A dragon princess joins forces with a scarred prince to escape a competition for her hand in marriage, unaware he is hiding dark secrets of his own in the first of a new romantasy duology from the author of Bride of the Shadow King. Swept from her quiet life as an apothecary’s apprentice to the treacherous court of the High King, Rosie Harpwood is shocked to discover she is the long-lost daughter of the demonic Dragon Queen. Reawakening her dormant magic is the kingdom's only hope for salvation, but the journey is perilous, and she'll need a champion to guide her. So the High King hosts a series of trials to determine which prince is worthy of the honor — as well as claiming Rosie's hand in marriage. Rosie, however, has other ideas. A talented healer and lover of small, fluffy creatures, Rosie wants nothing to do with demon queens or saving the world. Determined to escape this fate, she joins forces with one of the champions to plot her getaway. Prince Valtar may be enigmatic and a little bit terrifying, but something about him makes her blood burn in ways that have nothing to do with her dragon heritage. Trained from youth to serve the Dragon Queen, Valtar has proven himself a ruthless assassin. Posing as a suitor to get close enough to his target shouldn't be a problem. But Valtar wasn’t planning on his target being Rosie, the girl he failed to assassinate years ago . . . who has haunted his dreams ever since. "I've always admired Sylvia Mercedes for the seemingly effortless skill she brings to her storytelling, and it's on display again in The Seventh Champion . With a sunshiney heroine who's a pure delight, a grumpy hero to swoon over, and a thoroughly entertaining, romance-infused, action-packed plot, this book is the absolute in reading pleasure." —India Holton, international bestselling author of The Geographer’s Map to Romance “I was enchanted from the moment I read the opening line, and once I started reading, I could not stop. Full of charming wit, deadly trials, and the most delicious slow-burn yearning. I am utterly obsessed with this grumpy-sunshine pair!”— Tessonja Odette, author of A Rivalry of Hearts “ The Seventh Champion was such a fun romantasy read! Featuring a dragon princess and the deadly trials that pit her suitors against one another, this book kept me guessing until the last page. Rosie was a funny and endearing sunshine heroine, and Valtar the perfect broody--and loomy!--counterpart. I can't wait for the sequel to find out what Sylvia has in store for these two!”— Demi Winters, author of The Road of Bones "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...Sharp dialogue, plentiful action, and well-developed characters build a fascinating foundation for Mercedes’s promising new series."— Publishers Weekly "A thrilling and romantic fantasy adventure... The Seventh Champion is a fast-paced and exciting beginning to The Dragon Queen duology."— BookPage "Mercedes’s ( Bride of the Shadow King ) Seventh Champion duology opens with a low-steam, action-packed book. Recommended for Sarah J. Maas and Elise Kova fans looking for a story about a young heroine who is waiting to reach her full power."— Library Journal Sylvia Mercedes makes her home in the idyllic North Carolina countryside with her handsome husband, numerous small children, and the feline duo affectionately known as The Fluffy Brothers. When she’s not writing she’s . . . okay, let’s be honest. When she’s not writing, she’s running around after her littles, cleaning up glitter, trying to plan healthy-ish meals, and wondering where she left her phone. In between, she reads a steady diet of fantasy novels. But mostly she’s writing. 1 Rosie If this is going to work, the kiss had better be believable. I mean, it doesn't have to be the most passionate kiss in the history of kisses. Not the sort of kiss one hears about in ballads when the more lovelorn minstrels wander through town, plucking at their lute strings and sighing soulfully at passing maidens. Those kisses were always a bit much for my taste, though perhaps I would think differently were I one of the participants and not merely hearing about them thirdhand. But if I'm going to convince Prince Taigan that he does not, in fact, own me-that I am free to do what I like with whomever I like, and it's none of his dragon-eaten business-I can't very well look as though I'm kissing a statue. Which is what this kiss feels like in the first moment of contact when my lips crash against the stranger's. To be fair, I can't blame the poor man. I'm sure he did not take up position in that shadowy alcove, half-hidden behind a curtain, expecting to be collared by a frantic young woman and dragged out of hiding, only to have her whisper a hasty "Excuse me, but I need to kiss you now," just before smashing her lips on his. It's not the sort of thing