Ramblings of a Book Lunatic: For The Love of Her Dragon (Dragon Guards #4) by Julia Mills with Giveaway, Excerpt & Review

Kyra St. Croix is a strong, feisty, independent woman who is not afraid to tell speak her mind. An incredibly powerful white witch born of the High Priestess and a human father, she hasn’t let a little thing like lack of height stop her from having the life she knows she deserves. Early on she learned to use all she was given to achieve her goals. Twenty-five years ago, she turned her back on her birthright hoping that one day Destiny would bring her the love she was promised. Her belief that she will doing anything for that love is stretched to the breaking point when the One she waited for will not accepted who she is and can only see what she is. Now, Hope may be Kyra’s worst enemy.

There Are No Coincidences…

Royce O'Reilly is the oldest and most respected member of the MacLendon Force. Since joining the Golden Fire Clan, he has been proud to watch all whom he calls brethren become fierce warriors, ever faithful to eradicating those that would destroy all they hold dear. His life has been dedicated to the training and guidance of the younger Guardsmen, one of his proudest accomplishments. One hundred and fifty-six years of life have given him immeasurable joy and now that three of his brethren have found and mated the One the Universe made for them, hope has been restored not only to the honorable Guardsman but also to dragon kin. Unfortunately, Royce is learning that Hope can be fickle and the Universe has a sick sense of humor, especially when they have made his Destiny in the form of a five-foot two-inch bundle of powerful Earth witch named Kyra St. Croix.

The Universe Does Not Make Mistakes…

Two souls…destined for a Great Love decreed by Fate. But Fate has Her hands full with this couple and if that wasn’t enough, the traitor has an army ready to destroy all they both hold dear. Can he forget the past and believe in the future? Can she forgive the betrayal and believe Love always find a way? Can they defeat an evil with no conscience, only the desire for vengeance? The Universe, the Goddess and Fate have their work cut out for them if Kyra is to know the love of her dragon.

Fate Will Not Be Denied…

Mom of two rockin' girls, Reader of everything, Author of The Dragon Guards series and many more surprises to come! I am a sarcastic,sometimes foul-mouthed, not afraid to drink a beer, always southern woman with 2 of the most amazing teenage daughters, a menagerie of animals and a voracious appetite for reading who recently decided to write the storied running through her brain. I read my first book, Dr Suess' Cat in The Hat by myself at 4 and was hooked. I believe a good book along with shoes, makeup and purses will never let a girl down and that all heroes of all the books I have ever read or will ever write pale in comparison to my daddy! I am a sucker for a happy ending and love some hot sweaty sex with a healthy dose of romance. I am still working on my story but believe it will contain all of the above with as much SPICE as I can work into it. CHEERS!

Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Laughing, they began their trek, joking and teasing but the fun was long forgotten after several hours of endless walking. Kyra was hot, tired and seriously pissed, convinced they were just wasting time, aimlessly marching around the hillside. She was just about to suggest a break when a chill ran down her spine and her hands began to shake. Without saying a word, she dropped into the lotus position with her backpack on her lap and began pulling out her supplies, completely ignoring Lance’s bitching and Devon’s inquiries about her well being It took only a few seconds and she had the silver-framed mirror that had been her great-great-grandmother’s, a vial of blessed water from the Black Lake, and her special herbs and was working her Scrying Spell. She could hear the two Guardsmen discussing what she was doing but concentrated on the task at hand. They had been around her long enough to know she wasn't wasting time; any other explanations would have to wait.

The spell took less than five minutes and had a side effect she had only experienced one other time in her life. Not only did she get a location on Andrew but she also had a vision of what he was planning. The scene that played out in her mind was like watching a horror movie only she could feel what each character felt. Her heart raced and a cold sweat broke out all over her body but she was stuck, watching the complete annihilation of a quaint little community tucked in a once beautifully lush valley. Everything she saw was from Andrew’s point of view so although she hadn’t seen him, she knew he was there but that was the only thing that felt familiar.

She searched the faces of the dead and injured for any indication of the target of the asshole’s destruction but nothing looked familiar and there wasn’t any sound to help. All she knew was that he was somewhere off a rocky coast with turbulent waters and he was having a great time hurting anyone and everyone in his path. The silent movie of destruction went on and on. When she was sure she couldn’t take any more pain and suffering and had decided to see what the guys thought about what she had seen, her heart ceased to beat and her lungs refused to hold air, there standing in the middle of the war zone was Royce. His brow was furrowed, his brown eyes scanning the area for those that most needed his help. Her heart broke when she saw the cuts and bruises covering most of his beautiful face and his torn, bloody and soot-covered clothes.

The horror show unfolding in Andrew’s mind switched to slow motion as Royce moved from person to person helping the living from the rubble and getting them to safety. He wasn’t the only one working rescue but he was the only one that mattered to her. He shouted something and she cursed the lack of sound. In the next instant, a taller version of Royce (Was that even possible?) appeared to his right. The resemblance was uncanny. The new guy’s hair was short and curly but an auburn red instead of bright red and he was not all muscular and hunky, more long and lean which only added to how absolutely tall he was. The two worked furiously to clear away the debris, looking for someone or something specific. Even though only a vision, she could tell they were engaged in a constant stream of mind speak, another wonderful perk of being magical.

An ominous sense of danger filled her and once again her breath stilled in her lungs. She watched as both men turned in unison and began running almost faster than her eyes could track. They were obviously screaming orders to anyone that could hear from the expressions they wore and the way their mouths moved. The feeling of impending doom engulfed every cell of Kyra’s body as she felt Andrew’s enjoyment grow. The sick son if a bitch was enjoying what he was seeing and delighted that more was coming.

Horror movies had never been her thing and to have the man that was her mate in a starring role in one that would be a reality was seriously freaking her out. Sifting through everything she had ever learned that was stored in her goofy brain, she looked for a way to pull out of the vision. Finally, she found what she thought might work, but true to form, a bright light burst before her eyes, vibrations of an explosion she knew was taking place in her mind gave her the sensation of falling right before her world went black.

My Review: 4 1/2 stars

This was a very good read. Unfortunately for me, this is the first book in the series that I've read, so I had to piece together things. That always makes it a bit difficult, stepping in midway through a series. I did figure things out though, so it's all good.
Royce is a dragon and is irritated that his mate is a white witch. Royce has a problem with that because of his past. Kyra knows that she and Royce belong together. They just have to figure out a way to get past what's happened before and move forward together. That's the hard part. Kyra is determined that Royce accept her as his mate. She's a fighter and doesn't give up.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was full of unexpected twists, but I was good with that. I loved Kyra and Royce together, they were fantastic as they should be. Not to mention sexy as all get out. I will have to go back and red from the beginning of this series to see what I've missed. I love a fantastic paranormal romance, and this one was that. Julia's characters were amazing, the story line was well written and moved along at a nice pace. I also can't wait to see what comes next in the series. Julia, you've got a new fan.