Swept from her quiet life as an apothecary’s apprentice to the treacherous court of the High King, Rosie Harpwood is shocked to discover she is the long-lost daughter of the demonic Dragon Queen. Reawakening her dormant magic is the kingdom’s only hope for salvation, but the journey is perilous, and she’ll need a champion to guide her. So the High King hosts a series of trials to determine which prince is worthy of the honor — as well as claiming Rosie’s hand in marriage.
Rosie, however, has other ideas.
A talented healer and lover of small, fluffy creatures, Rosie wants nothing to do with demon queens or saving the world. Determined to escape this fate, she joins forces with one of the champions to plot her getaway. Prince Valtar may be enigmatic and a little bit terrifying, but something about him makes her blood burn in ways that have nothing to do with her dragon heritage.
Trained from youth to serve the Dragon Queen, Valtar has proven himself a ruthless assassin. Posing as a suitor to get close enough to his target shouldn’t be a problem. But Valtar wasn’t planning on his target being Rosie, the girl he failed to assassinate years ago . . . who has haunted his dreams ever since.
Release Date: Nov 11, 2025
Series: The Dragon Queen Duology
Book: 1
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Ace
Price: $12.99
A captivating romantasy that kept me asking questions and turning pages to learn more.
We have two juxtaposing characters, Rosie, an apothecary’s assistant, proclaimed a princess, and Valtar, a would-be assassin who finds himself hesitating instead of doing the one thing he’s supposed to… kill Rosie.
Right away, there is considerable conflict between the main characters, as well as between Rosie and her additional suitors. See, the princess isn’t only being asked to assume her role, but her role requires her to marry a champion and, with his partnership, sail across the seas to kill their enemy, a foreboding dragon queen. Valtar is supposed to ensure Rosie doesn’t even make it that far, bidden to do the dragon queen’s commands or lose his brother instead. Except nothing seems to be going to plan.
Neither Rosie nor Valtar wants to be in this situation, and as the contest for a champion evolves, the threats are coming from all sides. I think that’s why I enjoyed this story so much; there is plenty of action, twists, turns, and some intrigue. The stakes are high, life-threatening in nature, and that plays out repeatedly. The setting is lush and otherworldly as it should be, with an even match of world-building and character development.
What kept this from a five? A few instances where I questioned the character’s choices, which didn’t seem consistent with them. And some instances where I think Rosie protested and rebelled a bit too much, when in fact some of the answers were there for her. It was one of those moments where I’d love to read about a character who embraces the circumstances they find themselves in, rather than fighting so hard against them.
Overall, it was a good start to a series, and I’m very interested in finding out what happens next. The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, and it forced the characters into a situation I didn’t really see coming. I can’t wait for book two.
~ Landra
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