Dark Heat-Donna Grant

Dark Heat Donna Grant St. Martin’s, Dec 31 2013, $7.99 ISBN 9781250043788 “Dark Craving.” In Dreagan, Scotland Green Dragon King Hal knows first-hand that the curse prevents any of the monarchs from falling in love; so he wonders why his heart soars ever since he met visiting American Cassie Hunter through her missing brother Dan’s Great Dane Duke. “Night’s Awakening.” Red Dragon King Guy is a powerful warrior until he meets the mortal PureGens executive Elena Griffith a Londoner in a cave in the Highlands; she has him thinking seditious thoughts fueled by desire. “Dawn’s Desire.” Blue Dragon King Banan accepted the curse as a sad reality until he meets PureGens secretary “Plain” Jane Holden. “Passion’s Claim.” Banan and Guy have found love, but each feels the curse remains but modified as they consider breaking their own hearts by releasing their respective beloveds Jane and Elena to return to a normal mortal life. This enjoyable “Dark Kings” romantic fantasy collection contains three reprints and a new follow-up tale (“Passion’s Claim”). Each entry is exciting and well written, but in the anthology format the thematic repetitiveness of the stories is obvious and a major thread as to whom the enemy is dangling hopefully for near future tales. Harriet Klausner