Author: Lillian Lark
Series: Monstrous Matches Series book #4
Category: Monster Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
In case you missed it in the book cover and blurb, the book's main storyline centers around a surprise pregnancy. Absolutely one of my more hated tropes to review, but there was no way I wasn't going to read this book. To be fair, I will never NOT read a dragon shifter romance, so throw in a thief and a fair bit of spice, and I'm in.
The Monstrous Matches series continues on in book four with a different path than some of the previous ones. While most of the other couples meet through the infamous Love Bathhouse, Kalos and Katarina's story doesn't include a trip until much later. Instead, Katarina attempts to steal from a dragon's hoard and bites off more than she can chew.
"Kalos the dick. Kalos the dragon who accused me of lying about being pregnant with his child." - Katarina
I spent the entirety of the book yelling at Katarina in my head to move on. She was so desperate for love and affection that she was willing to take scraps when she deserved so much more. I was frustrated that she didn't have any character growth or backbone, continuously letting Kalos get away with cruel behavior and excusing it or pretending it away.
"I've gone through the majority of my life as many things. A burden, a cohort, a trainee to the art of crime, and more recently, a friend. But never as someone to claim." - Katarina
Kalos' refusal to fix his emotional problems led him to cut off everyone in his life. He's broken and not very interested in fixing himself, which hurts the people around him but he can't seem to care. Above all else, he was a prick and very bland outside of his 'I cannot love' personality - a far cry from some of the more devoted males in the other books in the series. Even as they grow closer, Kalos remains aloof, treating Katarina like a perfect piece of treasure he owns but withholding himself from her.
"'Being mated to you would be a lower circle of hell,' he'd said. Even if he could mate with me, he wouldn't want to." - Katarina
Lillian Lark has never been shy with imaginative sex but I didn't feel like this book was as wild as some of her others. Nothing too crazy, outside of the typical dragon anatomy. There was definitely insta-lust between the two main characters considering they do the deed 20 pages in.
While I didn't particularly love either of the characters individually, Hoarded by the Dragon was still a worthwhile dragon shifter romance. As a bonus, it perfectly sets up the next book coming next year, Married to the Devil.
Tropes and Themes: Monster, Surprise Pregnancy, Dragons, Witches, Fantasy, Heat, Mates.
Blurb
A thief doing a final job and the dragon caught in a precarious situation that changes both of their lives.
He’s powerful and wealthy and he hates me.
But I have something he wants.
It wasn’t a part of the plan.
I’m the thief stupid enough to break into a dragon’s hoard… and walk away pregnant with his baby.
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