Arbitrate or Die

The Exceptional S. Beaufont #2

by Sarah Noffke, Michael Anderle, Dara Rosenberg (Reader)

Dragons are almost extinct.

Eggs are rare. The dragons alive are in danger.

All because of one man.

Thad Reinhart doesn’t just want dragonriders gone because their role as adjudicators threatens his businesses. His grudge is personal. But there’s one thing he didn’t anticipate.

S. Beaufont isn’t like any dragonrider before.  

She is modern. She thinks differently.  And she definitely doesn’t look like a dragonrider. And when it comes to tackling challenges, Sophia uses new world thinking for old world problems.

Will it be enough to beat an evil bent on destroying the planet?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Fae

Audio CD

First published December 18, 2019

About the author

Sarah Noffke is a prolific USA Today Best-Selling Author, who writes YA and NA science fiction, fantasy, paranormal and urban fantasy. Most of her stories draw on her experiences living on the West Coast, growing up in Texas or traveling the world.

Her passion for art, culture and literature drives her to create stories that are full of whimsey, humor and philosophy. Her books appeal to readers who enjoy an escape, a bit of magic mixed with science and the unexpected--like a dragon who tells bad jokes and has a video game addiction, but fights for justice.

Noffke's books are top rated and best-sellers on Amazon. Her books are available in paperback, audio and in Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch and Italian.

To stay up to date with Sarah, please visit her website and subscribe to her newsletter: www.sarahnoffke.com

For a complete list of books by Sarah and a suggested reading order, please see: www.sarahnoffke.com/reading-guide/

Reviews

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well the story is coming together. We met Sophia's fairy godmother who i imagine will bring a lot to the story. Mama Jumba is funny and witty. Hiker needs to change and fast. His annoying me now. I like how all the other riders are changing and trying to fit in. It's a shame that the dragon may not make it. then there is Thad what does he truly want and will they be able to defeat him? I love this world and I'm so glad that I have plenty of books to sink into before I have to say good bye to it.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. buddy read

This book was a LOT better than the first one. There was genuine hardship, secondary characters were in the spotlight, and the lack of fillers was great. There was always something happening, if not several things at the same time. I really enjoy Sophia and Lunis' relationship, and can't wait to adventure on to the third book.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong women and cheeky dragons

Sophia and Lunis continue to grow, emotionally as well as physically. It’s beautiful seeing their partnership deepen and mature. Sophia is a joy, and seeing how she affects those around her is a revelation.

Those who have read other books by Sarah will find some Easter eggs hiding in here, too! And, no, I can’t tell!!!

PS: The sarcasm and snarky humour are on point!

[Alexandra Dresel · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are the BEST!

So many twists and turns throughout the story keeping you in the edge, what an adventure! I sincerely love the new characters blending seamlessly with the old ones, Plato is a my favorite! A talking cat rock!

[Rita Whinfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving the World

Sophia is saving the World, one assignment after another. She has the most fantastic 'help' throughout, but it's her willingness to think outside the box, that is her greatest asset. Can't wait for the next one.

[allen collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a secret crush on Sarah, Lib and Sophie... Not secret anymore, darn!

I have been reading Sarah's books from Sarah, Luv and Sophie. I love these books. They are a lot to read. Magic Mike put together a mind blowing team. Not a dog in the bunch. I served in the State Dept. For a long time until I took one bomb to many. You guys keep me going. I start back cancer treatment in Jan 2020. Please pray for me. Bless you Mike, Martha and Sarah and all of the other writers. Have a successful and prosperous 2020. Peace, Allen I think an active brain is a happy one! Great job!

[Leslie Baptiste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book in this new upcoming series.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. I’ve enjoyed all the characters in the S Beaufont series. It is a great continuation from the former live Beaufont series I love all the action, Snark, and crossovers from the former series. And how could you go wrong with the inclusion of dragons. I still have one main pet peeve, when the magicians in the former series and the dragon riders in the series cast three or four spells the magic is depleted, doesn’t seem to make them very strong in my opinion. Resized that issue that I have the series is fun enjoyable and fast-paced waiting eagerly for the next book. I read a lot of books at least 200 a year I urge those were looking for something to read please read the series and go back and read the former series as well you will not be disappointed because I was not and I am still reading.

[Janyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love any of the books about the Beaufont family! Sophia is starting to grow on me. After all, she's not her sister Liv. But she's a wonderful character! I love all the pop culture references and how she's teaching all those at the Castle about modern things like Uber Eats. I was also so glad to hear that there will be quite a few more books about Sophia. Will we hear more about Oscar Beaufont? Good job!! I love all of your books and anxiously await each new one?

[Lois Alston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly Outstanding story

Exciting, funny, lots of adventure and discovery. Sophie and Hiker are hilarious together. Things work out as they should with Sophie and she learns about more about her connection with Lunis. Outstanding writing.

[Sherry Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

Sarah has done it again! I should have been working. I was working. But then I saw the book was out and I had to have it. It was my reward for working and I was not disappointed. Love this series and can't wait for book 3.

[Philip]

Crossover galore inside

To follow a lot of references in this book, you'll need to be a geek that understand all pop culture references, and grow up in the 80s, and also read all previous Noffke's book. And somehow, I fit into all those categories. I put on my ultra geek proudly!

[joseph w clouser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

This series has been great so far. I'm happy to hear that it's going to expand to 12 books.
Thanks for an amazing read and for continuing to share your stories with us. Please , don't stop.
Keep writing. Your books are well worth reading.
Thank you !

[DollyRockerBooksNmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speaks for itself

I read the whole series but didn’t leave a review untill now because these books literally speak for themselves they dont need reviews to tell how good they are.
action packed from start to finish and each book was equally as amazing as the last loved the first series I laughed i cried i sat on the edge if my seat biting my nails you cant get much better than this loved every character they all fit there rolls perfectly would love to see this as a movie i got lost in these books completely and now i cant wait for the next one absolutely fantastic read highly recommend

[Steve Sargent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophia pulls through

Yes, the newest dragon rider is a girl. And it bothers the leader of the team of the Dragon Elite a lot. Sister of the warriors of the Council of Seven, now 14 she’s just beginning her training officially. She has already convinced Mother Nature to rejoin the world, and has discovered the name of the person determined to destroy all dragon riders and the rest of the world. A good read.

[George Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good installment

Sophia faces some very tough challenges in this one. She has to go after evil incarnate and defeat it just as her mother did. She also faces a rogue dragonrider. Lots of action. Fun story.

[Alanna Skene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I absolutely love this book and this series. The characters are amazing and the story captures all pf your attention. I can't wait to read more in the future.

[ashbagash28 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t get enough

I just love how relatable all the characters are. They’re also believable. Not too good at everything they do. It’s the right amount.
I enjoy that there’s no major cliffhangers. Yes the major parts will be answered in a later book but everyone finds a resting place so to speak.
I also really love the pop culture references from everywhere.

[Kimberly Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I in love with is series

Am I in love with this series and it's cast if characters? Yes indeed!! Brilliantly told and I am always left wanting more!!! Thank you Sarah and Michael!

[andy roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great author

Great reading an great storyline! Once start can't stop reading! The Liv books are also great. Can't wait for next one out. Enjoy book! 😁

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series! It’s well written with an adventurous storyline, it’s exciting and the best bit is it has dragons!! Action packed we meet new characters as well as old and a few from the other series and i absolutely love Sophie. Humourous, snarky, fun, mysterious, fast paced, I am so ready for the next book!

[Mark Zinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent second installment. I'm diving into the third right now!

[Patricia Finnegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truths are sometimes hidden.

Sophie is trying to find with her mother's sword but nothing seems to work. She also must retrieve the stolen Dragon eggs. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why is Viking so against technology. This book is full of action and adventure. Magic abounds. Truly a five star read and a trip down memory lane if you have read the author's other works.

[Rabid Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARBITRATE OR DIE (The Exceptional S. Beaufont, book 2) by Sarah Noffke and Michael Anderle  5* This is a thrilling, captivating story in which Sophia continues to be a catalyst for change for the Dragon Riders Elite, while at the same time trying to find a way to defeat Thad Reinhart and save both the earth and the remaining dragon eggs. I love the eclectic characters in this story; from a bouffant mother nature, to a grumpy Viking, a secretive gnome and a fairy godmother manicurist, they are all entertaining and have distinct personalities that add depth and colour to the story. Sophia and Lunis are a brilliant pair, I love their sarcastic banter, and the closeness and continued development of their relationship. The cross links to Sarah’s Dream Traveller series are totally intriguing and leave you dying to know what happened. This story keeps you pinned to the pages with snarky humour, adventure, challenges, intrigue, battles and thrills. I can not wait for the next book in the series to come out.

[Holly Lenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie, the Dragonrider, is back in another fun book in the series with its interesting characters, quirky humor, and entertaining plot lines. This is a great choice for YA and adult readers who like contemporary fantasy stories that are a bit unusual. It is a series though, so start with book one and plan on keeping reading after you finish this book.

[Ann Zdunczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

Sophia and Lunis are at it again. The go on a few missions and train. Read to see what they get into this time.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophia has settled into her role as a Dragon Elite, and Rider, although she knows there is still a lot of training to be done, before she can truly claim that title for herself.

But her first challenge, is to rescue the last five remaining eggs from the ex-dragon rider, Thad Reinhardt, eggs that he had stolen, to prevent any more dragon-rider pairings.

In order to do this, though, Sophia has to bond with the sword that had belonged to her mother, named Inexorabilis, so that she, too, could become the best she could be.

But the only way to do so, according to Mama Jamba, or Mother Earth, is to bring back the evil Unicorn, Phantom, who was her mother's first kill, and the means to bond her with her sword.

For Sophia to do that, she needs a spell from Father Time, or Papa Creola, as he's known to her family, to resurrect Phantom, to be killed again.

Unfortunately, Papa Creola was out when Sophia went to call on him, but his right hand elf, Subner, tells Sophia that, if he gets the spell for her, he would like her to do him a favour in return.....

Throughout this great story, Sophia spends most of her time, when not getting pedicures from her Fairy Godmother, Mai Ling, doing one favour after another, in order to make the steps necessary to bond with her sword.

With each step, her journey teaches her things that make her a better Dragon partner, and helps her to get ready to be something new to the Dragon Elite: someone not mired down with history and tradition, so someone able to see results never thought of by her fellow Riders.

So much happens in this book, that it's a real rollercoaster of a ride, with Sophia and Lunis going through things no other partnering had done before and, despite her youth, Sophia is determined to do everything possible, to become the best Dragon Elite that there has ever been.

What she goes through, and how she and Lunis deal with loss and pain, made this an amazing book to read, and I'm very anxious to go on to read book three of this series: Magitech Rises!

So, without ago, I'm off to start reading, and I'll catch you on the flip side, once I'm finished!

[Alexander Fischer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, if you think it couldnt come worse, someone gets it done to prove it to you that there is always a lower ledge to jupm on

Anyways!
We have our usual stuff.
For example, a cave, somewhere on the land that seemed to be just a big spike thats looking out of the ground
Then we have just some weird electrics going on that shock you for minutes on end through the water (absolutely no realism)
We have again Jokes and sarcasm even in really dangerous situations and such, wich are still completly unfitting to be placed there and take away absolutely all of the suspense.
And when we have a situation thats worthy to be explored and such we just get a "oh its so bad, oh i might die, oh i will kill myself because its not worth living like that" and after 3 pages of that all is good again.

No, sorry, but thats not how to create a nice to read world and story and i wont read further.

[Aec · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far this is a strong series. I've readjusted my ratings for the first 2 books and I'm keeping it at 3 stars so far. I like the story, it seems a little long in some parts and doesn't feel like much progression has been made for how long the books are. I think at this point its just about enjoying the ride. I like that there was definitely much more growth for Sophia in this book and shes beginning to mature and realize she still has a long way to go before she'll be who she was meant to be. Everything is about learning and growing. Also I think I'm so used to there being a love interest, I keep looking for him to show up lol. I don't think there will be and so I think I need to readjust my own way of thinking, in regards to this series. I've enjoyed the story so far, I like that the friendships are all developing more and more. I will keep reading this series, so on to the next!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A presumed dead adversary, Thad Reinhart has reappeared and wants revenge on Hiker and the other Elites. In order to be able to defeat him the Elites have to increase their numbers which means finding more dragon eggs and bring home the rogue Dragon Riders. And Sophia needs to find a way to get her mother’s sword to bond with her.

Mamba Jamba is very cool. Great addition to the household. And I love the house. Poor Hiker.

Footnote: 1) The problem between Reerca and Thleath is very similar to today’s border problem between Mexico and U.S. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Dragon Elite to help us solve it.

Fave scenes: Sophia’s pedicure, Mama Jamba’s creation experiments, Wilder’s conversation with King Rudolph and the final scene.

[Scott Sammons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but not for me.

I've read the first two of this series, and this is the end for me. The combination of mixed early reader and young adult styling, added to an overabundance of current pop culture just doesn't work for me. What the reader can expect is a fairly good story, well presented in light fantasy format. Don't expect classic fantasy with a long shelf-life. These tales have a best by date cooked into the mix.