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The Dragon Sovereign #1

The Dragon Sovereign

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The Dragon Sovereign - my father - has ruled our land with integrity and wisdom for almost a hundred years. And now, as his time on the throne nears its end, mine is about to begin.

But claiming my rightful destiny won’t be easy. The Great Houses plot my family's downfall, and they will oppose me at every turn.

Yet the throne stands ready for a new dragon to claim it, and as the last scion of our honored house, I will not allow anyone to stand in my way. I will prove myself worthy of ascension by forging new alliances, mastering my growing powers, and most importantly of all, assembling a harem of beautiful, powerful women to breed the next generation of dragons.

The Dragon Sovereign is an action-packed male power fantasy saga set in a dark, dangerous world inspired by famous epics like Dune , House of the Dragon , and The Witcher and Dragon Age video games! (Except in my version, party members don’t complain if you romance all of them at the same time!)

424 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2023

299 people are currently reading
129 people want to read

About the author

Sarah Hawke

79 books243 followers
Sarah Hawke is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy in multiple genres, including erotica, harem, and bondage. Her books are known for their intricate world-building, twisting plots, and fleshed-out characters—and of course their many intense, steamy sex scenes.

If you are interested in "pure" traditional harem stories, The Lost Fleet is the perfect place to start! Wings of the Seraph is a shorter, older series but also hits most of the traditional harem notes. Shadow of the Seraph features a rotating male and female pov with some F-F scenes involving temporary futanari, so avoid that unless it is your jam!

Her fantasy universe features many types of erotica stories involving bondage (Elf Slave, all the Spider Queen books) and non-traditional harems (The Amazon's Pledge, The Amazon's Vengeance). She also has two ongoing fantasy erotica series with intense action and multiple points of view, War of the White Throne and The Blade of Highwind.

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5 stars
170 (58%)
4 stars
75 (25%)
3 stars
32 (11%)
2 stars
7 (2%)
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6 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
415 reviews8 followers
March 10, 2025
I have read and quite liked other series by this author, and I've heard good things about this series, so I had fairly high expectations. ...they were not met.

I love deep worldbuilding, and to do it right you need to drop the reader into it, without some long, dry exposition. There's a classic meme about books that do this: "As you know, your father, the king..."

This book fails in the other direction: Nothing is explained, everything gets tossed at the reader with odd universe-specific names, and there's a firehose of proper nouns just to keep you confused. Who are these people? Places? Titles? How does the political system work? Religion? Magic?

I spent the first third of the book thinking I understood what a Dragon Sovereign actually was, then realised I was wrong, which changed how I needed to interpret a ton of events that had already occurred. In a mystery novel, that might work, but this is an escapist fantasy novel, and it's just frustrating.

For the benefit of future readers: A dragon sovereign is a provincial governor (aka duke, viceroy, etc.). Leading a province is hereditary within a family or House, but the family in charge of a province can change due to political turmoil or due to the lack of suitable candidates within the current governing family. Governors have a term of 100 years before they must give up power to an heir. These provinces are part of a larger empire, but we learn almost nothing about the empire by the point I gave up on the book, although it's implied that it's ruled by a senate of past governors. The empire appears to be a magocracy (ie, rule by magic users), with essentially absolute power vested in a tiny subset of mages capable of transforming into dragons, who in turn are overwhelmingly members of a larger high elven aristocracy. Since only mages can be governors, and mages are always rare (and for unexplained plot reasons, currently *extremely* rare) this is causing political instability. (The empire believes that magical ability is hereditary but highly recessive - so while only high elves can be mages, and the children of families with many mages are more likely to be mages, the overwhelming majority of the children of mages lack magical ability. This leads to male mages having many partners to maximise their chances of birthing a magic using heir, and female mages apparently being kept pregnant constantly for the same reason. Another book could have made it charming; this one makes it creepy.)

The protagonist is the heir to the governorship of a distant, somewhat recently conquered province which is important due to the presence of mines that yield a resource needed for magical machinery (so, think "magic oil", or if you want a more Roman-era example, "magic tin from magic Britain"). The province is in turmoil due to a large restive native population who are heavily discriminated against by the ruling high elves. Some years prior they killed a mage (and the protagonist's father's best friend), and several thousand natives were killed in reprisal.

There, now you know more about the world than you'd gain from the first 100 pages of the book, despite it being mostly devoted to trying to explain the world to you. And once you strip off the weird terms, it's a pretty ugly setup; more Dune than D&D.

Oh, and one more thing: the magocracy is reinforced by what appears to be a fanatical state-backed religion devoted to the idea that mages are semi-divine. Early in the book the protagonist marries an unusually fanatical priestess of this cult, who is exactly as likeable as that description implies.

Which brings me to another complaint: For a book that seems like it's planning on focusing on romantic relationships, it has the coldest, most transactional relationships imaginable, and the most unlikable love interests.

The series has good reviews, and I know the author is capable of writing very enjoyable works. I have to assume the book improves later, but I can't muster the energy to find out.
43 reviews
May 1, 2023
Too clever by half

This book is well-written and a fun read, until you jarringly realize half of it has been a misdirect.

Spoilers

The time skips should have been indicated more clearly. Author kind of wanted us to not notice them.

The identity of Rasmus would still have been a mystery without making us realize in the climax that we'd had absolutely no idea what was going on for most of the book.

The idea that Tyris wanted to kill the prince (although it was a clue that she called him the sovereign) was really upsetting at the time. Add on to that that she was romantically involving herself with Rasmus, when she was supposed to be destined for the prince, really broke any chance of this being a satisfying wish-fulfilment harem fantasy. The ending twist didn't change that.

I had hoped Hawke's past works that involved more promiscuity in the female characters wouldn't be reflected here, but it definitely felt like that was the case - that she was setting up a love triangle - twist aside.

So, solid work of sexy fantasy, marred by the jarring twist that we didn't even know there was a time skip. Maybe we could've worked it out by studying the first couple chapters in detail, but readers shouldn't have to work that hard, and it feels like we were supposed to be confused and question what we thought we understood, in the reveal.

The switches between 1st and 3rd person were also clever. Again, too clever by half.

P.S. also in the vein of a more generic erotic fantasy writer delving into harem fantasies: do we really need to hear, repeatedly, about another character's huge c*ck?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Haremsfan.
74 reviews7 followers
May 30, 2023
As required by U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations and Audible requirements, I am disclosing that I was given a free review copy of this audiobook at my request. I have listened to the audiobook, and I have voluntarily left an honest review. Receiving a review copy did not influence my rating nor my review.

“The Dragon Sovereign” is the second book I’ve listened to written by Sarah Hawke. The first one was a Star Trek type sci-fi; this one is pure fantasy (I don’t recall any dragons in any of the ST: TOS episodes!). The story was fantastic, and the new narrator team was terrific.

I’ve waited a day after finishing the audiobook to write my review. Yes, I know that’s probably disappointing to the author and narrators, who are likely anxious to get any reviews published ASAP, but….how to review the most intriguing part of the story without spoilers?

What I CAN/WILL say is that the story is exceptionally well-written, has terrific characters (both main and side), and has a plot twist I definitely did not see coming but shifts the book from 5* to 6*!

Heir to the dragon throne Alamir Soroka, the Black Prince, is determined to change the world once he attains the crown. Many other noble houses are equally determined to thwart him, especially if he won’t marry into their families. His politically astute mother and his friend and chief advisor Krynn are determined to help him make decisions that will benefit his family.

And then….a wrinkle to the plans of the dragons. A human chieftain is claiming that the humans now have a dragon of their own! Plans unfold to capture her, or to kill her, or….to marry her. And perhaps she and the humans have plans of their own!

Sarah Hawke has an extensive library of erotica books, and and only recently expanded into fantasy and haremlit. Yes, there are some terrific erotic scenes in Dragon Sovereign, but there is far more plot than….errr, playtimes.

I highly recommend this audiobook for anyone interested in fantasy haremlit, and I look forward to book 2 being available as an audiobook!
Profile Image for David .
97 reviews8 followers
May 27, 2023
At my request I received a copy of this audiobook in order to give a fair and unbiased review.

Genre: Fantasy character driven harem with a shapeshifting dragon MC
Power dynamics in harem: Girls are driven by their own wants and ambitions but are absolutely devoted to MC
Explicit/adult material: Explicit and very well done.

Summary:
As one of the few dragons of the world and heir to the throne of this part of the empire there are many responsibilities, not least of which is choosing your harem and forging political connections.
But who wants a pretty, but untalented woman, when you can have confident and capable wifes, even if they aren't from politically advantagous families. Sure, the nobles might be unhappy, but how bad could it get?

Narration
Voice diversity: Really sollid, easy to follow and recognize characters by voice.
Pacing and intonation: The story is expertly told.
Sex scenes: Well done.
Overall Narration: 4.5/5 stars.

The book’s strengths.
- The powerfantasy of being a dragon, more powerful than almost anyone in the world is strong and well portraied
- The story is well written, I cared about the characters and them getting what they wanted.
- I love that the girls have their own wants and ambitions that they pursue with conviction
- The narration

The book’s weaknesses.
- I can't think of anything I would like different.

Overall: 5/5 stars
139 reviews5 followers
March 10, 2023
This book really disappointed me. I actually quite enjoyed most of it - I wasn't a huge fan of the MC but he was decent enough, and most of the other characters were interesting, as was the world. It was shaping up to be a solid 4 stars at least. Unlike a lot of books in this genre the ending it was building up to wasn't predictable. I was really enjoying trying to figure out what was going to happen, trying to interpret the hints. Then it got to the end and it was something no one could have predicted. It was as if the author got all the way to the end and decided they didn't like how they were going to end it, so decided to do something completely different. That isn't actually the case - in hindsight there is one hint I missed, so it was planned. Nevertheless, it didn't feel like it. A good twist ending is something that you don't see coming but in hindsight makes sense - you can see and interpret the hints. There were very few hints here, so it came completely out of left field, and not in a good way. Admittedly the set up for the next book wasn't all that appealing, and this will certainly make it more interesting, but it does so by shitting all over what this book spent so long setting up. As much as the next book may prove to be interesting, the ending has put me off reading it completely.
Profile Image for Steven Sheeley.
135 reviews3 followers
November 28, 2025
I've read hundreds of Fantasy Harem books, and I've immensely enjoyed the ones with Dragons that I've recently found. That being said, Sarak Hawke's books have been especially delightful, and this one! Ohh! It was marvellous! The cover art is delicious, I mean absolutely delicious. Look, when I saw that delectable Elf on the cover, I said "Darling, I got to tell you something, and I don't say this to everybody, You look marvellous, absolutely marvellous."
Then I started to read the book. I was hooked. Well written, incredible narrative, incredible characters, believable sex scenes, instead of your typical haremlit grab and grope. And the interludes, jumping from the Dragons and the elves to the humans, made for a fascinating read, giving both sides of the story.

Loved it, would read again.
137 reviews
March 15, 2023
thrilling as surprising

I was definitely not expecting that. After the major twist I had to go back and realize that things were written very smartly to avoid giving any major hints away at all. This was a very enjoyable read and I am seriously excited for the next. My only concern is that the scar will be one of those annoying tropes that is nothing but a constant nuisance to a character that holds them back. Those kinds of details can easily sour a book from a 5 to 3-4 stars alone. But otherwise this was expertly written and definitely one of the better in the genre
1,497 reviews16 followers
March 9, 2023
An interesting beginning!!!

As I have always found a well written fantasy adventure!!! I did have a little difficulty in the first third of the story with how the story shifted along the different storylines but it eventually another out!!! I can't wait for the second book in this new series!!!
24 reviews
March 12, 2023
Fantastic

As usual with Sarah Hawke, there is an adult harem theme and blends seamlessly with the plot. I would recommend reading some of the other Highwind Universe books first as there as some aspects of magic and lore that might confuse some but it can still be read as a stand alone.

The ending was amazing. I'm dying for the next book.
Profile Image for Dp2k.
273 reviews3 followers
March 14, 2023
I've never read this author so I was very surprised by the quality. The characters are done well, the worldbuilding was fairly heavy (too heavy at times with too many odd words to remember), and the romance was great. Even the sex scenes, which I usually skip, but these were also great. My only gripe would be the cliffhanger of an ending and the next book isn't out for a couple more months.
Profile Image for Dan.
254 reviews
March 14, 2023
Great Start to another Harem Adventure by Sarah Hawke

This book follows along the life of then Black Prince, a dragon that will soon take over his father’s kingdom. Here is court intrigue and many interpersonal relationships. There is a large gotcha toward the end of the book really shakes things up. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
98 reviews
March 15, 2023
An awesome Read

Only recently started reading some of Sarah’s stuff, but I have got to say I’ve yet to be disappointed, highly recommend any of her books. I’m particularly impressed with the world building and characters, she manages a depth to them that is often missed by others in this genre.
Profile Image for Steve.
1,638 reviews62 followers
March 17, 2023
Wavered a bit on whether this was a 4 or a 5, but at the end there were no glaring issues, so I can't dock it a star.

It is really a 4.5 as it wasn't quite as compelling as some other books, but it did hold my attention, more so when, well, read it and see. I'll be interested to see where this goes, next installment due in May, apparently.
Profile Image for slugbiscuit.
495 reviews2 followers
October 3, 2023
Once I got over my initial disappointment at the author’s storytelling twist, I realized that I didn’t hate it. There are a lot of dragon harem series out there and this one leans more into the dragon aspect than most. Not sure if I’m down with the whole concept of “breaking in your wife” as 9 foot tall dragon knight the MC occasionally contemplates. I am curious to see what happens next though.
Profile Image for Joshua Kurtz.
447 reviews6 followers
March 12, 2023
Sarah Hawke has done it again. She is an outstanding storyteller. I won’t spoil anything,but if you like dragons,elves,orcs,and fae in your fantasy books,then I highly recommend this book. Be prepared as it’s spicy and violent. No fade to black here.
231 reviews2 followers
March 21, 2023
A great start

Wow, that was quite a ride, I really enjoyed discovering this new world ruled by fearsome dragons, it’s got interesting characters and the sexy bits were great, I’m impatiently waiting for the next chapter in this very promising new tale
Profile Image for Norm Baker.
3 reviews
March 22, 2023
Fantasic

Its rare an author can surprise me this much. Masterful how she took a scenario that was so seemingly obvious and made it completely surprising, all while playing with my emotions like a fiddle. Well done
Profile Image for tester.
424 reviews2 followers
October 15, 2024
Man the plot, so much plot lol. I wish a lot more in this genre try to constructive an actual narrative, instead of 'porn with plot'. This is the most plot I've seen recently in this genre. No need to get into spoilers, just read it.
240 reviews
April 26, 2025
A true adventure

The story, world, and lore felt like they had a depth to them that kept me wanting to know more. The characters and their magical abilities felt grounded in the world as well.
Profile Image for Thorsten.
331 reviews4 followers
July 23, 2025
Fun read. The plot twist at the end was great and completely unexpected, though well foreshadowed in hindsight. I generally appreciate this author's ability to focus on telling an entertaining story without being completely overshadowed by the harem elements.
1 review
April 23, 2023
Incredible Read

This is by far one of the best books I’ve read! Edge of the seat the whole way, and surprised me with the plot twist! 5 out of 5!!!
20 reviews
April 29, 2023
very entertaining

Sarah is one of my favorite authors for an escape from reality for a few hours. Most entertaining please don’t stop lol.
1 review
February 26, 2024
Nice flip

Traditionally don’t leave a opinion but definitely in my top five series due to an amazing flip at end of the book
8 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2025
Very good. The interludes threw me off a bit at the start but I am glad I stuck around till the end, because it was totally worth it. Looking forward to reading book 2.
24 reviews
July 25, 2025
Inspiring resd.

I loved the twist and turns throughout the book. Hawke work building is unique and yet familiar enough to be comfortable. I can't wait to read book 2.
Profile Image for Mammoth.
31 reviews
January 11, 2026
dragons and intrigue

Came for the dragon porn and stayed for the plot. Main character develops depth and personality as the story goes and now I gotta see what he does next.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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