This book immediately kicks you off with our main character being her viscous self showing off her skills with trickery poison and alchemy, you can tell from the beginning that she is going to be clever and entertaining and keep you on your toes.

Over the next little while it’s important to pay close attention, especially if listening in audio format, as we have several time jumps and it can be easy to get lost whilst trying to familiarize yourself with the world and the characters. I will admit that I did get lost a few times and had to keep rewinding to figure it out, however I will say the fault is mine and not the narrators as I was trying to multitask and listen at the gym 😂 it is likely a lot easier to follow when reading in physical format.

If you like a slow burn romance with a ton of longing and tension in a fantasy setting then this definitely could be a great choice for you. The characters definitely long to be together yet circumstance isn’t allowing it and we get all the juicy drama that entails.

I would recommend to read the related series first so that you have a better concept of the world, characters and political wars etc that are happening; however if you decide to jump straight into this one first you’ll still have a good time reading.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Helen Scheuerer for the ALC!

Publish date - January 28th 2025

This book was Amazing! I am a huge fan of The Legends of Thezmarr series and this book is a continuation of that series. While you don’t have to read it I would definitely recommend it.
I love Wren and Torj. I already loved them but now all I can say is wow. Wren and I have had a rocky relationship but she has really grown into herself. Torj on the other hand has always been a favorite. Together? Just perfection.
This book was everything I wanted it to be. Action, spice, great characters, and a fantastic story. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And I really did enjoy the narrators.

Thank you to Helen Scheuerer and Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.

A beautiful fantasy series! If you haven't read The Legends of Thezmarr already, I suggest doing that before picking up this series only because I did not know about the War of the Midlands and felt like I was missing a lot. Wren is a princess turned poisoner; she has lost those she loved most and vowed revenge. She has only wanted to be an alchemist, but she has been denied for 5 years to attend the school of her dreams. But, now that they need her help with a new alchemical magic targeting royals, she is finally in on one condition. She must let the war sword Torj protect her. The two have been dancing around each other and the attraction they feel for each other for years. Will they finally throw caution to the wind and allow themselves to love one another?

In terms of the narrators, they were both incredible. Make sure that you pay close attention at the beginning of the book as there is some time hoping, and it can be a little confusing when only listening and not being able to flip back and forth. The narrator's tone, however, was on point, and the male's voice reminded me of a dead Mr. Darcy, all rough and longing.

Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer has truly blown me out of the waters! The world, characters, plot, and romance are all so amazingly done that I was completely immersed in Wren’s story (And don’t even get me started on Torj). The tension, pining, and yearning between these two are just the cherry on top! Oh, and the ending will tear your heart out, so fair warning.

I would say if The Witcher and From Blood and Ash had a baby Iron & Embers would be it! If you are a reader who loves an epic romantasy with the perfect amount of spice AND deadly trails I would absolutely recommend you pick this one up! Book 2 can’t come soon enough! I will definitely be checking out the other Thezmarr series by Helen after finishing this one! I am hooked!

Thank you to Helen and Dreamscape Media for providing the ALC.

A vengeful alchemist and a vicious war sword. What more could you ask for in this slow burn romantasy that takes place in an alchemy academy?!

I throughly enjoyed this and the love story between Wren and Torj is one for the books. So excited for the next book!

WELCOME WELCOME to one of my all time favorite reads! Iron and Embers by Helen Scheuerer is phenomenal and do you want to hear the kicker?!

I HAVEN'T EVEN READ THE PRE-SERIES. (Immediately moved to the top of my tbr, I like doing things backwards I guess?)

This book was everything my little vindictive, witchy heart wanted. It's like... If a magical school was just Snapes potions class, but add in vikings and a dash of smut.

Wren is angry, she is mad and vindictive against those responsible for the death of her loved ones. She will kill them all, even if it holds her back from her dream, they will pay. All she has ever wanted was to be a master alchemist, graduating from the prestigious alchemy school, but her anger holds her back and prohibits her from stepping foot on the school grounds. When disaster strikes and royals start being targeted, including Wren, the school knows they need Wren's insight and finally allows her to enter their grounds. If she is to become a master alchemist, she must face all matters of danger, physical, emotional, mental, the biggest one being love. When an old flame is assigned as her body guard at the school, their hatred for each other festers at the surface but something bigger is going on within their souls.

I cannot tell you how much I adored this book. It felt like coming home. I found myself giggling, kicking my feet, yelling at the characters and crying at the end. It is a CARDINAL SIN that the second book isn't in my hands immediately.

i would like to say it started off strong, but it felt like I was thrown into a second book in a series. however, this is the first book. i was very interested in this book and thought i would love it but it lost me within the first half. it got boring for me as it felt like i was stuck in a loop of nothing, yet feeling in danger the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Scheuerer, and Dreamscape Media for allowing me access to the audiobook arc.

4.5 stars for the audiobook. It was well done. I think the voices of Wren and Torj. The only thing I didn’t love as much is the voice of Wren when it’s in Torj's POV. It just sounded odd to me.

This story was everything I was hoping for. I loved seeing Wren stand on her own. She is just as powerful as Thea just with poisons instead of blades. She is still dealing with the grief from the shadow war. I’m glad Wren had some character growth in book one. I can’t wait to see what she will be like in book 2, especially after everything that happened. I would have loved to see more of the things she was working on at the academy. The vibes in the beginning of the book were perfect but the academy was less heavy later in the book.

I’m pretty sure anything written by Helen Sheuerer is basically a guaranteed 5 Stars at this point. I always get caught up and end up binging the book. This was of course the case for Iron & Embers. I had a special situation where I ended up with both the ebook and audiobook ARCs, so I was able to do a “tandem read” of sorts. It made this a really immersive read for me because I was able to get lost on Matt Haynes & Emilia Bauer’s narrations while also following along and annotating/highlighting. The audiobook was great! Matt & Emilia both did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life, and I really like both of their voices.
The story itself is amazing. I loved how Wren and Torj’s relationship deteriorated right away, and then redeveloped (slowly!) as the story progressed. They definitely had the enemies to lovers/love to hate you vibes in my opinion. This book actually reminds me a bit of A Court of Silver Flame, which was perfect for me since that’s my favorite ACOTAF book. I feel like Wren and Nesta have similarly magnificent character arcs and the same reluctance to accept their feelings for the MMF. I could write paragraphs about the similarities and why this is really a great thing in terms of character development, but suffice it to say I loved every page of this book…even when I wanted to shake Wren a bit. The ending absolutely killed me but also has me really excited for the next book!

The synopsis starts with this quote: “I’ve made no secret of what I want... You. It’s always been you.” and though it takes a long while to get to that point, the buildup of these two characters is phenomenal. I loved all of the alchemy and the assassin school type setting and it reminded me a bit of "Nevernight" by Jay Kristoff which is a great thing because I loved that book as well.

I liked Wren's character but she is as stubborn as an ox and who am I kidding here? Torj is just as stubborn but he has my whole heart and I just love him so much. There is plenty of push and pull between these two and the tension is thick with desire. The princess x bodyguard trope is done so well and I couldn't help but snort with laughter and swoon when Torj shows up unexpectedly several times to protect Wren.

This book does end with many questions and I can't wait to see how the author continues the story.

The audio narration by Matt Haynes and Emilia Bauer is wonderfully done and Matt's low, gravelly voice is perfect for Torj.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Iron & Embers
by Helen Scheuerer
Narrated by Matt Haynes; Emilia Bauer

I received an ARC of this audiobook through Netgalley.

I LOVE this audiobook. It’s a seriously awesome Adult Romantasy.

The narrators deserve so much kudos for perfect narration! Both are superb!

Romance ***** (very steamy)
Adventure *****
Danger ***
Un-put-downable *****
Narrators *****
Backstory *****
Main Characters *****
Secondary Characters *****
Excitement ****
Steaminess ****
Plot *****

There are a few nods to other authors throughout this book, outside of that this book stands on its own two feet.

Torj and Ren are equals at being the same and being. opposites. They are both strong and weak, emotional and logical, loyal and standoffish.

She’s a magical royal and he’s part of the armed forces that protect the realm and it’s royals.

They make each other infuriated by being so bent on keeping their walls up between them.

Every bit of wall that falls between them brings these two closer in incredible ways.

I highly recommend this very adult only NSFW Adult Romantasy!

I absolutely love bodyguard romances. What I didn't know is that Helen Scheuerer writing a bodyguard romance, is even more epic!

I loved meeting Wren and Torj in The Legends of Thezmarr series (and I highly recommend you reading that series before you start The Ashes of Thezmarr. Yes, you can read Iron & Embers first, but for the most emotional investment and reading pleasure, please start with Blood & Steel). But reading their own story, blew me away.

I was already invested with Wren and Torj from the Shadow & Storms and the way I needed their story. She had me hooked, I love seeing familiar names and places. It was like coming home. But we got to meet new characters and new settings.

Helen had the tension, the slow burn and an amazing [redacted] moment! I screamed. Torj is the ultimate cinnamon roll. And I want to be Wren, like Thea she is bad ass, but it's a new level with Wren. And I am here for every second of it.

YOU NEED THIS ON YOUR TBR. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU NEED THIS IS YOUR HAND RIGHT NOW READING IT!. THIS IS YOUR SIGN TO PICK UP THIS BOOK (OR THE LEGENDS OF THEZMARR FIRST).

AUDIOBOOK: I loved the audiobook, Matt Haynes and Emilia Bauer did a wonderful job bringing Torj and Wren alive with their voices. Torj's spoken voice is deep just like I pictured it would be.

This is a great continuation in the Thezmarr world. I really enjoyed the main characters, how to world and plot has expanded. The narrators were very good. I am excited for the rest of the series.

Only a good way into the book did I realize that there was another series by the author that could now be seen as a prequel to Iron and Embers. However, I did not have the feeling of missing out. So I'd say totally readable without prior knowledge.

It's a Romantasy book where the romance and spice does not take away from the plot - and if you've followed my previous reviews, that's high praise from me.
On top of that, Wren is a really strong character, and not just the 'oh I'm so chosen' type. The MMC, Torj, is also a very good protagonist - and behold the wonder: these two actually have chemistry. And somehow the author has managed to make it slow burn despite early spice scenes.

The best of it all though is the worldbuilding. It's intriguing, it's rich, and definitely full-fledged (now knowing that there's more books in the world, I'm not surprised anymore, yet no less in awe).

The plot twists and the ending are not too surprising, if you are familiar with these kind of fantasy books, but for me it didn't take away from the love I developed for this book.

The audiobook is really good and gives the dual POV even more charme. Both narrators are magnificent and managed to make every minute, every sentence count.

Thank you @netgalley and @Dreamscape_Media for the eARC!

#IronAndEmbers #Netgalley #Bookstagram

High praise and 4,5/5 stars

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced copy! You can pick up Iron & Embers on January 28, 2025.

This might have just become one of my favorite romantasy stories. Helen Scheuerer is FOR SURE an auto-buy author now, and I will be devouring her Thezzmar series IMMEDIATELY because this was so unbelievably good.

Despite having no background on this world or the previous series, I immediately got sucked into Wren and Torj's story. I understood their history, their past and present struggles, and how their future is more perilous than ever (especially with their hearts at stake). Wren has endured so much, and to see her finally achieve her dreams while a certain broody war sword watches over her was incredible. I loved the bodyguard trope, the second-chance vibes, and the mutual pining that created such delicious tension between them. While it was a tad insta-lusty, I forgave it because I KNOW they've known each other for almost a decade and had a chance to be together but circumstances thrust them apart.

The world and magic system in Iron & Embers was also top-notch. I loved the alchemy, the slight Norse inspiration, the political games played between nations and higher-ups at the academy, Drevenor. I can't wait to learn more about this world and the war that recently shaped it, and Helen BETTER have that sequel ready because I need it in my hands ASAP!!

I HIGHLY encourage all my romantasy girlies to pick this one up and fall in love with Wren and Torj just like I did! In case I forgot to mention it, he's literally Henry Cavill from The Witcher, and the audiobook narrator for him did an ungodly good job replicating a growl. 'Nuff said.

this was so good!!
i couldn't put this down, the book is dual pov and it makes it so entertaining. the narrators are giving it all, I'm a huge audiobook reader and this one make it to my top 10.

Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, finds solace in only one thing: seeking vengeance for the death of her friends. The wars of the past may be over, but her thirst for revenge is far from quenched. For years, she has been content with her poisons and potions for company, but when an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king of the midrealms, Wren’s time in the shadows ends. She’s offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor to find a cure to the dark magic threatening the kingdoms. To win her spot, she must conquer the Gauntlet, a grueling series of deadly trials that could cost her sanity or her life.
More is at play than sabotage from fellow competitors. Magic wielders are being targeted and Wren becomes tangled in a dangerous web of deception and bloodshed that puts the entire realm at risk. But the biggest threat of all might come from the man assigned to protect her—Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge.

I did not read the previous series, and you don't need to; everything is easy to follow. Some references may have gone over my head, but honestly, I didn't identify them. the characters have a lot of chemistry, banter, and yerning.
"‘Are our kingdoms too small for you now?’ she sneered.
‘Fifty kingdoms would still be too small with you sucking up all the air,’ he snapped."

thank you to the Dreamscape team for the arc

Rated 4.5 Stars

Where do I even begin? I loved Iron & Embers. It was an interesting, intriguing and engaging story. I devoured it. It kept me on the edge of my seat and fully invested from beginning to end. I'm still mentally and emotionally in the thick of it.

There was so much to love about this book. I loved the world, the characters and the magic system. I loved the science of it. It was a spin off of another series but I didn't at all feel lost, if anything I felt like I needed to go and read this author's entire backlist.

I loved that it was packed with action, pining, angst, steam, emotion and a suspense/mystery element to it.

I loved the tension, it was as much a character as Wren and Torj, the main characters.I loved how feisty Wren was and how growly and protective Torj was. I loved watching their relationship develop and so can't wait for the next book in the series.

The narrators, Matt Haynes and Emilia Bauer did an amazing job with this book. They knocked out of the the park in terms of tone, characterization and generally just bringing this story to life. I loved, loved, loved listening to them. I loved that Torj's inner voice was different from his speaking voice. I don't think I've ever experienced that in another audiobook.

I simply adored this and very highly recommend it. It was my first Helen Scheuerer book but it most certainly won't be my last.

Alchemist Wren Embervale and fierce Warsword, the “Bear Slayer” Torj Elderbrock, have felt a connection ever since they fought together at the end of the Shadow War five years ago.

Now what Wren wants is to ignore her destiny as the heir of Delmira, plunge herself into her work and erase the scars of the past, but when Torj is appointed to be her protector at the alchemists’ academy, the chemistry they have cannot be denied.

Helen Scheuerer masterfully weaves a tale that combines an academic setting with deadly trials and a gripping slow burn style romance. These two yearn for each other from the start but it takes so long to catch fire. You will get both of these characters’ perspectives and ache right along with them. I am thrilled that the next two books are both due out in 2025. The narrators do a great job with this story and I really felt the yearning and angst in their telling.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC.

4.25/5

Thank you to Dreamscape Audio for this alc for an honest review. I enjoyed listening to this book and I wasn’t sure what to expect because this was my first time reading a book by this author. This audiobook was a dual narration and the narrators really did a good job bringing the main and side characters to life. I was hooked on this book and the narrators were so good I wanted the kindle version to highlight.

For the plot we have the fmc who is a princess that is starting and alchemy school to become an alchemist. She is already a bad ass with poison and magic and wants to become the best. The mmc is this warrior who is her protector. She does not want a protector and he is brooding and grumpy. I liked the dislike they had and the tension. I love this fantasy academic aspect and the magic lessons and them having to create poisons and the cure as well. So there’s also a trial/gauntlet aspect they the book leads to and that happen towards the end. The romance was good, they developed their real and when they got together it felt earned. There are steamy moments and the chemistry is 🔥. That ending though yikes I need the next book lol.

Read for:
- Romantasy
- Magic and poison study
- Alchemy academia setting
- Princess x bodyguard
- Steamy moments

Iron and Embers by Helen Scheuerer is a gripping fantasy debut in a new series, filled with heart-pounding trials, dark alchemy, and slow-burning tension. Wren Embervale, a haunted alchemist-turned-assassin, is thrust into a dangerous world of sabotage, magic, and vengeance when she’s forced to compete for her place at the alchemy academy of Drevenor. The deadly trials are matched only by the simmering chemistry between Wren and her reluctant protector, Torj Elderbrock, whose shared history complicates every step of their journey.

What made this book truly special for me was the joy of reuniting with this rich, immersive world and its unforgettable characters. Adding to the experience, the narrators, Matt Haynes and Emilia Bauer, breathe life into the story with their exceptional performances. Their ability to convey the tension, heartbreak, and raw emotion of the characters deepens the connection to the narrative, making the story even more compelling. Scheuerer masterfully weaves action, intrigue, and emotion, creating a tale that promises to rival her previous series. The slow burn romance is both poignant and devastating, adding depth to an already captivating story. A must-listen for fantasy lovers who crave danger, heartbreak, and fierce heroines.