4.5 stars! Sooo good! I really loved this book! The characters of Wren and Tor are fantastic, and I enjoyed following their story. I look forward to continuing the series! I didn’t love the ending, but it did leave me wanting more. There was so much to unpack. I thought the world building was fantastic! Helen Scheuere does a good job keeping you engaged and invested in her characters and their story. This was a great action-packed romantasy based on a very complex relationship and long history. I listened to the audiobook, and it was an amazing production! I love dual narrations. Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC of this novel.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I am SO excited to be back in this world! If Helen Scheuerer writes it, there's a 100% chance I'll read it and a 99% chance I'll love it. This is not an exception to the rule! The banter and spice are perfect, no notes. Our FMC is badass and we're real time watching her come in to her own. OF COURSE, a killer cliffhanger. I can't wait to see what book two holds!

My only complaints here are that I wish we saw more of our MMC on his own. For most of the novel, he felt brushed over because he was categorized as a "typical warsword" by way of characterization. I do have high hopes moving forward though since this is book one of the series!

The audio version of this was great! I did appreciate that the narrators were switched out for the new series. I loved the narrators for the previous series as well, but it helped to differentiate with the new MC's. They brought new and enjoyable personalities to our MC's here!

The first few chapters of this made me think I was about to have a new favorite romantasy. This was a roller-coaster without a seat belt, and I am SO disappointed about the ending. The romance lacked depth, there are nearly constant mini-miscommunications all througout the story, and maybe I'm nitpicking but I have to vent. Spoilers ahead. There are ways to convey that a character is aroused without mentioning his "balls tightening." Also, we get it - the MMC is HUGE. It doesn't need to be stated more than once or twice. Also, the MMC went from yearning and being madly in love to immediately hating the FMC all because it messed up a potential job for him? It was such a sudden switch up. I was glad they eventually got together and I will give points to their romance and the spice because it was hot. The other bonus is the magic system. This is the first fantasy I've read where the characters wield storms/lightning and I appreciate the originality, though it's only used a few times in this story. Now for that ending.. why the hell did Torj not just explain to Wren that he had to sever their bond in order to save her? He did not have to just end things abruptly. I realize this will probably be resolved in the next book, but man, it was disappointing. It makes me feel as though they'll need to restart their romance, which makes what happened between them in this book seem almost pointless. I do want to read book 2 because I'm dying to see how things play out. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Helen has done it again and confirmed her status as an autobuy author for me. Her writing grips you from the first page and never leaves you wanting. From story line to character development and everything in between, you will find yourself easily submersed in the tales she weaves. And this book is no exception!

The narrators were fabulous and really showcased the fire between Torj and Wren. The longing and tension between these two was pal-pa-ble and I was here for each and every moment. Who knew our dear sweet Torj could have such a filthy mouth?!?

There is so much to love about this book- alchemy, scent association, and poisons galore. We are here for this ode to women in STEM and just how badass they really are! We also get some of our favorite side characters back and are introduced to some new ones along the way. A new war is brewing and this crew is no stranger to the sacrifices that come with it!

And can we talk about that ending?!? I’m still not over it and find myself repeating the mantra “In Helen we trust” over and over again. I cannot wait to see what comes next when book 2, Thorns & Fire releases this summer.

Iron & Embers is a fiercely addictive romantasy packed with alchemy, danger, and the kind of slow-burn tension that makes your heart race. Helen Scheuerer builds a rich, high-stakes world where secrets cut deep and enemies might just be your greatest weakness. A bold, fiery start to a series you won’t want to put down.

I adored learning about Wren and Torj's story so far. I thought that this book fit well with Helen's other works, fast paced, adventurous, and interesting. Helen always knows how to end her books in just the right way that leaves the reader wanting more.

Love the reluctant mutual pining!! The writer did a brilliant job of combining fantasy and romance with each having plot points that stood on their own without the other. Read this without having read the other legends of thezmarr and i didn’t notice any confusion

I really enjoyed Wren and Tor's story!

As someone who didn't finish The Legends of Thezmarr series (whoops 😬), I was still able to really enjoy this story, which takes places 5 years after that series ends. Loved Wren's growth throughout the story, her power/alchemy, and enjoyed the school-setting and high-stake trials! Her and Tor's story was great but the end nearly broke me!! I need book 2 now 😅

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the ALC.

I got 20% in and ended up DNF’ing. The narrator was good and it was an interesting story idea, but I clearly needed to read the series prior to this. I wish it had been made more apparent that this was a spin off.

In the beginning there was a brief “history” given that made me realize that this was probably the case, but I was hoping that would be enough to get into this series.

Unfortunately for me, it just wasn’t. I’m interested in the story and may try and go read the first series and come back to this.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book.
I enjoyed this romantasy. The world building was descriptive and the story played like a movie in my head. Even though this is a spin off series I feel that it was not necessary to read the first books. I think the secondary characters were interesting and I liked the family they became. There was some spicy scenes in this story-HOT.
I will not be purchasing this for my high school library, but if you like Spicy Romantasy books give this a try.

I was beyond excited to see that there was a spinoff series of The Legends of Thezmarr! You do not HAVE to read Legends of Thezmarr series first, but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it because it gives so much insight and context to the world and these characters. I am so happy that we are getting a book about Torj and Wren.

The tropes in this book are everything I love: enemies to lovers, bodyguard, forced proximity, found family, grumpy/sunshine

There is so much tension between Torj and Wren. The banter is fantastic, the plot is complex, the tension and yearning between the MCs, and the ending...I am speechless.

I didn't think anything in the world of Thezmarr could top Thea and Wilder, but now I am not so sure! The alchemist and the bear slayer may just win the battle for my heart!

I highly recommend the audiobook. Matt Hanes and Emilia Bauer do such a wonderful job bringing all of the characters to life. They bring out the emotions and tension and bring the book to a higher level!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Iron and Embers by Helen Scheuerer is an engaging fantasy that kept me hooked from start to finish. I went into it blind, without reading the previous series, and surprisingly, it was easy to follow along! The world-building is rich, and the characters are layered and complex. The narration by Matt Haynes and Emilia Bauer was fantastic, bringing the story to life with their distinct voices. The plot had plenty of twists and kept me guessing, adding a layer of excitement to the journey. I really enjoyed the ride and can't wait to dive deeper into this world. A solid four stars! Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

I really enjoyed this fist book back in the world of Thezmar! It was full of action, mystery and romance! I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

do: read the legends of thezmarr series before this one

don’t: read the legends of thezmarr series in one week bcos you panic realised that it’s a necessary prerequisite, get into a reading slump bcos you panic read 5 fantasy books/novellas in one week & take one month to finish this one where you forget half of what happened bcos it took so long

do: take my entire review with a grain of salt bcos i read this book in so many chunks i can barely remember what happened, also it’s 12am and i’m running on 4 hours of sleep

anywayssss

the thing that felt weird-ish is i feel like we didn’t get to see much of wren’s friends and group and it was a LOT of thea’s crew reappearing (which don’t get me wrong i LOVE kip i need more of him pls) but it’s sort of missing that same charm? idk? but also i forget that this is book 1 so there’s definitely a lot more character building to go - as in like yeah her friends exist but the bonds aren’t as strong??

but i could have accidentally zoned out that entire time bcos again, brain

i can always count on helen to add a 🤤🤤🤤 but very specific trope (& i EAT IT UP every timeeee) but also SLOWBURN & BODYGUARD ROMANCEEE ahHHHHH

thank you sm netgalley & pan mac aus for the alc & review copy!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the Author (Helen Scheuerer) for this audio ARC of Iron & Embers narrated by Matt Haynes and Emilia Bauer.

I'm going to start with my big gripe with this book. A few chapters? in and I felt misled by the marketing on this book. Specifically this part:
“Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge”

I mean if this is hate…Hate me Torj!

I started the book confused because their first interactions (flashbacks) they do not hate each other.
Maybe that is in the other series that I haven't read, I started with this one. This book is my first by the author.

The writing is good, the story is good, the voice actors are great. They embody the roles.
I haven’t read the other series, so I enjoyed learning about the world in flashbacks.

If I could describe this book in 1 word it would be grief. Everyone and everything have scars from the war. There is trauma & angst galore. So much pain for everyone especially Wren...

Now I have no idea how to rate this book. I liked it, it was exciting and a little mysterious. All the elements for a good story are there and well executed and I’ve been thinking about it for days… but that ending… >> I << have trauma. My heart was brutally hammered.

Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer is an exciting fantasy romance brought to life by narrators Matt Haynes and Emilia Bauer. Their dual performance adds depth to the story’s rich world-building, high-stakes action, and slow-burn romance. Fans of immersive audiobooks will love this captivating listen!

This is my first Helen Scheuerer's book and I had a great time reading this one🤩🤌 as soon as I read the blurb, I knew I would love it and so I downloaded the audiobook asap and picked up my physical copy to annotate 🤭 for the first time I literally had to ditch my physical copy 'cuz annotating was making me slow and I wanted to read and know more and more about our amazing pair 😍❤️ Wren and Torj ✨🤌

After a long time, I found a fantasy book which focuses more on the magic and fantasy elements while simultaneously giving a slow burn romance which makes you giggle, blush and even scream!!!!

Wren was my favourite since chapter one!! The way she made her entry in the book, I knew she is one of the fierce and brave female protagonist that I will adore 🥰 and complementing her is the perfect grumpy, rough and tough Torj ✨🤌 their banter is epic!!

Coming to the magical world 😍✨🤌 damn after a long time, I found a fantasy world that was indeed penned in details yet it didn't bore me as the author brilliantly wrote each conquest of our protagonists including in discription of the magical school and world of the book, which made it much easier for me to understand the concept and logic of it.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

3.5 Stars

Overall this was a good book. I think I would of enjoyed reading it more than listening to it. It was a little hard to follow at first. I felt like I was missing something like maybe it was not the first book in the series. I had not read any other books by this author. The narrators were great though.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Really enjoyed this first book of the new series. It is definitely time for Wren to get her own story.