I am always excited to read a new title by Lilian Lark especially with pregnancy trope so I started read this book as soon as it was released!

Katrina, retired thief and forgery artist does one last job for her mentor and sneaks into a dangerous dragon's hoard to steal a precious object. There she is caught by the dragon himself, Kalos who is actively in heat. Seeing a way out, Katarina stiles a deal with him, she'll help him out if she gets to keep the item. He agrees and the two have a passionate night together that leads to the impossible... A dragon baby.

The Good
This book had a lot of angst and emotional to it that I wasn't expecting. I liked both Katarina and Kalos. Katarina is someone with a complex past that has left her with this intrinsic desired to be wanted and accepted and loved. I really felt for her. Kalvos is an interesting character. He has had a mate and lost her so he feels this longing for Katarina but feels like he can't be with anyone again because of his loss and inability to bond. He is moody and really goes back and forth. He was so many worries and insecurities from his losses and perceived future loss that cause him to act out. I love pregnancy trope books so this was right up my alley. I loved the forced proximity tie-in in this book having to do with not just her being pregnant but for the health of the baby they needed to be in close contact. The pregnancy itself was giving me Breaking Dawn vibes as the timeline was fast a loose as were the rules of the babies development.

The Bad
The characters actions made complete since so I cannot critique their behavior and actions but it was very frustrating to read at times. It's a story so filled with grief, longing, sacrifice and fear that I honestly was not expecting and while well written was sometimes again, frustrating to read.

Tropes:
— Pregnancy
— One Night Stand
— Forced Proximity

Horn Level: 5/5