ARC Review: Ancient Enforcer by Katie Reus

Title: Ancient Enforcer

Author: Katie Reus

Series: Ancients Rising – Book 3

Publication Date: Jan. 26, 2021

Synopsis: An ancient dragon warrior determined to protect what’s his…

Former general Mikael lost everything thousands of years ago. His clan, his family, his honor. Now he’s awakened in a new world that has devolved into chaos—fire, blood and destruction. He and his brothers are ordered to live with Avery, a human female, and her younger brothers. Avery is nothing he should want. She’s too soft, too sweet…too happy. But he can’t stop his growing obsession with her.

The human female who threatens his jaded heart…

House flipper Avery is no stranger to heartbreak, and knows that the ones you love most can stab you in the back the quickest. When she’s asked to shelter a bunch of dragon shifters, her instinct is to say no. Until she meets the ragtag group of males who are struggling to adjust to the new world. Against her better judgment, she agrees to take them in. Even if the gruff Mikael has heartbreak written all over him, she can’t help but fall for the sexy dragon a little more every day. But when a threat from her past emerges, promising to tear her world apart, things suddenly change between them. As they race against the clock to save her family, Mikael must risk everything and claim her before it’s too late.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

The third book in the Ancients Rising series, Ancient Enforcer focuses on Mikael and Avery. Mikael is an ancient dragon shifter new to New Orleans who falls in love with Avery, a human charged with looking after Mikael and his newly-awakened brothers. As Avery and her brothers help Mikael and his brothers acclimate to the modern world, their friendship turns to more. With enemies old and new threatening them, their family, and those they love, Mikael and Avery will do whatever it takes to protect them and each other.

Mikael and Avery have a wonderful friends-to-lovers romance. It’s pretty clear that they care for each other from the start. However, both resist acting on their feelings for fear of ruining the friendship as well as the friendships that have developed between their respective brothers. I like that Mikael and Avery don’t act selfishly or impulsively, and they respect each other and the friendship they created. They have a deep and lasting bond, and their chemistry is fantastic!

I also love the other dynamic relationships in the story. From King and Aurora to King’s relationship with his people to Avery’s strong friendships, the author does a wonderful job of highlighting the importance of love and family throughout this series. Mikael and his brothers, for example, lost most of their family centuries ago. However, they are warmly welcomed into the family by Avery and her brothers. They all develop a strong bond and begin to see each other as brothers. I love how loyal and dedicated they are to each other, and they prove that family is what you make of it.

Something that continues to amaze me in this series is the author’s skill in creating a unique and vivid world filled with a wide variety of supernatural beings. In Ancient Enforcer, much like Ancient Enemy, the people of New Orleans continue to rebuild after the global exposure of the supernatural. New hierarchies have been established, and it is interesting to see how humans, dragons, vampires, witches, and more figure out this new normal.

Speaking of new normal, we have another baby dragon! Hunter is the newest addition to the super-fantastic, charismatic, and lovable baby dragons, and he is a little ball of happy energy! I love Hunter and his playful antics. He is so lovable and silly, yet he shows such bravery and determination when it matters most. I adore the pet dragons and hope to see more in future books!

Finally, I just have to mention King’s story, which continues to intrigue me. He is a fearless and honorable leader who garners respect from the entire supernatural world. King’s relationship with Aurora is the slowest-building romance ever, and I’m totally here for it! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for King, Aurora, and all of the other characters in the series!

I highly recommend Ancient Enforcer to readers that enjoy urban fantasies with unique characters, a ton of pulse-pounding action, great world-building, and a fantastic friends-to-lovers romance. Plus, there are dragons!!

Though this is the third book in the Ancients Rising series, it can be read as a standalone. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.