The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 1

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As always the author loves to pitch Good agains Evil. And that’s exactly what she does with this new trilogy. I can only imagine what’s to come next! A big showdown, battles, wonderful relationships and friendships, and fantastic writing. I am going to be unusually frank. I was disappointed by my reading experience with this installment. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books. I gave them each five stars or close. There’s magic and all sorts of creatures like trolls, mermaids, werewolves, elves, fairies, and witches. And best of all, there are dragons – dragons that only good can ride- beautiful, glorious dragons. And you all know how I love dragons. It’s got everything I love, and when you combine that with my history of reading and loving Nora Robert’s fantasy stories, this should have been a love fest of a review. Like the majority of Nora Roberts books, it took me on an emotional ride through a beautifully crafted world with rich and delightful characters that are easy to become attached to. I laughed out loud and cried more than once, and a few times sat on the edge of my seat.(metaphorically at least) And while I wouldn't say that I needed to reach for ice water, the love scenes were well written and were just the right amount of sweet and heat for those of you who prefer their romances some where between clean and erotic. Breen es la elegida y Keenan es el elegido. Esto también me fastidia algo: el cliché del "Elegido". Todo pasa por el destino, son fuertes por el destino, su papel es importante por el destino, ellos decidirán qué pasará, quién ganará, cómo será el mundo... porque así lo ha elegido el destino. (Un poquito de este tropo no está mal, pero creo que se abusa algo de él).

I know of no medicine better than a Nora Roberts book. Whenever I’m feeling down or overwhelmed or just in need of something comforting, her books are always a welcoming escape. The Awakening, the first installment in her newest series, is no exception. If the rest of the Dragon Heart Legacy is as great as The Awakening, it promises to be one of her best. The inclusion of LGBT and non-binary characters in romance becomes more and more normal, as it should, and I couldn't be happier about it. Marco wasn't just Breen's best friend by name, he was amazing, a constant in her life. And Sally was a delight!I wasn't bored for a second. I cried so much, for so many reasons. I love Nora Roberts a little bit more than I did yesterday, and can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

As a summary, the narration is great! Love listening to the Irish accent here and there throughout the story. I loved the character growth and overall message of the power of belief. Fans of romantic fantasy, lore, the fae, and paranormal romance will fall for these characters and storyline. While I thoroughly enjoyed and wrestled with my thoughts on The Awakening, the depth of this one was so much more, and I have wanted more of Talamh. I also love the narration on this one; that helps with my own butchered pronunciation attempts at all of the names of characters and locations, and my brain's inability to find the Gaelic pronunciation of certain letter combinations, hahaha. Two of the many captivating and gripping scenes had my heart pounding & jumping out of my chest & doing a celebratory dance ~ virtually! Oh, Wow! That would be the Two Becoming Scenes ~ when Breen Siobhan stood up and spoke on the day of Judgement and the final battle scene when ~ all right ~ that'd be a major spoiler ~ sorry.

Toys

Breen Kelly had always been a rule follower. So, when her father left when she was twelve years old, promising to return, she waited. Now, more than a decade later, she's working at a job she hates and is tired of the life that playing by the rules has dealt her. It's time to make a change. The main character Breen Kelly is a young Irish woman with abandonment and self-confidence issues. She was raised by her mother who is vilified in this book as being controlling and deceitful. While her father is praised for his otherworldly fae heritage and leadership skills. Dad disappeared out of Breen’s life early under mysterious circumstances and Breen has never understood why. After learning about a secret fortune hidden from her for years, she takes a trip to Ireland under the assumption that she can reconnect with her father. Discovering she is related to Gods she is taken to another world (where she basically vacations at) while trying to avoid her evil grandfather who wants to take her power for himself. This book completes the quest for the death of Odran and the freedom of the Fey. An epic battle scene and the inner strength Breen finds to fulfill her promise to the Fey and her heritage come late in the book, but that's fine. This story is really about love. Love of family, of culture, of heritage, of people. One of the highlights of the story is the plethora of wonderful relationships. Friendships, romantic relationships, and family bonds prove strong and unwavering. One relationship that I loved in The Becoming and continue to love in this book is between Breen and her grandmother Marg. Marg is so fantastic! She shows Breen in a dozen different ways how much she loves, supports, and understands her granddaughter. A wise and strong woman, Marg is not only a wonderful grandmother, she is also a great teacher and mentor. I think this relationship is important because Breen didn’t have it for most of her life. In fact, she didn’t have a strong and supportive female role model in her life until she reconnected with Marg, and it’s plain to see that both were missing the connection.

El mundo creado por Nora Roberts está basado en la mitología celta de Irlanda, pero no le falta detalle en cuanto a lo que debería ser un mundo de fantasía. Allí Breen descubrirá la magia, de la que forma parte, a amigos y familiares a los que no conocía, pero también a Keegan, taoiseach de Talamh, el señor protector de ése mundo, exasperante y sexy, que será quien entrene a Breen para lo que está por llegar. Además, lo buenazos que son también me resultó pesado. Si no pueden dedicarse ni un momento para ellos hasta que llegan a la conclusión de que si lo hacen y se relajan y satisfacen estarán mejor para salvar a Talahm! Too much, se puede ser "egoísta" y con cabeza, sin necesidad de justificarlo como una buena causa para el mundo. In The Awakening, the first book in the series, Breen is just learning of her heritage and her powers. However, in this story, Breen is embracing and honing her abilities. She is truly “becoming” what Talamh needs to defeat the evil that threatens their peaceful existence. With guidance from her grandmother and instruction from the hunky Keegan, as well as the support of her best friend Marco and other new friends, Breen learns all that she can to defeat the evil Odran, a banished god and her grandfather.With the enemy cast out and the portal sealed, this is a time to rest and to prepare. Breen spreads her wings and realizes a power she's never experienced before. It's also a time for celebrations--of her first Christmas in both Talamh and Ireland, of solstice and weddings and births--and daring to find joy again in the wake of sorrow. She rededicates herself to writing her stories, and when his duties as taoiseach permit, she is together with Keegan, who has trained her as a warrior and whom she has grown to love. Y esta es una de las cosas negativas: aquí los personajes o son malos o son buenos, no hay intermedios. No hay grises, ambigüedades o indicios más profundos para que te hagan dudar o replantearte la situación desde su perspectiva. Todo es blanco o negro, extremos opuestos que podrían no serlo tanto con otro desarrollo de los personajes. Durante el libro, Breen empezará a recibir algunas señales, pero hasta que Marco no se vaya, y Breen se quede sola en la casita que ha alquilado en el campo, no descubrirá la verdad. Un portal hacia un nuevo mundo y una familia que no sabía que tenía. I feel like I would've appreciated Breen's character more in a tighter version of this story. As it was, her characterization came through a bunch of repetition that made me kind of annoyed with some of her woe-is-me-ing. When I look past that, though, there were some positives: she was hardworking and loyal and rational in a magical story. On the flip side, I would've appreciated Keegan more had he been a bit more fleshed out. We spend so little time with him, in the grand scheme of things, and a lot of that time is him being all hard and broody. If you are a fan of Nora Roberts and fantasy romance I would absolutely recommend reading this series.

The Awakening was a massive start to a new fantastical trilogy, that will leave you wanting to book a flight to Ireland stat.

Diaries & Calendars

I'm gonna come out with it right away...thiswasmyfirstnorarobertsbook. Yeah I deserve those judgy eyes. One thing's for sure thought, it won't be my last book by her. I’ve read NR for close to 2 decades now, so she’s sort of a nostalgic read for me. But no one writes romantic suspense better and I’ve usually enjoyed her forays into the mildly fantastic as well. But in this book she clearly decided she was done writing romance and wanted to move on to fantasy - which fine, that’s her right but market it appropriately. And also, she’s not great at it. I love fantasy, it’s my favorite genre, and Nora doesn’t have the world building finesse. My biggest complaint and what made me eventually just give up on it entirely, was how overlong it was. I guess at this point in her career she doesn’t have an editor? Because this book could have done with some HEAVY editing. It’s so freaking drawn out. Like days of knowing every single thing the protagonist does, no matter how inconsequential. She doesn’t even meet the “hero” until like 50% of the way through. (And then he sleeps with someone else, which again, if you’re expecting a romance, this is typically Not. Done.) The second novel in Nora Robert’s Dragon Heart Legacy, The Becoming is a fantastic addition to the series! With strong, immersive world-building, a well-layered and dynamic protagonist, and tons of heart-stopping action, the story is a magical and exciting read.