Things are getting complicated in the small town of Tranquility. The Dragon Diner is extremely busy, trying to expand with its roof elf designed garden dining area and new magic mushroom recipes.
But first, the Elf Queen is coming to town, Rylana’s best friend, the elven assassin Sylin is being hunted down by elves, Rylana and dragon chef Jildarin have just been informed that they are going to be evicted from the place where the diner is by their landlord and magical mushrooms need to be found.
All in a day’s work for this group.
It’s a story full of tangled feelings, a few mysteries (mostly about family), mushrooms and things that glow, and a slow burn romance that might finally get a tiny bit more heat. But not much.
And it’s a cozy fantasy so everyone knows that it works out well.
Adorable and still very interesting. Love the characters.
Tales from the Dragon Diner (5 book series to date)
Retired mercenary Rylana and the dragon chef Jildarin are on the hunt for enchanted morels in the hope of enticing the visiting elf queen to their diner. But more than a desire for mushrooms has brought the queen to the city of Tranquility.
For some reason, she has her people searching for Rylana’s best friend, the elven assassin Sylin.
Even as Rylana worries about her comrade, a new problem thrusts its way into her path. Despite the Dragon Diner’s newfound success, their landlord has decided to evict them. After all that Rylana and Jildarin have built together, will they be forced to close the business?
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.
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.
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
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.
“Did you bring any special weapons with you?” Rylana asked.
Sylin held up her shovel.
“Oh, that’ll be vastly effective. Entire ballads have been written about noble warriors who slew dragons with garden tools.”
And yes, we’re back in the town of Tranquility where it’s anything but tranquil. Things are going awry, there’s a curse that’s been loosened upon the town, several mysteries afoot, and the Fae Queen looks to be coming to town, a real threat to Rylana’s friend, the lone warrior elf, Sylin, hiding in town.
Knead For Speed is a highly entertaining, well written fantasy action adventure story. It’s got a dragon family whose interactions with each other is dysfunctional and dramatic, including our main character, Jildarin, who just wants to be an inspired chef and run his restaurant, the Dragon Diner. If only his mother and brother will leave him alone. And his bookkeeper/partner too.
But there’s more things happening here. Gnomes and trolls and fae and exes abound with plots.
It’s fun, an extremely slow burn relationship, and terrific storytelling.
My only slight issue was with how the element with Rylana’s ex was handled. For me it didn’t make sense , especially given their history. But that was the only aspect here.
If you enjoy a cozy fantasy, and dragons as well as other mythical creatures, this is the book and series for you. Read them in the order they are written.
Tales from the Dragon Diner (3 book series to date)
As the bookkeeper and new co-owner of the Dragon Diner, Rylana Avandar is determined to see the business become successful. Despite an inauspicious beginning, her partner Jildarin—founder, chef, and dragon—has come to trust her, and she doesn’t want to disappoint him.
But when a troll curse and an ancient secret threaten Tranquility, Rylana will have to do a lot more than crunch numbers. If she and Jildarin can’t figure out how to appease the troll gods, the diner and the entire city could be doomed.
Not quite sure how you would categorize this, a cozy dragon fantasy? With a no spice romance aspect to it?
It has many interesting and well thought out elements to it, ones I really found intriguing but somehow got lost in the narrative here.
The first book revealed the existence of this mysterious island where multiple species coexisted peacefully between warring magical countries, hidden by fae magic behind barriers none could penetrate unless they were fated to. Like a dying “retired” war witch from one country and an equally retired dragon rider soldier from the opposing side, whose life he feels is over, betrayed by his king. Both of whom find themselves on the island, and eventually become friends then wedded partners. From enemies to lovers.
It’s was a great tale that was made better by the discovery of sea dragons.
Huni’s story contains a great deal of detailed backstory on the countries at war, war witches, dragon riders, the new king, the island’s political system, and the other beings who make up the community there . And the rules I mean it’s a lot. Mostly in the first book.
But here it’s Nevan and Franisa Hearthwell’s story. Each one was a secondary character before, but they are, primarily due to Nevan becoming a dragon rider, into the forefront. It’s a romantic story but they don’t have much time for that to develop. It’s the community and friends who are telling each of them about how the other is feeling. Plus there’s an entire “fake engagement “ aspect to this story that launches their romance.
It’s too much “as told to” to be believable. Where the first relationship between William and Cala was and is remains totally credible. They are so well established and intriguing people.
The dragons element is reduced down to one important one and that’s Starlight. She’s developing into an amazing character. There appears to be a new element, the wounded fire dragon from William’s country and with one of his former unit squadron members. Unfortunately right now, that person is just a one dimensional character. Hopefully, he’ll grow some or this aspect of the series will end up very one note coded.
I’m looking forward to seeing where this author goes next with all these characters and storylines. A definite recommendation.
Cover designed by Mariah Sinclair Designs
Dragons of Safe Haven (3 book series):
A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement #1
A Blacksmith’s Guide to Dragon-Rearing #2
A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing #3 – Sept 30,2026
Raising dragons is easier than raising a five-year-old. Probably.
Nevan never planned on becoming a dragon rider. He was perfectly content swinging a hammer in the forge—until an injured dragon rider retired to Safe Haven. Now paired with the runt of the clutch, Nevan is supposed to help train the island’s brand new sea dragon fire brigade. That means long days, soaked clothing, and a growing suspicion that dragons like to play matchmaker.
Franisa Hearthwell has enough on her plate. Widowed at an early age, she’s running the island bakery, raising two children, and fending off a meddlesome dwarven in-law who thinks her son belongs in the mine. When desperation strikes, she blurts out a solution that’s equal parts brilliant and ridiculous: she’s betrothed to Nevan.
But Nevan has adored Franisa since childhood. And fake betrothals have a way of attracting real feelings, curious neighbors, and dragons who seem very invested in romantic outcomes.
As fire threatens the village, an injured war dragon seeks refuge, and Safe Haven rallies around its own, Nevan and Franisa discover that bravery comes in many forms—and that family can be forged as surely as iron.
Dragons, fresh bread, found family, and a seaside village full of heart—welcome back to Safe Haven.
A cozy fantasy with a reverse-age-gap, fake engagement, friends-to-lovers romance that won’t steam your glasses. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic, and Jane Austen’s Dragons—a cozy fantasy that smells faintly of woodsmoke, sea spray, and warm cinnamon rolls.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 