Demetrius Cade has long since let go of his prejudice against Morgonkind, the dragon hybrid race his father taught him to hate. But what he never saw coming was the Morgon woman who would finally teach him to love.Shakara Icewing has watched Demetrius Cade from afar for years. Known as the most eligible bachelor and emotionally unavailable in all of Gladium Province, she sees him as the aloof, … the aloof, arrogant brother of her dear friend. But when they finally meet, she isn’t sure she can handle how deep and how fast they both fall.
An old enemy resurfaces and once more threatens those Demetrius loves. When Shakara plans to speak before Parliament against business tycoon Aron Grayson, she puts her own life in the line of fire. Demetrius will stop at nothing to protect the woman he can no longer live without.
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What a wonderful read! I’m falling more in love with this Morgon world than I ever imagined!
Demetrius has lived a relatively solitary life, a workaholic, a man who has followed in his father’s footsteps even when it led him into racism. Now that he’s cleared his head and is on the path of healing broken relationships, his heart is taken with Shakara Icewing and her delicate beauty.
Shakara is aware of Demetrius’ past, his actions that led to pain and his opinions regarding the mixing of humans and Morgons. But the Demetrius she meets is not that man. He is more than she ever imagined and the pain in her chest intimates that her heart is completely taken with him.
I absolutely loved this couple! Demetrius has come a long way from his initial position in the first Nightwing book. (Don’t worry, this book can be read as a standalone.) My heart swooned as he allowed himself to open up to Shakara as well as all Morgons. And once he did, he never hesitated to protect her and claim her as his own. I thought he might appear a bit weak when compared to Morgon men but he did not. He knew where his strengths laid and utilized them.
Shakara was the perfect counterpoint to Demetrius. She was light and beauty, love and compassion, and everything that he has not allowed into his life. And despite the Morgon’s long history of existence, she had some learning to do herself and I really enjoyed the manner in which it occurred and that she then later shared with the hero.
This is a relationship low in angst and high in steam. The villain was suitable to the story and the culmination of the conflict and drama was appeased with just a hint of doubt remaining to possibly arise in future books. Additional resolutions were heartwarming as this story brings this couple full circle.
I urgently recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a paranormal romance that includes human/dragon hybrids, amazing heroes and heroines, and beautiful conclusions.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I haven’t read the Nightwing series, which comes before this series and contains Demetrius’ sister, I didn’t have any preconceived notions nor what to expect when I started the Vale of Stars Series. With that in mind I found Dragon Heartstring was a good read. I liked Shakara and Demetrius. Things between them developed nicely and had great pacing. It had just the right amount of heat and intrigue to keep me from wanting to put the book down. A good read and a good start to a new series. Looking forward to reading more.
Juliette Cross was a new to me author this year and I absolutely fell in love with Darkest Heart, which jump-started me to look into her other books. Plus a couple of bookish friends recommended her other series to me. The Vale of Stars series got a bit of a reboot, with some new scenes, editing and beautiful new covers. Dragon Heartstrings was truly a great introduction into the Morgon-Human world.
Little did I know as I was reading this, there was a series before this where quite a few characters were mentioned. I’ll admit that I kind of wish I knew that beforehand, so I could have started from the very beginning. But thankfully, Cross did a great job introducing the characters and making them well-known enough that you weren’t confused by who is whom. And it leaves that bit of intrigue to read the previous series to learn about these characters.
This wasn’t Demetrius and Shakara’s first appearance in Cross’s books, they’re in the Nightwing series, which is up next for me to read. From what I gathered, he didn’t have the best stance on Morgons and there’s a lot of regrets since his father was a strong influence in the way he perceives them. But when it comes to love, the heart can easily change.
I love, LOVE Demetrius and Shakara together. They complemented each other so well, essentially each other’s half. Demetrius is dedicated to his job and has a strict routine with it. His sister, Jessen, is constantly on him about living in the moment for once. But his presence is something that anyone could easily notice if you’re in the same room. And Shakara was completely enthralled with him.
It was so great to watch these two learn about each other and for Demetrius to gain a new appreciation for the Morgon kind. I was so fascinated with this world and the real-life issues they faced, and these two team up to tackle the wrong that is a weapon that is meant to kill Morgon kind. Which helped ignite the intense chemistry between the both of them. And I loved every moment of it!
The world-building is great and sets the scene enough to learn more in the books to come. Demetrius and Shakara definitely go down as favorites in the fantasy world. Such an amazing read and I can’t wait to jump into the next book in this series.
**AN ARC WAS GRACIOUSLY PROVIDED FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**
Juliette Cross
Dragon Heartstring by Juliette Cross is book 0.5 in the Vale of Stars series. This is the story of Shakara Icewing and Demetrius Cade.
Demetrius a human whose father hates the Morgon people and what they stand for starts to doubt his father’s beliefs. When Demetrius meets Shakara who is a Morgon women that is a close friend to his sister who actually married a Morgan man, he starts to know that his feelings for her is more than what he was raised to think possible. Demetrius, a loner who still works at his father’s business has never been taken back by a women before but his new feelings for Shakara are more than he can ignore. Shakara a healer who uses her powers for both Morgons and humans. Shakara is out to get a band on weapons that are solely used to kill Morgans. Demetrius steps forward to help with that goal wanting to keep his nephew and others safe. Their feelings start to take over while working together.
I enjoyed this book and a great start to this series.
4.5 “alpha males rule, independently of the species” Stars
Demetrius Cade is the man! I’m not going to lie, I was prepared to detest the snobby, prejudiced and highhanded Demetrius we met in Soulfire. It took Ms. Cross approximately five paragraphs to have me doing a complete 180 on my opinion of him, and I’m pretty sure by the end of the first chapter I was totally gaga for him.
Shakara Icewing is a healer. Her clan’s power and knowledge, on top of her sweet and nurturing nature, drives her to open the first ever free clinic to tend to both humans and Morgons alike. It’s also made her decide to speak up in Parliament against the Volt gun, the hideous human invention design specifically to kill Morgons.
Although Demetrius and Shakara had been in each other’s presence before, it’s only when they actually talk for the first time that their fierce attraction becomes apparent. And that’s pretty much all they need. While both had some preconceptions about the other, they soon realize that what they share is bigger than either could imagine. But not only are mixed couples still frowned upon, Demetrius father is one of the most renowned bigots against Morgon kind and Shakara’s plan to go against the Grayson Empire has put a target on her back.
I loved how Demetrius’ protective and possessive side awoke and he’d stop at nothing to keep his Morgon lady safe. He was bossy, alpha and all kinds of sexy and I freaking loved him. Shakara was also the bomb. I liked how she could be sweet and soft, even shy but also had a fierceness to beware of. At one point I wish she’d been more of a warrior and kick ass, but alas, one cannot have everything in life. Still, she was a fabulous leading lady and I loved them together as a couple.
I have only one complaint in the whole story, and that is, why have we missed out on the Morgon toddler making??? Jessen and Lucius’ baby boy was so cute and adorable I wanted to know everything about him, but we only get some glimpses *pouty-sad-face*.
With a great pace, action, suspense, crazy hot shenanigans and alpha males of every species to drool over, Dragon Heartstring was absolutely amazing from start to finish, and I can’t wait to jump into the next story in the series. And though this can be read as a standalone I strongly recommend reading the short Nightwing series first for maximum enjoyment.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*
Dragon Heartstring, book #0.5 in the Vale of Stars series by Juliette Cross, is being re-released so this was my second time reading it, the first time being almost exactly two years ago. I can honestly say that I loved it just as much this time through as I did the first time. In re-reading my initial review, there isn’t a single thing I want to change. I loved the role reversal in this one, that it was a Morgon woman and a human man. I also loved the way that the heroine, Shakara Icewing, chooses to share her gift of healing with both her own kind, and with humans, further breaking down the barriers between Morgons and humans.
“You are my whole heart, Morgon mine. And no one will take you from me.”
Demetrius Cade was taught by his father to hate Morgons. When Demetrius’s sister married a Morgon man, their father turned his back on her. But when her first child was born, half human and half Morgon, and Demetrius held that little baby in his arms, he knew without a doubt that his father was wrong.
Demetrius still works for his father. His work is pretty much his life. His dedication to his job has given him a reputation as being a loner, unapproachable, surly or gruff. No woman has ever caught his eye. But at his nephew’s third birthday party that all changed when he saw his sister’s close friend, Shakara Icewing, a Morgon healer, standing there.
Shakara is a healer but she believes that her gifts should be shared with both humans and Morgons alike. So, she runs a clinic that treats both. She met Demetrius years before but it’s obvious he doesn’t remember her.
“Perhaps you won’t forget me so easily this time,” I said, forcing myself to smile.
His expression sobered, dark eyes captivating.
“No, I most certainly won’t forget you this time.”
If you read Juliette’s first book, Soulfire, then you know the history of Demetrius’s sister, Jessen. The man she was originally betrothed to, the evil Aron Grayson, tried to murder the Morgon Jessen eventually fell in love with, with a Volt gun. It is a gun Aron’s family invented with the sole purpose of killing Morgons. If it shoots a Morgon, death is certain and also horrific. If a human is shot with it, they can be healed. Jessen took the shot that was intended for her mate so she survived. But now, she, Shakara, and others in the Morgon community are trying to get a bill passed to outlaw the Volt gun permanently, and shut down production. With the growing feelings between Demetrius and Shakara in addition to the impact the gun had on his sister and the danger it poses to his nephew, Demetrius is committed to helping the Morgons get the gun outlawed.
“I’ve been careful and cautious all my life, Shakara. But when I think of you, there’s only one word that flips over and over in my mind.”
“And what word is that?”
“Yes.”
Shakara and Demetrius fall fast and hard. There have been a few Morgon man and human woman matings when Soulfire binds them together. But what of a Morgon woman and human man? Morgon women don’t posses soul fire. Can they still be mated?
As always, Juliette Cross has yet again left me breathless with this book. It is about so much more than Morgons and humans falling in love. It is about two races trying to live together in a community where not everyone sees them as equals. Where some refuse to give up their mind set of bigotry and superior attitudes. But it is also a story of love. Of two people destined to be mates and both are willing to sacrifice everything to be together. I loved Shakara and Demetrius. Especially the way Demetrius opened up as his feelings developed. This book is a prequel to the Vale of Stars series but I urge you to start at the beginning and read the three novellas in the Nightwing series. That way you can meet the sexy Morgon men who started it all, and the human women that fell in love with them. You don’t need to have read them, though, to enjoy this one.
“As long as people possess the power to think freely, there will be hatred and prejudice in this world. Just as there will always be love and compassion. All we can do is choose who we will be and what we believe.”
**********Contains Spoilers**********
Man, Juliette has done it again. I really loved this book. I’m glad that Jessen’s brother Demetrius got his head out of his a*se and realised that Morgan’s aren’t all slaves to their beasts as they’re part human as well and everyone has the capacity to be evil human or Morgan. Demetrius Cade and Shakara Icewing seem like they wouldn’t have anything in common but I thought they were perfect for each other. I enjoyed the pace of Demetrius and Shakara’s love story and it didn’t feel forced. I enjoyed that we were offered a human male and a Morgan female mixed pairing instead of the usual Morgan man and human female pairing. I loved how much Demetrius loves his nephew Julian. Wow, all I can say is that Demetrius protects what is his and would do anything for Shakara, just as fiercely as a Morgan man would protect their own. I loved how each time the Icewing clan use their coldfire for healing the mark is different per each person they heal. All I can say the mark that Demetrius now sports for life is beautiful. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Vale of the Stars Series. I’d definitely recommend this book, series, universe and author to everyone.
Demetrius is the brother of Jessen Cade, the heroine from Soulfire. He was quite the prick of a brother, I must say. He was strongly against Morgons and humans being in a relationship. But Ms. Cross worked her storytelling magic and made him interesting to me…made me want to know his story.
And thank goodness he got his own story because I loved it! And needed it! And now I love HIM.
Dominant, dirty-talking, protective, with a love so strong for his nephew it was endearing and gave me plenty of warm fuzzies.
Shakara has never been with a human man before. She’s never wanted to. But something about Demetrius draws her to him. She’s curious, she sees the way he looks at her.
The sexual tension between them was thick and tingly and sizzling. To see their friendship and attraction grow was delightful and satisfying and so worth it. Their passion burned up the pages and I enjoyed every minute of it. I love, love, love the way he takes care of her, in every way possible.
I loved seeing the other characters, too. Because they are awesome and lovable and I just want to hang out with them. The Morton men are sexy and the women are perfect BFF material.
I couldn’t wait to dive into the next book!! Love this world!
Demetrious Cade’s story shows readers of Juliette Cross’s Morgon world a side we’ve not really seen before. He’s the son of a very prejudiced man; a man who hates dragons with a passion. His capabilities when running the family empire indicate he may also despise Morgon’s but willing to deal with them in the name of greed, fortune, and control. When his sister defies their father (in a previous book set in the Morgon world), marries a Morgon man, and bears a child, Demetrious changes – for the better. He is willing to also defy his father in order to have a relationship with his halfling nephew. What he wasn’t counting on was Shakara Icewing.
Shakara is a Morgon healer. She is very aware of Demetrious Cade’s past, his opinions, his father, his ways of thinking. When they finally confront one another the chemistry just leaps off the page. Demetrious is nothing like she expected him to be – he’s so much more, in a good way. He manages to open his mind, his heart, and his thoughts in a way that indicate true character growth and development.
Dragon Heartstring is another wonderful tale by Juliette Cross. The book is riveting and told with passion. I love Juliette Cross’s writing style and I’ve read almost everything she’s written. Her stories, characters, and writing are top-notch. The author does an amazing job creating the Morgon world and continuing with fresh, unique stories. The romances are sensual, sweet, and full of love.
I was provided a copy of this book to read.