THE RIDER'S CURSE

Why these tropes fit

A dragon-bonded romantasy set in the battle-scarred world of Vaerath, where brooding Commander Kai Drevane has walled off his heart after burying the part of himself that once knew how to love, and the healer Sage Arlen—an unwilling military assignee and the fourth healer assigned to outlast no one—refuses to flinch at his cold armor. With Kai's silver-black dragon Ashveil already choosing the match, the story turns on a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension as Sage presses against the titular rider's curse, raising the central question of whether love alone can shatter a heart that has sworn never to let anyone in.

Evidence from the source

• Dragon Romance: “The Rider's Curse is a dragon romance unlike anything you have read before.” source
• Slow Burn: “Slow-burn tension that earns every single moment” source
• Tortured Hero: “A brooding, emotionally damaged dragon rider with a hero's scars and a closed-off soul” source
• Strong Heroine: “A sharp, fearless healer who is nobody's damsel and nobody's fool” source
• Curse: “what happens when the curse of guarded hearts meets someone who refuses to pretend she doesn't see the wound underneath the armor” source
• Enemies to Lovers: “If you love fantasy romance, dragon rider stories, wounded heroes, and enemies-to-lovers slow burn” source
• High Fantasy: “In the war-scorched world of Vaerath, where dragon riders are forged in fire and loss” source

Metadata source: Google Books. Quotes are used only to verify the tags.