Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Courting the Dragon Prince
SERIES: The Royal Arrangement
AUTHOR: Gigi Rivers
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 498 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 25. 2025
BLURB:
Forced to marry for peace. Can two wounded warriors find love with their enemy?
Onyx despises the dragons. They invaded his people’s lands, started the war, and killed his sister. Now, to secure peace, the heir to the Grey Mountains must marry a dragon prince. But of all the princes, why does it have to be him—Prince Luther, a man Onyx hated at first sight? Luther may be handsome, but he is everything Onyx is not: a reckless flirt, a shameless drunk, and utterly irresponsible. Still, Onyx will do his duty and marry a man he despises—for his kingdom and for peace.
But Prince Luther hides a different kind of battle beneath his carefree façade. Haunted by the horrors of war, he tries to drown his pain. And whilst most accept the illusion Luther crafts, Onyx’s sneering gaze seems to penetrate the lies and see the broken mess Luther has become. Luther can’t stand the arrogant, haughty earth elemental. But Luther’s father has commanded he will marry Onyx.
Two warriors, forced together by duty and sacrifice, both carrying the scars of war. Can they overcome hatred and mistrust to find love with each other? Or will their marriage unravel, bringing a return to war and bloodshed?
REVIEW:
This is the first book in a series that tells the stories of the arranged marriages between the 5 united kingdoms and the kingdom of Draconia who have been at war for many years. The peace is being arranged and proctored by the Monks of the White Monastery who are hosting all of the various contingents from the various lands. This story is of Luther, one of the dragon sons of the King of Draconia and Onyx, the only surviving child of the Warden of the Grey Mountains. Onyx’s older sister was to be the High Warden after their mother, but she was killed by dragons and the temple destroyed where she and Onyx had lived and trained. The current High Warden has been lost to her grief and has taken to self-medication with an addictive tea that keeps her in a perpetual fog. Onyx is also still grieving the loss of Tourmaline, his sister and he is unprepared for his role. The last thing he wants to do is marry one of the murdering dragons. But there is no choice if they are to all build a lasting peace.
Luther is the fifth child of the King and thus he has no determined role in his kingdom which makes him the perfect match for Onyx. He can be spared from Draconia, so he’s the lucky guy 😉 He could not be more different from Onyx. Onyx is a very serious and stoic and quiet person while Luther is a flirt, a drinker, a dancer and carouser. No one takes Luther very seriously. And Luther doesn’t take himself seriously either. But he’s hiding behind this “party persona” some deep wounds from his time fighting the war. He’s not exciting about once again being told what to do and just having to accept it. But he will do his duty. Like he always does.
Luther and Onyx do not get on well at all. Luther assumes that Onyx looks down on him and is repulsed by him. Onyx assumes that Luther does not take his role or their marriage seriously. The only fun Luther is having is making Onyx jealous to get a rise out of him. And he does 😉 Onyx has no idea how to deal with someone who he thinks will not take their marriage vows seriously. So they appear to be at an impasse.
Then they have to go on a couples quest. Of course things start off poorly. Once again Luther goads Onyx into being physical with him. But they do have to solve the quest to remove the shackles that bind them together and cut off their powers. The quest is a lot more dangerous than they had been led to believe and they managed to escape with their lives – but it’s close. And of course their communication breaks down once again. Both are suspicious of the motives of the other and they make a lot of assumptions.
Finally the wedding day arrives. It’s a bit anticlimactic. The marriage celebration doesn’t go great, but they do manage to consummate the marriage as required. Of course their poor communication causes yet another rift. Onyx is angry and Luther is hungover. Again. And Onyx is embarrassed about his mother’s behavior too. Luther, however, seems to be able to get through to Onyx’s mother. A new path might be possible after all.
Luther and Onyx form a tentative friendship and maybe more. But there is treachery afoot. Someone does NOT want peace and will try to take advantage of the damage and death and destruction that haunt both men. If their marriage can’t survive, well the prospect of a lasting peace is in real jeopardy.
So first, let’s address that this is a VERY long book. I had a little trouble getting into it at first. I soldiered on however and eventually the story took off and became more interesting and engaging. Luther and Onyx were soooo different and soooo bad at communication. Neither were happy AT ALL with the situation they found themselves in – forced into an arranged marriage with a former enemy. Both were also suffering a lot from the aftermath of 20 years of war. There was a lot of loss. Since Luther’s family/country had started the war, all of the other kingdom royal families are going to be bound in marriage to someone from Draconia in a binding marriage – meaning that the death of one spouse will result in the death of the other. They must be in proximity to one another as well. Onyx, the son of the Warden (ruler) of the Grey Mountains kingdom is now the next in line to the throne which means he will have to live in the Grey Mountains. Luther will have to live there with him which isn’t exactly something he’s looking forward to. When they finally let down their guards with one another, they do find common ground. But eventually they have to deal with the events of the past that threaten to tear them apart. That conflict only serves though who would thwart the peace and return to war with the dragons. Only by admitting their true feelings and working together can Luther and Onyx save themselves, their marriage and the peace. It’s not without great cost and there are gains to be made as well. It’s a bit of a long and winding road for those two to get it together, but the forge a bond that will not be broken. I loved where they ended up. and I can’t wait for the next story – Gerard and the Lightning Prince.
RATING: 
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