Heart of the Dragon (Atlantis) [Mass Market Paperback]

I read this book after reading and loving The Nymph King. It did not know at the time that The Nymph King was the third book in the series, however as soon as I did I ordered the other two books. I didnt think it possible but I loved Heart of the Dragon even more than The Nymph King.

I was surprised with the low rating a previous reviewer gave as I was in lust with Darius from the first few pages and longed to be the one to awaken his senses. But then I like books where the hero initially tries to deny himself because he is honour bound to, despite his increasing desire. If you feel the same then you'll love this book.

I eagerily await the next book, which I believe is going to feature the Vampire King, another tortured soul.

Grace Carlyle battles discontent. After scaling mountains, throwing her self from airplanes, speed dating and acquiring a pierced belly button, she finds none of these activities fill the void in her soul. When her brother Alex disappears in Brazil whilst searching for the fabled Atlantis, Grace takes an extended leave of absence from work and heads off to the Amazon jungle to find him. Lost and angry after her guide betrays and abandons her, Grace stumbles through the jungle and into a cave, unwittingly crossing a hidden portal which transports her to Atlantis. This world is definitely not the paradise portrayed in legend. Instead it is a land of rejects, peopled by creatures the Gods did not want walking the surface of the world; dragons, minotaurs and vampires to name but a few. The secret of Atlantis must be guarded at all cost and any strangers from the surface are executed on sight. This job belongs to the emotionless and ruthless Darius en Kragin, a shape shifting dragon king and Guardian of the Mist. After witnessing the murder of his beloved family over 300 years ago, he willingly embraced a cold detachment and has not felt any emotion since childhood. With his men bored and restless during their training, even their meal time fights do not rouse Darius. To relieve their tension his men make a wager, each determined to make their king lose his legendary cool. None succeed and all are left astonished when a beautiful human redhead makes their king smile.

Ok this book does have a touch of Christine Feehan's "Carpathians", as Darius is only able to see in black and white before meeting Grace, and finds in her presence his other senses returning along with a raging desire to make this human woman his own rather than follow the law and kill her. He is understandably reluctant to open his heart to a woman he should execute and backs away from Grace when things become quite heated between them, resulting in some serious sexual tension. In fact this couple only get together towards the end of the book, yet their wait appears worth it. Their first full sexual encounter is truly explosive, with the normally mild mannered Darius losing all control over his emotional and physical responses to Grace (lucky girl).

There is also plenty of action and enough entwining story lines to keep even the most demanding of readers entertained. Darius follows Grace to her world after she escapes him and the pair are not only caught up in the search for Alex but also battle to save Atlantis from greedy humans, men in cohorts with vampires intent on plundering the land and destroying all dragons. With the introduction of guns into their society the dragons find themselves at a distinct disadvantage until Grace steps in and helps. She is left convinced however she may well be wanted by the FBI after ordering a large number of Kevlar vests over the internet (extra large rampant warrior size of course) and stocking up on bullets.

GS is a witty and provocative author who has produced another scorching tale. When I come across a book this good I feel obliged to spread the word and hopefully my review will help sway you to purchasing this book. "Heart of the Dragon" is so wonderful that even cold hearted cynics will find themselves falling in love with a dragon and envying the hell out of Grace. I have read everything available by GS and find that her books just get better and better and in fact I feel "Heart of the Dragon" easily equals any of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Darkhunter books (something I never thought I would say). Imaginative, hot and tender, this book will definitely haunt your dreams and inspire treks into unexplored Rainforests.

Darius en Kragin, a dragon of Atlantis sees no colours and feels no emotions, he desires nothing from his immortal life other than the protection of Atlantis from those humans who live on the surface that would see his underwater city pillaged of its treasures and his people brutalised. Since his families violent death at the hands of such people Darius has protected one of the few portals into Atlantis viciously and without remorse, killing anyone who passed through whether they be innocent travellers or hardened soldiers or indeed man, women or child. But when a women emerges who carries with her a Dragon Medallion, something that only a dragon warrior possesses and a treasure forged by the very gods who banished the creatures of Atlantis to their city so long ago, can Darius kill her when she posses so many questions and seems to be able to lift the greyness that has been his existence and reawaken his deadened senses?

There is something missing in Grace Carlyle life. To fill the void she has become an adrenalin junky but nothing works for long. So she jumps at the chance to travel to the Amazon jungle after receiving a strange necklace from her myth investigating brother Alex. She begins to regret her decision when she finds herself lost in the middle of the jungle, with no water after her guide legs it and no sign of her brother Alex. Well a bad day turns into a horrendous one as she stumbles into a truly bizarre land and gets accosted by a sword wielding hulk of a man with the promise of death in his eyes!

I've wanted to read this book for awhile now but have waited for it to be rereleased. I think it's important to say that if you're like me and have read some of Showalter's later books before reading this that the quality of writing here isn't as high as her `Lords of the Underworld' books. Her work has clearly improved a lot since this book. There are a few things that annoyed me when reading; first is the how the dynamic between Grace and Darius is written, there are passages and passages of the two characters just DESCRIBING each other as they fight their mutual attraction. It's lessened when they finally get together and seems to be born from their sexual frustration and growing lust but still it really bugged me. Also I didn't warm to Darius, I found him incredibly patronising and a little dull, he's one of the more classical alpha males I've read in a while or in other words a bit of a you know what! Also I know Showalter has a tendency to do this, but why make Grace a virgin? It doesn't fit into the plot let alone her characterisation, this formula bugs me because I don't get it but it appears in so many romance novels! Also Atlantis itself wasn't fully realised and with enough flare to really sparkle but this is partly to do with the plot itself and the fact that much of the time it is Darius finding wonder in our world and as a result we don't see or learn much of Atlantis.

I'd still recommend this book, it's the beginning of what I think (or hope) will be an ever improving series, I'll likely read the others as I'm really looking forward to `The Vampires Bride' which is out in March (2009). The highlights in `Heart of the Dragon' are Showalter's witty and quirky style with a healthy dose of silliness - the villain sits on a throne made from the bones of his enemies for crying out loud! - and her ba-boom-chush humour, which I love. Also I really got into the book by the last hundred pages, the characters had really grown and the story started to pick up momentum. There are also some well placed and intriguing sub stories and secondary characters that I am excited to know more about, Showalter definitely has a talent for creating a diverse and individual cast of characters for her books and in this case species too, with all the different beings here and the interesting burgeoning mythology I say bring on `Jewel of Atlantis'!