REVIEW: The Prince’s Dragon: Fire and Valor Book Two (Giveaway!)

The Official Description:

The last place Lord Tristram Radcliffe ever expected to find himself was right hand to the Llangardian throne. His parentage should have seen him banished, but he managed to keep his draconic secret. Now, King Reynold is dead. Long live King Roland.

The boy ascends to rule a kingdom in chaos, and Tristram must undo the damage of the last king’s reign to save his people from lean winter and wolves in the palace itself. Reynold’s former shadow, Bet Kyston, is determined to root out King Roland’s enemies, but his version of help may cause as much harm as good.

There remains a traitor near to the throne, and when the king falls mysteriously ill, Tristram’s strongest ally is forced to leave court. As his enemies move closer, the strength of Tristram’s regency is more precarious than ever. Abandoned and friendless, Tristram must sacrifice everything to protect his homeland or risk not only Roland’s life, but his own.

Excerpt from “The Prince’s Dragon”:

Bet twirled the practice blade in his hand, passed it to the other, and did the same. It was the kind of thing Tris never bothered with. When most men did it, they were showing off. Bet wasn’t. He didn’t care that Tris’s eyes were riveted to his long, lithe fingers. The same fingers that had not so long ago been wrapped around his—

“Well, My Lord Regent?” Bet asked. He always said the damned title like it was important and like it was a joke, both at once. “Shall we?”

So Tris did.

Just the facts: Complex plot with lots of characters and variety of POV. M/M, F/F, M/F partnerships

The Prince’s Dragon is packed full of action and intrigue! – Kinzie Things

My thoughts bit: The Prince’s Dragon is the second book in the Fire and Valor Series by W.M. Fawkes and Sam Burns. This is not a stand-alone novel and I think it would be far too confusing for someone to begin with this installment. I whole-heartedly recommend that you pick up the first book in the series.

This book is a continuation of the story of the Llangardian royal family and those whose stories are connected to them. In particular, the book is about the young 9-year-old King’s regent, Tristram Radcliffe. Tristram is struggling to protect his young king, get to the bottom of who killed the king, deal with the threat of dragons to the kingdom and all of this while struggling to understand who he is. Tristram is half dragon and has complex feelings for the King’s assassin, Bet.

Bet is a half-elf and his moral compass seems to work quite differently than that of everyone else. He is a creature of action and prefers to end things quickly rather than waiting to see what will happen.f the fact that he was left by his family to survive on his own could be why he has such a lack of trust for everyone around him… including Tristram.

Tristram and Bet have an interesting relationship. In the first book, they are just beginning to explore their relationship with one another… and it’s not until this book that they begin to understand it. They definitely have feelings for one another but neither man is used to relying on someone else, being trusted, giving trust. It’s complex and only made more complex when Bet’s hand is forced and he kills someone who is attempting to kill the young king.

There are several stories unfolding in this installment of the series. King Roland is ill and his supporters are struggling to keep him safe and root out any enemies in their midst. Princess Gillian, taken by a Dragon named Maddox is coming to terms with her role and her understanding of Dragons. She is learning about her magic and gathering allies where she can. Rhiannon and Sidonie are nursing battle wounds and seeking assistance. There are captive dragons wrapped up in mystery: where did they come from? Who are they? Who will they side with?

The switching POVs were a bit confusing at times…but the action made up for it. I particularly appreciated the “found family” aspect of this story. As the series continues, some of the characters become to come together to form their own “family”. It’s lovely to see the way the writers have brought some of the characters together.

I also really loved the Dragons and their hoards. I know it’s a seemingly small detail, but I loved how the dragons all had different hoards. We learn in this installment that the hoards can be almost anything, which is amusing, sweet and one of those lovely little details that makes a book great.

Things You May Want To Know: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) confinement, murder, description of death by stabbing, poisoning, bigotry between races, description of a child who has been poisoned

Author Bio:

W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.

Sam lives in the Midwest with husband and cat, which is even less exciting than it sounds, so she’s not sure why you’re still reading this.

She specializes in LGBTQIA+ fiction, usually with a romantic element. There’s sometimes intrigue and violence, usually a little sex, and almost always some swearing in her work. Her writing is light and happy, though, so if you’re looking for a dark gritty reality, you’ve come to the wrong author.

Author links:

Joint Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlickerFoxBooks/

Waverly Fawkes:

http://fawkeswrites.com

https://facebook.com/w.m.fawkes

https://twitter.com/fawkeswrites

https://www.instagram.com/w.m.fawkes/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18156587.W_M_Fawkes

https://www.pinterest.com/fawkeswrites/

Sam Burns:

http://burnswrites.com