A fire in the sky is a new adult fantasy romance. All I needed to hear was fantasy, romance, and dragons, and I wanted to read this book. This is my first read from this author.

This is multiple pov between Tamsyn, Fell, and Stig. I enjoyed both Tamsyn and Fell’s pov but I honestly had no connection to Stig and would have been fine without his perspective. This book read like a historical romance with magic mixed in. The language and world definitely gave it that vibe rather than feeling like a fantasy novel first.

I’m always a sucker for enemies to lovers and tension and angst so I definitely enjoyed this between Tamsyn and Fell. I really did enjoy the romance aspect of this book. I liked both of our main characters and the tension between the two was done well and you could feel the connection that they have with each other. Their romance was definitely my favorite part of this story.

This is a personal preference and I know as the first in a fantasy series there is explanation needed to describe the world and backstory. But there was a lot of internal dialog rather than out loud conversations and it gave the story a bit of disconnect in my opinion. Too much internal dialog descriptions always disconnects me from the book and by the halfway point I could feel myself losing interest. The beginning of the book had a good start and I was reading fast and enjoying it but like I said by about the halfway point I could feel my interest stalling. I feel like the potential was really there but the last half lost its speed, I guess? Even though there were things happening the plot really moved at a slower pace and my attention wained because of this.

Overall I did enjoy this book, the characters, the romance, and the story itself. I even liked the writing style but the internal dialogue and amount of explanation going on really pulled me from the story itself for me, hence my rating. It was a solid 3.5 star read for me.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you so much to the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the review copy.**

4.2/5 ⭐️
🌶🌶/5 Spice

I read the Firelight series when I was younger, so I do remember some bits of the world, but honestly still felt like a new world since it has been so long.

I think this book did a lot of things right! Tamsyn, the FMC, was the whipping girl for the royal family since the princesses were not allowed to be harmed for their antics. Fell, The Beast and King of the Borderlands, came to the city to demand to marry a princess. The King, not wanting any of the true princesses to become Fell's bride, tricks Fell into marrying Tamsyn by keeping a vail over her face when getting married. When Fell finds out he has been tricked, he now looks at Tamsyn as the enemy as they venture back to his kingdom.

I liked the way Tamsyn endured all of her punishments and never complained once. It was refreshing to read about a character that went from such a difference in her living situation, that she never whined. I hate reading about FMC's who whine and are needy when forced to endure. She even didn't complain in her inner thoughts because she knew this was her new life and she was built to endure.

Fell also was a very likable MMC. He very much was a softy at heart, (view spoiler) but struggled with seeing Tamsyn as the victim as well in the act of betrayal by the king.

This book is more character driven and less world building than I would have liked. I wanted more details, to know more about the world and even the side characters. I wanted to learn more about the close friends/soldiers that Fell kept close, and understand their dynamic. I could honestly say I wanted an extra hundred pages or more to dive deeper into this story.

I will definitely be picking up the next one with that cliff hanger though!

Tropes:
✅ Marriage of Convenience
✅ Touch her and 💀
✅ Dragons 🐉
✅ Hidden Identity
✅ Love Triangle (kind of)
✅ JP MMC
✅ Betrayal
✅ Enemies-to-Lovers (kind of)
✅ Magic
✅ Multiple POV in First Person
✅ Cliffhanger

*more on good reads but this review removed any minor spoilers.*

I think fans of Fourth Wing and Throne of Glass will really enjoy this newest novel from Sophie Jordan! Perfectly fits with current Fantasy trends and is a great pairing with HBO’s House of Dragon!

The moment I saw the cover, I loved this. It was everything I want in a book, fast paced, had spice, great world building. I absolutely loved this and cannot wait for what’s coming!

This book was excellent!!! It had everything...multiple POV'S,forced proximity, spice! I couldn't put it down...writing was amazing, loved the world building! Can't wait to see what's next!

This was such a fun, fast-paced romantasy with dragons, magic, and fan-favorite tropes! I really enjoyed the romantic setup and pacing of this book. Both Tamsyn and Fell are intriguing leads and I'm excited to learn more about them and their pasts in the next book. I also really enjoyed the different points of view in the story so we learned more about the world that the book is set in.
The writing was pretty juvenile at times and used a lot of modern language, which took away from the intricate worldbuilding. I would have liked to see a little more complexity from the main characters and the romance developed extremely quickly, leaving little room for development or tension.
Overall, I really enjoyed A Fire in the Sky and am very excited to read the next installment once it releases!

I actually really enjoyed this book! None of the concepts are ground breaking, but I loved it all, nonetheless.

Tamsyn is a generic “tougher than I look” FMC. We’ve done this a million times. She is the royal whipping girl who takes punishment for her “sisters” when they misbehave. But she loves them anyways? That’s the part I find very toxic. When a beast of a man demands a wife, a princess specifically, it’s no shock when she’s pawned off within a day.

Besides the fact that Tamsyn can be boring, her arranged husband, Fell, is a certified grump. I love grump who are secretly soft. It’s like the most perfect thing! You watch this frozen Northman slowly melt and I love it. He becomes tender with only her, and gives serious “touch her and die” vibes.

I knew from the get go that they were “mates” because they had an immediate sense of where the other was. I just wasn’t expecting both of them to be shifters! I could tell Tamsyn was, but I was glad Fell was too.

I could tell this author had previously written YA works. The entire book didn’t read as an adult fantasy book. I felt like some of the spicier parts were spliced in to the story line. She did do a good job of creating tension between the characters when they arrived north, but I felt that the coupling was lackluster.

I was utterly blown away by just how quickly I ate this up. While some of the writing is choppy, I was still thoroughly entertained A Fire in the Sky. The characters are wonderful and I am fully invested in Fell and Tamsyn. Even more so with an ending like that! 100% will be preordering this book and very highly anticipating the next one to come!

Holy moly. I just finished this book and I am so ready for book two!! The drama! The tension! The secrets! Seriously. This book was absolutely amazing.

Tamsyn, the Royal whipping girl, has been raised as a princess but is something apart from the Royal family. When Fell, Lord Dryhten, visits the king asking for a royal bride to increase his standing within the council, he is tricked into marrying Tamsyn instead. While the pair have undeniable chemistry, Fell is smarting from the deception and Tamsyn is coming to terms with a life no longer hers to choose.

The tension between these two. Holy crap. I cannot get over how well it was written. Tamsyn and Fell make for such a great pair. Theirs passion and attraction and they just work so well together. I loved watching the pair of them feel each other out.

The plot was also just amazing. The twists and turns all made sense and there was a lot of excellent dialogue and foreshadowing! I blasted through this book. I could not put it down.

Seriously, if you like
Enemies to lovers
Arranged marriage
Broody, warrior MMC
Fiery, intelligent FMC
Magic
Dragons

Then this is the book for you!!

Thank you SO MUCH to HarperVoyager and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I normally don't like first person view books but I couldn't stop reading this one. Fell and Stig are both jerks and Tamsyn should have been able to decide who she wanted to marry even if if was neither of them. Stig trying to force his love on Tamsyn was a major ick for me. Also that brilliant twist at the end of book where both Fell and Tamsyn are dragons is awesome. I can't wait for the next book.

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan, I want to thank Harper Collins Publishers and Sophie Jordan for allowing me to read the ACR of A Fire in the Sky.
This book had me hooked from the first chapter and I read it in less than 24 hours. I couldn’t put it down. There is a fierce FMC and a morally grey MMC, and a love triangle thrown in on top of it. There are dragons, witches, and other supernatural beings. And for the cherry on top, if you like spice, A Fire in the Sky has that too.
Tamsyn story is unlike anything I have read before, and I really enjoyed getting to know her as a character. Fell’s story is just as interesting, and he seems to surprise you at ever turn.
I can not wait for the next book in the series!

Dragons, romance, fantasy -- what a great story that I couldn't get enough of! Fans of Fourth Wing, Fireborne, and Acotar will really enjoy this and I very much recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC gift in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was my first book by Sophie Jordan, and I enjoyed it!

Tamsyn is the royal whipping girl for Princesses of Penterra. Although she takes their punishments, she loves the Princesses and sees them as her sisters; however, she sees the light at the end of the tunnel for her position in court. The princesses are of marrying age and once they are wed and gone, Tamsyn will be able to marry anyone of her choosing and live a privileged life. Of course, this all goes south quickly. Tamsyn is basically forced to marry Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, under a rouse, and he does not take kindly to the kingdom’s deception. Despite this, Fell and Tamsyn’s chemistry is undeniable, and they feel themselves pulled together repeatedly.

The characters were enjoyable. Although Tamsyn is a whipping girl, she is no pushover, and despite his nasty reputation, Fell continually surprised me regarding his reactions to Tamsyn. I think we can all agree that Stig is entitled and will hopefully get what’s coming to him.

The plot, although predictable in some respects, had twists that surprised me. I had never heard of a ‘whipping girl’ before and I appreciated Sophie provided some historical context at the end of the book. It was interesting, and a somewhat unique concept.

As other readers have stated, there seems to be repetition when it comes to characters thoughts that can get annoying, but it wasn’t enough to make me dislike the book. I would like to see further development of the romantic relationship between the main characters. I get that they were hurt and angry with each other in this book, so although there was plenty of physical attraction, we didn’t get to see the building of intimacy. Hopefully, that will be resolved in the future.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I will certainly pick up the sequel.

Ok first, let’s talk about the amazing tropes this book has. It has everything from arranged marriage, he falls first, it’s spicy, and it’s a ROMANTASY? That’s the perfect book in one. I am not a huge fan of fantasy because I find them confusing at times but this book is really well written. If this isn’t your cup of tea please try it anyways. It was worth it!

This is an amazing story that definitely needed to be told of siblings, family, and most importantly dragons. This held up to my expectations although the plot was a bit slow and the characters not fully fleshed out. I do see much promise in this book and wish it great success.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for inviting me to read this book! Below is my honest review.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary of the plot:
Tamsyn is the whipping girl to her three "sister" princesses, meaning that if they do something wrong, she gets punished. All her life, she has carried the consequences of her sisters' actions. One day, the Beast of the Borderlands, Fell, demands the king for one of his daughters in order to gain political power and to get a seat at the council table. The King unwilling to give one of his biological daughters away gives Tamsyn away as she is still considered one of his "daughters". After they consummate the marriage, Fell finds out that he's been tricked and is angry but reluctantly taks Tamsyn as his wife anyways. As they return to his homeland up north, something happens to Tamsyn that changes everything that everyone knows about dragons.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!

Thoughts on the book:
Overall, I thought it was an okay read. There were certainly lots of phrases and information that was repetitive, such as Tamsyn's need/duty to protect her sisters. The repetitiveness also made the characters feel one dimensional as if this one single aspect defined their personality. Additionally, I thought dragons would be more involved early on in the book,. but the first dragon doesn't show up until 60% of the book is over.

Another thing I didn't really like was Stig's POV chapters. Stig is Tamsyn's best guy friend who confesses his love to her as she's about to be married to another man. He just seemed dumb and ignorant to me even though he's supposed to be (I think) intelligent. His chapters seemed pretty useless but there's only a few of his chapters, so I guess it was something I could overlook.

In terms of worldbuilding, I was definitely interested in it. I predicted that Tamsyn would become a dragon and boom, there she is as a dragon. I'm curious to know how the witches play a role in the future/non-future of the dragons. There's potential there to expand, which is something that will likely be explored in the second book.

Regarding the romance, I didn't hate it. I could have used a bit more tension between Fell and Tamsyn, but it is what it is. It's not a slow burn, but it's not quite a fast burn either. The sex scenes are nice and quick--a little graphic, just warning those who may not like that kind of stuff in books.

Overall, I guess I would recommend this book. I was expecting a bit more fantasy in this book and a little less romance, but that's just my preference. Oh, and again, I wish there were more dragons sooner. And more dragons in general, I suppose!

5/5 MUST READ for adult romantasy readers!! An epic and exhilarating story about an arranged marriage between a royal “whipping girl” and a strong, inked warrior. Tamsyn and Fell’s connection and secrets make for a gripping tale full of mouthwatering tension, intrigue, and a plot twist that will leave your jaw on the floor.

I can’t remember the last time I wanted to step into a book so much, be part of a world so desperately, even with all the danger. A Fire in the Sky has it all... royal intrigue, magic, dragons, dragon shifters, secret heritages, and tantalizing tension. Just wait until you meet 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕!! 🔥

This is a beautiful book. I do not have a single criticism for this fantastic piece of writing. I loved it! I could not recommend it more highly. I need book 2 ASAP!! This ends on a cliffhanger and will leave you wanting more!

4 stars!

I absolutely requested this book because it had dragons in it, and quite frankly I ate this up. This was really fun, and the fantasy romance aspect definitely made me kick my feet and giggle a little bit. I also read this in one sitting and I really enjoyed the writing and I will definitely be reading the sequel.

I think where this wasn't perfect for me was that it did kinda feel like a prequel. Like upon reflection, not that much happened? And I definitely have more questions. Additionally, I don't really love a love triangle and granted this one is a teeny tiny FMC doesn't actually want to be involved love triangle but I still kinda hated it. I think that book two is going to be so fun. I need to know more about the dragons? And witches??? like tell me more. Also, I think the idea of the main character being a "whipping girl" with Sophie Jordan later talking about the historical background in the author's note was also very interesting. Anyways, more dragon books!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Magic. Magical. I was left floored by the end.

The chemistry, natural fit, and burn of Fell and Tamsyn is delicious. Tamsyn is a refreshing take on a strong yet vulnerable female lead. Never knowing where she came from but embracing everything that is expected of her in order to protect those she loves and cares for without so much as a grumble. She is selfless, humble, reasonable, logical, I love her. The same can be said of Fell, and it made so much sense from the beginning that there was a lot more to them and their intertwining fates. While it was immediately obvious that there was some same-recognizing-same happening in their connection even before their blooding, I was not fully expecting what was to come. Only once everything happened in the woods with Arkin and Tamsyn's story really began to unfold did I know that Fell would end up on a similar path. I did not see the betrayal that came from Stig and the acceptance and love that followed from Fell. And the ending! When I read the final words I held my breath, slowly released it, and exclaimed "WHAT?!" so shocked that I startled my husband. The story, the characters, the world (I can't wait to learn more), the pace - brilliant! Sophie Jordan, please don't make us wait too long for the next book. This book has sunk its claws into me and it won't let me go.

Honorable mention: the spice! YES PLEASE! As much as I love a slow burn, thank you for not making us (me) wait and then delivering again...and again!

Thank you Sophie Jordan, Avon/Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the eARC!

Sophie Jordan is a new to me author. I fell in love with her writing. I was hooked from the very first sentence. I didn’t want to put it down but I made myself read it at night when there was total silence and I could get swept away in the story.
Tamsyn is a whipping girl and that blew my mind. She takes whippings when the princess do something wrong. I had never heard about this. Whipping boy/ whipping girl, they are punished for the misdeeds of Princesses or Prince. Tamsyn takes whippings for her ”sisters”. She is brought up to think this is an honor, to be chosen to take a punishment for someone else. She’ll do anything for the king and queen who raised her.
Tamsen marries Fell, they deceive him. Their wedding night, oh my lord they’re custom blew me away. I felt bad for Tamsyn and how they had to prove they consummated their marriage. I did like what happened to save them a bit from it all.
There is chemistry between Fell and Tamsyn from the beginning. Things aren’t easy for them since they don’t start things off the right way. But they both feel a pull toward each other. Their trip back to where Fell is from isn’t an easy one and secrets are uncovered.
I loved the twist and turns. I must say I didn’t see some of the things that happened coming. I guessed one thing but it turned out to be another.
This book is not too spicy and the dragons don’t make a lot of appearances but that cliffhanger! I need the next book soon. I can’t wait to see what happens.
This a must read.