Emperor of Dragons

Black Veil Series, Book 2

By: Davidson King

Narrated by: Tim Paige, Declan Winters

Emil is the head of security, first line of defense for Cain and Black Veil. He is fully prepared to sacrifice everything in order to keep everyone he cares about safe. But the Tritons and Sirens have approved a treaty, and the dragons will most likely agree to allow vampires to use their blood for sustenance and protection once again, so all is as it should be. Then Emil meets the emperor of dragons, and his life goes from calm to chaotic in the blink of an eye.

Aldrich is the emperor of dragons and cannot afford to make mistakes. He and his clans enter Black Veil in the hopes that The Blood Boss will join them in the fight to save his family. Aldrich is ready to lay down his life and for anything else thrown his way—except the vampire who immediately captures his interest. Emil is everything he has always wanted and would never dare dream of.

When unimaginable dangers swarm into Black Veil, the vampires and dragons join forces to defeat the enemy. While love blooms, lives perish, all to fight a war against the darkness threatening to consume the world. Will Emil and Aldrich claim victory and have their happily ever after, or are they doomed to an eternity apart?

Contains mature themes.

©2022 Davidson King (P)2022 Tantor

Another Great Read

One word: dragons. Second word: vampires. What else do you need? A little spicy time, and a little unrest between dragons and the fae.

The story begins with the Emperor of Dragons, Aldrich making a visit to Black Veil with a party of dragons for a meeting with Cain. Soon he makes a deal, help save his dragon niece from the fae and he will donate dragon blood for the vampires. While Cain agrees to this, Emil, Cain’s leading bodyguard feels a pull to the Emperor. Soon Emil is spending his nights with the Emperor of Dragons and his days fighting for the return of the Emperor’s niece.

Aldrich and Emil feel an instant pull from their first meeting. Soon, they accidentally unlock a future for themselves that means an end before it can begin and they must figure out to be together before it’s too late.

This story is another banger from Davidson King with a good plot twist and HEA. Another must read.

Brilliant blend of paranormal, mystery, & mayhem

Original Audiobook Review October 2024:
How can it possibly be 2+ years since I read Emperor of Dragons and an even bigger HOW has it been over a year and a half since the audio originally released and I didn't listen? Well, I remedied that!

I can't really think of anything new to add to my original review to express my love for Emperor and the whole intriguing paranormal world that Davidson King has created in Black Veil so I'll let my original words below speak for the story. As for the narrators, Tim Paige & Declan Winters, they sure nail Emil and Aldrich spot on. I can't say who narrates who but whichever way it is, balanced with King's words, they bring to life every minute detail. I've often said in my audio reviews that my love of the old radio shows of the 30s, 40s, and 50s is a bench mark I factor into my expectation and there's something extra about dual narration that brings OTR even more into a checkpoint. Paige & Winters leaves me not only expecting to hear the sponsor's message but I swear I can hear the sound effects man creating the creaking doors, howling winds, and flapping wings painting the whole picture of the magic and mayhem fueling King's storytelling.

Yep, Davidson King, Tim Paige, & Declan Winters are a triad of story presentation . . . well I'd say "made in Heaven" but considering the genre and world being explored I'll just say "not to be missed".😉😉


Original Review May Book of the Month 2021:
She's done it again!

From the very first page, Davidson King pulls you in to this paranormal world she has created. You find yourself so hooked that if you looked up you expect to see vampires, dragons, witches, oh my! Each character has burrowed in and won't let go until they are done telling you their journey.

I don't want to spoil anything, even the minutest detail because experiencing this journey is pure magic and not just in a paranormal way but in a "Holy Crap! Where did that come from?" kind of way. So this review won't be touching on any specifics plot-wise but more on an overall emotion grabber. When reading paranormal/fantasy, there is obviously a level of reality that doesn't even begin to enter one's mind but at the same time, when that fantasy world does begin to spark a flash of realism into one's soul, you know that you have found a winning gem.

And simply put, that is exactly what Davidson King's Emperor of Dragons has done: feels real.

As for the characters? Once again we see Cain and Jayce navigate and rule over Black Veil(so Cain is the one in charge of the territory but come on! We all know Jayce has a level of control where Cain is involved). This time around, the threat at large is not openly directed at their vampires but at the dragons which is where Aldrich enters the picture. Emil, one of Cain's top security vamps finds himself drawn to Aldrich and Aldrich is vice versa. Will they get the opportunity to become what it meant for them? You know my answer to that one: read for yourself.

Oh but the fun you will have finding out. I just finished reading this minutes ago but I know I wish I could experience it for the first time again.

Back to characters. There are new ones, there are returning ones, there are ones you will love with every fiber of your being, there are ones you will absolutely hate with a passion, and then there are those that will probably be a blend of each. I already have a couple of them that I think will be front and center of future entries and even though I just finished Emperor of Dragons, I'm already on tender hooks waiting for the next Black Veil adventure.

I know that Davidson King is all about the HEAs, the romance, and the heart but she is Queen of mayhem and danger too. I've read and watched plenty of fiction that involve world building universes, character driven drama, emotional battered heart and some are poorly done, some are well written, and then there are those that are exceptionally crafted. It is the exceptionally crafted ones that are storytelling at it's finest and Davidson King's Black Veil universe belongs in that category. To create something that can't possibly be real, that not only entertains but leaves the reader feeling lost when the final page is closed because they are no longer living in that world, well that's a whole other level of talent very few reach.

A final note: Some might say The Blood Boss and Emperor of Dragons can be read as standalones because they feature different couples, tackle different dangers, I honestly can't say that. For me, they have to be read in order. Not only are there characters from Blood that play a huge part in Emperor but I can't help but feel there is a larger picture at play here and each entry has a part in the complete adventure(hopefully there will be many layers to the complete picture because I am in no way ready to say goodbye to Black Veil). The author lets you in on things from book 1 so you wouldn't exactly be lost but I truly believe you'd be saying "huh, I wonder what happened there?" more than once. Not too mention, The Blood Boss is brilliant and was my personal choice for Best Paranormal Read of 2021.

Good story

It was a good continuation of this series. The characters were interesting and the narration was really well done.

"Prince of Dragons - 3rd in line" more apt title

Everything about this book was diminished compared to The Blood Boss. I never felt the power of what I perceive an Emperor of Dragons would have. In the first book Cain oozed power and strength even in vulnerable moments with Jayce. The power and dominance of a "Boss" kinda set the stage to me for the power and dominance of an "Emperor." In every way Aldrich came across as diminished compared to Cain. Cain is larger than life in stature. When he enters the room you have no doubt who he is. Aldrich is wayyyy shorter, even Jayce looks over him and mistakes his body guard as the Emperor in the first meeting. In one of the secxy scenes Emil ( glorified security guard) carried Aldrich around and "took" him to bed. I felt the world building was glossed over - events in the book not flushed out to their potential. The performance was as good as the first book but Winters - to me -sounded like he had just got over a cold, his voice a little off from what I'm used to in other books. The first book made me want to continue the series but this second book is just to lackluster for me to still want to continue.

2 stars - I won't listen again