Kathryn Le Veque

My Review (Fair warning that there are spoilers, so please be responsible upon reading this review)

BlackWolfe is the 14th installment in the de Wolfe Pack series, but you can easily read this as a standalone if needed. I absolutely adored this story so deeply. I never know what to expect when I pick up a Le Veque if I am being honest. But her books I just know from the get-go that I will enjoy. I was so in love with this family and they are probably my favorite family grouping that this author has done.

This story really struck deeply because I resonated with the hero especially. He had such vulnerabilities. He never thought he was good enough and a failure to the de Wolfe name. He never felt valued by his father or his family and was different than his siblings. He had unique talents that led him down a different path to be the King's negotiator. He faces some real challenges but we such vibrant character growth from him.

The romance that develops is quite interesting. I did feel like this aspect was a bit lower than I expected from a Le Veque. I will say that they do some courting which was fun to see, but its low key and not heavily focused on. I did enjoy the conflict and the underhanded revenge plot from the villain that connects to Williams' story. Very fascinating connections that the author used there. Even though there could have been a bit more focus on the romantic elements, I had a blast with this book and I definitely give cause for this to the narrator. Brad Wills just did such a great job with this book and is a big reason this rating is as high as it is.

Overall I had a blast with this book and eager to see the rest of the de Wolfe pack books.… (mais)

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨✨

First Impressions
A Wolf Among Dragons is the eighth installment in the "de Wolfe Pack" and I absolutely adored it in every way. In fact this is my FIRST 6 star historical romance read of the year. Even after a few years of reading this author, I have to wonder how does she write such delicious work? Its just delightful and the way she can combine historical facts and bring in strong characters that somehow fit the time so well, is such a blast. I am not sure how I truly feel about this book because it had me all over the place emotion wise. There was something so much more about this book than I expected. I was NOT this whirlwind of a romance or the emotion that happens in this one....yeah didn't see it coming. But brownie points to Kathryn Le Veque for writing such a superb tale.

First Line
It was the children's hour.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: James de Wolfe (Blayth)
James, is believed dead by his family.
Scarred and struggles with a vocal disability from battle wounds

The Heroine: Lady Asmara
A Dragon princess for Wales
Royal Heritage
Kick ass female warrior

Summary
James is one of the sons of William de Wolfe and while on the battlefield was believed to have been killed in Wales. Now its been five years, and the family still mourns their loss. James is now living under the name of Wales hero...Blayth. He has some brilliant tactics that are only re-energizing the Wales fight for freedom. But he has lost all of his memories and only believes on what he has been told. But he has dreams of strange men but can't pin point who they are. He fights alongside, their warrior princess Asmara. Who is a capable warrior and can battle with the best of them. Neither of them expected love but they find love and heart with each other. But when he learns that he could be a English warrior of one of the most prestige families in all of England, he wants to know of his heritage. But he has an enemy, one who will manipulate him and betray him when he least expects it....will the Wolfe family lose their son they never knew was alive all of this time?

What I Loved
A Wolfe Among Dragons is the eighth installment but you could read this after "The Wolfe" and "The Serpent", you don't necessarily need to read the other installments but do recommend reading at least those two books FIRST. So this book blew my mind! I didn't expect to be so thrown off than by this book. Its a story that had such a emotional impact, I felt like I was run over by a train with this one. If you love medieval romance, then you definitely need to think about this book or author, because she writes such captivating books.

From the very beginning, we see the scene at the infamous Welsh battle where James was believed to have been killed. And man my heart, the way you see this family not wanting to leave him behind but believing he was dead and so heart broken not to take his body with them? Just so heartbreaking. And I didn't even know after all this time that James had a "Lazarus" rise from the dead type of story. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but the plot in this story was brilliantly laid out. Once you see him five years following that battle scene, you just know that you will be on a wild ride and Le Veque really carries that intensity from beginning to end.

The romance that develops was so memorable and had such a epic feel to it. The chemistry that these two have together is spot on, and their connection is a bit different than I have read from this author before and it had a level of sensuality I truly adored seeing being mixed in with the story. Our characters have such strong personalities but at the same time they are so respectful towards each other. There is such a level of teamwork between them. The way that they banter is super endearing. And when the hero gets so vulnerable and needs a woman to stand by him, I just respected the way in which Asmara trusts in him and doesn't spurn him when the truth comes out. She only proves her loyalty to him and is there when he needs it both physically and emotionally.

The Plot was top-tier in this one. So well developed and I never knew what would be happening next. We have so many moments of adventure, action, and strong humor that is placed in here at just the right times. This author really pulls you into this historical time period that feels so raw and real. There is quite a bit of political intrigue that was fascinating and layered into the story that has such a genuine feel to it. The family conflict was so heartbreaking. I was not expecting the ending both happy and sad that leaves you with such a deep poignant heart in the end. I am actually surprised Le Veque went the way that she did. But at the same time, I kinda knew it would happen considering what I have seen in other books. But no worries...our couple....DEFINITE HEA!

What I Struggled With
Nothing, it was perfection in every way!

Narration
Brad Wills is one of my favorite narrators. So talented, with the voice that really delivers the best medieval vibes and is flawless in his transfer of character voice tones!

Overall View
A Wolf Among Dragons is a romance that will literally dig deep into your emotions, strike deeply into the historical elements and fire up the tension in a brilliant masterful way! A WELSH ROMANTIC GEM!

Favorite Quote(s)
"Love was something that couldn't be forgotten."

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, England-Plantanaget Era, Set in England/Wales
Character Types: Royalty, Kick Ass Heroine, Warrior Hero
Themes: All the Feels, Heart/Emotional, Tear Jerker
Tropes: Mistaken Identity, Forced Proximity, Amnesia

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Plot Conflict

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Julie Garwood
Margaret Mallory

Song This Book Inspires
Die Another Day-Madonna

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read these as standalones if you like, but you receive a better reading experience by reading in order.

Steam/Spice Explanations

Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

Narrators:
Brad Wills… (mais)

What a adorable novella this turned out to me. I was kinda nervous with this one because the reason for the christmas miracle that is needed with this is about a couple that has a book in this series so I was so terrifed the author would kill them off or something haha but I should have trust in Le Veque a bit more. It was a delightful read, about the heart and family and faith and miracles. You can read this as a standlone and it was so sweet. Love the sense of beautiful emotino that is conveyed in this one and reminder on how much I need to read more of this author. Medeival romance for the win!… (mais)

I was so excited to read this as it contains 2 of my favorite authors - Ashley and Byrne. The book has 6 novellas in total and the aforementioned authors were my favorites (no surprise), but the other stories too were fun! The stories revolve around a tavern and they range from a ghost story to one filled with action to a missing hero one. The first story was sweet but was more of a set up for the second one which was truly a great novella.

This is a great collection of stories for the holidays and most of them are sprinkled with that little extra holiday cheer.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

… (mais)