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The Dragonland Saga #1
Firebird's Lair
A mysterious warlock. A ruthless band of wyvern poachers. A marriage neither of them wants.
Tsar Kirill’s only daughter is ailing. Poachers and robbers plague his kingdom. He doesn’t want a wife. Especially not that one.
Tsarevna Yuliana has a home already. She doesn’t want to leave everything she’s known, the seaside that she grew up by, to start a new life in a strange land. Especially not with him .
But Tsar Fyodor, his ally and her father, has other plans. He wants to forge an empire. And empire building by marriage is so much less taxing than empire building by war. Or so he thinks.
First at odds, Yuliana and Kirill unite to outwit Fyodor and save themselves from his machinations. But as a mysterious sorcerer and a dangerous band of wyvern poachers threaten the future of both kingdoms, the two must risk everything - including their hearts - to save the hard-won peace.
A humorous fantasy novel, full of lovable characters, dangerous villains, and laugh-out-loud moments.
Tsar Kirill’s only daughter is ailing. Poachers and robbers plague his kingdom. He doesn’t want a wife. Especially not that one.
Tsarevna Yuliana has a home already. She doesn’t want to leave everything she’s known, the seaside that she grew up by, to start a new life in a strange land. Especially not with him .
But Tsar Fyodor, his ally and her father, has other plans. He wants to forge an empire. And empire building by marriage is so much less taxing than empire building by war. Or so he thinks.
First at odds, Yuliana and Kirill unite to outwit Fyodor and save themselves from his machinations. But as a mysterious sorcerer and a dangerous band of wyvern poachers threaten the future of both kingdoms, the two must risk everything - including their hearts - to save the hard-won peace.
A humorous fantasy novel, full of lovable characters, dangerous villains, and laugh-out-loud moments.
304 pages, ebook
First published January 29, 2020
About the author
Rachel Ford
74 books129 followersRachel Ford lives in beautiful Central Wisconsin. She is a programmer, who works in everything from SQL to .NET to Cisco CVP and IVR. Her latest foray into new and exciting things has been developing custom Java plugins for CVP applications.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 8, 2020
An amazing beginning to a new series by this talented writer. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and getting lost in the characters and the plot. Anxiously awaiting the next one.
July 9, 2020
Dragons and a princess and espionage, oh my
First chapter, I'm very excited... dragons!!! Subsequent chapters are about monarchy issues and love and things that are normally pretty dry reading for me... but the author's talent for writing kept me reading. Much like the grandson learning of Princess Buttercup, I came to love the story even though the romance aspects are not my usual cup of tea. I didn't even have to skip the kissing parts.
It's a long book, and I give enormous kudos to the author for not breaking it up into 3 or 4 smaller books with cliffhanger endings. There are more books in the series to read (yay!) but this was a complete work on its own, and I don't feel frustrated at the ending. It ended with the possibility of sequels, but without the feeling that I didn't read a complete story.
First chapter, I'm very excited... dragons!!! Subsequent chapters are about monarchy issues and love and things that are normally pretty dry reading for me... but the author's talent for writing kept me reading. Much like the grandson learning of Princess Buttercup, I came to love the story even though the romance aspects are not my usual cup of tea. I didn't even have to skip the kissing parts.
It's a long book, and I give enormous kudos to the author for not breaking it up into 3 or 4 smaller books with cliffhanger endings. There are more books in the series to read (yay!) but this was a complete work on its own, and I don't feel frustrated at the ending. It ended with the possibility of sequels, but without the feeling that I didn't read a complete story.
March 26, 2020
Our hero and heroine are being forced into marriage for political reasons, but find a common goal in outwitting these plans. Of course, once they start to work together, where does it stop?
This is the start of a new fantasy series and, like the author's other series, it is a winner. The story is well written and easy to read, quickly drawing the reader into the story. The plot is well done and has plenty of twists and turns, but it is the characters that are the real stars of the show. They are well developed and absolutely fun to watch interact. With a bit of intrigue and a good dose of humor, this was a fun story and I look forward to reading the next book.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from StoryOrigin for review purposes.
This is the start of a new fantasy series and, like the author's other series, it is a winner. The story is well written and easy to read, quickly drawing the reader into the story. The plot is well done and has plenty of twists and turns, but it is the characters that are the real stars of the show. They are well developed and absolutely fun to watch interact. With a bit of intrigue and a good dose of humor, this was a fun story and I look forward to reading the next book.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from StoryOrigin for review purposes.
January 15, 2026
Okay, I skipped about 30 chapters in the middle. I went from ~ch 18 to ~ch 53, because nothing was happening. NOTHING. I like interiority in a book, I like knowing what characters are thinking, but for crying out loud, there comes a point when characters need to interact with other characters, or actually do things.
In the end, the bad guy was who I suspected and the Big Reveal was what I expected, but there wasn't really an explanation about why the baddie did it. Supposedly he 'wanted power', but his method was convoluted and kind of pointless.
Also also, WARNING FOR UNMENTIONED SMALL CHILD DEATH, HOLY CATS.
In the end, the bad guy was who I suspected and the Big Reveal was what I expected, but there wasn't really an explanation about why the baddie did it. Supposedly he 'wanted power', but his method was convoluted and kind of pointless.
Also also, WARNING FOR UNMENTIONED SMALL CHILD DEATH, HOLY CATS.
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February 16, 2020I am officially a Rachel Ford fan! This is the 6th book by her I've read and they're all great. I am an avid reader and this author is among the very best in her writing craft, in my opinion.
But let me stick to reviewing this one :) What I love about Firebird's Lair most are the characters, character building and the ways they interact, which is masterfully written. It pulled me into their worlds.
Great story, lots of intrigue, plot twists, and very well-written. Well worth a read for anyone who enjoys fantasy with very well-developed, interesting characters.
But let me stick to reviewing this one :) What I love about Firebird's Lair most are the characters, character building and the ways they interact, which is masterfully written. It pulled me into their worlds.
Great story, lots of intrigue, plot twists, and very well-written. Well worth a read for anyone who enjoys fantasy with very well-developed, interesting characters.
August 11, 2024
Audiobook: I was entertained by this story, but it took me a while to like it. I thought the first part of the story dragged, but once the action heated up, the story got better. I liked Tsar Kirill and Tsarevna Yuliana. I enjoyed their meandering path to love. I wasn't impressed with Blazej Fiser's narration. I thought his voice was fine and his diction clear; however, there were long passages where his performance lacked expressiveness. I was given a copy of the audiobook through StoryOrigin. I volunteered, without financial gain, to leave this review which included my honest opinions regarding this story.
Read
May 4, 2020Firebird's Lair (The Dragonland Saga Book 1), my fourteenth read from prolific author Rachel Ford and the first book in her Dragomland Saga series. No matter the genre a Rachel Ford book can be counted on to be entertaining & enjoyable. I look forward to the next book in the series, Kraken's Depths (The Dragonland Saga #2). "I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
May 27, 2020
Ms. Ford has written another winner! I have read almost all of her novels and this one did not disappoint. The storyline was fleshed out very nicely and the characters very well defines. This is an adventure with all kinds of evil characters and obstacles to overcome. Pick this one up and enjoy the ride!
August 23, 2024
This author wrote very believable characters and the world they are living in is understandable and believable. Readers will like a lot of the various characters with their quirks and ways. Narrator does a Great job with the various characters voices and the entire storyline.
February 17, 2020
Terrific Book!
It took me a while to read this book, I had to many in my queue. But once it came to read, oh am I glad I got it. Thank you for your hard work on this book.
It took me a while to read this book, I had to many in my queue. But once it came to read, oh am I glad I got it. Thank you for your hard work on this book.
December 23, 2019
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
Ford delivers an enchanting story in "Firebird's Lair". The author, as is to be expected, does a superb job of world building and character development as they weave a rich tapestry of action, intrigue, diplomacy, black magic, treachery and love. Oh, and let's not forget, DRAGONS!!
I highly recommend this book and can hardly wait to see book two in the series.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a free review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.
Ford delivers an enchanting story in "Firebird's Lair". The author, as is to be expected, does a superb job of world building and character development as they weave a rich tapestry of action, intrigue, diplomacy, black magic, treachery and love. Oh, and let's not forget, DRAGONS!!
I highly recommend this book and can hardly wait to see book two in the series.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a free review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2025
Listen to your heart! I really like the book. It portrays the characters with all their peculiarities and makes the reader/listener feel like they are part of the story. I liked the unexpected twists and turns of the story, the suspense right up to the end.
The narrator did a good job, although it took a long time between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
The narrator did a good job, although it took a long time between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews