It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, … stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until…. Dragan Fiachna, heir to the curse of royal blood, a horror hiding behind a beautiful face…. you shall remain locked in stone until a maiden, untested and pure, shall find grace in your beast and safety in your nightmare.
Dragan Fiachna, born to a life of loneliness, cast into stone by a sorcerer’s curse and imprisoned forever in darkness. He is freed at last, only to discover his enemy still lives and is plotting the death of millions in his quest to rule this new world.
Maeve Collins, brilliant, courageous, and compassionate enough to believe a stone statue can have a soul. Shocked when her beautiful winged man breaks free, horrified at the torment he’s endured, she dedicates herself to reuniting him with the warriors he calls family.
But she never planned on falling in love.
Racing across half the country in search of the only man who can stop their foe from fulfilling his merciless scheme, Dragan and Maeve discover they’ve unwittingly stolen the one artifact that can defeat their enemy. And he wants it back. Pursued by assassins, they fight their way to Dragan’s brothers, only to discover the war for this world has already begun….
Author Bio: D. B. Reynolds is the RT and Epic Award-Winning author of the Vampires in America series of paranormal romance, and an Emmy-nominated television sound editor. D. B. currently lives in a flammable canyon near the Malibu coast, and when she’s not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else’s. You can visit D. B. at her website.
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I really enjoyed this book. It has great characters, a hiss worthy villain, steamy sex scenes and was fast paced. I recommend this book.
An evil curse locked four warriors in stone. Statues for centuries, only a pure woman who could see beyond the physical could free them. One such woman was Maeve Collins. She approached Dragan’s statue with compassion and spoke to it as if it were a real person. How was she to know that he was real, wings and all? Once freed, Dragan needs to connect with his brotherhood – the great sorcerer, Nicodemus, and the others who were now free from their stone prisons. However, the wicked sorcerer who cursed them in the first place won’t make their reunion so easy. He’s desperate to take over the world, by any means necessary, and Nico and his warriors are the only beings standing in his way. Luckily, Dragan and his friends never shy away from a fight. With a hot and sexy romance developing and an encroaching battle on the horizon, Dragan is a read not to be missed!
Some of the things I liked were:
Dragan of course. Who can resist an incredibly chiseled wall of muscle with a glorious face and a personality to match? He was strong and kind and passionate and fearsome and courageous and… I could definitely go on, but you should really read the book to find out why he was so easy to love.
the magical elements. I love the idea of curses and legends and the like. I’m eager to read Nico’s story because I’m sure even more magic will be found in it.
Dragan’s back story. My heart broke for the hero that no one cared for. He risked his life, day after day, to keep people safe because ‘that was his job’, but there was no appreciation. No kindness. No sincerity. Then he finds fellow warriors, creates a family, only to be cursed for millenia and end up in another world. His luck sucked! I believe the author did an amazing job of developing this character. He had a vulnerability to him that I really appreciated, despite his overwhelming strength, making him a hero in every sense of the word.
If you are a lover of the unrealistic and yet fantastic, you won’t want to pass on this story. It’s got magic out the ying yang, an inevitable love story, interesting characters, and a segue into what comes next. That epilogue really got my attention!!
Although I haven’t read the first 3 I wasn’t lost with the story. Story was steady paced. Maeve and Dragan were likable along with the characters from the previous books that showed up to help. Although it was a bit wordy in parts the book held my attention. I will definitely be picking up the previous ones as well as wanting to read Nick’s story.
D.B. Reynolds returns to her exciting and magical Stone Warriors series with Dragan, a man destined to be alone not only because of his life commitment to battle, but because of the stone curse his enemy cast upon him and his brothers in arms.
Maeve Collins is a smart and kind computer geek with an affinity for antiques, hired by Dragan’s enemy to catalogue his collection of artifacts. None captivated her the most than the magnificent winged stone warrior who she talked to sitting by his taloned wing as if he could hear and respond.
The amazement when he broke free was soon replaced with a fierce determination to help him find his warrior family. She expected to be chased, but not fall in love. Can Dragan and Maeve find Nick Katsaros and his brothers before Sotiris catches up to them? And will they be able to defeat him?
Reynolds delivers an exciting and sizzling romance between Dragan and Maeve. The suspense as they race across the country is tangible while the romance scorches the pages. Dragan is a compelling hero whose protectiveness is on par with his devotion and attention to “his Maeve.” It was so very easy to fall in love with him despite being depicted as a monster. And even though there was some self-doubt on Mae’s part, she was his perfect match.
The plot was hooking and I loved catching up with the rest of the couples from previous books and getting a cameo from a beloved couple from Reynolds’ Vampires in America. Reynolds is a master of the paranormal genre and delivers a compulsively readable story. I can’t wait to read the next installment.
Dragan is book #4 of the Stone Warriors series by author D.B. Reynolds. It’s told from various points of view with an introduction into the next book.
Dragan, reading these back cover I assumed he was a beast in manners and looks, but far from it, he saw himself as a beast, his parents gave him away to be a protector, a warrior. The people who looked after him as a child, did just that, there was duty only, no love. And even as a man, he knew only duty, women would want only his body, a s nothing else…..
Maeve is a total computer geek, online haves and programming is her way of life, the solitary life suits her. And the house she lives in, well that’s big enough to get lost in. Her favourite room, well that’s the one with her big stone warrior in it, a huge wingspan she sits under when she talks to him…..
As always the curse is broken by a woman, and a specific curse at that…… “Dragan Fiachna, heir to the curse of royal blood, a horror hiding behind a beautiful face…. you shall remain locked in stone until a maiden, untested and pure, shall find grace in your beast and safety in your nightmare.”
She spoke to him about anything and everything, until one day the stone cracks, and Dragan is free….
She’s a little wary at first, not believing he’s the statue in the room she often sat.
We have all the stone warriors freed now, and like the previous books, Maeve and Dragan make their way to Nick (or Nico) Dragan is unaware if his warrior brothers are alive, but hopes they are.
We have battles along the way, we have a few mysteries that may result in a few more books and we have the evil
Sorcerer alive and wanting revenge. You see not only did Maeve free the warrior (he had him locked in that room, making sure Nicodemus would never find him) but she stole a valuable tool that could defeat the sorcerer. And he definitely wants that back.
I have to admit, I was expecting a beauty and the beast story, (that will teach me for taking the back cover too literal!) a huge statue with wings (thinking gargoyle)
The descriptions of the battles were awesome, I think the author might have watched or played a few online games to get a few pointers
And now we have a sneak preview of the next story (which I’m hoping we get) Nicodemus and the mysterious Antonia
The fourth book in the Stone Warriors, Dragan is an engaging read. Well-paced and delivered with powerful compelling characters the was another great story from D.B Reynolds.
I really enjoyed this book. Dragan and Maeve were fantastic together, they were Interesting characters that had great chemistry. The story was well-written, well-developed with an interesting storyline that had action, danger, suspense and romance. A fantastic read that kept me turning the pages from beginning to end.
I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGallery and am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
Finally, we have DRAGAN!
Maeve Collins is an academic with a nerd’s heart, who has taken a position in seclusion to catalogue a vile and rude man’s vast collection of rare artefacts and precious treasures for the past three years. Little does this mousy, solitary woman know that she is employed by a callous and vengeful sorcerer who will stop at nothing to destroy those who are good and just. But Maeve has a companion in the beautiful and imposing statue that her employer berates at every opportunity, and his magnificent wings draw her near even when she knows its forbidden.
Dragan Fiachna is a magnificent specimen of the human form, unfortunately that form has been encased in stone for a thousand years while his cognitive mind has remained alert and aware of all he is missing as the years pass by. But the sweet and compassionate young woman who sits by his feet after he endures ridicule and abuse by his jailor, keeps his hopes alive that freedom will again be his, and his brothers are waiting for his ultimate return.
This is the fourth story in D.B Reynolds spin off from her acclaimed Vampires in America series that has continued to thrill and captivate her reading audience since 2009. And as with any story written by this exceptionally talented author, we always know that the content will be fast-paced, high octane and brutal, but it will also be underwritten with courage and compassion.
Dragan is everything we as readers would expect from a thousand-year-old warrior; fierce, steadfast and gloriously handsome, he is also believable in his role as an ancient being who’s transitioning to life in the modern world. His language is realistic but evolves nicely to the more modern idioms of today as the story progresses. And while Maeve may start out as a fragile soul, she has inner strength that compliments Dragan as they travel across the country, evading capture, and on a journey to find Nico (and hopefully his lost brothers) then defeat the nefarious Sotiris.
This story started out a little slower than the previous ones, but there was nothing missing in the intrigue, suspense, world building and overall storyline and plot that makes this book just as thrilling as those that came before. The Stone Warriors are a diverse and captivating group that have continued to provide hours of reading entertainment, along with laughs, and tragedy, and I can’t wait to the final book!
The pressure’s on Ms Reynolds; what do you have in store for Nico?
Dragan Fiachna is the last of Nick’s missing warriors and he is trapped in on of Sotiris many houses. Maeve, an employee of Sotiris, has always been drawn to the beautiful winged statue in the statue hall. While Sotiris rants and raves at it, she offers it comfort and peace, even though she knows its justs stone. Her care for the statue finally breaks the curse and Dragan is finally free. Maeve uses her hacking ability to help Dragan to find Nick.
Dragan and Maeve are probably my favorite couple of this series. I really loved their interactions and care for each other. You could feel the emotions from the beginning and it was perfect. Maeve was smart, sassy, and resourceful. I quite enjoyed her and how she dealt with everything. She was never afraid of Dragan and knew he would protect her, even after he shows how deadly he can be. Dragan was supportive, caring, and protective. He has had a terrible past and thinks he is a monster, but Maeve shows him he can still be loved.
Now that all of the warriors are freed we are getting closer to the final confrontation with Sotiris. I thought we were going to get in this book but nope. I am glad though because I want to see more of this series. I really want to see Nick get a HEA because he deserves it.
Also I really want to know Lili’s story now. She is clearly a supernatural but what kind? Clearly she has a troubled past and Nick is very protective of her. I really need to know!
*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*
I absolutely know when I pick up a book by this author that it’s going to be a wild ride, rife with action and of course full to the brim with romance. Finally we get the last of the cursed Warriors and Dragan is a character wholly unique in that he’s brave yes , fearless without a doubt but desperate for someone to finally, actually want him monstrous wings and all ! Step forward Maeve who has deliberately cut herself off from family and loved ones in order to work for an employer who well frankly she really doesn’t like that much. Unfortunately for Maeve she’s been working for a vicious Sorcerer with no compassion and a very evil plan to finally get rid of his enemies once and for all. Dragan is under a truly nasty curse with rather particular needs to break it and Maeve is just the woman to fulfill those parameters but how will she react when what looks like a Gargoyle turns out to be a man trapped in stone ?
If like me you’v enjoyed this authors Vampires in America series than this crossover is a delight to read. It had previously been revealed that Sotiris had secreted Dragan away but that hadn’t stopped Nico and the other three Warriors looking for him. Now I mentioned that there’s a connection here with the V.I.P. books because these stories take place in the same world but even more exciting is the fact that Nico is an ex of Cyn the woman who owns and yes I do mean owns the heart of the biggest and baddest Vampire of them all, the wholly gorgeous Raphael ! I’d actually have enjoyed a little more Vampire action in this book but still cannot fault this amazing story that was oh so satisfying and now all I want is to discover who the mysterious woman that will bring Nico to his knees is. You will love Dragan because he’s a male that truly deserves a happy ending and Maeve turned out to be a very courageous woman unafraid of self sacrifice. This gets a big recommendation from me for the imaginative world building but most of all the diverse characters who had me cheering them on.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair