Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Courting the Dragon Prince
SERIES: The Royal Arrangement
AUTHOR: Gigi Rivers
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 442 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 6. 2026
BLURB:
Two princes from enemy kingdoms. Forced to marry to end a war. Can they find love when so much stands against them?
Dragon Warrior Prince Gerard bears the scars of a vicious attack from a Voltarian lightning sorcerer who stole half his vision and almost his life. Now Gerard must marry a Voltarian. He’ll do it. For peace. For duty. At least his betrothed isn’t a lightning sorcerer.
Instead, his soon-to-be husband is a breathtaking beauty with no real magic. Gerard disdains the empty-headed, frivolous Prince Elias. Yet he cannot deny his attraction. Still, this can only ever be a political union. They are complete opposites. And how could someone so stunning ever want him?
Prince Elias has learned long ago never to trust. He wears his beauty like armour, keeping everyone at a distance. But when he is betrothed to Gerard, he finds himself drawn to the reserved and powerful dragon warrior. Elias can’t help but reveal parts of himself he has long kept hidden.
Yet shadowy forces are working to ensure the peace treaty fails. And Elias carries a secret that could destroy everything between them. Can the two princes find their happily ever after? Or will the treaty fail, plunging their kingdoms into war once again?
REVIEW:
Note: This is the third book in this series and contains spoilers for the previous books. In addition, the timeline of this story overlaps with the previous story a bit. This is a continuing story about this fantasy world where dragons must marry into other royal families of their prior enemies in order to ensure a lasting peace.
Elias, the Voltarian prince known as the Lightning Prince, heads to the White Monastery in anticipation of the next marriages between the kingdoms who have been fighting with Draconia that will seal the peace between all the lands. He’s not excited about any of this, but he’s not about to let his father be manipulated by his awful stepmother into making a bad match for him. When it comes down to either the Dragon Warrior, Gerard, or a cousin of the Dragon Warrior, Elias definitely knows what he wants. He’s perfected his beautiful and frivolous persona so that no one except is mentor and his cousin Collette have any idea who and what he really is. And truthfully it’s ridiculously easy to convince his family that the worst thing in the world would be for him to be married to the scarred Dragon Warrior.
Gerard has been embarrassed about his scars since he nearly died after an attack from a lightning arch mage. He knows people are put off by the scars on his face and his eye patch. He isn’t sorry about this success in battle, but he is easily hurt by the looks of pity and disgust that are thrown his way. He just hopes that whoever he is going to have to marry in this agreement to ensure lasting peace after a brutal 20 year war. The last person he thinks would be appropriate for him would be the young and very beautiful Elias who seems to be emptyheaded and lacking in any real magic. But soon it is announced that they are betrothed 😉
Elias is thrilled about this turn of events because he feels bound to Gerard and he is greatly attracted to the Dragon Warrior. Gerard does not believe that anyone would be excited to be stuck with the scarred dragon, but Elias sets about to prove him wrong. The more time the spend together, the more Gerard realizes that there is a lot more to Elias than meets the eye. Elias has clearly cultivated this reputation because it’s much better to be underestimated and that works to his advantage. Theirs will be a marriage of mutual desire it seems 🙂
Meanwhile, the other major happening at the White Monastery is trying to figure out who is behind the recent attacks and attempted murders at both the monastery and again the couple who formed the previous alliance marriage, Luther, one of the dragons and Warden Onyx. While those conspirators are dead, it’s clear someone has been working with them. Everyone is trying to figure out who that could be, but every time they get close, the source dries up.
In addition, it seems that there are other plots and betrayals afoot that don’t have anything to do with the peace treaties. But is that true? Is this all part of a larger plot? Will Elias and Gerard be able to survive the plot and be honest with each other about their feelings?
Oooooh this was quite the wild ride. The first third of the book sets up the story and the pasts of both Elias and Gerard. Both have lost their mothers and have fathers that have remarried. They each know they have a duty to do and are standing by it. When it turns out that they are more evenly matched then they though, well that ends up working out very well for them since they have many enemies – seen and unseen. There are battles and betrayals and intrigue that take them to the brink of disaster. And they are not really any closer to finding out WHO is still out there trying to fight the peace accords. I guess we will have to wait for the next book and I’m there for it. Konrad has has work cut out for him!!
PS – I love this marrying the kids off to keep the peace. Honestly it’s like the Hapsburgs of romantasy. Empress Maria Therese for the win 😉
RATING: 
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