Sophia Rose Reviews: Here There Be Dragons by Maria Grace

 

Today Sophia Rose reviews Here There Be Dragons by Maria Grace
Enjoy!

Here There Be Dragons by Maria Grace

#12 Jane Austen’s Dragons

Gaslamp Fantasy

Publisher:  White Soup Press

Published:  6.1.23

Pages:  357

Rating: 5 stars

Format: ebook

Source: purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

" A top fun comfort read."~ Gail Carriger

Life was definitely better when one’s fondest dreams came true.

Better, indeed, for newly made baronet, Sir Frederick Wentworth. Enjoying a title, a sea-side estate, a dragon to Keep, and most importantly, marriage to his dearest Anne, life was far better than he dreamed it could be. Better, but not easier. Stubborn local sea dragons refuse to talk, much less entertain a treaty with the Blue Order. The Order’s patience is wearing thin, and the local Order magistrate—impertinent, ineffective, and downright hostile toward all things cold-blooded or female, only makes matters worse. Lady Anne Wentworth, Special Liaison for the Blue Order, not being cold-blooded, but being female, finds her duties impeded at every turn. She tolerates his machinations until the delayed arrival of an urgent letter calls her across the county. If only she is not too late…Naturally, upon Anne’s departure, relations with the local sea dragons shift from becalmed to turbulent, threatening the fragile balance of Blue Order peace. Can Wentworth tame the gale-force dragon storm threatening to capsize the life he holds dear?

A fresh new gas lamp fantasy adventure in the engrossingly intricate world of Jane Austen’s Dragons. Anne McCaffrey meets Jane Austen, a perfect mix for dragon lovers and regency-era fans alike. Book 12 in the Jane Austen's Dragons series.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Settling into their new lives was never going to be easy – not with dragons involved, but the honeymoon is barely over when Sir Frederick and Lady Wentworth have their hands full with multiple matters and one huge sea-ward one will rock the Kingdom.  Maria Grace’s series continues to crackle with tension and her dragon fantasy world sparkles.  I’ve come to not have a doubt that I will relish each installment I pick up and, no surprise, Here There Be Dragons was sumptuous in all the good stuff.

 

Here There Be Dragons is twelfth in an interconnected series of books that work best when read in order.

 

Featuring the second pair of main characters, Frederick and Anne Wentworth with their dragons of the seafaring variety, this latest shows them having something of a rough start settling into Kellynch-by-the-Sea, their new dragon estate in Lyme. 

 

I appreciate that Maria Grace has taken the challenge of writing a series to a new level when adding in alternating stories involving a second set of main characters and the world of dragons involving the sea with adventures paralleling the Darcys and the land dragons.  Yet, it is all done with panache and a resounding adventure is had by the quiet, capable Anne and her veteran war hero husband, Frederick.

 I’m enjoying how their once estranged relationship has reunited and been stronger than ever so that they can respect each other and work as a team even when parted.  Anne is facing a more personal conflict in how she feels about visiting the dragon she once thought was as close as a mother who betrayed her.  The delicate emotions and thoughts were handled well.  At the same time, Frederick is pondering how difficult it is to adjust to civilian life and life on land with all its complications.  Both face tension-filled situations and mysteries separately and then together. 

I appreciate that the series arc remains clear to see even while new conflicts and situations arise in each book like the new large threat happening off the coasts of England as Frederick and Anne ponder how to get talks started with the volatile dragons of the sea of whom so little is known until now. 

 

Here There Be Dragons ended on a high note, but points forward to what is to come in the series leaving the reader with a sense of satisfaction after the recent adventure and highly anticipating the next.  Those who enjoy Gaslamp Fantasy and particularly intricate dragon world-building will appreciate this series.

 

 

Author Bio:

Six time BRAG Medallion Honoree, #1 Best-selling Historical Fantasy author Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time.

She stumbled into Jane Austen fan-dom in the mid '90s with Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility film, having somehow graduated HS without ever having read Austen. It was only a short leap then to consume all of Austen's works, in all their various media forms. In the hopes of discovering more works by Austen, she stumbled into the fan fiction forums, which naturally led to asking 'What if...' herself. Twenty nine books later, she still asks that question.

She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.

Website:  http://www.randombitsoffascination.com/

 

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose