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How to Tame Your Dragon Girlfriends, Volume 1
Can a dream-chasing human and a time-displaced dragon forge a bond in modern Japan?More than a year has passed since half-Japanese, half-American Yoshihiro Marlowe broke free of his controlling father and moved to Japan to pursue his dream of becoming a theater actor. But he still faces one daunting his own terrible acting. After failing 99 auditions, he begins to question whether his dreams will remain just that—dreams.
Just as he’s on the cusp of giving up, Yoshihiro’s life takes a dramatic turn when he encounters Tiamat, a powerful dragon and goddess, who has been sealed away for several millennia. She embodies everything he doesn’t—she’s confident, powerful, and utterly clueless about modern life.
As Yoshihiro struggles with his own aspirations, he also takes on the challenge of helping Tiamat navigate the perplexing landscape of modern Japan. Can he leverage his newfound friendship to overcome his doubts? And can Tiamat resist the allure of anime and modern day conveniences, or will she succumb to temptation and become the first dragon NEET?
Join their journey in this slice-of-life romcom that blends mythical intrigue with the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
Just as he’s on the cusp of giving up, Yoshihiro’s life takes a dramatic turn when he encounters Tiamat, a powerful dragon and goddess, who has been sealed away for several millennia. She embodies everything he doesn’t—she’s confident, powerful, and utterly clueless about modern life.
As Yoshihiro struggles with his own aspirations, he also takes on the challenge of helping Tiamat navigate the perplexing landscape of modern Japan. Can he leverage his newfound friendship to overcome his doubts? And can Tiamat resist the allure of anime and modern day conveniences, or will she succumb to temptation and become the first dragon NEET?
Join their journey in this slice-of-life romcom that blends mythical intrigue with the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 6, 2025
37 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Varnell
137 books370 followersBrandon Varnell is a writer. The end.
... Just kidding.
Brandon Varnell is the author of several book series, all of which involve anime-inspired fanservice. Having been an anime nerd for basically his whole life, his books tend to reflect that. He likes writing stories with loads of T&A, shonen-style battle scenes, and steamy romances that are both light-hearted and erotic. He is also a huge fan of harem anime, so most of his books feature harem romances. If that bothers you, you probably shouldn't read his books.
If you'd like to be constantly updated on anything that he is doing, you can sign up for his mailing list at www.varnell-brandon.com or you can follow him on Twitter (@BrandonBVarnell) or Facebook (@AmericanKitsune).
... Just kidding.
Brandon Varnell is the author of several book series, all of which involve anime-inspired fanservice. Having been an anime nerd for basically his whole life, his books tend to reflect that. He likes writing stories with loads of T&A, shonen-style battle scenes, and steamy romances that are both light-hearted and erotic. He is also a huge fan of harem anime, so most of his books feature harem romances. If that bothers you, you probably shouldn't read his books.
If you'd like to be constantly updated on anything that he is doing, you can sign up for his mailing list at www.varnell-brandon.com or you can follow him on Twitter (@BrandonBVarnell) or Facebook (@AmericanKitsune).
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 27, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of magical dragon girls immediately caught my attention—it sounded so fun and unique! Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me.
The beginning of the book was slow and didn’t hold my attention. On top of that, the way the dragon girls spoke made it a chore to get through, dragging the entire reading experience down.
I wanted to love this, but it just didn’t work for me.
The premise of magical dragon girls immediately caught my attention—it sounded so fun and unique! Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me.
The beginning of the book was slow and didn’t hold my attention. On top of that, the way the dragon girls spoke made it a chore to get through, dragging the entire reading experience down.
I wanted to love this, but it just didn’t work for me.
December 12, 2024
We were a few pages in and I read the line “she was clean shaven, but he knew the carpets matched the drapes” and follows that with a comment about childbearing hips and I knew I was going to hate this.
It didn’t disappoint this book was not something I would ever recommend. The writing feels juvenile and unedited.
Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital arc, in exchange for an honest review.
It didn’t disappoint this book was not something I would ever recommend. The writing feels juvenile and unedited.
Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital arc, in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2024
ARC COPY...Was surprised by the very westerner looking name at first, no offense! But read through with objectiveness and liked writer got the Japanese light novel/ harem style style and premise down to a tee...this writer knows what he's doing in the light novel fantasy harem genre!
December 11, 2024
a fun story with deep characters and plenty of anime/manga references. this is the quickest i ever finished a book (2 days). if you like American Kitsune this book is for you.
November 29, 2024
A full bodied opening that sets the stage for a tale, with vivid descriptions demonstrating a masterful knowledge and understanding of a mix of translated Asian storytelling tropes. Making it easy to imagine and picture the main female character perfectly, from her beauty to her long lived nature by her choice of speech.
Looking into the chapters we are introduced to Yoshi, a part timer who has dreams of being an actor, yet has failed to meet success. Getting an insight into his background as we read his 99th attempted audition and the hijinks & fallout that follows, as he guides Tiamat the legendary dragon through adapting to life in 21st Century Japan.
The world is richly described with many references that are common in many of Brandon’s modern real world set works. Which you can easily enjoy if you know the reference, or, you can still enjoy and spawn recommendations for new works with a little investigation.
As a whole it’s a really is a cozy story focusing primarily on Yoshi’s journey and growth Tiamat helps bring to his life, finding value in himself and being able to potentially find success. As someone who reads a lot of Light novels and a good number of Original English light novels, I really do look forward to seeing Brandon continue and delve a bit more into Yoshi’s and Tiamat’s story.
Looking into the chapters we are introduced to Yoshi, a part timer who has dreams of being an actor, yet has failed to meet success. Getting an insight into his background as we read his 99th attempted audition and the hijinks & fallout that follows, as he guides Tiamat the legendary dragon through adapting to life in 21st Century Japan.
The world is richly described with many references that are common in many of Brandon’s modern real world set works. Which you can easily enjoy if you know the reference, or, you can still enjoy and spawn recommendations for new works with a little investigation.
As a whole it’s a really is a cozy story focusing primarily on Yoshi’s journey and growth Tiamat helps bring to his life, finding value in himself and being able to potentially find success. As someone who reads a lot of Light novels and a good number of Original English light novels, I really do look forward to seeing Brandon continue and delve a bit more into Yoshi’s and Tiamat’s story.
May 9, 2025
ITA
Yoshihiro Marlow, un giovane di 19 anni, vive a Tokyo e lavora nel reparto di robotica di una prestigiosa università. Il suo sogno è diventare un attore, ma dopo la sua 99esima audizione fallita, accetta l'offerta della sua amica Ryumi di fare un viaggio in Mesopotamia.
Durante il viaggio, Yoshihiro cade in un cratere nel presunto sito storico dei giardini pensili e viene salvato da un drago. Questo drago è Lady Tiamat, la dea della vita mesopotamica. Yoshihiro si ritrova a vivere con Tiamat e un altro drago, e la storia segue la sua vita quotidiana tra lavoro e teatro, arricchita dalle interazioni divertenti con Tiamat.
La storia è un po' lunga e, sebbene mi aspettassi un manga, si tratta di un romanzo con alcune immagini. Le interazioni tra Yoshihiro e Tiamat sono assolutamente divertenti, e il modo di parlare shakespeariano di Tiamat aggiunge un tocco unico alla narrazione.
Come punto finale vorrei suggerire un ulteriore editing. In un capitolo Tiamant parla “normale” e ci sono refusi vari.
Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita di questo libro tramite Booksprout e sto volontariamente lasciando una recensione.
ENG
Yoshihiro Marlow, a 19-year-old young man, lives in Tokyo and works in the robotics department of a prestigious university. His dream is to become an actor, but after his 99th failed audition, he accepts his friend Ryumi's offer of a trip to Mesopotamia.
During the trip, Yoshihiro falls into a crater at the supposed historical site of the Hanging Gardens and is rescued by a dragon. This dragon is Lady Tiamat, the Mesopotamian goddess of life. Yoshihiro finds himself living with Tiamat and another dragon, and the story follows his daily life between work and theater, enriched by funny interactions with Tiamat.
The story is a bit long, and although I was expecting a manga, it is a novel with some pictures. The interactions between Yoshihiro and Tiamat are absolutely hilarious, and Tiamat's Shakespearean way of speaking adds a unique touch to the story.
As a final point, I would like to suggest an additional edit. In one chapter, Tiamant speaks "normal" and there are several typos.
I received a free copy of this book through Booksprout and am leaving a voluntary review.
Yoshihiro Marlow, un giovane di 19 anni, vive a Tokyo e lavora nel reparto di robotica di una prestigiosa università. Il suo sogno è diventare un attore, ma dopo la sua 99esima audizione fallita, accetta l'offerta della sua amica Ryumi di fare un viaggio in Mesopotamia.
Durante il viaggio, Yoshihiro cade in un cratere nel presunto sito storico dei giardini pensili e viene salvato da un drago. Questo drago è Lady Tiamat, la dea della vita mesopotamica. Yoshihiro si ritrova a vivere con Tiamat e un altro drago, e la storia segue la sua vita quotidiana tra lavoro e teatro, arricchita dalle interazioni divertenti con Tiamat.
La storia è un po' lunga e, sebbene mi aspettassi un manga, si tratta di un romanzo con alcune immagini. Le interazioni tra Yoshihiro e Tiamat sono assolutamente divertenti, e il modo di parlare shakespeariano di Tiamat aggiunge un tocco unico alla narrazione.
Come punto finale vorrei suggerire un ulteriore editing. In un capitolo Tiamant parla “normale” e ci sono refusi vari.
Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita di questo libro tramite Booksprout e sto volontariamente lasciando una recensione.
ENG
Yoshihiro Marlow, a 19-year-old young man, lives in Tokyo and works in the robotics department of a prestigious university. His dream is to become an actor, but after his 99th failed audition, he accepts his friend Ryumi's offer of a trip to Mesopotamia.
During the trip, Yoshihiro falls into a crater at the supposed historical site of the Hanging Gardens and is rescued by a dragon. This dragon is Lady Tiamat, the Mesopotamian goddess of life. Yoshihiro finds himself living with Tiamat and another dragon, and the story follows his daily life between work and theater, enriched by funny interactions with Tiamat.
The story is a bit long, and although I was expecting a manga, it is a novel with some pictures. The interactions between Yoshihiro and Tiamat are absolutely hilarious, and Tiamat's Shakespearean way of speaking adds a unique touch to the story.
As a final point, I would like to suggest an additional edit. In one chapter, Tiamant speaks "normal" and there are several typos.
I received a free copy of this book through Booksprout and am leaving a voluntary review.
February 18, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the author for sharing this eARC for my honest review.
I’m going to preface this review by saying I rate any book I’ve finished as at least a 2 star. I was intrigued by the premise due to my love of anime. But this truly took me a few months to work through since receiving the ARC. That should tell you enough there.
The prologue was… rough, to say the least. It very quickly indicated that this was not intended for Teen/YA like the category I originally found it under. I understand that this likely was indicating the fan service that was to come, but it took me by surprise and set a bad tone for me upfront.
Additionally, as far as narrative, there are moments when I felt like it was too descriptive: meaning too many sentences describing the same thing but yet not giving true additional context in some spaces. And the diction choice for Tiamat, while it makes sense with the storyline, it would pulled me out of the narrative entirely.
Overall, I can definitely see this being a good read for others, but I’m just not the target audience. I feel I came in with different expectations that led to my initial disappointment and the story didn’t hold my attention enough to combat that.
I’m going to preface this review by saying I rate any book I’ve finished as at least a 2 star. I was intrigued by the premise due to my love of anime. But this truly took me a few months to work through since receiving the ARC. That should tell you enough there.
The prologue was… rough, to say the least. It very quickly indicated that this was not intended for Teen/YA like the category I originally found it under. I understand that this likely was indicating the fan service that was to come, but it took me by surprise and set a bad tone for me upfront.
Additionally, as far as narrative, there are moments when I felt like it was too descriptive: meaning too many sentences describing the same thing but yet not giving true additional context in some spaces. And the diction choice for Tiamat, while it makes sense with the storyline, it would pulled me out of the narrative entirely.
Overall, I can definitely see this being a good read for others, but I’m just not the target audience. I feel I came in with different expectations that led to my initial disappointment and the story didn’t hold my attention enough to combat that.
November 2, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Kitsune Incorporated for the ARC.
First thing I should say is I am unsure how this is categorized elsewhere but on NetGalley it was listed under Teens & YA so I was not expecting the random adult art work or the adult story. So please make sure you are aware and wanting to read an adult story. The artwork was beautiful though, I would read and enjoy a manga drawn in this style.
I love magic girl manga so I was very interested in reading this light novel style story that had dragon girls. The premise of the story was really cute but the writing was a little hard for me. One of the dragon girls is from ancient times so she speaks in old English style but it was just a little much for me to not be jarred out of the story when she spoke. Also, this is very much written in a ‘fan service’ style which isn’t necessarily bad but it isn’t something I tend to enjoy. For me this was just an average read but if you like fan service, dragon girls and an adult story it could very much be for you.
First thing I should say is I am unsure how this is categorized elsewhere but on NetGalley it was listed under Teens & YA so I was not expecting the random adult art work or the adult story. So please make sure you are aware and wanting to read an adult story. The artwork was beautiful though, I would read and enjoy a manga drawn in this style.
I love magic girl manga so I was very interested in reading this light novel style story that had dragon girls. The premise of the story was really cute but the writing was a little hard for me. One of the dragon girls is from ancient times so she speaks in old English style but it was just a little much for me to not be jarred out of the story when she spoke. Also, this is very much written in a ‘fan service’ style which isn’t necessarily bad but it isn’t something I tend to enjoy. For me this was just an average read but if you like fan service, dragon girls and an adult story it could very much be for you.
November 26, 2024
The prologue was truly awful and hard to get through with the way it was written, it almost turned me off of the book completely.
I started to enjoy the book through chapter one but was immediately offput again by the extreme fatphobia at the beginning of chapter two referring to a person as a “meatball” and “tub of lard”
This book should not be in the teen and ya section, I don’t know if it got mislabeled but between the descriptions and the sexual art this should definitely be in the adult section.
I personally cannot recommend this book and for that reason and all the reasons stated above I have to rate this book 1 star.
Thank you Netgalley and kitsune incorporated
I started to enjoy the book through chapter one but was immediately offput again by the extreme fatphobia at the beginning of chapter two referring to a person as a “meatball” and “tub of lard”
This book should not be in the teen and ya section, I don’t know if it got mislabeled but between the descriptions and the sexual art this should definitely be in the adult section.
I personally cannot recommend this book and for that reason and all the reasons stated above I have to rate this book 1 star.
Thank you Netgalley and kitsune incorporated
November 29, 2024
Hello I was lucky enough to get Chosen to get a early read for a honest review.
All I can say is that I personally find it a great read due it's mixture of comedy, romance, and descent story line that is definitely more original compared to most books these days.
Only stipulations that I will point out that I personally find fine but others might have a more difficult time with is main girl speaks old English so if you have problems reading things like Knights talking could prove an issue. And I would say for the typical American mind set don't read unless you are 16 or so in age for some slight sexual themes similar to some lower key ecchi series level.
All I can say is that I personally find it a great read due it's mixture of comedy, romance, and descent story line that is definitely more original compared to most books these days.
Only stipulations that I will point out that I personally find fine but others might have a more difficult time with is main girl speaks old English so if you have problems reading things like Knights talking could prove an issue. And I would say for the typical American mind set don't read unless you are 16 or so in age for some slight sexual themes similar to some lower key ecchi series level.
August 26, 2025
This is a light novel that doesn't take itself too seriously-and that's its charm. Beneath the playful banter and mythic absurdity lies a story about personal stagnation and the slow, surprising rise of self-belief. It follows a protagonist who's stuck between failed dreams and fading confidence, until an encounter with a dragon goddess jolts him into motion. As ancient power meets modern uncertainty, the heart of the story becomes less about romance and more about rediscovering the courage to pursue what once felt impossible. For fans of anime-inspired comedies with emotional undercurrents and a touch of fantastical flair, this one's worth the read.
June 5, 2025
As a first time reader of Brandon Varnell, I was intrigued at the story and mostly the author themself. as a long time book reader and a anime fan, I never seen a light novel written by an american author before. But after getting into the story, I can say that I have become a fan of his work after this book. His story and characters feels like it comes from an author from Japan, and his references to anime and japan is very fun to see. Would recommend to other fans of anime or light novels in general. Can't wait for the next volume.
December 2, 2024
"How to Tame Your Dragon Girlfriends" starts with a promising premise: a world filled with adorable dragon girls. The artwork is undeniably (smutty) tunning, with intricate details and a captivating style that would undoubtedly shine in a manga format. However, the narrative takes an unexpected turn, veering into mature themes and fan service that might surprise those expecting a typical light novel experience.
January 12, 2025
It started as an intriguing read. However, I found the pace slow at first and the writing caused my interest to fade. The story is definitely written for mature readers and not young teens/adults. While some might enjoy the artwork and story, sadly this was not a book for me.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
December 2, 2024
I received this as a review copy Just as a Heads Up. :)
I love this View of the Ultimate Goddess. Though some of the "way" she (old style English)speaks hurts my head it does not distract from the story. I would Recommend this book to any one who Loves dragons.
I love this View of the Ultimate Goddess. Though some of the "way" she (old style English)speaks hurts my head it does not distract from the story. I would Recommend this book to any one who Loves dragons.
May 14, 2025
Fluffy, sweet fun
Brandon has been one of my favorite authors for a long time now. His level of care and detail for his characters and the settings and surroundings are always something to marvel at. While the story is a slow burn and not always my cup of tea. It’s the fluffy feel good development of the characters that keeps me going as it’s very easy to love these characters. This in a lot of ways might be slow build overall I have little doubt the payoff will be worth it!
Brandon has been one of my favorite authors for a long time now. His level of care and detail for his characters and the settings and surroundings are always something to marvel at. While the story is a slow burn and not always my cup of tea. It’s the fluffy feel good development of the characters that keeps me going as it’s very easy to love these characters. This in a lot of ways might be slow build overall I have little doubt the payoff will be worth it!
September 19, 2025
This is super cringy writing. Only made it in a few paragraphs, so at least you'll know quickly if it's for you or not...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews