She should be his mortal enemy.Ancient dragon shifter Rhys awoke from his slumber hungry for revenge against the witch who killed his sister. When his hunt takes him to the rebuilding city of New Orleans, he finds a woman he can’t keep his eyes off—but she’s a witch. While Rhys wants to despise all of Dallas’s kind, even he can’t deny that she’s beautiful, kind and…adorable. And her pet baby … her pet baby dragon only increases his fascination with the sexy woman. Protective instincts he never knew he had take over him as they hunt powerful monsters. He’s forced to confront everything he thought he knew about witches as his life is turned upside down.
But he wants her anyway.
Dallas Kinley is used to being hated because of what she is. Witches have always been the pariahs of the supernatural community. Until now, when the world needs rebuilding. Even though she wants to keep her distance from Rhys, vampires and humans are dying in New Orleans, so she vows to help him hunt down those responsible. But finding the enemy comes at a heavy price, because Dallas is hiding a terrible secret. As they race against the clock to find the murderers, she can only hope his need for revenge won’t rip them apart. Especially when he finds out what she’s been hiding from him.
Author note: Book can be read as a stand-alone complete with HEA.
Ancients Rising Series
Ancient Protector, #1
Ancient Enemy, #2
Ancient Enforcer, #3
more
I am absolutely loving this dragon shifter series! I love dragons! And this one has a bonus of an adorable baby dragon named Willow who is just too cute!! But this story is about Rhys, a very old dragon shifter and also Lachlan’s (from Book 1) brother, who is as gorgeous as a dragon as he is when he is a man. And Dallas, who is a witch, and amazing. I love both of these characters so much!! Rhys should not want Dallas, but he does more than anything. It seems it is fate. On his journey to find the witch who killed his sister, he and Dallas end up working together. She is afraid once he finds out what she has been keeping from him he will no longer want her though. I love this story and how difficult it is for Rhys and Dallas to fight the inevitable between them. I also adore Willow. The other characters in this series so far add so much to the story too which I love because it gives the story so much depth. I hope we get books about all of them!!!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this early ARC.
Rhys is a broody and angry dragon shifter that came out of hibernation still bent on revenge. His sister was killed by a witch thousands of years ago and he is still determined to track her and get vengeance. He knows it could be a suicide mission, but feels it is his duty. And that brings him to New Orleans.
On a routine assistance mission for the Alpha of New Orleans, he crosses paths with Dallas. She is a witch that uses her magic for agriculture and also happens to be raising an orphaned dragonling named Willow. She is kind of a loner, untrusting, and used to being judged for what she is. They are thrown together on an assignment and the more time they spend together, the more an unexpected attachment grows between them.
When unusual dark witch activity happens in the city putting supernaturals and humans at risk, they end up in the middle of the fray. And Rhys finds himself very protective of Dallas and Willow. But Dallas has some secrets that could change everything and Rhys still has his own mission and has never planned his own possibility of a future…but he also is keeping a secret from her.
I fell for the sweet dragonling, Willow. I loved that Dallas is good-hearted but also strong and talented in her own right. And Rhys is protective, possessive, brave, and ready to fight for those he cares about. I loved seeing them work together and find a connection since both had the tendency to push people away before they could get hurt.
I am enjoying this mixed setting of New Orleans with all kinds of supernaturals. This brings back the side characters we met in Ancient Protector. This sets up some future stories and I am already really excited about the NOLA Alpha, King and hope he gets his own story in the future.
I would definitely read book 1 before reading this one but if necessary it could be read as a stand alone. I just think you would miss out on some back story and some of who the characters are that are met in the first book. That being said, dragon shifter Rhys (who is the brother of the dragon in the first book) has awoken from his hibernation still hungering for revenge against the witch who killed his sister. His hunt leads him to New Orleans, where he comes across a woman that he has an attraction to he can’t explain. And she is a witch, people he hates beyond all reason. Dallas is beautiful, kind, and adorable with her pet dragon. Now he has to try to control not only his protective instincts when it comes to her but also confront that he may have been wrong about all witches being bad. Dallas is used to being hated for who and what she is. But when she is asked for help, she will help because it is the right thing to do. Even if it means she can’t keep her distance from Rhys. But once he finds out her secret, will he still want to protect her? Or will she become the thing he hunts?
I absolutely loved this one!! I thought the first book would be hard to top but this one sucked me in right from the start and I loved Dallas! She is this woman who just naturally has a beautiful soul and isn’t afraid to show it to people regardless of whether they treat her the same. I loved her! Her interactions not only with the other people in this book but just how she is with Willow just made me love her even more. Rhys definitely had good reasons for being the way he is but the fact that he could grow beyond it and realize that he was wrong and admit it? Loved it. The way he was with Dallas, and how much he truly cared about her and the people she cares about? Loved it! I can’t say enough about this one! I even loved that I got to see some of the characters from the other series that this one is a spin off of! Made my day!! I can’t wait to see where the next one takes us!!
Willow completely stole the show in this one. She was so adorable that even all the characters in the book couldn’t get enough of her. I hope we see more of her in the upcoming books in the series.
Now that I have my love for Willow expressed, I really did love Dallas and Rhys, as well. Dragon shifters are my favorite shifters to read about. To me they seem to be the unicorn of the shifter world. I find that Katie Reus really does them justice.
Rhys is a bit grumpy and has a one track mind on vengeance, so I loved seeing how Dallas not only showed him there is more to life, but she was also was the road to give him closure. And Dallas? I loved her innate goodness. She could have easily become like the evil villain she was raised to be. Instead she never let the dark touch her.
I always love getting to see my favorite side characters again, as well as new characters. There is just a lot to love about this series.
book two of this new series. It can be read as a standalone or series.
I found this one to be engrossing. Kept my interest from the very start to the end. Rhys is an ancient Dragon that hates witches and Dallas is a young witch that he falls for. Between them they have to save the cities paranormal citizens while fighting their feelings for each other. Dallas hasn’t told him her biggest secret yet either. Plenty of action and romance with a great storyline. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out.
The second book in the Ancients Rising series focuses on dragon shifter Rhys and witch Dallas.
This was a slow build relationship and it worked for these two characters. Both have series trust issues. Rhys doesn’t trust witches, and Dallas doesn’t trust anybody.
Their story is spent on them learning to have each other’s back and trusting each other literally with their lives. They way Rhys let’s go of his intense hate and self reflects on himself and his biases was so emotional to read. The way he put Dallas first was inspiring.
I am enjoying these characters and look forward to more from this series
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book.
Dragon set on getting his revenge
Rhys is Lachlan and Cody’s brother, whom we met in the previous book! Unfortunately, only Cody knows that Rhys is awake as Rhys has resumed his witch hunt for the person who killed his sister, if he can track her down after thousands of years. When Rhys ends up in New Orleans, King enlists his help and he meets a beautiful witch – Dallas And she holds a few surprises of her own including a pet dragon
I absolutely loved this story, the characters are amazing and the chemistry between Dallas and Rhys was melting my kindleLoved Willow too as she was the sweetest little thing ever I wish the next book was already here, but I’ll patiently await the next book and I hope to find out more about King and Aurora as something is definitely going on there Thank you to Netgalley, Katie and the publisher for my advanced copy for which I willingly leave my honest review
Rhys is a grumpy dragon, fresh out of hibernation and still chasing the trail of a wicked witch who killed his sister many, many years ago. He’s in New Orleans, helping King’s pack reorganize the city while he chases down his own leads. He despises witches with a passion, so it was funny to watch him eat crow when he meets Dallas, a very sweet, very nice witch, who is hiding some big secrets. There’s two have attraction in spades and I loved how their relationship developed, but someone else stole all the pages she was on…Dallas has the CUTEST EVER pet baby dragon names Willow!!!
Seriously, if Willow doesn’t make you smile and laugh with her adorable antics and utter sweetness, you have a heart of stone! She’s like a cross between baby Dumbo and adorable baby silliness, flies like a drunken bumblebee, loves kisses and cuddles, and attaches immediately to Rhys-who definitely doesn’t have a rock hard heart!
Ancient Enemy was a love fest for this bookworm! The story took off immediately, leaving me buckling in and holding on for a merry ride! I loved all the dynamics in this story. Everything came together and felt effortless-the relationships, Rhy’s vengeance, the swoony romance, the battles, the sheer cuteness-sorry, plugging for Willow again- if vampires, shifters, cute baby dragons, and nasty witches getting their dues are your thing, do check this series out!
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley and this is my honest review.
A dragon. A witch and New Orleans a unbeatable combination. Oh and a adorable Baby Dragon!!
Rhys has been in hibernation for thousands of years when he wakes up all he can think about is revenge.
Dallas has been called to the city to help rebuild by the alpha of New Orleans.
She meets the grumpy, grouchy over protective dragon and sparks fly.
Great world building and likable characters make this a great edition to this series.
Willow the baby dragon stole the show!!
King and Aurora need there own book soon. Just sayin!!
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *
Rhys is still hunting for his sisters killer millennia after the event. His hibernation over, he’s determined to find the witch that ruined his family and he lands in New Orleans.
Dallas loves her land and her little farmers co-op. They have what they need and her magic manages to give the land a little boost. Her former coven was turning to black magic more and more and she left just as quickly as she could but now that King is assisting Rhys with the search of the witch he’s looking for, her new found anonymity and peace is going to be shot to bits!
The perfect mate for a dragon that hates witches was obviously going to be a Witch! However, Dallas and Rhys have a lot of baggage they tote around and both of them manage to get in their own way at times. I could understand why Dallas kept her “little” family secret under wraps. Rhys was the perfect mix of Alpha male and sensitive lover. Dallas may be a little timid compared to some but she had a spine of steel when her little put together family is threatened.
One specific little dragonling is just soooo cute! We need more of her!
There is plenty going on storywise, both within the book and the overall story arc of the series. Lots of visitors from previous books and series to keep you entertained. That lion shifter is going to get a right hook to the mouth from someone soon!
If this book is anything to go by, I truly regret having missed out on the first book in this series, because book 2, Ancient Enemy has got to be one of my favourite shifter books. It had just the right amount of action, romance and supernatural mojo to make it intriguing and addictive, add in a storyline that I won’t easily forget. A dragon shifter, a witch, and an adorable baby dragon all make for a sweet, fun and enthralling read. Not too much angst, wonderful easygoing characters with a little enemies to lovers in the mix, as Rhys hates witches, and Dallas is a witch. That said it doesn’t take Rhys long to learn that she’s nothing like the witch who murdered his sister. He’s up front with Dallas, making sure she knows he’s out for revenge, and together they battle the supernatural forces of evil that threaten to take over the world, one coven at a time. I loved it, and on that note, I’d like to thank NetGalley and KR Press for giving me the opportunity to review an early copy of this book.
I can’t get enough of this world and all its amazing characters!
Rhys’ hunt to find his sister’s killer takes him to New Orleans where he meets Dallas and her baby dragon. Prejudiced against witches, he’s on his guard with her as he’s assigned to help her with a project prescribed by their Alpha. Being a Katie Reus book, it doesn’t take long for his protective instincts to kick in and what follows is all kinds of deliciousness that was exactly what my day was in need of!
Dallas was perfect for Rhys. She was sweet and gentle with everything good about her. But when the situation warranted it, she was more than capable of doing what it took to take care of what was at hand. I loved learning more about her the further into the story I read. I especially loved her protection over her baby dragon as it shined a light on what was truly in her heart.
It’s no surprise I loved Rhys and all his protective and possessive actions regarding Dallas. Watching him morph from a shifter who was after revenge to one who could think of nothing but his woman’s welfare showcased how he was incapable of doing anything but following those traits.
This has several plotlines running through it, some joining together and others setting up what these secondary characters will be facing in the future. All of it pure perfection. There was never a moment that this became boring or bogged down and the steam level was dragon scorching. Not sure who we get next, but I’m already greedy to get it into my hands.
5 stars
Rhys is an ancient dragon who has been in hibernation for thousands of years. He has recently awakened and is searching for the witch that killed his sister. Rhys hates witches and believes they are all evil. Until he meets Dallas and must reevaluate his beliefs. Dallas is a witch with a pet dragon. She has a farm and grows food to supply the community. She is asked to come to New Orleans to help finds places for gardens to help after The Fall. While there, vampires and humans are being kidnapped and Dallas and Rhys hunt for them. Rhys is told that the witch he is looking for is the same one kidnapping people. Can they find the witches before anymore more people disappear and find the witch responsible for Rhys’s sisters death?
This is my very favorite story. I freaking loved it. Dragons, vampires, secrets, and sex. I loved Willow, the baby pet dragon. Humor and suspense. I read this within a couple of hours. Characters who are charming and strong.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *