If you're reading this; Please know this is pretty much my love letter to FtF <33 This is my soulbook. I will never stop recommending this to everyone I know and screaming it from the rooftops. I think this is branded on my heart. This story feels like home to me. This story feels safe.

I have read Fear the Flames 4 times this year. FOUR!! And I have absolutely no regrets. (I read the indie version 3 times; crazy I know. And a eARC of the new traditionally published version. Also crazy, I am forever grateful.)

The new version included so much more SPICE (thank you, Olivia) and featured a lot more of the dragons! I thought the new dragon information sprinkled in made the plot have way more substance and was intriguing. I love both that both of the MC were morally grey and the BANTER! My gosh! *chefs kiss*

I am happy the new version kept the bones of the original story but basically beefed it up some. I am very very happy with the changes and cannot wait for book two!

Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the e-arc of Fear the Flames

thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the Arc <3

This is my second read of FtF, my first being the indie version. While the indie version was good, decisions to polish the writing and add new content in this trad version brought much more depth to the story. The new prologue and dragon content fleshed out Elowen’s character better, and learning, at least in part, about Cayden’s past gave him more dimension. It felt like experiencing a whole new book in the best way possible.

Side note: (this was in both versions) after seeing what she did to Robick, I know Elowen is very capable of dark things and Olivia is very capable of writing it. I expect nothing less in the following books.

Side side note: I love how it’s “reluctant allies to lovers” but Cayden constantly makes it clear how willing he is 🥰

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶🌶🌶

An endearing romantasy with a pinch of magic, all the vibes and even more banter! It's a high tension, but low stakes adventure with dragons on the line.

The found family in this one is one of my favorites because it's a blend of both of our main characters which I found refreshing.

It was pretty medium paced, mainly character driven versus plot driven. I loved the interactions between Elowen and Cayden, it definitely drove the story for me and the spice was SPICING. I had a great time reading it.

I would highly recommend, it definitely caters to all of our fave tropes, so don't pass this one up!

Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the e-arc of Fear the Flames. My honest review is below:

I felt drawn into the story immediately. I loved that we met the MMC early on. I enjoyed the banter between the FMC and MMC, the found family between both, and the court intrigue and prophecy aspect. Both Elowen and Cayden are morally grey. I liked that they were on equal footing with this but their difference in station contributed to the feeling of a forbidden romance. The romance between them was somewhat of a slow burn given their forced proximity but the pay off is there and satisfying. We are left with more to learn about the prophecy, relationship with the dragons, and how they will navigate the future. I was engrossed in the book and it included many tropes that I enjoy. I will most definitely read the next books in the series when they are released. I highlighted several quotes from the book and had a good time reading it. One thing I noticed while reading was sometimes things were told more than shown. On a few occasions I felt the need to re-read a sentence to make sure I had not missed anything.

I was finally able to get my gritty little claws on an eARC!!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, DellRomance, and Penguin Random House for giving me an eARC....y'all made a girl scream at her day job receiving this email. This is legit my Super Bowl of receiving my MOST anticipated read of 2024 (and my favorite read of 2023) as an eArc.

Where. Do. I. Start?????? first of all.....5⭐...period honey

a lil sum sum: Elowen Atarah, an exiled princess, yearns for vengeance against her tyrannical father. Separated from her five bonded dragons and forging a kingdom of her own, she seizes a perilous chance at redemption. Teaming up with her father's most formidable enemy, the ruthless Commander Cayden Veles, Elowen embarks on a high-stakes heist to reclaim her dragons and release revenge on her father who put her in chains. With her "Band of Thieves" turned family, she'll risk everything to rewrite her fate.

:༝༚༝༚જ⁀➴𓇢𓆸You know that book that took a piece of your soul and ran away with it? That is what this book is to me. It ripped me open and plucked a piece of me and will hold onto it forever and I am not even the slightest bit kidding. I picked this book up last summer when Olivia self-published and before finishing it on my Kindle I bought the physical copy on Amazon. Some books make you feel something after reading and you rate it 4+ stars and go on with your day, and then some books will have you staring at the wall with the smallest words etched into paper.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥I hold the self-published copy close to my heart because it feels like that first hug after not seeing your best friend for years, the traditional copy feels like your long-distance best friend telling you they're moving home and you get to see them as much as you want. There are so many small details that Olivia included this time around that are so touching and so much more meaningful.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧This book does not shy away from tropes and microtropes and honestly the biggest stan. Purr Queen
💚Found Family (at its mf core)
💚Touch Her, You Die/ Touch Him, You Die (and i cri)
💚This aint just fantasy and romance, we have Political Plotlines
💚Humor and Banter to the gods
🌶️🌶️🌶️Nah she's spicy...books don't usually make me blush bc I can read an RH plot and not bat an eye, but the spice had me giggling and red like h-...in church

This re-release was everything I wished and hoped for and I can't wait for anyone and everyone to get their hands on it!!! She's out to the world on September 17th!

I will give you the tiniest pass (with the BIGGEST side eye) by saying the self-published copy wasn't your cup of tea. I will not give you ANY MERCY on any criticism of the trad copy... I will indeed send Elowen and her stabby tendencies after you.

friend me on GoodReads for a funnier review with gifs!!!

debut WHERE????? this was positively scrumptious. dragons and romance and danger oh my! what a perfectly perfect combination of all my favorite things in a fantasy, i cant wait to get my hands on the physical copy and the sequel needs to be here asap rocky

This story really did it for me .
I am a fantasy girly through and through , and this made me feel all the things !
I felt like I was on drugs because of how addicted and hooked I was ! I could NOT PUT THIS DOWN !

SUMMARY :
This story follows Elowen Atarah, Princess Of Imirath who is linked to five dragons 🐉. She was a princess who was turned prisoner , who becomes a runway princess forced to leave her dragons behind . She becomes queen to a kingdom she forged , but she must leave to seek revenge. She meets the commander of the strongest army, Cayden Veles , who she forges an alliance with to seek out her vengeance. They become allies with a common enemy at mind , going along to pull the biggest heist . Along the way she meets friends who turn into family .

REVIEW:

This is my soul book ! It crept into me , and completely devoured, and took over me ! I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished .. The characters, THE PLOT !
The character developments and found family in this was my favorite. To be someone who feels like she has no home and was alone , to finding a family and a place of her own warmed my HEART ! Elowen is such a strong character , and I love her ! Cayden is brudy and dark , but when it came to her , he completely dropped this persona and opened up FOR HER ! THE BANTER WAS EVERYTHING! I was blushing and giggling and kicking my feet unable to handle there interactions !
Can’t forget the word building , it was nice to feel like I was not in the same place for long , and I imagine myself there with them ! I was completely immersed!
Ugh please go read this , it’s literally one of my new favorites. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy !

Can’t wait for book 2 !

TROPES :
• Found Family
• Reluctant allies to lovers
•Vengeance
•Touch her and die
• ONE BED !

ARC Review-

WOW! I had the privilege of reading and ARC of the re-releasing debut novel by Olivia Rose Darling, and I am absolutely floored by the wonder of this book. Originally self published in 2022, Fear the Flames will be traditionally published Fall of this year. 5 dragons, a lost princess, a bond that can’t be broken, a rakish commander, heist hijinks, what more could you ask for in a romantasy?

The story revolves around lost/exiled Princess Elowen Atarah determined to take back what is rightfully hers while also seeking severe vengeance against those who thought they could control her. In a world where trust comes few and far between, Elowen finds herself balancing court etiquette to appease the masses while plotting with her new inner circle to restore her Bond and unleash her fury.
What starts out as a reluctant alliance with the Commander Cayden Veles, soon begins to evolve into a passionate romance that cannot be denied, no matter how much Elowen may initially resist their connection. Will their feelings for one another be enough to stand the trials they face, or will they succumb to the challenges that continue to barrel towards them?

I LOVED this book! I am absolutely dying for the next in the series already, and this one hasn’t even hit the shelves yet. This book is perfect for fans of SJM, Raven Kennedy, and Charissa Weaks. This will be the next big Dragon fantasy book of 2024/2025, of that I have no doubt. I dreaded coming to the end of book 1, knowing we have no information for book 2 yet. I did not want to leave the world Darling has created within these pages. If you want to rage, cry, gasp, swoon, laugh, this is 100% the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There were some elements of this book that I enjoyed and some elements that weren’t for me. I thought the plot itself was very intriguing. I liked the added element of the main character’s dragon bond and her connection to her dragons. I also enjoyed the found family aspect and getting to see how the characters interacted with one another.

Although I enjoyed the overall plot, I was hoping for a little more showing, rather than telling, when it came to each of the character’s personalities. I felt like there were different facts stated throughout the story about each character, but I would’ve liked to see more examples of them behaving as such. There were times when a character’s personality or closeness with another character was only described in words rather than exemplifying their actions or bond, and as a result I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to.

I was also hoping for a bit more ground to be laid for the fmc and mmc’s relationship. It felt like they were both pretty untrusting of one another but then they very quickly flipped and begin to trust and feel comfortable with one another. I didn’t personally feel the chemistry between them because there wasn’t much build up to their relationship at all. Knowing the limited details of Elowen’s past, it was difficult for me to get on board with the fact that she right away felt so comfortable and trusting of Cayden. I thought he would have to work a little more to show her that she can trust and rely on him. Overall I think this book has some potential, it just wasn’t for me.

indie version (april 2024):

this was such a cute and fun read omg these characters will have a sanctuary in my heart! i can’t wait to read the traditionally published edition coming out in september!

UPDATE: YALL I GOT AN ARC I GOT AN ARC AHH!!

traditional version (july 2024):

at first i was kinda bummed about the announcement of changes to the universe in the new edition because i loved the indie version so much < /3 but i'm happy to report that liv DID NOT disappoint!! and the edits and new content definitely made it an even more captivating read. i was absolutely thrilled that we got to dive into the mmc's backstory, explore the fmc's dragons further, and truly feel the tension of their forbidden love. there was definitely more romance and spice, which i noticed right away. honestly, i'm getting kinda over spice in my fantasy books because it's often lackluster compared to fanfic, but the spice here was spot on. cayden the man you areee

and the FLUFF? it was adorable and made me smile throughout. the small, tender moments between characters, the little acts of kindness, and the playful banter added a lightness to the story that balanced out the more intense scenes perfectly.

so definitely pick this up if you’re looking for a cute partners in crime romance with heartfelt friendships set in a magical world with dragon sidekicks and badass heists !!

Ummm wow this book was nonstop, I’m OBSESSED with Cayden and Elowen. I loved their band of thieves and how sassy everyone was lol. Finnian and Elowens relationship was the absolute sweetest. I really loved the entirety of this book, the dragons, the romance, the spice, the tension, the politics! All of it went hand in hand and was perfect. Elowen was hilarious, there were numerous times I actually laughed out loud and the fact she and Cayden continued to tease each other throughout the whole book just added a layer of levity. And the bond that Elowen has with her dragons, I teared up so many times because it was so sweet and heart wrenching. I also really loved Cayden and Ryders friendship they were hilarious. Overall this book was an amazing romantasy, and I cannot wait for the next book!
Thank you so much Penguin Random House for the ARC!

I loved this just as much as the indie version!! I love how we got to see more of Cayden and El and get more background on Cayden.

I'm so lucky to have been selected to receive an ARC of "Fear of the Flames." I first heard about this book in 2023 through TikTok and was eager to read it, but then the indie version was taken down and the re-release was set for this year. I was bummed out but so grateful to receive an ARC! I loved this book so much that I read it in one day—I couldn't put it down. Rivals to lovers is my favorite trope, and it was done so well in this book. The romance and found family elements were beautifully written.

Elowen, I love her character so much—she's fierce, feisty, but also sweet and caring with those she loves. And I can't forget the Commander of Vareveth, Cayden Veles. I love his character—overprotective, broody, unhinged but also flirty and caring. The plot was captivating with dragons, a princess, a commander, and magic; I was hooked from the beginning.

I can't wait to see more of Elowen, Cayden, Finnan, Saskia, and Ryder. I'm so excited for more of this series; I wish the second book was out already because I need to find out what happens next! I'm thrilled to be part of Olivia Rose Darling's journey through this series!

2/5

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Olivia Rose Darling for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

No part of me is happy to be giving this book this review because I’ve been wanting to read it for YEARS, literally since it was being written by Olivia. I never got to reading the indie version (mood reader curse, I’m afraid) but I jumped at the chance to read the newly revised version that’s going out for traditional publishing. Unfortunately, not even the editor could completely salvage this book.

I found the writing itself to not be by any means bad, but rather clearly that of a debut author. There was a lot of detailed descriptions of locations that just sounded like listing everything instead of immersing the reader, and there was a lot of telling us characters did or liked certain things but we never saw these interests on page.

The side characters, for the amount of page time they get, are remarkably well fleshed out and developed, so points there!
But our main character, Elowen? Oh I despised her. She’s written so flatly that the only thing she thinks of is getting revenge on her father. Seriously. All her inner monologue is thinking of how she’ll exact revenge and see her dragons again, but she never actually makes the plans herself for said revenge?? She just lets someone else plan everything she’ll do. And when she’s not feeling bloodthirsty, she either desperately wants to get drunk (I don’t think I’ve read a fantasy that has one POV where the character goes drinking this often??? In multi POVs, yes, but when we only have one POV and she’s not sober for a good chunk of chapters… it’s such an odd choice. I was wondering why they kept going to taverns when they had a heist to plan) or she’s thinking of wanting to have sex. Literally no in between. If Elowen is being written to have a villain arc, this book sets her up wonderfully for it. Her unchecked ambition and desire for more all the time is pretty Macbeth-esque. But I suspect she isn’t going to end up being a villain, so it makes little sense to me why she’s characterized like this.

The love interest, Cayden Veles, has about the depth of a puddle. He spends his time either looking extremely angry or he’s just staring at Elowen. This man is fully obsessed with her, to the point where it becomes his only personality trait. Everything he does is for her, he puts her above everyone else, and just seems to have no personality that doesn’t revolve around Elowen. He is the commander of this country. How was he able to spend 3 days taking care of Elowen after she gets drugged??? Does he not have a job??? The way he spoke to his boss was just ridiculous like that’s not how it works at all?? His dialogue is either a joke about getting into bed with elowen, saying how much he loves her, saying how he’s about to kill some one for her, or how good she looks in his bed. I was just constantly wondering who he was outside of Elowen and violence.

The plot is so poorly developed that I was shocked. The main heist of this book takes up maybe 3 chapters at the 85% mark and is laughably easy for the characters to do. Random monsters of the world pop up for action sequences, and Elowen just happens to run into a cult that gives her the powerful amulet she needs to free her dragons. Everything was so convenient. After they easily free the dragons, the bond was super anti-climactic like she couldn’t even talk to them?? Maybe it’s just me but guys she has FIVE dragons. She should have some cool power too at least.
Also, I have to say again how dumb Elowen is. It’s so frustrating to see her do nothing the whole book. She nearly gets killed TWICE by assassins and always lets someone else do most of the hard work into tracking them down, until she figures out where the mastermind is - a brothel! So then she and Cayden have to pretend to be getting it on (which leads to a confusing scene where he quite literally takes her to the main room of the brothel and they’re like making out fully. And then go back to a private room to actually get each other off and somehow this lures the assassin out????) and the plot feels like tropey scenes stringed together.
There were so many moments that could be amazing if it didn’t seem as if they’d been written for the purpose of being taken out of context to promote the book.
I also am unsure of how this will be a four book series. The plot doesn’t seem to be that difficult to grasp and there is such a lack of dimension to it that I’m not even sure what book 2 will fully be about. The ending of this book is almost laughable in how plainly unrealistic it is, even for a fantasy novel.

The romance was lacklustre. The banter was subpar, Cayden fell in love at first sight so it was the opposite of a slow burn, and the author tried to frame it as a forbidden romance but I just couldn’t buy it. The sex scenes were also really boring and uninspired. I just couldn’t get behind how these characters came to love each other because we’re told that they do instead of seeing that love on page. Love is made out of the small things, and I felt we only got big gestures - nothing that shows how Elowen and Cayden were soulmates on all levels. I didn’t get the quiet devotion or steady presence that I think love truly is. (And I did see the foreshadowing of them being some form of mates.)

The world is interesting but the magic system was so light that it was non existent. Since we’re in a country that has banned magic, we don’t see a lot of it so I was left very confused over how it was used, who could use it, and more. We’re told that there are gods for every element, but the religion is never developed. What were the gods like before they left earth? Why are they worshipped? How are they worshipped?
Everything just fell super flat to me. We’re told these things are there, but I couldn’t immerse myself in the world because we didn’t have any of the little details that truly bring these things to life.

I also found the editing to be poorly done, oddly since this is a traditionally published version of the novel. There were several instances where the characters would be doing something and then the next paragraph they’d be moving into another room or have some object in their hands that they’d be using and I was often confused as to how that object had gotten there or why they were moving around.

I unfortunately won’t be continuing this series, but I am interested in whatever Olivia has plans for beyond this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin House for the blessing that was reading this arc. I read the indie edition of this book last year and it was one of my favorite reads. I didn’t think the story could get better, but Olivia Rose Darling is magic and so is this book. I absolutely love this story, I LOVE the characters, the banter, the juxtaposition of love and violence is top tier. I have nothing but good things to say, this book will probably sit among my favorite reads of the year if not beyond. I can’t wait for the continuation of this series.

How does one find the words to encapsulate what I just read?? This was HANDS DOWN another infinity star read for me. Very rarely do I read a book and know that from page one it will become a new favorite. With Fear the Flames I was immediately taken with this story from the very first phrase. I instantly fell in love with Elowen as a character and with the prose inside this story. The structure of this was absolutely everything I could’ve asked for in a high fantasy novel like this. The world building evolved so flawlessly within the story and provided deeper context seamlessly. This was a book I was so immersed in and forgot that I was even reading and even dreaded the end. This is instantly going on the desert island book list for me.✨

Some of my top reasons why you should read are:
-the most badass female MC
-found family trope
-snarky male love interest that will literally unalive anyone who tests his woman🫶🏻
-golden retriever best friend that you’ll want to protect at all costs (ily Finnian)
-and need I say DRAGONS 🐉🤍

The found family in this story was everything I could have asked for. It quite literally became my safe space. Finnish and Ryder had me absolutely LOLing in the best way possible. This book was so heartwarming and beautiful and ultimately sings to my soul.
If you see me immediately reading this again on release day….you absolutely did 🫶🏻🫶🏻✨

I really wanted to like this one. It was one of my most anticipated books of the year. For me personally, writing can make or break a book for me. Fear The Flames writing style just didn’t clash well with what I like. There were moments that I found the writing and banter between the main characters cheesy and a bit juvenile. If the spice and sporadic curse words were removed, I feel that this reads more YA.

This story hits everything on my romantasy wish list! A strong and capable FMC, a warrior MMC with “touch her and die” vibes, a cast of lovable and hilarious side characters, a heist plot, and dragons! I loved the banter, the chemistry, and everything to do with Elowen’s bond with the dragons. There’s definitely a lot more to the world I’d like to know, and I’m eager to see the direction of the second book!

Thank you to Delacorte Press for my advanced reader’s copy!

The chapters are super short and quick, I literally read the entire book in a few hours and as soon as I finished I wanted to read it again. The found family is *chefs kiss* 🤌🏻 the dynamic between them is so good and captivating, even with some heavier themes the book is still fun.

I can't stop thinking about how much I love Elowen and Cayden (both individually and as a couple), their story is so sad but it's so good to see how they've grown and managed to get through everything. They are easily in my top 5 favorite couples of all time, I feel like they needed each other to be able to completely heal from the past and move on.

The romance is out of this world, from their first meeting I was blushing and kicking my feet bc their chemistry is something else. I literally SCREAMED when I saw that the brothel scene survived, it was one of my favorite scenes in the indie version and definitely one of my favorite scenes in this one too 😮‍💨

I loved that in this one we have some hints of the final plot during the book, in the indie version I felt like it was kinda out of the blue. Honestly for me the best changes were in the last 10% of the book, the improvement was SO noticeable in the last three chapters, if the book wasn't 5 stars before it certainly would be now.

Thank you Dell Romance for the ARC!! ♥

4.25-4.5 ★

I was obsessed with the indie version, so to say the new traditional version was one of my long anticipated reads is an understatement.

- 𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪 -

Elowen Atarah, the missing princess of a kingdom is forced to leave her dragons behind and live in hiding. That is until she comes across the most lethal Commander the kingdom’s have seen, Cayden Veles, and she’s ready to take revenge with his help. With the reluctant allies, and the help of their 3 friends, they must embark on dangerous heists through enemy territories to free Elowen’s dragons, so the dragon queen may reign.

- 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 -

This is 100% my comfort book. Olivia Rose Darling writes such a compelling story in Fear The Flames, with complex and flawed characters that readers can relate to. Words can’t really express how much I love this book, or even why, only that I fell completely into the world and never wanted to come out.

I think the characters really flushed out the plot, both heroes and villains. I found none of them to be boring, but instead with intriguing, complicated backstories that made their character development so interesting. The found family between Elowen, Cayden, Finnish, Saskia, and Ryder was one of my favourites in a story I’ve ever read. Immediately they all felt like one happy family, always looking out for one another, teasing and joking so easily, it felt so natural and realistic.

The romance between Elowen and Cayden? *chefs kiss.* I’m normally an enemies-to-lovers girlie through and through, but their reluctant allies to lovers story is one of my favourites 😭💕 Right from the start they are taken with one another despite trying to fight it, and they will burn down the world to help the other.

The only differences I noticed from the indie to the traditional version were some scenes cut out, and then it made some parts feel rushed. I wish we got to see more of the planning stages with the heists rather than the gang going into them because it often times felt all of a sudden. I also wanted to see a bit more with the dragons during the heist and Elowen perhaps sobbing or at least a little more emotion after not seeing them for so many years, but I still ate this story up and enjoyed every single second of it🫶🏻

I literally need book 2 like I breathe air, I can’t wait to see what happens next after that ending

Definitely recommend this for anyone who likes:

💚 Dragons
💚 Allies to Lovers
💚 Found Family
💚 Forced Proximity
💚 Badass FMC
💚 Badass MMC who is a cinnamon roll for the girl
💚 Easy to follow along world-building