NOTE: This post first appeared in the Roswell Daily Record…

May reminds me of flowers and nature, which brought dryads to the forefront of my thoughts. I was surprised to learn that in Greek mythology they were nymphs primarily associated with oak trees. One dryad per tree. I think of them as being interested in all of nature. Either way, as you can guess, romance novelists have taken the dryad out of the forest so to speak and featured them in a wide range of tales the ancient Greeks wouldn’t have imagined.

We’ll start with Dance of the Dryad (Brotherhood of Blood – Wildwood Book 1) by Bianca D’Arc, which I very much enjoyed. As the logline states “A crippled ballerina and a Special Forces cat shifter dance a dangerous and magical pas de deux, dodging assassins and discovering the undeniable attraction that sizzles between them.” The book combined several elements I like, from dancing to the paranormal to the former military man falling in love. (Can she make him purr, he wonders, which is evidently a big cat shifter’s test of a fated mate.)  The Female Main Character had quite a journey in the story, since she isn’t aware she’s a dryad in the beginning. The book does have a school shooting fairly early in the action, but it’s over quickly and no one is hurt.     Amazon

I Married A Dryad (Prime Mating Agency) by Regine Abel gives the reader a male dryad, who is actually an alien. The FMC is tired of the men she’s been meeting on her own, which is why she gives the Prime Mating Agency a try. She and the Male Main Character hit it off right away but “he’s a mere bounty hunter, while she’s a brilliant, high-ranking officer of the Enforcers, the elite intergalactic peacekeeping forces.” The FMC has all kinds of secrets to safeguard and the path to the Happy Ever After is complicated for this pair. Reviewers praise the worldbuilding and as one reader said, “Full of life, wonder and insane imagination.”     AmazonKU     AB

In The Dryad’s Pawprint (Paranormal Council Book 1) by Laura Greenwood the MMC is a panther shifter who had a wonderful one night encounter with a woman a year ago but unfortunately he and the lady were both so inebriated they forgot to figure out how to get in touch when it was over. He gets orders to marry a noble dryad, goes to the ball and finds out the sister of his intended is the woman from a year ago, and also a dryad. This novella moves fast and reviewers generally agree it’s emotional and spicy. And of course there’s an HEA.     Amazon     AB

A reclusive writer who loves nature stumbles into a magical world in Dryad & Muse (Lesbian Paranormal Romance Book 8) by Julie Law and meets the woman of her dreams with whom she shares a number of wonderful romantic interludes and some challenges. It’s not always easy for a mortal to partner with an immortal but there’s an HEA of course. This is a quick read novella.     AmazonKU

The Reclusive Dryad: An MM Unicorn x Dryad Paranormal Romance (Mystics of Mistvale Book 3) by Stella Rainbow avoids the mortal/immortal issues by pairing a unicorn shifter and the dryad. The unicorn is the last of his kind, with a chipped horn and figures out the way to the shy forest spirit’s heart is through his sweet tooth. Reviewers praised the old fashioned sweetness of the romance and while there isn’t any steam and not too much angst either, it’s ranked as a pleasing short read.     AmazonKU

Enchanting the Dryad Prince: A Kingdoms of Lore Standalone Fantasy Romance by Alisha Klapheke starts with the oppressed FMC being shipwrecked, casting her ashore on an apparently deserted island. She meets her prince on the storm wracked beach but as the logline says: “A woman hiding a terrifying secret. A dryad prince fighting the beast inside him. A forbidden love that will lead to bloodshed.” Everyone has secrets and there are obstacles galore to true love here, including the prince’s father, who’s ready to kill the FMC if necessary to force his son to do his bidding. There’s some steam and spice which fade to black (so, no open door fully described bedroom scenes). The HEA is hard won but satisfying.     AmazonKU     AB

Of course there’s why choose, reverse harem take on dryads. Daughter of Earth (The Dryad Chronicles Book 1) by Callie Pey takes a human woman whose life isn’t going well and plunges her into a magic fairyland. A group of friendly dryads offers to protect her and train her to become one of them and a handsome elf takes a romantic interest in her. But of course there are shadows and complications and the FMC is torn between wanting to remain in the magical land and return to real life. Reviewers praised the worldbuilding details, the author’s feel for nature and the depth of the characters. There are some open door spicy scenes.  (NOTE: Book two is out now as well.)     AmazonKU

In The Duke and the Dryad (Elemental Magick Book 2) by Elizabeth Rose a group of druids and dryads steal a prized bull from the duke of the title, to sacrifice at the Midsummer rituals. He arrives too late to save his animal and demands one of the dryads be given to him in payment. The duke is a hardened warrior and the FMC is a lovely, smart dryad and the book details how they learn to respect each other and fall in love. There’s a wicked uncle in the mix to cause trouble. As one reviewer said in part: “…a charming tale of romance, magic, betrayal, and love’s triumph.”     AmazonKU     AB

The First Dryad (The First Collection) by Teshelle Combs is a dryad who has been in hiding and becomes a captive of the High Prince. As one reviewer put it the story is: “…one of abuse, neglect, pain, innocence, and ignorance, but it is also a story of growth, finding herself, growing comfortable with confidence, and love.”     Amazon

There are more dryad romances out there so if this selection has whetted your appetitive much happy reading lies ahead!

VS:  Because the Roswell Daily Record is an actual newspaper, I only have so much room in each column I do for them. Here are a few more dryad romances for your reading pleasure:

THE TEA WITCH’S TREATY  (PURPLE OAK OASIS BOOK TWO) by Laura Greenwood and Ariana Jade

An alliance with Grower’s Cove is exactly what Jasmine needs, but she doesn’t expect to lose her heart in the process. Jasmine has one goal in mind when it comes to the visiting dryads, and that’s to secure an alliance that will bring tea to Purple Oak. What she doesn’t plan for, is to fall for the charming head of the delegation. The last thing that Ryburn wants is to leave Grower’s Cove and his oak tree behind, but with the pressure on to secure an alliance for his settlement, it seems that he has no choice. As he discovers more about Purple Oak, he realises that maybe he could be happy somewhere else after all. Can the two of them form more than just an alliance? The Tea Witch’s Treaty is a cozy fantasy romance with an alliance forming m/f romance, only one tent, unusual magic, a pinch of steam, and a happy ever after.      Amazon

ARBORABLE (SEEDS OF HOPE BOOK ONE) by Ellen Mint

Trish has lost hope. Monstrous tree creatures with branches for hair and bark for skin have taken and experimented on her. Tortured her. They call themselves dryads and the worst is their tyrannical ruler Cypress. He’s kidnapping and sacrificing humans to save their dying kingdom. As they’re dragging Trish up to an altar to be fed to their great tree, a happenstance explosion knocks her free…and into the arms of the kingdom’s most wanted man—Linden. He’s charming. He’s flirty. He lives in a manor atop a waterfall. He rides on a giant fox he raised from a kit. He’s ridiculously handsome for a man made of wood. He’s at war with the mad king Cypress. And he might be Trish’s last chance.
Not to live, no. Her body’s being eaten from the inside out. She won’t make it past winter. She’s done with being scared, with waiting for a hero, hoping for someone to fix what’s broken. With Linden’s help, Trish will fight. Fight to live. Fight to save her people. Fight to spend one more moonlit night with her dryad bandit under the stars. Even if the kingdom’s indomitable General Hickory is coming to stop them, she won’t quit. She won’t give up. Trish is dying of cancer and Cypress is going to learn what happens when he tries to stop a woman with nothing left to lose. Arborable is a story that takes place over three books. There will be cliffhangers.     AmazonKU

LOVE, DRYADS AND MURDER (THE VIRDINRA CHRONICLES BOOK ONE) by Elaine Canyon

Bored and weary, Reo is wandering the world, looking to rekindle the excitement of his thievery career. When a degenerate man offers him quick money to retrieve a bit of bark deep in the rainforest, Reo agrees. He isn’t prepared for the dryad that corners him among the trees, or the job she offers him. Halira remembers when dryads weren’t hostile toward humans. If she can get rid of the enemy that caused the hostility, the Dryad Council will relent and bring her parents home. The thief she finds while patrolling the rainforest is the best hope she has, assuming he’s not secretly working for her enemy. Teaming up is easy. Trusting each other isn’t, especially when their mutual attraction is as intertwined as the vines that hang from the trees. But when their best laid plans crumble, their lives are in more danger than their budding relationship ever was.

Amazon

DRYAD ON FIRE: CARNIVAL OF MYSTERIES by Nicole Dennis

VS note: MM PNR.

Welcome, Traveler, to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries! What you see before you is no mere vagabond circus. Indeed, our show is full of wonders and delights that will leave you breathless, but whether that is with amazement or dread depends entirely upon you. We are unlike any other band of creatures you have ever encountered — and you few brave souls who choose to step beyond your mundane expectations and join us may witness sights beyond your wildest imaginings. So sit back, relax, and let us entertain you. For time and worlds are fleeting, but each soul has a tale to tell. Male dryad, Professor Julian Scarlett lands a protected position at the Lunore Academy of the Arcane. Caretaker of his grove, he senses trouble brewing underneath his oak and grove. A mysterious traveling carnival offers distraction and fun. For Julian, a tarot card reading sparks off fears and heightens hopes. Brought in mid-semester to replace an ailing Professor of Botany, Emrys Cadogan tries to prevent a potential disaster. A druid, he gets lost in the overwhelming work. Until the carnival offers him a brief distraction and pause. Sparks strike away from the midway lights. Dark magic flickers and threatens. From games and shows, to life and survival, a druid and a dryad need to survive and fight together to save more than trees.      Amazon

THE FOX AND THE DRYAD by Kellen Graves

VS Note: MM Fantasy.

Briar Hunt has always been lauded for his grace on stage, except by one person from whom he wants it the most. Desperate to earn the affection he craves, Briar makes a late night deal with a high fey lady: If he can perform a single perfect dance at one of her woodland revels, she will make him the most enchanting thing on two legs. However, Briar quickly learns the fey lady is impossible to please. Not only that, her demands are never-ending, enough to slowly unravel his life and his health. Only when a handsome stranger, Mal, arrives claiming he can help Briar break his deal and earn his freedom back, does Briar think he might be saved. Lord Malric d’Alarie has finally broken free of dancing on command for his mother at her fey revels. But after hearing he’s been replaced, he attends one of her parties to see for himself. The human performing in his place is breathtaking–but Malric dreads what kind of deal the dancer made with his mother in order to be there. Wanting to rescue Briar from the same woman who stole his own love for ballet, Malric inserts himself into Briar’s life from every angle possible. From posing as a dance instructor in the human world to hiding behind a mask in the fey world, Malric promises he can set Briar free of his fateful deal. Malric only has to keep his identity–and his intentions–secret, from both the dancer he’s quickly falling for, and his mother, who controls their every move.     AmazonKU

DEADLINES AND DRYADS (A TERRA HAVEN CHRONICLES PREQUEL) by Rebecca Chastain

VS Note: Not a romance but dryads…didn’t count this in my total of 15.

Getting the scoop might cost Kylie and her gargoyle companion their lives…Dryads are a reclusive, passive species—or they used to be. Overnight, the peaceful woodland creatures have turned violent, attacking travelers with crude weapons and whipping the trees of their grove into a ferocious frenzy. When rumors of the dryads’ bizarre behavior reaches journalist Kylie Grayson, she pounces on the story, determined to unearth the reason behind the dryads’ hostile transformation. Accompanied by Quinn, her young gargoyle friend, Kylie plunges into the heart of the malevolent grove. But nothing she’s learned prepares her for the terrifying conflict she uncovers.      Amazon

TEMPTING THE DRYAD (THE FADA SHAPESHIFTERS SERIES BOOK THREE) by  Rebecca Rivard

His dark Gift threatens everything he loves…Rock Run shapeshifter Tiago do Rio is hiding a dark Gift, one so powerful and easily misused it could make him an outcast in his own clan. Worse, he wants a woman he can never have. The temptation to use his Gift to make his darkest fantasies come true is almost irresistible. The only good thing in his life is his friendship with a local dryad. Wild, solitary dryad Alesia lives on an uninhabited island in Rock Run territory. She spends her days nurturing her forest home, but her nights are lonely. Tiago is her best friend, but she wants more. Then a den of rogue shifters threatens to bring war down on the Rock Run clan—and Tiago and Alesia are caught in the middle. Can Tiago master his terrifying Gift in time, or will he lose his mate as well as his soul?   AmazonKU

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