Dragon Fury: Rise of the Elemental Guardians

by Ajay Howarth

Scalebridge was engineered to endure pressure. It was never meant to become the source of it.


When the city’s ancient ley lines destabilize, gravity falters, rivers reverse, and fire no longer behaves as it should. Five strangers awaken to elemental forces woven into the foundations of the city itself—power that does not grant control, only responsibility.


What answers in them is vast, volatile, and deeply human.


As structural failures ripple outward and fear compounds the damage, it becomes clear that the threat is not simple destruction. Something beneath the city is feeding on imbalance, turning every surge of power into leverage. The more force they use, the more the city strains.


To prevent collapse, they must learn to act without domination, to lead without possession, and to trust one another when instinct demands isolation.


Because survival will not come from who burns brightest.


It will come from who can hold.


And if they fail, Scalebridge will not fall in flame—


It will fracture from within.

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2026

About the author

Hey, I’m Ajay Howarth.

I’m an Australian author writing romance, fantasy, romantasy, psychological suspense and erotic fiction.

Basically, I refuse to pick a lane.

If I want to write people falling in love, I will. If I want obsession, bad decisions and questionable relationship choices, they’re going in too. And if my brain decides we need magic, mythical creatures and a sentient castle, well, who am I to argue?

I write characters who feel human.

They want things they probably shouldn’t. They fuck up. They overthink. They fall for people at inconvenient times and make choices that seem perfectly reasonable right up until everything goes to shit.

You know. People.

Perfect characters don’t interest me much.

Perfect people don’t either.

I started writing because I needed somewhere for everything rattling around in my head to go. I kept writing because I bloody love it, and because telling me I can’t do something remains an excellent way to make sure I do exactly that.

Spite is surprisingly productive.

I’m sex-positive, curious about people and probably far too interested in why we want what we want. Attraction, relationships, desire, psychology, sex, writing and all the things adults think about but don’t always say out loud tend to take up a fair bit of space in my brain.

So naturally, I started a blog about them.

It’s called Confessions of a Spicy Romance Author, because subtlety was clearly never going to be my thing.

I’ve published a growing pile of books and have absolutely no intention of behaving myself by sticking to one genre.

If you like complicated characters, real relationships, sarcasm, heat, heart, magic, questionable decisions and the occasional “what the fuck did I just read?” moment, you’ll probably be fine here.

Probably.

My goal has always been pretty simple.

Leave you breathless and satisfied, but still aching for more.

I am a romance author, after all. I know how to tease.

Reviews

[Tracey Gerrard]

Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Lightning!
I’ve read most of Ajay’s books, and this one differs from what I’m used to from this author, in a good way, though.
The story takes place in Scalebridge, where something lurks beneath the structures. Ready and waiting to bring it to its knees.
When five strangers come together, they must fight and learn to navigate the elements within them. Create a balance so they can save the town from what might destroy it. That’s if they don’t destroy it first.
Dragon Fury by Ajay Howarth was an intriguing, descriptive urban fantasy story that I enjoyed very much. Chaska was my favourite character.

[D.G. Torrens]

This is not the first book that I have read by this author and again, I was not disappointed.
Chaska grew up learning not to ask questions, that was until mother died suddenly. Chaska was given an envelope by a lawyer: You must go to Scalebridge and find your father. This is where this thrilling urban fantasy journey begins. Five strangers eventually come together to battle forces and save the town. A well-written page turner that I highly recommend.

[Carrie O’Leary]

I wanted to love this book, the premise is interesting and the writing beautifully descriptive, but I found the reading of the story to be very hard going. I love dragons and elementals as a rule so it’s difficult to pin down the reason. The narrative is very heavy on description and I found that took me out of the story. I don’t think it’s the books fault, we just didn’t gel. I’m sure other people will have a completely different experience.

[Dawn Rae]

It's amazing the difference a cover makes. I got the version with dragon faces on the cover, and for the first few chapters I had no idea what was going on... then I saw this cover version and it finally made sense to me. I found some of the descriptive passages interfered with my enjoyment of the story, but I have to say they are beautifully written. I look forward to reading more from Ajay Howarth.

[A.J. SAUNDERS]

A rather slow beginning that gradually picks up. I’m eager to know what’s happening with the water in Scalebridge and with Chaska’s strange behaviour.

A third of the way in, we discover ‘a lingering shape on the roof’, and from then on, I’m turning those pages quickly, asking myself – Who? Why? How?

And then, we’re at the end of the book…after having followed Chaska and his friends on their quest.

If you’re intrigued by those questions – then dive into Dragon Fury.

[L.D. McRae]

Cinematic Storytelling.
Vivid scene descriptions steal this story and make it especially unique. I was captivated by the details and enthralled by the mystery. The author does not give anything away but rather paces the information out as the story progresses. If I had to describe this book in just a few words, I’d call it gritty, cinematic, multi-layered, and thought provoking.