Michael Barnes
Only 398 pages which for romantasy is more manageable than many (a work colleague put it to me "you'll finish it in 3 days"). The world building is sumptuous and on the Scoville scale of spicyness it's about a Habanero with the added bonus it's queer AF. Penned by cult-favourite writing duo Kit Rocha (Bree Bridges and Donna Herren who started out writing as Moira Rogers) in a world dominated by Sarah J Maas and Rebecca Yarros.
The sitch
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.
Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the world. She is young, beautiful—and she has three secrets.
First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.
Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.
Third—and most dangerous: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.
The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told.
Only 398 pages which for romantasy is more manageable than many (a work colleague put it to me "you'll finish it in 3 days"). The world building is sumptuous and on the Scoville scale of spicyness it's about a Habanero with the added bonus it's queer AF. Penned by cult-favourite writing duo Kit Rocha (Bree Bridges and Donna Herren who started out writing as Moira Rogers) in a world dominated by Sarah J Maas and Rebecca Yarros.
The sitch
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.
Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the world. She is young, beautiful—and she has three secrets.
First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.
Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.
Third—and most dangerous: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.
The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told.