Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Book Review: The Dragon Berserker's Mate by Harlow Blaze

 

Book Description

A ring from Prince Charming, or a kiss from a green-eyed monster?

Hazel
Forced to flee her home in the dead of night, Hazel finds herself staring down the barrel of some grim career trajectories. She’s got half a therapy degree and a massive debt, and neither will put a roof over her head. The Seattle dragon shifters offer an escape. 

Marrying rich might not be a modern woman’s solution, but she’s not turning down a literal Prince Charming. And look on the bright side. Arranged marriages can end in true love, right?  There’s one small obstacle to marital bliss—Jay, her surly new bodyguard. 

Gorgeous, dangerous, and only dubiously sane, Jay is everything she can’t want. But staying in his apartment draws out her darkest desires. The kind designed to lead good girls astray. If Hazel gives in to their electric attraction, it’ll cost her dream. 

A happily ever after.

Jay
Jay is at war with his own mind.  He’s sacrificed everything to imprison his homicidal inner dragon. And it’s staying that way, no matter the effect on his fragile sanity. Getting saddled with a therapist for a roommate proves karma has a sick sense of humor. 

His body’s reaction to Hazel in his home shows that he’s even sicker.  All that matters is securing an alliance with a rival eyrie. Little Miss Sunshine is getting hitched if Jay has to drag her down the aisle himself. His inner beast has other ideas. His instincts don’t care that Hazel is engaged to another man. Her delicious scent and gentle soul spark a craving that threatens to drive him mad.

He’s supposed to be guarding her chastity, but he aches to taste her, claim her.  If Hazel frees the monster inside him, it’ll destroy them both. 

The Dragon Berserker’s Mate is the second novel in the Bad Dragon’s Bride series. It can be read as a standalone—featuring its own couple, steam, and a happily ever after.


My Review

Hazel flees her step father's home after the dragon mark appears on her chest, signifying that she can mate a dragon shifter and produce children with them. Since female dragon shifters are very rare, these human women are sought after. If you've read this series from the beginning, you know how human women started getting the mark. If you haven't read this series yet, you should start from the beginning since it will make more sense to you if you do. This can be read a standalone but you get the whole story of the mark if you read from the beginning. So Hazel is in debt, running from her step father who turned into a jerk after her mother died and she agrees to mate with a dragon shifter in order to have a better life as long as she's able to have kids. 

Jay is a grumpy dragon shifter with a completely crazy dragon inside him that he has locked away and never let's out. He's picked by his alpha to be the bodyguard of Hazel while she is there with them until her marriage to Lance, who has agreed to mate and marry her in order to have kids. 

Lance is from another group of dragon shifters and they are all hopeful that finding a mate for Lance will bring the two clans together and keep the peace a bit. Lance seems nice enough but Hazel isn't in love with him even though he's doing nice things for her. Hazel does feel something for Jay though and keeping her hands and feelings to herself while they live in the same place isn't easy. Jay feels the pull to Hazel as well but he's not going to mate with her because he doesn't feel like a whole dragon shifter since he's had to lock his dragon away inside him. He wants her to have a chance at happiness with a normal dragon shifter and Lance seems to fit the bill. 

Things aren't always as they seem though and they realize that they can't keep away from each other which puts Jay in a precarious position with his alpha. But there's a really good twist and a betrayal that changes everything for them. I loved watching Jay and Hazel come together because they really were made for each other. The twist was done so well, I never saw that coming. I highly recommend this series, it just keeps getting better. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout but all thoughts and opinions are my won.