A Dark Fantasy Romance set in Roman times!
Gladiators with Dragon shifters!! I think yes!!!

Let me start with saying that this book has some dark and sensitive themes such as slavery, slave/master relationships, and sexual assault to name a few of the big hitters.

I loved the melding of the historical with the fantasy in this one… it really gave you a look into how it was for people in those times while giving you the entertainment of the fantasy elements!
I also loved the new take on the Dragon Shifters! How they shifted wasn’t something I’ve read before and I liked that a lot!
I also really liked how Malina’s magic worked! Her empathetic magic was very unique in how she could alter those around her!!

There were a few things that I didn’t care for in the story… like the instalove between our main characters… I’m not a fan of instalove at all so it left me wanting in the romance department.

I also didn’t like that it switched between 1st and 3rd person a good bit… it kept taking me out of the story to be like wait what now?!! lol

That’s about all that I didn’t love!!!
This book was very entertaining and I can’t wait to read book two!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!!!

🌶️🌶️🌶️
Dragon shifters
Fated mates
Touch her and die
Forbidden magic

Check you trigger warnings

I truly believe this book will blowup when it comes out! It has all the components for a great dark romantasy.
This is set in ancient Rome where dragon shifters are in power. Julian a Roman General and Rome are living under the horrific control of his Uncle the Emperor.
After Julian attacks Melina’s town he sees her and remembers her from an encounter years before, he shifts to dragon form to save her and takes her as his slave. We follow along as they learn of their fated bond, her magical ability and work together along with other dragons to over throw the Emperor.

This was definitely a 5 star read, maybe even a 6 because i just know the second book is going to be even better. This book has everything I love, a kick ass FMC, a lovestruck MMC, really intense political intrigue and scheming, despicable villains, the perfect amount of spice that wasn't overdone, and some really well written side characters. Seriously this book checked all my boxes and I cannot wait for book two.

An excellent twist on an historical Rome novel. A great mixture of romance, intrigue, and dragon spiciness. I was instantly connected with the main protagonists and the sparks between them. Some parts got a little dark, which isn't to my tastes, but it was well written and not over done. The end felt slightly rushed, but it was still a well rounded book and I'm looking forward to more reading opportunities.
The narration was good, the voices and cadence matched well and flew nicely. They didn't just say the words on the page either, parts were acted out. My only critique, is some of the voices didn't have much of a difference. But it was very clear and enjoyable listen.

Thank you to NetGalley, Juliette Cross, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me access to the e-arc.

The audiobook: 5 stars
Blair Dade and Kale Williams's audiobook brought to life was well done. I enjoyed the way the audiobook was done. It was entertaining, and I could truly feel how the characters were feeling. I will pick up another audiobook by these narrators.

The book: 4.5 stars

I would like to start by saying that if you haven’t read any dragon shifter books, this one could be shocking at times. I would not recommend it as a beginner dragon shifter Romance. I knew this book was going to be dark, considering the setting, but it still shocked me a bit. Just keep in mind that the women are property or a prize.

But with all things considered, I fell in love with this book because of Malina and Julian. Malina is a strong FMC who is so sick of the tyrannical rule. She has been blessed with “witch” powers. I adored the story beyond women getting these incredible gifts. I do hope that comes into play even more in the next book. Julian was not what I expected he would be. It is known pretty early on that he wants things to be different than the way his uncle is ruling. If he was just as gross as the other males then I would have given this book a lower rating but thankfully that is not the case.

Please check TW

Thank you to NetGalley and to MacMillan Audio for the ARC of Firebird by Juliette Cross. I had previously only read Juliette Cross' Stay A Spell books, and it was cool to see her move into a darker side of the fantasy/paranormal genre. You can tell her specialty is romance, so this story does have about a 50/50 split between romance and fantasy, but she's created something that feels different from other romantasy currently on the market, and I'm here for it.

This is a dually-narrate audiobook by Blair Dade and Kale Williams, and they both did an excellent job. The story is very easy to listen to and they both encompass the single narration of their character.

The ancient Roman setting / comparisons to House of the Dragon mean that there is a level of brutality - much of it related to sexual violence. The main character, Malina, is saved from being assaulted multiple times /other women characters are assaulted throughout the novel, so there should probably be a TW on this somewhere. Past that, Malina is taken as a slave by Julian in order to save her, but it does mean that there is a major power imbalance slave/master relationship between Malina and Julian through the majority of the novel, even if he does treat her well / is anti-slavery and keeps her in this role to protect her.

For the story itself, I found the setting/plot to be really interesting. Cross uses ancient Rome and crosses it with dragons, where the leaders of the Roman citizenry have the ability to shift into dragons and thus maintain control over their expanding empire. There is also a level of magical system outside of the dragon abilities, where the gods (potentially just the Roman gods but it may be others as well?) have blessed people with certain gifts, like Malina being blessed with the abilities of an empath and the power to use emotions against/for people. The opening of the novel references how Medusa and her sisters received their gifts to fight the evil men of the world and we learn Malina has received one of these gifts - in future novels I believe we will see who has the other gifts and how those can be used in the larger story, which is going to be really interesting and will hopefully expand more on how the magic systems work in this universe.

This story is all about setting the stage for the larger series, and the audiobook is only a little over 11 hours long, so it is relatively short. We learn about the motivations of Julian and the other leaders in Rome, as well as the rising unhappiness of the enslaved populations and those who want to fight back. We see a love begin to blossom between Malina and Julian, but I did find some of their sex scenes/insta love to be a bit over the top. I also wish they had collaborated more fully on what their gifts could do together, but I recognize this is the start of the series and they still have a long way to go in accomplishing their goals/moving the story forward. This was just an opening salvo solidifying their relationship and the battle they are about to begin.

I tried to find more information about the sequel, but was unable to do so. I would actually be really excited if the narration shifted to a different set of characters to expand upon the story and then join with the original characters - I'm not sure if that will happen, but my fingers are crossed. For those who are apprehensive about starting unfinished series, this one ends in a really solid place where you want the next book, but you don't feel like you are on the precipice of a cliffhanger, which I really appreciated.

The narrators of this audiobook did a great job. I loved that there was a male and a female narrator for the two main characters. The setting of this fantasy book being set in ancient Rome was so unique. I am a sucker for anything with dragons in the book. I have not read a romantasy book like this lately. The spice was well written but did not over power or take away from the plot. The ending had a great twist and I cannot wait for book two of the series. I highly recommend giving this one a read if you enjoy reading or listening to romantasy.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review,

I requested this because it was compared to House of the Dragon and also takes place in a fantasy world based off Ancient Rome. I love that! I also love that rather than riding dragons there is a shapeshifting element. That's a creative twist! The Romantasy elements were not my fave, though. I just found out that I don't enjoy slave and owner type of romance situations. Just doesn't bring me joy. And I don't know how I totally feel about beasty dragon sex either. I thought it was funny that the dragon goes full Smaug and see her as his treasure though. The narrators are great though! I liked that there was multiple for the shifting POVs

INFINITY STARS!

The chemistry is off the CHARTS in this new, spicy romantasy featuring DRAGONS! Julianus Dakkia, the nephew to the emperor or Rome and general of his uncle's army, and Malina, a witch-dancer from a conquered people, are from different worlds; indeed, they are entirely different species. Still, they can't help but be drawn together. But in a world of dangerous dragons where Caesar controls all, will these star-crossed lovers conquer all with their love? Can this slave and general even be together, or will they be destroyed? Find out in this sizzling new adult fantasy. You will indeed enjoy this ride, just like Malina... *wink* Also, he can shift into a dragon...and eats anyone who merely looks at her wrong.

Though compared to House of Dragons and From Blood and Ash, I actually think it is more like Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent, but where dragon shifters rule Rome, so maybe like Spartacus?

Regardless, with the special edition sprayed edges featured in the first printing, you will want to preorder this one today and quickly.

The dual narration audio is absolutely splendid!

It’s always a toss up. I prefer to go into books without looking at the reviews because I don’t want to get influenced by someone else, but then you find a book like this.

Yes, it’s a master/slave romance. No, I’m not interested in that, and I hate power dynamic issues in romances.

I’m 20% in, and I’m 50/50 on DNFing it. It’s an easy read (made easier by the fact that it’s an audiobook) but every time the MMC and the FMC interact it gives me the ick, and I don’t care about the characters. So far I’ve been able to power through because they haven’t really interacted, but I can tell if I made myself keep going I would either DNF or hate the rest of the book.

Life is too short for books you don’t LOVE.

Format: Audio
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
3/5 🌶️

🐦‍🔥 Thank you NetGalley & the author Juliette Cross for the early access of the audiobook for Firebird 🐦‍🔥

🏛️Dragon Shifter
🏛️Dual POV
🏛️Roman Mythology
🏛️Fated Mates
🏛️Forbidden Love
🏛️Slave x Master
🏛️Forced Proximity

Synopsis:
Julianus Dakkia, a Roman general and nephew of the emperor, is instantly captivated by a Dacian dancer when he first lays eyes on her. Malina, gifted with magical abilities, can sense that Julianus is a dragon and influence their emotions. Surprisingly, she isn’t afraid of him. Years later, he encounters her on the battlefield and, in a daring move, transforms into his dragon form to save her. Julianus takes Malina as one of his slaves, unaware that he differs from the other Roman generals and harbors secret plans. 💫

My thoughts:
💫I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. The romance and emotional depth developed rapidly, almost as if they were forced to reach a climax within a single page. While I was intrigued by the political intrigue and the dragons, their relationship felt superficial and lacked genuine connection.💫

Wow. An interesting new series (I hope) in a fantasy world based loosely on the Roman Empire … with dragons!

No spoilers: the romance is slow burn, the action is graphic, the world building is really good. The story takes place mostly in Ancient Rome with hints of Julius Caesar. The dragon shifters are in power. And the gods may interfere in the lives of those who worship them.

Duel Narration was pretty good. The female narrator was new to me. She did well expressing emotions. Kale Williams always does a good job voicing different characters and tones.

Read this if you like:
•dark romantasy
•master/slave romance
•history & politics of ancient times

I truly wasn’t expecting the master/slave part of the book and that was a huge storyline. The power imbalance was icky. If you can get past that, you’ll read about a strong MFC. I was hoping for more witchiness vs her just having power. There is spice but I since I didn’t like the power imbalance I didn’t love this. Overall, proceed with caution. Thank you Mac audio for ALC

The whole premise was kind of… 🍪 Cutter. Nothing wowed me about the story. Master/Slave romance, but add dragon shifters.
None of the characters had any real depth either. I wasn’t able to connect w/ any of them except this 1 side character who had only a few lines towards the end… Other than that, they were all come & go.
The 🌶️ scenes were also bland- It was like once they got together, after every inconvenience ✨ spice ✨
And I just feel like there wasn’t any spectacular development between the two. Overall it wasn’t too terrible, but the whole storyline lacked a lot of interest.

Blair Dade & Kale Williams did an amazing job narrating the story though 🎧🤍

—Ancient Rome but make it fantasy

—dragon shifter hero; witch heroine

—verrrrrry morally gray hero, verrrrrry brutal world

—on the dark side of fantasy romance

Heat Index: 7/10

The Basics:

In a world conquered by dragon shifting Romans, witch Malina—with the ability to control emotions—is on the brink of death when Legatus Julianus (AKA Julian) recognizes her as his mate. He has no choice but to follow his instinct and take her to safety, where she's made a part of his household, her freedom stolen. Julian is the nephew of the sadistic emperor, and all Malina cares about is survival, ideally through his murder. But there's much more to his motivations than what meet the eye.

The Review:

This is a tough one to review—and there's a reason why I'm making it very clear from the jump that this is quite literally Ancient Rome with witches and shifters. It's not "fantasy Rome" it is "Rome with fantasy", including gladiatorial battles, Roman gods and goddesses, references to the Celts (Malina being one of them), and yes, slavery. Malina is enslaved, and Julian is her master. I did not know this when I picked the book up, and I'm not sure if I would have requested it had I known.

Which... I'll admit, is hypocritical, as I recently reviewed (overall positively) a book set in the Roman Empire, starring a patrician heroine whose family OBVIOUSLY enslaved people. Though in that book, the hero was not enslaved; he was, however, fighting the Romans as colonizers. And the heroine of course was one of those colonizers, as sister to the emperor. Even if she didn't want to be, that's just how it is.

I think we're going to see more of Rome in historical romance and fantasy romance in the coming years (and BOY could we get into the societal reflections there). And here's the thing—while Roman society was very much one that functioned through colonization and enslavement, it's not like... the Regency and Victorian romances that have dominated historicals for decades... did not. (I mean, hell, let's talk about TODAY.) But I was pretty jarred when I realized that Malina had been enslaved by Julian—despite him, and therefore the reader (this is a dual POV novel, and thank God) knowing she's his mate essentially from jump.

If this was a book that just handwaved Julian's behavior and went "But look, he's actually good, he's redeeeeemed" willy-nilly, I wouldn't be reviewing it positively. But I do think Cross approached this with a lot of intentionality. I can't give everything about Julian away from the beginning; one of the things I guessed pretty quickly. One was a bit more of a surprise, but I think it was crucial to his motivations and identity. And that, probably more than anything else, made me more accepting.

Also? I actually found the "dragons are Romans" angle pretty damn smart. Dragons are having a moment, obviously; and this book does have its "cool dragons" moment. But it's also very clear about the intense danger the dragons present, as well as their cruelty. To be clear, this book is pretty dark. There is on-the-page sexual assault (Malina is not assaulted, but the threat is there several times) and the emperor is an absolutely sadistic villain. Which... is pretty reflective of Rome. The dragon aspect simply ups their power.

I should also make it clear that Julian isn't let off the hook, in my opinion. Malina is still pretty up front about the power imbalance being a roadblock in their relationship, even after she knows all the contributing factors I'm alluding to (but again—spoilers). In general, I really liked Malina because she was so... practical? This isn't a spitfire rebel heroine. She's lost a lot, and that weighs on her. She does have power—her ability to manipulate emotions comes in handy a lot, and I loved the way it aligned with soft power, which is something a lot of fantasy romances don't allow their heroines—but she's also very careful about the way she moves. It felt like she was very of her world versus ours—something that's difficult to pull off.

This world felt more Roman than that I found in the Roman historical romances I've read, and I think that part of that is because it's just upfront and brutal about its society. Julian and Malina want a better world, but it's going to take a lot to get it. You could definitely tell that Cross was walking a tightrope with Julian, and there were definitely moments where it felt a bit like he was Not Like Other Romans. But generally speaking, this was much more blunt than I expected. Which means it won't be for everyone.

And look... Did this appeal to me in part because it reminded me of some older paranormals (and even some older historicals)? Yeah. Julian isn't quite as hardcore as an early Immortals After Dark hero, but he is very my MAAAAATE which isn't gonna work for everyone, but it did work for me. He finds Malina trying to kill him adorable. He's not afraid to rip people apart for her (at all). It's... good. If you're into that kind of thing. Which I am.

The Sex:

I won't lie—the sex scenes in this novel are real good. For the most part, all the sex happens after Julian and Malina have a pretty important conversation, which made the consent acceptable for me. One thing does happen before the conversation, but I wasn't bugged by it, personally.

Juliette Cross has read historical romance, by the way—which is probably a huge part of why this book works for me. How do I know she's read it? "Quim". "Cunny". I've seen several reviewers hate on this, but DO NOT SPEAK THE OLD MAGIC TO ME WITCH! I WAS THERE WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN! Juliette, have you read an Elizabeth Hoyt novel? I'm not even gonna lie, Julian did give Maximus Batten vibes at points.

Anyway, there's some very animalistic sex in this novel and I was so good with it. Malina hits her knees at like, the most hilarious possible moment. Yet... also the best moment? I was happy.

Conclusion:

I think the marketing for this needs to be clearer about what it is, personally? But I can't say that I didn't enjoy it, and I can't say that it isn't doing a lot of shit I wish more fantasy romances would. It tackles some tough scenarios, and I don't think it does so perfectly. Overall, however, it worked for me—and I think it will work for the right readers. I definitely want to see what happens next.

And on an audiobook note: Strong performances from both parties, again, so glad this is dual POV. Well done.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I LOVED THIS - i LOVE dragons & i LOVE this book. the dual narration was amazing and i had such an amazing time

The beginning of the this book was enough for me to want to DNF this book. I love dark romantasy but this one wasn’t for me. I have no interest in books about slave and master dynamic. It was an uncomfortable read. I definitely won’t be reading this again. I think the cover is beautiful but this wasn’t for me.

I really think authors need to be better a listing trigger warnings at the beginning of books or even in the description of the book so I don’t waste my time or money. I definitely recommend checking out the trigger warnings before you pick up this book.

TW: rape, sexual assault, slavery, violence

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Juliette for the ALC!

Publication Date: April 8 2025
Rating: 🐉

Thank you for the ARC! This wasn’t good or bad. It just… was. It’s a romantasy with dragon shifters, so if that’s your thing you might enjoy this. However, the power dynamic (slave/master) was taken a bit too far. I think a lot of people will have an issue with the fact that the FMC is technically the MMC’s slave the entire book and although he tells her that she’s free, it doesn’t take away from that fact. The language Cross uses in the dialogue was cliche and if you’ve ever read the “mate trope,” you’ve definitely already read a lot of the dialogue between the two main characters. I giggled several times during serious moments because of how cheesy things the MMC said. I wish the author would’ve worked a little harder on building the characters and the world, and making the dialogue more authentic/fresh. Overall, it was an easy read and relatively entertaining, so I’m not complaining!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so I was very excited to receive an arc for Firebird!

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I love Roman history so I was very interested to see that mixed with fantasy elements. This book starts with main characters Julianus, dragon shifter and nephew of the emperor, and Malina, an empathic witch and Dacian dancer, meeting when they are younger and instantly being drawn to each other. After parting ways they then meet years later on a battlefield. Julian, as the now brutal Roman general, is shocked to find Malina fighting and helping to defeat the Romans. This causes Julian’s dragon to instantly shift and remove Malina from the danger. Their instincts immediately saying she is his. Thus leading to Malina becoming Julian’s slave to keep her safe and from being sold while they head back to Rome.

For me one of the best parts of the book was the political intrigue we see back in Rome. As the book progresses we begin to learn of Julian’s true nature and his plans to overthrow his dangerous emperor uncle. We are exposed to the dark aspects of Roman history with betrayals, plotting and scheming, and fighting. All this with the addition of dragon shifters and you have a very interesting story. Now I did enjoy the romance between Malina and Julian. I liked the natural way it developed with Malina questioning Julian during her time as a slave. Their connection was strong throughout the book and we finally get to see more of Malina’s power.

I will say there were parts of the book that I felt weren’t fully fleshed out. I assume we will come back to these parts in the next books but with how this book ended I’m really not sure where the story will pick up again. I’m very curious to see what comes next and to learn more about Malina’s magic and her bond with Julian. As well as the plans to overthrow the emperor. This has great potential!

Listen, is this winning any awards? No it is not. Was it fun and I vibed with it? Yes I did.

Let’s start with the good: The world was excellent. Ruthless, brutal, true to Ancient Rome in terms of generalities. I also loved that we got a gladiator battle (!!!). Loved the addition of dragon shifters (who am I?) which usually I’m not the biggest fan. But it WORKED here and it felt epic. The plot was engaging too! I was wondering what was going to happen and worried for the main characters. I loved the dual POV as well!!

Now let’s go into the rougher parts: some areas need more fleshing out (like I want to know more about the gods and rituals). I felt like the romance had hot and cold moments — the insta-mate vibe was not the best to me but at least it was only the MMC’s primal dragon within him. I found that I wish there was more tension over blatant lust on both ends. The writing needed work at times — some more edits would have made this better (ie there were two sentences that had the word “left” 3 times). Sometimes I needed more from the writing overall. It didn’t detract from the story though as I did enjoy it overall.

That said though I’m absolutely continuing! It was a fun time even though there were scenes that made me uncomfortable but I do think the world needed them. I loved the male audiobook narrator — he was superb! The female one was okay: sometimes sounded a bit robotic. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!