Under His Reign by Willow Winters

Under His Reign is Willow Winters' latest release and although it featured an already established world and characters, it was rather easy to pick up and read as a standalone. I wished the author could have provided new readers with more context and/or background information to her world and characters because it started and ended abruptly. Nevertheless, I thought Dragos and Kara's story was engaging, emotional, and incredibly steamy. There were some unexpected and tearful moments between the two, which I appreciated. In his attempt to seduce Kara, Dragos intentionally withheld information from her and his intent—which had major consequences to their relationship and resulted in some heartbreaking moments. It was refreshing to see a dominant and possessive hero fumble and fail to appease his vulnerable heroine who wore her heart on her sleeve.

“She's the greatest treasure I've ever had. I won't let her go.”

In the end, Dragos and Kara's romance was passionate, all-consuming, and angsty. I enjoyed this book and am curious about what will happen next. The book does end abruptly, despite having an epilogue. The story began and ended with a character named "Alec," who we know is a sorcerer. He was in love with a woman named Isabella but she was unfortunately kidnapped by Galen. I was perplexed by this relationship because Galen already seemed possessive of Isabella even though she was in love with someone else and only had the potential to "heat" and carry dragonlings. In my opinion, Cyrus was a much more interesting character and level-headed compared to his two brothers. Considering their traumatic past and the fact that they were the only three dragons left in this world, Cyrus lived in the moment and didn't care about being mated. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for a quick and steamy paranormal romance with a dominant hero who falls first for his independent and spitfire heroine.

*This ARC was generously provided by the author/publisher for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★★☆