This month’s topic is dragon rider romances. Dragons spew fire (typically) so what better choice for the hot month of July?
I’ve always wanted to write my own dragon riders story ever since I read the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey serialized in Analog magazine in 1967. Like everything I thought there needed to be more romance but considering the time when she wrote it, it was probably lucky there was as much romance as there was.
I’m primarily a science fiction romance author but from time to time I have written a fantasy story. I’d established my world, however, known as Claddare and I was sure I could fit dragon riders into the ongoing magic of the place. Someday. I didn’t want to write my version of Pern though. I wanted to firmly establish my own dragons and their riders.
My new release Conor (Dragons of Claddare) involves a simple White Witch from the countryside who gets involved with the Commander of the Dragon Riders and is swept away to his fortress, where she deals with magic, plots, and the question of whether she and Conor will find a Happy Ever After with dragons. (Since this is a romance, the answer is yes.) Amazon Apple Books Kobo NOOK GooglePlay
I think the behemoth in the genre right now and for several years past is Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Book One). Her Female Main Character wanted to be a scribe but ended up in the war college for dragon riders instead and discovers she has a definite knack for the challenge. There are dragons galore and a drop dead sexy, brooding bad boy instructor who of course is the one the FMC wants. There are now two more books in the series, with more coming. There have been over half a million reviews, countless excited Tiktok videos and huge excitement from the reader community so this is a series definitely worth checking out. AmazonKU AB
Dragon Found: A Dragon Rider Fantasy Romance (The Dragon Queen Book 1) by Sam Hall is the first book in a well regarded trilogy and features an FMC whose stepfamily had stolen her birthright and reduced her to tending pigs. She alone can break open the golden egg and release the baby queen dragon and once she does her life changes forever. This is a why choose series, with four Male Main Characters. Readers loved the word building and the communications between the dragons and their riders. As one reviewer said, “Cinderella meets dragon riders.” AmazonKU AB
Flameborne: Fury (A Dragon Romantasy Book) (Emberquell Academy) by Aimee Lynn takes us into the dark academia romance world. The FMC is in training to become a FuryKnight until she’s set up to fail by enemies. The MMC is her hot instructor and he now faces difficult choices of his own. The romance is slow burn. Readers enjoyed the emotional growth in the novel, as one reviewer stated in part: “Watching these two confront difficult truths, face old wounds, and finally allow themselves to be vulnerable with one another was incredibly rewarding.” Some readers loved all the spicy scenes and others felt there was too much spice. AmazonKU AB
Dragon Link (Dragon Riders of Ragond Book 1) by Ava Richardson is a Young Adult Fantasy where the 16 year old FMC is alone and abandoned to the foster system but she had a dragon shaped pendant which she treasures. One day an actual dragon comes crashing into her life and whisks her away to another place via a magic portal. There are nine books in the series, some with different FMC’s but reviewers consistently praise the character development of the characters, as well as the human to dragon relationships. There is no romance, however, as far as I could tell. Not listed as a romance. AmazonKU AB
A Vow of Dragons and Storms (The Lost Fae Riders Series Book 1) by G. Bailey mixes dragons, fae and vampyres (the author’s spelling). The fae FMC has escaped from the vampyres and finds a place where the remaining free fae are hiding out. The king of the Moon Dynasty doesn’t trust her but the King of the Sun Dynasty proves helpful and kind. This is an enemies to lovers plot (and maybe even a love triangle). The FMC has to undergo a trial known as the Decidere in the dragons’ caves and if she survives, she’ll get a dragon of her own to ride. Books one and two of the completed series end in cliffhangers. Book three provides the HEA ending for this set of characters and then book four has a different FMC. AmazonKU AB
Ezaara: Riders of Fire, Book One – A Dragons’ Realm romantic epic fantasy dragon rider adventure by Eileen Mueller is another offering with the young FMC sort of falling into the world of dragons and all that comes with them. She imprints on the queen egg, but there’s already a queen in the lady who doesn’t plan to step aside for this new upstart. There’s a hunky, dragon master with dark secrets who has to train Ezaara for her new duties and lots of plot developments. The romance isn’t as front and center here as in some dragon rider novels but readers enjoyed the character growth, the hints of the wider world out there awaiting the FMC and the subplots. AmazonKU AB
Tempest Awakening: A Dragon Rider Paranormal Romance (The Dragonne Library Book 1) by Emma Moon has more paranormal elements than some of the others. This is a why choose story and the FMC has a gargoyle, a fae, a shadowfae and a professor who all court her. Through a chance encounter she ends up working at the Dragonne Library and meets the dragons, bonding with one of them. In general readers felt this book set up the series well (there are two more books) although there wasn’t much spice. The dragons got high marks from reviewers for their personalities. AmazonKU AB
There’s an entire world of dragon shifter romances out there too. Perhaps I’ll write about them for next July. Happy reading!
VS Note: This post was originally written for the Roswell Daily Record but is appearing here on the blog first due to unforeseen circumstances.
