The concept of Dragon Rome was so strong and well thought through… until we get to the slave/slave owner romance plot line. I really could have enjoyed this book. The narrators did a fantastic job, the world was well thought through and interesting, and the characters themselves, especially Malina, we so interesting fully fleshed out. However, I have a real issue with the dynamic between Malina and Julian. I’m all too familiar with fated mates under dubious circumstances (I.e. held against their will, in compromising situations, enemies) but slavery? I’m sorry, I don’t care that the two characters are mates. At the end of the day, the MMC steals the FMC away without her consent, puts a collar on her, and forces her to bathe him. It’s uncomfortable and I don’t think for one second that you can give your consent when you are considered someone’s property. And don’t get me started on him telling her to SUBMIT to him when they finally have their coupling. (She isn’t a free woman at this point, she is still his slave.) This book could have been great but I am left with a foul taste in my mouth. 2 stars for the potential in this book and the great voice actors.

This book was so unique. I loved that it had shapeshifters as dragons and the whole plot of the story just has you hooked. Truly enjoyed this one

This book was excellent—I absolutely loved the author’s unique take on Ancient Roman society, reimagining Romans as shape-shifting dragons (yep, you read that right!). The premise was so intriguing and instantly drew me in.

The romance was fantastic, with just the right amount of spice! I enjoyed both main characters’ POVs and appreciated how creative and fresh the whole concept felt.

Firebird is a sexy, dark historical romantasy that lovers of Fourth Wing and From Blood and Ash will absolutely adore! This book had a very interesting take on dragons that felt both fresh and classic; I loved seeing what class dragons would be, and how they would act in society as the ruling class in this version of historical Rome. It also had all the classic romantasy tropes that made the book absolutely delicious! I have no doubt it will absolutely be a hit when it comes out!

This book is such an adventure and really makes you question yourself. I loved/hated the characters so much for how amazing this plot was! An absolute must-read if you like action, dragons and questionable romance.

The story grabbed my attention from the very beginning. This is a historical friction setback in the Ancient Rome era so I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it, but I absolutely did.
The MMC is a dragon shifter. The FMC is a human witch..

Malina‘s entire family and community is unalived by order of the Emperor . She is the last of her family when she is captured by the Roman guards who are all dragon shifters.. when she’s about to be taught a lesson, she is saved by the Emperor’s nephew, Julian. Not only does he not want any of the prisoners tortured but his dragon immediately feels a connection to Malina and has the touch her and die mentally.

To protect Malina from everyone, he makes her his slave, but things are not what Malina thinks and she find out while she lives with Julian..

I immediately fell for Julian. I loved his character and the way he carried himself with his troops and with Malina. I also loved Malina, she was very sassy.

The audiobook was perfect and the narrators really brought the characters to life! I was only able to get an ALC so I can’t wait for the book to come out to do a re-read with the actual book!

I would like to think NetGalley and McMillan audio for the opportunity to review this ALC of Firebird.

4.5/5
I absolutely could not stop listening! I was sucked in by the immediate tension and banter of the FMC and MMC. The use of Roman background made it easy to follow and the dragon Shifters are always amazing. Although it's a master/slave relationship it's not that all. Julianus is a next book boyfriend that isn't a shadow daddy. I loved the found family dynamic and the magic of the FMC is a breath of fresh air that it's not some of the typical romantasy ones. I absolutely loved this and the narrators did an fantastic job. Especially the male narrator that you could understand how voice and didn't automatically just go to the deep sultry voice for everything that a lot of fantasy narrators do and it sounds like mumbling at times. He has a clear easy to understand (I listened to it at 2.5x's speed)
Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio!❤️‍🔥

Dragons rule, Rome and Cesar is relentless in his debauchery of being the ruler….. well you know what’s going to save Rome is a witch…and her dragon lover Cesars Nephew and General of the Roman Army!

Well I just loved this traditional fantasy i was immediately hooked a few chapters in with this retelling of Romes uprising and downfall. Putting dragons and witches in one book is just genius and it was amazing and to make them fall in love as a forbidden romance was icing on the cake.

I cant wait for book 2 and to see what happens next it ended on a cliffhanger 😭

All fantasy girlies will truly enjoy this book 📖

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to Firebird by Juliette Cross. Narrated by Blair Dade and Kale Williams.

This story captivated me from the beginning. When I had to walk away and handle responsibilities, I was left wondering what was happening with these characters. I wish there was more world building but overall this was a great story.

The narrators helped bring the characters to life. Their acting wasn’t just believable, I felt much more connected and engaged. Great selections to voice these characters.

I highly recommend for those who love romantasy and dragons.

Firebird is a solid dark romantasy read. You have dragon-shifter political leaders of Rome. A witch who I don’t think we have seen the full extent of her power yet. There were so many little side stories told that I believe our FMC will see a more significant transformation in books to follow. This does fall into the dark category because of the enslaver/enslaved person dynamic. The spice was great. I really enjoyed this one. I would have loved to see more action. I’m hoping the next one gives me more epic scenes. The audiobook is in duel narration by Blair Dade and Kale Williams.
I had pre-ordered this beautiful book but was lucky to receive an ARC from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the elements in this story and the perspective of shapeshifting dragons ruling Rome. I did feel like it was a little rushed at times, but not so much that it left me lost. I am interested in learning more about the back stories of the characters. Overall, the story did hook me in and I loved the dynamic between the main characters. I am looking forward to continuing this series!

I love the cover and sprayed edges, which will make a lovely addition to my bookshelf.

The narrators did a great job, and the voices fit the characters.

*Touch her and die
*Dragon shifters
*Conquerors/War/Rebellion
*Master/Slave - forbidden romance

Spoilers are included in the review:

Overall, 3.5 stars. Was this book enjoyable? Yes, BUT I felt like there was a lot missing, maybe book 2 will fill those holes. I will start with the good. The world building of the Roman empire and armies with a little bit of mythology woven in was written in a way that captured my attention. The pacing of the book was also nice and quick. The conflict within the Roman Empire was set up nicely and left me wanting more. I LOVED Julian, it's unlikely for me to like the MMC more than a strong FMC, but I just had a hard time connecting with Malina. Julian, on the other hand, the people he kept in his household showed his true character and man, it was so swoon-worthy.

I needed more from the ending, it felt really anticlimactic. Maybe I'm a savage but I wanted more satisfaction out of that death. The book at times felt a little bit too simple, more romance than fantasy, I wanted more conflict, more side characters, and more complexity. It's hard to start a revolution without a herd of people on your side.

Dark, fantasy romance set in Ancient Rome with dragon shifters, magic tied to emotions and forbidden romance between Master/slave. This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint!

I got 5 chapters into this audiobook and had to preorder the book on Amazon... I got 10 chapters in and had to preorder this book from Waterstones... If you couldn't tell, I loved it!
You really can't beat a growly, possessive, dragon shifter MMC who's completely obsessed with his woman. I also really loved the roman aspect in this book as it was unique to me, I've never read anything like it and now I might be into togas. 💁‍♀️
I highly recommend the audiobook because the narration by Blair Dade and Kale Williams was simply dreamy. Both their voices were mesmerizing and it was easy to escape into the story they told!

I received this audio book as an arc and I really enjoyed it.
I tried it at normal speed, slower, and fast, faster, and all the speeds you could understand except it was too fast and slurred at three times speed.
I really enjoyed the voice actors, I feel like their voice is really embodied the picture I had in my head of the characters.

OK onto the book itself
I can kind of see why there was a lot of people who were really upset by the initial dynamic of the two mains. I understand a master/slave dynamic brings up a lot of issues historically.
However, this is a book written in Rome in what would have been thousands of years ago (if we’re suspending reality and pretending like dragons, weren’t always my mythical creatures, but were in fact real…)
There were slaves in Rome, many more than there were Roman citizens by far. Calling her a servant or erasing that there were slaves in that time. Would be almost as unrealistic as saying there are dragons. I’m guessing the author picked for authenticity of time. With adding dragons as opposed to making it look like Rome was more peaceful than it was
And I don’t think it gives a way too much of the book by saying that neither characters are happy with the slave and master dynamic, nor does the MMC (as the master) even agree with slavery, however, using his position is the only thing that keeps her alive.
So, I think it’s something you can see makes sense for the time period and book. He also does not treat her like a slave in his house but if anything a servant he is very lenient with.
Out of his house/in company he does so in order to keep her safe.

I really liked that the author made both characters be very self-aware. I feel like a lot of romantasy now has characters that are still kind of finding themselves, finding family, finding friends finding, finding jobs,finding their place in the world and also figuring out the world around them. Which makes it feel like YA with sex, instead of adults, navigating the world around them. This definitely feels like an adult book.

It’s also a very easy read/listen it’s definitely not written in academic pros and the author didn’t sit next to with thesaurus trying to make it more difficult for the general public. I believe that helped with the heavy topics that were discussed, there’s an easy clarity and you don’t have to wonder if the author is trying to say something other than what is literally there in front of you. I definitely appreciate clarity when it comes to sensitive topics as occurred within the book.

First of all, the narrators, Blair Dade and Kale Williams are new to me and both did a fantastic job. I would definetly pick other audiobooks either have narrated.

As for the book, I love dragon stories, so I admit I didn't read the blurb and just jumped in blind. So I'm just going to go ahead and mention what I didn't like. With any book, I have a hard time reading or listening to when women are forced into any kind of intimacy. I get why it was in the story, the big plot is good fighting evil, so I hated the characters you are meant to hate. They did things that were just disgusting and I was rooting hard for Julian to end them and end them fast.

Now onto the good. Julian is an honorable character forced to do things he despises until he's able to de-throne his uncle. This first book is the plot for this to happen. I loved that he saw Malina and the dragon immediately recognized her as his mate. Yes that means insta-love, but that seems appropriate for shifter stories. Due to this, you really see the struggle Julian goes through trying to protect his mate when having a relationship with her is forbidden. That is after she stops viewing him as the enemy. I think the author did a good job of showing his moral character in his actions.

I really liked Malina's character. She was strong, fierce, and loyal. She has powers that are still kind of unknown. I feel like we are going to learn more about them in the upcoming books in the series. This book ended too soon for us readers to see this couple work together to take down the evil and that is something I am looking forward to.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟
I can definitely see this book blowing up on tiktok with the beauty cover and gorgeous sprayed edges! Literally this is a beautiful book, and that is what catch my eye and made me want to read this story.

This book is compared to *House of the Dragon* mixed with *From Blood and Ash*. This is my first book where the slave/master trope and the romance between them appeared. I didn't really like it; it just felt weird. I don't know how else to say it. I wanted Malina to be a badass character since she has been through so much, but when it came to Julianus Dakkia, she turned weak and was willing to do anything. I don't know. This story was just okay.

The audiobook is dual narration. The narrator did a good job telling the story and bringing it to life. I listened at 2x and 2.5x speed.

Contains:
•Romance
•Dragons
•Fated Mates
•Anicent Roman Empire
•Slave / Master

Thank you, NetGalley, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook inexchange for my honest review.

I loved the concept of this series. Ancient Rome with dragons? Yes please! This book had the following tropes:
x Historical
x Roman empire
x Dragon
x Mythology
x Slave / Master
x Mate-at-first-sight

It was a little insta list which I didn’t mind, except she was still his slave at the time which made me a little uncomfortable. There was also a lot of violence against women in the story, which I guess would be accurate for a story where there were slaves. Melina is a dancer whose family is murdered and she is captured by the army commander Julian. He immediately knows that she is his mate, but doesn’t really tell her until wayyy into the insta lust. Together the plot to overtake the evil Caesar and set the city back to rights.

The audio narration was a little flat on the female side, but not enough to make me stop listening. I’ll probably continue the series, mostly because I need to know how it ends.

I received an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A world where dragons rule Ancient Rome? Yes, please. While I didn’t know it was a slave x master trope, I didn’t mind it because there was some level of connection between both characters
(Malina x Julianus)
I will admit that this is my first dark romance fantasy. I love that Malina is a witch with emphatic powers. She’s able to control her emotions along others around her. That’s how she’s been able to survive this long. In a moment of near death, she is saved by none other, Julianus. A Roman general and nephew to the emperor. Julianus is not only a man but also a dragon within 🐉 and now they both feel the need to protect Malina.
Malina recognizes Julianus immediately. She’d seen him just once before, several years ago. He gifted her a special talisman that she refuse to give up.

And now she is his slave, it is the only way to survive. There’s no denying there is a connection that she doesn’t fully understand. Although, Julianus does…

While there is adventure, political action, magic, and lust… it just felt a bit surface level. I personally wanted more depth from Malina and Julianus.
I most likely will be purchasing the special edition because it is just so stunning 🤩

Goodreads : Brenda (Jadore_2read)

I have never read ANYTHING like firebird by @juliettecrossauthor . Huge thank you to @torbooksuk for this gifted arc. This was my very first dragon shifter book, and such a great book to beat!

IF YOU HAVE A DRAGON SHIFTER BOOK, LEAVE YOUR RECCOMENDATION!

I loved the different types of dragon shifters and how each color meant something different in the world. I am a big fan of Roman mythology and this is just the book that I wanted to read.

Malina is a beautiful dancer and has attracted the eye of a dragon, who just so happens to be one of the most powerful dragons in the world. In line for the Roman throne, but man enough to know when to walk away, Jules walks away, leaving her so he doesn't tie her to a life of pain. 4 years later they end up intercepting again in a much different way, Malina becoming his slave.

This book was full of love, backstabbing and dragon shifters, really what more could you want?!