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Heart of Dragons #1
Beneath His Wings
Who makes the rules for love?
Adrissu isn't like other dragons. In fact, no one in his home of Polimnos knows he's a dragon at all; to them, he's the eccentric elven mage living in a tower overlooking the sea, and he's perfectly content to keep it that way. There he can study the many mysteries of magic in peace, and occasionally step in to help the little town flourish. He doesn't expect to tire of his life in Polimnos for a long time; but when he does, he can just gather up whatever remains of his hoard and fly away in the night to start a new life somewhere else. After all, dragons live forever.
Base draconic instincts are beneath him. He has no need to plunder and steal to increase his wealth, no need to burn and pillage only for the sake of destruction. And he certainly doesn't believe in fated mates—no, the only being he needs is himself.
Then, after almost thirty years of living in Polimnos, Adrissu meets the eyes of a handsome young warrior, and the world comes to a lurching stop around him. The pull of fate, something Adrissu thought was a myth amongst dragons, is unmistakable. But Ruan is everything he should shun—loud, bold, stubborn—and worst of all, utterly human with a tiny mortal lifespan. Much as it pains Adrissu to stay away, he knows getting involved with a human is only going to cause him greater suffering later on. Unless...
Unless he's willing to break every rule of magic he knows. Unless he's willing to take on the scorn of every other mage, mortal or otherwise, to accomplish his goals.
When Ruan accepts his plea to bind their souls together, even after death his soul will be reborn and they can always find each other, in this life and the next, and the next... and the next.
Beneath His Wings, book one of the Heart of Dragons duology, is a dark fated mates MM fantasy romance.
⚠ This 18+ novel contains explicit scenes.
Adrissu isn't like other dragons. In fact, no one in his home of Polimnos knows he's a dragon at all; to them, he's the eccentric elven mage living in a tower overlooking the sea, and he's perfectly content to keep it that way. There he can study the many mysteries of magic in peace, and occasionally step in to help the little town flourish. He doesn't expect to tire of his life in Polimnos for a long time; but when he does, he can just gather up whatever remains of his hoard and fly away in the night to start a new life somewhere else. After all, dragons live forever.
Base draconic instincts are beneath him. He has no need to plunder and steal to increase his wealth, no need to burn and pillage only for the sake of destruction. And he certainly doesn't believe in fated mates—no, the only being he needs is himself.
Then, after almost thirty years of living in Polimnos, Adrissu meets the eyes of a handsome young warrior, and the world comes to a lurching stop around him. The pull of fate, something Adrissu thought was a myth amongst dragons, is unmistakable. But Ruan is everything he should shun—loud, bold, stubborn—and worst of all, utterly human with a tiny mortal lifespan. Much as it pains Adrissu to stay away, he knows getting involved with a human is only going to cause him greater suffering later on. Unless...
Unless he's willing to break every rule of magic he knows. Unless he's willing to take on the scorn of every other mage, mortal or otherwise, to accomplish his goals.
When Ruan accepts his plea to bind their souls together, even after death his soul will be reborn and they can always find each other, in this life and the next, and the next... and the next.
Beneath His Wings, book one of the Heart of Dragons duology, is a dark fated mates MM fantasy romance.
⚠ This 18+ novel contains explicit scenes.
423 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 26, 2021
151 people are currently reading
697 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 28, 2021
I met Lionel Hart in his series about the elf prince and the orc, those were short stories that to me packed a punch and showed that he's an author to look out for, this book only made me believe that more.
Also, silly of me to realize, once I was almost finished with this story btw, that this happens in the same world, is a standalone but definitely in the same world. 🤡🤡🤡
Beneath his Wings has a very common idea, but the way it was developed was what made it stand out to me. Adrissu is a dragon and an immortal, dragons have fated mates but they are really rare, so it's a surprise when Adrissu's fated mate appears, specially because is a human with a very limited time on this earth.
So, what should Adrissu do? He tries not to follow his heart, because he knows the pain will be too great, so he pushes Ruan away until he can't scape it no more. And that is basically what the story's main plot is, the journey of him meeting his love over and over again and his desperation to keep him safe in a final way.
On here we meet three reincarnations, or well, two because Ruan (my favorite) is the original.
- Ruan was my favorite, as I already wrote, he was really cheeky and had a fire in him that the other two were lacking. He was strong and fierce and gave as much as he got from Adrissu, so he was the perfect beginning.
- Then we bad Volkmar and well, I feel that he didn't have a chance as a character because Lionel wrote little about him.
- The last one was Braern, and I feel he was a mix between Ruan and Volkmar, even though he had more of Volkmar than Ruan, but I enjoyed him more and I loved that he was an elf, that he knew everything about Zanmes and that he bonded with Adrissu, like the series with the elf prince and the orc (here is where it fucking clicked, fucking hell).
This is a love story, but since that love is shown through three people is difficult to connect to some of them *cough* Volkmar *cough* and even though I was excited to meet every reincarnation I missed Ruan all the time *whines*.
The other plot that caught my attention was the development of the city of Polimnos, Adrissu is immortal, so through his eyes we saw history happen, people born, people dying. The pass of time really and that was interesting as hell.
So yeah, this is book one of a duology and I'm excited for what's to come. ❤❤
Also, silly of me to realize, once I was almost finished with this story btw, that this happens in the same world, is a standalone but definitely in the same world. 🤡🤡🤡
Beneath his Wings has a very common idea, but the way it was developed was what made it stand out to me. Adrissu is a dragon and an immortal, dragons have fated mates but they are really rare, so it's a surprise when Adrissu's fated mate appears, specially because is a human with a very limited time on this earth.
So, what should Adrissu do? He tries not to follow his heart, because he knows the pain will be too great, so he pushes Ruan away until he can't scape it no more. And that is basically what the story's main plot is, the journey of him meeting his love over and over again and his desperation to keep him safe in a final way.
On here we meet three reincarnations, or well, two because Ruan (my favorite) is the original.
- Ruan was my favorite, as I already wrote, he was really cheeky and had a fire in him that the other two were lacking. He was strong and fierce and gave as much as he got from Adrissu, so he was the perfect beginning.
- Then we bad Volkmar and well, I feel that he didn't have a chance as a character because Lionel wrote little about him.
- The last one was Braern, and I feel he was a mix between Ruan and Volkmar, even though he had more of Volkmar than Ruan, but I enjoyed him more and I loved that he was an elf, that he knew everything about Zanmes and that he bonded with Adrissu, like the series with the elf prince and the orc (here is where it fucking clicked, fucking hell).
This is a love story, but since that love is shown through three people is difficult to connect to some of them *cough* Volkmar *cough* and even though I was excited to meet every reincarnation I missed Ruan all the time *whines*.
The other plot that caught my attention was the development of the city of Polimnos, Adrissu is immortal, so through his eyes we saw history happen, people born, people dying. The pass of time really and that was interesting as hell.
So yeah, this is book one of a duology and I'm excited for what's to come. ❤❤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2022
DNF @ 19%.
I was feeling iffy about this, it being my second attempt at Lionel Hart, and this was feeling much like the other one where if there was a plot, I wasn’t really seeing it.
But the main reason why this was a DNF for me came in Chapter 6. At best, our first sex scene between our two MCs is dubcon. No trigger warnings for this in the blurb or the start of the book, either.
Make of that what you will, but that’s not the kind of content I’m looking for in a romance, especially not without any forewarning.
I was feeling iffy about this, it being my second attempt at Lionel Hart, and this was feeling much like the other one where if there was a plot, I wasn’t really seeing it.
But the main reason why this was a DNF for me came in Chapter 6. At best, our first sex scene between our two MCs is dubcon. No trigger warnings for this in the blurb or the start of the book, either.
Make of that what you will, but that’s not the kind of content I’m looking for in a romance, especially not without any forewarning.
June 5, 2023
I went into this blind, basically just knowing that this was about a dragon shifter and m'boy Lionel Hart wrote it and it thoroughly wrecked me, 18/10 do recommend but maybe not if you're feeling particularly delicate atm because it really does go for the jugular. I haven't read Song of Achilles because I value my mental health but I think this probably has a similar vibe. I need to emotionally recover before I read the next one but I don't even have to think about it, this was so beautiful and soul crushing I have to get the duology in paperback.
November 27, 2022
This turned out differently than I expected but I was there for it!
It feel like the author got pissed off with the way immortality/mortality problems are breached in literature and thought “I can do this better” and I dare say they did!
Normally I’m a fan of high dialogue, humorous and smutty reads. This is told in a 3rd person POV and focuses on Adrissu. As he is immortal time passes entirely differently for him than it does for us and the author showcases this with fantastic storytelling with focusing on specific overarching moments within the storyline, lots of telling that doesn’t feel like too much and the moments that are selected are important and ones Adrissu will remember and cherish for millennia to come.
The scene with Ruan in his cave as a fully shifted dragon hooot
I don’t want to spoiler too much but I’m truly looking forward to book 2 and seeing how much I’ll like Adrissu within it! :D
It feel like the author got pissed off with the way immortality/mortality problems are breached in literature and thought “I can do this better” and I dare say they did!
Normally I’m a fan of high dialogue, humorous and smutty reads. This is told in a 3rd person POV and focuses on Adrissu. As he is immortal time passes entirely differently for him than it does for us and the author showcases this with fantastic storytelling with focusing on specific overarching moments within the storyline, lots of telling that doesn’t feel like too much and the moments that are selected are important and ones Adrissu will remember and cherish for millennia to come.
The scene with Ruan in his cave as a fully shifted dragon hooot
I don’t want to spoiler too much but I’m truly looking forward to book 2 and seeing how much I’ll like Adrissu within it! :D
February 21, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3.75/5
It was kind of fun, but also very repetitive so idk if I’m gonna read the second book only time will tell-
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3.75/5
It was kind of fun, but also very repetitive so idk if I’m gonna read the second book only time will tell-
December 31, 2021
not a fan
I only read half way through the book and was bored. You only read through Adrissu POV. The romance between Adrissu and Ruan is very monotone.
Adrissu comes off as absent and distance while ruan has tried his best to win Adrissu affections.
The way they came together after years was really weird it was like instant love even though they’ve ignored one another for a long time about 3 years to be exact.
I only read half way through the book and was bored. You only read through Adrissu POV. The romance between Adrissu and Ruan is very monotone.
Adrissu comes off as absent and distance while ruan has tried his best to win Adrissu affections.
The way they came together after years was really weird it was like instant love even though they’ve ignored one another for a long time about 3 years to be exact.
May 8, 2023
Different
Adrissu is a dragon in disguise as an elf mage. Dragons have fated mates but it's more a legend than something they expect to find. So when he finds his fated mate in a human? Floored. Of all the cruelties, an immortal being finding their mate in the being with the shortest life span. But then he discovers soul bonds, a way to tie 2 souls together so that if 1 dies they return to the other. And so proceeds the centuries of Adrissu's existence.
Spoilers ahead.
So, had I known when I started I probably would have avoided this book. It wasn't bad, it was definitely different, and I read almost everything. It was the fact that although we see 200 years of his life we witness hardly any of their lives. And that doesn't seem to make sense but it's true. This is a decent length book. It spans a couple centuries. And yet Adrissu and Ruan are hardly together, even though they spend over a decade as partners. Then Ruan comes back as Volkmar (I think? I may have the name wrong. I'm awful with names.) And there's no warnings for his current line of s*x work. Volk isn't forced into this, it was voluntary as a debt payment, but he started very young (they don't have laws against it there, but it icked me out). They have a couple decades together as this couple, and yet even living together we see less of their time together than Ruan's with all his travels. Then he comes back again, as Braern, and also no trigger warnings for the fact that he's already married. There's warnings for the abuse he's suffered from his husband, which I appreciate. As a DV survivor I heed all those precious warnings because some days you just don't have the spoons to read about abuse, even if it was in the past. And I'm all for chasing happiness, wherever you can find it, but cheating - even on an abusive jerk- is not my thing. But still, even though we learn a lot, see a lot, we see so little of their lives it's hard to connect to the characters. 200 years and all we get is a basic description, general personality traits- and for 3 characters we have to relearn those, and a vague world description that evolves in the background. We literally see a war, but only in the background. We see a town grow, become a populated large university based city, but only in the vaguest background sense. I don't feel enough for the characters to want to continue. The only reason I finished was because I held hope that either Adrissu would just accept his mate's stubborn nature and wait for the next incarnation, or 1 incarnation would accept the alternative Adrissu offered. Instead we end in a to-be-continued after 200 years of vagueness, solitude- even when together, and dashed hopes. I like finding non tropey reads. I truly do. But I do need to feel a connection to the characters. Or have enough interest in the world they're set in.
Adrissu is a dragon in disguise as an elf mage. Dragons have fated mates but it's more a legend than something they expect to find. So when he finds his fated mate in a human? Floored. Of all the cruelties, an immortal being finding their mate in the being with the shortest life span. But then he discovers soul bonds, a way to tie 2 souls together so that if 1 dies they return to the other. And so proceeds the centuries of Adrissu's existence.
Spoilers ahead.
So, had I known when I started I probably would have avoided this book. It wasn't bad, it was definitely different, and I read almost everything. It was the fact that although we see 200 years of his life we witness hardly any of their lives. And that doesn't seem to make sense but it's true. This is a decent length book. It spans a couple centuries. And yet Adrissu and Ruan are hardly together, even though they spend over a decade as partners. Then Ruan comes back as Volkmar (I think? I may have the name wrong. I'm awful with names.) And there's no warnings for his current line of s*x work. Volk isn't forced into this, it was voluntary as a debt payment, but he started very young (they don't have laws against it there, but it icked me out). They have a couple decades together as this couple, and yet even living together we see less of their time together than Ruan's with all his travels. Then he comes back again, as Braern, and also no trigger warnings for the fact that he's already married. There's warnings for the abuse he's suffered from his husband, which I appreciate. As a DV survivor I heed all those precious warnings because some days you just don't have the spoons to read about abuse, even if it was in the past. And I'm all for chasing happiness, wherever you can find it, but cheating - even on an abusive jerk- is not my thing. But still, even though we learn a lot, see a lot, we see so little of their lives it's hard to connect to the characters. 200 years and all we get is a basic description, general personality traits- and for 3 characters we have to relearn those, and a vague world description that evolves in the background. We literally see a war, but only in the background. We see a town grow, become a populated large university based city, but only in the vaguest background sense. I don't feel enough for the characters to want to continue. The only reason I finished was because I held hope that either Adrissu would just accept his mate's stubborn nature and wait for the next incarnation, or 1 incarnation would accept the alternative Adrissu offered. Instead we end in a to-be-continued after 200 years of vagueness, solitude- even when together, and dashed hopes. I like finding non tropey reads. I truly do. But I do need to feel a connection to the characters. Or have enough interest in the world they're set in.
Read
January 3, 202303 Jan 2023
Actual Rating: 2 stars. Skimmed, so unrated on GR.
1. Dragon MC finds soulmate, has crisis about soulmate being a short-lived human while he's an immortal, and tries to find ways around it.
2. There's a lot of sex in this book and honestly that's really not to my taste. Especially since I quite liked all the worldbuilding in the book? I mean, the MC is is powerful dragon who's disguised himself as an elf and living in a brand new city which popped up after he destroyed the last one for its treasure. He lives there for centuries by the time the book ends, and I'd honestly have loved the heck out of this story if it focused on that aspect.
3. But what it does focus on is the romance and the execution of that romance is pretty meh. I don't buy these two having a functional relationship. The only thing keeping them together is the soul bond and that's a tenuous thing to base your whole story on. Also, the dragon literally cares for nobody except his soulmate and that's always just a bleh romance trope.
Actual Rating: 2 stars. Skimmed, so unrated on GR.
1. Dragon MC finds soulmate, has crisis about soulmate being a short-lived human while he's an immortal, and tries to find ways around it.
2. There's a lot of sex in this book and honestly that's really not to my taste. Especially since I quite liked all the worldbuilding in the book? I mean, the MC is is powerful dragon who's disguised himself as an elf and living in a brand new city which popped up after he destroyed the last one for its treasure. He lives there for centuries by the time the book ends, and I'd honestly have loved the heck out of this story if it focused on that aspect.
3. But what it does focus on is the romance and the execution of that romance is pretty meh. I don't buy these two having a functional relationship. The only thing keeping them together is the soul bond and that's a tenuous thing to base your whole story on. Also, the dragon literally cares for nobody except his soulmate and that's always just a bleh romance trope.
August 2, 2023
4.7 Stars
This is NOT like the cute Orc Prince books, this is about life and death and life and death and it will make you CRY. This is fated mates to another level. This is pining and loss and love. This is an immortal loving a mortal. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I recommend sticking with the book to at least 30% to see how this story blooms.
Lionel Hart is not messing around in this book.
This is part one of a duology that ends without any *major* cliffhangers.
5/5 Spice
4.5/5 angst
This is NOT like the cute Orc Prince books, this is about life and death and life and death and it will make you CRY. This is fated mates to another level. This is pining and loss and love. This is an immortal loving a mortal. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I recommend sticking with the book to at least 30% to see how this story blooms.
Lionel Hart is not messing around in this book.
This is part one of a duology that ends without any *major* cliffhangers.
5/5 Spice
4.5/5 angst
January 20, 2022
A wild, dragony ride 🐉
Where do I even begin with this story??? You get three "books" or arcs within arcs in this one volume, and each one is more buckwild than the last. HOW DO I TALK ABOUT THIS WITHOUT GIVING SPOILERS?? Truly truly incredible.
It's definitely not structured like a traditional romance; I'm not totally clear in whether the love interest really even has a character development arc in the same way that Adrissu does. It's Adrissu's story through and through. I love how the story, in the tradition of dark romance, shows how immortality can really mess with your priorities and cause really wild obsessions when you have a fated mate bond to contend with.
There were some things in this book that I found incomplete or hard to track—I thought the city of Polimnos was kind of going to get a "character arc" of its own, I guess, based on how significant the city and its people were in the first parts of the book—but that really drops off in act three. There's a semi-unfinished arc with some rival dragons that I'm hoping will pick up again in book two, and characters come and go in the narrative. This sense of underdevelopment sometimes comes across in the relationship between Adrissu and his fated mate(s) (you have to read to know what I mean). Their passion for one another is absolutely compelling, but I often find myself curious as to what the two had in common beyond that interest in each other.
But overall it was a delight to be immersed in this world. I loved Vesper and the look at dragon culture and Polimnos's local politics, and I hope we get lots more of that worldbuilding juiciness in book 2.
Where do I even begin with this story??? You get three "books" or arcs within arcs in this one volume, and each one is more buckwild than the last. HOW DO I TALK ABOUT THIS WITHOUT GIVING SPOILERS?? Truly truly incredible.
It's definitely not structured like a traditional romance; I'm not totally clear in whether the love interest really even has a character development arc in the same way that Adrissu does. It's Adrissu's story through and through. I love how the story, in the tradition of dark romance, shows how immortality can really mess with your priorities and cause really wild obsessions when you have a fated mate bond to contend with.
There were some things in this book that I found incomplete or hard to track—I thought the city of Polimnos was kind of going to get a "character arc" of its own, I guess, based on how significant the city and its people were in the first parts of the book—but that really drops off in act three. There's a semi-unfinished arc with some rival dragons that I'm hoping will pick up again in book two, and characters come and go in the narrative. This sense of underdevelopment sometimes comes across in the relationship between Adrissu and his fated mate(s) (you have to read to know what I mean). Their passion for one another is absolutely compelling, but I often find myself curious as to what the two had in common beyond that interest in each other.
But overall it was a delight to be immersed in this world. I loved Vesper and the look at dragon culture and Polimnos's local politics, and I hope we get lots more of that worldbuilding juiciness in book 2.
June 23, 2023
Pretty okay. Worldbuilding is the quiet type, you really get to spend a lot of time with Adrissu being a hermit in his tower, and he's living the dream tbh. It really allows you to get the sense of the world changing drastically around him over time while Adrissu stays the same, or that there's a huge world out there that he just has no real interest in exploring. But you know it's there, and you observe it quietly from his quiet spot in the tower. Adrissu is also a bit of a read if you relate to his personality in terms of being a little bit prissy and putting up a nice mask for appearances' sake.
That said, I didn't feel much of any way about the love interests. Since this is a situation of one partner being reincarnated over and over again, there are 3 arcs in the story to cover 3 different reincarnations. Because of the length of the book and the amount of storytelling needed for each one, you don't get a whole lot of time to get attached to them and really appreciate their relationships with Adrissu individually, and there are moments in the scene that I think are supposed to be heavy but don't really feel like it because I just didn't care that much about the characters involved.
Be warned: in chapter 6, there is a fairly uncomfortable scene in this book as the first sex scene. It borders on dub-con as a result of Adrissu having poor communication with his partner, Ruan, and advancing on him without proper consent. Adrissu does regret his actions and talks it over properly with Ruan immediately after.
Other than that, it's a pretty decent read, I'd read the next when it comes out to see how it resolves. 3/5.
That said, I didn't feel much of any way about the love interests. Since this is a situation of one partner being reincarnated over and over again, there are 3 arcs in the story to cover 3 different reincarnations. Because of the length of the book and the amount of storytelling needed for each one, you don't get a whole lot of time to get attached to them and really appreciate their relationships with Adrissu individually, and there are moments in the scene that I think are supposed to be heavy but don't really feel like it because I just didn't care that much about the characters involved.
Be warned: in chapter 6, there is a fairly uncomfortable scene in this book as the first sex scene. It borders on dub-con as a result of Adrissu having poor communication with his partner, Ruan, and advancing on him without proper consent. Adrissu does regret his actions and talks it over properly with Ruan immediately after.
Other than that, it's a pretty decent read, I'd read the next when it comes out to see how it resolves. 3/5.
December 16, 2023
Noncon is wrong but in a insta-love book it’s the worst, I’m never going to believe he loves him. It’s just insta-lust. Which is fine because there’s no such thing as love at first sight. When all you know is what they look like 😂 authors should just dump that troupe.
Characters lacked empathy and had major avoidance issues making them less likable, too much of the book focuses on A being alone which is boring. A doesn’t make a spell to show when his mate is born or when he gets within a certain distance of him. How were we supposed to believe that R loved him when he was willing to let his fated mate be alone for the rest of his life? Without his thoughts and feelings being explained better he just seems like a coward, which makes him going off to die in a pointless war unbelievable.
Also I find all the differences in his personality to be wrong. Hopefully the second book resolves these issues.
I really miss the POV style of the orc series. These characters needed it to redeem their flaws.
Characters lacked empathy and had major avoidance issues making them less likable, too much of the book focuses on A being alone which is boring. A doesn’t make a spell to show when his mate is born or when he gets within a certain distance of him. How were we supposed to believe that R loved him when he was willing to let his fated mate be alone for the rest of his life? Without his thoughts and feelings being explained better he just seems like a coward, which makes him going off to die in a pointless war unbelievable.
Also I find all the differences in his personality to be wrong. Hopefully the second book resolves these issues.
I really miss the POV style of the orc series. These characters needed it to redeem their flaws.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2022
DNF. Unlikeable characters, monotone narrative, nothing really happens in the book. Insta "love" but no actual depth to anything, be it characters, relationships or world building. It's just boring. I mean, I was actually glad when Ruan was killed off tbh, he was annoying, selfish and quite dimwitted. But then Volkmar apparead and he was even worse than Ruan which is saying a lot. Adrissu basically bought him and kept him as a pet. Volkmar never amounted to anything other than first a prostitute and then a kept man. To top it off, he flew into dramatics and stupidly got himself killed off. Honestly, that wasn't a sad turn of events, either.
Can't be bothered to read about the third reincarnation of Adrissu's "mate." Nothing else happens in the book, no plot or anything. Oh and some dubcon bordering on rape between Adrissu and his supposed fated mate Insta love Ruan.
I just don't get the point of the book whatsoever, it's a mockery of fated mates trope if anything.
Can't be bothered to read about the third reincarnation of Adrissu's "mate." Nothing else happens in the book, no plot or anything. Oh and some dubcon bordering on rape between Adrissu and his supposed fated mate Insta love Ruan.
I just don't get the point of the book whatsoever, it's a mockery of fated mates trope if anything.
January 10, 2022
I went into this book completely blind. I had no idea what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was a fated mate story, and even more excited to learn it was about reincarnation. Literally everlasting love. What more could you ask for?? Well, a lot, it turns out. I just never really felt the love. They said they loved each other, but all I saw was a long term friends with benefits situation in the first lifetime, and a beholden/kept man in the second. It was clear the 3rd lifetime was meant to be The One, and a little more attention was spent on why it was worth it, but I just wasn't buying it, overall. This was a story about a dragon obsessed with his hoard. And by hoard I mean mate. A thing to have and keep forever, and that's about it.
February 3, 2023
I loved the concept of this, especially with the idea of souls being reborn and the whole soulmate plot is in theory right up my alley.
These are also the only reasons I did not give this one star.
First of all, the actual plot in the book? Very badly done. I did not like the pacing and a lot of decisions just felt lazy and more like explanations rather than results of prior events.
More important, however, was the fact that the couple‘s first sex scene was highly dubcon with no content or trigger warnings. The main character tells the love interest to stop and he does not. This doesn’t really get addressed later on either.
I might have read it even with the content warning but being thrown into this, completely unprepared just does not sit right with me.
These are also the only reasons I did not give this one star.
First of all, the actual plot in the book? Very badly done. I did not like the pacing and a lot of decisions just felt lazy and more like explanations rather than results of prior events.
More important, however, was the fact that the couple‘s first sex scene was highly dubcon with no content or trigger warnings. The main character tells the love interest to stop and he does not. This doesn’t really get addressed later on either.
I might have read it even with the content warning but being thrown into this, completely unprepared just does not sit right with me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2022
I read this book as a start to my journey into reading again. I had seen Lionel Hart on my TikTok feed a couple of times promoting his book, and the tropes he explained had me more than intrigued. I absolutely had to read this book.
Lionel, by the end of this book, I was broken. I was ready to throw this book at the wall. I was ready to burn it, never lay eyes on it again, and attempt to forget about it.
I loved it with every fiber of my being.
How did you managed to write multiple love interests, have me fall in love with each of them, and then proceed to strip them away from me forever without so much as an apology? I found myself rereading the last scenes with the first two love interests multiple times, hoping that my eyes were deceiving me, hoping that they were still alive and they were going to live on happy forever.
I still think about them. I still think about how, even though they were completely different people, the reincarnations each had pieces of Ruan’s personality that Adrissu recognized and fell in love with. I still think about Adrissu holding Volkmar in his arms, telling him about all of the things they will do together in his next life.
I think I deserve financial compensation for the emotional damage I received reading this amazing book.
Now, I do have one small critique:
I feel like Volkmar’s character was a little rushed. From the time we met him, to his (terrible, tear jerking) death, we didn’t have much time for him to become likable to the reader. He was a little surface level, his character coming across as bratty, immature, etc, with no time for the reader to look past this.
I forgive this small issue due to how beautifully his death scene was written. It had me crying like a faucet.
Nevertheless, this book is amazing. Highly recommend. One of my favorite books of all time. Thank you, Lionel, for writing this amazing piece of art and sharing it with the world.
Lionel, by the end of this book, I was broken. I was ready to throw this book at the wall. I was ready to burn it, never lay eyes on it again, and attempt to forget about it.
I loved it with every fiber of my being.
How did you managed to write multiple love interests, have me fall in love with each of them, and then proceed to strip them away from me forever without so much as an apology? I found myself rereading the last scenes with the first two love interests multiple times, hoping that my eyes were deceiving me, hoping that they were still alive and they were going to live on happy forever.
I still think about them. I still think about how, even though they were completely different people, the reincarnations each had pieces of Ruan’s personality that Adrissu recognized and fell in love with. I still think about Adrissu holding Volkmar in his arms, telling him about all of the things they will do together in his next life.
I think I deserve financial compensation for the emotional damage I received reading this amazing book.
Now, I do have one small critique:
I feel like Volkmar’s character was a little rushed. From the time we met him, to his (terrible, tear jerking) death, we didn’t have much time for him to become likable to the reader. He was a little surface level, his character coming across as bratty, immature, etc, with no time for the reader to look past this.
I forgive this small issue due to how beautifully his death scene was written. It had me crying like a faucet.
Nevertheless, this book is amazing. Highly recommend. One of my favorite books of all time. Thank you, Lionel, for writing this amazing piece of art and sharing it with the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2025
This was an interesting book. I picked it up from amazon when it was free.
Adrissu is a dragon, who disguises himself as an elf to live in the city he destroyed. He meets his mate there, a human.
This book is written in a very detached writing style, 3rd person. It took me a second but I ended up warming up to Adrissu more because of this. I liked the way the worldbuilding was set up very slowly, and did not have a lot of plot dumping. The writing was great, very imaginative. The book is set over centuries, which the passage of time was something that took me by surprise constantly. Sometimes centuries would pass in a chapter or two, causing you to be watching the plot from a birds eye view. But it actually worked in connection to the main character who is quite disjunct from life himself.
The romance consists of 3 people connected by the same soul over the course of the book. It took a long time for me to warm up to Ruan as a love interest and right when I did he died so that pissed me off at first. But, I haven’t read a plot with reincarnation like this, so I found it interesting. I didn’t connect with the second love interest, Volkmar at all. His story only took up 20% of the book and felt considerably less fleshed out. The last love interest, Brayrn was quite a fast burn, but he ended up my favorite of the love interests. I however was NOT expecting the ABO influences and thats not my cup of tea. This is quite a spicy book, so heed with caution
Adrissu is definitely a morally gray character and towards the end, messes with souls more than I loved. I thought of it a bit like eugenics, though it’s definitely not. The way he wanted to move souls around in a not natural way (separate from reincarnation) made me a little weary.
This book was actually quite intriguing despite some of its pitfalls. I do have interest in reading the second one.
Adrissu is a dragon, who disguises himself as an elf to live in the city he destroyed. He meets his mate there, a human.
This book is written in a very detached writing style, 3rd person. It took me a second but I ended up warming up to Adrissu more because of this. I liked the way the worldbuilding was set up very slowly, and did not have a lot of plot dumping. The writing was great, very imaginative. The book is set over centuries, which the passage of time was something that took me by surprise constantly. Sometimes centuries would pass in a chapter or two, causing you to be watching the plot from a birds eye view. But it actually worked in connection to the main character who is quite disjunct from life himself.
The romance consists of 3 people connected by the same soul over the course of the book. It took a long time for me to warm up to Ruan as a love interest and right when I did he died so that pissed me off at first. But, I haven’t read a plot with reincarnation like this, so I found it interesting. I didn’t connect with the second love interest, Volkmar at all. His story only took up 20% of the book and felt considerably less fleshed out. The last love interest, Brayrn was quite a fast burn, but he ended up my favorite of the love interests. I however was NOT expecting the ABO influences and thats not my cup of tea. This is quite a spicy book, so heed with caution
Adrissu is definitely a morally gray character and towards the end, messes with souls more than I loved. I thought of it a bit like eugenics, though it’s definitely not. The way he wanted to move souls around in a not natural way (separate from reincarnation) made me a little weary.
This book was actually quite intriguing despite some of its pitfalls. I do have interest in reading the second one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2023
Let's get straight to the point: 'Beneath His Wings' is a great book. It brings something fresh to the table, with a captivating plot that follows Adrissus's journey, which is nothing short of amazing. I do have an important tip, though. I was fortunate to have read previous reviews, and I want to share this tip: the beginning of the book is somewhat slow, and things really start to pick up around the 30% mark. However, it's absolutely worth the wait.
This isn't an adventure book by any means; it's the story of an immortal dragon and his entirely mortal fated mate. If that sounds overly sentimental or cliché, rest assured that the author presents it in a truly fascinating way. Adrissus, in particular, is the standout character of the book. His personality is incredibly well-crafted, and the way I initially disliked him only to become completely fond of him was a fantastic journey.
Pros:
Well-written.
Excellent plot set in a highly engaging fantasy world.
Definitely not sappy; it's almost tragic, to be honest, which adds depth to the love story.
Outstanding character development.
Cons:
There are quite a few sex scenes, although it's worth noting that each one contributes something new to the story rather than being purely descriptive.
The beginning of the story can be somewhat boring, which might cause some readers to give up before it really takes off.
I'm eagerly diving into book two. For those in search of an exceptional MM fantasy story, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
This isn't an adventure book by any means; it's the story of an immortal dragon and his entirely mortal fated mate. If that sounds overly sentimental or cliché, rest assured that the author presents it in a truly fascinating way. Adrissus, in particular, is the standout character of the book. His personality is incredibly well-crafted, and the way I initially disliked him only to become completely fond of him was a fantastic journey.
Pros:
Well-written.
Excellent plot set in a highly engaging fantasy world.
Definitely not sappy; it's almost tragic, to be honest, which adds depth to the love story.
Outstanding character development.
Cons:
There are quite a few sex scenes, although it's worth noting that each one contributes something new to the story rather than being purely descriptive.
The beginning of the story can be somewhat boring, which might cause some readers to give up before it really takes off.
I'm eagerly diving into book two. For those in search of an exceptional MM fantasy story, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
January 6, 2022
ABSOLUTELY READ THIS BOOK. I love this book
You FUCKER.. THE BOOK IS TOO GOD DAMN SHORT
I WANT MORE
I NEED THE SECOND BOOK
*deep breath*
This book is amazing. Its romantic, has an actual viable plot, its GAY ASF *hearteyes*
I loved everything about this book
I genuinely want and will preorder the next 10 books if the author decides to make it that long
The romance isnt over the top and stereotypical like so many other books ive read (ive logged 200+ on my goodreads)
i cannot express this enough
THERE IS A GOD DAMN PLOT WITH THE ROMANCE
SOOOOO MANY author make the plot secondary with the romance mr. hart does not.
My favorite is the elf. Finally a culmination of breedable and magic
And it opens up adrissu to elves which he has been so hesitant to explore.
I just wish adrissu remembered the bond makes his pair reincarnate nearby. Its one fact he keeps forgetting.
Author
If you read this
I will be HAWKEYEING when the MOMENT the second book comes out.
You are amazing
Please keep up the amazing work
I am a fan forever
THERE IS LITERALLY NO BOOK/GENRE LIKE WHAT YOU MADE HERE so
PLEASE keep writing. If you ever feel as if you dont have fans
Please come back and read my review.
You FUCKER.. THE BOOK IS TOO GOD DAMN SHORT
I WANT MORE
I NEED THE SECOND BOOK
*deep breath*
This book is amazing. Its romantic, has an actual viable plot, its GAY ASF *hearteyes*
I loved everything about this book
I genuinely want and will preorder the next 10 books if the author decides to make it that long
The romance isnt over the top and stereotypical like so many other books ive read (ive logged 200+ on my goodreads)
i cannot express this enough
THERE IS A GOD DAMN PLOT WITH THE ROMANCE
SOOOOO MANY author make the plot secondary with the romance mr. hart does not.
My favorite is the elf. Finally a culmination of breedable and magic
And it opens up adrissu to elves which he has been so hesitant to explore.
I just wish adrissu remembered the bond makes his pair reincarnate nearby. Its one fact he keeps forgetting.
Author
If you read this
I will be HAWKEYEING when the MOMENT the second book comes out.
You are amazing
Please keep up the amazing work
I am a fan forever
THERE IS LITERALLY NO BOOK/GENRE LIKE WHAT YOU MADE HERE so
PLEASE keep writing. If you ever feel as if you dont have fans
Please come back and read my review.
March 3, 2022
Wonderful
I came across a teaser for this book on tiktok this morning. Around midafternoon, I'd say. I worked a 10-hour shift,people. it's 4AM, and I am happily finished with book 1. I couldn't put it down, truly.
Truthfully, I picked it up simply on the basis of actual dragon smut, LOL, but the story is wonderful and dutifully told. I was never bored or rushed, and the smut is thoughtful and well placed. I never thought, "Here they go again," as you sometimes find yourself doing in this particular genre. I cried twice. I laughed. I smiled. It's tremendously good. Addrisu, my initially tsundere sweetie, has my entire heart. I'm thrilled the book ended not only happy, but not on an unnecessary and painful cliffhanger. I can handle waiting on the rest, my boys are comfortable and happy for now ; w ;
I came across a teaser for this book on tiktok this morning. Around midafternoon, I'd say. I worked a 10-hour shift,people. it's 4AM, and I am happily finished with book 1. I couldn't put it down, truly.
Truthfully, I picked it up simply on the basis of actual dragon smut, LOL, but the story is wonderful and dutifully told. I was never bored or rushed, and the smut is thoughtful and well placed. I never thought, "Here they go again," as you sometimes find yourself doing in this particular genre. I cried twice. I laughed. I smiled. It's tremendously good. Addrisu, my initially tsundere sweetie, has my entire heart. I'm thrilled the book ended not only happy, but not on an unnecessary and painful cliffhanger. I can handle waiting on the rest, my boys are comfortable and happy for now ; w ;
August 26, 2022
Beautiful just beautiful
I think this book gives you a true look into what it means to be mortal and what the thought of ever changing and everlasting life can bring.
The passing of time felt so surreal but matched the characters perfectly it is honestly such a genius narrative structure the different lives and how those left behind feel but also the joy of finding new love.
I loved the idea of the souls and how even though our draconian hero had all his strong baser instincts he felt fleshed out and really listened to his partners (well partner 😉) and the exploration of souls and reincarnation.
And the spice. Oh my lord I think I spent the whole time blushing but loving every single second!
I highly recommend this and will probably be gushing about it for days to my literary friends 😂 can’t wait to read more of his work!!
I think this book gives you a true look into what it means to be mortal and what the thought of ever changing and everlasting life can bring.
The passing of time felt so surreal but matched the characters perfectly it is honestly such a genius narrative structure the different lives and how those left behind feel but also the joy of finding new love.
I loved the idea of the souls and how even though our draconian hero had all his strong baser instincts he felt fleshed out and really listened to his partners (well partner 😉) and the exploration of souls and reincarnation.
And the spice. Oh my lord I think I spent the whole time blushing but loving every single second!
I highly recommend this and will probably be gushing about it for days to my literary friends 😂 can’t wait to read more of his work!!
March 5, 2023
I loved this book. I’m immediately reading the second part of this duology. I find the concept of soul mates/soul bound to be incredibly romantic and intriguing if done right. This is done so well in this story. You feel so deeply for Adrissu. I just want to wrap him up in a hug and a warm blanket and give him hot cocoa… Even when I knew it was coming, my heart broke. And again. And again I’m sure many more agains before the story is through. Now while not the spiciest thing I’ve ever read, (I’d rate about a 2.5-3 🌶️ on the spice scale) my scale for normal spice response is off I think. The plot is interesting and fast paced. Like a slice of life on fast forward sometimes, and I love that pace. I will be revisiting this author and reading his other works because I really like his writing style. I would recommend this to all my friends, like 1 of my family. 😂 4 stars.
December 30, 2024
Hart really outdid himself with the careful and complex world building. I enjoyed learning about the different cultures the dragons, elves, and humans had, and how the different city states interacted and evolved over time. I also really admire how Hart frames Arissu’s character growth over time through the changes and differences in character between his mate’s incarnations.
However, I found it hard to connect with Volkmar. I would have liked to see Arissu interact more meaningfully with him to demonstrate what he loved about him aside from the fact that he was his mate. I also felt rather uncomfortable with how Arissu fixated on basically killing another dragon to have their body for his mate to stay with him forever. The idea itself is morally questionable, but the way Arissu thinks about and explains it to Braean reads as selfish and manipulative. I feel like this casts a pallor over the love Arissu professes for his mate. I understand that Arissu is a dragon, but his cunning and coldness towards even his mate bothers me. This type of behavior is hard to reconcile with the depressed puddle Arissu becomes when his mate dies.
However, I found it hard to connect with Volkmar. I would have liked to see Arissu interact more meaningfully with him to demonstrate what he loved about him aside from the fact that he was his mate. I also felt rather uncomfortable with how Arissu fixated on basically killing another dragon to have their body for his mate to stay with him forever. The idea itself is morally questionable, but the way Arissu thinks about and explains it to Braean reads as selfish and manipulative. I feel like this casts a pallor over the love Arissu professes for his mate. I understand that Arissu is a dragon, but his cunning and coldness towards even his mate bothers me. This type of behavior is hard to reconcile with the depressed puddle Arissu becomes when his mate dies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2023
This was…unexpected
Until about 30% of the way in I actually hated this and I was already writing the 1 star review in my head. Adrissu seemed to have the personality of wet cardboard and I just wasn’t connecting with him. That changed at exactly 45% when the book absolutely broke my heart. This was a very, very unique take on the immortalXmortal pairings we get in fantasy so often where the disparity in how long they will each live is often glossed over. Adrissu does not gloss over it for a moment, knowing how short a mortal’s lifespan will be is agony to him. And it was agony to read—in the best possibly way. Based on how the book ended I am not sure what to expect from book 2 as I feel like most threads were neatly wrapped up but I am very excited to dive in.
Until about 30% of the way in I actually hated this and I was already writing the 1 star review in my head. Adrissu seemed to have the personality of wet cardboard and I just wasn’t connecting with him. That changed at exactly 45% when the book absolutely broke my heart. This was a very, very unique take on the immortalXmortal pairings we get in fantasy so often where the disparity in how long they will each live is often glossed over. Adrissu does not gloss over it for a moment, knowing how short a mortal’s lifespan will be is agony to him. And it was agony to read—in the best possibly way. Based on how the book ended I am not sure what to expect from book 2 as I feel like most threads were neatly wrapped up but I am very excited to dive in.
January 31, 2023
4,5 stars. This was highly unusual book. The detached writing style, the idea of fated mates and reincarnation as something that weights on a soul. It was something new for me and a job well done. It was hard for me to connect to the book due to the writing style. This story is written in third person from a dragon’s point of view. I agree to other reviews, which said that this books demonstrates different way of thinking of a dragon. So, as I mentioned, it feels a bit detached. But it’s not cold and it definitely isn’t shallow. I do recommend this book if you don’t look for a fluffy feel good book, but something more serious and weighty.
January 15, 2025
I would rate this book much higher, because it is quite interesting and well written, specially it’s takes on immortality and immortal love as reincarnation rather than simply living forever.
But around 16% of the book one of the MCs r4pes the other. This is not questioned (he does stop at one point when he realises that the other is literally suffering) and actually quite romantised. It happens only the once, but it is once too many. This book doesn’t have a r4pe between MCs trigger warning and the scene is not even dubcon because the r4ped character is not enjoying at all. Awful and can’t believe this queer author just wrote that and didn’t question it at all.
But around 16% of the book one of the MCs r4pes the other. This is not questioned (he does stop at one point when he realises that the other is literally suffering) and actually quite romantised. It happens only the once, but it is once too many. This book doesn’t have a r4pe between MCs trigger warning and the scene is not even dubcon because the r4ped character is not enjoying at all. Awful and can’t believe this queer author just wrote that and didn’t question it at all.
July 29, 2025
4.5 stars. Not a perfect read and felt more like an epic tale than a romance, but did a great job of showing an immortal life and the pain of having a mortal soulmate. I think R’s passing and Adrissu’s mourning was glossed over a little too quickly. I also expected Adrissu to help protect the town. V’s death and Adrissu’s grief/vengeance really got me. Things did take on a darker tone in the last part. B’s revenge…
I’m having a low key existential crisis thinking about Adrissu watching Polimnos grow from a tiny town to a thriving city, and waiting for a century for B.
Also, the elf on the cover looks demonic 😖
I’m having a low key existential crisis thinking about Adrissu watching Polimnos grow from a tiny town to a thriving city, and waiting for a century for B.
Also, the elf on the cover looks demonic 😖
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2023
Dragon lover
First book presumably in a series, Hart exposes the reader to a PNR world focused on a black dragon posing as an elf in the city he destroyed. Two hundred years pass as the three chapters reveal a bonded love that survives a lifetime. Good character development, plotted crises and angst, progression of time,, all with a thread of magic,and hot passion.
First book presumably in a series, Hart exposes the reader to a PNR world focused on a black dragon posing as an elf in the city he destroyed. Two hundred years pass as the three chapters reveal a bonded love that survives a lifetime. Good character development, plotted crises and angst, progression of time,, all with a thread of magic,and hot passion.
December 31, 2021
Not my favorite of Hart's books, but still great. I enjoyed the further exploration of the elven bond that was first put forward in the Orc books. The book dragged a little in places, but not horribly. Over all, really looking forward to the next book in the duology.
January 10, 2022
Reincarnation
I’ve read stories where an immortal, or near immortal, searches to find their mortal fated/soul mate, but not like this. Usually other stories are just full of lust, but the mc really struggles with the difficulties of a mortal mate. It’s lovely.
I’ve read stories where an immortal, or near immortal, searches to find their mortal fated/soul mate, but not like this. Usually other stories are just full of lust, but the mc really struggles with the difficulties of a mortal mate. It’s lovely.
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