ARC Review: Throne of Oak by Dana Marie Bell

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Carina Press, available as e-book

The Source: Net Galley

The Grade: C+

The Blurb:

Vampire Dragos Ibanescu, Mayor of Maggie's Grove, is about to lose his mind. His mate, the dryad queen Mina Chainey, refuses to have anything to do with him after her ordeal at the hands of an evil witch. If he doesn't mate with her soon, he may lose control of the beast within him—a force far more dangerous than anyone in town knows…

Mina's nightmares of her time with the witch haunt her. The Queen of the Forest can't muster the strength needed to fight her terror. Unable to leave the Throne, she vows she will not accept Dragos until she can stand at his side as an equal. But the nightmares are only growing in strength, and soon she realizes that there's more to her pain than simple fear.

Dark forces are converging on Maggie's Grove, and a horde of hunters stalk supernaturals from the shadows. Only by uniting in body and mind will Mina and Dragos find the strength to defend their home.

 

The Review:

I have been waiting for this book ever since I read Blood of the Maple, so when I saw the galley at Netgalley I requested it on the spot. I must admit that I have mixed feelings after reading it, though. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as her other novels and novellas.

It was nice to revisit Maggie's Grove. I liked how Ms Bell revealed more and more of Dragos background through the novel. It was also intresting to find out how the Dryad rulers lived and what a dryad could do.

The main characters was intresting. It was fascinating to get know them, and to find out how the past had scarred them. I liked that both of them were strong leaders, but they weren't invincible.

It was also intresting to see the interaction between Dragos and the other leaders of Maggies Grove. I was amazed at how patient Dragos could be sometimes. Sure, he had a temper, and he let it loose when it was needed. But he showed a lot of restraint.

The big weakness for me was the plot. Or rather the first quarter or so. It felt very... jumpy. It jumped in time. One week here, one week there. And as a result, I struggled with  feeling the romance between Dragos and Mina. Don't get me wrong, I liked them a lot and I apprecitated that both of them had their own problems to face that propelled the plot forward. But when it came to romance I was more intrested in the romance between Eddy and his mate.