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For Want Of A Dragon
In a village on the edge of the mortal lands, dragons need grooming, riders need taming, and love has a mind of its own.
Twenty-six-year-old Livvy Stoud is content with her talking cat, cozy cottage, and job as the local dragon groomer in the mountain village of Eshan. But when the annual dragon jousting tournament arrives in the valley, her world is turned upside down. Despite her love for dragons, she despises their professional riders, seeing them as prideful, privileged, and reckless. However, with a family back home counting on her, a best friend eager to find love, and a grumpy stranger she can’t seem to escape, Livvy realizes she must confront her prejudices and open her heart—all for the want of a dragon.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of an adventurous spirit, must be in want of a dragon.
Twenty-six-year-old Livvy Stoud is content with her talking cat, cozy cottage, and job as the local dragon groomer in the mountain village of Eshan. But when the annual dragon jousting tournament arrives in the valley, her world is turned upside down. Despite her love for dragons, she despises their professional riders, seeing them as prideful, privileged, and reckless. However, with a family back home counting on her, a best friend eager to find love, and a grumpy stranger she can’t seem to escape, Livvy realizes she must confront her prejudices and open her heart—all for the want of a dragon.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of an adventurous spirit, must be in want of a dragon.
- GenresDragons
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 17, 2025
3.5 stars
i LOVE a pride and prejudice retelling, whether it’s a twist via the plot or with fantasy included! this was a very solid retelling, i loved the new fantasy setting but really missed the family portion of pride and prejudice and thought that made it fall a bit flat
livvy lives away from her family so we don’t really see a huge family dynamic and i really felt that took away partially from the book being a pride and prejudice retelling/inspiration, since so much of it is based off the family causing issues for her and jane (marinn) in this book
i did really like the fantasy setting and her having a job and being an independent spirit and being a dragon groomer
thank you to net galley and open sky publishing for this e-ARC
i LOVE a pride and prejudice retelling, whether it’s a twist via the plot or with fantasy included! this was a very solid retelling, i loved the new fantasy setting but really missed the family portion of pride and prejudice and thought that made it fall a bit flat
livvy lives away from her family so we don’t really see a huge family dynamic and i really felt that took away partially from the book being a pride and prejudice retelling/inspiration, since so much of it is based off the family causing issues for her and jane (marinn) in this book
i did really like the fantasy setting and her having a job and being an independent spirit and being a dragon groomer
thank you to net galley and open sky publishing for this e-ARC
November 1, 2026
I really enjoyed this book! The author did a great job a creating a fantasy world. I loved the Pride & Prejudice vibes and all the talk of dragons! My only qualm is that the dialogue was unoriginal when trying to play out the similar P&P scenes. I wish the author would have made them a little more original, but other than that, the story line was different enough from P&P to feel like its own story. 🐉
October 3, 2025
Star rating: 3.5 / 5
Spice scale: 1 / 5
Violence scale: 1 / 5
Pace: medium
Tropes: enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, miscommunication, grumpy/sunshine
My thanks to Open Sky Publishing for access to an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Plot: In this cozy fantasy Pride and Prejudice retelling, Livvy (Lizzy) is an independently-minded girl from a small human village who dreams of becoming a dragon rider. Although she finds out that humans are not permitted to bond with dragons and become riders, she is able to become a dragon groomer, which allows her to spend time with and care for the creatures. Her new home, a quaint mountain town populated by both humans and fae, becomes the setting for the Drakonas Tournament, and with the festivities come the dragon riders. Her best friend Marinn (Jane) helps Livvy secure a position as the official dragon groomer for the competition, and they meet famous dragon riders (and fae nobility) Thaddeus (Bingley) and Asher (Darcy). All of the expected P&P moments (including the botched proposal and Wickham shenanigans) can be found along the way, mixed in with Livvy’s found family and friends in the village taking care of each other, and the events of the Tournament.
Series or standalone? This is a standalone.
I would recommend it to readers looking for a fun, fantasy Pride and Prejudice retelling. There is no spice and the only violence comes with the events of the Tournament, which consists of rounds of jousting while riding dragons, but descriptions of injury are not particularly graphic. There are the usual Lizzy-Darcy miscommunication moments, and the distinct lack of a Lydia-coded character and her drama might entice those readers who love a P&P retelling but can sometimes be annoyed with the Lydia storyline.
Final thoughts: There is a large distance between Livvy and her family, so the usual family dynamics of Lizzy and all her sisters is not much of an aspect of this story, which does give it a different tone from what one might expect in a P&P retelling. But Livvy’s friendship with Marinn mirrors Lizzy and Jane perfectly, and Livvy’s mother is just as hysterical and her father just as supportive, albeit via written letters. And that distance from family also made the Mr. Collins situation pass in a few pages, and I cannot find fault with that. The other detail that changed the tone for me is the grand gesture that the Darcy-coded character makes to assist Livvy’s family in a time of need. In this case, it is much less of a secret than Darcy helping with the Lydia-Wickham situation in P&P and it comes after a number of other events that have already muddled up how Livvy views Asher, so I felt that the purpose of the grand gesture lost some of the weight that it is expected to have in a P&P retelling. That being said, this is a fast read with great descriptions of a variety of dragons and their unique magics, in a new fantasy fae world, and Livvy has a talking cat. If you enjoy a cute P&P retelling, absolutely give this one a try.
Spice scale: 1 / 5
Violence scale: 1 / 5
Pace: medium
Tropes: enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, miscommunication, grumpy/sunshine
My thanks to Open Sky Publishing for access to an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Plot: In this cozy fantasy Pride and Prejudice retelling, Livvy (Lizzy) is an independently-minded girl from a small human village who dreams of becoming a dragon rider. Although she finds out that humans are not permitted to bond with dragons and become riders, she is able to become a dragon groomer, which allows her to spend time with and care for the creatures. Her new home, a quaint mountain town populated by both humans and fae, becomes the setting for the Drakonas Tournament, and with the festivities come the dragon riders. Her best friend Marinn (Jane) helps Livvy secure a position as the official dragon groomer for the competition, and they meet famous dragon riders (and fae nobility) Thaddeus (Bingley) and Asher (Darcy). All of the expected P&P moments (including the botched proposal and Wickham shenanigans) can be found along the way, mixed in with Livvy’s found family and friends in the village taking care of each other, and the events of the Tournament.
Series or standalone? This is a standalone.
I would recommend it to readers looking for a fun, fantasy Pride and Prejudice retelling. There is no spice and the only violence comes with the events of the Tournament, which consists of rounds of jousting while riding dragons, but descriptions of injury are not particularly graphic. There are the usual Lizzy-Darcy miscommunication moments, and the distinct lack of a Lydia-coded character and her drama might entice those readers who love a P&P retelling but can sometimes be annoyed with the Lydia storyline.
Final thoughts: There is a large distance between Livvy and her family, so the usual family dynamics of Lizzy and all her sisters is not much of an aspect of this story, which does give it a different tone from what one might expect in a P&P retelling. But Livvy’s friendship with Marinn mirrors Lizzy and Jane perfectly, and Livvy’s mother is just as hysterical and her father just as supportive, albeit via written letters. And that distance from family also made the Mr. Collins situation pass in a few pages, and I cannot find fault with that. The other detail that changed the tone for me is the grand gesture that the Darcy-coded character makes to assist Livvy’s family in a time of need. In this case, it is much less of a secret than Darcy helping with the Lydia-Wickham situation in P&P and it comes after a number of other events that have already muddled up how Livvy views Asher, so I felt that the purpose of the grand gesture lost some of the weight that it is expected to have in a P&P retelling. That being said, this is a fast read with great descriptions of a variety of dragons and their unique magics, in a new fantasy fae world, and Livvy has a talking cat. If you enjoy a cute P&P retelling, absolutely give this one a try.
February 28, 2026
I enjoyed reading this book, I felt as though it had a good mix of coziness mixed in with some elements of fantasy. I enjoyed the sections more which involved dragons because that’s what my aim was when reading this.
It was written well, easy to follow, but not much happened for my liking which is why I have deemed it a three star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
It was written well, easy to follow, but not much happened for my liking which is why I have deemed it a three star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 20, 2025
A brilliant supernatural Pride and Prejudice
I loved this spin. A supernatural version of Pride And Prejudice between a Fae and a human. A bit of a forbidden romance considering his aunt's view of humans. This is definitely the best supernatural version of Pride and Prejudice. I am a fan of this author and book. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
I loved this spin. A supernatural version of Pride And Prejudice between a Fae and a human. A bit of a forbidden romance considering his aunt's view of humans. This is definitely the best supernatural version of Pride and Prejudice. I am a fan of this author and book. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
November 8, 2025
I just read half way through the book before looking at the reviews.
the reviews all 5* put me off P&P reference, weirdly turn off
the reviews all 5* put me off P&P reference, weirdly turn off
March 7, 2026
Cute
A new view on pride and prejudice by Jane austin, but it was cute and fun to read. Love dragons
A new view on pride and prejudice by Jane austin, but it was cute and fun to read. Love dragons
October 15, 2025
How Refreshing!
As a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice, I was so excited to discover this cozy fantasy! A retelling of the beloved story, For Want of a Dragon does not disappoint. The author does a fantastic job of keeping the integrity of the original while mixing in whimsy and magic.
And no unwanted surprises—this book is rated E for everyone!
This is my new favorite cozy romantasy.
Well done, Wendy Day!
As a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice, I was so excited to discover this cozy fantasy! A retelling of the beloved story, For Want of a Dragon does not disappoint. The author does a fantastic job of keeping the integrity of the original while mixing in whimsy and magic.
And no unwanted surprises—this book is rated E for everyone!
This is my new favorite cozy romantasy.
Well done, Wendy Day!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews