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Dragon Horse War trilogy #3
Seer and the Shield
When The Natural Order’s focus shifts from evangelism to a grab for world dominance, the outcome of the Dragon Horse War depends on two unlikely heroines—an anti-social quartermaster and a reticent seer.
Lt. Antonia only trusts a neat row of figures or a complete inventory list. So when she suddenly finds herself responsible for a group of hostages kidnapped by the dangerous cult, she’s reluctant to give any credence to the visions of Maya, a beautiful seer. The two women struggle to trust in each other’s abilities, but still are inexplicably drawn together by an attraction that burns hotter than dragon breath.
Book Three of the Dragon Horse War Series
Lt. Antonia only trusts a neat row of figures or a complete inventory list. So when she suddenly finds herself responsible for a group of hostages kidnapped by the dangerous cult, she’s reluctant to give any credence to the visions of Maya, a beautiful seer. The two women struggle to trust in each other’s abilities, but still are inexplicably drawn together by an attraction that burns hotter than dragon breath.
Book Three of the Dragon Horse War Series
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
5 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
D. Jackson Leigh
27 books212 followersD. Jackson Leigh grew up barefoot and happy, swimming in farm ponds and riding rude ponies in rural south Georgia. Her love of reading was nurtured early on by her grandmother, an English teacher who patiently taught her to work New York Times crossword puzzles in the daily paper, and by her mother who stretched the slim family budget to bring home grocery store copies of Trixie Belden mysteries and Bobbsey Twins adventures that Jackson would sit up all night reading.
It was her passion for writing led her quite accidentally to a career in journalism and, ultimately, North Carolina where she lives with her small pack of three terror, uh, terriers.
It was her passion for writing led her quite accidentally to a career in journalism and, ultimately, North Carolina where she lives with her small pack of three terror, uh, terriers.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 17, 2018
3.5 Stars. This is the third and final book in the Dragon Horse War trilogy. It was a good ending to the series, and I’m glad I read these. I highly recommend reading these books in order. There is a large cast of characters that I think would be a lot to learn all at once if you started just with this book. Not to mention there is a storyline that flows in all three books.
In case you don’t know these books are about a group of warriors, mostly women. They wield fire as weapons and have other gifts like seeing the future or empathy. They ride fire breathing dragon/horse hybrids. It is up to them to stop a dangerous cult from taking over the world. I just really can’t go into too much more of a summery or I could spoiler too many things.
The way this series worked, each book focused on a main pair of women that have the chance to become a couple. So there is always a main romance, with everything else going on. We see lots of authors do this tactic when they write series. What Leigh did that I really liked, she still gave the couples time in the following book. To better explain this: My favorite couple in this series is Tan and Kyle. While they get together in book 2, they are still in the beginning stages of their relationship. Instead of just ignoring them and concentrating only on the new couple for book 3, Leigh makes sure to keep the relationship of Tan and Kyle growing. It helped me connect more with the characters and I ended up enjoying the romances more for it.
Because of the pretty big cliffhanger in book 2, this book started off pretty darn exciting. I was hooked into the book instantly. With this being the finale book, we also had the big climax coming up. I do have to say I didn’t think the ending was quite as exciting as I hoped. I thought some of the other previous battles in the books were done better. There were a few times I found myself having trouble picturing in my mind what was going on. That had never happened before to me in this series, so it was a little disappointing. But I was happy with the overall ending of what happened to the main characters.
If you are a fantasy-romance fan, I suggest starting with book one and seeing if this series appeals to you. I don’t love these books, but I have absolutely enjoyed reading this series. I wish more romance authors would take a chance writing fantasy books.
An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.
In case you don’t know these books are about a group of warriors, mostly women. They wield fire as weapons and have other gifts like seeing the future or empathy. They ride fire breathing dragon/horse hybrids. It is up to them to stop a dangerous cult from taking over the world. I just really can’t go into too much more of a summery or I could spoiler too many things.
The way this series worked, each book focused on a main pair of women that have the chance to become a couple. So there is always a main romance, with everything else going on. We see lots of authors do this tactic when they write series. What Leigh did that I really liked, she still gave the couples time in the following book. To better explain this: My favorite couple in this series is Tan and Kyle. While they get together in book 2, they are still in the beginning stages of their relationship. Instead of just ignoring them and concentrating only on the new couple for book 3, Leigh makes sure to keep the relationship of Tan and Kyle growing. It helped me connect more with the characters and I ended up enjoying the romances more for it.
Because of the pretty big cliffhanger in book 2, this book started off pretty darn exciting. I was hooked into the book instantly. With this being the finale book, we also had the big climax coming up. I do have to say I didn’t think the ending was quite as exciting as I hoped. I thought some of the other previous battles in the books were done better. There were a few times I found myself having trouble picturing in my mind what was going on. That had never happened before to me in this series, so it was a little disappointing. But I was happy with the overall ending of what happened to the main characters.
If you are a fantasy-romance fan, I suggest starting with book one and seeing if this series appeals to you. I don’t love these books, but I have absolutely enjoyed reading this series. I wish more romance authors would take a chance writing fantasy books.
An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.
April 2, 2018
There are lots of things I love about this book - first, the character-building, which has been done superbly, with layer upon layer built up in each book; second, the pace is just right, things are always moving along, and, third, the overarching idea of the triumph of good over evil.
In this book we spend a lot more time with our warriors, and we finally get to visit the lair of Simon the evil. Love the characters of both Toni and Maya, showing that wit and a calm head sometimes work better than brute force strength. It is great to see the relationship between Tan and Kyle flourish - such an unusual pairing, that I wasn't sure they would make it all the way to the end. Finding out Laine's true identity was a real surprise, and added a nice twist to the book.
I'm not a huge fan of how the book ended, I would have preferred to leave the door a bit more open, but some readers might enjoy having an HEA in the last book of this series.
Things that niggled me, and prevent me from giving this book a 5* rating
- I find it hard to believe that Kyle rose up the ranks so quickly - nothing in the previous books indicated that she was more qualified that any of the other warriors.
- the treatment of Kyle vs Furcho, when their partners are kidnapped. When Furcho wants to drop everything to go rescue his partner, he is chastised by First, but when Kyle does the same thing a few chapters later, she gets a lot more sympathy
- the idea that one needs to be of a 'pure bloodline' to be a dragon horse warrior does not sit well with me - it seems to be going against the very grain of the story, which is meant to promote equality amongst all
- statements like 'boys find it harder to subjugate themselves than girls due to their physiology' ...arggghhh!! I really don't see that as a valid excuse for 'boys' to get away with insubordination.
I like this book, but I think book 2 is still my favourite. I hope the author is going to treat us to some more great fantasy reads!
In this book we spend a lot more time with our warriors, and we finally get to visit the lair of Simon the evil. Love the characters of both Toni and Maya, showing that wit and a calm head sometimes work better than brute force strength. It is great to see the relationship between Tan and Kyle flourish - such an unusual pairing, that I wasn't sure they would make it all the way to the end. Finding out Laine's true identity was a real surprise, and added a nice twist to the book.
I'm not a huge fan of how the book ended, I would have preferred to leave the door a bit more open, but some readers might enjoy having an HEA in the last book of this series.
Things that niggled me, and prevent me from giving this book a 5* rating
- I find it hard to believe that Kyle rose up the ranks so quickly - nothing in the previous books indicated that she was more qualified that any of the other warriors.
- the treatment of Kyle vs Furcho, when their partners are kidnapped. When Furcho wants to drop everything to go rescue his partner, he is chastised by First, but when Kyle does the same thing a few chapters later, she gets a lot more sympathy
- the idea that one needs to be of a 'pure bloodline' to be a dragon horse warrior does not sit well with me - it seems to be going against the very grain of the story, which is meant to promote equality amongst all
- statements like 'boys find it harder to subjugate themselves than girls due to their physiology' ...arggghhh!! I really don't see that as a valid excuse for 'boys' to get away with insubordination.
I like this book, but I think book 2 is still my favourite. I hope the author is going to treat us to some more great fantasy reads!
February 4, 2018
When I requested to review this book I was unaware that it was the third book of an on going series. From what I read you kinda need to read the other two first. There are a lot of characters and I mean a lot. The story also continues but honestly you really loose yourself. Reading the first two would definitely have made reading this more enjoyable. Because sometimes you just didn't know what was going on.
But saying that I pushed on and it was quite enjoyable. But there was just too many holes so I'm guessing that you really need to read the first two to fill in the holes.
I'll honestly say I'm not sure if I'll read the first two. But I may at some point. Enjoy!
ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
But saying that I pushed on and it was quite enjoyable. But there was just too many holes so I'm guessing that you really need to read the first two to fill in the holes.
I'll honestly say I'm not sure if I'll read the first two. But I may at some point. Enjoy!
ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
May 3, 2018
Wow, it's all I can say. This has been a wonderful journey. It brought me back the feeling of pure joy I had when I was reading the Celeano series.
I haven't reviewed book 1 and 2 because I was too busy being engulfed and immersed in this amazing world created by the author.
Well done, I say, well done indeed!!!
I haven't reviewed book 1 and 2 because I was too busy being engulfed and immersed in this amazing world created by the author.
Well done, I say, well done indeed!!!
February 4, 2018
So I really liked this edition of the Dragon Horse War series. It was action packed, romance and well we get a favorite character back. Whew!!! D. Jackson Leigh does a great job at world building in this series and this book doesn't disappoint. The evolution of the dragon horses is interesting and fun. The interesting powers of the Shields are fascinating and seems like such a natural partnership with the dragon horse warriors. I like that there are main characters in each book, but you feel like the whole cast of other characters are always there to make the story more fleshed out. I'd recommend this book and the entire to series to anyone.
January 22, 2018
I have not read the other two books in the series and this is one book where it is necessary to read all books in the series. It was hard to follow the plot and keep all characters in line. I still read it to see if I like it overall and for me it was just ok. It could be because I missed some information from the previous books but I probably not going to read them....
November 14, 2019
This series was fantastic, I don't really read these sort of books but this series had me hooked. I loved the characters and the story. I was so sad when I finished the book as it was the last in the series. I would so love more of the story maybe with the bonded characters, the children and the shields etc. I will definitely be reading this series a few more times.
September 20, 2019
3.5 stars. The final book in this trilogy missed a bit. It seemed as though it was a bit rushed, the character descriptions (without giving a spoiler) were less than envisaged and the ending suggestive of further books, but it's supposed to be a trilogy so that isn't what I was expecting.
December 25, 2020
I love science fiction and lesbian fiction. This is the best of both worlds. I really enjoyed it and plan to reread it after I read the first two.
May 11, 2019
Review crossposted at the Lesbrary
“She wanted the guard to relax and see them as people, not just the enemy”
Seer and the Shield by D. Jackson Leigh is the third and final book in the Dragon Horse War trilogy. This book focuses on the conclusion of the story and on Toni and Maya, who was introduced in the previous book. This review will contain some spoilers for the other books in the series but I’ll keep them vague.
At the end of last book, something happened which leaves some characters in a distressing situation. Thankfully, these characters all have powers and they balance each other, because the four of them need to work together while keep the extent of their gifts secret.
Maya, who is Kyle’s sister, is a pacifist who believes that warriors harm others and are suicidal and in her opinion, they have negative gifts. Toni at first isn’t much of a warrior. He likes to keep an organized inventory and she’s more of a shield that protects but Maya still sees her as a warrior. Maya has been attracted to boys and girls in the past, but she doesn’t like that she’s attracted to Toni, until Toni continues to proves herself. These developing feelings that the two characters have are developing in the presence of an empathy...that must have been interesting.
There is a lot of adventure, this being the last book in the series. In the beginning, there is a plane crash and its aftermath. I think that survival stories, foraging and engineering things to fit the situations are always interesting because in their remote possibility, they are realistic. There is also an epic fight at the end, whose parts from it have been foreshadowed by characters – I mean, one of the protagonists in this book is a Seer. There was also a cool twist with Laine. Mama bear to the rescue.
I liked the character development of some of the characters. Toni, who thanks to the situation and her powers and Michael thanks to his relationship and also his powers, have both evolved. Michael is an intersex character and I hope that more authors choose to include marginalized identities.
We also get to see the Network in action!
While the focus is on Toni and Maya, we get a variety of POVs in this book, among which, we have the villains too! We also have some past characters, some of which were a surprise. Something happened towards the end of the second book, which is resolved, with a great price in the last book.
A pet peeve of mine during this book was when Toni and Maya used terms of endearment towards each other. I get that they are supposed to be essentially soulmates, but they still barely know each other! There was also the famous trope of villains explaining all of their plans which makes it easier to stop them.
On the other hand, a super like in this book would be that experts are consulted when needed and that professions like farmers and geologists are regarded well. This however, isn’t done to the extent of the mangovers series which I adored. But hey, anyone that does justice to workers has a good place in my books.
Through the adventures of this series, the characters learn something. I liked that this was the case, rather than they go about as if they were 100% right in the first place. The epilogue shows where everyone is at. I personally thought that some characters and character dynamics were underused. I would have liked if there was more team bonding and relationships – after all these warriors have spent many lifetimes together but the primary focuses were the romantic relationships and the overall plot.
This book is great for those that like romance with a hint of fantasy and adventure. For those that prefer the latter, this series is good but there are better queer fantasy series that develop on the action and team dynamics.
“She wanted the guard to relax and see them as people, not just the enemy”
Seer and the Shield by D. Jackson Leigh is the third and final book in the Dragon Horse War trilogy. This book focuses on the conclusion of the story and on Toni and Maya, who was introduced in the previous book. This review will contain some spoilers for the other books in the series but I’ll keep them vague.
At the end of last book, something happened which leaves some characters in a distressing situation. Thankfully, these characters all have powers and they balance each other, because the four of them need to work together while keep the extent of their gifts secret.
Maya, who is Kyle’s sister, is a pacifist who believes that warriors harm others and are suicidal and in her opinion, they have negative gifts. Toni at first isn’t much of a warrior. He likes to keep an organized inventory and she’s more of a shield that protects but Maya still sees her as a warrior. Maya has been attracted to boys and girls in the past, but she doesn’t like that she’s attracted to Toni, until Toni continues to proves herself. These developing feelings that the two characters have are developing in the presence of an empathy...that must have been interesting.
There is a lot of adventure, this being the last book in the series. In the beginning, there is a plane crash and its aftermath. I think that survival stories, foraging and engineering things to fit the situations are always interesting because in their remote possibility, they are realistic. There is also an epic fight at the end, whose parts from it have been foreshadowed by characters – I mean, one of the protagonists in this book is a Seer. There was also a cool twist with Laine. Mama bear to the rescue.
I liked the character development of some of the characters. Toni, who thanks to the situation and her powers and Michael thanks to his relationship and also his powers, have both evolved. Michael is an intersex character and I hope that more authors choose to include marginalized identities.
We also get to see the Network in action!
While the focus is on Toni and Maya, we get a variety of POVs in this book, among which, we have the villains too! We also have some past characters, some of which were a surprise. Something happened towards the end of the second book, which is resolved, with a great price in the last book.
A pet peeve of mine during this book was when Toni and Maya used terms of endearment towards each other. I get that they are supposed to be essentially soulmates, but they still barely know each other! There was also the famous trope of villains explaining all of their plans which makes it easier to stop them.
On the other hand, a super like in this book would be that experts are consulted when needed and that professions like farmers and geologists are regarded well. This however, isn’t done to the extent of the mangovers series which I adored. But hey, anyone that does justice to workers has a good place in my books.
Through the adventures of this series, the characters learn something. I liked that this was the case, rather than they go about as if they were 100% right in the first place. The epilogue shows where everyone is at. I personally thought that some characters and character dynamics were underused. I would have liked if there was more team bonding and relationships – after all these warriors have spent many lifetimes together but the primary focuses were the romantic relationships and the overall plot.
This book is great for those that like romance with a hint of fantasy and adventure. For those that prefer the latter, this series is good but there are better queer fantasy series that develop on the action and team dynamics.
May 25, 2019
3.75
A satisfying end to the Dragon Horse War series. Like the other books, this one focuses more on a new couple - Antonia and Maya - but keeps the MCs from the other books as strong secondary characters. I'm not sure that Antonia and Maya were strong enough characters compared to their predecessors and I found myself more interested in what was going on with Kyle and Tanisha or even Jael and Alyssa.
As the third and final book in the series, there's lots going on and a lot to wrap up. At times things seemed to be a bit rushed and the speed at which the bad guys gained control strained credulity - the overarching story that examined the opposing ideologies of the collective vs capitalism/individualism was a lot to tackle and sometimes suffered from falling back to stereotype villains and motivations. Despite that, I enjoyed the storyline and was happy enough to suspend my disbelief and bullshit meter and just enjoy the action packed story line.
I'm hoping D Jackson Leigh takes another foray into the realm of spec-fic as I think that this was a very successful venture outside the lesfic standard series.
A satisfying end to the Dragon Horse War series. Like the other books, this one focuses more on a new couple - Antonia and Maya - but keeps the MCs from the other books as strong secondary characters. I'm not sure that Antonia and Maya were strong enough characters compared to their predecessors and I found myself more interested in what was going on with Kyle and Tanisha or even Jael and Alyssa.
As the third and final book in the series, there's lots going on and a lot to wrap up. At times things seemed to be a bit rushed and the speed at which the bad guys gained control strained credulity - the overarching story that examined the opposing ideologies of the collective vs capitalism/individualism was a lot to tackle and sometimes suffered from falling back to stereotype villains and motivations. Despite that, I enjoyed the storyline and was happy enough to suspend my disbelief and bullshit meter and just enjoy the action packed story line.
I'm hoping D Jackson Leigh takes another foray into the realm of spec-fic as I think that this was a very successful venture outside the lesfic standard series.
May 27, 2018
Magnificent series
This was an amazing series I enjoyed it so much. I liked how they made a new relationship. In the beginning it was a little sex focused but picked up after that.
This book was given to be as an ARC by NetGalley ans bold strokes books in exchange for an honest review.
This was an amazing series I enjoyed it so much. I liked how they made a new relationship. In the beginning it was a little sex focused but picked up after that.
This book was given to be as an ARC by NetGalley ans bold strokes books in exchange for an honest review.
March 22, 2018
Great Trilogy
I highly recommend this book. Fantastic read. Flows very good. The story grabs you and doesn't let go. I really didn't think I would enjoy it. Man was I wrong. I have to say that Tanisha was my very favorite tracker. Sassy quick to react with the love of her bonded life Sky. Enjoy everyone
I highly recommend this book. Fantastic read. Flows very good. The story grabs you and doesn't let go. I really didn't think I would enjoy it. Man was I wrong. I have to say that Tanisha was my very favorite tracker. Sassy quick to react with the love of her bonded life Sky. Enjoy everyone
May 28, 2019
A satisfying end to the Dragon Horse War series. Like the other books, this one focuses more on a new couple - Antonia and Maya - but keeps the MCs from the other books as strong secondary characters. I'm not sure that Antonia and Maya were strong enough characters compared to their predecessors and I found myself more interested in what was going on with Kyle and Tanisha or even Jael and Alyssa.
As the third and final book in the series, there's lots going on and a lot to wrap up. At times things seemed to be a bit rushed and the speed at which the bad guys gained control strained credulity - the overarching story that examined the opposing ideologies of the collective vs capitalism/individualism was a lot to tackle and sometimes suffered from falling back to stereotype villains and motivations. Despite that, I enjoyed the storyline and was happy enough to suspend my disbelief and bullshit meter and just enjoy the action packed story line.
I'm hoping D Jackson Leigh takes another foray into the realm of spec-fic as I think that this was a very successful venture outside the lesfic standard series.
As the third and final book in the series, there's lots going on and a lot to wrap up. At times things seemed to be a bit rushed and the speed at which the bad guys gained control strained credulity - the overarching story that examined the opposing ideologies of the collective vs capitalism/individualism was a lot to tackle and sometimes suffered from falling back to stereotype villains and motivations. Despite that, I enjoyed the storyline and was happy enough to suspend my disbelief and bullshit meter and just enjoy the action packed story line.
I'm hoping D Jackson Leigh takes another foray into the realm of spec-fic as I think that this was a very successful venture outside the lesfic standard series.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews