Tag: dragon riders

Review:  Dragon Rogue (Riders of Jade and Fire Book 3) by Melanie Ansley

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Ever read one of those books that you just both wanted to scream at when you got to the end and still loved? Yes indeed. 

Welcome to Dragon Rogue, a book of storylines full of deception, betrayal, heartbreaking revelations and bloody violence that ends in a fight with shocking consequences. 

And it starts right off with violence. Jin and her jade dragon are sent off by the Empress, a shady character herself, to kill the Empress’s “evil enemy”, the blood-bonded traitor Mengkhis Lai, rider of a jade dragon himself. 

But things aren’t as simple as it seems. She’s fought him before and he’s let her live. And she’s been having fragmented dreams about her past and the Prince’s birth. It’s a labyrinthine narrative, full of false plots, intriguing stories about dragon natural history, and blood bonding. 

Even the ability to summon ghosts and what it means to the lifespan of the summoner, the author barely touches on the aspect of this element.  And it’s so fascinating and horrifying.

But all the tightly held secrets and connections that are being strung here, ones that feel more like chains than relationships, are the key. It’s well written, suspense filled, and realistic to the point of anxiety. 

Then comes that ending. Amazing. Now to wait until September. 

Fantastic series and great writing.

Highly recommended.

Cover Design: Get Covers

The Riders of Jade & Fire series: 

Night of the Black Dragon (prequel novella) 

Dragon Class #1

Dragon Flame #2

Dragon Rogue #3

Dragon Blood #4 – Sept 2026

Buy link 

        Dragon Rogue: A Clean YA Fantasy Adventure (Riders of Jade and Fire Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Some truths rewrite the past. Others rewrite your soul.

Jin was sent to kill a man while he dreamed.
Instead, she woke a nightmare.

As the empire’s most celebrated dragonrider, Jin thought her mission was simple: assassinate the blood-bonded traitor Mengkhis Lai before he could ever wake from his mage-induced sleep.

But events at the Well of Fire go terribly wrong. Buried with the man she was supposed to kill, Jin begins to question everything—especially when Mengkhis claims the empress meant for them both to die.

Escaping the Well is only the beginning. Injured and forced to publicly lie about killing Mengkhis, Jin must decide whether to trust the word of the man she was trained to destroy—or risk being silenced forever by the empire that made her a hero. When Jin is put into training with the Royal Veil, the empire’s secret police, Jin decides to uncover the truth behind the mission that nearly killed her, and put an end to Mengkhis once and for all.

But the deeper Jin goes, the more she suspects the empress’s motives. Jin uncovers plots, secrets, and a destiny far greater—and more dangerous—than she imagined.

Her enemies want her dead.
Her allies want absolute loyalty, even at the price of love.

And the one person who may hold the answers… is the one she must kill to earn her freedom.

Review: A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing (Dragons of Safe Haven #3) by Julia Huni

Rating: 4 ⭐️

 I enjoyed the third story far better than the second, circling back to characters who are older, been worn and in many ways, damaged by their past histories, in the particular case, a shared traumatizing event, caused by one of the main characters. 

A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing sees the return of two characters who have had important roles and relationships with the main characters in this series.  

Sarai Lavigne,a Tier One Healer, is dragon rider William Ordell’s sister. Someone who is thought dead by the ruler and Kingdom they both have fled. William and his dragon seeking sanctuary and retirement on Safe Haven, a mysterious island magically hidden from others and inhabited by multiple otherworldly species that coexist together.  She has found her own way to a kingdom currently at war with the one they fled.  She’s a beautifully written, multi dimensional woman, thoughtful, intelligent, whose past life has left its wounds. 

Do I love her? Yes I do.  As much as retired war witch, Calantha Stormbringer, who’s now William’s wife.  The OG couple and story are great. 

Then there’s Tyge de Xerrist, a dragon rider and his wounded dragon Sundri, who have fled the same ruler and Kingdom as William to Safe Haven, seeking help for his dragon who’s in desperate need of healing. Tyge and Sundri have been betrayed and she’s been ordered destroyed. 

So Tyge should be a character we empathize with. But he has a problematic personality and backstory. He kidnapped Sarai previously in another story, and he’s a hot tempered bigot. He’s arrogant and insincere. So, even with a plot line that has him emotionally attached to his wounded dragon, Tyge is still his dragon’s and his own worst enemy.

And it makes him remarkably hard to connect with. I’m with Willam each time he talks to him about his racism/specism towards the islanders and inability to deal. 

The growth of the dragons , including Sundri, their communications and abilities is a joy. As is all the relationships building around them. 

However, I don’t think Huni made a case for Tyge’s character’s makeover here. It’s not credible in the short time frame that he goes from hardcore bigotry to total acceptance of the island’s character and history.  And that the dragons have been able to “talk” directly to their riders all along, which he’s absolutely slow to believe even given proof in front of him. 

So putting aspect aside a not so realistic scenario for Tyge’s redemption, I think it’s a very good story and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Eventually that nasty ol’ Kingdom will notice the dragons. Drama will be coming!

A real winner!

Cover design by David Drummond

Dragons of Safe Haven (4 book series to date):

A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement #1

A Blacksmith’s Guide to Dragon-Rearing #2

A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing #3

A Guide to Mermaids and Mountain Trolls #4 – June 29,2027

Buy link 

        A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing (Dragons of Safe Haven Book 3)

    

Blurb 

The only thing harder than mending a dragon’s wing is softening his rider’s heart.

Tyge de Xerrist would rather face a Borgonne army on foot than trust his dragon’s life to a witch. But exiled to Safe Haven with Sundri’s wing torn to shreds, the surly rider is out of options.

Sarai Lavigne is a Tier One Healer who has spent years mending the wounds of war. She’s ready to save Sundri, but his rider is her most stubborn patient yet. Even as Sarai and Tyge clash over dragon-lore and ancient grudges, they must work together to get Sundri back in the sky and help Safe Haven’s dragon fire brigade come to full strength.

A cozy fantasy with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that won’t steam your glasses. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic, and K.M. Shea’s Magiford books—a tale of scales, soot, and second chances.

IPH Media, LLC

Publication date

June 30, 2026

Accessibility

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Language

‎English

File size

4.6 MB

Screen Reader

Supported

Enhanced typesetting

Enabled

X-Ray

Not Enabled

Word Wise

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Print length

332 pages

Page Flip

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Book 3 of 4

Dragons of Safe Haven

Review: A Dragon Inside: Morntag Dragons & Kingdoms Book 1 by Anabelle Raven 

Rating: 3⭐️

This book was a recommendation so I picked it up to see what I would find. A Dragon Inside is a sweet, unsurprising fantasy novel that includes dragons, dragon riders, princesses and kingdoms in peril. But adds little to the already overwhelming world of books written about this genre. 

It’s the first book in a series but wrapped up the first storyline and romance pretty well by the end of the novel. King realizes he has traitor close to him, his sister, the princess helps save the day,  by rescuing the dragonrider.  Who ends up with the princess. 

King also looks to have a HEA too. 

There’s a weird magic aspect that unexpectedly occurs towards the end that doesn’t make sense and has no foundation whatsoever laid out for it. 

Perhaps it’s coming in the future books. 

Some readers might excuse this by saying that the story is meant for YA but all writing, no matter what age the author is aiming for, should have depth in the characters, layers to the world building and intricacies of plot. None of which happens here. 

The characters should be entirely believable or engaging enough for the reader to invest their time and emotions. 

For me, I thought this was just a simple, sweet, and uncomplicated plot that didn’t ask much of the reader. 

If that’s something that you’re looking for, here’s a book and series for you. 

This author imo does not compare with KM Shea who was mentioned in the description. Not even close. 

Cover art is by Turtle Trails Publishing. Interior art (part two) is by Legowo P. Interior art (after Chapter 31) is by Sidney Brady. 

Morntag Dragons & Kingdoms:

A Dragon Inside #1

A Dragon Outside #2 – Sept 30, 2025

Buy link

        A Dragon Inside: Morntag Dragons & Kingdoms Book 1

    

Blurb 

She is a princess. He is chained in the dungeon. They don’t trust each other, but they are Solvar’s only hope for escaping war.

Ellie

When I discovered that my brother imprisoned a dragon rider, I plunged head-first into a whirlwind of political drama, mysterious history, magic, and an alluring prisoner.

Now the secrets I uncovered keep growing deeper. I wanted to save my people from war, but that was only the beginning. My brother and our inheritance complicated everything, and I must find new ways to deal with rebellions, assassinations, and an attraction to an impossible prisoner.

Deryk

I expected to die, but everything changed when the fearless princess swept into my prison cell. Now I must choose between loyalty to my family and dragon or a dangerous trust to an unnerving princess.

  • Publisher: Turtle Trails Publishing LLC
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: July 2, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 440 pages
  • Book 1 of 2: Morntag Dragons & Kingdoms

Review: Reckless (Luckless Book 3) by Cari Z

Rating: 4.75🌈

“Evan Luck was a dragon rider with no dragon. Now he’s got Lee, a rare and powerful dragon who can take the shape of a man or a dragon with equal ease. However, the fight to keep Lee’s son Jason safe, as well as the city of Forge protected from the monsters that roam the Front Range, will test Evan and Lee’s bond to the utmost, and send them on a quest that they might not come back from.”

Reckless is the finale story for Cari Z’s tremendous urban fantasy series, Luckless. And it’s been so great and so well written, that it’s short length and imaginative elements that have been left unexplored just make me more than a little frustrated with the author. 

I want this to double in length or at the very least offer additional stories in the series.

This novel picks up from the surprising events of Dauntless, where Jason’s crisis came to a dramatic resolution with new characters arriving from the city of Chicago with devastating news. 

Chicago has been spoken of as a veritable fortress city of multiple dragon pairs and a successful defense against the monsters. But the news brings a different reality.

It’s one that necessitates Evan and Lee leaving Forge and their son in search of answers about the increasingly complex and deadly monsters their city is facing and what happened in Chicago.

For a short story, this packs a shocking emotional punch. It’s got unexpected elements and a very powerful plot twist that, of course, is so great that this book could be twice it’s length and still not dive into this plot line’s full potential. It’s that intriguing.

Which brings me to the conclusion. It’s satisfying in a way yet not. With all the traumatic events that’s happened, it’s felt simplistic. Lovely, HFN, and heartfelt but missing something. 

I truly wish Cari Z would revisit this series and universe and give it and us an update. So tremendous a world that this series and the characters deserve it. 

Highly recommended! 

Cover Art by Vivid Covers

Luckless series:

Luckless #1

Dauntless #2

Reckless #3

Buy link

        Reckless: Book Three in the Luckless Series

    

Blurb 

Refugees have been streaming into the city of Forge from around the country. Monsters are coming down from the mountains and staking out new hunting grounds. Even as the dragons of Forge grow stronger and more numerous, the challenges they and their riders are facing are only increasing, and there’s only one place to look for answers.

Chicago is the strongest remaining city in the Midwest, home to thousands of people and protected by powerful dragons … or at least, it was. By the time Evan Luck and his dragon, Ladon, arrive there, it’s clear that something’s gone terribly wrong. People are starving, dragons are dying, and nobody knows who’s behind it all.

It’s something they’ve never faced before—something they thought didn’t exist, yet that’s terrifyingly familiar. It’s up to Evan and Ladon to stop it … or lose their city, their son, and their lives.

  • Publication date: April 26, 2022
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 124 pages