Rounding up from 4.5! This book surprised me! Not just because I didn’t see one of the twists coming (the second twist I called!) but because I didn’t know if it would be a good read or not.

It’s a good read! The pacing reminded me of Raven Kennedy’s writing style where it’s a little slower because it’s so character driven. So if you like really getting to know these people, their heads, hearts, backstories, etc - you’ll like this!

I loved the fresh take on dragons, witches, and politics. I love when we start to question origin stories and it’s like wait…what if they’re wrong?? Paradigm shifts are my jam.

Now, the love story. So so good! I loved the enemies to lovers, touch her and die, possessive make, dark and light, push and pull of them! The forbidden romance had great tension and it landed really well for me.

It’s not a hard or a long read, I just really enjoyed it and I think it’ll be a bit! What kept it from 5 stars for me was that there were a couple places where it felt a *little* repetitive but it’s minor. I’m looking forward to seeing how this story and the author evolve!

First and foremost, let me say that I did enjoy this book. But it has me feeling conflicting things - on one hand, I loved the story line, but on the other, I thought the author droned on quite a bit on certain points.

I really liked our characters, Tamsyn and Fell, and the banter and the angst between them from the very beginning. I thought the story had some unique pieces to it, but I felt that the writing sometimes took away from the overall storyline and my enjoyment of it. For example, she would write a few paragraphs where she essentially says or explains the same thing over and over, using different words or phrases to do so. I found myself skimming when that happened, trying to get back to the forward movement of the plot.

The spice was not over the top, frequent, or super descriptive, but it was present and I thought it was well done. I usually like a little bit more, but it wouldn't have made much sense to do that here based on the storyline. Overall, I'd give it somewhere between 1.5 to 2 out of 5 peppers.

I also thought that there were a few areas where the author could've done a better job describing certain things - dragons being the main thing. While most of us have a picture of what dragons look like in our minds, the wording that was used (while vague) was confusing, almost indicating that the dragons in this story had an almost humanoid form.

I may or may not recommend this book to others, depending on taste and preferences. If you like intricate world building and complex magic systems, this probably won't be for you. But if you like romantasy with a bit of spice, tension, witches & dragons, and a FMC who is finding her strength, you may enjoy this!

I still enjoyed the story, and I plan to read the next book in the series, especially after that cliffhanger.

In a world where dragons are extinct, witches are outcast and magic is disappear a young woman finds herself in the midst of danger. Tamsyn is an unofficial member of the royal family but with that comes the duty of the royal whipping girl. She is so close to freedom from punishment and life of her own when her life takes an unexpected turn. She is forced into marrying the Beast of the Borderlines, Fell. What could’ve ended in bloodshed turns into an unlikely acceptance of the marriage. Tamsyn must now travel to him homelands, fulfill her duty to her kingdom and play the false wife to a man that considers her his enemy. Secrets being to unravels as tension builds, will either of them make it out alive?

Firstly this was a book that’s starts on exactly page one, immediately you meet characters you love and characters you love to hate. I was drawn in right away. I enjoyed the banter between our FMC and Stig. The brief backstory between these two makes it really easy to see their friendship and how they care for each other. I loved every part of their story.

The apprehension built around the Beast of the Borderlands, Fell made me so intrigued by his character and I have to know more of his backstory.

I loved the multi POV and hearing each characters inner dialogue this really worked for me in this story.

I felt like the world building left me wanting a little more. It was enough to feel aware of where or what was taking place, but it needs a bit more. The magic systems, however that was well done especially with magic fading. I really enjoyed the magic in this story.

Overall this was a 4/5 star read for me. It had me hooked from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I needed a fantasy romance book that wasn’t so complicated it takes all my brain cells to keep everything straight and A Fire in the Sky really delivered. The magic system was simple and fun, with some unique quirks that I was pleasantly surprised by! Of course there is the ever present, but necessary, bore that is politics too…add some dragons, witches, and serious enemies and boom there ya have it! This story is exhilarating, with well timed high points and some despair too because we need it. Obviously.

I love that Tamsyn is such a strong female lead. She’s fierce and loyal, but not naive as her position would assume. I cheered her on the whole book! Fell isn’t what you’d expect either, which I appreciated immensely. Saying anything else would be giving away some important info so you’ll just have to read it for yourself. Basically, nothing is as it seems. Except Stig. He’s exactly what you’d expect. 🤣

Heck of an ending for book one as well. I was freaking out! I’ll be anxiously waiting for book two!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

This book had everything I love from reading fantasy books. The concept and the characters drew me in and I can never say no to a romantasy book!

Firstly, I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC of A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan.

I finished this book two days ago, and while I have been toying with different ratings, I have landed with a 3/5 stars.

I enjoyed this book, specifically the first 50% of it. I did like the world building, the way in which in one land there were such separate groups of people leading completely juxtaposing lives. The initial half of this book felt well paced, with enough detail to keep me engaged while providing me with the right amount to keep me intrigued and wanting to learn more. For me, it felt like the start of the story held so much promise, with not only plot lines but also the underlying romance and the mystery that lies within Tamsyn (our FMC). Unfortunately, I felt after we hit the halfway mark, the plot took a bit of a shift, leaving both the plot and romance to feel rushed. I enjoyed the overall premise of the book, and I will continue to read this series as more books are written and released, but I did feel disappointed in the way this book ended up from about 50% until the end.

I will say that the overall premise of the book is entertaining, and that is what will lead me to continuing this series. The ending gave me hope for an exciting second book in the series. Personally, I think this book could have used an additional 100 pages to really bring in the reader and fully develop different aspects of the story.

I did like our FMC and MMC, although it is notable that I felt their relationship take a "backseat" to the story after about 45% of the way through; and I mean this in the way that it went from 0-100 in an instant. I just felt that it turned into more of an instalove feeling rather than the enemies to lovers I have come to expect in romantasy books. I was invested in their relationship, and I know that the future of this series will elaborate further on them and their dynamic.

Overall, I did enjoy my time reading this book, and I will continue on with the series in hopes that the future books will give me everything I missed in book one. I do know that there are times where first books in a fantasy series do not always grab me in the way I hope, so I am eager to read book two.

"A Fire in the Sky" was everything I hoped it would be: original, endearing, and filled with great characters worth rooting for. From the very beginning to the last page, this book pulled me in and did not let go. I love Tamsyn and Fell--individually, they're great, and together, their chemistry and connection is undeniable. If you love a female main character who is tough yet feminine, a male main character who is strong and unafraid of his own emotions, and of course, dragons, this book is absolutely for you!

#AFireInTheSky: 🔥🐉❤️⁣
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Thank you @avonbooks @librofm for my gifted copies! ⁣
⁣
“Life had conditioned me for this. I was not glass. I did not break. I was bred to survive.”⁣
⁣
I finished A Fire in the Sky in less than 24 hours and it was the most amazing thing ever. Worth the ridiculous lack of sleep. ⁣
⁣
You’ve got enemies to lovers (adjacent), marriage of convenience, touch her and die, found family, dragons, witches, did I mention dragons? Horrible ex bestie who sucks so you definitely cheer for the couple, the whole works.⁣
⁣
I flipped through the pages definitely wanting to know will they/won’t they and also to see wha happens next. I feel like we got major cliffhanger in this one, and a for sure book hangover.⁣
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Out today. So worth it. I’m obsessed. Can’t you tell? ⁣
⁣
“I don’t know which is more treacherous. Humans or love. In the end, both will fail you.”⁣
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QOTD: What are you reading today?

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Ms. Jordan for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title.
An honest review was requested but not required.

I did ENJOY this book a lot; I put down two other books out of insufficient interest and when I picked this up, I was hooked. There were some definite plot holes and maybe some editing that could be done, story-wise, as certain things could have been tightened up. In particular I could have cared less about Stig's POV and was not sure why, if Tamsyn was so uninterested, she was so demonstratively friendly with him (rushing up to hug him, bodily defending him, etc). It seemed to me like she might have led him on a little bit. Anyways. For entertainment value, I can't complain. I will say I would have liked a bit more DRAGONS but I suppose the follow-up book will have plenty. I did like the far-north setting, a little Winterfell-esque, and I loved the setting generally. Looking forward to book #2.

⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

My Reviews - A Fire In The Sky
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶 🌶
Characters: 🙍🏼‍♀️🙍🏼‍♀️🙍🏼‍♀️
Plot: 🏠🏠🏠

Tropes:
✨ Romantasy
✨ Dragons
✨ Hidden Identities
✨ Royals
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Arranged Marriage
✨ Dual POV
✨ Steamy scenes
✨ He falls first
✨ Love triangle (FMC=not interested)


Review:

This book was somehow very entertaining and kept me reading but it definitely had its flaws. A Fire in the Sky reminds me a lot of vikings with dragons and witches. There is a lot of repetition of thoughts which had me a little annoyed at times. The FMC isn’t my favorite character but I did love the MMC, Fell. He also known as the Beast of the Borderlands and is a character that I loved from the start. He’s this tough viking exterior but a teddy bear at heart. He cares so much for his people, warriors and Tamsyn (FMC).

The Romance aspect was fun but nothing amazing. The plot was a bit predictable for most of the book. I knew from the beginning that the FMC was special but I was thinking in a different direction then the story went and I was not sure I liked where its going. At the very end a new character comes in, and that will be the reason I will continue the series. I am interested in where this next book is going to take us and I am excited to see more dragons in the next book.

Overall I rate this four stars because it was very entertaining and had me wanting to pick up this book but there were things I would change. I am fairly easy to please with books but when there is constant repetition in thoughts, it really annoys me.

Synopsis:

This book follows the life of Tamsyn, the royal whipping girl. She grew up in the palace alongside the three princess of Penterra but her duty was to take the punishment for her so called “sisters.” When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands comes to their home, she agrees to not only marry a brutal warrior to save her sisters from a fate far worse than death but trick him into thinking he’s marrying a princess.

The wedding night starts with passion but ends in rage when fell discovers he’s been fooled into taking a wife that is not a princess. Rather than starting a war, he accepts his bride and begins his journey home. On the journey to the Borderlands, Tamsyn is learning about this world she has been shielded from her entire life and Fell is discovering things he never thought he would.

Tamsyn is defiantly more than a whipping girl, but who or what is she really. Magic is not dead...it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

Fav Quotes:


But these were desperate times, and there was nothing I would not do to save her. Nothing. Nothing at all. I will check for anything. Even my duty. Even myself.

“We can go. The two of us. We can leave for the rest of the palace wakes up.” … I smiled, and I felt pain on my face. “The only thing I know about you, Stig…Is that you always do what is right. You would never abandon your responsibilities for me. For anyone.” … “I would. For you. I will.”

I might be known throughout the realm as a beast, but I would not devour her.

I would have to approach my wife with care.

I realized that she was a pawn in all of this, and I will try to honor her as my wife and shield her from the harsh realities of life in the Borderlands.

Bladder sprang from my open wound, dark and vicious. My job clenched. I did not like anyone taking a blade to her, sanctioned ritual or not.


Two strangers bound together for the rest of our lives. Life had never seemed so long.

“Don’t go… Don’t stop-“ … “Not if there was a sword to my throat.”

This was about her. Tan sun. My wife. My. Mine.

One hand on my chest, one word from her, and I stopped.

I might not want her for my wife, but she was mine. Mine and not his. I wanted to break him.

And know that if you ever step foot in the Borderlands, you will not take what is mine. If you even try, I will end you

Arkin was right. There were many dangerous things in these woods. I just never realize that he could be one of them. Arkin had try to hurt Tamsyn, and he got what he had coming to him.

She was mine, and I had not held onto her tightly enough. Not closely enough. Not enough.

If her shit family could help get her back and keep her safe, I wasn’t too proud to call on them to do so.

If the dragon I hunted, got the best of me, I needed to know someone would look out for her. Someone else would save her.

But whatever the case, I felt her like my own heartbeat.

Magic cannot be destroyed. It might hide, but it is always there. It never goes away. It lives in the bones, and the soul of this world. What you are, this… It was always in you, rooted deep.” … Always in you. Like a tooth waiting to emerge, patient for its turn, for its day to break free.

Almost as though she feared the world outside her door. And yet fear was not a word, I would ever associate with her. Not this girl… Not this woman who I’ve been taking meetings as her do.

“You could never understand the depth of my feelings for her, you heartless bastard.” … “I’ll remember that next time I’m in bed with her.”

He had just stopped Stig from killing me. Fell hadn’t killed me.

“Beautiful…Always”

You owe me an explanation, and you’re not going anywhere without me until I get it.

Tamsyn has lived a life of a princess- for a price. She endured knowing that her life would eventually be her own. Until the crown decides she might be of use elsewhere.

Read if you like: romantasy, multi POV, hidden magic, arranged marriages, slow burn/slow reveal, finding your true self, boy next door vs warrior lord (not really a triangle), a strong girl finding her voice, and a warrior finding his path.

Tamsyn has had a pretty good life living in the castle with her adopted sisters the Princesses of Penterra. Her role as the royal whipping girl has provided status and, eventually, a life of freedom- at the cost of her physical pain and loneliness. Her only friend, Stig, who grew up beside her to become the captain of the guard, has been a steadfast companion and confidant. Before she can be relieved of her duties to the Crown, Fell, the Lord of the Borderlands, arrives demanding a royal bride. The Crown decides Tamsyn is royal enough and tricks Fell into accepting her hand. Stig vows to rescue her in from this fate in a not-so-subtle declaration of his intentions, even though she accepts her duty to her adopted family and the kingdom. Tamsyn knows she has an important role to play but what she doesn’t realize is what the journey to the border will reveal about her future and her origins.

Hi, hello. Welcome to your new favorite adult romantasy. Get ready to swoon. Tamsyn is so torn between what she has always known and the unknown. She’s always been curious and even though she’s terrified of leaving the castle with her new barbarian of a husband she can’t fight the draw to go.
And this is the vibe of the whole book. This anticipation and longing- ugh, so good! Tamsyn is great, I love her as a leading lady. Stig is the perfect example of the boy next door if he carries a sword and, y’know, learned prejudice. Fell is all the things we love in a romantasy ‘challenger’ but he’s also a great leader- so get ready for some contrast friends.
I love the writing! It’s a perfect high fantasy ‘lite.’ Meaning it’s medium to fast paced and the world building isn’t heavy. You can read it quickly and not miss any key details or get bogged down with terms and names and maps and whatever. The history unfolds naturally and alongside the character’s journeys.
I don’t want to say too much but if you’ve read the Firelight trilogy you will have the most fun picking up the little breadcrumbs all the way. And if you’re new to the world- don’t worry. You just get a fantastic story filled with chemistry and secrets and magic. Squee. Please read this and tell me all your thoughts.

This is a wonderfully written and entertaining, romantic, fantasy book. I was drawn to the story from the very beginning. I don’t mind contemporary prose in romantic fantasy, but I really did like that the prose in this book seemed much more of medieval times. This book has an interesting protagonist, a love triangle, so many secrets and mysteries and dragons. I thought the world building was excellent, and I could sense that the background of some of the characters had secrets and am happy that we found out some during this book and am looking forward to the next book anxiously.

🔥 Book Review 🔥

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan
🔥
I absolutely devoured this book. It was fast paced, wildly entertaining, and kept me on my toes. If you love romantasy with dragons, go read this book right now! It has everything you could want: a strong female lead, a morally gray, possessive, broody warlord male lead, court politics, reluctant allies, forced proximity, a swoony romance, and angst. Tamsyn and Fell have incredible chemistry; I love them together. This book does a great job of setting things up for the rest of the series, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us. That ending was criminal, and I need to know what happens next!
🔥
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️
🔥
Read if you like:
▫️arranged marriage
▫️strangers to enemies to lovers
▫️dragons, witches, magic
▫️multiple POV
🔥
Thank you to Avon Books, Harper Voyager, Harper Collins, NetGalley, and Sophie Jordan for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think this book is perfectly fine. The writing is good but at times repetitive. It was a pretty easy (for me) fantasy. A bit slow until the very end. The romance was not convincing for me, not enough development or even time for it to develop.

An interesting fantasy book. I'm not sure I would recommend in an oversaturated market, but certainly worth the time if you come upon it.

This was such a fun ride! If you're curious about the book's tropes, you will find: forced marriage, enemies to lovers, orphaned MCs, multiple POVs, a sorta (not really) love triangle, dragons, witches, and deliciously slow burn romance. There are centuries old conflicts and perilous landscapes and creatures, and with the plot's slower pacing, readers can take their time and savor all of the reveals and romantic tension.

We're left with quite the cliffhanger that has me needing book two, and I'm given the impression that the sequel will be action-packed and kick it up a notch on the pacing.

I absolutely loved the tension between Fell and Tamsyn....despite them being forced to connect near the start of the story, the rest of the book had delectably slow burn tension and brooding between them, which I'm ALL about.

The whipping girl premise was a new one to me and definitely one I haven't read yet. Very interested to see where Sophie Jordan takes the story after that ending!

A Fire in the Sky is a spicy fantasy story about a royal whipping girl, raised alongside the royal family, but never one of them. She is married to a powerful warlord, and as she slowly falls for him, she learns about her true nature and the nature of the Threshing that rid the world of dragons. Or maybe not?

This book was fine. Not the next best thing in Romantasy, but on par with Fourth Wing in terms of fantasy and romance elements, as well as spicy scenes and writing style. And I mildly liked Fourth Wing when it comes to entertainment. Minimal world-building, a few explicit spice scenes and a emphasis on a relationship that develops pretty quickly within 300 pages or so. Though, I will say that these characters don't pretend to be in all-consuming love, but mostly lust and admiration at first. The cliff-hanger at the end was a surprise.

My biggest pro when it comes to this story is that the main character, Tamsyn, she does not do what is quite typical of Female heroines. She does not run away from her duty and she maintains a sense of agency within herself, she doesn't pander too much to the Male Hero. Not everyone may see it that way, but it was a refreshing character change for me.

I'm not sure if I will impatiently await the next book in this series, but if I see it around I may give it a go.

Thank you Netgalley and Pulisher for the eARC.

Read this if you need a easier read but certainly something different in the fantasy romance world.

⚔️Arranged Marriage
⚔️Dragons

I flew through this and had a good time with this one. Was this perfect, nah. But I loved this just because it was different and wasn't the typical cookie cutter fantasy romances out there lately.

This was odd for me. I liked the story and want to read what happens next however, the whole story felt so rushed. I wish there was more written about the first few days (weeks?) in the Borderlands as a couple. I could tell that this was just a set up for the next book when I was 80% of the way through and they had just barely gotten to the Borderlands. I like the ideas a lot but the execution wasn’t the best.

I won’t lie, I was a little unsure about this book when I first started it. The main character being a whipping girl for those she refers to as her “family” & the forced marriage (w/ a public consummation) made me slightly uneasy. But despite those things, I still found myself being drawn in & unable to put it down. I needed to know that things were going to get better for Tamsyn, because they were looking bleak, and in some aspects they did. But in others…. TBD 🫠

I loved that this book had multiple POVs. I was intrigued by the immediate connection they felt toward one another & the journey they took together throughout the story. I was SO glad when I read this was just the first of Tamsyn & Fell’s story, because with the way things ended I need to know more asap!

It took a twist that I was absolutely not expecting. It was very different from the other fantasy books I’ve read so far & I really enjoyed it. I found it to be very fast-paced and an all around fun read. Highly recommend adding this one to your autumn TBR

Thank you NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC