We ran away, but it didn’t solve our problems. Now, we’re going back to fight for Aristede.
And oh, yeah—there’s also the small matter of toppling Rayth’s corrupt younger brother from the Utrean throne, so we can remove the bounty on our dragons’ heads. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
As the king’s eldest son, Rayth grew up expecting to rule. Instead, he ended up disgraced and exiled. When he unknowingly stumbled upon the last five dragon eggs in existence, using the creatures to take back his crown was the last thing on his mind.
All that changed after Rayth’s brother Oblisii murdered their father and stole the kingship. With that fateful blow, what started out as a simple rescue mission to find our lost comrade has become something much more.
We won’t be safe until Oblisii is dead, and dragons are once more protected in the land of Utrea. To make that happen, we’ll have to risk everything in a desperate gamble to control the throne.
In the end, I just want my family back. I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.
* * *
The Dragon Mistress: Book 4 by USA Today bestseller R. A. Steffan is the last installment in a medium-burn fantasy romance series, where the heroine doesn’t have to pick one person at the end. It is part of the Eburosi Chronicles, along with The Horse Mistress and The Lion Mistress. It’s not necessary to have read any of the other books in the series before starting The Dragon Mistress arc.
A special note for Fantasy readers: herein, you will find explicit sex scenes, not all of which are heterosexual. If your gut reaction to that is “Eww” or even “Meh,” you probably won't enjoy this series.
USA Today bestselling author R. A. Steffan lives in New Mexico, where the sunsets paint the mountains purple, and roadrunners roam the desert endlessly in search of their coyote victims. When she’s not busy writing stories about people loving each other in all sorts of different and interesting ways, she can be found taking care of her small menagerie of critters.
A rebel to the core, she is currently sticking it to the man by illegally harvesting graywater from the kitchen and bathroom sinks to water trees outside. This fearless disregard for societal norms extends to her writing, as well. There, you will find polyamory along with straight, gay, bisexual, and non-gender conforming love of all flavors. You will also find families of choice, profound friendships, adventure, danger, and good triumphing over evil.
That, and sex. Lots of sex. Most of which is not the vanilla variety.
This has been a really enjoyable series. I'm fact, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a RH series as much.
I think this has not I ly the perfect balance I'd plot and romance, but it dealt with the multiple relationships side of it really well. It was realistic, but also not in a dull sort of way. It just all felt very organic.
Each character was well-drawn and the plot was engaging and well-paced.
If you like RH fantasy then this is a great example!
After I finished book 3 in this series I jumped right into book 4 as I had to know how this series ended. At the end of book 3 the characters decided to go back to Utrea. They go and find their missing friend as well as try to replace the current king on the throne. So this book has a bit of danger, adventure and a rebellion brewing as well as the romance that also progresses.
I thought this was a great ending to the series. I liked seeing the characters fight for the future of Utrea and the dragons. There was plenty of dragons in this book as well as some battles and struggles. I wouldn't have minded to see a bit more of what happens at the end of the story, but it ends in a good place with enough hints of what their future will like. I am happy that there will be more stories in this universe as there are still questions to be answered like what the Alyrion empire will do now.
The author did a great job of mixing the romance and characters focused parts between the action in this book. I especially liked seeing Nyx grow more confident and also how he and Rayth got along better, it's such a big difference compared to the start. Although I did feel like Rayth didn't fit as well into the overall reverse harem/ polyamory relationship, but on the other hand it was nice to see how all the guys have a different role and also differ in how they interact with the rest inside and outside the bedroom. I liked seeing how they slowly found a way to make things work and how the romances developed further in this book.
I also liked reading a bit more about the dragon bonds in this book now that all the characters are bonded and there is a nice development when it comes to dragons as well. This book has some difficult struggles for the characters, but also plenty of hope and a happy ending. The whole battle toward the end did seem to go a bit quick, but at the same time I thought that fit and I liked how it didn't have as much build-up as in the Horse Mistress series, but still felt believable. It's nice how all three of the series set in this world are different and how previous main characters still make an appearance at times in future books.
To summarize: All in all this was a great ending to the series. It had plenty of action and danger, but there was also hope and love and romance. I liked seeing the characters develop a bit more as they fight this battle. The romance and relationships between the characters also develop a bit more and I liked seeing how they make this polyamorous relationship work. I liked how this book wrapped up the series while still leaving some questions open for the next series. I really like this world and can't wait to see what's next. I definitely would recommend this series!
ok so this story was very different from what i expected and i abselutly loved it. i didnt think id like the h story as much as i did as ifound her to be naive and hot tempered to a degree that sometimes realy anoyed me but as always r.a proved me compleatly wrong. there is nothing about this story that i can complain about at all i loved the world building the action the love the sex and i realy enjoyed the peek at old friends from the other books. i realy cant wait for the next books though ill likely wait till i can grab the next boxset before continuing as i hate being left in suspence. anyways grab the books and enjoy
Finial book in the series, and it's perfect closure with a HEA! Don't get me wrong, there is death, darkness, action, and sadness. But there is also a feeling of completeness and open future for our MCs.
The characters and world are well developed from start to finish. There is just extra development along the way, as they grow and accept who they are and who they are becoming.
The dragons, although not in their POV cause that would be too much, are funny with their added opinions and voice in the MCs musings.
The spicy smutty moments are oh so good! Love the way this author describes these moments 😍
Ok so I didn’t mind, but this one should come with a trigger warning for cheating. There’s some ff action outside of the harem and even though the guys are ok with it, some may still consider It as cheating
Well-written. Want to keep listening to great Narrator--Gwendolyn Druyor. I listened to R.A. Steffan's Book 1 in this series some time ago and have not listened to bks 2 or 3. Bk 4 is easy to follow with the review of action referenced within the narrative, usually from a character POV, that included all info needed to follow the present action. Relationships have progressed in the interim as was expected. In Book 4 I especially liked the Druyor’s creation of voices for each character. Especially where all characters were in a scene together and Druyor effortlessly switched, seamlessly between character voices. I admit I couldn’t identify who each character was, but dialog tags made it clear. One character had a Cajun-New Orleans accent, another a French-type accent, which from this Reviewer/Narrator’s perspective was the perfect way to create these characters from different areas of this fantasy world. Some at times speak a foreign language (translated within the context of the story for the English ear). Nix’s voice was lighter—more boy-like, waif-like, indicating he was younger than the lower registered, older voices. I was struck by the narrator’s adeptness at creating these character voices. Storyline was interesting, kept my attention. I liked the bonding concept between the dragon and human bond-mate and how they sensed the emotions and thoughts of their bond-mates. I’ve not listened to a lot of fantasy books. I chose this book because I’m editing the text of a fantasy book for an author. I wanted to see how Steffan--a well-known and well-respected author--dealt with some of the elements my author is dealing with in his writing. I was searching for how the Steffan presents POV characters and how that plays out in the action scenes. Again Steffan carefully kept within the POV character's perspective. Frella shares that POV perspective with the four male characters. In book 4 these men have become a part of Frella’s life, switching from one character to another’s POV in subsequent chapters--and identified by the title--the narrative continues from that person's perspective—and in their voices (kudos, again, to Gwendolyn Druyor). This clearly presented the limited knowledge of each POV character. Nix has developed, though still tentative in his position among the other men. He proves himself within this book and through redemption, experience, and greater knowledge plays a much more significant role within the group. Good story, well-written, kept my attention, kept me wanting to know what’s next and whether they will succeed. (Perhaps, too predictable.) I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and freely offer this review.
The conclusion to The Dragon Mistress saga has a lot of story built into it. It is in turns action-filled, heart-wrenching, and something that makes you want to shout. Steffan has upped her game in terms of writing action and battle sequences since the end of the Horse Mistress.
There are wonderful character arcs, including a nice sapphic side step for Frella and an acquaintance. I was most impressed with the growth of Nyx and Rayth. By the end, Nyx is stronger, and Rayth respects him more.
Frella finally bonds with her dragon, and the moment was so perfect that it seemed like author foresight and planning instead of happy writing accidents. During this bonding time, we also get to spent time in Eburos so the seeds of yet another generation is planted. It was done in a deft and interesting way.
The ending is very satisfying when it comes. The characters have grown. The bad guys have been defeated. A future, mostly made of happiness, is on the horizon for them.
As for the narration, Druyor is the Voice of Eburos (and any other Steffan work). She is consistently good, and there is little praise I could give here that I haven’t already done for other works. She’s fantastic. You’ll love listening to her.
This specific book is understandably not the best place to start. Begin with Dragon Mistress 1 for all of Frella’s story. You could go back to The Horse Mistress 1 and get the start of the full saga.
All of these books are wonderful in their own way. The common elements are a European fantasy with Horse and Lion Mistress set in a rough equivalent to pre-Roman England, and Dragon Mistress set on the continent. The world building Steffan does is strong enough that it can withstand 3 separate series set in the world she’s created. If you give it a try, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. All of these stories involve expressions of romantic love and sexuality that are beyond cishet. It is not subtle or hidden, so the responsible reader isn’t taken by surprise.
CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS I enjoyed the books overall, however some things were a little frustrating. Frella is constantly painting Rayth as an asshole and throwing herself between any interactions he has with any of the other men, yet she fails to recognise that he has gone through horrors as well. I didn't like her attitude towards him throughout all the books. Any times any of the characters spoke of their pasts, it was fairly skimmed over then they moved on to the next topic. From four books I did expect a little more character development which seemed to be lacking. I thought that the fact that the bonds between the characters and dragons allowed them to feel certain emotions was well done and I enjoyed the way the lust came through the bond. I also found myself cringing at the sexual scene between Frella and Beshaam, the fact that Frella offered to be with another person (regardless of whether they were man or woman) without a second thought to the rest of her harem, then proceeded to tell Nyx to get out, it wasn't about him and he's being a pig was pretty disgusting, I found I couldn't even enjoy the scene unfolding after that because I was annoyed at Frella. The blooming relationship between Eldris and Ari was nice to read, and I especially liked the scene where Nyx withheld Ari from orgasm - am I allowed to write this in a review? - however I wish it was from Nyxs point of view and not Frellas, because that scene gets taken over with how tired she is. The books are well written and have plenty of action in them, they just aren't my cup of tea, but I still enjoyed them for the most part.
Minha avaliação é sobre a série como um todo. Li os 4 livros em uma semana e me surpreendi positivamente. Nunca tinha lido nada da autora e descobri essa série por acaso, nunca tinha ouvido falar. Mas que surpresa boa! Livros curtos, sem enrolação, nada complicados, com personagens super bem construídos e maravilhosos! Claro que se você quer um livro de fantasia super elaborado, esse não é pra você. Mas se você quer se divertir com uma fantasia com dragões, parceria, romance, personagens carismáticos, tenho certeza que você vai gostar!
O ponto alto desses livros realmente são os personagens e as relações entre eles. Cada um deles tem uma personalidade específica e fiquei feliz de ver que, mesmo eles amadurecendo com os livros, eles não perdem as características individuais de cada um. Nyx amorzinho da vida ❤️ queria muito ver mais do desenvolvimento dele com o Aristede e Rayth. Mas gostei muito de como a série acabou e da cena final.
Chorei muito no 3° livro, como eu não fazia há muito tempo com nenhum outro. Eu senti na pele o sofrimento dos personagens, a autora soube fazer isso muito bem! Apesar de eu não ter gostado muito de como uma certa coisa aconteceu, no final tudo se resolveu.
Enfim, vale a pena ler! Gostei muito da experiência e queria mais livros desses personagens.
As is typical for me with the books in this series, I devoured this installment in a single evening.
This story does an excellent job of tying up multiple story lines and plot points, beyond the obvious of the overall “get Rayth’s throne back from his evil brother.” Frella finally bonds with her dragon and realizes that her life’s underlying fear of always being left behind is never going to be a problem again. In addition, Nyx show tremendous character development and growth over the course of this final story, which I was very pleased by.
Steffan wrote themself into a bit of a corner for the grand finale of this saga, unfortunately, when they split Rayth and Frella up for the final battle. Both them had epic roles to play (and I especially adored how Nyx and Rayth had to depend on each other), but it left Frella out of the ultimate concluding action of what was HER series.
I hope we get to check in on this band of heroes with Steffan’s next adventure. Each of their series set in this world gets better and better, and I foresee myself returning to these books in the future for the lovely mix of adventure and sexiness that I’ve come to expect from this fantastic author.
(This review is for the entirety of the Dragon Mistress series, as they are now all available)
I have enjoyed all of the Eburosi Chronicles, but The Dragon Mistress is my favorite arc.
We've met Frella in the previous stories, seen her grow up. In The Dragon Mistress she shows that she has become the sassy adult she showed promise of in her youth. She is off on her own adventure, and, much like her sibling and her guardians, that adventure leads her to several lovers and discovering they all have something supernatural in common. The lovers have to overcome their personal issues to be with Frella, and each other (yes, that's a hint, there's M/M).
As usual R.A. Steffan interweaves this story with a lot of detail that makes for rich world building. I do suggest reading The Horse Mistress and the Lion Mistress first, as those stories will help you understand the world around this story.
I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title.
To keep those that you love, you have to look ahead, for today they may be safe and secure, but the future may see your enemies take action, and more than just your immediate family may be at risk.
Yes, this is the problem facing our former Prince. Knowing what his family had already done, it's not hard to see what a man thirsty for power may do.
Plus, there was another problem that needed to be solved. So this episode see the return to the mainland, with a couple of objectives to achieve.
This series was def not nearly as good as the first two. I found the changing first person POV just distracting. I found myself wondering what language Frella was supposed to be telling the story in, and trying to discern differences in different characters’ voices. As well, the emotion just wasn’t conveyed as thoroughly. The connections between some of the main characters just wasn’t very emotional and seemed to come out nowhere. At one point Frella has sex with a character outside the main group, and it just seemed unnecessary.
I will probably read the next one bc I do like the world a lot, and I did really like Nyx and Eldris… but I hope the author stops writing in first person POV.
Such masterful worldbuilding and storytelling! I look forward to what will come next in this world. Fairly certain I'd read anything in this setting but really hope Darra is getting a series. I still can't decide who I love most out of Carivel, Kathrael, and Frella. They're all wonderfully different, strong in their own ways and beautifully written. The ending of Frella's series did not disappoint.
Only R. A. Steffan delivers such wonderful worlds and characters. It was definitely worth the wait. I am almost sad to be finished but know more will be delivered in future books from this author who somehow peeks into my mind to provide exactly what I need/want.
And the final book in Frella's story is finished. I'm so disappointed. No more dragon riders. The story woven by R. A. Steffan is just amazing. This series was my favourite out of the Eburosi Chronicles. Can't wait to read more by this author and hopefully Frella will pop up somewhere else soon. Fingers crossed.
I was bored by the middle of this book. Did the Dragon Mistress had to be 4 books? Absolutely not. While coherent and fluent, there were certain parts in the last 2 books especially that are boring and repetitive, and I didn't care about.
I enjoyed very much the audiobook narration - the characterisation was excellent.
I have waited for this book since I finished book 3. I am glad I had to wait, for the book. It was so worth reading. Thank you for your hard work on this book and series. Can't wait for your next series.
I loved this series, sad that I don't see many people talk about it. I loved all of the characters and their developments. I didn't love Frella right away, but she grew on me rather quickly. So glad I happened to stumble upon this series!