I thought this started off strong but I think it fizzled out for me in some parts. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

*It’s a romantasy. I love romance with my fantasy. It’s an enemies to lovers situation. Cayden is a Commander with a ruthless reputation and Elowen is a Queen of her own kingdom but she is hunted by her father. Cayden makes a deal with Elowen to help protect and get her dragons while she helps him by standing with Vareveth in the coming war.

*The banter between Cayden and Elowen was entertaining. I liked their banter and of course they are attracted to one another. There are a few steamy parts.

*Elowen is bonded to some dragons but have been separated them since she was a child. I was excited that this story had dragons.

*Elowen’s relationship with her best friend was cute.

Dislikes:

*Not enough dragons! It’s mostly at the end of this book.

*I felt like I wasn’t invested enough in Elowen’s turmoil about her past, her present with leading her secret kingdom and then her bond with her dragons. I think because she’s such a strong character, it felt like everything was handled and she didn’t really need help. I just didn’t connect to her.

*The story didn’t flow well for me.


My Thoughts:

I think this one was okay. I loved that this story had dragons but it’s really only a little glimpse of them. I did enjoy the romance aspects of the story but I do wish I connected more to the characters. Overall, if you like dragons and romantasy definitely give this one a try.

Oh my gosh. What a special gift it has been to be able to reread this traditionally published. This was my very first read of the year, and I’m giving it another 5 stars this go around. The banter is spectacular. The characters are so lovable. The world building is perfect and the details are gorgeous. The is the perfect book to cozy up with and binge. The romance… do not get me started. The changes were perfectly executed. I can’t wait for the world to read this book anew!! The ending will give you goosebumps. I can’t wait to continue with this story and the found family here.

Elowen Atarah was imprisoned and separated from her dragons by her father as a small child. Years later she escapes, and is forced to her dragons behind. As she gets older, she becomes more and more determined to free her dragons, even if it means allying with commander Cayden Veles of Vareveth, the most feared and dangerous man in all of Ravaryn. Cayden promises to help her free her dragons if she uses them in Vareveth’s battle against her father.

Fear the Flames was un-put-down-able! I finished this book in less than 24 hours. the writing is fantastic, the character building is amazing, and the found family trope is so wholesome.

Don’t even get me started on the romance. Cayden is the definition of possessive, protective, burn the world down for her, scary guard dog man who fall so hard for their woman it’s not even funny.

Elowen is head strong, confident, powerful, and fierce. She’ll do anything for those she loves and cut down anyone who stands between her and her dragons. I cannot wait for the next book!

So I want to preface this by saying I read the indie version originally so this is my second take reading this story and I loved it. I loved how Olivia wrapped things up so concisely while also leaving it open enough for a sequel. I love Elowen as a character, she is fierce and bad ass but still has vulnerabilities and human qualities. I also love love love her relationships in this book. Her sibling dynamic with Finn, her friendships she makes and of course her romantic relationship with Cayden. I can't wait to see what Olivia does next with these characters.

Absolutely phenomenal! I loved everything about this book. I have over 100 highlighted passages saved!

Spicy, slow burn, angsty and banter-filled romance between Cayden and Elowyn. Had my mouth dry for quite a few scenes and my eyes glued to the page! Cayden and Elowyn would definitely burn the world and cut down anyone they needed to for each other.

A wonderful collection of side characters! Finnian, Saskia, and Ryder are the most fun found family! I laughed so many times with their antics.

This book had a good mix of spice scenes, sweet romance, moments for the characters to connect, and fantasy world building. There were also quite a few gory scenes with torture and dismemberment.

The dragons were not as big in the story as Fourth Wing, but this book was centered around Cayden and Elowyn planning a heist to get the dragons back since they have been locked away from her for years.

I'm already desperately looking forward to the rest of the series!

Read if you love:
-Touch her and d*e
-Burn the world for her/him
-Banter
-Found family
-Prophecy
-Dragons

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and the Author. My thoughts are entirely my own.

4.5 rounding up.

It's giving ToG meets Mother of Dragons. The banter is elite, giving me all the things to highlight and swoon over. 100% recommend.

-Dragons
-Banter
-Scared Grumpy mmc
-Stabby

✨Fear the Flames✨

So. Many. Highlights.

I loved this book so much. I laughed through most of the pages and, when I wasn’t, I was swooning greatly. This Romantasy was so good, stayed on my brain, and I’m desperately in need of book two.

In FTF, we follow the first person POV of Elowen, a 25 year old princess blessed with an unbreakable bond with 5 dragons. But when a prophecy threatens her father’s power, he imprisons her and her dragons. 15 years after her escape, Elowen finds herself face to face with an answer to her revenge: work alongside Cayden Veles (aka the demon commander) and get back her dragons in trade for her support in the upcoming war.

As she finally reveals herself to the kingdoms, Elowen finds so much more than she ever imagined. And finally, finally she feels seen, wanted, and loved in spite of her past and darkness. But it’s not all butterflies and rainbows… far from it actually.

Fear the Flames is encouraging AND hilarious. The found family and banter makes me giggle and kick my legs. The dedication of Elowen’s love interest is possessive, obsessive, and down right perfect. There’s literally nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

I highlighted SO MUCH because there were just so many goodies within these pages. Angsty. Broody. Thoughtful. Insightful. I just… I love this story.

Tropes you may find in FTF are reluctant allies to lovers, bodyguard, touch her and perish, dragons, chosen one, knife to the throat, all the banter, found family, “there she is”, “kneel”, 🔥 the world for her, wound tending and hair washing, unique bonds, plot twists, spice 3/5, only soft for her, feminine rage, and mental health support.

Thank you, Liv, for this amazing opportunity to read your gifted arc. I can’t wait for book two!

I loved this book! I read the indie version back in January and was a little nervous to see what changed but all the changes were so good and I think really elevated the book. Everything was so well thought out and I loved reading it a second time around. And it was still 5/5 stars for me. Definitely recommend this book and I can’t wait for it to come out!

I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

WOW!! Darling’s debut novel is FANTASTIC!!

Compelled by fears of a vague prophecy, King Garrick of Imirath turns his back on his only daughter and Heir, Princess Elowen, tearing her dragons from her, shackling her in chains, and subjecting her to years of torture; thus, setting her on a path of retribution and vengeance. Years later, while still in hiding, her vow remains resolute-she will reunite with her dragons, see them free them from her father’s clutches, and burn her enemies to ash. What better way to accomplish her goals than by forging an unlikely alliance with the most feared and ruthless commander in all the kingdoms of Ravaryn, Commander Cayden Veles. Alliances are made and friendships forged, but they battle treachery within their ranks and must manage the political maneuverings of Elowen’s uncle and other Ravaryn kingdom royals.

Fear the Flames has it all-a vengeful Heir, a dark, powerful Commander, an evil, twisted King, and Dragons. Be mindful of the trigger warnings. Olivia Rose Darling delivers such a fantastic read and stunning introduction to what will surely be an epic series!!

3.5⭐️, rounding up to a 4⭐️

I had such a hard time rating this book, there were a ton of things I loved (the characters, found family, the banter, dragons when they showed up, political scheming), but some of the writing style threw me for a loop. Note I haven’t read the indie version yet, so this is strictly based on the trad ARC I received!

As mentioned above, the characters are what shines in Fear the Flames. We have found family, which kicks off immediately with us being introduced to our FMC’s platonic bestie/her chosen brother. As we meet more characters from our MMC’s friend group, the group slowly becomes a unit and the friendships are sweet and realistic.

The banter in this book is what I think makes it so good. I was literally laughing out loud at scenes and conversations between characters. It’s realistic, and all of the characters have their own personalities, but they’re all funny in their own way.

And when the dragons showed up, I was OBSESSED. I cannot wait for the next book solely to get more dragon time. They all have their own personalities and I cannot wait to explore them more, and see how they play into the politics.

My biggest issue with Fear the Flames was how much it relied on telling and not showing. There were a lot of scenes that were spoken of in the past tense that could have been its own chapter for character development or just development of the plot, and wouldn’t have dragged the story. For example- our FMC chasing our MMC with a knife (cmon that’s FUNNY I could’ve read a whole chapter about that) because they didn’t get along, and when our MMC takes care of our FMC while she’s injured for days but it’s only spoken in passing to another character after the fact.

In addition to feeling like we were missing a lot of important character development scenes, a lot of the scenes we did get felt jumbled together. A couple times I had to reread paragraphs because I thought I missed a transition paragraph, but nope it was just an abrupt transition to a new scene that didn’t really tie in to what was happening previously.

And the heist felt way too easy. Like I’m glad we got the dragons and everything but everything just worked too well and didn’t take that long (comparatively in the book) to do.

Overall, this was a fab debut for Olivia Rose Darling and I cannot wait for book 2! I can’t wait for more of the found family, politics and of course more dragon lore that I know we’re going to get!

Another good dragon romantasy and I'm here for it. This book follows the fmc who is a princess who has been exiled by her father and without her dragons for a while. She reluctantly teams up with the mmc because of the impending war and politics and they travel to infiltrate the castle and get the fmc's dragons back. I liked the writing and thought the worldbuilding was decent in getting across the politics and stakes of the world. I really enjoyed the romance and how the main characters reluctantly became partners in crime and allies. I thought it was great that the dragons had personalities.

The romance is forbidden because of where both characters are from and there were so many swoony and steamy moments. If you like mmc's that would do anything and be the villain to the fmc to protect her then you will like this one. There were also so many sweet and fun moments like when he gets romance books and reads them to her and when she kisses his scars and also heals them for her. The ending was a cliffhanger and it made me giddy, the next book is going to be so interesting.

Read for:
- Romantasy
- Slow burn
- Dragons
- Steamy scenes
- Political intrigue
- Boy obsessed
- Princess x bodyguard
- Forbidden romance

sadly, i just ... did not like this one as much as i wanted to. the writing jumped from place to place, confusing me in several important moments. and honestly? it just fell a little flat: the plot, character development, action, etc. i will say though... the SPICE, the TENSION, the BANTER???? nailed it! i was so into that lol. this book is both good and bad, and honestly i'd recommend for when you need a quick and nice little enemies to lovers spicy book.

thank you Dell Romance & Netgalley for the arc! this is my honest review.

I am so incredibly thankful to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an e-arc.

I quickly fell in love with the writing, story, and characters….you'd never know it was written by a debut author! I highly recommend giving this book a try as I would not be about surprised if it turned into a big sensation.

-Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Vibe ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Writing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Spice ⭐️⭐️

Description of the book:
A lost Princess thought to be dead is out for blood & revenge. She teams up with a dangerous army commander in hopes of getting said revenge and freeing her imprisoned dragons from her father’s stronghold.

Notable parts:
-Super comical and top tier banter between FMC & MMC
-Camaraderie between Found Family members is absolutely the BEST!
-Book Boyfriend/Husband MMC is an absolute heartthrob and poet

What needs work:
-Thoughts on characters
•FMC is a little wishy-washy for me and at times acted like a damsel in distress but then immediately became a morally gray warrior queen.

-Thoughts on Plot
So at first I was under the impression that the main plot was to find the FMC’s dragons and then usurp/kill her father. However, the FMC doesn’t want to take over the thrown, she just wants revenge for his many years of abuse (valid). Buuuuuuuuut the ending was quite confusing with the strange plot twist. Personally it wasn’t my favorite ending but I’m curious as to what will happen next.

Additionally, I feel that there were quite a bit of similarities between Fear the Flames and lots of popular fantasy books that are currently out there.

Appropriate for who?
New Adults & Adults 18+

Would I recommend?
Sure, If you’re new to Fantasy and would like an easy intro to Romantasy.

Would I read the sequel?
Yes, I’m curious to see what happens next.

Thank you Delray and Netgally for My EARC💚

This book starts with a touching beginning of how a girl obtained her dragons and how she loses them

Elowen now an exiled princess makes a small kingdom for her self and is now queen, unfortunately this kingdom is in need of help through the rough winter. Only one can help her feed her current kingdom as well as save all 5 of her dragons and that my friends is Coming Cayden Veles


I will say this book was very smutty and romance filled. I wish we did have significantly more world building and Lore behind how Elowen was gifted her dragons.

The story all through out was very entertaining and had my attention through the end. So i have high hopes that Book 2 will answer so many questions and bring and new found quest.

The best thing about this book was the Found family of it all!💚😭 absolutely started crying at Finnians and Elowens speech before the heist. I cant wait to see that blossom even more with Saskia and Ryder. All amazing side characters

Cayden veles was all about Elowen so thats where is makes me think this is more allies to lovers instead of enemies, Slight trope of insta love!

Overall if you love dragons,smut,and adventures this book is for you!

This was such a fun read and brought back all the vibes of Romantasy I have been looking for! I requested this after seeing so much hype on social media from this indie author getting picked up for traditional publishing and I am so glad I did so! I never read the original, may try and hunt down a copy to do so, but this edited edition was everything.

I love a strong unhinged heroine and that is what we get with Elowen. She isn't your traditional 'chosen one' starry eyed waif looking to be rescued, she is a leader and knows how to fight for herself and those she loves. After a tragic past she has been kept from her dragons since she was 10 when her uncle took her from a very abusive situation. In a chance encounter Elowen makes a deal with Cayden Veles, commander of a rival kingdom to her fathers who promises supplies her home needs and help rescuing her dragons as long as she agrees to fight with him against her father. Seems like an easy trade when all you want is to get back what was stolen and end the man who did nothing but cause you unfathomable harm.

This has all the elements that you could ask for, Found Family, a stabby FMC and her love interest her loves it, fun flirty banter, DRAGONS, spice!

This book is definitely more character driven. We are following a timeline to an ultimate heist that happens around 80% of the way into the book, with a few obstacles that are thrown in their way to get to that point. This is definitely a start to a series and I can see the building blocks that are being put into place where I am honestly so excited for the eventual book two where we will be getting into a war and I feel things will get darker. There is only one POV in this story, which I know we have had an influx of dual or more lately, but I am glad for the break and back into the world of being lead by one character.

Please pick this up if you are looking to get back into the Romantasy world with a FMC that is completely in her Revenge era and is her own version of a mother of dragons. This book definitely deserves the hype it's getting and I need the next one So SOON.

Thank you to Ballantine| Delcaorte Press for giving me an E-ARC, all opinions are my own.

Wow… that was a wild ride. I knew a betrayal was coming but never in a million years guessed where it would come from. This story kept me on my toes and made it really hard for me to put this book down. The world building is a bit clunky at the beginning, but if you can push through to chapter 10, you really won’t regret it. Cayden and Elowen (as well as Finnian, Ryder, and Sas) are such likable characters and easy to champion for.

Thank you so much to Olivia and Megan at Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

I signed up for this book because I saw a dragon on the cover and because of the description. But that summary felt like the highlight reel of the book itself where all the strength was.
Often times I can push past something in a book that I do not connect with as long as there are other things that can support it. For me, the writing in this book was not strong enough but neither was the story engaging or had characters I wanted to cheer or follow. Ended up DNF'ing 25% of the way through because this book was just not for me.

2.5⭐

I enjoyed the story of this book but it was hard to follow. The world building was almost non existent, it felt like I picked up a book in the middle of the series. The author doesnt really explain the people, kingdoms, or magic system at all and it's a bit exhausting trying to catch on.

I also noticed some of the quotes by the MC's are almost exact quotes from other popular fantasy books. I understand fantasy will have similar elements, but almost exact quotes feels like it's just being copy and pasted for popularity, especially when it happens more than 5 times.

It has a good concept behind the story line, but the execution was lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Olivia Rose Darling for an advance review e-copy of Fear The Flames in exchange for review.

omg? this book had everything and I mean everything I love about a fantasy book. Dragons, enemies-to allies- to lovers, an amazing world building. I loved the fmc she reminded me of Daenerys and it was amazing, ill write a full review closer to release day but this is a new favorite 🤭

thank you netgalley and dellromance for sending this my way!