Description
We ran away, but it didn’t solve our problems.
Now, we’re going back to fight for Aristede.
And oh, yeah—there’s also the small matter of toppling Rayth’s corrupt younger brother from the Utrean throne, so we can remove the bounty on our dragons’ heads. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
As the king’s eldest son, Rayth grew up expecting to rule. Instead, he ended up disgraced and exiled. When he unknowingly stumbled upon the last five dragon eggs in existence, using the creatures to take back his crown was the last thing on his mind.
All that changed after Rayth’s brother Oblisii murdered their father and stole the kingship. With that fateful blow, what started out as a simple rescue mission to find our lost comrade has become something much more.
We won’t be safe until Oblisii is dead, and dragons are once more protected in the land of Utrea. To make that happen, we’ll have to risk everything in a desperate gamble to control the throne.
In the end, I just want my family back.
I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.
* * *
The Dragon Mistress: Book 4 by USA Today bestseller R. A. Steffan is the last installment in a medium-burn fantasy romance series with dragonriders, where the heroine doesn’t have to pick one person at the end. It is part of the Eburosi Chronicles, along with The Horse Mistress and The Lion Mistress. It’s not necessary to have read any of the other books in the series before starting The Dragon Mistress arc.
A special note for Fantasy readers: herein, you will find explicit sex scenes, not all of which are heterosexual. If your gut reaction to that is “Eww” or even “Meh,” you probably won’t enjoy this series.
Rosemary HUGHES –
To keep those that you love, you have to look ahead, for today they may be safe and secure, but the future may see your enemies take action, and more than just your immediate family may be at risk.
Yes, this is the problem facing our former Prince. Knowing what his family had already done, it’s not hard to see what a man thirsty for power may do.
Plus, there was another problem that needed to be solved. So this episode see the return to the mainland, with a couple of objectives to achieve.
It is a grand finale to an awesome series!
Lynn Carnefix –
Well-written. Want to keep listening to great Narrator–Gwendolyn Druyor.
I listened to R.A. Steffan’s Book 1 in this series some time ago and have not listened to bks 2 or 3. Bk 4 is easy to follow with the review of action referenced within the narrative, usually from a character POV, that included all info needed to follow the present action. Relationships have progressed in the interim as was expected.
In Book 4 I especially liked the Druyor’s creation of voices for each character. Especially where all characters were in a scene together and Druyor effortlessly switched, seamlessly between character voices. I admit I couldn’t identify who each character was, but dialog tags made it clear. One character had a Cajun-New Orleans accent, another a French-type accent, which from this Reviewer/Narrator’s perspective was the perfect way to create these characters from different areas of this fantasy world. Some at times speak a foreign language (translated within the context of the story for the English ear). Nix’s voice was lighter—more boy-like, waif-like, indicating he was younger than the lower registered, older voices. I was struck by the narrator’s adeptness at creating these character voices.
Storyline was interesting, kept my attention. I liked the bonding concept between the dragon and human bond-mate and how they sensed the emotions and thoughts of their bond-mates.
I’ve not listened to a lot of fantasy books. I chose this book because I’m editing the text of a fantasy book for an author. I wanted to see how Steffan–a well-known and well-respected author–dealt with some of the elements my author is dealing with in his writing. I was searching for how the Steffan presents POV characters and how that plays out in the action scenes. Again Steffan carefully kept within the POV character’s perspective. Frella shares that POV perspective with the four male characters.
In book 4 these men have become a part of Frella’s life, switching from one character to another’s POV in subsequent chapters–and identified by the title–the narrative continues from that person’s perspective—and in their voices (kudos, again, to Gwendolyn Druyor). This clearly presented the limited knowledge of each POV character.
Nix has developed, though still tentative in his position among the other men. He proves himself within this book and through redemption, experience, and greater knowledge plays a much more significant role within the group.
Good story, well-written, kept my attention, kept me wanting to know what’s next and whether they will succeed. (Perhaps, too predictable.) I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and freely offer this review.