I always enjoy books in this series and I wasn’t disappointed with this one. There is something about the characters that I just end up connecting too and I get so lost and invested in the story.

I didn't finish this book.

I am a bit torn about this book. I decided to drop it because it was full of annoying characters, and I wasn't really in the right mood for so much annoyance and irritation. I think that we have a great cast of characters, there are a lot of them, and they all are alive. But I just couldn't get past the irritation. And the main lead in this book is shippable, but... But even if I enjoyed both of them when they were apart and pining for each other, I didn't like how they interact. Together they didn't have a lot of... chemistry, I think. I mean, I can totally see them as a couple, but when we get them together they just didn't function so well. Pity. Also, the pace is quite good. As I said before, if it wasn't for the constant irritation toward some of the characters I would have enjoyed the book, because there is quite a lot to enjoy, but, sadly, I was so not in the mood for the drama!

I really do love this series and I enjoy how each book adds to the overall world. Griffen and Kirill's story is another fantastic addition, I would recommend reading the previous books because the each build upon each other and further the story arc running throughout the series. All in all the wonderfully well-written characters and fantastic world-building made for a highly enjoyable read.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

I was given a eBook copy of the book for my honest review.

To Start Things off This is the Eight Book in the series. AS it stand my review is partial to this specific book and what I've read as u have not had the chance to read the previous 7 books.

Griffen is the second son of his family, his elder brother Bastien is the Duke of their familial estate in Ardesia, cousins to Philip, crowned prince of Tounai. Griffen works in the palace at Jumelle as a diplomat. Bastien is engaged to Corentin, a scholar from a hidden realm called Ivria where the people have a magical secret as they can shift into dragons. Bastien had been attacked and kidnapped in a previous story and Corentin’s magic both saved Bastien and revealed the secret of Ivria, at least to Prince Philip and his consort Prince Amory and certain other trusted members of Philip’s family.

It was a very immersive book which can be read as a stand alone even though there are some elements that could be smoother if you have the chance to read the previous 7 books.

The world building and character development are key components in the book that keep the story going each character was very well rounded which would be do to it being a book later in the series i would of liked to have the chance to read the previous ones to see how the growth went from book to book. But either way you were able get each character and their different personalities flow through the book.

Synopsis: Second son of an earl and cousin to the Crown Prince, Griffen has worked hard to forge a career in diplomacy for the principality of Tournai, but he never expected his diplomatic skills would be necessary for a problem so personal to him and his family.

A delegation from the mysterious kingdom of Ivria has come to Tournai to make sure the secret of their people—the magical Talent allowing them to change into dragons—and therefore their kingdom itself remain safe. The delegation is concerned for Corentin, an Ivrian, and the man Griffen’s older brother is soon to marry.

The Ivrians seem to want to drag Corentin back to Ivria for the offense of revealing their secret, but Griffen refuses to let it happen. His determination puts him into contact—and conflict—with Kirill, a negotiator for the king of Ivria who possesses the dragon Talent himself. The two clash and connect, getting closer and pulling away as they try to negotiate the needs of their people and an unwanted attraction between themselves. However, just as trust might be growing between them, a plot is uncovered and a member of the Ivrian delegation murdered. Griffen and Kirill must discover who is behind both for the safety of their countries and the people they love…and for a chance to be together.

I am Giving The Book a 4/5

3.5 stars

I feel I cannot give this book a fair rating without reading the previous books. Although I did like that I didn't need to read them to understand what was going on.
I was attracted to this book by its cover and plot and it definitely paid off. It was a fun and very entertaining read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a feeling that I can not do this book justice. I wished I had read the previous books before this one, because - as usual - I think I would have been able to enjoy it more if I'd already knew what I was getting into.
Luckily, this book was also readable without having any knowledge of the previous books - and I enjoyed it a good deal. If the other books are anything like this one, I am pretty sure I've found myself another great series. Shape-shifting dragons?! I am in! Oh, and it's also a gay romance? Give me more. Give me everything you have and then please give me some more!
I was madly in love with that cover. It's so beautiful and I have to admit, it was one of the main reasons for me to request this book. Which might be why I was unaware of the part which had been previously published.
Nontheless - I was glad this book could be read without neccessarily having to know the previous ones. But I have seven new books to add to my SUB now...


I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at about 70%. I just had trouble getting into this one. I had read previous books in the series so I won't rehash my issues with instalove, but I wanted to give the series another try a bit further in. I want able to get into it, though.

This is the eighth book in a fantasy series, and likely best enjoyed when read in sequence, though it can be read as a standalone. I have read books 1-4 in this series and still felt there was enough background to fill in the gaps I had from not reading books 5-7. This review may contain some spoilers for previous books.

Griffen is the second son of his family, his elder brother Bastien is the Duke of their familial estate in Ardesia. They are both cousins to Philip, crowned prince of Tounai, and Griffen works in the palace at Jumelle, the capital city as a diplomat. Bastien is engaged to Corentin, a scholar from a hidden realm called Ivria where the people have a magical secret they endeavor to keep from society-at=large: many of their number can shift into a dragon form. Bastien had been attacked and kidnapped in a previous story and Corentin’s magic both saved Bastien and revealed the secret of Ivria, at least to Prince Philip and his consort Prince Amory and certain other trusted members of Philip’s family and retinue. Griffen doesn’t think dragon magic is odd, and he’s happy for his brother’s happiness.

Griffen, Bastien and several other members of the prince’s family are dining in the palace for a private celebration over impending nuptials when a delegation from Ivria arrives unannounced and with little decorum. Kirill is among this number, but he’s startled and frustrated when the unofficial delegation leader makes unreasonable demands–to hand over Corentin to be returned to Ivria for questioning. The delegation was only sent to determine if the revelations Corentin had let slip posed any danger to Ivria or its interests–but Kirill is soon convinced that the unreasonable and crude demands his fellow envoy are making stem from a deeper plot, one that would reveal the dragon’s magic in an attempt to ignite a conflagration.

Kirill and Griffen are both working to help Corentin and smooth over this situation, and they are both caught in an unwanted attraction for each other. Kirill’s fellow delegates are encouraging this–either because they want to see him happy or they hope he can exploit the relationship. The delegates have been invited to stay in the palace, temporarily, so that Philip’s guards can keep an eye on them, and make sure they do not attempt to kidnap Corentin. Kirill knows this, and he doesn’t trust the people of the palace, or Griffen, for these reasons. Still, their communications become less intrigue-laden and more friendly–until one of the Ivrians is murdered in the palace gardens. Now Kirill’s missing is to find the murderer while extricting their group from Tournai with haste. Even if it means leaving Griffen behind. Maybe…temporarily.

This is an intrigue-heavy mystery that develops alongside the romance. Griffen is a good man and he’s willing to trust Kirill more than Kirill trusts him–and that’s find for a while. His excellent behavior and attention to details help Kirill to navigate the two walks he’s taking in the negotiations about Corentin and his growing regard for Griffen. We had met Griffen briefly in earlier stories, but he was never a central character before now. Kirill and his Ivrian compatriots are interesting and I liked learning a bit about their culture. Not all of them can shift into dragons, but Kirill can–and he shows a lot of trust to shift in front of Griffen once Griffen finds an isolated area for Kirill to stretch his wings. The romance develops slowly ans is adversarial at first, due to the nature of being from different nations and wanting different objectives–namely, Kirill is angry that Griffen has knowledge about his magic, and he’s afraid that knowledge will be used for harm. It takes time for Kirill–and his fellow delegates–to see the few people from Tournai who know their secret go to great pains to not let it be revealed to any new persons, thus protecting the Ivrians from the exposure they want to contain.

Griffen and Kirill develop a plan for further connection, once they agree that they want more than something casual. Kirill feels so seen and cherished by Griffen, who loves him in human or dragon form. Griffen really feels connected to Kirill, and their lives seem aligned both emotionally and diplomatically. Bastien and Corentin also share their happy ending with the greater group of friends and family that make up these books, with glimpses of folks who might become MCs of their own right in later stories. I’m a fan of this series and the magical world they encompass. Can’t wait for another story to hit the press!

I requested this novel from Netgalley because the blurb sounded amazing, not aware that it was part of a series of interconnected standalones. I thought the worldbuilding and exstensive cast of characters was going to confuse me but instead I managed to follow the story easily and boy, did I devour it. I could probably kick myself for not reading any of the previous books beforehand though, the small glimpeses we get here of all the other previous mains made me so curious. Anyhow, "The Envoy's Honor" reads as a standalone easily enough and I'm very glad I got the chance to read it.

The story is very compelling. I couldn't stop reading since I needed to know how Griffen and Kirill's story ended. It's full of twists and turns, political intrigue, diplomacy and mystery and even though you kind of guess who the bad guys are it still managed to surprise me.
I absolutely adored Griffen and now I'm absolutely dying to read about what happened to him in the previous novels. He was very charming and I could very much see why Kirill was smitten with him from the start.
I also liked Kirill and I especially appreciated how he managed to handle his and the Ivrians difficult situation.
However my heart was absolutely stolen by both Romilly and Rozenn. They're both hilarious and lovely and I really want to read more about them now. Especially Romilly.
Also, kudos for representation!

The world-building was well-made and intriguing and though I would have loved to have some way to place Ivria and see more of how Tournai worked and it's culture and people, I guess I need to go back to the start of the series to do so.

I'm definitely going to read the other books now, I'm so curious to read all about how Tournai's extravagant extended royal family came to be.