hopefully conceive a dragon child. NOT...
Fraser Moore Mackenzie, Fergus’ identical twin, is the polar opposite. Fraser doesn’t have control of his dragon and the two are often in disagreement which causes Fraser to often make ill advised decisions accordingly. Fraser and his dragon are, however, in agreement that Holly is their true mate. What follows in this awkward situation is both heartbreaking—for Fergus—and funny for Fraser.
The banter between Fergus, his dragon and Holly make this a delightful read.
I have avoided reviewing these novels because even though the series are pleasurable, somewhat trashy romance with a fantasy element- I can't stop reading them and I wish to explore why.
I'm going to start by stating that there is a little bias as to why this book connected to me the most, and I think in part it is the emotional connection I felt with the both the main characters but also having had some of the drama in the book resonates with my own life. Holly is the first human sacrifice for the Lochgaurd clan, similar to the other dragon shifter series by Donovan also opened on a human sacrifice. The dragon shifters are dying out, hunted to near extinction they now vet and allow human sacrifices on to their lands to help with their fertility issues. This premise in some ways is slightly demeaning and does make women seem like nothing more than baby making machines. I think in some ways to counteract this is why the author has included such strong and capable women in each book- Holly is no different in this novel being a midwife who has only agreed to be a sacrifice to save her father who is suffering through cancer treatment.
Another issue that I found when I first began reading the novels initially is the idea of fated mates, however through the 12 books I have now spent in the universe with varying characters, Donovan has counteracted this by also including couples that chose to be together even though they know they are not 'fated' to be together. Something that surfacely seemed to be something that happened to the characters against their will and stripped autonomy, it becomes something that you can chose.
Any way, on to the story at hand, Holly is a sacrifice, she has agreed to mate with and potentially have a dragon shifter child. She comes to Lochgaurd expecting to be mated with Fergus Mackenzie but it turns out that her fated mate is his carefree womaniser twin brother Fraser. Ok the premise sounds cheesy and cliche but bare with me. Holly is a midwife, a straight talking, no nonsense, won't take any crap from anyone midwife that easily stands up to all the overbearing male characters in the book. She is dead set on fullfilling the contract she has signed with the DDA- the diplomatic government branch that acts as a go between the humans and the dragons- and even though she is not attracted to Fergus she is determined to go along with the plan to save her father.
Fraser is a sweetheart, he attempts to ignore his 'mate' to not anger his brother and upset the family, but he also is one of the most openly emotional of the dragon shifter males in these books. Part of the gimmick but also something I kind of love in these novels is that their dragon shifter abilities manifest in not only being able to turn into these massive beasts, they also permanently have this extra person/dragon in their subconscious. It was jarring at first but I am pretty comfortable and the dragon identities with their stubborness and frankness actually makes me smile.
So the part that I felt made this book strongest is that even though they are fated mates and Holly does get pregnant fairly quickly like in previous books by Donovan, there is a violent attack on the couple as they go to visit Holly's dad in hospital. A fallout from this attack is the Holly miscarries, this is the first time that this has happened in any of the novels and accurately looks at the stakes involved on violent attacks on women because of prejudice points of view. Yet even though this is a loss for the couple it actually makes them so much stronger, and the idea of having children one day, and if they can't maybe having pets instead. The idea that parenthood isn't everything, even in a novel that starts off almost stating the opposite, is both bold and touching.
I was not expecting miscarriage to be in this book, in fact I have rarely read books that actually talk about this common life experience, and in a series of books I have been considering a trashy guilty pleasure this was a revelation. It was handled with grace, the couple both accepting and saddened by the fact, but remaining together and finding ways to heal with each other.
Overall, if you don't like sex scenes, probably don't read these novels- they are romance and they lean into that. What I would say is the author has really come into her own across the world building of her dragon shifter series and is adopting more and more mature story lines. The strongest part of these novels has been the emotional connection that you build with the characters. And even though the books do tend to focus on just the leading couple, you revisit characters from across the series, charting out a whole alternative version of Britain.
This is the first one in the Lochguard Highland series and coincides with The Stonefire Dragons series. I love both of these series. Holly is a woman that has courage and takes no crap from any one with a great loving heart. And sacrificed herself to the clan. To help her dad. To a Dragon name Fraser . Little did she know she will fall for the twin. You need to read this book to find out all that happens. It is so worth it.
Title: The Dragon’s Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons #1)
Author: Jessie Donovan
Reviewer: Stephanie Jordan
♧♧♧♧♧●●●●♧♧♧♧♧●●●●♧♧♧♧♧
I have come to the conclusion that Jessie Donovan is a Goddess of Dragons. Maybe they do exist, she did go to the Highlands for research! That could be the reason as to why her books pull you in fast and won't let go. You learn how plus it shows you what it means to love a Dragon. Holly Anderson is a very good mid-wife, she has keep many of pregnancies going to bring human babies into this world. But now she must go to the Clan Lochguard as a sacrifice, to get the money from selling the Dragon's Blood to pay for her father’s experimental cancer treatments . Too bad Dragon's Blood doesn't cure cancer! Finley Stewart, the Alpha of Lochguard picked Fergus MacKenzie to impregnate Holly. Fergus's twin Fraser was a little concerned, not wanting his brother hurt in any way he decided to check out Holly. As soon as Fraser's Dragon sees Holly he knows Holly is his. Fraser refuses his dragon, Holly belongs to Fergus. I was gifted this ARC for an honest and truthful review. There is so much more to this story but you need to read it, I'm not telling you.
My Personal Stars Scores
Hero Rating 5+++++++ Stars Heroine Rating 5++++++Stars Sexual Tension Rating 5+++ Stars Sex Scenes Rating5++++++++++++++ Stars Plot Development Rating 5 Stars Dialogue Stars 5 Stars Overall Rating 5 Stars should be hundreds Storytelling Rating 5 Stars StoryEnding Rating Stars Would I Reread This Book?? Yes Would I Read Future Books By This Author? I'm her #1 FAN
Yeaaaaa more Dragons!! If there is one lady who knows her dragons and how to write about them it's Jessie Donovan... I've been waiting to read more about these awesome dragons...So now that we've read all about the Stonefire Dragons, we go to good old Scotland, Finn's clan Lochguard.
Finn has been waiting to get this opportunity to have a human sacrifice after over a century of no interactions with humans. It will prove to his Clan that he is a good leader and the first one to be honored with the sacrifice will be one of his twin cousin's, Fergus.
Fergus's rowdy twin Frasier wants to see the human that is to be his twins mate before he does and make sure she is a suitable mate for him. What Frasier hadn't counted on was his spoiled dragon to start yapping in his head.
Holley is in for quite a treat as she enters Lochguard as a sacrifice, so she can pay for the treatments her father needs for cancer, if not he will die. She never imagined she'd be seeing double, but there is no denying which one pulls her heart strings.
Again as I've said before, I absolutely love the way the dragons interact with their humans. It's a hoot! and Frasier's is really bad, not a bad as in evil, but a bad as in spoiled...Another thing I loved was not being left hanging for the next part of the story, just at the part that was really good. This was a standalone, yeaaaaa!
I highly recommend this book, you will enjoy it immensely!
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was turned on to Ms. Donovan's series of books by my wife. At first, I was sceptical as I'm not into romance novels, BUT I have fallen under the spell of these books. They are excellently written with great character's that you can't help but either liking or falling in love with. The plots are well thought out, riveting and they flow together seamlessly. I would suggest going back and starting with the Stonefire Clans stories as they are the beginning of the saga which leads up to this book and beyond. Ms. Donovan, thank you for these stories and your creativity! They have inspired me to continue my own writing! I'm looking forward to reading more of your stories and following all of your writing, both published and those yet to come. Sincerely, David H., A devoted reader and fan.
The Dragon's Dilemma posed a dilemma for me - abandon it or plough on through. The plot wasn't all that original, and in the hands of good writer it could have been interesting. Instead I found myself skipping over the repetitive sex scenes with their unsexy talk. The interaction between characters was probably intended as endearing family teasing, but I got no enjoyment from the juvenile taunting, wrestling, and insults - everyone in this lot was just plain RUDE, CRUDE, and socially backward. Didn't like them, or the endlessly argumentative Holly, who prefaced every declaration of affection with a threat, made every request into a negotiation, and put conditions on her affection. I made myself finish it, but will read no more of the series.
The first of the Lochguard Highland Dragon series. This is a full length book, not a serialized one. I definitely like the full length better!
This is Fraser's story. His brother, Fergus has agreed to take the first human sacrifice for the clan in 15 years. Unfortunately, Fraser is immediately drawn to her. Holly is also attracted to Fraser. Trouble also comes in the form of dragons that were previously booted out of the clan.
I enjoyed this story. I like how each dragon man/woman has a different relationship with the dragon within. Frasier has a more easy going relationship than most. Can't wait for the next book!
This is my first book by Jessie Donovan. It was fast paced and covered a lot of story very quickly. I enjoyed meeting the characters, and would like to know more about their world. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't more of back story information. Intrigued enough to check out the Stonefire Dragon series to see if there is more about the dragonshifters overall.
Terrible story. I couldn't stand the banter between two incredibly stubborn people who fall in love at first glance. Terrible plot, not enough research, and obnoxious love story.
This is book one of the Lochguard Highland Dragon series and it intertwines with The Stonefire Dragons series, yet stands on it's own.
This story is about the first sacrifice on Lochguard in 15 years. Finn the leader of the Scottish clan has worked everything out down to the letter, what could possible go wrong?
Well the sacrifice could fall for the wrong brother and chaos could erupt....
Holly Anderson has agreed to become a sacrifice in order to save her father's life. She goes in willingly, hoping to serve her 6 months sentence, as she see's it, and get out without the sacrifice of actually having to birth a Scottish dragon man's baby. Now if she could only choose the father of her unborn little dragon, forgot the one she truly wants, not go to jail and still saves her dad, life would be perfect.
Fraser Mackenzie is the twin Holly's been assigned to and he can't stop wanting her. She is his true mate but his brother Fraser's future. What's a poor dragon man to do but fight it and keep it all a secret. Too bad Holly feels the same strong passions for him as he does for her. Oh and that his dragon is hell bent on not letting her go and tormenting him for the rest of his life if he doesn't claim her by impregnate her now!
This is a book full of sacrifices and dilemma's in so many ways that once you start reading it you aren't gonna want to stop. I loved the conflict in this book and how so many different characters were introduced at a nice steady flow, while also hearing from a few members of the stonefire clan as well.
Jessie Donovan once again pulls you into her Dragon clan world with her humor, plots and family drama that you can't help but wait for the next book to come out.
I have never been so disappointed in both and author and a series. The last book Reawakening the Dragon was perfection and this books is absolute trash! While the book was somewhat written well and the continuity was excellent, that was about it for any good things to write about. The main female character was so selfish, self absorbed, entitled and bitchy. Also her obsession with her father was ridiculous, I get wanting to care for a sick parent and loving them to death, but she went to far. She lied in the beginning, she listened to all the bad rumors about the dragon shifters and believed them and the way she thought about just dumping her child the moment it born and going back to her father was horrible. But while I really disliked her character the absolute WORST was the main male character, Fraser. Both he and his dragon are basically rapists who want to force women. He was going to trick the main female into mating him, lie to her and force himself on her, just to get what he wanted, her wants be damned. It was truly horrible to read how he only cared about himself. His dragon was the most despicable creature, it was like a two year throwing a tantrum ALL THE TIME. Fraser was just as childish and the fact he NEVER learned to control his dragon was just downright stupid. He gave his dragon anything it wanted and damn the consequences and this included the main chick.
If it was not for the last book being so damn good, I would drop this series after reading this atrocious book, it was just that bad. I would recommend skipping this book all together and I am deleting it from my library and going to pretend it not part of the series.
This was a really good book. I've read a lot of shifter books and this one was different. This is the first book I've read from this author, there's another series before this one that has the alphas story.
Holly needs to pay for her dad's cancer treatments, so she agrees to try to conceive a dragon baby for the money. The only problem is that she's attracted to the dragonman's identical twin instead. The story goes from there. There are also dangers due to a separation of clan members who have tried to attack their old clan, which puts Holly the human in the crosshairs. It does have a HAE.
Beware before reading this book, look at the series and how much the next book costs. Because if you're like me you'll want to read it.
I wish we could give half stars. I would have given the book 4.5 stars. The deduction would be for the book covers. Fraser and Fergus are identical twins, except Fraser has a scar under his left eye. Look at the covers and you'll agree, not even close. Sorry that's a pet peeve of mine. The story says one thing, the cover another. Hippie this helps, good luck.
Holly agrees to become a dragon sacrifice and bear dragon-shifter Fergus a child, in exchange for a vial of dragon-blood, which she sells to pay for her father's cancer treatment. When she meets Fergus' twin brother Fraser, she's attracted to him from the first minute, but her contract is with Fergus, and breaking it would mean she has to go to prison. Fraser does not want to steal his brother's bride, but he recognises that Holly is his and his dragon's mate, and it takes all his willpower not to succumb. Will there be a way out? Beautifully told, with a lot of humour thrown in, this book will captivate a reader from the first chapter till the last. Add to that a bit of tension when betrayal is discovered, and you have everything you can want to in a book. The protagonists are likeable, although they somehow lack a bit of depth, but maybe that is due to the book being relatively short. Some of the incidents seem a little bit far-fetched, or too incidental, but again, the author's good narration style, and the plot on the whole, do make up for that. Definitely a series I'd like to follow, to find out about what will happen to Fraser's siblings.
Love lust and mates But when when Fergus’s, a man who loves his freedom as much as he loves going after girls finds himself drawn to the honey eyed beauty, Holly who has walked into his lands with a strong heart, a level head that gets her own way with a mouth that’s not just made for making a point but to drive Fergus mad. With only his family and his twin brother in the way of claiming the beautiful lass,he will do what he mast to protect the beautiful lass from the dragon hunters, dragon knights-ect,to protect her.
A lovely romantic story about the strong love a male dragon has for his mate and the powerful bonds of family.
If you want a heart warming book with love, lust, mates, and strong willed people who don’t take crap then this is the book for you.
This book is a series but the following books fouscus on other main characters related to this book. This book also switches from different perspectives in a smooth way so you don’t get confused on who’s eyes your looking through.