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Bound to Fire and Steel #1
Consort of Fire
From cult-favorite writing duo Kit Rocha comes a fiery novel set in a lush fantasy world brimming with ancient magic, dangerous secrets, and erotic connections.
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.
Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes. She is young, beautiful―and she has three secrets.
First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.
Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.
Third―and most deadly: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.
The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess them both.
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.
Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes. She is young, beautiful―and she has three secrets.
First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.
Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.
Third―and most deadly: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.
The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess them both.
397 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2023
About the author
Kit Rocha
69 books2,596 followersOnce upon a time, two best friends decided to write paranormal romance. And while that was awesome, they also sometimes wanted to write insanely dirty stuff that wasn’t paranormal at all. This is that stuff.
Kit Rocha is the dystopian-erotic-romance writing alter-ego of writing duo Moira Rogers.
Kit Rocha is the dystopian-erotic-romance writing alter-ego of writing duo Moira Rogers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 418 reviews
February 10, 2024
3.5 ★
im so confused on how to feel about this book, but the main thing i can say is that it kept me entertained. the story follows Sachi, a princess who’s cursed and is sent to the dragon god (Ash) to be his consort. Zanya is her handmaid, who also happens to be a secret assassin. the world building was interesting, but i don’t think it was executed that well.. it felt like i was supposed to know certain things without having a full explanation or context for most of it, so hopefully book 2 will fix that.
“You’re my tether. Without you, I’d be only darkness.” Sachi shook her head, her hand tightening on Zanya’s thigh. “You’re my light. And you’ll be his, too.”
as for the romance: the angst and tension was good, especially since Sachi and Zanya are established lovers when the book starts and they’re both battling with the looming threat to Sanchi’s life, along with being tasked to kill Ash while also growing fond of him with every passing day. Sachi is the bubbly and bright type, Zanya is more feisty and reluctant to open up and Ash is way more respectful and considerate than i thought he’d be tbh. i just feel like all their personalities balanced each other out and while it did come across more insta lust than romance with Ash, for some reason it didn’t bother me here cause there were a lot of really sweet moments between each of them that was just so damn cute. if im being fr.. im more mad about Ash not turning into a dragon enough lol🐉.
im so confused on how to feel about this book, but the main thing i can say is that it kept me entertained. the story follows Sachi, a princess who’s cursed and is sent to the dragon god (Ash) to be his consort. Zanya is her handmaid, who also happens to be a secret assassin. the world building was interesting, but i don’t think it was executed that well.. it felt like i was supposed to know certain things without having a full explanation or context for most of it, so hopefully book 2 will fix that.
“You’re my tether. Without you, I’d be only darkness.” Sachi shook her head, her hand tightening on Zanya’s thigh. “You’re my light. And you’ll be his, too.”
as for the romance: the angst and tension was good, especially since Sachi and Zanya are established lovers when the book starts and they’re both battling with the looming threat to Sanchi’s life, along with being tasked to kill Ash while also growing fond of him with every passing day. Sachi is the bubbly and bright type, Zanya is more feisty and reluctant to open up and Ash is way more respectful and considerate than i thought he’d be tbh. i just feel like all their personalities balanced each other out and while it did come across more insta lust than romance with Ash, for some reason it didn’t bother me here cause there were a lot of really sweet moments between each of them that was just so damn cute. if im being fr.. im more mad about Ash not turning into a dragon enough lol🐉.
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July 9, 2024DNF at about 50%.
The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we are getting more queer romantasy, especially a FFA one.
The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we are getting more queer romantasy, especially a FFA one.
November 30, 2023
Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha
Bound to Fire and Steel series #1. Fantasy. Dragons, romance, lgbtq+, erotica elements.
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. He makes one demand that the mortal ruler must send an heir to serve him. In the year 2999, Sachi is the thirty first to be sacrificed to the dragon. She has been trained for what ever might be her duties including seduction. But she also has secrets. First, she is an orphan rather than an heir. Second, her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin. Third, Sachi is cursed. She and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon. If she fails, it means her very soul.
The Dragon too has secrets and the first is that he wants to possess both women.
A bit on the dark side as the women are being forced to comply with the kill order under threat plus there is cruelty from the priests in belittling them. Sashi is vulnerable in protecting her best friend and lover and the priests take full advantage of her. It made me angry. There is also reference to the women being drugged in their training so that didn’t help ,y attitude. Fortunately the ancient Dragon is a good guy and protective of the women.
This is on the erotic side of the romance genre. Whew! I can’t wait to see where this goes.
I received a copy of this from NetGallety.
Bound to Fire and Steel series #1. Fantasy. Dragons, romance, lgbtq+, erotica elements.
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. He makes one demand that the mortal ruler must send an heir to serve him. In the year 2999, Sachi is the thirty first to be sacrificed to the dragon. She has been trained for what ever might be her duties including seduction. But she also has secrets. First, she is an orphan rather than an heir. Second, her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin. Third, Sachi is cursed. She and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon. If she fails, it means her very soul.
The Dragon too has secrets and the first is that he wants to possess both women.
A bit on the dark side as the women are being forced to comply with the kill order under threat plus there is cruelty from the priests in belittling them. Sashi is vulnerable in protecting her best friend and lover and the priests take full advantage of her. It made me angry. There is also reference to the women being drugged in their training so that didn’t help ,y attitude. Fortunately the ancient Dragon is a good guy and protective of the women.
This is on the erotic side of the romance genre. Whew! I can’t wait to see where this goes.
I received a copy of this from NetGallety.
July 18, 2023
Having loved the Beyond series and the blurb containing the word dragon (I mean who doesn’t love a dragon romance?) made this a must read for me.
There’s a lot here. A lot of characters and a ton of world building. More than I’d normally expect because the happy couple embark on a tour as soon as they’d bonded. So we get the descriptions of every area as well.
It’s a lot and the book really suffers under the weight of it all. I took a break early on and then returned to it. Hoping the fault was mine and I’d settle. I didn’t and continued to struggle.
There’s some great characters and an interesting story. But the weight of the rest was just too much for it. But then most of the reviews are glowing so maybe it’s just me?
I desperately wanted to love this but I felt like story was lost and I really wanted to know what happened.
But….
Then around the 80% mark I was intrigued and couldn’t put it down. It came into itself and I was hooked. Finally.
While I enjoyed the last part it wasn’t enough for me. Despite the characters, new world and dragon. I won’t be continuing on. And I’m gutted to be giving only 2*.
I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
There’s a lot here. A lot of characters and a ton of world building. More than I’d normally expect because the happy couple embark on a tour as soon as they’d bonded. So we get the descriptions of every area as well.
It’s a lot and the book really suffers under the weight of it all. I took a break early on and then returned to it. Hoping the fault was mine and I’d settle. I didn’t and continued to struggle.
There’s some great characters and an interesting story. But the weight of the rest was just too much for it. But then most of the reviews are glowing so maybe it’s just me?
I desperately wanted to love this but I felt like story was lost and I really wanted to know what happened.
But….
Then around the 80% mark I was intrigued and couldn’t put it down. It came into itself and I was hooked. Finally.
While I enjoyed the last part it wasn’t enough for me. Despite the characters, new world and dragon. I won’t be continuing on. And I’m gutted to be giving only 2*.
I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
April 11, 2024
Lacks plot and pace. The characters are all very charming and the writing had a way of holding my attention, but sadly I grew increasingly bored as the story progressed - or rather didn't progress. This had the speed of an arthritic donkey out on a slow meandering walk to nowhere. I'm pretty sure the 66% or so I've managed to work through - it feels as though I've been reading this book forever - has been one big foreplay scene.
There was zero tension which was very disappointing given Zanya and Sachi are on a rather short timeline. The author duo did try to interject some angst by reminding us now and then of Zanya and Sachi's mission, but it didn't work. It just made me wonder why they didn't just EXPLAIN the danger they were in to the group of Gods they were travelling with. Good lord, if a God isn't the most powerful being on a planet then they aren't much of a God.
The world-building was weak, the characterisation lacked depth and whilst the sex scenes were quite well written I just didn't feel or buy into the emotions.
I am DNFing for now. If I do finish this I will update my review accordingly.
There was zero tension which was very disappointing given Zanya and Sachi are on a rather short timeline. The author duo did try to interject some angst by reminding us now and then of Zanya and Sachi's mission, but it didn't work. It just made me wonder why they didn't just EXPLAIN the danger they were in to the group of Gods they were travelling with. Good lord, if a God isn't the most powerful being on a planet then they aren't much of a God.
The world-building was weak, the characterisation lacked depth and whilst the sex scenes were quite well written I just didn't feel or buy into the emotions.
I am DNFing for now. If I do finish this I will update my review accordingly.
February 20, 2024
This book was so good! I can't believe I haven't seen more content about it. When two young women, a princess and her hand-maid are forced to seduce the Dragon King or be killed by a spell that's been placed on them. SO. GOOD.
The only negative comment I have is that it was too short. I feel like there could have been more content. Maybe more flash backs or more time to develop the bonds between the characters.
Enemies to lovers, shifter romance, touch her and you die, harem romance, and FMF and FF and MF. The dynamic between these three characters. I cannot get enough of it. I cannot wait for the next one. This book is on Kindle Unlimited as well as the audio is available through Kindle Unlimited.
The only negative comment I have is that it was too short. I feel like there could have been more content. Maybe more flash backs or more time to develop the bonds between the characters.
Enemies to lovers, shifter romance, touch her and you die, harem romance, and FMF and FF and MF. The dynamic between these three characters. I cannot get enough of it. I cannot wait for the next one. This book is on Kindle Unlimited as well as the audio is available through Kindle Unlimited.
November 26, 2023
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
Consort of Fire is the first book of the Bound to Fire and Steel series, where the Kit Rocha writing duo have left behind dystopian words to work in a new fantasy realm. In this realm, the dreams or the beliefs of people can be pulled form the void to make protectors of the land. These gods, as they have become to be known, live with and slightly removed from the people. None are more feared than the Dragon, the protector of the land. He has been tied to the royal line for millennia by taking a consort from their line every 100 years or so. Sachi has just been sent to him to fulfill this promise, but the men of the word are tricksters and she is supposed to kill this Dragon so they can have free reign to do whatever they would like.
I read the blurb for this and immediately needed it in my life. I'm not a stranger to the Kit Rocha writing team having read most of their Beyond series, the said...Warning, this is not for the faint of smut, there is a lot of sexy times happening throughout the story. So if you haven't read them before, I think you would be in for a surprise. They have a great way of blending the story with a lot of sex and in Consort of Fire they didn't disappoint. This is a poly-amorous story as Sachi comes to be the Dragon's consort with her long time lover Zanya. While Sachi was trained to seduce the Dragon known as Ash, Zanya was trained to assassinate him. The Court has used the love between the two women to create a dangerous duo. Zanya will do anything to save Sachi, including trying to kill a God, to break the curst on her lover, no matter the cost.
I'm not really big into threesomes involving two women normally. But I liked how this all played out, the authors were great at heightening the sexual tension as Ash really tries to court two woman. Also there wasn't a scene that was only the two women together that wasn't fade to black which helped keep my interest in the romance. One woman is soft and everything of comfort and love. The other is a hunter like himself, but who better to stalk a hunter that the ultimate hunter. Ash is determined to not only win Sachi's heart but that of her lover. As they tour the various courts of the Gods after the binding ceremony all with struggle with their different roles, as how do you kill someone you are growing to love and might be bound to part of your soul?
There isn't a lot of action in the story. It really revolves around stories of Ash's past and fights to protect the land and Sachi and Zanya's internal battles with the assignment they have been given. The girls didn't have an easy life and this is the first time in their lives they have been allowed to live openly. While it has given them some freedoms it has also made their planned betrayal that much harder. Ash on the other hand has been alive for millennia and while he knows there is something they aren't telling him, he is trying to gain their trust. He is a patient hunter and the Dragon wants the reward having both women would bring his lonely life.
This was a great introductory story to a new world and new characters. There are a lot of characters and while the main arc of dealing with the Betrayer will need more books to flesh out I'm sure, we at least have a resolution to the arc of the curse in this story. There is a little time needed for the initial set up of the world and there was a short part of the story that just seems like sex scene after sex scene for about 3-4 chapters, when I was more interested in getting on with the main plot but other than that I would say the book flows really smoothly and Kit Rocha have me completely invested in this new world they have created.
Narration:
The narration for this was so good. I loved that each PoV had a distinctive narrator for it. Ash's narrator was by far my favorite as his voice was so deep and booming, perfect for our dragon. But each narrator was able to make their PoV character shine. Sachi's narrator captured her softness and love, Zanya's was a little more sharp and was able to portray her harder side and broken being. I loved the narrations and how they added to the enjoyment of the story. I was able to listen this at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
Consort of Fire is the first book of the Bound to Fire and Steel series, where the Kit Rocha writing duo have left behind dystopian words to work in a new fantasy realm. In this realm, the dreams or the beliefs of people can be pulled form the void to make protectors of the land. These gods, as they have become to be known, live with and slightly removed from the people. None are more feared than the Dragon, the protector of the land. He has been tied to the royal line for millennia by taking a consort from their line every 100 years or so. Sachi has just been sent to him to fulfill this promise, but the men of the word are tricksters and she is supposed to kill this Dragon so they can have free reign to do whatever they would like.
I read the blurb for this and immediately needed it in my life. I'm not a stranger to the Kit Rocha writing team having read most of their Beyond series, the said...Warning, this is not for the faint of smut, there is a lot of sexy times happening throughout the story. So if you haven't read them before, I think you would be in for a surprise. They have a great way of blending the story with a lot of sex and in Consort of Fire they didn't disappoint. This is a poly-amorous story as Sachi comes to be the Dragon's consort with her long time lover Zanya. While Sachi was trained to seduce the Dragon known as Ash, Zanya was trained to assassinate him. The Court has used the love between the two women to create a dangerous duo. Zanya will do anything to save Sachi, including trying to kill a God, to break the curst on her lover, no matter the cost.
I'm not really big into threesomes involving two women normally. But I liked how this all played out, the authors were great at heightening the sexual tension as Ash really tries to court two woman. Also there wasn't a scene that was only the two women together that wasn't fade to black which helped keep my interest in the romance. One woman is soft and everything of comfort and love. The other is a hunter like himself, but who better to stalk a hunter that the ultimate hunter. Ash is determined to not only win Sachi's heart but that of her lover. As they tour the various courts of the Gods after the binding ceremony all with struggle with their different roles, as how do you kill someone you are growing to love and might be bound to part of your soul?
There isn't a lot of action in the story. It really revolves around stories of Ash's past and fights to protect the land and Sachi and Zanya's internal battles with the assignment they have been given. The girls didn't have an easy life and this is the first time in their lives they have been allowed to live openly. While it has given them some freedoms it has also made their planned betrayal that much harder. Ash on the other hand has been alive for millennia and while he knows there is something they aren't telling him, he is trying to gain their trust. He is a patient hunter and the Dragon wants the reward having both women would bring his lonely life.
"You're my tether. Without you, I'd by only darkness."
"You're my light. And you'll by his too."
This was a great introductory story to a new world and new characters. There are a lot of characters and while the main arc of dealing with the Betrayer will need more books to flesh out I'm sure, we at least have a resolution to the arc of the curse in this story. There is a little time needed for the initial set up of the world and there was a short part of the story that just seems like sex scene after sex scene for about 3-4 chapters, when I was more interested in getting on with the main plot but other than that I would say the book flows really smoothly and Kit Rocha have me completely invested in this new world they have created.
Narration:
The narration for this was so good. I loved that each PoV had a distinctive narrator for it. Ash's narrator was by far my favorite as his voice was so deep and booming, perfect for our dragon. But each narrator was able to make their PoV character shine. Sachi's narrator captured her softness and love, Zanya's was a little more sharp and was able to portray her harder side and broken being. I loved the narrations and how they added to the enjoyment of the story. I was able to listen this at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
February 11, 2024
I actually really liked this book. The worldbuilding is done well, the spicy scenes were 🥵 and I really liked the characters. My reason for 4 stars is because it does drag a bit but overall I enjoyed this one. I definitely recommend this book if you like a spicy, romantasy, dragon shifter book!
Want to read
October 3, 2023Well this sounds ridiculously good…
Is it considered pansexual if you’re attracted to men, women, and dragons? 🤔😂
Is it considered pansexual if you’re attracted to men, women, and dragons? 🤔😂
March 27, 2024
2.5 stars
I should have loved Consort of Fire. Dragons! Bisexuality! Magic which is hopes and dreams given life! Decent proofreading! But I didn't. Reading it was like being beaten over the head with this forced sensuality. Everything was so moody and sexy and melodramatic and after a while that just had me rolling my eyes. Don't get me wrong. I found the hints of world building intriguing - a universe literally shaped the dreams of its inhabitants. The smut was undeniably hot and the absence of grammatical errors is practically a miracle these days. But I wanted more characterisation, more backstory, more world building... and honestly, just more of a sense of urgency. Sachi's life has a termination date. Wouldn't you think she and Zanya - or, at least Zanya - would be trying to come up with a game plan? The smut was fun but it is not enough to carry a story.
I should have loved Consort of Fire. Dragons! Bisexuality! Magic which is hopes and dreams given life! Decent proofreading! But I didn't. Reading it was like being beaten over the head with this forced sensuality. Everything was so moody and sexy and melodramatic and after a while that just had me rolling my eyes. Don't get me wrong. I found the hints of world building intriguing - a universe literally shaped the dreams of its inhabitants. The smut was undeniably hot and the absence of grammatical errors is practically a miracle these days. But I wanted more characterisation, more backstory, more world building... and honestly, just more of a sense of urgency. Sachi's life has a termination date. Wouldn't you think she and Zanya - or, at least Zanya - would be trying to come up with a game plan? The smut was fun but it is not enough to carry a story.
May 19, 2024
May 2024 reread: I may have liked this even more the second time around. On to my ARC of Queen of Dreams!
Original review:
Kit Rocha up their game with each series they do and I love this one so, so much. The worldbuilding is seamless, the characters fascinating, the relationships complex, and the sex is super hot, of course. I suspect I won't be able to form a more coherent opinion than "ahh! so good!" until I get back to this on reread, so until then here's some bits I especially loved:
- Sachi wants to kill Ash, and would like to get into his bed to do it, being very good at deception and seduction. What she doesn't count on is Ash having a one-way connection to her heart, and an ability to sense the fear there. In the beginning he thinks it's a fear of him, and refuses to have sex with her until it's gone. I love that Ash cares about that fear and only wants to be intimate with a completely willing partner, and having that parlayed into a plot point? Genius.
- We see early on that people's attraction has no relation to gender, and that we can basically assume that everyone is bi, which feels so incredibly safe and wonderful.
- The Phoenix's pronouns are they/them, and their fire lets people be reborn. It makes total sense, while also allowing trans folx to fully exist in this world in whatever form is best for them which, LOVE.
- I love that in one scene Zanya makes no judgement if it's good or bad to be in the closet, but she calls the opportunity to be out "an unexpected gift". This nuance is greatly appreciated when so many books go on about how great it is to be out without considering the very real safety concerns that keep some people in the closet.
- Did I mention that the sex is super hot and the relationship is polyamorous?
If you have been looking to get lost in a fantasy world, if you want to feel safe in a queer space, if you'd like to be swept away by a fascinating story, get on this. I cannot wait to see where this series goes.
Thanks to Montlake for providing a review copy.
Original review:
Kit Rocha up their game with each series they do and I love this one so, so much. The worldbuilding is seamless, the characters fascinating, the relationships complex, and the sex is super hot, of course. I suspect I won't be able to form a more coherent opinion than "ahh! so good!" until I get back to this on reread, so until then here's some bits I especially loved:
- Sachi wants to kill Ash, and would like to get into his bed to do it, being very good at deception and seduction. What she doesn't count on is Ash having a one-way connection to her heart, and an ability to sense the fear there. In the beginning he thinks it's a fear of him, and refuses to have sex with her until it's gone. I love that Ash cares about that fear and only wants to be intimate with a completely willing partner, and having that parlayed into a plot point? Genius.
- We see early on that people's attraction has no relation to gender, and that we can basically assume that everyone is bi, which feels so incredibly safe and wonderful.
- The Phoenix's pronouns are they/them, and their fire lets people be reborn. It makes total sense, while also allowing trans folx to fully exist in this world in whatever form is best for them which, LOVE.
- I love that in one scene Zanya makes no judgement if it's good or bad to be in the closet, but she calls the opportunity to be out "an unexpected gift". This nuance is greatly appreciated when so many books go on about how great it is to be out without considering the very real safety concerns that keep some people in the closet.
- Did I mention that the sex is super hot and the relationship is polyamorous?
If you have been looking to get lost in a fantasy world, if you want to feel safe in a queer space, if you'd like to be swept away by a fascinating story, get on this. I cannot wait to see where this series goes.
Thanks to Montlake for providing a review copy.
July 22, 2024
3.75. I read this because I realized I have the arc for book two due in a few weeks and was pleasantly surprised! I was totally entertained and really enjoyed the characters. The plot was interesting and my only gripe was that it was a little long winded and it went from zero spice to waaaay too much in a shorter period lol. I love a slow burn but it was so much at one point I was ff through scenes lol.
November 29, 2023
— 4.5 stars 𖤐
november 28: happy release day to this horny dragon book!!🐉🌶️🔥
this novel was SPICYYYY. let me just say that, first and foremost. obv if you read the sypnosis, you know that it's polyamorous romance. i will say, this is the first novel i read with that (i think) and it was written extremely well. it's full of love, betrayal, pain, and just lots of angst tbh. it took me forever to read, but only because i think it was hard for me to get into it and focus since i was reading other books alongside this one. if you read it just by itself, i don't think you will have that problem. the plot of the story was really captivating and i like the sort of impending doom that the story has as it goes on and progresses. zanya is such a badass i loved her sm. and the absolute plot twist and all the juicy stuff that was revealed at the end made me cry happy and sad tears. definitely a great novel if you're looking for a book with dragons, gods, deadly curses, LOTS OF SMUT🌶️🌶️🌶️, wlw, anddd royalty like themes involved! <3
also, for this to be the 1st book in the series, i can’t help but feel like it will only get better from here!! 😎
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for approving my request of this arc in exchange for an honest review. this book does not come out until november 28, but feel free to add it to your TBR or preorder it ;)
november 28: happy release day to this horny dragon book!!🐉🌶️🔥
this novel was SPICYYYY. let me just say that, first and foremost. obv if you read the sypnosis, you know that it's polyamorous romance. i will say, this is the first novel i read with that (i think) and it was written extremely well. it's full of love, betrayal, pain, and just lots of angst tbh. it took me forever to read, but only because i think it was hard for me to get into it and focus since i was reading other books alongside this one. if you read it just by itself, i don't think you will have that problem. the plot of the story was really captivating and i like the sort of impending doom that the story has as it goes on and progresses. zanya is such a badass i loved her sm. and the absolute plot twist and all the juicy stuff that was revealed at the end made me cry happy and sad tears. definitely a great novel if you're looking for a book with dragons, gods, deadly curses, LOTS OF SMUT🌶️🌶️🌶️, wlw, anddd royalty like themes involved! <3
also, for this to be the 1st book in the series, i can’t help but feel like it will only get better from here!! 😎
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for approving my request of this arc in exchange for an honest review. this book does not come out until november 28, but feel free to add it to your TBR or preorder it ;)
November 25, 2023
I received a free copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
3.5 Star
Consort of Fire is the first installment in the Bound to Fire and Steel series.
I enjoyed the storyline but...
The good: a polyamorous storyline featuring a sort of established FF couple shrouded in a fantastical world featuring gods walking among humankind, filled with betrayal. Anxiety-filled angst. An imbalanced power dynamic throughout all their intermingled relationships. Watching the one you long to have be mated to the one you're destined to end. Forced to end the one you're bound to when they are a part of you now. Angsty deliciousness.
An orphan acting as the heir for a bloodline who is contractually obligated to serve their descendants up to the dragon as his consort every hundred years. The king uses Sachielle and Zanya to end the contract. Sachielle is the imposter led to the dragon's lair, with her lover assassin acting as her handmaid, Zanya. Their souls are at risk if they do not take out the dragon to forever end the contract. Whereas Ash, the dragon god, is merely misunderstood, not the monster the masses spread gossip about.
The highlight of the story for me was in the beginning portion of the novel when Ash would spontaneously combust into flames, then have to burst into dragon form and take to the skies because he was so overcome by the glow of his new "human" consort.
This is a slow burn romance, pun intended. I love me some slow burn to establish a relationship and show all the appropriate feels (see bad section) But there was zero feels from such emotionless characters, only for them to all end up in bed together.
I enjoyed the story but...
The bad: the overall tone, writing style, perspective, and world building.
Consort of Fire hit the trifecta of all three of my top pet peeves. Too many narrators: Sachielle, Zanya, and Ash, which wouldn't have been an issue for me if not for... no chapter headings to let the reader know who is narrating. Shifting narrator mid-scene. Since this was third-person, all three emotionless narrators sounded exactly the same, where I was never quite sure who was narrating until something pinpointed to who, only to be proven wrong a paragraph later, until I realized the narrators where shifting willy nilly for no apparent reason, as it didn't help the storyline along, only cause me mass amounts of confusion.
It took me the better part of two weeks to wade through this slog of a novel. Keep in mind, I can bang out a fantasy trilogy in a day and a half if I'm properly inspired. I honestly thought I was suffering from the dreaded reader's block since I did enjoy the storyline. Reading another novel in one sitting showcased how it wasn't me, it was the book. When I was about to throw in the towel, the novel finally picked up near the end.
Slog is the best way to describe how I felt while reading. The storyline was buried beneath the overly complex world building that wasn't truly complicated. The world building was not organically flowing from the three narrators. Info-dumps of information, most of which just overly complicated matters but wasn't actually necessary. There were times I found myself just zoning out, mind wandering rather than reading, only to skim almost a chapter to get to something, anything happening on the pages.
The tone. All three narrators sounded the same. Ash, while ancient, sounded juvenile like a young adult. I was shocked to discover Sachielle was nearly thirty when the way she spoke and carried herself was also young-adult-like. But it was how emotionless the third-person perspective with roving narrators made the story that was a real issue for me.
I couldn't fall into the story due to the way it was written. I wasn't invested in the storyline with how it was buried beneath the heavy burden with overly complicated world building. And I couldn't root for the main characters since they felt like nothing but emotionless drones playing out the parts written for them.
After inundating the reader with world building, it takes a backseat to erotica featuring the three MCs. All this buildup over the main happenings with the plot, and it just fizzled out and was anti-climatic. It ended up feeling like the two weeks of work I put into attempting to read this novel was merely a vehicle for the three of them to showcase their bedroom gymnastics, so I was salty about it and didn't find any of this particularly titillating or heated. The steam felt out of place after such a slow slog through the mythology and magic system.
As this is a fantasy novel, I expected adventuring, exciting action, and battle scenes. Not much was happening until the very end of the novel to set up the next installment and hook the reader. So it felt like a sale's pitch more so than a plot device to move the story forward. I wanted that vibe revealed in the last portion of the novel to be throughout the entire novel.
Will I read the next in the series? No. This is a situation where it just wasn't my cup of tea, the writing style not for me. No matter how good the premise may be, I worry the next book will be another slog to get to the meat of the story, only for the erotica to be showcased instead.
Since no two readers read the same book, perhaps the writing style will be your cup of tea.
3.5 Star
Consort of Fire is the first installment in the Bound to Fire and Steel series.
I enjoyed the storyline but...
The good: a polyamorous storyline featuring a sort of established FF couple shrouded in a fantastical world featuring gods walking among humankind, filled with betrayal. Anxiety-filled angst. An imbalanced power dynamic throughout all their intermingled relationships. Watching the one you long to have be mated to the one you're destined to end. Forced to end the one you're bound to when they are a part of you now. Angsty deliciousness.
An orphan acting as the heir for a bloodline who is contractually obligated to serve their descendants up to the dragon as his consort every hundred years. The king uses Sachielle and Zanya to end the contract. Sachielle is the imposter led to the dragon's lair, with her lover assassin acting as her handmaid, Zanya. Their souls are at risk if they do not take out the dragon to forever end the contract. Whereas Ash, the dragon god, is merely misunderstood, not the monster the masses spread gossip about.
The highlight of the story for me was in the beginning portion of the novel when Ash would spontaneously combust into flames, then have to burst into dragon form and take to the skies because he was so overcome by the glow of his new "human" consort.
This is a slow burn romance, pun intended. I love me some slow burn to establish a relationship and show all the appropriate feels (see bad section) But there was zero feels from such emotionless characters, only for them to all end up in bed together.
I enjoyed the story but...
The bad: the overall tone, writing style, perspective, and world building.
Consort of Fire hit the trifecta of all three of my top pet peeves. Too many narrators: Sachielle, Zanya, and Ash, which wouldn't have been an issue for me if not for... no chapter headings to let the reader know who is narrating. Shifting narrator mid-scene. Since this was third-person, all three emotionless narrators sounded exactly the same, where I was never quite sure who was narrating until something pinpointed to who, only to be proven wrong a paragraph later, until I realized the narrators where shifting willy nilly for no apparent reason, as it didn't help the storyline along, only cause me mass amounts of confusion.
It took me the better part of two weeks to wade through this slog of a novel. Keep in mind, I can bang out a fantasy trilogy in a day and a half if I'm properly inspired. I honestly thought I was suffering from the dreaded reader's block since I did enjoy the storyline. Reading another novel in one sitting showcased how it wasn't me, it was the book. When I was about to throw in the towel, the novel finally picked up near the end.
Slog is the best way to describe how I felt while reading. The storyline was buried beneath the overly complex world building that wasn't truly complicated. The world building was not organically flowing from the three narrators. Info-dumps of information, most of which just overly complicated matters but wasn't actually necessary. There were times I found myself just zoning out, mind wandering rather than reading, only to skim almost a chapter to get to something, anything happening on the pages.
The tone. All three narrators sounded the same. Ash, while ancient, sounded juvenile like a young adult. I was shocked to discover Sachielle was nearly thirty when the way she spoke and carried herself was also young-adult-like. But it was how emotionless the third-person perspective with roving narrators made the story that was a real issue for me.
I couldn't fall into the story due to the way it was written. I wasn't invested in the storyline with how it was buried beneath the heavy burden with overly complicated world building. And I couldn't root for the main characters since they felt like nothing but emotionless drones playing out the parts written for them.
After inundating the reader with world building, it takes a backseat to erotica featuring the three MCs. All this buildup over the main happenings with the plot, and it just fizzled out and was anti-climatic. It ended up feeling like the two weeks of work I put into attempting to read this novel was merely a vehicle for the three of them to showcase their bedroom gymnastics, so I was salty about it and didn't find any of this particularly titillating or heated. The steam felt out of place after such a slow slog through the mythology and magic system.
As this is a fantasy novel, I expected adventuring, exciting action, and battle scenes. Not much was happening until the very end of the novel to set up the next installment and hook the reader. So it felt like a sale's pitch more so than a plot device to move the story forward. I wanted that vibe revealed in the last portion of the novel to be throughout the entire novel.
Will I read the next in the series? No. This is a situation where it just wasn't my cup of tea, the writing style not for me. No matter how good the premise may be, I worry the next book will be another slog to get to the meat of the story, only for the erotica to be showcased instead.
Since no two readers read the same book, perhaps the writing style will be your cup of tea.
April 14, 2024
What a disappointment. I super enjoyed their previous series but for some reason never warmed to this. I found it, most damningly, boring.
July 7, 2023
Looking for a book with gods, assassins, poly representation and a whole lot of spice? If so, add this to your TBR, stat!
Sachielle, a consort, and Zanya her handmaid travel together so that Sachielle can be bound to the Dragon. For three thousand years the Dragon has been given consorts in exchange for his protection from beyond the mountain passes. Sachielle and Zanya are not what they appear, and neither is the Dragon. They've come to kill him in order to break the curse that could destroy them both.
First and foremost, the bi panic I experienced while reading this! Zanya was hands down my favourite character, though I wish she put herself and her pleasure before others (but maybe that will take place in another book!). I equally enjoyed the side characters, Ulrich in particular. There's something about a character being called The Wolf that will never fail to intrigue me.
I've never quite read a book that has presented a polyamorous relationship in this way. Which is exciting! I'm not sure this is a spoiler or not considering the synopsis states that Dragon wants to possess both Sachielle and Zanya, so SPOILER WARNING, Sachielle and Zanya are in love and their love is both prioritised and a constant throughout the novel. I enjoyed how the Dragon was a respectful third to this and how he was motivated by love rather than solely lust. It was refreshing and different to what I've read previously in the Fantasy/Romance space.
My only issue with this novel is that the relationship between the them is the main plot of this book, and I couldn't help wanting more to be happening around them. I wanted a more clear villain perhaps, something external to the main love interests. In saying that though, that's simply a preference and if you don't mind a relationship focussed novel then you'll love it.
Excited to read more from this author!
Sachielle, a consort, and Zanya her handmaid travel together so that Sachielle can be bound to the Dragon. For three thousand years the Dragon has been given consorts in exchange for his protection from beyond the mountain passes. Sachielle and Zanya are not what they appear, and neither is the Dragon. They've come to kill him in order to break the curse that could destroy them both.
First and foremost, the bi panic I experienced while reading this! Zanya was hands down my favourite character, though I wish she put herself and her pleasure before others (but maybe that will take place in another book!). I equally enjoyed the side characters, Ulrich in particular. There's something about a character being called The Wolf that will never fail to intrigue me.
I've never quite read a book that has presented a polyamorous relationship in this way. Which is exciting! I'm not sure this is a spoiler or not considering the synopsis states that Dragon wants to possess both Sachielle and Zanya, so SPOILER WARNING, Sachielle and Zanya are in love and their love is both prioritised and a constant throughout the novel. I enjoyed how the Dragon was a respectful third to this and how he was motivated by love rather than solely lust. It was refreshing and different to what I've read previously in the Fantasy/Romance space.
My only issue with this novel is that the relationship between the them is the main plot of this book, and I couldn't help wanting more to be happening around them. I wanted a more clear villain perhaps, something external to the main love interests. In saying that though, that's simply a preference and if you don't mind a relationship focussed novel then you'll love it.
Excited to read more from this author!
August 19, 2023
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
“Her love for you burns so bright inside me, handmaid. You and I could take her to the brink and leave her there for hours, and she wouldn’t crave her own release as much as she craves yours right now.”
Kit Rocha's Consort of Fire, first book in the Bound to Fire and Steel series, delivers a spellbinding fantasy of magic, secrets, and passion. An ancient dragon god demands the ruler's heir as a companion every century. Sachielle, a cursed heiress, and her assassin lover, Zanya, face a five-week challenge: slay the dragon or lose all. But the dragon's true nature surprises, unraveling desires and secrets.
“You’re my tether. Without you, I’d be only darkness.”
As someone who's really into fantasy romances, I was genuinely excited when I heard about this new series from Kit Rocha. And I've got to say, I was pretty engrossed in the story right from the start. One thing that usually gets to me with fantasy books is the whole intricate world setup that can sometimes get overwhelming. But surprisingly, that wasn't an issue here. The world-building was solid, and I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the characters and places.
“You’re my light. And you’ll be his, too.”
Speaking of characters, Zanya, Sachi, and the Dragon make for an interesting trio. What I appreciated was the slow yet meaningful way the authors developed trust and emotions among them. The Dragon's patient demeanor definitely caught my attention. Consort of Fire maintains a perfect pace while delivering ample steaminess. Though I longed for a touch more romance, it's important to note that this isn't a standalone. I'm looking forward to how the relationships evolve in the next book.
“Her love for you burns so bright inside me, handmaid. You and I could take her to the brink and leave her there for hours, and she wouldn’t crave her own release as much as she craves yours right now.”
Kit Rocha's Consort of Fire, first book in the Bound to Fire and Steel series, delivers a spellbinding fantasy of magic, secrets, and passion. An ancient dragon god demands the ruler's heir as a companion every century. Sachielle, a cursed heiress, and her assassin lover, Zanya, face a five-week challenge: slay the dragon or lose all. But the dragon's true nature surprises, unraveling desires and secrets.
“You’re my tether. Without you, I’d be only darkness.”
As someone who's really into fantasy romances, I was genuinely excited when I heard about this new series from Kit Rocha. And I've got to say, I was pretty engrossed in the story right from the start. One thing that usually gets to me with fantasy books is the whole intricate world setup that can sometimes get overwhelming. But surprisingly, that wasn't an issue here. The world-building was solid, and I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the characters and places.
“You’re my light. And you’ll be his, too.”
Speaking of characters, Zanya, Sachi, and the Dragon make for an interesting trio. What I appreciated was the slow yet meaningful way the authors developed trust and emotions among them. The Dragon's patient demeanor definitely caught my attention. Consort of Fire maintains a perfect pace while delivering ample steaminess. Though I longed for a touch more romance, it's important to note that this isn't a standalone. I'm looking forward to how the relationships evolve in the next book.
December 11, 2023
I think I need to stop trying to read romantasy books, even from authors I’ve liked a lot previously who have written in other genres. I’ve come to realize I want battles and actual fighting. At best, we get sparring here and that’s…it? There IS a life and death element to the story but it never feels particularly pressing because the romance takes over. It wouldn’t be too bad, but the romance is the slowest of burns. I normally adore slow burn romances, even where the couples don’t get together in the first book, but there needs to be tension or some external plot to keep me occupied in the meantime, and I just wasn’t getting that at all.
The pacing felt weird from the romance side of things to me and the external plot takes a backseat. The ending implies something big is on the horizon but I don’t really get a sense of the threat. I understand the WHO but not why I should care. I think I was too taken aback at the random POV thrown in at the last minute, and I was still distracted trying to remember who this person even was. And the thing is, I just don’t know if I’ll care enough to come back to the story when the book comes out almost a whole year from now.
Content warnings include (taken directly from the authors’ website) violence, murder, reference to past trauma for heroine #1 (child abuse, emotional abuse, trained in seduction under coercion), and reference to past trauma for heroine #2 (child abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, violently trained as an assassin).
So, I just did a whole re-read of the available Kit Rocha backlist available on audiobook earlier this year. It’s the Beyond, the Gideon Rider’s, and the Mercenary Librarians series. Those all take place in the same world. This is a brand spanking new fantasy world, and I think I just have a whole different set of expectations when it comes to fantasy books. This is romance-focused with a bit of fantasy thrown in. A story with a fantasy flair if you will. And I know a lot of romance readers prefer that and love that, but I am not one of those readers. I fear I’m a fantasy first and then a dash of romance girlie, so this is just not my thing.
This was signed as a duology I think? The audiobook is 12 hours and 31 minutes and while this is far shorter than other adult fantasy books I listen to and this length seems more on par with older YA fantasy (before the 400+ page fantasy books took over), the book FEELS long when it comes to the story. The story moves at a snails pace. When I first got the e-ARC, I winded up stopping at 5% because I was already bored. I wasn’t into it. I winded up getting the audiobook though because it was whispersynced on Audible (if you have the Kindle Unlimited copy) for only $1.99. Well, I finished it but it was rough there at the 50% mark, because I was ready to quit. Again, I was bored.
The story is about three characters - Sachielle (Sachi), the human consort who is to marry the dragon god; Zanya, Sachi’s handmaid and assassin who loves Sachi; and then there’s Ash, the dragon god in question. The book seems undecided whether he is 3000 or 4000 years old, but the point is, he’s old. Sachi and Zanya are 25.
One of my favorite characters from the authors’ books is Ashwin from the Gideon Rider’s series so it was super weird to see a MC called Ash here. But I guess Ash is a play on the fact he can shift into a dragon? And breaths fire and can turn things into ash? I’m not sure if that is his full name and Ash isn’t short for something? If he said, I missed it. Also, are there other dragons or is he the only one? How did the people in this world decide on the name ~dragon~ if there are no others? Did his parents name him Ash in some divine prophecy knowing he’d be a dragon one day? I have questions.
But like the blurb says, Sachi and Zanya have been sent to trick the gods (Ash and friends) and they must kill the dragon god within a set number of days. Sachi has been cursed to die if they don’t succeed within 5 weeks. The premise of Ash having to take human consorts in general seems convoluted to me. He is…one with the earth and he marries them to…preserve the land? I honestly don’t know. I think it was in one of the many bedtime stories and lore told in the book but it honestly did not stick in my brain as I was listening to the audio.
The pacing of the romance was odd to me. This is a FFM polyam book and I loved the idea of that pairing because we don’t really see enough of that in romance books. But half the romance already happens before the book starts. Sachi and Zanya already fiercely love one another, even if they had previously only been able to show each other their affection in a dream place Sachi can create. Disappointingly, Sachi immediately falls for Ash the minute they’re married and bonded in a (nonsexual) bonding ceremony. I don’t know when Zanya fell for Ash.
They’re all so hesitant to have sex together until they’re not. Like it feels there’s just nothing happening for ages because Ash is trying to be respectful and suddenly we’re having sex scenes that escalates into a mini orgy scene by the end. It does harken back to the authors’ Beyond series days but the orgy scene here really threw me off because it doesn’t work well when you don’t know who’s who and you’re trying to keep up on audio alone.
There’s a LOT of characters thrown at you in this book and I don’t have a sense of who anyone really is besides our main three and the one known as the Lover (Aleksi, another god). There’s also the Huntress and the Wolf, a newborn water spirit, and a security detail of five people known as the Ravens who turns into actual ravens. But hell if I know anyone’s actual names. Maybe it’ll be more obvious in the next book and easier to know who’s who but all the characters just blend together to me and don’t have enough depth to them to differentiate who’s who.
All the gods are old but they weren’t born gods. They were all humans once and later became gods when the world needed them. But the problem to me is they feel and act like they’re so young for people who are thousands upon thousands of years old. Like, I could get behind them being a few hundred of years old based on their personalities, but thousands is a stretch. The one time they actually showed some old wisdom is that they recognized Zanya for who she was and what her mission was pretty early on. I actually liked that it wasn’t a huge secret they were all just sitting around waiting for Sachi and Zanya to fess up to.
Ash I liked, but I feel like he doesn’t really have that PRESENCE in the book I was expecting. Although he is a POV character, he doesn’t exhibit godly power and the confidence you’d expect? Maybe something did dampen in him when his last consort tragically died, but I think I would have almost preferred this to be strictly a FF romance between Sachi and Zanya because I don’t know what Ash is bringing to this relationship. The audiobook narrator was Ash was fine. Will Thorne is apparently a recognizable actor and narrator under his real name, but I don’t think I’ve listened to anything he’s narrated before. He brings a slight British accent to an otherwise American sounding cast. The other narrators in the book also use an accent for Ash when he shows up in their POVs, which seemed well done.
I’ve seen reviews say they like Zanya the most? But I don’t know why. I guess it’s because Zanya can fight with weapons, is standoffish, and seemingly has a darker past? The thing is, she has a very single minded focus on Sachi, and Sachi alone. She wants to keep her lover alive by any means necessary and I just found her POV chapters exhausting. I get her fears? But I got very tired and bored reading her chapters because she thinks about nothing else. I also think I don’t like Zanya as much because I don’t love the audiobook narrator for her. The narrator pseudonym isn’t a secret since it’s been said in an interview that’s available online and she uses her own face for her pseudonym social media profiles, but Victoria Mei is Natalie Naudus, who narrates a lot of popular fantasy audiobooks under her NN name. I had a very bad time listening to her in the Drowned Empire series and the Radiant Emperor books, so realizing it was her again here for this audiobook was disappointing. I got through them but I’m not a fan.
I did like Sachi the most as the book went on. I think she’s the most unassuming character and I don’t like how every character acts like she can’t take care of herself. She also had rigorous training for this moment - when she’d marry the dragon god. She might not have been trained in weaponry like Zanya, but I don’t think Sachi is to be underestimated and I appreciate her strength. The narrator for her threw me off at first. I’ve never listened to Caitlin Elizabeth before but my literal first thought was that she had a voice that would do better for YA audiobooks because her voice sounds so young. I don’t think the actress is young herself but her voice sounds that way. And what do you know, she has a pseudonym as well for very popular and well-known YA books so I guess I wasn’t wrong.
We have a fourth narrator listed in this audiobook listing, Adenrele Ojo. She appears in the last chapter in the audio and I am confused I guess. Like why was this POV change needed for this scene specifically? What does she add to the story? And more importantly, who is this character? I was so distracted by this new character POV, the shock of who appears in the last scene didn’t have the same punch to it that I’m sure it was supposed to have. I THINK she’s the Siren. The god of the sea? Why was she even there when she says she hasn’t even seen Ash for 3000 years at that point? What is her role?
So, how they solve the conundrum of saving Sachi and not having to kill Ash (this is a romance after all) feels like a bit of handwavy magic. It just all gets fixed out of the blue. There is a harrowing moment involved but maybe I’m just used to reading longer books because everything happens so fast here from one scene to the next and things get explained away so quickly that it had no impact on me whatsoever.
I know a lot of reviews say they love the worldbuilding but the worldbuilding is lost on me apparently. I am not getting a great grasp or sense of the world like I would expect for a fantasy book. It feels very…surface level.
The first, oh…75% of the book was super slow to me despite the short book. I’m not even sure what they’re doing. Once Sachi and Ash get married, they’re immediately on progress going around to different castles where people throw a party for them. And it’s just rinse and repeat where they’re on the road again and then at another party. I wish something happened during this time like someone attacking them while they’re on the road. ANYTHING. But there just wasn’t really anything exciting happening by my measure of fantasy books. When I’ve read the authors’ previous books I’ve never felt bored. This was, for the most part, just really boring. And that’s a shame because I’ve really liked a lot for the authors’ books in the past. I just wish I liked this as well. I think I need to give their older PNR books a try instead of their fantasy books. I know they’re huge fantasy readers (or maybe just Bree out of the writing duo), and maybe something about this story reflects their love for older school fantasy books because I personally prefer more recent fantasy book styles? And maybe that’s where my disconnect with the story is.
I know I’m the odd one out here. Many people love this book and I think if you’re not an epic fantasy reader, or just don’t read fantasy books in general, you might really love this. I just like a very specific type of fantasy book and this didn’t work for me. The romance didn’t work for me either and I think I would’ve loved it more as a FF book rather than an FFM polyam. It fell flat for me and I’m sad about that, but the authors’ do have a wealth of backlist books I still haven’t gotten to yet, so I think I’ll read those instead.
The pacing felt weird from the romance side of things to me and the external plot takes a backseat. The ending implies something big is on the horizon but I don’t really get a sense of the threat. I understand the WHO but not why I should care. I think I was too taken aback at the random POV thrown in at the last minute, and I was still distracted trying to remember who this person even was. And the thing is, I just don’t know if I’ll care enough to come back to the story when the book comes out almost a whole year from now.
Content warnings include (taken directly from the authors’ website) violence, murder, reference to past trauma for heroine #1 (child abuse, emotional abuse, trained in seduction under coercion), and reference to past trauma for heroine #2 (child abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, violently trained as an assassin).
So, I just did a whole re-read of the available Kit Rocha backlist available on audiobook earlier this year. It’s the Beyond, the Gideon Rider’s, and the Mercenary Librarians series. Those all take place in the same world. This is a brand spanking new fantasy world, and I think I just have a whole different set of expectations when it comes to fantasy books. This is romance-focused with a bit of fantasy thrown in. A story with a fantasy flair if you will. And I know a lot of romance readers prefer that and love that, but I am not one of those readers. I fear I’m a fantasy first and then a dash of romance girlie, so this is just not my thing.
This was signed as a duology I think? The audiobook is 12 hours and 31 minutes and while this is far shorter than other adult fantasy books I listen to and this length seems more on par with older YA fantasy (before the 400+ page fantasy books took over), the book FEELS long when it comes to the story. The story moves at a snails pace. When I first got the e-ARC, I winded up stopping at 5% because I was already bored. I wasn’t into it. I winded up getting the audiobook though because it was whispersynced on Audible (if you have the Kindle Unlimited copy) for only $1.99. Well, I finished it but it was rough there at the 50% mark, because I was ready to quit. Again, I was bored.
The story is about three characters - Sachielle (Sachi), the human consort who is to marry the dragon god; Zanya, Sachi’s handmaid and assassin who loves Sachi; and then there’s Ash, the dragon god in question. The book seems undecided whether he is 3000 or 4000 years old, but the point is, he’s old. Sachi and Zanya are 25.
One of my favorite characters from the authors’ books is Ashwin from the Gideon Rider’s series so it was super weird to see a MC called Ash here. But I guess Ash is a play on the fact he can shift into a dragon? And breaths fire and can turn things into ash? I’m not sure if that is his full name and Ash isn’t short for something? If he said, I missed it. Also, are there other dragons or is he the only one? How did the people in this world decide on the name ~dragon~ if there are no others? Did his parents name him Ash in some divine prophecy knowing he’d be a dragon one day? I have questions.
But like the blurb says, Sachi and Zanya have been sent to trick the gods (Ash and friends) and they must kill the dragon god within a set number of days. Sachi has been cursed to die if they don’t succeed within 5 weeks. The premise of Ash having to take human consorts in general seems convoluted to me. He is…one with the earth and he marries them to…preserve the land? I honestly don’t know. I think it was in one of the many bedtime stories and lore told in the book but it honestly did not stick in my brain as I was listening to the audio.
The pacing of the romance was odd to me. This is a FFM polyam book and I loved the idea of that pairing because we don’t really see enough of that in romance books. But half the romance already happens before the book starts. Sachi and Zanya already fiercely love one another, even if they had previously only been able to show each other their affection in a dream place Sachi can create. Disappointingly, Sachi immediately falls for Ash the minute they’re married and bonded in a (nonsexual) bonding ceremony. I don’t know when Zanya fell for Ash.
They’re all so hesitant to have sex together until they’re not. Like it feels there’s just nothing happening for ages because Ash is trying to be respectful and suddenly we’re having sex scenes that escalates into a mini orgy scene by the end. It does harken back to the authors’ Beyond series days but the orgy scene here really threw me off because it doesn’t work well when you don’t know who’s who and you’re trying to keep up on audio alone.
There’s a LOT of characters thrown at you in this book and I don’t have a sense of who anyone really is besides our main three and the one known as the Lover (Aleksi, another god). There’s also the Huntress and the Wolf, a newborn water spirit, and a security detail of five people known as the Ravens who turns into actual ravens. But hell if I know anyone’s actual names. Maybe it’ll be more obvious in the next book and easier to know who’s who but all the characters just blend together to me and don’t have enough depth to them to differentiate who’s who.
All the gods are old but they weren’t born gods. They were all humans once and later became gods when the world needed them. But the problem to me is they feel and act like they’re so young for people who are thousands upon thousands of years old. Like, I could get behind them being a few hundred of years old based on their personalities, but thousands is a stretch. The one time they actually showed some old wisdom is that they recognized Zanya for who she was and what her mission was pretty early on. I actually liked that it wasn’t a huge secret they were all just sitting around waiting for Sachi and Zanya to fess up to.
Ash I liked, but I feel like he doesn’t really have that PRESENCE in the book I was expecting. Although he is a POV character, he doesn’t exhibit godly power and the confidence you’d expect? Maybe something did dampen in him when his last consort tragically died, but I think I would have almost preferred this to be strictly a FF romance between Sachi and Zanya because I don’t know what Ash is bringing to this relationship. The audiobook narrator was Ash was fine. Will Thorne is apparently a recognizable actor and narrator under his real name, but I don’t think I’ve listened to anything he’s narrated before. He brings a slight British accent to an otherwise American sounding cast. The other narrators in the book also use an accent for Ash when he shows up in their POVs, which seemed well done.
I’ve seen reviews say they like Zanya the most? But I don’t know why. I guess it’s because Zanya can fight with weapons, is standoffish, and seemingly has a darker past? The thing is, she has a very single minded focus on Sachi, and Sachi alone. She wants to keep her lover alive by any means necessary and I just found her POV chapters exhausting. I get her fears? But I got very tired and bored reading her chapters because she thinks about nothing else. I also think I don’t like Zanya as much because I don’t love the audiobook narrator for her. The narrator pseudonym isn’t a secret since it’s been said in an interview that’s available online and she uses her own face for her pseudonym social media profiles, but Victoria Mei is Natalie Naudus, who narrates a lot of popular fantasy audiobooks under her NN name. I had a very bad time listening to her in the Drowned Empire series and the Radiant Emperor books, so realizing it was her again here for this audiobook was disappointing. I got through them but I’m not a fan.
I did like Sachi the most as the book went on. I think she’s the most unassuming character and I don’t like how every character acts like she can’t take care of herself. She also had rigorous training for this moment - when she’d marry the dragon god. She might not have been trained in weaponry like Zanya, but I don’t think Sachi is to be underestimated and I appreciate her strength. The narrator for her threw me off at first. I’ve never listened to Caitlin Elizabeth before but my literal first thought was that she had a voice that would do better for YA audiobooks because her voice sounds so young. I don’t think the actress is young herself but her voice sounds that way. And what do you know, she has a pseudonym as well for very popular and well-known YA books so I guess I wasn’t wrong.
We have a fourth narrator listed in this audiobook listing, Adenrele Ojo. She appears in the last chapter in the audio and I am confused I guess. Like why was this POV change needed for this scene specifically? What does she add to the story? And more importantly, who is this character? I was so distracted by this new character POV, the shock of who appears in the last scene didn’t have the same punch to it that I’m sure it was supposed to have. I THINK she’s the Siren. The god of the sea? Why was she even there when she says she hasn’t even seen Ash for 3000 years at that point? What is her role?
So, how they solve the conundrum of saving Sachi and not having to kill Ash (this is a romance after all) feels like a bit of handwavy magic. It just all gets fixed out of the blue. There is a harrowing moment involved but maybe I’m just used to reading longer books because everything happens so fast here from one scene to the next and things get explained away so quickly that it had no impact on me whatsoever.
I know a lot of reviews say they love the worldbuilding but the worldbuilding is lost on me apparently. I am not getting a great grasp or sense of the world like I would expect for a fantasy book. It feels very…surface level.
The first, oh…75% of the book was super slow to me despite the short book. I’m not even sure what they’re doing. Once Sachi and Ash get married, they’re immediately on progress going around to different castles where people throw a party for them. And it’s just rinse and repeat where they’re on the road again and then at another party. I wish something happened during this time like someone attacking them while they’re on the road. ANYTHING. But there just wasn’t really anything exciting happening by my measure of fantasy books. When I’ve read the authors’ previous books I’ve never felt bored. This was, for the most part, just really boring. And that’s a shame because I’ve really liked a lot for the authors’ books in the past. I just wish I liked this as well. I think I need to give their older PNR books a try instead of their fantasy books. I know they’re huge fantasy readers (or maybe just Bree out of the writing duo), and maybe something about this story reflects their love for older school fantasy books because I personally prefer more recent fantasy book styles? And maybe that’s where my disconnect with the story is.
I know I’m the odd one out here. Many people love this book and I think if you’re not an epic fantasy reader, or just don’t read fantasy books in general, you might really love this. I just like a very specific type of fantasy book and this didn’t work for me. The romance didn’t work for me either and I think I would’ve loved it more as a FF book rather than an FFM polyam. It fell flat for me and I’m sad about that, but the authors’ do have a wealth of backlist books I still haven’t gotten to yet, so I think I’ll read those instead.
December 24, 2023
As a long-time reader of Kit Rocha, I was thrilled when they announced they were writing fantasy romance! But the results weren’t at all what I was expecting. This didn’t have the same gripping quality of their previous work, instead mimicking the pace of a fantasy tome, which is to say this was slow-going. It wasn’t bad but I wasn’t ever particularly gripped. I didn’t think it was possible to be bored by one of their books and yet here we are. It was very repetitive and I’m not sure I really understand the world-building.
At the same time, the ingredients were there. I liked all the characters. I was invested in how this could possibly become an HEA: Sachi is cursed to die if she or Zanya don’t manage to kill Ash. However, I wasn’t ever eager to pick it back up until I got to 80% when the external conflict finally kicked into gear.
The High Court was fantastic and I was intrigued by all of their backstories. Zanya’s ability to take away nightmares was the literal embodiment of “sleep better with you.” (This was about the only time I really enjoyed Zanya; her characterization needed more nuance because while I understood she was reacting out of trauma, I really did not understand why she wouldn’t heed Sachi’s wishes.) Sachi felt a little too perfect. Ash was fascinating as a god and yet I’m still not clear on how he became a god or what his role actually is.
We don’t get to see the three of them in a connected relationship where there aren’t any secrets and no one is trying to kill Ash. And since Zanya has a boatload of trauma to work through and they should probably all earn trust back from one another, I’m not sure how solid the relationship is. This is the first book in a series so there’s room to grow but I believe I’ve heard the next book is about other characters. I’m not sure there was enough payoff for me to continue on with it, which is painful given how much I normally enjoy their books. I guess we’ll see if I change my tune once book 2 is released.
Characters: Sachi is a 25 year old bisexual princess, consort, and orphan. Zanya is a 25 year old bisexual handmaid and assassin. Ash the Dragon is a 3000+ year old bisexual god.
Content notes: intimate partner violence (Zanya attempts to assassinate MMC due to the curse on Sachi’s life but monster attack interrupts), codependency (Zanya does not have a healthy relationship with Sachi), self-harm/suicide (), physical and emotional abuse by priest, past sexual assault of Zanya (powerful men trying to take advantage of a servant; she gives them nightmares and never sees them again), nightmares, past child physical and emotional abuse, past death of consorts, past assassination attempts by consort, drug assault, blood curse, murder, slut-shaming by priest, past massacre (FMCs were the only survivors), past death of families, Sachi is an orphan who was adopted by the king at age 7, secondary character missing an arm, celibacy (MMC for 100 years), family planning discussion (unclear if High Court can procreate), on page sex, FFM menage, orgy, pain play, dragon fire play, voyeurism, mating bite, alcohol, aphrodisiac wine, inebriation (secondary characters), gender essentialism, ableist language
At the same time, the ingredients were there. I liked all the characters. I was invested in how this could possibly become an HEA: Sachi is cursed to die if she or Zanya don’t manage to kill Ash. However, I wasn’t ever eager to pick it back up until I got to 80% when the external conflict finally kicked into gear.
The High Court was fantastic and I was intrigued by all of their backstories. Zanya’s ability to take away nightmares was the literal embodiment of “sleep better with you.” (This was about the only time I really enjoyed Zanya; her characterization needed more nuance because while I understood she was reacting out of trauma, I really did not understand why she wouldn’t heed Sachi’s wishes.) Sachi felt a little too perfect. Ash was fascinating as a god and yet I’m still not clear on how he became a god or what his role actually is.
We don’t get to see the three of them in a connected relationship where there aren’t any secrets and no one is trying to kill Ash. And since Zanya has a boatload of trauma to work through and they should probably all earn trust back from one another, I’m not sure how solid the relationship is. This is the first book in a series so there’s room to grow but I believe I’ve heard the next book is about other characters. I’m not sure there was enough payoff for me to continue on with it, which is painful given how much I normally enjoy their books. I guess we’ll see if I change my tune once book 2 is released.
Characters: Sachi is a 25 year old bisexual princess, consort, and orphan. Zanya is a 25 year old bisexual handmaid and assassin. Ash the Dragon is a 3000+ year old bisexual god.
Content notes: intimate partner violence (Zanya attempts to assassinate MMC due to the curse on Sachi’s life but monster attack interrupts), codependency (Zanya does not have a healthy relationship with Sachi), self-harm/suicide (), physical and emotional abuse by priest, past sexual assault of Zanya (powerful men trying to take advantage of a servant; she gives them nightmares and never sees them again), nightmares, past child physical and emotional abuse, past death of consorts, past assassination attempts by consort, drug assault, blood curse, murder, slut-shaming by priest, past massacre (FMCs were the only survivors), past death of families, Sachi is an orphan who was adopted by the king at age 7, secondary character missing an arm, celibacy (MMC for 100 years), family planning discussion (unclear if High Court can procreate), on page sex, FFM menage, orgy, pain play, dragon fire play, voyeurism, mating bite, alcohol, aphrodisiac wine, inebriation (secondary characters), gender essentialism, ableist language
October 29, 2023
Twisty betrayals, unexpected revelations, gods who will protect their people and land with everything inside them, and a big something that's heading in the Sheltered Lands direction. And if that's not enough, we also have Ash, Sachi, and Zanya. Three people who are very different, but who fit together perfectly.
No lie, this book slayed me. Sachi and Zanya are bound to one another by love and their painful past. Ash is alone and lonely despite his position in the High Court. They have their hopes and their dreams and they're all wrecked by the idea that those hopes and dreams won't come to pass. It's a tangled web and it gets even more tangled when Sachi and Zanya realize Ash and the other gods aren't the monsters they've been told they are.
Despite knowing their plans for him, Ash is intrigued by both women. He might have to watch his back in the grand scheme of things, but he's drawn to Zanya's darkness as much as Sachi's bright affection. Frankly, finding a way into Zanya's wary heart is a bigger challenge than figuring out what the king has planned. But Ash is tenacious and he can't help but love both of them the way only a dragon can love.
A gorgeous world, dangerous times, a plot that could threaten the balance of everything, two women used as pawns against an ancient pact, and a dragon who loves them both. I canNOT wait for book 2.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
No lie, this book slayed me. Sachi and Zanya are bound to one another by love and their painful past. Ash is alone and lonely despite his position in the High Court. They have their hopes and their dreams and they're all wrecked by the idea that those hopes and dreams won't come to pass. It's a tangled web and it gets even more tangled when Sachi and Zanya realize Ash and the other gods aren't the monsters they've been told they are.
Despite knowing their plans for him, Ash is intrigued by both women. He might have to watch his back in the grand scheme of things, but he's drawn to Zanya's darkness as much as Sachi's bright affection. Frankly, finding a way into Zanya's wary heart is a bigger challenge than figuring out what the king has planned. But Ash is tenacious and he can't help but love both of them the way only a dragon can love.
A gorgeous world, dangerous times, a plot that could threaten the balance of everything, two women used as pawns against an ancient pact, and a dragon who loves them both. I canNOT wait for book 2.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
August 11, 2023
A melhor coisa que eu fiz foi esperar até poder ler esse livro de uma vez só, porque socorro, não dá pra parar.
Alta fantasia com aquela construção de mundo delícia, que ao mesmo tempo em que tem coisas demais que são quase clássicas do gênero já, mas organizadas de um jeito que não fica a sensação de "já li isso antes".
Obviamente, sendo Kit Rocha, o foco está mais no romance do que no mundo e a política está interligada no romance. Isso sem mencionar o momento found family que já é marca das autoras. Está aqui também, com aquele mesmo gostinho das séries anteriores delas. E falando em gostinho, sim, o hot continua delicioso. Estou satisfeita demais por ler um trisal com duas mulheres e um cara onde o foco de tudo é uma das mulheres e a forma como os relacionamentos entre eles foram construídos foi deliciosa.
E é isso. Sou suspeita pra falar porque devoro tudo que elas lançam, mas já estou na fila esperando o próximo livro porque quero mais.
(sim, resenha decente pq peguei no netgalley, então deixa eu fazer minha parte, né)
Alta fantasia com aquela construção de mundo delícia, que ao mesmo tempo em que tem coisas demais que são quase clássicas do gênero já, mas organizadas de um jeito que não fica a sensação de "já li isso antes".
Obviamente, sendo Kit Rocha, o foco está mais no romance do que no mundo e a política está interligada no romance. Isso sem mencionar o momento found family que já é marca das autoras. Está aqui também, com aquele mesmo gostinho das séries anteriores delas. E falando em gostinho, sim, o hot continua delicioso. Estou satisfeita demais por ler um trisal com duas mulheres e um cara onde o foco de tudo é uma das mulheres e a forma como os relacionamentos entre eles foram construídos foi deliciosa.
E é isso. Sou suspeita pra falar porque devoro tudo que elas lançam, mas já estou na fila esperando o próximo livro porque quero mais.
(sim, resenha decente pq peguei no netgalley, então deixa eu fazer minha parte, né)
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July 27, 2024i think this book forgot to have a plot
December 28, 2023
dnf at chapter 26. this book is about absolutely nothing.
July 25, 2024
The plot was a 2⭐ but the spice was 5⭐
June 16, 2024
✔️Triple POVs (Ash x Sacchi x Zenya)
✔️Set in fantasy land with dragon shifters, wolf shifters, gods/goddesses, and mere humans
✔️Open-door romantasy (5/5🌶️)
✔️Tropes: Fated mates (kinda), menage romance
✔️Part of a series, but can be read as a standalone as the first boook
The characters absolutely had a physical connection, but I'm not sure if I believed their physical connection enough to justify the sacrifices at the end. It was WAY spicier than I anticipated (first Kit Rocha book), so buyer beware if you're used to slow-moving high fantasy. This was rapid and hot.
✔️Set in fantasy land with dragon shifters, wolf shifters, gods/goddesses, and mere humans
✔️Open-door romantasy (5/5🌶️)
✔️Tropes: Fated mates (kinda), menage romance
✔️Part of a series, but can be read as a standalone as the first boook
The characters absolutely had a physical connection, but I'm not sure if I believed their physical connection enough to justify the sacrifices at the end. It was WAY spicier than I anticipated (first Kit Rocha book), so buyer beware if you're used to slow-moving high fantasy. This was rapid and hot.
August 2, 2023
A fabulous beginning to this new series which sees these authors leaving behind a dystopian setting and taking on the challenges of a fantasy world. In terms of world building definitely a success as we get fully immersed in landscapes and a society that is heavily tied to the Gods .
A pact was made that every one hundred years a member of the royal family would become the Consort of Ash, the Dragon and this time it's the turn of Sachi but she's not exactly the Princess that the Gods expected. With secrets of her own and a mission that definitely doesn't promise peace !
Ok I loved the previous works by this duo and was so happy to see them taking on a fantasy romance and yes this is a romance. There's very little action and the real story here revolves around passion and a love that can only come with complete trust. If you don't enjoy the idea of a more open relationship then perhaps this might not entirely be for you however Sachi and Zanya truly love each other and Ash is desperate for love. I was totally surprised by just how much he wanted romance and love, this possessive, powerful male will truly do anything for Sachi. The authors could have made either him or Zanya the third wheel but no and I admit it's more about Sachis pleasure than anyone else's. It makes it more believable that Ash and Zanya love Sachi and as Ash and Zanya slowly take each other's measure a different dynamic is formed. Ok admittedly Zanya was my favourite character and I want a lot more of her ! There is a development in the latter part of this story that should hopefully allow for more action and a little less steam but I know some readers always want more. I'm intrigued by what is to come and look forward to the next instalment.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
A pact was made that every one hundred years a member of the royal family would become the Consort of Ash, the Dragon and this time it's the turn of Sachi but she's not exactly the Princess that the Gods expected. With secrets of her own and a mission that definitely doesn't promise peace !
Ok I loved the previous works by this duo and was so happy to see them taking on a fantasy romance and yes this is a romance. There's very little action and the real story here revolves around passion and a love that can only come with complete trust. If you don't enjoy the idea of a more open relationship then perhaps this might not entirely be for you however Sachi and Zanya truly love each other and Ash is desperate for love. I was totally surprised by just how much he wanted romance and love, this possessive, powerful male will truly do anything for Sachi. The authors could have made either him or Zanya the third wheel but no and I admit it's more about Sachis pleasure than anyone else's. It makes it more believable that Ash and Zanya love Sachi and as Ash and Zanya slowly take each other's measure a different dynamic is formed. Ok admittedly Zanya was my favourite character and I want a lot more of her ! There is a development in the latter part of this story that should hopefully allow for more action and a little less steam but I know some readers always want more. I'm intrigued by what is to come and look forward to the next instalment.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
September 12, 2024
3.5/5
It's going to be a while before I find my footing in this genre commonly scoffed at as 'romance.' Thus far, I've been making do with what my review sources have seen fit to touch upon and what my workplace has acquired through its (almost completely directionless) collection development, and the fact that the two agree more often than not has given me the excuse to not think about reading this sort of work any more than I have to. For while my standards still remain exceedingly high and rarely satisfied by what romances I've attempted thus far, when I lost power for the last two days, this was the book that I reached to most instinctively to read by the awkward light of my phone, and at that time, my only regret then was that I had so few pages left to escape through. After finishing it, though, I recognized when cause felt disjointed from effect, the development skewed towards the feel good rather than the credible, and the differentiation between characters devolved into a clump of 'wholesome' and spot of 'evil', ensuring the reader had almost nothing to feel conflicted over and, thus, almost nothing to take away with them once the read was through. Still, I was neither blown over by the amount of sex nor fatigued by the quantity of world building, and if my workplace sees fit to snap up the sequel as well, it'd be no skin off my nose to continue the journey. As of now, I'll return this book to its shelves, and hope that it serves its next reader as restoratively (if more on the short term than the long) as it did me.
It's going to be a while before I find my footing in this genre commonly scoffed at as 'romance.' Thus far, I've been making do with what my review sources have seen fit to touch upon and what my workplace has acquired through its (almost completely directionless) collection development, and the fact that the two agree more often than not has given me the excuse to not think about reading this sort of work any more than I have to. For while my standards still remain exceedingly high and rarely satisfied by what romances I've attempted thus far, when I lost power for the last two days, this was the book that I reached to most instinctively to read by the awkward light of my phone, and at that time, my only regret then was that I had so few pages left to escape through. After finishing it, though, I recognized when cause felt disjointed from effect, the development skewed towards the feel good rather than the credible, and the differentiation between characters devolved into a clump of 'wholesome' and spot of 'evil', ensuring the reader had almost nothing to feel conflicted over and, thus, almost nothing to take away with them once the read was through. Still, I was neither blown over by the amount of sex nor fatigued by the quantity of world building, and if my workplace sees fit to snap up the sequel as well, it'd be no skin off my nose to continue the journey. As of now, I'll return this book to its shelves, and hope that it serves its next reader as restoratively (if more on the short term than the long) as it did me.
July 19, 2023
An amazing start to a new series from Kit Rocha. I'd been experiencing a bit of reader indecision and decided to crack this one open on vacation, and boy, did it deliver on the fantasy vibes I'd been wanting recently. More of a relationship-rooted story than anything, so if you want something a bit more reliant on interpersonal dynamics and the ties that bind three people together almost in spite of a greater purpose or mission, this definitely leans into that more than any political machinations. I won't drop any spoilers because I think it's so important to go into this story as in the dark as possible, but I had no idea where these characters would be headed and the reveals at the end left me absolutely GIDDY. Here for whatever these authors want to bring us next in this world, no question.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 5, 2024
Frankly, I don’t get the high ratings. This book was as slow moving as their progress/tour of the land. I could skip chapters ahead without missing much except the meticulous mentioning of which date it was and repetitive fucking. No need to preface each chapter by mentioning that it’s the year 3000 and whichever week and day it was.
December 26, 2023
I really, really wanted to like this book more! However, there’s too much sex. I know that sounds crazy, cause I love a good smutty book. The issue here is that the stakes are so high and they’re just f*cking. I was so over it by the end. I feel like they never developed real chemistry.
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