The Seventh Champion

With delicious banter and a tightly woven plot, Mercedes (Bride of the Shadow King) once again entices readers into a romantasy world they’ll be loathe to leave. Apothecary’s assistant Rosie Harpwood lives a quiet life with the woman who took her in after her parents were killed by dracori, humanoid dragons. Then she learns that she’s the long-lost daughter of the wicked Dragon Queen, and potentially the only one strong enough to defeat her. Spirited away to the High King’s underground palace, she’s feted as a potential savior, though she’ll need a champion (read: husband) at her side to defeat the Dragon Queen. So the High King hosts a tournament with Rosie’s hand in marriage as the prize. Enter Valtar, a dracori on a mission to kill Rosie and deliver her heart to the Dragon Queen himself. He hatches a plan to join the competition in order to get closer to the princess. As the trials progress, the pair develop an unexpected but genuine connection and the stakes turn deadly, leaving both Rosie and Valtar with terrible choices. Sharp dialogue, plentiful action, and well-developed characters build a fascinating foundation for Mercedes’s promising new series. This is pure popcorn. Agent: Amanda Jain, BookEnds Literary. (Nov.)