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Dragon Mistress #2

The Dragon Mistress: Book 2

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The survival of the last living dragons rests with me and my misfit friends.
So… yeah. No pressure.


Mind you, this whole thing would be easier if two of our number weren’t hell-bent on killing each other. Rayth and Nyx have both been hiding secrets for a very long time, but now they face a choice. Let go of their ugly pasts, or watch the future burn to the ground.

We won’t be able to hide five hungry, growing dragons in the mountains forever. As soon as someone catches sight of them, every soldier in Utrea will be after us. And there’s no way we can fight for our dragons’ survival when we’re this busy fighting amongst ourselves.

I’ve always been the queen of questionable life choices, but falling for four proud, stubborn, damaged men at the same time is a new benchmark even for me. What we’re building with the dragons—and each other—could be amazing beyond belief. It could also end in tragedy beyond measure.

If I want it to be the former, it looks like I need to start banging some heads together.
Otherwise, our hopes and dreams could well go down in flames.


* * *

The Dragon Mistress by USA Today bestseller R. A. Steffan is a medium-burn fantasy romance series where the heroine doesn’t have to choose 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 love scenes in several interesting and unconventional permutations, including between men. If your gut reaction to that is “Eww” or even “Meh,” you probably won't enjoy this series.

Audible Audio

First published February 8, 2019

81 people are currently reading
85 people want to read

About the author

R.A. Steffan

85 books503 followers
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.

If any of that appeals, sign up at http://www.rasteffan.com/ to get a free starter library featuring the first books in several of her series. You can also follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RASteffanAut..., or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RA_Steffan.

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5 stars
145 (46%)
4 stars
105 (33%)
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49 (15%)
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12 (3%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Rhiannon Chillingworth.
839 reviews221 followers
February 2, 2022
Another enjoyable read. Frella is just so damned normal and sensible and rational. It's incredibly refreshing!
Profile Image for barbara s howard.
47 reviews
February 17, 2019
Didn’t care for the group sex/or male on male plus female
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lola.
2,003 reviews275 followers
February 8, 2020
After finishing book 1 I jumped right into book 2 to continue the series. The Dragon Mistress book 2 was a great sequel. It furthered the plot lines and we got to know more about the characters and the dragons, which was fun. I liked seeing the story progress and it was another enjoyable read.

There is however a lot of waiting in this book. waiting to see what happens, waiting to see if they get discover and waiting to see how some characters will behave. While I didn't mind the slower pace in terms of plot to further more of the relationships and show more about the characters, it also felt that the relationships didn't progress as much as I had hoped, at least at first. Most of both the plot and character progression is toward the end of the book. That made the end action packed and full of excitement, but the rest of the book felt less eventful in comparison. There are plenty of interesting scenes along the way and the author does a good job of speeding up the less eventful parts.

At the end of book 1 there is an interesting development regarding Nyx and I was curious to see how that would progress in this book. It sure was interesting how this changed things and the dynamic between the characters. In this book you see Nyx and Frella slowly getting closer and it becomes a bit more clear why Nyx is so broken. For most of the book the pace is a bit more leisurely and I liked the focus on the characters. It was great to see Frella and Eldris grow more comfortable with each other and open up a bit as well.

There are some secrets and stories of the past that come to light in this book and I liked how we got to know the men a bit better, but the two big reveals where one of the characters tel their story felt a bit forced and unnatural. I would've liked a bit more build-up or having the confession come from themselves instead of someone else telling them to get over it basically and tell the story. It just felt a bit off to me the way it happened. But I did like that some of these secrets now come to light. And it does explain a lot about the two men who reveal some of their past.

Frella is a great main character. I like how she knows what she wants and how she sometimes blurts things out. She has this joy for adventure and jumping right into things, but it becomes clear in this book that she also has been spared much of the cruelty that is out there and she has to face some hard things in this book. I also like how she clearly has how own troubles and fears and those come a bit more toward the surface in this book. I am looking forward to see how she will develop over the course of the series.

I didn't really care for the multiple point of views the author did with this book and would've rather stayed with only Frella's point of view. We know the most about Frella and I like seeing things unfold form her point of view. Most of the men their chapters didn't really add much and ruined some of the mystery to me. Their inner thoughts also felt off as they sort of skirt around the secret that Frella doesn't know, which wouldn't make sense for them to do in their own head. I wish it had stuck with just Frella as I didn't really care for havign the additional point of views, I can only hope book 3 goes back to only Frella.

While at first the dragon situation mostly stays the same, there are some big developments later in the book. I just wish we knew more of the dragons and dragons riders of the past and how the whole thing worked, but maybe we find out more in future books. There isn't as much furthering of the world building, except for some small tidbits.

To summarize: this was a solid sequel and I enjoyed seeing where the story went next. It's another enjoyable read and read through this one quite fast. There are some interesting changes and reveals and secrets that come to light. But I felt most of the big events where clustered toward the end, which made the rest of the book feels a bit slower and less eventful. The ending is packed full of action and developments and I am curious how that will shape the next book. I really like reading about Frella and seeing how she handles things. It also was interesting to see the relationships among the characters develop. Although I found some of the reveals and how they got there feel a bit off and sudden with lack of build-up and then just everything being revealed at once. I didn't really care for the additional point of views in this book, having the men point of views ruined some of the mystery and I didn't think their chapters added much. I would've preferred to only have Frella's point of view. There is a bit more we see of the dragons, which was interesting. All in all I liked how this series continues and am looking forward to book 3.
Profile Image for Julie Howard.
Author 2 books31 followers
May 28, 2019
This review is for the audio book.
I enjoyed this book. Especially the scenes with the dragons. I love the way they interact with the humans and each other. Reading or listening to this book almost makes it seem like they are real creatures. You also got a lot more background about why the four men are so damaged and the reason they like they are. Great soldiers (so lots of action) but broken, somehow making they seem more human. So this book contains action, mythical beasts and romance or sex scenes.
This is book two and you definitely need to have listened to the first book as it follows on from where it left off, with Frella and her four damaged companions trying to bond with the last five remaining dragons in the world. The problem is to do that forms a life bond meaning if one dies so does the other but with time running out before they are discovered it is the only way the Dragons have to survive. The next problem is the Dragon choose who they want to attach themselves to and it looks like they have chosen Frella and her friends. The biggest problem is there is still a bounty on the dragons heads.
Gwendolyn is just perfect as the narrator. With some of the chapters being told from Frella's point of view and some from her companions it was easy to tell who was speaking.
Profile Image for Whimsey (is in a major book slump.).
125 reviews13 followers
January 17, 2022
 
DNF @ 79% / Rating: 2.5 ⭐

Very little happened in this book that was different from the first in the series, aside from nursing a dragon's broken wing and one of the MLs being bedridden with a fever for a few days. There was no growth for any of the characters, and in fact the relationships the FL had with two of the MLs actually regress to what they were in the previous book.

It felt like no one liked each other (aside from the FL and one of the MLs that were hooking up) or wanted to be anywhere near each other, and when the characters were all together it was just a lot of scenes full of bitterness and petty bickering.

Aside from one of the MLs, I didn't feel like any of the characters in this book were even likable, much less endearing enough for me to want to keep reading. And considering the background plot with the dragons was not only boring but extremely slow to progress, I'm relieved to be dropping this book and moving on to something else.
Profile Image for Irene Kiew.
628 reviews66 followers
January 18, 2022
It felt like things moved at a very glacial pace in this book and nothing much happened. In terms of the relationships, Rayth is still his withdrawn assholey self and we still know nothing about his past or his backstory. We find out something about his identity but there's no explanation as to why he isn't with his family or why he left them. Rayth and Nyx have some history, which comes out in this book, and which explains why Rayth hates Nyx. He has no choice but to accept Nyx, however, since Nyx has bonded with one of the dragons. Rayth also seems rather naïve that Nyx could have "just spoken up" to get some injustices rectified. He ought to know it's not that easy, and also ought to know that the king isn't all that upstanding a man (witness what happened to Frella!). This really didn't mesh with his character at all.

Aristede continues to hold everyone at a distance, and while Frella is upset about his attitude, she pretends it doesn't matter. She was out of character because she's the queen of simply blurting things out and letting the chips fall where they may; normally, she doesn't shy away from confrontation, but in this case she doesn't confront Aristede. If I may say so, she acts like such a girl -- a stereotypical romance novel kind of girl -- which was annoying. The kind of girl who goes, "He doesn't want me? Fine, I don't want him either!" ::flounces off:: We know that Aristede has some tortured past that is causing him to act this way, but it was drawn out soooooo much and when it was finally revealed, I felt it was anti-climactic. Sure, that explains his nightmares, but doesn't explain why he thinks he can't do relationships or why he doesn't want to get close to people.

Nyx also has a tortured past, but I didn't understand how that past connected to his unease around the men and the fear that leaps to life at any sudden movements from them. He says he was "tortured with punishments none of you could even conceive of", but because he's so light on the details, we can't imagine how bad it was or what actually happened. Not that I wanted a blow-by-blow account, but I needed to have more of his emotions so that I could feel for him. He says some boys were broken, but he doesn't explain what "broken" means. As a result, his explanation actually leaves more question marks and it's hard to imagine his pain or to feel it along with him. He's also shy, and Frella has to coax him and try to seduce him... not the kind of hero I tend to root for.

Eldris continues to be the one who doesn't seem to have a traumatic past, and because of this, the author seems to skim over his backstory as being of little interest to readers. It transpires that Eldris has been carrying a torch for Aristede for years but has not acted on it. When things like this happen, I wonder if Frella is just a "consolation prize" for Eldris and if he and Frella haven't been thrown together just because they're both frustrated over Aristede and can't have him.

Frella, as I said in my review of book 1, is an enigma to me. I still don't feel like I have a proper grasp of her personality and background. What drives her? Is it just the need for adventure and travel? But then she seems quite content to stay put on the mountain, forgoing adventure and travel. She claims to be reckless and game for anything, but balks at bonding with a dragon. She never seems to miss home, despite speaking of her adoptive parents and her brother with fondness, and hasn't tried to send any messages to let them know she's alive and well. She can throw a knife with accuracy, but doesn't know self-defense moves and needs to learn them from Eldris?

I don't like Frella very much due to her hesitation to bond with the white dragon, because she doesn't have a good reason for not wanting to. All she keeps saying is that she's not ready and she doesn't want to tie her soul to another being. What is she afraid of? We don't know. More vagueness to add to the vagueness of the mens' stories, and in the end there's just so much not fleshed out that the story failed to grip my attention.

By the end of the book, the harem hasn't come together and they're still not a unit. You'd think that sharing a mission -- keeping the dragons alive and preserving their legacy -- would tie them together, but it doesn't. At this point, they're all still very much separate individuals. I read RH because I like to see the harem converge around the FMC, who is usually the glue that binds all of them together. But there's no convergence here -- Rayth doesn't even seem to like Frella, and who knows whether Nyx is attracted to her or not, since he's so timid and afraid all the time. Not sure if I will read book 3; I don't have any burning desire to find out how it all ends.
1,270 reviews26 followers
April 16, 2019
The Dragon Mistress 2 takes up from where the Dragon Mistress ends, and it doesn’t let you go. Our not exactly merry band of 5 has to learn to work together, and it’s a journey for everyone. We get injured dragons, bonding, and a very dangerous bandit attack. While middle installments of multi-volume books can get flabby, this work was trim and promises a great finale. Having read several of Steffan’s books, I feel this could be at least a 4 book series, but I’m not sure how many the author actually has planned.

Other books from this author have tended to be from a single character’s point of view. Steffan mixed it up a bit by giving us three different characters’ points of view in this story. It was necessary to move the action along at an interesting pace. I also like how we got to see the other characters and learn of their backstories and character arcs. The prince is presented as a bastard, and I don’t mean parentage. I wondered how in the world he would be redeemed as a character. I was definitely with Frella as far as skepticism, but by the end of the book, we get the first hint of things to come.

By this point, I’ve been reading Steffan (or more accurately listening to Steffan as performed by Druyor) for three years now. She’s a prolific writer, but this book feels like a level up in some ways because she’s allowing herself to try new things. I would say it’s definitely working, and it’s keeping my interest.

Performance-wise, Gwendolyn Druyor brings the high level of skill she always has. My favorite voice in this story is the one she uses for Eldris (in my mind Idris Elba, but not). It is a male version of the lilt she uses for the female vampire Oksana from the Circle of Blood series, and it’s fun to hear.

I have a cover art nitpick. It makes better sense to me that the cover where Frella is holding knives should go with the first book where she’s seen using the knives; and the cover with Frella and a crossbow should go for the second book where she’s using a crossbow. I know this won’t change because the art has already changed once. It’s not a deal breaker for the book inside. It was just something that bugged me.

Bottom line:
The book is for Steffan fans who’ve already read this series.
It’s for new fans who like dragons and/or reverse harem fantasy.

Caveat: If you’re a new fan, this is not a series where you can skip books. Do yourself a favor and go back to book one. Or... stick around a while and wait for Steffan to release an omnibus edition as she has done with the other series within the Eburosi Chronicles.
Profile Image for Chrissy.
1,390 reviews62 followers
August 21, 2019
Dragons and Bandits!

I like the way this series is building. The relationships in the group are drawing tighter together and we find out more about the pasts of some of the characters. We also find out about the dragon’s strengths.

I really like the world that this author has created. She has very cleverly constructed a new culture in this series as opposed to that in Eburosa from the previous two series. The MFC is from Eburosa and has quite an open attitude to relationships purely because of her adoptive parents and her brother and his lovers. The culture she is currently in has different social norms, but the men that she has met aren’t all from the place that they are currently located, so they have varying attitudes from each other as well as from her. It creates tension that they all have such different attitudes.

Whilst this series is mainly about the characters and their relationship to each other the plot is interesting. The dragons are the driving force for most of the things in the book, starting from being the reason that Frella wanted to travel to their country at all. The relationships with the humans is tenuous, but has real potential to transform their lives as well as the country.

I’m really looking forward to book 3 now!
Profile Image for ROMEOISNOTFUNNY.
823 reviews14 followers
August 5, 2023
Slowly slowly goes this book. Not in spice or building of the world. But in characters and their nature links growing between them.
It is actually a little refreshing. There is no instant mate bond between the characters. There is a bond that can be made with the dragon, a soul one that ties their souls like forever, family who look after each other. But not a mating bond, nope, these are not dragon shifters.... oh, went off topic again 🤔
My point is that it's an enjoyable book with slowly and developing characters.

The MCs have their own stories, scars, and demons that haut them. We get to watch as the building connection between them also help them heal and rebuild themselves as they go through this adventure of battling bandits and caring for the last of the dragons.

Each MC grows on me more and more as I learn their stories and read their struggles... even Wraith 🤫

FYI , the spicy smut just gets better 😋

To sum up
☆ Smut, yes, very spicy and MMF, too
☆ Dark triggers, yes
☆ action and passion in the story, yes
☆ Funny, sassy, and loving FMC, yes, yes, yes!

4.4 stars
Profile Image for Audrey.
105 reviews
August 28, 2020
(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.
Profile Image for Georgiana.
683 reviews12 followers
April 30, 2019
~AUDIO REVIEW~

Wonderful Story & Amazing Narration

This picks up right where the first one ends, and it doesn’t disappoint. I loved everything about this book. The dragons, raw emotions and action-packed story had me on the edge of my seat.

I enjoy Frella’s personality and her easy-going attitude. I also love that she usually speaks before she thinks giving a much more realistic feel to her character.

The other characters are wonderful companions for Frella and I enjoyed listening to the love, care and compassion unfold between all of them.

I’m super excited to know what happens in the next installment.

Gwendolyn Druyor does another amazing job with bringing the characters to life. She’s easy to understand and her reading flows smoothly. I could listen to her all day long.
120 reviews
May 31, 2019
It just gets better

I just love how beautifully these characters are portrayed. The back history is rich and not overbearing. As with all the others in this series the world feels extremely realistic. I think honestly it's some of the best world building I've ever seen in a fantasy setting.
I also love that the relationships are multifaceted. A lot of RH seems to only center around the female and while I don't mind that it's nice to have variety, and part of what always draws me to RH is the romantic and usually familial bonds the guys make as well. It's always an intriguing dynamic.
Can't wait to devour the next book!
Profile Image for Toula.
2,504 reviews
August 17, 2019
Audio book review
Book 2 in the series . This story picks off right where book 1 left off. It’s about Frella and her companions and their dragons . Frella had four males , the dragons had one male and 4 female dragons . The story is a reverse harem so we know they are suppose to get together . You slowly get to know a bit more of Frella band of misfit companions so you know how valuable they are to her and the dragons . I know you will lean more about characters with the story continues. Grab it and see the intermix of the characters.

Gwendolyn performance was good . She was great doing the characters and their emotions
Profile Image for Toula.
2,504 reviews
August 17, 2019
Audio book review
Book 2 in the series . This story picks off right where book 1 left off. It’s about Frella and her companions and their dragons . Frella had four males , the dragons had one male and 4 female dragons . The story is a reverse harem so we know they are suppose to get together . You slowly get to know a bit more of Frella band of misfit companions so you know how valuable they are to her and the dragons . I know you will lean more about characters with the story continues. Grab it and see the intermix of the characters.

Gwendolyn performance was good . She was great doing the characters and their emotions
Profile Image for ꧁Persephone꧂.
323 reviews3 followers
April 7, 2019
I'm so in love with this story. I loved the horse mistress and the lion mistress and now I'm hooked on the dragon mistress. I wish I had even half the imagination of R.A.Steffan. I don't know how she creates such unique and different world and storylines. I love the hellion Frella and I can't wait to see her bond with the white dragon and how her relationships with the men will develop. I think I may go crazy waiting until July for the next installment! Better re-read the horse and lion mistress series to help scratch the itch!
108 reviews2 followers
February 10, 2019
This is a great series.

I have loved the previous series set in this world and I am thoroughly enjoying this story. I love Frella's zest for life and go-for-it attitude. I like that we are gradually finding out about the characters' histories rather than it all being laid out at the beginning. I love, love, love Eldriss and Nyx for very different reasons and I want to bond with my own dragon!

I can't wait until the next one is out.
Profile Image for Kamia Johnson.
24 reviews
February 9, 2019
Good second book to the Dragon Mistress Series

I loved the Horse Mistress and the Lion Mistress. This book is the 9th installment of the Eburosi Chronicles. I am thoroughly enjoying Frella's adventure and it's great to see how she has grown since we first met her as a child in the first series. R A Steffan really knows how to draw you into the characters psyche to want to understand what drives them. Great read!!!
Profile Image for 4foxsake.
892 reviews14 followers
February 10, 2019
Great book!

The second installment of the dragon mistress was less about the dragons and more about the soul bonds between the misfits in the group. Sure winning the dragons trust and getting close to them was part of the story, but it was more about the five of them living and working together as a family in that little cave in the mountains. I imagine things will really beast up in the next story!
133 reviews
April 8, 2019
Dragons!

The journey continues with the gang. We learn more about their pasts and why they are the way they are.

I felt the first half of the book dragged. It was the same circle of drama that happened at the last half of the first book - but we got some info. It picked up at the battle.

Writing was good and had an easy flow. I didn't see any errors.

Can't wait for the next installment.
Profile Image for Rosemary Hughes.
4,192 reviews23 followers
August 26, 2020
I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title.

If you knew you had something that would be destroyed if you let anyone know of its existence, you would risk everything to keep it safe.
So, that's the basis of this series.
However, when there are five people involved, there's going to be different types of interaction, some good, some bad.
There's sexual activity between more than two people, so if this offends you, perhaps it's not the read for you.
380 reviews
August 31, 2022
I don’t know. This book seemed uneven. I was pretty into it, despite the first person narration, but then a major plot point kind of came out of nowhere, and there’s a lot of meddlers pushing people together. I think I didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as every other book I’ve read by this author. Or maybe it was just the last third or so. I’ll keep going with the series tho
Profile Image for Gail.
426 reviews
March 23, 2019
I love all the “Mistress” books. I am almost sad that this 3rd group in the series seems almost over but can’t wait to read the ending. Something that’s especially wonderful about dragons I guess. I’m also a sucker for a broken character regaining strength thru love.
400 reviews
June 26, 2019
Good one

I enjoyed the story but it was slow in some parts. The romance aspect is really slow and I haven't really connected with the characters. The story and world building is good
28 reviews2 followers
March 14, 2019
Loved it

R.A.Steffan creates beautiful worlds with plenty of love and angst. Tough choices with believable heroines. Can't go wrong with her books!
Profile Image for Mandy Sawyer.
5,042 reviews41 followers
May 27, 2019
This book is so hot! Excellent storyline with lots of action and adventure. Nice strong characters. The dragon’s are adorable. Gwendolyn is fantastic.
620 reviews19 followers
June 27, 2019
Interesting

Interesting storyline with a different take of The dragons and their soul bonded riders trying to survive and not be found by the king.
740 reviews5 followers
August 13, 2019
Terrific Book

I love and adore this series. Each book is better than the last. I cannot say it enough, thank you RA Steffen for these books!
Profile Image for My Humble Thoughts.
115 reviews27 followers
January 24, 2020
Couldn't put it down..

I started this book as soon as I was finished with the first one. I enjoyed it quite a lot. It is a must read.
Profile Image for Jackles.
831 reviews11 followers
March 9, 2022
Could be better, but has kept me interested
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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