DNF at 31%

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The major issue I had was with the main character Aemyra. I did not like her at all. In the first scene she's in, she's delivering a child and thinks about how she only likes being between a woman's leg when they are screaming in pleasure and not in pain. This is literally the first paragraph of the ARC. She regularly sleeps with her female friend and while Aemyra is at the friend's tavern, she constantly sexualizes the friend in her head and the phrasing really grossed me out.

Aemyra is also fated to be queen. The book kind of tries to be coy about this for a while, but it's literally on the back of the book. I realize that characters can grow as the story progresses, but I expect to see some glimmer of why Aemyra would make a good queen in the first third of the book. Instead, she comes off as immature (she's twenty-six??), impulsive, and she constantly makes the worst choice in any given situation. The people in her coup are also staggeringly incompetent, so there wasn't anything to even balance her out.

There do seem to be a lot of people who like this book and I'm very happy they do, so if the book does interest you, you should still check it out.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

This is a difficult one for me, because there are aspects of this story that I really enjoyed. Dragons, political intrigue, enemies to lovers. But it all just fell a bit flat for me (and I have a hard time getting past the fact that the main characters are cousins?).

The pacing of the story was a bit off, and the characters lacked depth, particularly the MMC. We really didn’t get to know him very much, and I think this book could have actually benefited from dual POV. I feel like the switch from enemies to lovers made no sense and there was another part of the book which I won’t spoil that happened so quickly (then out fmc was an expert?).

But, while the ending was super predictable, the story drew me in enough to want to know what happens in book 2.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for an ARC for an honest review. I was very excited to receive this book but I did not finish at 14%. I just couldn’t take the MFC. She was the rude, mean, spiteful and unlikable - could not connect to her at all. I didn’t get to the romance part yet but I feel like I would have had no respect for the MMC because he seemed way too nice for her. There were also a lot of Gaelic terms that I had no idea how to pronounce or really what they meant. I felt lost a lot of the time. There were a lot of five stars reviews but this just wasn’t for me.

I just finished reading Onyx Storm so when I read the book blurb for this it seemed like a home run; unfortunately, not so much. I tried really really hard to get into it but just couldn’t seem to get there. For a character that was supposed to be strong and a ruler, I felt like Aemyra fell flat. I couldn’t get behind her as someone who would even manage a Target let alone rule a kingdom. Had she been different then maybe I wouldn’t have struggled so much to get through this book, but we shall never know.

***Thank you NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC for my honest opinion***

I really liked this and will definitely be continuing the series. We have:

Slow start
Bisexual FMC
Secret royals
Bonded dragons
Betrayal
Enemies to lovers
Marriage of convenience
Cliffhanger ending

It took me a bit to get into, but once I did, it was definitely worth it.

DNF @ 18%.

Don’t let me not finishing this book deter you from reading it. This is definitely going to be a great book for many romantasy readers. This one didn’t work for me due to the main character. She was a bit too arrogant and juvenile for my liking (I think she reads a bit more YA).

I may pick this one back up if I’m in the mood for this type of book.

Projected rating 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

You guys know I’ve been in a dragon mood for my books and this is yet another dragon book 😆 if you love high stakes, fast paced action, descriptive storytelling books, and did I mention dragons?, then this is for you!

Set up a unique world filled with Celtic mythology that reels you in. Aemrya is faced with having to fight for her crown in a world that used to believe in the matriarchy but now follows the divine religion that pushes patriarchy while devaluing women. Not only does the religion look down on Aemrya for being a woman but on her having fire magic.

This books touches on a lot of serious issues that can sometimes be hard to read but it was executed so well. With the amount of world building in the books it can get a bit confusing at times especially with the clans but I enjoyed the storytelling, it was very descriptive. Aemyra makes some poor decisions that end up with bad consequences that she is somewhat shocked about - that really made me go “dude what” - but it really helps grow her character. I loved being able to read how Hazel McBride describes riding a dragon, I literally felt like I was on the back of a dragon having my little dragon queen moment. It has a TRUE enemies to lovers - I’m talking they’re trying to kill each other not just being rivals - involving a red haired, fire wielding prince Fiorean.

I am in need of the second book because WHAT was that cliffhanger!! not Overall do remember that this book will have some heavy topics so be aware. Thank you so much to @hazelmcbrideauthor , @dialoguepublishing , and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC

This Celtic inspired family set in a matriarchal society is the blueprint for romantasy. It has all the tropes that are well loved by fans of the genre. Including one of my personal favorites, dragons.

It was a decent book that can scratch the romantasy itch if you’re having it. There’s enemies to lovers and slow burn. It’s not monumental but it’s fun if you’re in the mood.

The pacing was a little rough with the slow start then rushing through important parts. I was excited for an older fmc but she did sometimes feel younger being very reactive. I have hopes the character development can improve in the second novel.

This book was amazing in every way possible. The magic system, the plot, the characters, the betrayal! I could not get enough of this book. Not only did it have dragons, but Aemyra was such a likable character. Who doesn’t love a badass FMC who never doubts her ability to be a badass? The ending was everything I wanted it to be. It wasn’t too much, it wasn’t too much useless killing in regard to main characters/main side characters, and it wasn’t as predictable as I find some fantasy novels with betrayal to be. Even though this book comes out in three months, I’m already chomping at the bit for the next one.

This book was very interesting in the way the story unfolded. I felt like it wasn’t entirely my vibe

DNFed at 10%. I think I could’ve given this more time and I might’ve reached the turning point of becoming engaged with the story, but it felt more like a “not right now.” I might revisit eventually, but I’m feeling a bit worn out by the same tired romantasy tropes lately, and it didn’t feel like this was offering me much new or different. I didn’t particularly enjoy the FMC so far, though there’s a chance that could change if I were a bit more invested.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

This was a hard one for me to get into. Lots of cliche’ aspects in this one as in all the other romantasies coming out.

I was bored, found myself not reaching for it. Not one meant for me.

I really wanted to love this but I just couldn’t. There were so many good things about this book. However, the characters in the world building felt very disjointed. The MFC was not to my taste and no matter how much I tried I just didn’t care about her. I definitely think some people will love this book however for me it really was just a hard pass.

Okay, so A Fate Forged in Fire was a ride—sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, but definitely a ride. The enemies-to-lovers tension? *Chef’s kiss.* The “my wife” moments? Loved. But the world-building in the beginning was a mess, and I spent way too much time trying to piece things together. Aemyra was supposed to be this fierce, powerful heroine, but half the time, it felt like things just *happened* to her rather than her actually accomplishing anything. Like, girl, where’s that fire? And Fiorean… listen, he had potential, but he was giving wet cardboard at times.

That said, I did enjoy the magic bonds and really wish we got more dragons. The marriage of (in)convenience trope was fun, and the tension between the leads kept me going, but I needed higher stakes and actual follow-through on all that rage. The ending was predictable (thanks, spoilers), but I’m still curious enough to continue the series. Here’s hoping book two brings the heat!

A Fate Forged in Fire is the first book in a new romantasy series by Hazel McBride. Aemyra, the female main character, is destined to become queen, thanks to a century old rule that a female must assume the crown if born of royal blood. This hasn’t happened in over 100 years, but Aemyra is ready for the role. She was born for this.

While I do not want to provide any spoilers, Aemyra obviously comes across some setbacks in her quest to become Queen. She also ends up in a marriage of convenience to the second born son of the former king. Fiorean may share a fire bond like Aemyra, but his secrets are vast and Aemyra doesn’t know if she can trust him.

Although I did enjoy reading this book, I did feel like the romance between Aemyra and Fiorean could have been further explored. I also wish I could have had more backstory at the beginning. It all felt a little rushed, and in turn, I never really connected with any of the characters. Maybe taking time to provide more backstory to Aemyra/Adarian/Draevan as well as Fiorean and his family in book two would give the reader more reasons to root for these characters.


Thank you Hazel McBride, NetGalley, and Ballentine Books for the advanced reader copy of this romantasy novel out May 27th!

I can’t believe how lucky I was to read this as an ARC. I am utterly obsessed with the world building, character development and attention to detail Hazel provides. It's a wonderfully built complex world and the attention to every detail is amazing.

Being the rightful gods blessed queen and having to hide who you truly are Aemyra proves just how strong and worthy she is.

I love the dynamic enemies-lovers-maybe enemies and honestly Fiorean is just another book boyfriend for me.

I really struggled with this one. I have a hard time with fantasy that incorporate personal bias and real world politics in a fantasy novel. I PERSONALLY read as form of escapism so this really just missed the mark for me. The pacing, in-combination with the amount of characters being mentioned made this difficult to get through. A lot of popular tropes were incorporated but everything felt rushed so they didn’t quite hit they I want them too. I didn’t feel any form of attachment to any of the character throughout the book. The author could’ve scorched earth every single character, and I would’ve shrugged and moved on with my life. When you add on an FMC with an unlikable personality, this overall was a no for me.

Honestly, this book just wasn't for me. There were a few things that bothered me enough that I realized I probably would not finish this book. Also, I don't even remember requesting this one, so maybe it was an accident? Either way, I don't think this one is for me!

I have very mixed feelings about this book. There were so many aspects of it that I loved, but I felt like they really did not tie together well. It was very, very slow to get into.

The FMC has me struggling to pick up this book. Every decision she made was awful and she had an "I'm better than everyone" attitude the entire time. Outside of her I thought the characters were decently done and felt the plot was actually enticing at times. The dragons also really made up for a lot of my dislike of her so at least there was that.

I also struggled with connecting the first half of the book to the second. It felt like two completely different books. Ultimately I really did not love this one but maybe it could have potential as a series??

So how can I be fire? If the only thing that makes me burn....is you?"

Wow, absolutely WOW! It has been a while since a book has had me in an absolute chokehold, and this definitely did it! I love strong from the start FMC and Amerya was 100% a bad ass bitch! She was strong, passionate and wants the best for her people. This book was so frustrating in the best way. Amerya's failures, stresses and obstacles became my own and had me holding onto my Kindle with white knuckles. The world building and the lore was so well written. Every character was essential to the story. I also really loved having a pronunciation guide. Fiorean.... oh Fiorean how you crushed my heart. I hope I don't have to hate you for long. Fiorean quickly became one of my most loved MMCs to one of my most hated, back to loved and now I HATE him.

The ending of this book had my jaw completely dropped. I did not see it coming at all and I need to know how this end like NOW. It's been awhile since I have been so emotional about and all throughout a book. Hazel Mcbride is a winner in my mind and I for sure will be a life long reader of her books. Thanks to Netgalley, Hazel Mcbride and Random House Publishing for giving me a chance to read this amazing ARC.