This book was amazing.. A royal whipping girl forced to trick 'The Beast' into marrying amd bedding her... One man's fury at being fooled, a girl questioning her worth and an undeniable attraction between them... and then BAM I didn't see that twist coming and I absolutely adored it.. Literally cannot wait for more.

This is a good easy going kind of read. It’s got enough world building and plot to keep you entertained but not so much you feel like it’s hard work. Definitely could have been a bit more substance to the romance but it was still fun and of course the dragon element is always a winner. I also like that the FMC is the one shapeshifting.

Ha! Brilliant.
I wasn't so sure at the beginning, the market seems so full of fantasy, and dragon novels now. And I found it a slightly slow starter.
BUT: very soon I was completely hooked, and as I got further and further into the book, the inability to put it down increased dramatically.
Some of the twists I found a little predictable, but I am probably older than the average reader and have read an awful lot. However, they were handled beautifully, with great suspense built up and fantastic writing.
Apparently there is going to be another book about this compelling duo, and I can't wait to read it! But don't worry, there is no cliffhanger.
I've just added this author to my list of books to look out for, and I am really glad I gave this one a go.

Incredible! Omg this book is the first book I’ve read in months that has been gripping enough to thoroughly binge! I absolutely loved this book, from Tamsyn’s upbringing to Fell’s brute like appearance. The whole book had me captivated, I devoured every word and cannot wait for book 2!!

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for this eCopy to review

A Fire in the Sky is the first instalment in a new romantasy series, which captivated me from the very first page. The story of Tamsyn, a whipping girl whose life takes an unexpected turn, was both thrilling and deeply emotional.

Jordan’s world-building is nothing short of spectacular. The kingdom of Penterra, with its intricate politics and vivid landscapes, felt incredibly real. I could almost see the castle’s towering spires and feel the tension in the air as Tamsyn navigated her complex relationships with the royal family.

The romance in the novel was beautifully crafted. The chemistry between Tamsyn and her love interest, Fell was palpable, and their journey from reluctant allies to passionate lovers was both believable and heart warming. The explicit scenes were tastefully done, adding depth to their relationship without overshadowing the plot.

What truly set this book apart for me was Tamsyn’s character development. Watching her grow from a downtrodden servant to a strong, confident woman was inspiring. Her resilience and determination resonated with me, making her one of my favourite protagonists in recent memory.

I enjoyed the chapters from different points of view as I felt that they created a well rounded story, particularly her relationship with Stig and how it changes once she marries Fell.

The ending was a bit of a cliff-hanger so I cannot wait to see what happens next

A fire in the sky ARC REVIEW Rating- 4 stars

I ATE THIS UP

I knew I was going to enjoy this book and it did not disappoint. I could not put this book down, sped through it. I Will not know peace until I have a copy of book 2 in my hands

*Chefs kiss*

This is a multi POV BUT it is mostly Fell & Tamsyn, It wasn’t confusing at all. Super easy to follow; the world building, the characters and the plot.

This book has-
Witches
Arranged marriage
Dragons
Secrets
Strong FMC
Spice

It was easy to connect with the characters, especially the FMC. Tamsyn would do anything for her sisters.

And Fell…. Fell, I don't know if it's the dark romance girlie in me but I was rooting for fell from the get go! The last 20% just made me love him even more.

Overall I would say to go into this blind, I just went with the vibes. ALSO, how stunning is the cover! I will be buying a physical copy for my shelf for sure!

The ending has me extremely excited for the next book, I can't wait to see the characters grow into this new life and see what happens next. I have so many questions that need answering!

Summary

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.75/5

Spicy rating: 🌶️🌶️ 2.5/5

This book was an interesting one to read and review and honestly I don’t think it’s the easiest to review but I’m going to give it a go.

I’ll start by saying the last 20-25% was really entertaining with interesting plot development and character motivations. The reason I don’t feel like I can rate it higher than 3.75 is the first half of the book. The pacing was definitely off. The first 50-60% of the book happens over the course of about 3 days which made it really slow to start and then subsequently the relationship between the FMC and the MMC difficult to gel with. Like I know they like each other but why? Show me what changed since they came together in the arranged marriage.

There’s very little to almost no fantasy for the first 60% and not enough world building. It’s definitely heavier on the romance which I loved. And I did enjoy both Tamsyn and Fell as characters.

Because of the slow start when things finally started to get underway it felt rushed and the book felt too short. It does read very YA but with spice thrown in there. I’m definitely interested to see where things are going next in the series but think this book was not without flaws. Maybe due to it being the first in a series? I don’t know.

The story and premise were good but it needed more fleshing out, world building, more lore, explanation of court politics and really needed to be longer I think.

I’d definitely give it a go to make up your own mind though.

This was a fun read, full of twists and turns. Whilst some of them were slightly predictable, they were written well enough for them to still be surprising in some aspect.
The pacing of this book was fun, throwing us straight into the action and events of the story, with betrayal happening almost immediately!

Interesting and clever concept, but very poorly executed. Male characters seemed motivated purely by possessiveness which is... lovely to read. Too much cliché and not enough substance. A lot of wide-eyed breathless heaving for little reward.

A Fire in the Sky* by Sophie Jordan is a captivating romantasy set in a world where dragons are extinct and magic is fading. Tamsyn, the main character, is a strong and resilient whipping girl for the royal family, tasked with marrying Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, under false pretenses. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Tamsyn and Fell is exciting, with great chemistry and just the right amount of spice. Tamsyn’s hidden powers and mysterious past make the plot full of unexpected twists that keep you hooked until the end.
The world-building is unique and well thought out
The story ends on a cliffhanger, leaving you eager for the next book.
I’ve enjoyed the author’s books over the years, whether they were historical romance or contemporary fiction; she is definitely a gifted writer that can captivate readers with her words.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own

thank you netgalley and HQ for a review copy
I found this book really enjoyable and so fast paced! The plot was quite predictable at some points but there were a few twists I did not see coming! I thought that it set up the story well for following books but not lots happened throughout, although I am definitely looking forward to reading more. I liked the characters and dual pov but I wish there was more on the side characters. Overall this was a great fantasy book which I definitely recommend to anyone who loved fantasy books with dragons!!

I loved this book so much!! The cover had me before I had even read the book! It was a magical world and I loved the characters.

It was a short and super fun read, who doesnt love dragon shifters?

I’ve very much been on a romantasy kick recently so when I received an email containing a Netgalley widget for a NA romantasy with dragons? Yeah, I definitely wanted to read that book. So thanks to Rachel Quin and HQ for this opportunity.

Tamsyn was raised as the palace whipping girl. Raised with the princesses and given anything she could ever want, you might think Tamsyn has it easy. But for every time one of the princesses misbehaves, she gets whipped instead in front of them. Still, they’re her family and she would do anything to protect them, including lying to and marrying Fell, a deadly warrior who insists on marrying a princess. Fell isn’t happy about it but he takes her along. The journey reveals a side to Tamsyn that she didn’t know existed though, and when she realises that she’s truly an enemy to her new husband, she has a decision to make.

This was definitely a fun read.

I’m not sure about the dragons seeming to have an almost human form, but other than that, it was fun to read and the book didn’t necessarily take the path I thought it would.

One of the plot twists was obvious fairly early on for me. But Tamsyn’s side? Yeah, I thought she was something else entirely. Something that still would have been very dramatic. So that was definitely fun.

I did appreciate the romance. It’s supposed to be enemies to lovers but it isn’t quite? Because of the marriage of convenience, they’ve had sex before they even really know each other. And just from that there were obviously some curious feelings. Yes, politically there are some questions about their relationship. But even then, their countries are technically on the same side. So, yes, there’s some dislike and questioning whether they want each other. But it’s not really enemies to lovers. Honestly, that would probably work better if Fell decided he was into Stig instead.

But despite that, I did enjoy the romance and I’m curious to see what route it’s going to take. I like that Fell was willing to support Tamsyn even when she wasn’t so sure about him. He seemed like a good guy and I liked that about him.

The smut was also pretty decent. There was a good balance of smut and story which I know many will appreciate.

Finally, the world building was interesting too. I want to learn more about the dragons and the witches, but due to the past, we’ll have to learn about them along with our protagonists. And I don’t mind that. It meant we were picking up the information at a good pace and that I still have questions going into the next book.

So overall, a very good read that I’ll definitely be getting my hands on a physical copy of. I can’t wait until book 2 comes out!

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan is a real treat in the enemies to lovers fantasy genre. It really has it all, dragons, magic and of course, the protagonists. Ms Jordan shows real skill at plot building and manages her cast with deceptive ease, an arranged marriage followed by a long journey over difficult terrain allows the relationship to develop and the reader is carried along with the newly weds. I thoroughly enjoyed this title and am looking forward to the sequel when it appears. Highly recommended to all who enjoy well written fantasy.

Dammit, I wanted to love this book – the premise was so interesting! – but sadly it fell flat on several aspects.

Firstly, the worldbuilding. Jordan somehow manages to write lots of it, yet not actually tell the reader anything important. We get that Tasmyn is the royal whipping girl, punished for her sisters’ transgressions because apparently genuine blue blood skin can’t be marked or something, but all the history is just dumped in huge paragraphs that I must admit to skimming.

There’s an unnecessary love triangle following Tasmyn’s “best friend” Stig declaration of love. I did like his character up to the point where he started telling her how she felt and that they ought to run away together. It felt very much like the nice man who thought he earned sex cookies by being nice.

Fell… oh gosh, where do I start? He’s known as the Beast. Okay, fair enough. Obvious inspiration is obvious, but I was onboard with that. I like fairy tale retellings and this seemed a nice flip on that. Until Fell and his cohort are described as having “dark curly hair, strong noses, and dark skin” and as “savages”. The racial overtones were very disheartening and have no place in fantasy. Find some other way to have the FMMC and MMC different. It’s 2024, for crying out loud.

Then there’s the “romance”. I was okay with the whole fake marriage thing and even Fell’s anger. I love a good enemies-to-lovers novel. Sadly, this book isn’t good. The journey to Fell’s homeland gave plenty of opportunity for him and Tasmyn to get to know each other. It’s not taken. She’s shunned by him and most of his soldiers, except for the times Fell decides she’s worth a shag. There’s no attraction, no chemistry. Just them shackled by a lie of a marriage.

I hate giving A Fire in the Sky three stars because I wanted to love it. I just didn’t.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a book I'm unlikely to forget because the author liked to repeat points over and over. Whipping girl was mentioned in almost every chapter, to the point it lost its impact. And then the MC repeating phrases in her head after they been spoken, this happened almost constantly and became overly annoying.
The characters were lackluster and bland. The almost love triangle seemed like a weak attempt. And the sex scene was awkward to read.
I finished the book just to see if my prediction was right and it was. The book needed more magical backstory, more build up and less boring horse travel and court politics.
I don't recommend you grab this book.

This book is full of drama, surprises, and romantic tension, so of course I totally ate it up. It got off to a bit of a slow start as it was building up to the main plot points and developing the characters. It’s safe to say that Tamsyn’s ‘family’ aren’t likeable and her relationship with them is understandably complex, which we see most clearly at the beginning of the book. As the story progresses and Tamsyn’s left with an angry, deceived husband, the path is a rocky one and I absolutely loved seeing both of their perspectives in this time so we’re able to understand the emotional rollercoasters they’re both on and the undeniable draw between the pair. There are moments where this book took me by surprise, and some where it didn’t, but the high stakes and danger made it so easy to fall into. I was definitely rooting for Tamsyn and Fell, so I’d have liked to see more of them together in the book but I hope we’ll get that in the sequel. And with an ending like that, I don’t know if I can wait to find out what comes next!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Wow wow wow wow!

This is hands down my favourite book of 2024. I devoured it, and fantasy books are usually a slog for me. It can take me weeks to finish some but this I flew through in a week!

I love fantasy books that aren't too heavy fantasy and I can connect to the characters and the story. This was exactly that. I was hooked from the start.

Tamsyn (fmc) lives in a palace with her "sisters" but she is not treated the way they are. She is the royal whipping girl. She takes all of their punishments and isn't quite a part of the family. She loves her sisters and will do anything to protect them which even includes going in her sisters place to marry Fell (mmc) ''The Beast of The Borderlands''

I instantly felt the tension between the two of them. They didn't know how to interact with each other other than to quarrel. I loved any time that Fell showed a softer side to Tamsyn. It gave his character depth and made him more than just a moody kidnapper.

I LOVED the dragon shifting part and I was so excited when this happened!!! I love dragons and this book introduced them so well! I LOVED the ending and I could kind of see it happening but i still enjoyed it. I can't wait for the next one and to see what this author does with this world and characters. More dragons please!!!!!!!

My husband kindly bought more of this authors books as he saw I enjoyed this so much so stay tuned for more dragon reviews!!!

Thank you to HQ Stories for sending me the beautiful special edition hardback. All opinions are my own and I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this!!

Dragons are said to be extinct and Witches were hunted to eliminate all magic in the world of Penterra…

While ‘A Fire In The Sky’ had plenty of predictability, I still loved the direction it took, with plot twist after plot twist. I must admit that ending…now that I didn’t see coming at all!

I practically devoured this book within 48 hours, so the fact it’s not officially out in the world yet is a problem, because I’m desperate to continue the triology

It’s rare I adore both the female and male mc’s equally, but Tamsyn being the strong women she is and Fell being the epitome of hard on the outside, but gooey on the inside, made it easy. The fact that there was duel pov’s from them both, as well as a few additional pov’s, was fantastic

I only hesitated giving this 5 stars because I feel like the ending has set book two up for that level of perfection. This was still easily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#AFireInTheSky #NetGalley

A Fire in the Sky is packed with romance and dragons - making it great one to read while waiting for Onxy Storm! It's well written, with plenty of twists and tension, but this one wasn't really for me and I don't think I would want to read the next in the series.