Loved it!!! This is a DARK romantasy set in the Roman Empire with Dragons, I was hooked!!! BUT I've seen a lot of negative reviews about the slave/master dynamics at play in the romance so I think the marketing needs to switch up a bit to reflect that cause I can totally understand being upset or triggered by that if you don't know to expect it. If that's not a romance you wanna see, I respect that but this is not the book for you! We have Malina, a witch that can read and manipulate emotions, who is captured by Roman Commander AND dragon shifter, Julian, OH and they had met by chance years ago! I am a slut for dragon shifters, ever since I read Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter, so this just worked for me. Julian and his dragon are possessive and obsessed and though he's Roman, he's working to undue their awful society! I'm so HYPED for book 2!

3.75⭐️

A Roman empire inspired romantasy but with dragons🙂‍↕️ Yeah, it was no surprise to me that the world and lore of this book immediately drew me in, but honestly I wish there had been more of it! Overall, I did enjoy this book but it will not be for everybody, so please check your trigger warnings before reading - certain parts will be difficult to read through.

This book was definitely more romance-focused on the fated mates love story. I loved both of our main characters, but I was hoping for a slower burn when it came to their romance. The progression of their love story felt a bit rushed and I would have loved to see more angst and tension.

I did, however, appreciate how fast paced this was, especially since my last couple reads have felt so slow. The empath magic, the dragon shifters, the mythology elements, the side characters, the plotting? I ATE IT UP. I also have to say it was so refreshing that this book did not end with a brutal
cliffhanger, which is often the case with romantasy books lately. l’ll definitely be picking up book 2 when it’s out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bramble for the eARC!

Firebird captured my interest the moment I saw the cover

Then I read the description.

Although I don’t read a lot of historical fantasy, I love history. The thought of journeying to a re-imagined historic Roman Empire with dragon shifters had me sold on Firebird months before its release.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced review copy so I could read Firebird before it came out, and it met my expectations and exceeded my hopes. The writing is smooth and easy to follow, so I never felt confused or pulled out of the story. There’s great descriptive detail when needed, and the author does an incredible job setting the stakes for the protagonists and introducing conflict throughout.

There were several things about the story that I really appreciated. For one, Malina is a strong character who doesn’t just accept the way things are. She’d rather die on her feet fighting than live on her knees as a slave in the Roman Empire. She’s headstrong, and sometimes impulsive, which is believable for her age. She’s also compassionate and goes out of her way to help people she cares about.

I love the fact that she makes friends with other women and wants to see them happy.

Julian is an enigma. He appears to be one way, because of his relationship to the emperor and his reputation on the battlefield. However, behind closed doors, we soon see the layers to his character. His house is staffed by people he’s rescued and protected from being executed, and he promptly helps one of Malina’s friends when asked, although there’s no obvious benefit to him to buy a dying slave.

I loved the supporting characters. We get to spend time with characters who are often overlooked in stories, and I loved the attention to everyday activities because it added to the development of the setting.

I was intrigued by their relationship and loved seeing both of them grow over the course of the book. It’s fair to say this book might not be for everyone, particularly because of the master/slave relationship dynamic. However, I appreciated the growth in their relationship and how it evolved throughout the story. This book definitely held my interest from start to finish and had some unexpected developments that kept me guessing about how the story would resolve.

Edited to add this: ***I viewed Firebird as a dark romance fantasy story. I also give a lot of latitude to historical fantasy novels, and do not expect accuracy. The most interesting aspect of the story was the revolution in progress, and how Julian was caught between his beliefs and his need to look like he fully supported his uncle. Some of the criticisms of this book are valid. However, Julian and Malina are not involved when she is a minor. Malina and her sisters are scheduled to dance when she's 17 and Julian arrives. They meet. That's in the prologue. The rest of the story takes place four years later.***

I’ve been a Juliette Cross Stan for years when I fell in love with her paranormal romance series, Stay a Spell. I was thrilled to see her get picked up my traditional publishing and eager to give into Firebird!

I did a tandem read for this one using the e-arc and the audiobook. In typical Cross fashion, the fantasy/magical world building is light and accessible to all types of readers, her heroine is independent, and the steamy scenes are spicy! I could have had a little more world building as I really thought the unique Ancient Rome setting helps this romantasy book stand apart from other new releases. I would caution some readers to ensure they check the content warnings for this book as some readers were surprised by the master/slave romance element. For me, most of the Ancient Rome books or shows that I have consumer helped prepare me for the on-page brutal violence and prevalence of slavery for the period. While I do not think this book is for *all* romantasy readers, I think many will enjoy this new dragon shifter series!

DNF @ 58%

I really wanted to love this book after hearing some really good things about it. In the end though the whole master / slave romance thing just felt uncomfortable and I could not get past it. It would have really been nice if this trope along with the numerous SA triggers had been mentioned in the marketing campaign for this one.

I read a lot of reviews where folks DNF’d because of rhe slave master dynamic but If they had kept reading behind a few chapters I think they would have liked this.

I loved the lore with the dragons and the tie to Ancient Rome, but
I feel like we could have done just a little more world building.

I’ve also heard this described as a dark romance and I wondered if we read the same book. Maybe it was because of the slave : master dynamic but The romance was almost sweet. With a few good spicy episodes.
.
I liked that it wasn’t a cliff hanger but that it did make me want to read the next book.

Overall I liked it 3.75/5

I always love dragon shifters, Magic and a fated mates story so thus book was one I knew I wanted to pick up. I thought the plot for the book was interesting and I was very drawn to the alternate Roman historical aspect. If you are turned off by a master x slave forbidden romance (Colonizer vs oppressed world but fantasy with the “strong” ruling the weak in a cut throat world) I wouldn’t suggest this as a read for you. I am interested to see where the author takes this world and series in the future.

Should have told the consumer it was a master slave romance. Terrible to release in this political climate without any warning. Pretty edges can only sell books for so long! If I could this would get zero stars.

I really enjoyed this read. Side note: Read with caution, check triggers. A handful of scenes could be hard to read due to vulgar or brutal detail. The author’s writing flows beautifully and held my attention the entire book. The intrigue, the danger, the character dynamics are all well written. I loved the Roman aspect, the dragon shifter elements, and the good MMC vs the evil ruler. The romance of some side characters is on the dark side, and due to illustrating the brutality of the Roman conquerors, there are a handful of scenes that are heavy. The romance between the main characters is on the sweeter side of dark and is more instalovey. Although it is sort of a captive x captor relationship, the insta love vibe made it not feel dark or heavy. The brutal side of this war is described in great detail which could be upsetting for readers. It does illustrate the need for a rebellion in this world really well, and sparks all the emotions that would go along with this war and rebellion. This was an exciting read and held my interest the entire time. I feel like readers who loved the GOT or Vikings kind of world would enjoy this read.

This audio narration is perfection.

❤️‍🔥 Dragon Shifter
❤️‍🔥 Roman Conquers
❤️‍🔥 Witch FMC
❤️‍🔥 My Treasure
❤️‍🔥 My Dragon
❤️‍🔥 Conquerer x Captive
❤️‍🔥 Fated Mates
❤️‍🔥 Rebellion
❤️‍🔥 Brutal War

4.5 🌶️ (highly descriptive, open door spice, occurs enough to be a focus point in the plot)
Check triggers (brutal war, brutal ruler, vulgar SA discussed and hinted at, mistreatment of women)

Thank you so much to The NetGalley team at Tor/Forge for this ARC copy.

3.5 stars.

I see Ancient Rome and dragons and I want to read it, I can't help it.

I had a lot of fun with this fantasy romance book, even though some of it came off as cheesy (especially the whole "My Treasure" thing. Also the word "cunny" made me cringe so hard). I didn't go in expecting the deepest world building or anything, and I think that helped me enjoy it more.

The master/slave dynamic seems to be an issue for a lot of people, but I think it's pretty clear that Malina is not a slave except in name for appearance's sake, and there is never any non-con between the MMC and FMC. There are definitely other non-con threats from the villains pretty constantly, though, so there are some pretty dark moments. But the romance itself is not dark at all.

Malina is also a lot more level-headed than many other romantasy heroines out there, and I appreciated that about her.

All in all, the book delivered what it promised, which was Rome with dragon shifters, and some steamy romance, and I enjoyed it.

3.5–3.75 stars!

I actually really enjoyed Firebird by Juliette Cross. This fantasy romance was immersive, action-packed, and surprisingly easy to read. The worldbuilding, set in a version of Rome where humans coexist with dragon shifters, was magical enough to pull me in right away. It reminded me of a lighter fantasy—engaging without being overly complex—and that made it a great escape read.

There’s definitely political intrigue, dragon shifters, fantasy romance, and yes… smut. I’d rate it around two chili peppers in terms of spice. As someone who reads dark romance, I can say these scenes weren’t particularly graphic or dark in comparison to others in the genre. That said, content warnings apply: this story includes captive/captor and slave/slaver tropes, which are not everyone’s cup of tea. Some reviews are harsh because they were surprised or uncomfortable with those elements—so please go in knowing what you’re picking up.

But despite the criticism, I found this book to be beautifully written and entertaining. The romance and fantasy blended nicely, and the audiobook was a great companion to the physical read. If you enjoy stories with a dash of darkness, magical politics, dragons, and romance, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

DNF around 50%

When I received this book I was surprised that no where in the synopsis said it was a master/slave romance. That aspect didn’t bother me too much as I do read dark romances, but it also isn’t my favourite. However I mostly just DNF’ed due to being bored of the plot. I had no desire to pick it up, and I didn’t like the way the romance was progressing.

Firebird by Juliette Cross is a fiery, fast-paced romance that’s equal parts magical and emotional. The chemistry between the phoenix shifter and dragon king is intense, and their forbidden love story keeps you hooked. Juliette Cross does a great job building a rich supernatural world while giving us strong, relatable characters. If you’re into steamy fantasy romance with a lot of heart, this one’s a fun, satisfying read.

3.75 ⭐
3 🌶️

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

While it took me a while to get into the story, and the world building could use some work, I enjoyed it!!

Firebird by Juliette Cross is a dark fantasy romance set in Ancient Rome.
💢Check your trigger warnings before reading.

I originally wanted to read this because, well, Dragons! I didn't expect dragon shifters! This was my first and I definitely plan on reading more of them!
I know many people have issues with this being a slave/master relationship but I don't see it as that at all. Yes the Mmc is a general in the Roman army, nephew of the Roman emperor, and the enemy of our Fmc but there is alot more to him.
All in all this was a decent start to a new series and I will definitely be reading more. I expect we'll learn more about the world, magic, and the roman gods in future books.

FIREBIRD is the first instalment in Juliette Cross’ adult THE FIRE THAT BINDS paranormal / fantasy romance series. This is dragon shifter and Roman General Julianus ‘Julian’ Dakkia, and Dacian dancer Malina’s story line.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Julian and Malina) set in 53 BCE, FIREBIRD follows in the wake of the rescue of our story line heroine. Approximately four years earlier, Dacian dancer Malina would come face to face with dragon shifter General Julianus Dakkia but Rome was at with everyone, and the dragon led armies were gaining control. Fast forward four years, Malina would find herself a rescued slave of our story line hero, a dragon who knew Malina was his fated mate but Mulian’s uncle, Emperor Caesar had declared no marriages between Romans and slaves, and Malina was about to become a pawn in a much larger game.

The world building focuses on the Roman empire’s conquest of Europe; the dragon shifters who ruled the battlefields and the skies, and the betrayal between ruling houses as Malina becomes fodder in a game of winner take all.

The relationship between Julian and Malina begins as slave and master but Julian had never intended for Malina to become a permanent slave. In an effort to protect her from harm, Julian must declare Malina a slave, until such a time he can claim Malina as his own. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and some questionable secondary and supporting characters including Trajan, dragon Prefect Ciprian, Emperor Caesar, as well as several household slaves-Ivo, Stefano, Ruskus, and Kara. The requisite evil has many faces.

FIREBIRD is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, dragons and armies, acceptance and love, set against a backdrop of the Roman Empire at a time when slavery and war were endemic. The premise is dramatic and edgy; the romance is fated; the characters are determined and destructive.FIREBIRD ends on a happily ever after-for now.



THE READING CAFÉ: https://www.thereadingcafe.com/firebird-the-fire-that-binds-1-by-juliette-cross-dual-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7014889271


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DNF @ 47%

This was one of my highly anticipated releases this year. I mean, you see those beautiful stenciled edges, right? And that cover? Absolutely stunning!

And boy, was I stunned by the content of this book. It was disappointing and filled me with a fiery rage to read a "romance" between a slave and master. I understand the historical context, but seriously? Where was the social commentary? Instead, we get an fmc who is totally head over heels over the mmc *insert vomit emoji* even though he unalived her family?!

Nah. Nope. *chucks this across the room*

Thank you to Netgalley and Bramble for the eARC of Firebird in exchange for my honest review.

PLEASE CHECK TWs BEFORE READING - this is a dark romantasy with a master/slave dynamic for the romance, there is a lot of violence (sexual/physical) towards women throughout.

I am a HUGE sucker for the Roman Empire and dragons so this was right up my alley. I do think it fell flat in a lot of the aspects that it was trying to nail. The setting was interesting because I have a familiarity and fondness for Ancient Rome and the tie-in with mythology for the dragon backgrounds was also really cool, but that’s about where my interest started and ended.

We have a lot of interesting setup for political machinations and we see next to nothing about it, despite being in a dual POV where our one character is the “adopted” son of Caesar. We should have delved way more into it. I have taught ancient world history and spent much time in Roman history so I have an understanding of the names and what that means going forward, but the general reader likely wouldn’t.

The romance (if you can call it that) left a LOT to be desired because of the dynamic between the two characters. Like sure, the MMC says that Malina is not his property, but she legally is. Everywhere she goes, she wears a collar around her neck with his name on it to signify her status. The relationship begins while she is still enslaved to him. There is also some weird language usage which made the spicy scenes a bit awkward. They were fated mates so it also had a major insta love dynamic.

I also think while the mythology tie-in was intriguing, it was underutilized. We could have had so much more exciting moments like the introduction with the story of Medusa at the beginning. I could maybe see this playing out in future books, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up again.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this one. It wasn’t strong enough in any of its aspects to carry it. Thank you to Bramble for the eARC so I could read this early!

This story follows a witch captured by a roman general who she met long ago and is now his slave. However, they have the same goals: fall in love and try to conquer the world. I had higher expectations for this book, and as much as I liked it, I also didn’t enjoy it. Like many, I didn’t like the whole slave thing but it shows the roman empire of where the story was going for. I believe overtime, as Ceasar will be thrown, there will possibly be no slaves. I liked the world but I wish there were more world development and explanation. I was often confused with the houses and the dragon aspect of the story. The pacing was fast which I enjoyed and the story did have been conflicts to keep me entertained. This book is told from Julian and Malina’s pov.

Malina is considered a witch but we don’t truly know much of her powers. I wish we got to see her and her powers grow. Then we have Julian, who knows Malina is for him and protects her. He wants her to have her freedom. For the most part, I liked Julian, but we never got much into the plan except his attraction for Malina. There are many side characters and I can see some characters becoming bigger people in the next books. The romance is fated mates, leader/servant, and he falls first. I didn’t feel much for the couple as their romance development happened so quickly but I liked it more towards the end.

There is an epilogue with more of a HEA then a cliffhanger. The author provided a sample of book 2 which I believe will be told from a new set of MCs. I wish we got more of Malina and Julian because I feel there is more to their stories but we will see in book 2.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Sadly DNF-ed due to content because I was mislead into thinking this would be something else. Instead I got a "dark romance" about a slave master and slave of color (who is underaged). At that point, it was a no for me. But sincerely thank you for the ARC. I just don't enjoy and or support romanticizing slavery like that, and the harsh reviews I've seen from BIPOC creators only solidifies my opinion.

First off, the fact that the author set this in Roman times but made the aristos dragon shifters descended from the Roman gods who were dragons was really creative. Some readers may be "squicked out" by the fact that the female love interest becomes a slave to the male mc (although in their original meeting she is still free). It makes sense in the world of the book, and he spends considerable time trying to make things right. I really enjoyed this one - but of course, it's the beginning of a series, so the big bad of the world is still a problem! The FMC has her own special powers that make her less "damsel in distress" and more "heroine working her way to full partner". I loved the reveal of who I assume the next couple of the series will be (in the epilogue).