What an unbelievably fantastic conclusion to the Kingmaker ChroniclesI Ms. Bouchet has woven a heartbreaking and uplighting story of unimaginable loss, grief and unshakable and abiding love. Her imagination is unparalleled for the trials she puts Cat through before Cat realizes what she needs to do to defeat her evil mother. I couldn't read the book fast enough to find out how this book would end. All I can say is wow! An awesome job from a very talented author. I can't wait to see what she'll publish next!

**EDIT**
I am so sad to see such an amazing trilogy come to an end. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this and once I did, I devoured it, just as it did to my reading heart.

“I am mercy, but I am also death.”

If you have followed Cat and Griffin on their incredible journey together in A Promise of Fire and Breath of Fire, then you know where this book takes place and what is to be expected. Heart on Fire picks up right where the last one ended. We enjoy the same Cat and Griffin.

Heart on Fire was so action packed, had heart pounding adventure, and of course Cat’s wonderful sense of humor!

Going through the journey with Cat trying to defeat her mother as incredibly emotional building for her. I loved how Griffin let Cat do her own thing to handle her Mom. We all know the struggles she has had emotionally and personally.



Now…as I found this to be such a great conclusion, there was a part of me that longed for more. Maybe it was because we didn’t get much from Cat and Griffin together. Maybe it was because we didn’t get to see them in that next step of life they were entering…(Sorry-trying not to give spoilers…). Maybe it was the easiness and sacrificial way Cat’s mother was “defeated..”. I’m not sure. I just want more. I wanted to witness them growing and taking the next steps together. This is considered a paranormal romance, but yet the last book was the least romantic of them all.

Image result for Heart on Fire gif

Anyways, don’t let that stop you from reading this. I am super selfish with this trilogy because I loved it from the beginning and I hate seeing it end. Again, we got to experience Greek mythology and some of my favorite Gods and Goddesses. It’s always nice when Ares and Athena make an appearance! (or is it…?)

I’m going to be re-reading The Kingmaker Chronicles again shortly. My reading heart just isn’t ready to let these characters go yet.

If you haven’t yet..be sure to check out my review to Promise of Fire and Heart on Fire by going to dauntlessreading.wordpress.com !

So Thank You so much for checking this out! I always love chatting with you all!

HEART ON FIRE RELEASED JANUARY 2, 2018!

A great way to start your 2018 reading adventures!

Until Next Time,

DauntlessReading

Will Edit this closer to the books release date. Amanda Bouchet did amazing with this conclusion! I absolutely loved this series and I am so saddened that it has came to an end. I will miss these characters dearly. Cat&Griffin Forever!!!!!

I loved this series! Cat is amazing and it was great to see how her character developed. A must read!

Heart of Fire is the third and final installment in author Amanda Bouchet's The Kingmaker Chronicles. When we last left protagonist Catalia Fisk, a powerful Magoi of the bloodline of Titans and Olympians, she and her husband Griffin had won the Agon Games, and defeated the Taran Alpha's. Even though Cat has become the Queen of Thalyna and the entity that is supposed to bring hope to the realm, there have been some twists and some losses along the way. Cat, as we have learned, has some interesting abilities, but it might be her own failings and insecurities that lead to failure.

Cat has the ability to steal magic from others, the ability to tell if someone is lying, the ability to use lightning (which is Zeus's trademark), and the ability to go invisible are great tools to have at her disposal. (She also gets one more pretty cool ability in this story but I shalt not spoil it for you.) Cat, who has enough sarcasm and sass to carry the load, grew up amidst fear and darkness, power games and distrust, but has since found a man who loves her fiercely, unconditionally and reverently even though he is beyond overprotective at times, especially now that Cat is carrying "Little Bean."

Her unique relationship with the Gods like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Ares and Persephone, have given her the ability to survive situations others would fallen by the way side. But, Cat also has had her destiny guided for her by those same Gods. No matter how hard she tried to escape it, it keeps coming back up in a variety of different forms. She knows that Griffin is the key to her abilities. She also gets a shocking wake-up with some really eye opening revelations from the Gods.

Cat and Griffin have one major challenge remaining; Facing off against Alpha Fisa, Cat's diabolical mother who won't bow down and surrender to anyone, let alone her wayward daughter who ran away 8 years ago. One can expect that Andromeda will do whatever is in her powers to prevent Cat and Griffin from succeeding. Cat is also trying to understand her new destiny. She is Hope in flesh and blood not just some abstract concept. Apparently, Griffin has known about Cat's destiny all along, which is why he went to great lengths to bring her into his family and his plans for uniting the realms under one banner.

Cat literally has the power of Gods at her fingertips, but her insecurities and her worries about hurting or losing those she has become friends and her new family that has accepted her, faults and all have sometimes caused power shortages.
Bouchet never fails to impress at how big she goes with both her world building, her plot, her characters, and her smexy romance scenes. The direct involvement of the Greek pantheon is one of the best moments of the series because it forces both Cat and Griffin to understand what brought them together and what is expected of them.

Central to this entire series has been the so called Power Bid that can reunite the three realms known as Fisa, Tarva, and Sinta into Thalyna. Sinta is where this series began. Fisa will be where it ends. Heart on Fire concludes Cat's journey, her discover of herself and embracing her limitless potential after facing countless trials, physical and emotional. When all is said and done, can Cat and Griffin find their happy ever after? Or, will Andromeda be the thorn that sticks in their claw?

Heart on Fire is the third book (and conclusion) to the Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet. I highly recommend reading the entire series in order, not just because it is fabulous, but also because the background and intricacies of the world Bouchet built requires it to understand this book and fully enjoy the ride.

Who is Catalia Fisa? With the help of pivotal figures from her past, Cat begins to understand the root of her exceptional magic, her fated union with Griffin Sinta, and Griffin's role in shaping her destiny. Only Cat holds the key to unlocking her own power, and that means finally accepting herself, her past, and her future in order to protect her loved ones, confront her murderous mother, and taking a final, terrifying step--reuniting all three realms and taking her place as the Queen of Thalyria. What doesn't kill her will only make her stronger, we hope.

Heart on Fire is a book I was eager to read, but still dreading. I love this world and story, and I was sad to see it end- although I hope the world will continue on in related books. As usual Catalia is trying to figure out her powers, and trying to unite people with as few lives lost as possible. However, there are huge trails ahead and little in way of directions. Griffin is still the stalwart and loving partner, and I loved seeing their relationship grow and change to keep pace with the danger and challenges ahead. I Think both characters grew through out the book, but Cat's inner conflicts and discoveries about herself are the force behind the book. I liked that while so much of the book was her struggling to deal with the gods, fate, and her mother- it never felt like a pity party. Too often a character that needs to face issues of this magnitude ends up feeling too whiny or self involved for me. This did not happen here, instead it was all part of the necessary journey. I was impressed with the amount of twists and turns the story took, and with the amount of mythology that was used. I was surprised several times, and fully invested in the well-being of the characters.

Heart on Fire is a wonderful conclusion to a trilogy. I was very happy with the action and resolution. I only hope that Bouchet keeps writing about this world she has created, because I want to know more about what happens next in the lives of several secondary characters.

FINAL DECISION: A good ending to the trilogy. Although it didn't quite hit the highs of the first two books as it wrapped up the story, I thought it was a worthy end.

THE STORY: Picking up after the events of BREATH OF FIRE, Cat and Griffin now take on their greatest challenge in unifying the three realms. Now Cat must go home and confront her murderous mother.

OPINION: I have loved the world building and complex relationships in this series. This book brings everything (at least regarding Cat and Griffin) to a close as Cat confronts her biggest fear -- her mother.

As the story progresses, the relationship to the Greek Gods that has been present throughout the series becomes explicit as Cat's destiny is fully revealed.  There is less tension and drama in this story as between Griffin and Cat and I think the book suffers somewhat from this. While the action and fantasy is good, I was not as interested in Cat and Griffin's journey.

This book was necessary to finish everything up, but I missed the personal tension that made the first two books so good. Don't get me wrong, this book was not disappointing but rather suffered just a tiny bit in comparison to the other books in the series.

That being said, I really enjoyed the revelations here and seeing Cat and Griffin's relationship become more centered. Griffin is a wonderful partner for Cat and looking back on the series, all the qualities that make him so were obvious. They end up being such a grounded and complementary pair -- and part of the reason is revealed in this book.

WORTH MENTIONING: I hope there are more books set in this world because there seem to be more stories to tell.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HEART OF FIRE is the third book in the Kingmaker Chronicles. This book is intended to be read as part of the trilogy as it follows one couple and their quest.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to prepare a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Review to be posted on January 2, 2018

Absolutely love this series I have read the other 2 parts and I can’t get enough of it. This has all the great elements of a story action, romance, magic, humor,suspense. Cat is one of my all time favorite heroines and of course Griffin is the alpha male we all want to get our hands on. This series gets 2 thumbs up.

Reading this final installment made me like the previous books even less, which is sad. I had had a weird kind of relationship with these books to begin with - I read the first two when I was sick and so I was a little bleary headed and I liked more what they could be then what they necessarily are. I think I also gave the first two a little more credit than they deserved because I thought some of my initial dislike might have been due to the sickness. So yeah, I mostly skim read this. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll probably enjoy this one. I just feel like I've outgrown them, in a way. I read so many amazing books this year and this just didn't live up to those. The possessiveness and hyper masculinity just really isn't my thing and it turned me off the whole book.

Repetitive and tensionless, a far cry from the adventure of book one.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book because I needed to know what happened! What happened is your emotions take a ride on the emotional roller-coaster. You find yourself laughing, crying, getting angry and annoyed, and finally overjoyed. There were a couple of slow parts to the plot but overall the story moved at a nice pace. The book would've been better if there had been an epilogue, but that's just my personal opinion.

I've read all three books in the series and loved them all. Cat is real, fierce, vulnerable all at the same time. Cat and Griffins love is epic. The supporting characters are well developed and interesting. I like the mix of Romance and Fantasy.

This book has serious pacing issues. Despite wanting to like it, I barely got through the first few chapters. The first two books had recognizable structures - a road trip and a rollicking 'coming into your own' set of challenges, but this third one seems completely unsure of its arc.

Amanda Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles continues with another fascinating, imaginative fantasy.  Greek mythology is expertly woven into this tale of struggle with horrendous beasts, gods and demi-gods and just plain evil humans.  In contrast with the horrific situations is a group of people some related by blood, many not who built an amazing family and lead a people how desperately need their fairness and strength.

Cat finally comes into her destiny with her full powers as she goes into the biggest fight of her life against her own mother.  Griffin remains the most amazing supportive man who also happens to be a big ole alpha in his own right!  Swoon.

I was on the verge of being tired of Cat's wishy-washy inability to accept her fate and take charge of her powers when she finally saw the light and embraced it.

This book is filled with fights that seem insurmountable, surprising explanations of previous events, godly intervention and love.  Lots of love.

This entire series has had me hooked and Heart of Fire was a satisfying, gripping conclusion.

I have been an enormous fan of the Kingmaker Chronicles and especially Cat and Griffin since I read A PROMISE OF FIRE. I also enjoyed BREATH OF FIRE so much last year. Unfortunately, this conclusion to the series did not work for me, and I ended up giving up on this book around 30%. I don't know what happened but I just didn't feel the same excitement or tension in the story or between the characters. This makes me sad, as I'm always excited when a couple is together and actually works together. But something was missing in this book. I do still love Cat and Griffin though and I wish nothing but the best for them in the future. I'd also LOVE to read books from Beta team, and I'm hoping that's where the author is going, as none of them get their own HEAs. And I would definitely pick those books up, or anything else that Amanda Bouchet writes, but sadly, this just wasn't the series conclusion for me. I'm going to give this 2 stars on the strength of the series alone, but as I didn't finish it, I wouldn't rate it if I wasn't forced to by this system.

Note: This review will contain slight spoilers for the book series.

Also: This series contains mature scenes in both sexy times and graphic violence. Please be aware before reading!

Passion, empathy, love, and growth: four words that this book is comprised of. There is passion in the actions of the characters, stimulated by the love of their family or romantic counterparts. empathy in the feelings they feel regarding one another, and tremendous character growth as each takes the time to learn lessons that would help them grow stronger both physically and mentally. HEART ON FIRE was a romantic, fun ending to the Kingmakers’ Chronicles (although I do believe, and am excited, for extra stories featuring the side characters). Cat and Griffin’s love story is written in a dramatic conclusion that is full of action and twists.

The first thing I’d like to start with is my appreciation of the romance in these books. Cat and Griffin are equally strong in their own ways, making their romance quite balanced and lovely to see. They’re fiercely passionate about their loved ones, and both characters demonstrate Alpha personalities. Despite that, there’s a respect for the other that makes it a positive, wholesome relationship. Readers also see a progression with their trust in the other as they fall more in love. They are together for pretty much the whole book so there is a lot of sweet scenes romantically that the reader can count on.

“‘You’re the air I breathe,’ he says without a trace of humor in his voice.
My whole chest clenches hard, squeezing a tight, almost painful beat from my heart. ‘I admire you,’ I reply. ‘I need you. I love you with all my heart.’”

Other than that, I think the rest of the storyline felt very padded. The first 20% of the book seemed like the set-up of a side story and had almost nothing to do with the actual progression of the plot. Bouchet’s writing, I have discovered after reading all three of her books, does this thing where she instills a copious amount of dialogue for pages on end. It flows as you’re reading, but in hindsight is awkward when put into the fact that there is a scene going on and characters are just standing around talking for pages on end. These chapters of dialogue are spread between pages of just action. There’s not a good mix of two; the areas of action and fighting are distinctly separate from when she features heavy dialogue. Add to that the reliance on deus ex machina to escape certain plot lines, and it ends up being a story told with holes for me as a reader. I expected a bit more logical explanation rather than the cop out that happens whenever a Greek god appears.

Cat as a character develops so much throughout this series. Her growth is really phenomenal, and while I can appreciate that, I also can’t help but note how frustrating it was in this book. It takes a solid 80% of the book for her to realize something that’s been building up since the beginning of the book. To say reading her failures for the first ⅘ of the book with frustration would be an understatement. Remember what I said about the copious amounts of dialogue? This also includes her inner thoughts. Told in the first person POV, Cat is constantly raging an inner struggle in her narrative. And while this leads to realizations and understandings that augment character growth, I found it tedious by the fifth page. It was quite a lot of repetition that as a reader who was looking for a fast, action-packed story, didn’t quite fall in love with. Nevertheless, I do commend the author for adding these much-needed introspective bits to balance out with the continuous action in the storyline.

“I don’t need to be perfect, or have all the answers. I just have to be me, and fair, and do the best for the people and place I love.”

I really enjoyed getting glimpses of the side characters and the familial love that is always present in the Kingmaker Chronicles. Griffin’s fun family is always a blast to read about, as well as the burgeoning romance between specific side characters that I have no doubt we will explore more of. The overall storyline of defeating Cat’s mother and uniting all the kingdoms together to instill peace is nicely finished with a bow on top. It’s a fantasy romance with a wholesome ending that I think romance readers looking for some action will really like.

While HEART ON FIRE was a great read with a passionate romance, excellent exploration of family dynamics, loads of action, and the flavor of friendship to top it off, I didn’t love it as much as previous books. Cat goes through and learns so much in this book, yet as a reader I found her repetitive mistakes quite frustrating. I’m sure other readers will have no problem with it, and don’t want to discourage anyone from not picking this up. The deus ex machina of some plot lines gets me every time though (which I also remember from the second book), bringing down the rating. Overall, HEART ON FIRE was a pleasant, romantic fantasy escape that readers looking for lots of love - be it friendly, familial, or otherwise - will definitely enjoy.

A good conclusion to a fun fantasy/romance series. I would love to see a spinoff series with some of the other characters.

When I first came across the Kingmaker Chronicles, I was ecstatic to find a series that seemed to have everything I look for in the fantasy romance genre. I quickly devoured the first two books. A Promise of Fire and Breath of Fire were completely addicting - full of thrilling adventures, steamy romance, great characters, and an intriguing plot. And as sad as I that Cat and Griffin's journey was coming to end, I was so excited to read the conclusion to this series. Nothing pains me more than the fact that Heart on Fire was a major disappointment.

There were three major issues I had with the book that didn't allow for me to enjoy this as much as the first two in the series:

The Characters. Heart on Fire was very much focused on Cat and Griffin, which is fine because they're the main characters and the heart of the story, but the side characters that I had grown to love and care for throughout the series were practically non-existent, and had very little (if any) page time. One of the great things about the previous books was Cat's connections and relationships with these characters, so the fact that they were missing throughout most of the book was disheartening. 

The Plot. My main issue was the plot was that many of the scenes seemed to drag. When I start skimming paragraphs and pages, that is never a good thing. Another problem I had with the story was the final confrontation with Cat's mother. I was expecting way more action and turmoil, especially given all the previous encounters, and yet it was over so quickly and anti-climatically that I wondered if I had missed something.

The Ending. This is where the majority of my disappointed comes from. When I read the conclusion to a much beloved series, I expect to be left with a feeling of contentment and satisfaction. Instead, I feel cheated. The ending felt completely rushed. The story ended so abruptly that I was actually stunned when I turned the last page and was met with nothing. There was no epilogue or final chapter to wrap up loose ends and give closure to the reader. It honestly felt like I was missing a part of the book. It left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

Heart on Fire should have been an epic conclusion to a wonderful series but there were too many things missing for me to really enjoy it. I'm going to miss these characters and their stories, especially Cat and Griffin. In the future, I hope there are more fantasy romance novels written as wonderful as these books in the future. Kudos to Amanda Bouchet for writing such an amazing debut series!

4.5 stars

Heart on Fire was a great conclusion to the Kingmaker Chronicles. There was so much going on, and the author had me on an emotional-rollercoaster throughout the book. It was very unpredictable and had a couple of plot twists. What I really enjoyed was the mythology and all the mythical creatures that made an appearance in this series. It is clear that the author Amanda Bouchet has an incredible creative mind, and I applaud her for the world she has created for this series. I was fully connected to all the main characters. I was a part of the team and felt every emotion they did. There were times I couldn't contain my tears and other times I was pumped up for a fight.

"You're the best man I know, and the only man I want. You're a torch, not the dark. I look at you, and all I see is fire and light."

In this book Cat has to confront her evil mother once and for all. It won't be an easy fight, because she is so powerful. I loved how supportive and protective Griffin and the Beta Team were. Griffin is definitely one of my all time favorite book boyfriends. He was an alpha but wasn't afraid to let Cat fight her own fights. There were a couple of heartbreaking scenes, but also many uplifting ones. The writing, storytelling and character development was amazing. The book wasn't perfect in my opinion, because some scenes left me wanting more or didn't have the punch I expected it to have. Especially the ending left me unsatisfied and I still have a couple of unanswered questions, so I need a spin-off focusing on the members of the Beta team. I am not ready to say goodbye to these incredible characters!

Love this series! I thought the ending was a little rushed, I would definitely pick up a fourth installment. I hope she writes more in this universe, there are several characters that definitely need their stories told.

In the conclusion of the Kingmaker Chronicles, Cat has become and intercuts, whiny girl. This installment was painful because watching the fierce vibrant warrior who fights for everything she lives turn into a helpless baby made me want to punch her. She has everything including a huge responsibility of being the origin, but again...she has everything including Griffin by her side. I could have used more kick ass battles and live making and less of the self journey. All in all in was a good conclusion to the story.