The writing was done well in this book, but the content just wasn't for me. I did not finish. I was really hoping there was more about dragons, but I am sure I didn't get far along enough to reach that part.

The romance happened a bit fast and the main conflict was resolved quicker than I was expecting. Overall I liked the characters and enjoyed reading this book.

Magic, dragons, gods, battles, enemies, heroes and love. If you enjoy any of these then you will enjoy this engaging romance.

Cheron lives to serve the goddess Kalin and so when she directs him to undertake a quest to free her, he does so even though it will lead him into the heart of his enemy's kingdom. There in the midst of danger he encounters a mouthy concubine called Ekos who challenges and irritates him. Despite this Cheron realises that Ekos is part of his quest and together the two men face down the rival king and battle against their enemies. As they work together to find a way to free Kalin their attraction for each othe grows but Cheron is unaware who Ekos really is and the part he has played in Kalin's imprisonment.

I really enjoyed the mix of magic and adventure. The world building was good and the reader is gradually pulled into this world of magic and gods. The characters are really well written with distinctive voices. Most of all I just loved the way the story weaves myths and magic together.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I enjoyed it!

Copy provided by Nine Star Press via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love dragons...

my family will tell you 'I love dragons' my friends will also tell you that I love dragons...so when one of those friends poked me and said 'hey, have you seen this. It's a new dragon story and you can get it from NetGalley.' that's exactly what I did.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was to say the least suitably impressed not only did she give me a dragon story that I enjoyed...she created a dragon that I would honestly love to read more about.

Chron was simply a rebel leader but now he's a newly crowned king and he's a king on a mission that takes him to the kingdom of Wren Gardens where he hopes to find what he needs to free his goddess. What he finds instead is a very alluring and intriguing love slave named Ekos...a love slave who seems to be more than he appears.

It soon becomes clear to Cheron that Ekos has his own mission but what remains to be seen is can Cheron trust Ekos and will his mission destroy them all.

I loved how spirited Ekos was and how he interacted with Cheron it was very much a love to hate or maybe that was hate to love relationship between these two. Throughout the story no matter how they tried or didn't try they were perpetually being thrown together and found themselves to be allies sometimes willingly...sometimes, not so much.

As well as Cheron and Ekos, I found myself quite taken with Lion and his connection to Ekos was surprising in a very delightful way.

Even more than the characters and trust me I loved the characters what impressed me with this story was the world building. Usually if an author's going to lose me in a fantasy story this is where it's most likely to happen and not only did she not lose me but I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the story. Everything was vividly brought to life for me from the clothes that were worn to the king of Wren Gardens private gardens which seriously could have stayed private as far as I was concerned that king was one seriously sick and twisted dude.

As much as I love dragons...I can also say that I'm not a fan of dark fantasy and while I can't say that I'd label this one as dark fantasy for me it was definitely a fantasy story that leaned strongly towards the dark side, which i very much enjoyed in spite of this. I think the one thing that maybe could have worked better for me would have been if the romance was a little bit stronger at times but still the story was solid and overall I quite enjoyed it and I'll be watching to see what else this author has that will catch my eye.

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A copy of 'The Dragon's Rebel' was graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not really my style. Things happened a bit too quickly without much build-up and the characters didn't have enough of their backstories explained for me to follow along comfortably. Loved the witty humour though, that was entertaining.

This was a good story, it was different than the fantasy I usually read, but I liked it. It was a bit dark at times, and I have to say, I hate that damn garden! That is a good imagination right there, dark, but good. The ending thankfully, was what I hoped for, even better really. I loved Ekos, he was definitely my kind of guy, with attitude and sass. Cheron was a bear of a guy, but I was delighted to find he was a sweet man that was only ever trying to do he right thing. In the end, they both got what they wanted and what they both deserved. And so did the bad guys.

I... Uhh.. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I usually don't read these fantasy books with a touch of religion and I guess now I'm reminded why. The story was well written however I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it's just my preferences

I got this from Netgally in exhange for an honest review, yay!

I really liked the whole book, from start to end it was much that happend but not as fast as i could'nt catch my breathe and got lost, but fast enough. Plus i connected with both Ekos and Cheron c: They are truly adorable.

Cheron and Ekos were interesting characters, Cheron deeply devout and Ekos seemingly irreverent. I enjoyed following along with them on their journey to free Cheron's goddess, all in all a very enjoyable fantasy.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually liked this book. I will admit, that I’m not generally into the whole “shifter” sub genre of MM romance, but this one sounded interesting so I gave it a go!<!--more--><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2662" src="https://inkorkeys.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/6623a153-af8e-4a60-9a1c-9783a9e98b51.jpeg?w=400" alt="6623A153-AF8E-4A60-9A1C-9783A9E98B51" width="200" height="300" />

I will say that I writing and overall execution was not, in my opinion, the best. There was little to no world building and very little character development or even introduction to who is who. This made things very confusing, it was like jumping straight into the middle of a book, skipping all of those establishing paragraphs.

We’re set within some kind of medieval fantasy world, but the language used by the author, at times seemed to sleep back and forth between language appropriate for the time and more modern responses, sayings and colloquialisms.

I liked the central premise of gods being locked away and using humans as pawns to help them return to the world.

i liked the romance and how it was a, kind of, hate to love kind of trope. It could be described as a slight slow burn and overall it was probably the aspect I enjoyed most out of the book.

It should be noted that this book does contain mature themes, such as sexual slavery, use of deceased people as trophy’s almost (this was a weird one), off screen abuse, non graphic torture.

High fantasy stories can sometimes be daunting because of all of the mythos that you have to learn but I found this story to be very digestible. The fantasy was still impressive but the reader doesn’t feel bogged down with all the details. I appreciated how easy it was to just dive into this story. Cheron was an easy character to relate to. He is completely dedicated to his goddess and tries to not get sidetracked by the pretty and distracting Ekos. But Ekos with his fast mouth and mysterious background, always gets his way. Lion was also a very endearing character and helped to soften Ekos rough edges. The story has some gruesome details so those that are squeamish will probably want to avoid it. I would definitely recommend this to those that want a lighter or quicker fantasy read that has some great comedy thrown in.

The Dragon's Rebel was about rebellions, dragons, epic fantasy and romance all jumbled together. I do have to be honest I don't know why but I kept feeling like I was missing a prior book or like a small story that made it all make sense. Maybe it was because the action sped up in the middle of the book or because the beginning read like it were missing a scene or two. I'm not sure. I did like this book overall and I would even read another one but at times it felt too underdeveloped and I wanted to understand each character more.

3.5 stars

Over the top , fantasy with magic , dragons , epic missions , hot heroes , all powerful Gods and HOT sexy times.

Story is good , liked it . I usually don't read books in this genre ; however , I am glad I gave it a try.

I just reviewed The Dragon's Rebel by Jacqueline Rohrbach. #TheDragonsRebel #NetGalley

Started well, but things went a little awry at the half way mark.

In the beginning I was totally on board. Special mission, dragons, enemies to lovers - all good. I was hoping for a Captive Prince vibe. Unfortunately, once Cheron actually gets to start his mission everything else happens at warp speed.

- He defeats the guardian of the relic he seeks and completes this epic trial of worthiness in like a chapter
- Admits to deep feelings for Ekos despite minimal interacting
- Escapes and is recaptured MULTIPLE times
- Summons and kills an all powerful god
- All past 50%

I grew weary of the insane torture and near deaths; if it had happened over a longer period of time it could’ve worked, but as it is it was just too underdeveloped to be believable.

Now some things I did like

- Ekos’ sharp tongue and general bantering
- Lion overall, but especially his role as a “son” for Ekos and Cheron.
- All the comedic familial relief during the cave scenes
- Despite their rushed feelings; Ekos and Cheron had some really nice moments. Especially the “I love rebels.” “I love dragons.” scene. Fucking adorable. (You’ll understand if you read it.)

This had all the potential to be great, but lacked some finesse. There’s enjoyment to be had though, and I’d still read another book in this series if it was Lion’s.

Jacqueline Rohrbach's "The Dragon Rebel" becoming the first novel I have read from this brilliant author, I am impressed with the characters that she was able to bring to life in this action-packed LGBTQ fantasy romance. A rebel king and spitfire slave, what more can you ask for? Needless to say the author was able to immerse me into the read by introducing King Cheron who arrives in Wren Gardens and is introduced to the foul mouth, sarcastic concubine to the King of Wren Gardens who unbeknownst to him is a hiding a well guarded secret. Joining forces to deal with the betrayal of the evil King, the attraction becomes more than impossible to deny. A definite must read if you're looking to venture off to an epic fantasy world filled with dragons, gods and oh so steamy romance.

DNF at 30%. Just not for me. Way too OTT for me. Characters,were one dimensional , either all cruel, all snark, all blind trust, etc. Too melodramatic.

This was fun! If you’re looking for a novel to read this summer and you love honorable rebels, dragons, magic, an evil nemesis, and a love story- this is the one for you!

Cheron is a rebel with honor when he arrives at Wren Gardens. He’s immediately thrown into a world of subterfuge and betrayal. His belief in his goddess if what helps to keep him on his path, even when he meets Ekos.

Ekos is quirky, odd, sarcastic and outspoken… even though he is a concubine to the King of Wren Gardens. Of course, Ekos has a secret, but I’m not giving that away because it’s such a fun reveal in the book. There’s something very surreal about him from the first moment he arrives on the scene. He was snarky and irreverent and I adored him. I loved his character and would like to see more of him.

It doesn’t take long before Cheron finds out just how evil The King is. One of the scenes that stuck in my mind was a horrendous garden of torture. The King has used magic to turn people into living garden beds. Rohrbach writes with such detail, that I felt like I could see the horror that was laid out in front of Cheron and Ekos.