4.25⭐️

Firebird is a fast paced fantasy novel that will put the “roman” in romantic! It follows Malina, an empath, who is captured by the general of the Roman army, named Julian, after a battle. Malina is forced to be his “body slave”, but the only thing she is serving him is an attitude. This world has a complicated magic system that includes men who can turn into dragons, magic from Gods, and much more! As much as I loved the world building in this book I felt a little confused on how only some people had the dragon ability and some didn’t. This is the first book in a series so I am sure answers that I have will be shared in future books!

Don’t be fooled into thinking this book focuses only on romance...no no no. There is a lot of plot going on. You are dealing with Malina (our MFC) grieving over the deaths of her family members during war, a powerful Ceaser who is out of control, Julian (our MMC) trying to find help in rebelling against his evil uncle, a slave boy who was almost killed for just being part dragon, etc. There is some sexual content in this book which frankly I am not a fan of in books, but if it bothers you I would recommend just skipping those sections.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I was little underwhelmed with the big fight scene at the end. It felt like it was entirely too easy to end after spending so much time talking about this rivalry. I would have preferred that to be a little harder to end. It just felt too neat and tidy.

I am excited to continue the series and the future & thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy of this book!

Dragons, Magic, Spice (2 peppers), He falls first? Count me in.

From the first 20 pages of this book, I was hooked. If you're looking for a Romantasy with a "touch her and die" MMC this is for you. The world building was done well and not all crammed in the first couple of pages. The re-telling of Ancient Rome made it easy to imagine the clothing, the setting, and the landscape.

I can't wait to read the second book when it comes out.

This book falls under the tragic “Red Tower Syndrome” — the book’s sales rely primarily on the physical appearance of the book, not necessarily what’s on the inside. This was all around a very “meh” book. There were tropes that I felt were just there to tick off some boxes, the writing was not sensational, the romance was lackluster, the characters lacked personification, the world building is not really there, and there are haphazard explanations for what could easily be plot holes if poked too hard. The only good thing about this book was the idea of dragon-shifters — I really liked that. Thanks to NetGalley for ARC access.

I had high hopes for *Firebird* by Juliette Cross, especially with its intriguing premise as a blend of *House of the Dragon* and *From Blood and Ash*. However, the similarities to those stories feel superficial at best, with dragons and a bare hint of political intrigue serving only as the story's backdrop. Unfortunately, the execution left me struggling to connect with both the narrative and the characters, leading me to ultimately DNF the book about 10 chapters in.

The story centers around Malina, a dancer from a lineage of witches, and Julianus, a Roman general and dragon shifter. Their connection begins when Julianus sees Malina dance for the first time and feels an immediate, possessive pull, knowing his dragon has claimed her. To protect her, he resolves to stay away. However, a time skip abruptly moves the plot forward, reuniting them under far more troubling circumstances. After a battle, Julianus takes Malina captive, thrusting them into a forced-proximity master-slave dynamic that forms the foundation of their relationship.

The romance follows predictable tropes for this setup, but I struggled with the power imbalance and the discomfort of the dynamic. Julianus sees Malina as more than a trophy of war, but that nuance doesn’t feel meaningful enough to redeem the problematic elements of their connection. Additionally, an early scene involving graphic sexual violence felt gratuitous, overshadowing any potential chemistry and making it hard to return to the story.

The antagonist, Caesar, falls into the archetype of an evil, lecherous villain with little depth, which detracts from the larger political stakes. While the worldbuilding had potential—with dragons, witches, and Roman-inspired elements—it didn’t feel fully developed. The spice level in the romance is there, but the dynamic between Malina and Julianus left me too uncomfortable to appreciate it.

Juliette Cross is a talented writer, and the prose reflects her skill, but the plot choices and themes were not to my taste.

*Firebird* by Juliette Cross is a thrilling and steamy paranormal romance that blends fantasy, passion, and danger into an unforgettable adventure. The story follows the fierce and independent heroine, who is drawn into a world of supernatural intrigue and undeniable attraction. Cross’s world-building is rich and imaginative, creating a vibrant universe where magical creatures, powerful forces, and high stakes come together in a fast-paced narrative. The chemistry between the protagonist and her love interest is electric, filled with tension and desire, while the plot keeps readers on the edge of their seats with unexpected twists and heart-racing moments. *Firebird* is a captivating mix of romance, fantasy, and action, with strong, well-developed characters who face both personal and external challenges. Juliette Cross crafts a captivating, emotionally charged story that will leave readers eagerly turning pages. A must-read for fans of paranormal romance and fantasy!

This was such a fast paced romantasy that had me hooked from the start! I loved the witch + dragon elements! This fated mates, Roman Empire fantasy was just what I needed. If you loved house of dragons, you’ll love this book!

Thank you Net galley and Juliette Cross for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Fast plot with an interesting storyline. What else could one ask for??
However the storyline did not feel very well thought out- good concept but a mid execution. Also, the world building really didn't make that much sense.

DNF’d at 60 percent. Many elements are repetitive and I just couldn’t take too many more descriptions of it physiques and body parts.

*I did not leave a star rating on Goodreads

I had a great time with this! I've been on a bit of an ancient world kick - I just read An Ember in the Ashes - which was probably why all the themes of slavery didn't bother me as much as they could have. I read this in two days because I simply didn't want to put it down. Is it perfect? No, but I didnt care.

Malina was an interesting character, and her ability as an empath was woven into the story well. I loved the dragon shifting, and Julianus is such a simp for Malina that I was willing to overlook his questionable actions sometimes. The cliffhanger at the end! OMG, I was kind of expecting it, but it still hit with the very last line and I want to get my hands on book two.

This book is described as a House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash, but the only resemblance is in the dressings of the story: there are dragons and the barest of a political plot.
Malina is a dancer from a long line of witches. The first time Julianus, a Roman general and dragon shifter, sees Malina dance, he knows that she belongs to his dragon. To protect her, he resolves to stay far away.
There is a time skip after that first meeting, probably to effectuate the plot to bring the two back together. When Julianus takes Malina captive after a battle, she becomes more than just a trophy of war, and Julianus must protect her against all of his foes. Caesar, the antagonist, is a stereotypical evil sleaze who Julianus and a few others are trying to overthrow. The romance develops as a typical forced-proximity master-slave trope might, and the spice level is 2/5.
The book ended abruptly, and seemingly without the main objectives being achieved. The idea was an interesting one, but ultimately wasn’t successful in my view. 2 stars.

Oooh i enjoyed this one. I love plots that are based in the roman empire because it always makes for an interesting plot. The fmc is a witch who meets the mmc when she was dancing. She meets him again years later when he shifts to a dragon and saves her from his men assaulting her. She is maid his bedroom slave to tend his personal needs and keep her safe. As the book goes on there is lots of Roman political intrigue, class differences, dragon shifting and the mc’s spend more time together.

I wouldn’t really call this enemies to lovers, yes the fmc hated the mmc for a while but he has always been attracted and captivated by her. There is alot of tension/attraction between them especially after she becomes his personal ‘slave’(non sexual). The mmc is a dragon shifter as all roman leagues are and he is so protective of the fmc before she even knows that they are mates. The world building and lore was so intriguing to me, i wanted to know more about the mmc’s uncle who is Cesar the Emperor of Rome.

The romance was good and steamy and though there is tension after they get together is kinda more of a partnership. The ending wasn’t really a cliffhanger but i am interested in seeing how the next book goes. I thought the writing was also easy to read and get through. Overall a good Romantasy, thanks to Bramble for this arc for an honest review.

I was very excited about this one and I thought the setting and set-up of the story was great. Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed the more I read. I found the pacing very off, would've like a lot more tension throughout. The sex scenes were odd to me. The ending just sort of resolved itself. I was left wanting and will likely no be picking up the future books.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I was sucked in immediately and could not stop until the book was over. The plot was interesting and kept a good pace which is something I really look for in a book. Also the characters were unique and there journey kept me enticed the entire time. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

I really like Juliette Cross’s writing and I was hooked immediately, I love the prophecy and that there is witches and dragons in the book but I didn’t like that FMC is a slave.

This was a great enemies to lovers, intricate world building and lore, doesn't stray into the realms of overwhelming, a really unique story, chemistry between the characters was palpable, I think this is both epic and romantic!

Unfortunately this one will end up being a DNF for me. I tried really hard to love it - and the cover with the edges is beautiful!! I think the hook of house of the dragon meets from blood and ash will be well received from booktok. Dragons are super popular!

I was not hooked into the story right away. We know that Julian was enamoured when he watched Malina dancing but we don’t know why he is so infatuated with her. Perhaps that would have been explained later in the book. With the author using a lot of “tell not show” it was more difficult to read through. Finally, the master/slave dynamic that we get here is not one that I find appealing and makes the MMC less likeable.

A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
A world where dragons rule Rome.

This is a really great paranormal romance. The characters are great!

Could not put this book down! Loved the characters, the world, and the magic. There was a perfect balance of plot and romance and I need the next book.

I've read other stuff from this author that I really enjoyed and I was excited for this book, but I found the summary to be a bit misleading and failed to mention things that I had issues with throughout this book. The idea that the Romans were dragons and were conquering Europe thanks to their strength as dragons is super creative, but obviously this is a fantasy version of the past. Why in a fantasy version is slavery still included? I was jarred and completely put off by the fact that Malina becomes Julian's slave and that there were no content warnings about this. I found it to be unsavory to say the least and was a major issue I had with this book. Towards the middle of the story I was getting into it a bit more although it still is by no means my favorite book. But then we get to the last 10% of the book and things seem to be wrapping up extremely fast as though the author forgot that the book was supposed to be ending soon. It all felt rushed and then the big bad (Caesar) isn't assassinated even though we got so much lead-up to this happening. The book ends on a cliffhanger/happy-for-now type ending obviously leading into each sister getting their own book. Overall, I found the lack of content warnings to be an oversight and the fact that slavery was a feature at all in a fantasy world was unnecessary. Additionally, there are mentions/descriptions of rape and sexual assault throughout the book. I found the story to end a bit rushed and to be highly predictable. I'm not sure if I would read the next book in this series. This one was so-so for me hence the 3 star rating as the writing wasn't bad and the story was okay, but as I mentioned above, the issues I had with it were hard to overlook.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for the ARC! #IndigoEmployee

My Rating: 4 Stars.

Honestly, the first thing I need to mention is the beautiful cover that is so stunning, that without a doubt will make me purchase the book for my shelf even with the ARC.

Ancient Rome and Dragons, you had me from the very beginning. The story was well written and kept my attention throughout, and while I was able to guess certain plot points coming my way, others completely blindsided me in the best way. I felt the immediate spark between the two main characters, and absolutely adored how down bad Julian was for Malina.

As the setting is Ancient Rome, there is definitely some content warnings needed for this book. There is frequent talk, reference, and view of slaves and brutal actions towards prisoners of war, as well as a lot of references and lead-ups to sexual assault, though we never actually see it. However there is no romanticizing what is going on towards this, and nothing about it is overly graphic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, with only a few issues about it. I feel like there are still a lot of questions left unanswered and characters thrown around just left behind in the wind. I’m hoping these will all be addressed in future books within the series, and look forward to seeing the outcomes. I also found myself struggling in some of the sex scenes, specifically because of one word used more than once that made me cringe so badly and would take me out of my enjoyment, and find some slang terms absolutely unneeded, but without them I enjoyed the whole thing.

Overall I think it was a phenomenal book, and I look forward to continuing with the series as it goes on.