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

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

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

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

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the free alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I really enjoyed this audio it was done well its my first by this author and enjoyed their interpretation of the book. I look forward to seeing where this goes next
4
4.5/5☆

This was a highly anticipated read for me this year and I am so grateful to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the arc of this audiobook. I thoroughly enjoyed this take on romantasy. I haven’t read any romantasy set in ancient Rome and I loved the premise of this. This takes Caesar and the top people in the Roman empire and makes them into dragon shifters, which is why they were so powerful. Our FMC Malina was a simple peasant girl with magic. She has unique empathic abilities, which give her certain powers. Our MMC Julian is a high ranking dragon shifter general in the Roman empire who is Caesar‘s nephew. I love Malina and Julian’s relationship and their story. She is captured, and thus becomes a slave under Julian. Even though this is a captor/slave relationship on the surface because of the society in Rome. Never once did I truly feel that she was actually his slave. He always treated her with the utmost respect and only wanted to protect her. The story is told in dual POV‘s, which is brilliant since it helps the reader understand his perspective. If he didn’t have her as his slave, she would have been raped or killed because of their society. It is clear that even though Julian holds a high rank in this society, he is fighting back to change it and only does what he has to, to survive and to keep others alive and safe. Although she is technically his slave, he never abuses his power, and I never felt as if she was mistreated in any way by him. This does have a few open door spicy scenes. The story kept me gripped from the very beginning and I couldn’t stop listening. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I’m excited for the next book in the series.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc.
updated to also thank the publisher for an alc!

ehh, i had a feeling i’d either love or hate this book, and unfortunately, i did not love it. the writing/world-building was not the best; i think the most interesting aspect of the world-building was in the prologue.

of course, this book has all of the themes/tropes popular nowadays so i don’t doubt that it will find its audience, but it’s certainly not me.

as for the audio, i enjoyed the narration, and think i prefer this book as an audio experience rather than a reading experience.

DNF

I didn't realize going in that this was going to be a romance with a master/slave dynamic, otherwise I wouldn't have picked it up. That's just not something I'm comfortable with and it's not for me. Heads up to other readers, I don't think this is explicitly explained in the marketing. It says it's a dark romance with political elements, but not explicitly that it's with an enslaved woman who is part of a racial minority and the man who is enslaving her. I'm very uncomfortable with that. I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Roman Empire + Dragon Shifters + Touch Her and Die + Fated Mates. 🐉💘

I have a feeling this book is going to fly of the shelves!! The cover is stunning. The story is a fun and easy read.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC ! *

I have been so excited for the release of Firebird by Juliette Cross, I loved The Wraith King and the setting of Ancient Rome with dragons sounded amazing.

Malina is a dancer with a secret, she is an empath that can control emotions. Julian is a legendary Roman general and powerful dragon shifter as well as nephew to Cesar. When Malina is captured Julian recognizes her immediately as the dancer he knew from years before and the dragon inside him knows he must keep her.

✨General spoilers ahead- no plot spoilers ✨

I would say this is not a true enemies to lovers. Julian never hates Malina, he is always protective and captivated by her and Malina soon comes to understand Julian with very little resistance. I wanted to see more of the romance between these two. I understand the instant connection but I wish I had the characters struggling more with it and more tension filled interactions.

I loved the world here. The powerful Romans are dragon shifters which helps to create the power imbalance as well as form social hierarchy. The magic and fantasy elements were easily understood without being overly complicated so you could really focus on the plot. I loved the Ancient Rome setting and now I really want to read more. I wish that we got more of Malina’s life in between her first and second encounters with Julian.

I listened to this on audiobook and I thought the narrator’s did an amazing job. This is duel narration with both a male and female alternating with the character’s POV. I think the male narrator especially did an amazing job with the various unique voices, sometimes I don’t like how males narrate women’s voices but that wasn’t a problem at all here. Both did an amazing job of putting you into the world.

I do think I’ve become so accustomed to romantasy series leaving off on major cliffhangers and when this book didn’t it felt odd and incomplete in a way. I kept waiting for the last major plot twist to hit and it didn’t. I think that’s because I’ve become programmed to expect it but it’s not a bad thing that this didn’t have a last minute revelation and major cliffhanger.

I’m looking forward to more books in the series. I feel like this book did a great job of setting up a world and plot that is very compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest re

Read if you like
- dragon shifters
- Touch her and die
- Hidden magic
- Insta-love
- Fated mates
- Ancient Rome setting

The way i DEVOURED this in one go was insane.
I loved the world and I really hope the next book is even better.

I will say that this book with the other languages would be better read vs listened to if you aren't fluent.

I really didn’t know much about this one before going in, I feel like even the blurb doesn’t give much of what it actually is either. So I’ve loved this author in the past (her small towns and Stay a Spell contemporary/paranormal-lite series) and I only knew this was a new fantasy romance from her. So when I received the audio ALC from the publisher, I decided to jump in. Anddddd, I don’t know about this one. 😬 This felt very icky, power imbalance was gross, and maybe it being set in a reimagined Ancient Rome was better in theory than realization.

This is a reimagining of Ancient Rome, where gods, goddesses, mythology of Rome has been reinvented and in this world, Romans share ancestry with ancient titans, dragons, and the gods. This is a dark romantasy and includes a master x slave dynamic between the hero and heroine (the ick I mentioned earlier). Malina is a dancer whose village was invaded by Romans and her clan was wiped out, Julian is a Roman general and nephew to the emperor. Sure he is secretly working with others to rebel against the emperor, but in this whole book we get a whole lot of power imbalance in their relationship if you can call it that. I really didn’t feel their connection or believe they’d have been together if it wasn’t for their setup (which conveniently they’re fated mates too, but that kinda made it worse cause where is her agency in any of this).

Anywaysssssss, I get that it’s going to be a series (which isn’t complete yet), I get that the hero is trying to rebel in his own way, and I get that it’s set in Ancient Rome BUT if we can reimagine it to have dragon shifters why can’t we also reimagine the power imbalance and excessive violence towards women? This book has a lot of on-page violence towards women (think any Ancient Rome movies/shows you’ve seen before) and it’s just not the journey I want to go in. On top of that, the lack of actual world building, the magic (maybe more comes later in the series but it felt lackluster here), the steam (very cringe), and all of his basic dragon possessiveness and “my treasure” thoughts. It just all felt surface level and not enticing. I can see this book getting veryyyy mixed reviews once it’s out and I get it completely. Overall just not it for me, it didn’t read like this author’s usual voice, and needless to say I won’t continue on.

I received an audio ALC, all thoughts in this review are my own.

CW: slavery, rape, sexual assault, violence, relationship power imbalance (master x slave)

Thanks to the author and publisher for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. This audiobook had me captivated immediately and I listened to it all in one day! I had to switch to the eARC toward the end because my heart was pounding and I had to consume it with my eyeballs 😂. Fans of fantasy romance and enemies to lovers will eat this up. Dragon shifters in Rome? Yes please.

I especially want to mention the care with which the author handled the main couple’s relationship. Because his soldiers destroyed her village and then her adoptive family. He saves her from a fate he doomed her to. She has to become his slave to survive in his world. These topics are all addressed and discussed by them before their relationship advances and obviously there’s a reason for his actions (mad dragon king, anyone?).

But it’s rightfully a slow burn and Malina is shown actively working through these issues. I loved her resilience and fierceness in standing up for herself and others. And Julian is such a cinnamon roll with a heart of gold I adored him. The way he treated his household and saved them 🥹. His dragon being all possessive 🔥. The touch her and be unalived moment was so perfectly unhinged and violent 🤣.

The premise of dragons in Rome was unique and refreshing. The Roman gods were mentioned as an important part of society but played a minor role in the plot which I was more than okay with, that the focus remained on our main characters.

PSA this does not end on a cliffhanger with Malina and Julian getting an adorable ending. The main overarching plot will continue in the next book and I am so excited with that hint at the end!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Book
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Audiobook
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I devoured this ALC and loved it from prologue to epilogue. The worldbuilding, the wildfire romance, dragons and strong multidimensional MCs all made this a 6-star read for me. Now this is not going to be a book for everyone. It is dark and does have historical enslavement elements accurate to the Roman setting, but if you don't mind reading such themes run, don't walk to pick this book up when it releases on April 8th 2025! I am already pre-ordering the First Edition. It's so beautiful!

I love, love, loved the retelling of Medusa, her sisters and Minerva and the ways it tied into the story. FMC Malina's lore is equal parts beautiful and sad but shows her inner fire and will to keep fighting. While not the strongest physically, she is definitely one of the feistiest FMCs I have read recently. I really loved the way the dragon shifters were described and can't wait to see some art of our MMC and his aunt in her pit. That was a side plot that I especially enjoyed and hope is touched upon again in the future. My mind has already come up with some very satisfying ideas about how that could be finished up. The romance checked all the boxes for me. The devotion, the passion, the protectiveness of both MCs and especially when his dragon speaks. Just yes! Bonus points for all the small details about accurate fashions and fabrics of the times. The end was very enjoyable and not a cliffhanger. And then that very last line....MA'AM! I really hope you are working on book two if you are going to do that to me!

I adore when dual POV is also dual narrated and this was a great example of why. Blair Dade and Kale Williams both brought their characters to life and complimented each other masterfully. I really have to give extra points to Kale because his dragon voice always brought a small shiver of delight down my spine. The narration added a whole additional star to this experience for me with the extra immersion they both added. I really hope they're back for audiobook two!

Thank you Macmillan Audio via Netgalley for an ALC. All opinions are honest and my own.

🔥Fated mates
🐉Dragon shifters
🔥Roman conqueror MMC
🐉Captive dancer FMC
🔥Touch him/her and die
🐉Palace intrigue
🔥Dual POV
🐉Cute pet name for her

I am a long time fan of Juliette Cross have read almost everything she read and this was one of my most anticipated read of the year. I can happily say I was not disappointed. I just read The Wraith King and was interested to see how they compared and both were engaging, fast paced and interesting with strong female leads. I feel as though many readers are going to have issue with the slave/master dynamic but I felt it was handled as well as it could be. Excited to see the series continue

Fated Mates
Dragons&Magic
Touch her and die
Fantasy Roman Empire retelling with a bit of romance/dragons
Dual POV w/ dragon POV
Dual Narration - Blair Dade & Kale Williams
** I really like the narrators. This is my first time hearing them and they did a good job.

This was an interesting retelling. I liked the magic and dragons. There was no background on why the dragons existed but I’m ok with that. I found it to be an enjoyable story. I do think a little more background story and world building would help develop the depth of the story.

It has some violence but I wouldn’t consider it very dark Romantasy.

Melina is a dancer with a witchy gift. She helps one side of the war but gets captured by the “enemy”.
Julianus is a dragon shifter general for his uncle Ceasar.

Julianus is plotting to end the war and he has enemies within his own kind. They are plotting against him.
He will stop at nothing to protect Melina. They want to take her from him.

Will Julianus save Melina and end the war?

The cover of this is beautiful and in all honesty the reason I wanted to read it was because someone told me I might enjoy it because the fmc is a witch. So witches and dragons were all I knew before reading this. I did NOT read the blurb extensively until I was about 15% in. After reading the blurb I realized this is considered a dark fantasy romance but I really think some content warnings need to be emphasized here. This isn't an enemies to lovers, this is a master/slave romance dynamic with another more popular trope used to disguise the master/slave dynamic. I had to really remember this was a historical story so I didn't get overworked about that but it still icked me out. I will say Malina is the best part of the story. She's a great character who is smart and uses her wits to stay alive. I did think her magic was a bit underwhelming and not delved into enough though. I didn't like the mmc, he's supposedly a big bad dragon but does nothing to stand up against injustices other than giving other slaves a home where he is considered the "good slave owner". Again I had to tell myself let it go, he had to go along with it in the time period. His romance with Malina felt really gross because she is his slave. The power imbalance was gross and if they didn't have a connection I often wondered would she even choose to be with him otherwise because she acknowledges her slave position so often. I feel like the only dark aspect of this story is the over abundance of sexual abuse and outright rape of women to pinpoint just what a good guy the mmc is compared. Was there any other dark element that could have been added?? I didn't understand why the elite Roman's were dragons. Felt like no reason other than to have dragons in the story and I like a good dragon shifter, it makes for fun spice. I also wouldnt claim this is a fantasy since it takes place in an alt history Rome (how is that fantasy) I'd personally say this is just dark historical romance with dragons added for funsies. To end on a slight positive I liked the duel audio narration and it was a quick read but my dislikes heavily outweighed the likes and the blurb definitely needs to make people aware of the master/slave dynamic. 2 stars.

Man this was one action packed quick read in a good way! I loved getting to dive into a similar world of the Roman times but with a twist:) and I mean dragons who doesn’t like dragons!!!! This ended right when it was getting so good and it gives me so much hope for book two and the craziness about to ensue. I loved a FMC that can hold her own and she definitely can. :) I think overall a fun fantasy read in a pretty cool world. I am so looking forward to book two! Thanks NetGalley for this opportunity to read this one early! Can’t wait to hold a physical copy of this!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook arc. If you loved from blood and ash and you love dragon shifter then this book is for you. She was blessed by the gods with powers but enslaved by the dragon shifters who had taken over Rome.
He takes her in and makes her his personal assistant, but for reason unknown he slowly falls for her and become overly protective of his servant.

Warning to everyone, though.. this is a DARK Romantasy. I feel like Brambl may not be doing the best at marketing this. Because I see a LOT of reviews that are dogging on it for the dynamic in here.

It's not supposed to be comfortable. It's not supposed to feel good. So I don't know what to tell you. But this trilogy as a whole is gonna be about liberation and change in Rome.... so maybe give it some time?

But again, if a Master/slave scenario in Ancient Rome, where they fall in love isn't gonna work for you... maybe... DON'T read it? And then completely dog on it for being exactly what it is... 😅😅

Anyway....

The narrators were fantastic! I meant to just get this one started and then I read it all in one sitting. Surviving Rome with Malina and Julian was a thrilling way to spend my afternoon. I need Bloodsinger, like, RIGHT NOW!

1.5⭐ (rounded up)

I.....really really did not like this.

Starting out with what I did like, which unfortunately wasn't much, I can honestly say I enjoyed Malina as a character. She wasn't a pushover and wasn't obnoxiously brash. I also liked Steffanos (spelling?), because he added extra humanity to the story.
As for the rest of what I think.....I did not jive with this writing style. I can usually ignore things like that with an audiobook, but it was such a blatant issue for me in this one. It felt like reading fanfiction, which is fine if that's the intention, but it wasn't. There were far too many short sentences, making the internal monologue choppy and repetitive. I cringed HARD every time I heard 'Her empathic sense' or 'His dragon eyes'. It improved after the first few chapters, but it really colored the rest of the story for me.
The relationship between the characters also ended up being a 'No' for me. If I had known it was going to start as a master x slave dynamic, I would have skipped this. Him knowing that his dragon has chosen her, and STILL making her his slave grosses me out to no end, regardless of reasoning. It added a level of darkness that the blurb didn't prepare me for.
Speaking of darkness...the amount of sexual violence was just unnecessary and gratuitous. It's not something that usually bothers me as a plot device, but it was heavy handed.

The narration was just okay. I don't have much to say there.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much as an ebook and with the audiobook...the narrators somehow made an already amazing book even better.

So bummed out that I didn’t love this one.
The premise of this being set in ancient in Rome with dragon shifters was so good but the world building lacked quite a bit and the romance felt so forced