Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O’Sullivan (Her Hidden Fire book 1)

“If he has the ability to wield magical powers, everyone will rejoice – especially the girl who loves him.
But what happens when they realize she has the gift?

In a world where dragons stalk the skies and magical abilities are an elite privilege, the ruling family of Ailm’s Keep is on a knife. Can Ionain, the heir apparent, channel magic, or will the family be cast out and replaced by a cruel master from a neighbouring land?

So when Éadha, a servant girl who loves Ionainain, discovers that she can draw power, she finds herself in grave danger. It’s extremely rare for a girl to have this talent, and certainly never outside the great families. At Ionain’s moment of truth, Éadha makes a desperate gamble to save him, Ailm’s Keep, and ultimately herself.

As Éadha and Ionain enter a whirlwind of patriarchy, class, heartache and jealousy, they learn about power’s terrible cost – a price others willingly pay to maintain theirs.

How far would you go to empower the one you love?” - taken from Goodreads.

Éadha as a servant at Ailm’s Keep. Most of her life she has been the friend of her crush, Ionain. Approaching their 17th birthdays. The time has come to determine if Ionain possesses the magic to keep his family from being disgraced and losing the Keep. Unfortunately he doesn't but Éadha does. To keep from being discovered that she possesses magic, she passes some of her power to Ionain to keep from being humiliated. But once she does, Éadha must keep up the farce to save them both.

Traveling to the Lambay Islands to train, Éadha is able to go along because it is discovered what little magic she has allows her to be a Keeper. Thrown into a world she doesn't fit into, Éadha must figure out a way to keep her magic hidden in order to keep herself safe while supplying Ionain enough power unknowingly to keep his lack of magic from being discovered. But soon she needs a cruel classmate who is out to destroy her while another who has more than a casual interest in her.

Can Éadha keep all of her secrets from being found out? And who can she really trust in the cutthroat world she suddenly finds herself in?

With a climatic ending, readers will be eager to read book two, Her Rising Flame, due out November 5, 2026.

Visit Cliodhna O’Sullivan’s website.

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

 

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

“Truyan Saigas didn't choose to become a con artist, but after her father is lost at sea, it’s up to her to support her mother and two younger sisters. A gifted art forger, Tru has the unique ability to paint the future, but even such magic is not enough to put her family back together again, or stave off the gangsters demanding payment in blood for her mother’s gambling debts.

Left with few options, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. He offers a fresh start for her mother and sisters and elusive answers about her father's disappearance, but in exchange, she must join him in his desolate undersea palace. And she must assist him in a plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King's inner circle, painting a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms. . . .” - taken from Goodreads.

An incredible twist of the Beauty and the Beast tale that is every fantasy lover’s dream. 

Visit Elizabeth Lim’s website.

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez

 

“Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. People come for miles to see her father fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.

But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.

But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright.

An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her ancestral home. A dragon hunter refusing to teach her his ways. They don't want each other, but they need each other, and without him her world will burn.” - taken from Goodreads.

Imagine an ancient Spain where instead of bull fights and matadors, dragons terrorize cities and crowds flock to arenas where the dance with death occurs between man and dragon. I was pleasantly surprised to find how quickly I fell in love with Zarela’s story and her struggle to save her family’s legacy. A determined young woman, she is drawn to the one person who can help her situation. With a slow burning romance and the mystery surrounding who is behind the Zalvidar’s misfortune, readers will dance through the pages of this book to see how Zarela’s story ends.

Visit Isabel Ibanez’s website.

House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess (House of Dragons book 1)

“Win at all Costs.”

“Five royal houses will hear the call to compete in the Trial for the dragon throne. A liar, a soldier, a servant, a thief, and a murderer will answer it. Who will win?

When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year, these five outcasts will answer the call....

THE LIAR: Emilia must hide her dark magic or be put to death.

THE SOLDIER: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn to never lift a sword again.

THE SERVANT: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game.

THE THIEF: Ajax knows that nothing is free--he must take what he wants.

THE MURDERER: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.”

In the beginning, I thought that I would struggle to remember everything about the five main characters of the story but, I was quickly proven wrong. Four are thrust into the challenge to the death to become the next emperor and the fifth competitor takes matters into their own hands. And Dragons! All five have their own dragon and are characters in themselves in the story. I was pleasantly surprised and shocked by all the twists and turns that take place leading up to the ending. Now to patiently wait for the continuation of the story.

Book two, War of Dragons, is expected in 2021.

Visit Jessica Cluess’ website.

 

As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows (Fallen Isles book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Before She Ignites, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“MIRA, THE HOPEBEARER

Mira Minkoba is on the run with her friends after a fiery escape from the Pit, where she’d been imprisoned for defending the dragons she loves. And she wants answers. Where have all the dragons been taken? Why are powerful noorestones being shipped to the mainland? And did the treaty she’s been defending her whole life truly sell out the Fallen Isles to their enemies?

MIRA, THE DRAGONHEARTED

As her connection to the dragons—and their power—grows stronger, so does Mira’s fear that she might lose control and hurt someone she loves. But the only way to find the truth is to go home again, to Damina, to face the people who betrayed her and the parents she’s not sure she can trust.

Home, where she must rise above her fears. Or be consumed.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I think I waited a bit too long in picking up the second book in this trilogy. I had problems recalling a lot of the details from the first book. Unfortunately, I found the beginning of the book to be very slow. It literally takes Mira and her friends forever to escape and go somewhere else after leaving the pit. Once the action picks up, the story really moves forward. As shocking revelations are revealed, Mina must make a choice as to who she will become. The ending sets up the final book in this trilogy.

Book three, When She Reigns, is due out Sept. 10, 2019.

Visit Jodi Meadows’ website.

Legion by Julie Kagawa (Talon Saga book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, Talon, Rogue, and Soldier, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone the love of a human and a former dragonslayer, at that. With ex-soldier Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against the dragon-slaying Order of St. George and her own twin brother Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known.

Talon is poised to take over the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who refuse to yield.” - taken from Goodreads.com

After the double cliffhanger of the last book, Soldier, readers will pick up the action immediately where it left off. Told from several points of view, fans of the Talon Saga will find out the mission of the Talon organization and Ember’s part in it. After another shocking but more satisfying ending, readers will be eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the story with Inferno in 2018.

Visit Julie Kagawa’s website.

Soldier by Julie Kagawa (Talon Saga book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Talon and Rogue, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“A fighter dedicated to saving humankind from dragons in strictest secrecy.

That was what Garret Xavier Sebastian thought he was part of as a soldier of the Order of St. George. What he learned from a fiery dragon hatchling twisted all he believed in and set him on a collision course with certain death-but not without a chance to put things right.

Betrayed and on the run again, Ember and rogue dragon Riley discover an unthinkable truth about Talon and St. George. They'll need Garret's skills and insider knowledge of the Order to negotiate an impossible deal-and if they fail, there will be no way to stop all-out war.” - Goodreads.com

This being the third of five planned books, more bombshells and surprises are revealed than any storylines being wrapped up. Garret reunites with Ember and Riley to fight the bad guys and the old saying, “three’s a crowd” applies to this situation. Torn between a human and a dragon, Ember needs to figure out a few things about being a dragon and herself before she can make any decisions on her love life. Her twin Dante, slowly realizes that Talon will stop at nothing to achieve it’s goals. Told from four points of view; Ember, Riley, Garret and Dante, readers will once again immerse themselves in the Talon world and learn further insights into Garret’s background.  

Why did Talon train Ember as a Viper and choose their best to be her mentor? Who are EMber and Dante’s parents? Will Dante realize the reasons Ember fled Talon for himself? What happens when Garret realizes how deep the betrayal of everything he knew about himself and the Order goes?

With two huge cliffhangers dropped at the end, readers will be left waiting on book four, Legion, out on May 4, 2017.

Visit Julie Kagawa’s website.

Rogue by Julie Kagawa (Talon Saga book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first book in the series, Talon, Stop! I don't want to ruin the story for you.

“We fled into the desert, the roar of St. George behind us. The head of a dying dragon resting in my lap.”

Garret Xavier Sebastian is accused of high treason against the Order of St. George. He believed in everything the Order stood for until he met her, Ember Hill. Ember was a sleeper dragon that Talon had planted in Crescent Beach and Garret was sent to destroy. Ember was nothing like he had been led to believe. Instead of following through with the mission, Garret fell in love and helped her and two other dragons escape. Now on trial, no one is shocked when Garret is sentenced to be executed before the firing squad at dawn the following morning.

Talon wants Dante Hill to bring his traitorous sister back into the fold rather than have her terminated. They are providing him with the best possible resources to locate her. He cannot help but wonder why they are so interested in one little hatching going rogue. Mr. Roth, a Vice President of Talon, introduces him to the first member of his team, a hatching only a couple of years older than himself named Mist. Once alone, Mist wants to know what is so special about Ember to bring her back. Dante plays off her questioning by telling her that he cannot give her the reason. Mist takes him into their command center and the two question a couple of humans charged with the task of locating Ember and Cobalt. Not finding any new information about Cobalt's extensive network, Dante asks if they are tracking St. George. They all the look at him like he has gone off the deep end. Dante wants to know where their chapterhouse is. He orders them to quit looking for Cobalt's safe houses and find St. George. Dante believes that his sister's human friend might have been part of the Order. He believes that it is worth a shot. Mist changes the search and asks if Dante knows the human’s name. He does, Garret Xavier Sebastian.

Three days have past since the bottom of Ember's world fell out and she went rogue. She discovered that Garret was as member of the Order and Talon wasn't what she was led to believe. Three days since she last saw Garret or Dante. She and Riley/Cobalt have met up with Wes at a hotel with a crazy, suicidal plan in mind. Ember is determined to rescue Garret and Riley knows that if he doesn't help her, she won't make it out alive. He knows that he might not make it out alive. Fighting his survival instincts and hatred of St. George, Riley knows that he cannot send Ember into a nest of dragon hunters alone.

Against nearly impossible odds and wavering doubt, Ember and Riley manage to free Garret from his cell. The trio makes it outside and are within 400 feet of the perimeter fence when the sirens blare. With no choice, Ember and Riley shift into dragon form. Garret climbs onto Ember’s back and the three take flight with a volley of gunshots behind them. The three are chased across the desert by the Order but come to a crash landing when Wes sees them and stops the van. Riley shifts back and Garret recovers but Ember lies motionless on the ground. Riley realizes that she has been shot and asks Wes to help get her into the back of the van. Garret offers his assistance and the three of them place Ember’s prone dragon body into the cargo area.With Ember’s head cradled in Garret’s lap, much to Riley’s dismay, the van speeds across the desert, leaving the Oder behind.

What is so special about Ember that Talon wants her back? How seriously has she been injured in their escape? Why did Riley/Cobalt go rogue? What was his job with Talon? Can Dante find his sister and convince her to return to Talon or will she be able to persuade her brother to go rogue? How did Riley and Wes hook up? Can Riley and Garret put aside their differences for Ember? Will the four of them be able to hide from both Talon and the Order? What happens when they are betrayed?

Book three in the Talon Saga is Soldier.

Visit Julie Kagawa's website.

Talon by Julie Kagawa (Talon saga book 1)

Humans assume that Ember and Dante Hill are twins but the two of them aren’t human, they are dragons. Dragons usually only lay one egg at a time so instead the two are really clutchmates; they were hatched at the same time and grew up together. The two are rare among their own kind. With similar appearances, the two consider themselves to be twins. Now at the age of sixteen, Ember and Dante are being moved into the next phase of their training by Talon, the secret organization that keeps dragons safe. Leaving the desert compound of Talon behind, they are going to Crescent Beach to begin their assimilation with humans. High strung and not one who likes to be confined by rules, Ember cannot wait to live her life as her own for the summer. They will be under the care of guardians and in the fall will enter high school as sophomores.

The “guardians”, Uncle Liam and Aunt Sarah, have a house overlooking a public access beach and Ember cannot wait to get on the sand. After splashing in the waves for a while, the two spot a group of teenagers playing volleyball. Uneasy with making friends, Dante leads the way and smooths things over for Ember. The two fit in pretty quickly. As night begins to fall, the two go to a beach burger shack with siblings, Calvin and Lexi, two of their new friends. While sitting at the table, Ember feels a strange prickle on the back of her neck, like she gets when an evaluator is watching her. Turning around, a dragon on a motorcycle pulls up, in his gorgeous human form. Lexi tells the group that Gorgeous Biker Boy has been hanging around for a couple of weeks and this time it looks like he has found what he is looking for. Lexi is implying that Ember is in his sights. The guy leaves. Ember looks at Dante and his look is cold and dangerous. Dante is ready to go and they promise to meet up the next day. Walking home, Ember asks Dante what is going on. He would bet money that the dragon in the parking lot was a rogue; a dragon who has broken away from Talon and was on the run. They are considered criminals and traitors to the organization. Dante warns her not to tell Liam and Sarah because they will inform Talon. The two agree.

The next day while on the beach, Dante and Ember receive texts from their guardians at the same time. Begging off from their friends, the twins head home. Waiting for them when they arrive are their aunt and uncle as well as two dragons who are scary even in their human forms. The female announces to Dante and Ember that there has been a change in plans. Now, their summer of freedom is all but over when their education is accelerated. Every morning, the two will take the basement tunnel to a garage three blocks away where two cars await them. Ember and Dante will be taken to separate locations where their training will take place. Ember is with the Scary Dragon Lady who puts her through her paces strength training. Dante will only say that he is studying political science but Ember unloads at the unfairness of her situation.

After trying to surf one morning with no waves coming in, Ember gives up and looks for Lexi. She finds Lexi and Kristin talking to three boys who are in town from Colorado State. They are leering at Ember and her friends. She gets the  prickling notion again but doesn’t see the motorcycle guy. Her friends are ready to show them around and they ask about Lone Rock Cove. Even Ember knows that the hidden inlet a couple of miles out of town is isolated where “questionable things” occur. The boys want to go on a picnic and everyone but Ember is eager to go. Later, she wishes that she had listened to her inner dragon.

Garret Xavier Sebastian’s entire family was murdered by a dragon when he was just a toddler. He was taken in by the Order of St. George, a group of dragonslayers whose purpose is ridding the world of dragons, and trained to join their ranks. Becoming a soldier at the age of fourteen, he has partnered with Tristan St. Anthony for the past three years. A week after a successful mission, the two are called to a superior’s office. The Order has received intelligence that Talon is integrating a rare female dragon into society. They will be sent to Crescent Beach to try and find her so that she can be killed before Talon can hide her away again. The reason they are sending the two of them in is because Garret is the only experience soldier who can pass as a high school student since he is only seventeen. After several weeks scouting out the town, Garret and Tristan think they have narrowed down their search to a group of girls who hang around the beach every day. While watching them one day, the two notice that the girls ride off in a yellow jeep with some boys. They decide to follow them.

At Lone Rock Cove, everyone but Ember starts drinking. She wants nothing to do with the situation. The group begins to pair off but Ember isn’t interested in the boy, Colin, who has his sights set on her. Pawing her, Ember begins to fight him off. She struggles to keep from Shifting and revealing herself as a Dragon. Lexi tries to help her a little too late but Kristin has no interest in leaving her new boy behind. With her temper flaring, Ember pushes Colin off of her. Furious, she doesn’t see him move before he slaps her across the face. Knocked down on the sand, it is all Ember can do to control herself from erupting into her dragon form. Before she can get up, a new boy punches Colin. Soon, it’s three against one but not for long. An older boy joins the fray. The two new boys obviously spend a lot of time in the gym and the three college boys are quickly subdued. For the first time that summer, Ember realizes what Lexi keeps saying about human boys, her rescuer is gorgeous. The younger boy asks Ember if she needs a ride home. Colin starts in about Ember being a slut like all the other West Coast girls. Before Garret knows what is happening, Ember knees Colin in the groin. Tristan and Garret take the girls back to the beach.

On the ride back, Garret goes over the facts he knows about Ember Hill. He has studied her and her two friends extensively. Garret has pegged Ember to being the sleeper dragon planted by Talon, except for one glaring detail, she has a twin. Dragons only have one offspring at a time. Back at the beach, Kristin invites the two to her birthday party that weekend. Tristan sees it as the perfect opportunity for Garret to assimilate with the group.  

Will Garret go to the party? Are sparks flying between Garret, the soldier for St. George, and Ember, the dragon he has been sent to kill? What are Talon’s real motives for Ember and Dante? Are they to be trusted? Why is the rogue dragon looking for Ember? What does he want with her? Is Dante receiving the same kind of training as Ember? What happens when secrets are spilled and who will survive the fall out?

Readers will be eagerly anticipating book two in the Talon Saga, Rogue, due out April 28, 2015.

Visit Julie Kagawa’s website.

Hidden by Sophie Jordan (Firelight book 3)

“A dangerous journey. Shattered bonds. Undying passion.”

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the second book in the series, Vanish, Stop! Vanish ended with a true cliffhanger. I wouldn’t want to ruin the story for you.

Miram has been captured by the enkros and even though she is partly to blame for her predicament, Jacinda feels guilty. Now bonded with Miram’s brother Cassian, Jacinda is experiencing his emotions over her disappearance. In a desperate attempt to rescue her, Jacinda talks Cassian and Will into allowing the enkros to capture her. With her bond to Cassian, he and Will should be able to locate her in the laboratory. But once Jacinda is inside, things are not what she expected and they quickly spiral out of control.

Will Jacinda be able to save not only herself but Miram as well? What secrets does she uncover while being held prisoner? Can she discover any information about her father? And who will Jacinda ultimately decide to be with; Cassian or Will?

In nonstop action from the first page, the Firelight trilogy is neatly concluded for fans of Jacinda.

Visit Sophie Jordan's website.

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first book in the series "Firelight, Stop! I don't want to ruin the series for you.

Jacinda has committed the ultimate betrayal to her drake pride, she revealed their secret to drake hunters in order to save Will’s life. When Cassian is driving her family back to their pride, they are stopped by Will’s family. In trying to figure out how to escape without further endangering their lies, Jacinda’s twin sister, Tamra, does the unthinkable, she finally manifests. Once back home with the pride, Tamra is now the darling since her newfound abilities will ensure the pride’s survival. Jacinda is the outcast, especially when everyone finds out that she is in love with a drake hunter.


Soon Jacinda is torn between her feelings not only for Cassian and Will, but her family as well. Is Cassian in love with Jacinda for who she is or only what she can do? Can Jacinda put aside everything she has ever known to be with Will? And what happens when unintended consequences make Jacinda rethink some of the decisions she has made?

Sophie Jordan leaves readers with an awesome cliffhanger to set up the third book in the series.

Visit Sophie Jordan’s website.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

"A hidden truth. Mortal enemies. Doomed love."

When Jacinda and her friend Az sneak out early one morning to fly, they know they are breaking the rules of their pride. Jacinda and Az are draki, descendants of dragons, who are able to elude hunters by shifting into human form. When they encounter a group of hunters, things quickly go down hill for the pair. Az panics and Jacinda, the faster of the two, decides to draw the hunters to herself. Jacinda is injured and forced to hide in a cave along the shores of a deep pool. When one of the hunters, a gorgeous young boy her age comes looking for her, she never expects him to let her go. Even more surprising is what Will whispers when her touches her, beautiful.

Soon the hunters leave and Jacinda goes to look for Az. She is shocked to learn Az made it back to the pride and an alarm has been sounded. There hasn't been an alarm since her father's disappearance years ago. But Jacinda isn't an ordinary draki. She is the first fire breather in her pride in four hundred years and faster than Cassian, the alpha draki's son who has his eye on her. When her mother, who no longer manifests into draki form, decides to take her daughters away from the pride, Jacinda is crushed. Her twin sister, Tamra, who never manifested and is human, is thrilled to be leaving, especially since her crush on Cassian will never be reciprociated. Their mother takes them to the desert where her own draki dried out years earlier.

Tamra is enjoying their new life while Jacinda is miserable. Jacinda knows her draki is doomed until she feels a dangerous presence in her midst. She knows it is Will before she even sees him. It takes everything Jacinda has not to manifest in the school hallway. Tamra tells her to stay away from him, which becomes impossible when he sits next to her in study hall. Soon two other dangerous boys begin talking to Will. He intorduces Jacinda to his cousins Xander and Agnus and Jacinda realizes that they are hunters as well. Will tells her he is not a good  guy and leaves when the bell rings.

Jacinda feels her draki withering in the dry heat of the desert, except when it threatens to erupt around Will. Jacinda is desperate to get back to her pride, even though she realizes that her mother has been less than truthful about the pride and will become Cassian's mate. Will she risk everything to be with Will in an attempt to keep her draki alive even though he is her natural enemy? And what will happen when she realizes she is in love with Will and Cassian finds where they are hiding?

Jacinda's story continues in Vanish. 

Visit Sophie Jordan's website.