Amanda Bouchet’s BREATH OF FIRE is a thrilling addition to the Kingmaker Chronicles. Catalia Fisa and Griffin continue their adventure to unifying the realms. This mythological fantasy is suitable for young adult audiences.

I loved this story. Amanda Bouchet does an amazing job with both her character development and plot. She is extremely creative and does an incredible job with visualization in the story.

Cat is a wonderful heroine. She is the runaway princess, Beta to the Fisan line. She is powerful and clever. She is concerned about her prophecy thinking the worst, instead of the possible positive outcome. I love Griffin. He is brave and idealistic. He cares about his people. Due to their very different upbringings, Cat and Griffin have some epic misunderstanding. However, the two have amazing chemistry and rule well together.

I really enjoyed the plot. I love the mythological aspect of the story. Their visit to the Ice Plains and to see the Chaos Wizard was entertaining. I thought their entering the Agon Games was creative. The story had a sort of gladiator/Hunger Games feel. BREATH OF FIRE was full of action and suspense. It had exciting twists. I would love to see The Kingmaker Chronicles turned into movies. I cannot wait for the next book, HEART ON FIRE. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Breathe of Fire is the second book in the Kingmaker series and takes place moments after the end of book one A Promise of Fire. One reason to buy this book ANGRY Griffin, as he is scary and delicious. Another is the monsters and mayhem filled adventure, as Bouchet weaves Greek Mythos with her own world building to give her narrative life, danger and spin tingling adventure. This sequel surpasses the first in pure andreline, as it is a high octane thrill ride. Bouchet ripped my heart out in the first chapter! Griffin and Cat together are terrific but Griffin pissed off and Cat devastated is nuclear, and this all happens in the first couple chapters!
The adventure of this fantasy book is riveting and very fast paced, but it is the relationship between Griffin and Cat that kept me reading. This is a relationship driven book, even with all the action and danger, the caring and devotion is paramount. Bouchet doesn't fill her book with place holder or cardboard cutout characters, as she made me care deeply about every character in this book, as each is detailed and fully formed. Each character's emotional depth is a vast pool to be explored thanks to the authors fantastic writing.

The character Cat is becoming one on my favorites characters along with Kate Daniels, Merit, Mercy Thompson, MacKayla Lane, Charley Davidson, and Cat Crawfield. Many characters have applied to be in my golden circle, but until now the door has been bared. Cat has knocked down the door and taken a seat at the table with my most loved gals. Most of my gals have parents issues that play a large role in their stories, so Cat is right at home with her Mommie problems. Her lover Griffin is having a drink with the Curran and guys in the back room, boast on who is the fiercest gal of all. Guys like Griffin and the lovers of my golden circle don't care about the fairest in the land they care about who can kill the monster with just the right amount of flair.

Breathe of Fire is Bouchet's sophomore year fantasy book, but she is setting herself up to be both the star quarterback and homecoming queen in the fantasy romance genre. If you love fantasy novels written from the female character's point of view, that include a sexy strong alpha male, then this book is a must buy that need to be devour.

Phew!! What a ride these two books have been-almost nine hundred pages of pure adrenaline, angst, and adventure. This high fantasy world filled with ancient Greek Gods, awe-inspiring magic, and battles against impossible odds will have you completely spellbound. I'm not even sure where to start with this review, I'm still kind of reeling and trying to absorb everything that Bouchet has brewing for Heart on Fire. While Promise of Fire remains my favorite so far, Breath of Fire was incredibly addictive. It's a book about change, and discovering your path and purpose. These characters, Cat especially, will evolve quite a bit and grow into a strong conviction of what the fates decree she will become:

Harbinger of the end.
Destroyer of realms.
Messenger of unity and peace.

What I loved about book one was the angst, mystery, and uncertainty between Cat and Griffin. And then there's Cat! Cat was one of the most reckless fearless heroines I've ever come across with a will of steel, and a biting tongue of a cynic. She's defiantly sarcastic, and sometimes so stubborn you just want to grab her and shake her until her teeth rattle. But she's also a woman who has survived hell and back, and lives every minute of her life in defense mode. She's prickly and untrusting for a reason, but the end of book one sees her finally discovering a new family to fight beside her, to fight for. And to finally give her fragile heart and trust to one deserving man. Griffin, Beta Fisa.

Conquerer.
Lover.
Fierce protector.

He's a powerful warrior who's deeply, madly dead-set on making this woman his in every sense there is. Which brings me to my first issue with the story. Chapter one starts us out with his abrupt discovery of the colossal secret Cat has been hiding. And to be blunt: though I understood his reaction, I didn't care for his actions or understand them. At all. Griffin is pure alpha, and he has a massive temper which he displayed in the previous book. BUT...he never turned that on Cat. As much as she provoked him (it was A LOT) he never snapped and crossed the line, not once. I didn't feel as if it fit his character to have taken out his anger on her and lose his control to that degree.

Demolishing everything in their bedroom in a fit of rage, pushing her against the wall, and grabbing her arms in a punishing grip to the point of hurting her...just why? Yes, he left and pulled himself together before apologizing, but it started things off on a discordant note for me.

I moved past it, because it was brief and Griffin was quickly adapting to the new situation that Cat's identity brings. As the Kingmaker, he always knew she would be sought after for her ability to detect lies, steal other's magic, and use invisibility. Powers like hers are rare and invaluable, but her enemies are also the most feared in the land. Once he accepted her dishonesty, he never wavered for a moment in his resolve to stand beside her, even if his life depended on it.

Whereas book one was peppered with more romantic angst, this book was more action packed once it picked up its momentum. They braved the Ice Plains, battled towering creatures, fought enemies with powerful magic, and survived things that lesser mortals never would have dreamed of attempting. But they soon realize that the Gods are in their favor and with Olympus on their side, anything is possible. Cat has lived with dread and a lack of hope for years thinking she would be the harbinger of doom to Thalyria. But she soon comes to learn that her future has a completely different path than she had ever imagined. Once she believes, truly believes, there is no stopping her and this group of men who would lay down their lives for her. But it's not an easy transition for her to step into her new role of leadership.

There were a couple of moments in the last half of the book towards the end that forced me to lower my rating, as much as I had been enjoying the book. A revelation about Cat that I'm sorry, no way, no how could that ever be possible. My jaw dropped and I could NOT believe my eyes. I realize that this is a fantasy book, but it was too far for me.

As well, as much as I fell in love with Amanda Bouchet's incredible talent for writing action sequences that play out like the finest choreographed battle, the Agon Games stretched on much too long for my patience. That could have been much briefer in my opinion and still have had a hell of an impact.

There are so many unresolved threads that promise to tie into a shocking conclusion. The beta team had some very surprising developments and revelations that I can't wait to see be resolved. Or even better...they won't be resolved and these men will get a chance for their own full stories to be told. Though this book wasn't a full, enthusiastic five stars, I still highly recommend this series to anyone looking for fantasy that will have you on the edge of your seat desperate for more. How deep do these books draw you in? It's fathomless, and once you start, you won't escape.

The first book in Amanda Bouchet's Kingmaker trilogy was very, very good. Considering how much I enjoyed the first book, it's hard to admit how much I struggled to get through the second book. That's not to say Breath of Fire is bad, it just seemed repetitive to me. While Cat and Griffin move forward in terms of recognizing their role to play as it's been dealt by the gods, I found their repetitive. This couple continue to have the same fights and make-ups throughout the whole book, and quite frankly, I found that to be tedious to read about. Luckily, there's quite a bit more to the story than their relationship and that is what keeps readers engaged. Now that Cat and Griffin are on relatively solid ground relationship wise, I'm anticipating where the author will take things in the final book. And as the Bouchet introduces new characters and tidbits of familiar character's past, I become more and more curious to see where the author will go when this trilogy is over. Bouchet has created an engaging world fraught with magic and suspense, and while the second book didn't quite hit the mark for me, it captures the same spirit of the first book which is sure to please fans.

2.5 stars. Blasted. Gah. I wanted to love this so much.

I'm willing to bet most who pick up this series will love it. It's either lusty romance (way too much for me) or pure bat shit crazy action on every page. SO much happens and there's rarely a dull moment.

I read the first book and didn't hate it though I personally felt it was full of relationship issues (oh lordy don't get me started.) I guess with this type of genre though- these possessive and purely physical relationships are very common. I'll admit that there is *finally* more to Cat and Griffin's relationship in this one.. but yikes.. not everything was solved. The beginning made me cringe MAJOR TIME. Aside from that, I had high hopes for the world and what might transpire because of Cat's past and big secret. That didn't play out or cause the conflict I was hoping it would (don't get me wrong- it does come up big time but just not in the way I wanted it to.)

Unfortunately this one fell flat for me. Again- it wasn't that it was boring. I just think the world was entirely too strange for me (it's greek mythology on a whole new level) and I wasn't into the romance or smut. I'm just not into controlling, obsessive, brooding dudes. Griffin does have some redeeming qualities but meh. The action scenes were just... weird. If you're into movies like Clash of the Titans and such and don't mind some very.....strange creatures and occurrences... you might be fine with it.

Amanda's writing was actually pretty good and she gave Cat a big personality but I felt like it was a bit overdone. What I did like though were the side characters... Griffin's family and friends were a great addition. They were my favorite part of the novel.

Anyway, a huge thanks to the publishers for sending me an advanced copy!

Avec cette suite, on démarre sur les chapeaux de roue; Griffin apprend et comprend enfin que Cat est bien plus que la Faiseuse de roi, elle est Beta Fisa, fille de l'Alpha Fisa, la grande méchante de l'histoire et forcément, Griffin prend plutôt mal le fait que Cat lui ai caché quelque chose d'aussi gros. Après une bonne dispute et un rabibochage rapide sous la couette, on entre dans le vif du sujet, à savoir défendre Sinta et attaquer Tarva.

Le premier tome a introduit le monde de l'auteure ainsi que la relation naissante de Griffin et de Cat. Dans ce deuxième tome, on plonge plus profondément dans les mythes grecs avec l'Hydre de Lerne, la toison d'or, le fil d'Ariane, des créatures mi-homme mi-cheval et plus encore, j'ai littéralement adoré la façon dont l'auteure a mixé son histoire avec les mythes ! La relation de Griffin et de Cat s'intensifie et on a bien plus de scène de sexe que dans le tome précédant (mais il y a une explication à ça, ouf!). Kato, Flynn et Carver ont aussi droit à leur coup de projecteur et on en apprend plus sur eux, sur leur passé et leur relation avec d'autres personnages mais il reste encore des mystères et des secrets à dévoiler et Amanda Bouchet a l'art et la manière de susciter la curiosité et la frustration qui nous donne envie de faire un bon dans le temps pour avoir la suite.

J'ai lu ce deuxième tome sans m'arrêter, en quelques heures, il y a beaucoup plus d'action, plus d'émotions, plus d'aventure, beaucoup plus de tout quoi et c'est vraiment pas de refus.

En bref, ce deuxième tome est un peu en dessous du premier tome puisque j'avais adoré la découverte du monde de Cat ainsi que la mise en marche du couple Cat/Griffin. Cependant, il reste un coup de cœur et j'ai encore une fois hâte de découvrir la suite et fin.

(A more developed review online on my blog is coming soon)

"Harbinger of the end. Destroyer of realms."

FINAL DECISION: Exciting and filled with adventure, BREATH OF FIRE represents the continued growth of Cat as she matures. She and Griffith evolve both as a couple and in their dream of unifying the realms. This book doesn't conclude the story, but there is plenty new hear to keep readers more than satisfied.

THE STORY: In this second book of the Kingmaker Chronicles trilogy, Cat Fisa is running from her destiny. She has found the man she loves, a non-magical warlord, Griffith, who believes deeply in her, but the magical Cat has kept a secret. She is subject to a prophecy that Cat believes means that she will destroy the world. As secrets are revealed, the characters begin their journey towards what might be the fulfillment of the prophecy.

OPINION: A world with magic and Gods that remains incredibly human, this second installment of the Kingmaker Chronicles finally reveals much of Cat's past. Readers of the first book will know that Cat has gained the favor of the Gods and has incredible (if inconsistent) magic. She falls in love with the non-magical Griffith who is immune from magic and conquered the realm of Sinta (one of the three realms). Now the two have forged a partnership and Griffith sees the possibility of building a better world with Cat by his side. As PROMISE OF FIRE ended, Cat still had secrets she was keeping.

Cat's past and her secrets are revealed in this book. Finally readers can understand her journey. Cat remains selfless, reckless and an amazing fighter. In this book, she matures with the support of Griffith. I love their relationship because Griffith is entirely willing to be by Cat's side and support her even if he struggles with his own need to protect her. Even better, he is willing to stand by her while she learns to lead rather than taking the lead himself. Griffith is a rare and amazing alpha male character who is not threatened by a strong woman but rather is willing to be anything that she needs.

Cat remains her prickly, sarcastic, cynical self in this book even as the shell around her has broken as to Griffith. Readers can be assured (mini-spoiler) that this book doesn't do the expected by breaking these two apart during this book in order to create another romantic arc. Instead, these characters go deeper into their connection with one another. By the time this book ends, their relationship seems pretty unbreakable.

The development of the relationships in this book are more subtle than in the first book (although there are some pretty big and important moments that don't disappoint) but there is also non-stop action. From the very first page, this book thrusts readers into battles, and challenges and political struggles. There is a lot of ground to cover here but by the time the book ends, the direction the characters will be taking is clear and much has been accomplished. One of the things I really like about this series is that each of the first two books is a discrete adventure (with many sub-adventures) but there is still an overarching story that leaves much adventure to come in the concluding book in the series.

We also are treated to more information about the other characters in the series. The members of Team Beta have their own journeys in this book (although Cat and Griffith remain the focus). I am hoping that some of their stories will also be resolved in the concluding book because they are adorable as well. By the time this book ends, the member of Team Beta are fleshed out and each has a unique romantic problem of their own.

A thrilling adventure from beginning to end, this book will definitely satisfy those who enjoyed the first book of the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is part of an interconnected trilogy with the same characters. This book does not resolve the issues in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BREATH OF FIRE is the second book in the Kingmaker Chronicles. This book is meant to be read as part of the trilogy and should be read after the first book in the series PROMISE OF FIRE.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

Amanda Bouchet weaves an intricate story where Greek Gods are not myths but are revered and worshipped. Cat “Catalia” Fisa doesn’t see herself as a hero, even though she is distantly related to a God. From the moment Griffin locked eyes on her, he knew Cat was destined to change the world. Cat, known as the Kingmaker, wasn’t buying into that fantasy, and with the horror of her upbringing, figured that she was more likely to bring about the worlds destruction. But in Breath of Fire, she learns the truth about her heritage and the role her Gods are determined she’ll play in vanquishing her worlds darkness.

I love how Amanda Bouchet has artfully created another Greek heroine in the same vein as Hercules and Achilles. As with all heroes, the tasks she is given to complete are fraught with danger, but it is her love for Griffin and her friends and new family that gives her the courage to keep moving forward, facing mythological creatures as if they are every man’s backyard pet. Her c’est la vie attitude about the gifts she is given by Persephone, Hades, and the rest helps to make her story real, and not just one big fantastical tale.

Both of the books in this series are in my top 10 favorite books this year. Her love affair with Griffin is so spine tingling, and her humility and fears are so real, that I was eager to turn every page while at the same time wanting to never get to the end of the book. Luckily, there will be a third book in this series to be released in 2017. If you haven’t read A Promise of Fire, the first in this series, pick it up, buy it, check it out. You will savor Ms. Bouchet’s writing style and fall in love with these characters just as I have.

i received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review.