4.5 rounding to a 5. Wow! Just wow! First of all I’m HONORED to have a galley of this book in my hands considering the GR giveaway had 31k people requesting this book the last time I saw it. Massive thank you to Dell Romance, Delacorte Press and Olivia Rose Darling for the galley and Random House for inviting me to review this title.

Delarcorte Press clearly identified a gem here and I’m sad and happy at the same time. Sad that I never saw this when Olivia first released this as an indie release, happy that I discovered it sooner rather than later 🥹. Romantasy fans I’m telling you don’t want miss this. What we all want, this one has it all!!

Tropes:
An exiled dragon queen
Dragons - we get 5
One of the best morally grey MCs (yup he will burn the world down for her)
Amazing side characters
High stakes and adventure

Elowen was tortured by the king (her father) as a child when she bonds with 5 dragons. She escaped and had made her own kingdom and is plotting to save her dragons and her right to the throne. What’s more intriguing than joining hands with Cayden the most feared commander on land to succeed in her mission? Blood is spilled and allies are made, in this action packed romantasy while Elowen and Cayden battle between love and trust.

How is this a debut? It’s that good! I couldn’t put this down when I started it! The world building and characters, so good! Also omg the dragons (I’d recommend going into the story knowing that the dragons are essentially confined - it’s in the blurb ). Also ya’ll the side characters are so well written! They reminded me a lot of the inner circle from ACOTAR , best friendships! You might be wondering how’s the romance? My answer is it’s on fire!! Find out yourself on how irresistible Cayden is .

Olivia, congratulations on this wonderful achievement! I’m a new fan of yours and here to stay.

Sharing my honest opinions after reading an early copy of the book.

I've seen multiple 5 star reviews for Fear the Flames, so I was excited to request it on NetGalley for its republication! Unfortunately, this was only a 3 star read for me, so check out the other reviews to see what worked so well for others!

Fear the Flames has good bones. I liked the premise and the characters overall: Elowen is a princess linked to 5 dragons. A prophecy foretold she could destroy the kingdom, so her father imprisoned her. Elowen escapes her imprisonment when she is ~10 years old with her uncle, but has to leave her dragons behind. As an adult, Elowen meets Cayden, the commander of her father's enemy kingdom. Cayden offers to help her free her dragons in exchange for siding with his kingdom. Overall, I liked Elowen, Cayden, and their sidekicks (Finnian, Ryder, and Saskia). Unfortunately, the writing style was just not for me. I found it to be clunky and choppy. This book does not have a hard plot to follow, but I found myself confused as the book jumped between scenes.

The market has been flooded with formula-like, trope-filled romantasies in recent years. And I can enjoy that!. Unfortunately, Fear the Flames didn't have anything that truly stood out to me or made it unique compared to all the others. We have banter, "enemies" to lovers, a lost princesses, found family and a few spicy scenes. This was not the next Fourth Wing like I was hoping for.

Thank you to Delacorte Press & NetGalley for this eARC!

First, let me say I absolutely loved the indie 2022 version of Fear of the Flames. I was obsessed within chapters and it was an easy 5 out of 5 stars, no notes, for me. Naturally, I was ecstatic to have access to the ARC of the formally published version.

Within this verison I truly have enjoyed the open and heartbreaking conversations that Elowen and Cayden have throughout the book and I was happy to see Elowen's revenge scene against Robick was still just as devasting and viseral to read. I loved learning more details about the dragons but lament the investigative nature of Elowen's quest for knowledge inthe previous version. I also significantly missed the heartstopping original ending in which Elowen is reunited with her dragons in such a dramatic and finale feeling way! The original verison captured the absolute resilance and bad assery of Elowen whereas the new ending is, fine. I appreciated Cayden's honesty and transparency through out the book at more timely, appropriate instances but missed more of the connection and compassion established in his relationship with Elowen brought about by both of their willingness to revisit their trauma and see each other, wounds and all. I also sorely missed the lovely bond and friendship that was originally fully flushed out between Elowen and Saskia which now feels like it happens more so off the page. The twist at the end remained satisfying although, Elowen handled it far more confidently in the new version compared to the devastating but empowering reaction in the indie which I personally preferred! I mean who doesn't like a life altering betrayal followed by being able to feel those emotions in real time AND still get the job done.

Despite the new additions I did like, the new version had many elements and scenes missing that were beyond essential to the story and I immediately felt their absence. The removal of the letters between Cayden and Elowen, the sudden setting shift with zero explanation as to what took the cast to the new location, the requirement to "just know" things causing the audience to have to go back and reread to make sure something wasn't missed, the sudden shift in topic from paragraph to paragraph with zero transitions (see Chapter 4), the extravagant upgrade to Cayden's home to a really unsettling level, the reduction of frustrating yet adorable banter between Elowen and Cayden during the initial hammering out of their alliance/deal which originally made their love development even more "enemies to lovers" with him still "falling first" now leabss their love story very fast and suf6een. This lack of visual (on the page) love development is further noticable in the missing sweet moments around pastries and Cayden being the only one to call Elowen on her constant need to diminish her own pain/suffering to the the strong one for others. Cayden and Elowen grow independently and together and that was captured far better in the original edit. These changes while maybe necessary for some future story reason created more issues with flow, continuity and pacing than in the previous version and I unfortunately am disappointed.

All in all, a 3 out of 5 largely due to the feelings of confusion that I felt while reading causing me to reread and slog through a shorter version of this amazing story compared to before. Many instances I would rush to my 2022 copy to confirm significant differences and to confirm that most changes were not for the better. I strongly feel that Olivia Rose Darling has surmountable talent but this particular rewrite has diminished the quality of this story to a point where I am hesitant to recommend or consider returning for the sequel. I will hold on to my indie copy like a prized possession.

ARC from PRH/Delacorte Press, thank you for the advanced copy!

This was such a fun Romantasy read! The dragon bonds were so unique and it kept me on my toes, wondering what was next. This is a good book for fans of SJM & RY for sure, very similar vibes. It also kind of reminded me of JLA’s books, where it’s has an urban fantasy feel without the technology. Can’t wait for book 2!

Review already posted on GR & Storygraph, saved to a highlight on my instagram

**DNF** 25%

The story is interesting but it is very normal, I couldn't make sense of it. From the beginning everything was very complicated, in my case I couldn't understand anything. I wasn't really hooked on any of the characters until a little more and I may have hated them.

Thanks to the author and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved this book. It had everything I look for in a fantasy and was overall such a fun read. The banter was great from the very beginning and the side characters were endearing. I felt connected to the FMC almost right away and was rooting for her success. I really enjoyed the romance in this book though it did feel a little like insta love at first. As we got to know the MMC more that feeling gradually went away as it was revealed why things occurred so quickly. I gave it a four because the ending just missed the mark for me. I cannot wait for the second book to come out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

✨𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀✨
📖: Fear the Flames (Fear the Flames, Book 1)
🔥: Releasing September 17, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

“…𝘐’𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.”

An exiled princess long believed dead later becomes the leader of a secret kingdom made up of rebels, outcasts, refugees. While on a scouting mission, she meets the notorious Commander of Vareveth, Cayden Veles.

For the survival of her people and the chance to reunite with her dragons and exact vengeance, they strike a reluctant alliance. Together, they face off against a powerful enemy and hope to not be consumed by their desires or to meet their doom

Tropes:
🤝 Reluctant allies to lovers
⚔️ Bookish & st@bby FMC
🤌 Broody MMC
🚫 Touch her & 💀
🫂 Forced proximity
🗣️ Banter
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Found family
🐉: Quests, heists, & bonds
🌶️: moderate

I enjoyed the initial iteration of this story immensely and this version with added scenes and sprinkles of magic made me fall deeper in love!

Elowen Atarah, tenacious and resilient, has trained her entire life to never be vulnerable again. Her relationship with Cayden is dynamic and layered with delicious tension. Their connection deepens and they discover that their desires and darkness mirror each other. But despite this, they each have their own agenda. Will they falter or persevere?

With a fiery love story, glorious banter, and action-packed adventure, Fear the Flames features everything I love in an epic fantasy romance. I cannot wait for the next book!

Huge thanks to the author, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for the advanced review opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review.

This ARC was sent to me and I downloaded without realizing I had already read the independently published version through Kindle Unlimited. While I didn't do a re-read at this time, this was a great book. Fast-paced and an interesting premise, and I am excited to read the rest of the series.

WHY DOES THIS BOOK NOT HAVE MORE HYPE?! This was the perfect mix of fantasy and romance, with a stabby badass FMC, a broody and murder-y MMC (who is only soft for the FMC), the most wholesome friendships, and an immersive world with a gripping plot. I'm obsessed. The banter between Cayden and Elowen is unmatched and I would read this book for that alone. Elowen's backstory is heartwrenching. I felt sick for her over how her guards treated her and the fact that she was imprisoned at such a young age by her FATHER. But I think I needed more to feel connected to Elowen's dragons. They are the driving force behind all of her actions in this book, everything is to get back to them, but I didn't feel that connection to the dragons or really feel a lot of emotions over her separation from them. Even with that I'm still obsessed and would recommend anyone who likes fantasy romance read it! Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc!

Rating: 4.75

My Review- This was so fun to read it made me laugh and become sad at times. You have Elowen when she was a child she was gifted dragons and had a strong bond with them they were taken from her and mistreated both her and them. Now she is older, wants her dragons back, and gets help from another kingdom commander to get her dragons back with her. Elowen is so strong and lovely at the same time and the commander is so grey and hot the tension and banner were wonderful I love the relationship between those two. There was a lot of action and some spicy in those action parts were best, That ending was crazy, and I can't wait for the next book to see what happens.

Didn't expect the ending! This isn't a genre changing book but if enemies to lovers and dragons is your thing, this is a book for you. It draws heavily from Dany (GoT) but thankfully no molten crowns on deserving jerks. Quick read too.

2.5 stars rounded up.

There was something about the book that prevented me from fully engaging in the storyline. Dnf at 43% will try to finish in a couple of weeks

Fear the flames has definitely been one of my top reads this year. I feel like this series will have so much potential. As a debut novel I really enjoyed this book. That being said I feel that there was a lot of world building that was left unanswered and not enough information about her dragons and how they were bonded in the beginning. I feel as if it was almost an afterthought.

Cayden and Elowen= SWOOONNNNN
“Careful, angel. You give a man a taste of salvation, and he might keep coming back for more.” -Cayden

I am a huge fan of the you touch her, you die trope. I loved their story and how it evolved throughout the book.

I ultimately look forward to anything else that Olivia writes going forward and am extremely grateful to have had a chance to read this book.

I absolutely loved Fear the Flames! 🔥
When I say banter, the banter was BANTERING. If you loved the banter in Powerless, then you will eat it up in this book. Both Cayden and Elowen had some fantastic one liners to each other. One would throw an insult at the other, but then the comeback was so cheeky - the kind that would make your brain short circuit for a second in real life.

I adored Elowen - she has gone through abuse, torture, and abandonment among many other things at such a young age, but she’s such a badass and recognizes that her past made her so much stronger to be who she becomes throughout the book. I loved reading her journey and perseverance - she knows who she is and she will stop at nothing to get it. The bond between her and her dragons is written beautifully, and I’m really looking forward to the next book to see more of them and their dynamic.

And then her and Cayden?! Their slow-ish burn was so good, I found myself kicking my feet reading their scenes together. After the almost unaliving in her bathtub, the way Cayden asked her where he could put his hands to pick her up was such a small detail, but really made me fall for him. Yes, he’s the commander and intimidating to everyone on the outside, but these little moments humanized him and made me love him even more.

I’m not usually an annotation fan for books, but Olivia’s writing was so beautiful (but also cheeky between Elowen and Cayden) so here are only a few of the MANY lines I highlighted:

“There is no antidote for the poison of my past other than my future”

“My gods don't like violent women."
He spits blood in my direction, but it falls short of my boots.
"Well, they sound quite boring."

"I don't ask nicely when I dream of stabbing you."

“I wish to show the world the claws I grew when they clipped my wings."


Overall, this was a fantastic book, and I definitely recommend reading this to anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers, touch her and 💀, and badass FMCs

4.25⭐️ Thank you so much to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC! 💚
*this is my review for the 2024 traditionally published version*
The indie version of this book was one of my favorite reads of 2023, and I was so excited to be able to read this early! While I didn’t love this one quite as much the second time around (maybe when I read the original was just the perfect time and this wasn’t) I still had a great time revisiting this world and these characters!
All in all, this is such a great romantasy! Both the main and side characters are all so great and fleshed out, the romance between Elowen and Cayden is !! I think the plot is also great and the aspect of the dragons is so fun!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this, and I am so excited for the sequel to come out next year and read more of this story!

"𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍"

A princess and a commander of an army form an alliance, setting out on a mission to free her dragons in exchange for her fighting alongside him in the war. The only problem? They’re supposed to be enemies. 𝗶'𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻??? 𝗶𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱.

This book is perfect for anyone looking for an introduction to romantasy. It has it all—world building, an easy-to-follow plot, a fierce warrior fmc, a protective "I will kill anyone that touches you" mmc, romantic scenes, and SO MUCH BANTER! 😍

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥. 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐲.”

I would literally reread this book countless times just for the banter, tension, love-hate attraction, and that one particular scene where they had to act to be attracted to each other that had me 🥵

“𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐬. “𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐭.”

I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy romantasy read, especially if you love a man with villain vibes who's secretly a softie for his woman 😍

Tropes:
✨enemies to lovers
✨forced proximity
✨witty banter
✨touch her and 💀

Thank you Netgalley, Olivia Rose Darling, and Random Penguin House (Delacorte Press) for a eARC & physical copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was recommended to read this book by several influencers, recommended it on the basis of dragons and the parallels to the fourth wing hype. I liked the premise of a lost princess bonded to her dragons and seeking to free them and find vengeance. However, in reading it the plot held several continuity errors and the pacing felt like I was stuck in a weird traffic jam. I think this is because there were so many elements important to that story that were told and not shown, so it felt abrupt and prevented me from being able to really see the story playing out in my mind. I think the story has a lot of promise, but smoothing out the pacing and development would help quite a bit.

I read Fear the Flames when Olivia Rose Darling self-published on Amazon. I really enjoyed the book then. And, I was curious to see the changes made to get published copy. I really enjoyed the added substance to the story. It all added so much more to the love, and magic.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5⭐️
𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐞: Medium-Fast
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: eARC
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞: This book was originally self-published in 2022, so I believe this is a rewrite and rerelease. I’m so glad I was accepted for this eARC through @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse.

I was HOOKED by chapter 3. I mean, HOOKED. I read for hours, slept very little, and then read more when I woke up. The vibes people, the ✨vibes✨ Elowen and Cayden reluctantly ally themselves to save her dragons and take down her absolutely horrific father for his crimes.

Elowen brings all of the Khalessi vibes with her connection to her 5 dragons (without the madness). Cayden is as morally black as they come. Neither are super soft, even with each other. The banter is 🔥 and the MC’s just read like adults. For me, there was something special about this book. She has done a fantastic job making these characters mature. It was so nice to NOT read about a 17/18 year old BAMF for once,

I absolutely adored the platonic friendships, and the way in which this little merry band of people became a family. Many of the characters have issues with trust and other mental-health related events due to their past traumas, but Olivia writes about them with tact. Top notch writing,

You’ll get deception, banter, betrayal, trust building, emotional growth, spice, heists, 5 freaking dragons, and so much more. I loved it so much I IMMEDIATELY went and preordered the book.

Okay, take a moment to imagine that Daenerys Targaryen was a fierce fighter and that Kai Azer was darker and had a dirty mouth 😮‍💨
Amazing right?

It took me a few days to even be able to pick up another book after this one - I honestly loved everything about it.

Elowen is fierce and bloodthirsty but her moments of vulnerability make her so real and relatable. She refuses to allow others to break her but still has moments of weakness and needs help from those around her and it really made me love her even more. And like, she has amazing adorable dragons. I’d follow her into battle any day.

And seriously what’s not to love about Cayden. He’s flirty, just the right amount of possessive, a sneaky secret romantic, and he is unapologetically himself. And let me tell you he had me blushing. Pure perfection.

The banter between the mc’s is so so good and will have you giggling the whole time - especially when you add in the found family. The sibling and friendship bonds are just as beautiful as the love story and I’m glad we’ll be seeing more of them in the next books.

This book had me enthralled from the start and I can’t wait to see Elowen unleash herself later on. My girl deserves some vengeance and I’m here for it! One of my top reads of the year and I can’t wait for book 2!

Tropes include:
•Stabby, morally gray fmc
•Possessive, morally gray mmc
•Forbidden love
•Banter for days
•Found family
•Touch her and 💀
•One bed