Review: A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

Series: A Fire in the Sky #1

Publication date: September 24th, 2024

Pages: 336
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns tot he high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous... especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it's her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere in this world of high fantasy intrigue. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard... though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn's world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and enter a forced marriage with the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she's ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion--and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride... but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors--secrets buried so deep even she doesn't know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets about her hidden powers emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead... it is only sleeping. And in this epic fantasy romance, it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

Available at:

Story: 

It is truly hard to look at a story about dragons and not immediately feel like you're forced to compare it to the likes of How to Train Your Dragon. But lucky enough this book could not be compared for long if at all. This is not a story about someone finding a dragon and making friends with it. It is a story about a girl who is used to pain and ridicule even as she sits in the lap of luxury. She finds out there is more to her than meets the eye and she has to come to terms what that means when she starts to fall for the barbarian lord that was her husband through her family's treachery. I could not get enough of the story. I gobbled the book up in two days and was fascinated by the world the author created for her characters. There was no telling who Tamsyn could trust from one turn of the page to the next. It was obvious that Fell cared about her but to the detriment of himself? That was something that was pretty unsteady through the whole book. I love books where there is history attached to a people or mythical creature and it turns out that there may be more to the story than first realized. That something got lost in translation and now it was the main characters' jobs to find out what happened and why. Add in that dragons are just awesome and the author did a fine job of wrapping me up tightly in her story's web.

Character(s):

• Tamsyn - I loved this girl with the fire of a red dragon's breath. I saw something in her that was so similar to myself. I, too, will shoulder pain and agony for the people I care for even when it may be misguided. Granted, I am not beaten but I still feel that protective instinct that was placed upon Tamsyn. I couldn't get enough of how strong she was. She was not the type of girl who was going to curl up in a ball and weep at her misfortunes. No, she would keep going even if it meant getting saddle sores the likes of which nobody ever knew. She may not have wanted the life she was given but she would try to make the best of it. I hope in the next books that I get to see the warrior lurking just under her skin.
  
  
• Fell - He was a little harder to love than Tamsyn. You see him as this gruff and battle beaten barbarian guard who comes into Tamsyn's life making demands of her family that nobody of his position had ever demanded before. He pushes for exactly what he got and then had the nerve to be upset that he was tricked. Then to become cold towards Tamsyn when she was a literal whipping girl for the royals? I wanted to throttle him myself. I did enjoy watching him grow though. He started out as a meathead warrior and slowly but surely you got glimpses of his heart. He grew on me a lot. 
  
  
• Stig - I wanted to like Stig. But from the beginning I felt like he wanted things from Tamsyn that she was just not willing to give. She was a whipping girl below the Captain of the Guard's station and it felt like he kind of lorded that over her even if it may not have been too obvious. I feel like he wanted what he wanted and, as the spoiled brat he was raised to be, he was going to get it. He was ignorant and pushy to the point where I wished a dragon would happen along and turn him into the main course. If I don't see more of him in the future books (I am sure I will) I'd be very happy.
  

Writing:

The story was written with such whimsy that there could have been errors in grammar and writing over and over and I'd have not cared a bit. There were even words that I learned that tickled my brain in just the right way. I have read a lot of books in my time, so my vocabulary is already fairly extensive. To find words I had not ever heard before and have them actually flow in the sentence instead of just feeling like the author was trying to be pompous was expertly done by Sophie Jordan. There is a royal air every time Tamsyn is the main character giving her perspective. Stig has a similar haughty tone which contracts well with the more brusque feel of Fell's parts. I don't know how the author did it but she managed to capture the characters perfectly and write to their characters every time they were the main focus.

Overall:

It is hard for me to give much critique for the book. There were moments where the description got heavy and I started to lose focus on what was happening but those situations were few and far between. I think Jordan managed to capture my heart, beguile my mind, and titillate my hunger for more. I cannot wait to read the next book and see what next happens for Tamsyn, Fell, and (regrettably) Stig.

Review: My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Series: My Vampires #1

Publication date: August 29th, 2023

Pages: 352

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

A September Indie Next Pick

One of Amazon's Best Romances of September

One of Apple's Best Books of September

True love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy.

Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it's a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she's desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch--only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for the price.

Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn't look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they're both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren't there earlier, Frederick has to come clean...

Cassie's sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

Available at:

Story: 

Throughout the story we follow Cassie as she navigates her new life living with her vampire roommate. Of course, that isn't how they immediately started out. Cassie cluelessly didn't catch onto the same hints as Bella did with Edward. His skin was cold but the sparkles were lacking. I guess that is what threw her off. However, eventually she learns the truth and what all comes with that. I feel like the lead up of the story was great. Watching Cassie make decisions within her love life while trying to get her life on track again was titillating and the slow burn between the main protagonists was amazing to watch. But it seems once the author reached over half way through the book something changed. Whether they decided it was too much fluff and not enough action or their editor told them they needed more drama, it absolutely ruined the book for me. It made absolutely no sense. You're telling me Cassie can make a bluffing threat like she did and everything just resolves automatically? No fallout? Nobody hurt? Then what was even the point?! What was the meaning of the whole side quest we went on with Frederick's family and betrothed? It read like a children's book where you're not expected to understand how conflicts work entirely so easy resolutions are just accepted as the way of things. I was so disappointed with the last 25% of the book.

Character(s):

I really liked Cassie as a character. She seemed awkward but at the same time she had a vision of what she wanted her life to be. She had motivation and a big heart that made her completely endearing. She was willing to step out of her comfort zone for someone and even willing to accept an unknown entity as a potential romantic partner. Frederick gave a little bit of Bridgerton and a dash of golden retriever energy. Not exactly what you would think of when you think about a vampire. He waffled between his Victorian era thought processes to a sheepish man who doesn't have a clue what to do about his developing feelings. I have never witnessed a bloodsucking fiend appear so awkward. Any other characters didn't have much of anything to even discuss. They either were interjecting themselves into situations only to cause useless drama or they were background white noise half the time for me.

Writing:

I only saw a few instances of grammar or spelling errors but some of the sentence structure was not as strong as it could be. Add to that the fact that the development of the characters and sticking to their strict rules the author sometimes waffled. One minute Frederick would be speaking like a proper gentleman of his time and the next time he was speaking like he was a modern day man. I feel like the author didn't keep to Frederick's character limits and instead tried to make him interesting to the point of entering the dreaded 'cheesy' level. He was from the 1700s but talked about all the people he bedded over a century ago, even slipping in casually that he was bisexual. That sort of thing did happen but it was not something discussed openly so him being so off the cuff with it didn't feel like someone of his age would view things. I feel that was a slip-up in the writing for the author. But other than that there wasn't a lot to complain about.

Overall:

I am so incredibly disappointed. I really liked the book up until the 75% mark where the author flipped the entire story on its head and rushed to towards its conclusion. I was enjoying the slow burn between the characters without any drama added in. I know some should be interjected to draw a reader in but it was so ridiculous that it ruined my overall opinion of the book. This book went from really pleasant to read to being a middle of the road read.

Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #1

Publication date: December 30th, 2025

Pages: 480

Spice: N/A

Synopsis:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •  The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series--now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That's what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world--or just get to the next level--in a video game-like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that's actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain't your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

Includes part one of the exclusive bonus story "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret."

Available at:

STORY:

As far as stories go, this was one for the ages. I have never seen a fantasy book that leaned so far into comedic timing be able to find a way to not make it seem cheesy in the end until now. This book found the perfect balance of comedy, curious wonderment, and adrenaline pumping adventure to bring a truly original story to life. Carl's world became the wet dream of flat-earthers as it literally flattens to nothing. Strange disembodied voices speak to him and herd him into the doorways of an intergalactic game show that he would have rather entered with at least pants and shoes on. The story continues on following Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they take on the horrors some alien AI has decided to place in their pathways. Along the way they learn who they can trust and who they should be weary of. Even the other crawlers are not always ones to be trusted. I loved watching how the world unfolded and how many twists and turns the author creates for his world. It becomes a bid for who might actually be in charge and a curious wondering of what is actually going on behind the scenes. I never knew what was coming from one page turn to the next and struggled to keep with my book club schedule to not read ahead (I failed in the end).

CHARACTER(S):

Carl was stoic to a point but at the same time he was not openly aggressive or unapproachable. He was what you would expect of a military vet. He may have only been with the Coast Guard but that amount of structure that goes into a position with any military branch tends to give people a more stern approach to life. That benefited him a lot during his time in the dungeon. Carl was quick thinking and malleable to any given situation. He never went into something without at least having a running plan in place and if he didn't, he could think quickly. He was the brawn to Donut's quick-witted brain. Donut made me laugh more than any other fictitious character I have ever read. She had sass for days and it was exactly how I would think a cat who was sentient would be. I think if either character was missing, the book would not have been even half as enjoyable. Honorable mention of Mongo who I look forward to seeing more of in future books.

WRITING:

Flawless. I think I stumbled over a singular grammatical or spelling error in the entire book. Which is impressive even when edited by a legitimate publishing company. There were times while I was reading that I couldn't help but quote things back to my book club of snippets where the author just wrote something so poetically brilliant that I just was aghast.  One such quote I cackled over was:

"It tasted as if I'd taken a drink directly from the diseased asshole of an incontinent skunk."

Any reader who reads that singular quote can imagine just how horrendous the drink tasted with a giggle at the absurdity. Matt Dinniman is a wordsmith of his age and I will happily gobble up any book he writes for the foreseeable future.

OVERALL:

I hated it... no, if you can't figure out that I absolutely loved this book from cover to cover with how a fangirled all over the place then you may need to go back and read this review. I have nary a single critique to give nor any criticism. Dungeon Crawler Carl was an apocalyptic rollercoaster ride that ran off the tracks over and over but we still had fun even in the danger zones. The characters were well-rounded and beloved, the world was well described and fleshed out to the point it almost seems fun if not so deadly. I look forward to reading the second installment of this series and seeing what befalls Carl and Princess Donut on floor 3.

 

Book Blitz with Excerpt + Giveaway: The Sheik and the Slave by Nicola Italia @nicola_italia @XpressoTours

The Sheik and the Slave by Nicola Italia

Series: The Sheik and the Slave #1

Publication date: March 13th, 2026

Synopsis:

He owned her body... but could he ever claim her heart?

🔥 In the merciless splendor of the Arabian desert, Sheik Mohammed rules as an absolute master. His command is law. His power unquestioned. Women adore him, enemies fear him--and nothing he desires has ever been denied him. But when a golden-haired English beauty is dragged before him in chains, defiant despite her fate, something long buried in his warrior's heart awakens. For her, he pays a king's ransom... and claims her for his harem. Yet the proud, fiery Katharine refuses to surrender--not her spirit, not her will... and certainly not her heart.

🔥 Lady Katharine Fairfax was born to privilege, not bondage. The cherished daughter of English nobility, she has known only safety, luxury, and freedom. But when she dares to reject the vile advances of a powerful Baron, his vengeance is swift and cruel. Torn from her homeland and sold into the sultry, dangerous world of an Arabian palace, she becomes a prisoner of a man whose touch both terrifies and awakens her.

🔥 In a palace of silken veils, whispered secrets, and forbidden longing, passion ignites between captor and captive. Katharine burns with hatred for the man who owns her... yet trembles beneath the heat of his dark gaze. Mohammed has conquered kingdoms--but Katharine's love may prove the one prize he cannot command. And as treachery coils around them and enemies close in, they must risk everything for a love that could destroy them both... or set them free.

Sweeping. Sensual. Unforgettable.

Available at:

The candle lights flickered low and the music began. It was a beautiful piece of George Frederick Handel, a Trio Sonata in B Minor. Katharine listened to the music and closed her eyes. The violin, flute, and continuo were in perfect sync with each other as the music moved and flowed through the room. She stood with James, sipping a glass of champagne, while she watched her guests mingle. A hundred people filled the room, and dozens more stood or danced in clusters and groups around the food tables. Champagne was in abundance. She had lost count how many people she had greeted and smiled at. She suddenly felt lightheaded as the champagne drizzled into her veins. The trio sonata continued playing, and its beauty was mesmerizing.

When she opened her eyes and looked across the room, she glimpsed him across the room and knew she had drunk too much. He had walked behind a group of people standing at the far end of the room. Kat almost dropped her flute of champagne.

"Darling, what is it?" James whispered as he felt her lean into him.

"The heat. It's the heat," she answered. "I need some fresh air."

"Of course. I'll accompany you," he said.

"No, you should stay. I'll only be a few minutes," she replied. She moved her dress hem aside as she moved gracefully through the room.

Kat placed her champagne glass on a table and walked outside the ballroom and into the night. A few couples were outside talking and they greeted her. Her brother Charles and his wife, Sarah, smiled at her, and Charles kissed her in greeting.

She smiled to them and then turned away. She was going mad! She brushed a hand across her forehead and flushed cheeks.

Katharine looked out over the gardens that she knew so well. Earlier that day, she had stood next to James, thinking of the stallion and wanting to give him a proud name. She had always loved Greek mythology so she had thought of Ares, the god of war. But just then, she had seen him. Either that or her imagination was going wild.

She saw at first the figure behind the large group of people at the far end of the ballroom. He was dressed in a deep blue coat and waistcoat with snug knee-length breeches, low-heeled shoes and silk stockings. His hair was unpowdered but clubbed with a black ribbon, and he appeared to be clean-shaven. He was well-dressed, and the cut of the coat showed off his muscled back and the width of his shoulders.

The breeches did well to expose his muscled legs, and his dark shoes had no buckles on them.

But as much as tried to fit into this world, he did not. He was like a wild tiger in a small cage. He belonged in a hot world of sand and sandalwood incense, not in a ballroom filled with dandies and champagne.

He belonged in a world of sandstorms and harems, where the world smelled of incense and jasmine.

Kat shook her head. This was madness. This was what happened to women who had no clean grasp on reality. She wandered into a farthest part of the gardens, where the willow trees had been planted long ago. The birch and ash trees grew there as well.

Katharine was particularly fond of elm trees. The willow tree branches dipped low, almost to the ground, and she stepped inside one. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were shaking. She closed her eyes and remembered his goatee as his mouth touched hers. She remembered his hands on her, inside of her, and taking her that night after the party.

The air was cold, and her breath foamed out as she exhaled. The willow tree branches encircled her and protected her as she sighed. She must let it go. She must forget him. This can only drive me mad; she told herself for the thousandth time.

She touched the diamonds at her throat and tried to calm herself. Silly, she said to herself. She breathed out and turned to go back to the party.

But then, her quick intake of breath and the pounding of her heart inside her chest happened instantaneously. She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"You aren't real," she breathed out in disbelief, her breath foaming in the cold air.

"Oh, I'm real enough," he mocked her.

His clothes were European as she had seen in the ballroom and his hair was pulled back without a wig. But his golden body belied the fact that he was not European and never would be. He would never fit in and would never want to. He had come here for one reason.

"I don't understand. How are you here?" Katharine asked him, as her fantasy and nightmare collided together. She pressed a hand to her exposed chest as her heart raced.

"The horse, your Arabian, was my Arabian. I bred and sold him to your father," Mohammed explained.

"Did you know when you sold it to him that it was for me?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. His dark eyes met her blue eyes.

Mohammed watched her intake of breath, which caused her breasts to swell over her neckline.

He had watched her that night, not able to take his eyes from her. He had many dealings with Europeans because of the Arabian horses he bred. The horses were renowned for their beautiful bone structure and stamina, but he had never accompanied the horses once they were sold. He had always dealt with the foreigners, accepted their money and had his men transport the horses. This time was different, however. This time everything was different.

Her father had written to Mohammed, inquiring upon the price of an Arabian stallion. Edward wrote in detail about his spirited daughter, explaining that the horse must be the same, intelligent and spirited. Mohammed had accompanied the horse to England to bring back what was his by Arab law.

He had watched her stand near the English dandies at the ball and smile into their faces. He had watched a young blonde dandy rest his hand on Katharine's waist and clenched his own fist in anger. She had used her body well to trap men into wanting what they couldn't have. Poor Majeed had found out the hard way. His own brother was enchanted by the little falcon! Majeed should have known better.

And now, after coming across the sea, he was here to claim her again. There would be no negotiations and no bargains; she would be his.

Unaware of his thoughts, Katharine shook her head, confused. Her diamond earrings glistening in the dark.

"Why are you here?"

Mohammed stepped toward her.

"You know exactly why I'm here. I'm here to take back what's mine," he told her.

He closed the small gap between them and jerked her into his arms.

"No," was all she managed to say before his mouth took hers. He was clean-shaven and well-groomed, which only made him more dangerous. She knew what was underneath the fancy clothes.

NICOLA ITALIA is a Los Angeles native. Early in elementary school, Nicola had a great fondness for reading and began to write creatively. She graduated from university with a degree in communications and has held a variety of positions in journalism, education, government and non profit.

Nicola has traveled extensively throughout Europe, China, Central America and Egypt and loves all things historical.

She has nineteen historical romance and mystery novels on Amazon.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | X | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM | LINKTR.EE

The Sheik and the Slave Blitz

Hosted by: