I actually really enjoyed this book. The author got creative in her descriptions of the paranormal elements and shook them up just enough for the ideas to feel fresh. I liked that the hero couldn't actually turn into a dragon, but was born with wings. I highly recommend it if you'd like to read something a little different paranormal romance wise. ( )

~ 5 Waking the Dragon Stars ~

Waking the Dragon is book one in the Vale of Stars series by [a:Juliette Cross|7795664|Juliette Cross|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1390915488p2/7795664.jpg] and is best read after you read the Nightwing novellas. It gives us a different perspective on the Morgon race and that some prefer to embrace there more darker dragon side.

I love dragons and JCross has made these Morgon men so irresistible. When they find their true mate it’s a love like no other. I am in love with these Morgon men and can’t get enough. This book was outstanding and I could not put it down.

Moria is the little sister of Jessen, which we meet both in [b:Soulfire|20640241|Soulfire (Nightwing, #1)|Juliette Cross|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401365394s/20640241.jpg|39930900]. Moria is Senior Editor for her college newspaper and will go to great lengths to get her story. I’m one who shy’s away from characters that are reports. They always seem too pushy, noisy, and annoying to me, but JCross made Moria more of an investigative type, which I found interesting. She is also very strong willed and independent.

Kol is the embodiment of the more hard core Morgon man. Captain of the Morgon Guard and Alpha all the way. We get to meet him in [b:Windburn|20640247|Windburn (Nightwing, #2)|Juliette Cross|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416661525s/20640247.jpg|39930915]. He reminded me of Judd from the Psy-Changeling series. A man cold as ice who needs the love of his true mate to thaw him out.

We are about 5-years into humans and Morgon’s living peaceful together, but that peace is about to shatter. We are taken on a murder mystery that is intense, darker then I expected, but so good and WOW the author throws in a really good plot with some twists that had me reeling. The last few pages where intense, action crazy, and overwhelming.

Kol and Moria make a great pair. The chemistry between these two is explosive. Neither want the emotional ties, but fate has other plans. As things move along they grow to have a deeper emotional and physical connection that both never expected to be possible. The love story was beautiful done.

I can not wait for more in this brand new series by JCross. This book is outstanding, sweet, sexy, crazy, intense, and all out awesome.

*Disclaimer: Review copy provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

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I love a good dragon book, and my friend Deanna (from Deanna's World) has mentioned Juliette Cross a few times so I thought I would try this one out. Unfortunately, I did not note that this was a series spinoff before reading, so part of the time I felt a little lost or like I was missing some information. So if you are reading this review, I recommend that you read [b:Soulfire|20640241|Soulfire (Nightwing, #1)|Juliette Cross|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401365394s/20640241.jpg|39930900] and [b:Windburn|20640247|Windburn (Nightwing, #2)|Juliette Cross|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416661525s/20640247.jpg|39930915] before you start [b:Waking the Dragon|23197122|Waking the Dragon (Vale of Stars, #1)|Juliette Cross|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425002559s/23197122.jpg|42742129].

That being said, I really enjoyed this book! From what I could tell, it feels like Ms. Cross has built a really cool world where dragons and humans are commingling after a history of segregation. I will be going back to read the earlier books now that I enjoyed this one so much. There are various dragon clans which are denoted by the color of their wings and other features. And as you might expect from dragons, they all seem to be alpha males a little close to the beast side. Yum!

Our heroine in this book is Moira Cade, a girl to admire. It seems that her family is stinkin' rich, but she has refused all financial support from her father and is trying to make it on her own. She is only 20 years old, which made me cringe when I first read it, but thankfully she is a very mature 20 year old. Ms. Cross proves that you can write a young heroine without making her a horribly immature whiny brat. Yay! Moira hopes to be an investigative reporter and is covering the best, and sometimes dangerous, stories for her college newspaper. When Moira starts investigating what appear to be ritualistic murders of human girls by Morgons (the dragons), she puts herself in the line of danger.

In steps our hero, Kol Moonring, captain of the Morgon Guard. Kol is a broody alpha male to the extreme, just like I like 'em! Kol recognizes his mate in Moira, so instinct kicks in with a fierce need to protect her and possess her at the same time. This makes for some very steamy and endearing moments between the two.

The plot follows a good vs. evil type story line, evil dragons vs. good dragons and their human partners. While this trope is typical for paranormal stories, I found the plot engaging and well-paced. This is certainly a book that you can and will want to finish in an afternoon. 4 stars / 3 flames.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Once again a great start to a new series by Juliette Cross.

This series is about the Moonring Clan, relatives of the Nightwing Clan. We first met Kol in Windburn, Book 2 of the Nightwing series. Waking the Dragon takes place about 5 years after the first book Soulfire. In Soulfire we met a very young and naive Moira. Now she is 20 years old, senior editor of her college newspaper and working her way to becoming a a kick-ass investigative reporter.

Girls are being slaughtered in Gladium province and Moira is deep into her research. She turns to her Morgan brother in law for assistance and she is given it in the form of Kol Moonring. Of course they are so similar in their stubborn, headstrong attitudes, it only leads to sparks and fireworks. Each resists their attraction to each other behind snide, prickly veneers. But when Moira must act as bait and then becomes a target for the faction responsible for the murders, things quickly change between them.

What follows is an adventure wrought in passion and wonder but tainted with much fear and danger. I really enjoyed this book. And if my guess is not wrong, it does have a huge spoiler for what could possibly be book 4 in the Nightwing series or the start of a whole new one. Gosh I really want to know what the heck happened there. Confused? Read the book for yourself and see if you can figure out what I'm talking about.

Free copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I loved Waking the Dragon! This book was completely engrossing and I read from start to finish with as little stops as possible. It was a stay up late to finish and damn the consequences kind of book!

Moira is such a strong and independent woman, she doesn't even use her real name to write her articles because she wants to be recognized on her own merit and not ride the coattails of her famous father's name. She decides to investigate the brutal murders of human women by Morgon men and she enlists the aid of her brother-in-law (the head of Nightwing security) to provide protection in the seedy underworld of Morgon fighting while searching for the murderers. Enter Kol Moonring.

Kol Moonring is completely unforgettable. I loved him. Period. Kol's presence just jumps right out of the pages, and their chemistry together is combustible. He's the Captain of the Morgon Guard and he wants the killers brought to justice too. Morgons and Humans have been segregated and have only recently started to integrate and work together as a whole community. With the murders occurring the fragile peace between the Humans and Morgans is in danger, and they must race against the clocks to catch them before they kill again.

Another reason I loved this book so much is Waking the Dragon has some awesome world building! There is just so much going on, and it's doled out in little bits (definitely no huge info dumps) and told seamlessly throughout the story. There's a rich history involved and it served to further pull me in.

I was so excited about this book that I went back and started the Nightwing series. Although, technically, you could read Waking the Dragon as a standalone, I would definitely recommend reading the Nightwing Series first as the Vale of Stars series is set after it. I wasn't lost or anything, so if you don't want to go back, no worries. All in all, I loved this book and cannot wait for the next one!

***Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review***

***Originally posted on Book Liaison*** ( )