I love a dragon book. I love them so much. However, the fmc Arla is really irritating. She did become less irritating as the book progressed and Hark got under her skin and in her heart.

‘You’re mistaken, Stappen. I don’t work with you. I work for myself and for the King of Hadalyn. Don’t mistake my willingness to aid in rescuing these people as a surrendering of my freedoms to you.’

I did like that she didn't let people walk all over her.

The book overall was enjoyable on the surface level. But it was predictable.

Dragonhart features many of the elements that readers are currently big fans of: a snarky young assassin FMC who engages in political intrigue alongside a slowburn romance with a man concealing significant secrets. Plus, dragons. While readers are perhaps becoming overly familiar with some of these elements in the romantasy space, I found that Abbie Eaton's approach to world-building was a cut above others I've read. And Arla is a convincing lead, if occasionally coming across as significantly older than her 18 years. Despite sometimes uneven pacing, there's a lot to like here.

Recently, I have been on a bit of a Romantasy kick. While Dragonhart sounded interesting, I was afraid that it would resort to the same old tropes as other romantasies and that I would have to force my way through it. I just wasn't in the mood. But I was wrong!

I LOVED this book. The characters were great, the banter was tons of fun, and the plot had some twists and turns that had me gasping. While there are aspects that have been done before, there was a refreshing tone to it, and I could not put it down.

However, there is no way that Arla read like an 18-year-old, even considering the amount of trauma that she had experienced. Especially because of her prowess and physical abilities. She would have made a lot more sense as a 25-year-old or something like that. I also found myself very confused, as I couldn't understand why her close friend, whose family was close with her parents, wouldn't have taken her in. I needed an explanation about how there wasn't enough money or something to help me believe that.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a slightly different romantasy.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

This book is incredible. It took some time before I could review it because I got it so close to the release date, but I really enjoyed the story, especially for a debut book! Arla is a character I fell for, she's witty and strong, and I enjoyed reading her story—this banter between her and Hark, and the moments that they share. I didn't know how much I needed another book with dragons until I read this and I'm so happy I did, this was a great book!

i mean... dragons? i’m always in. the story pulled me in once it got going, and the world was cool but still felt familiar in some ways to other fantasy books.

arla- she seemed very much inspired by a very very popular fantasy series...😅

i loved the side characters + dragons, but honestly wish there had been more of them. and the romance? kind of underwhelming. the ending tied up a little too neatly for how many threads were left hanging, and some of the “plot twists” didn't hit me as i wanted it to.

writing-wise, it was solid! easy to read, not too cringe, and didn’t yank me out of the story every five seconds 👏

overall: it didn’t blow me away, but i still enjoyed the ride. would totally be curious to read more from this author in the future

I had to stop about 40% of the way through. The FMC is so insufferable and is way too similar to Celaena from Throne Of Glass. To the point where the backstory and her as a character is almost exactly the same. It was noticeable.

A few other things that made me not finish the book are her swearing to the gods and us being told she’s an assassin every 3-5 pages. That really should have been reduced during editing. Also, if she’s supposed to be the best assassin ever why does she get got so many times? It doesn’t make sense.

The hate she has for Hark seems incredibly unbalanced. Hating the king is one thing but hating Hark as aggressively as she does made it very clear that they were supposed to be enemies but it wasn’t fully flushed out. That might be because (and this is another critique) we are just told things but we don’t actually get much in way of showing us. We are told she hates him but we don’t see it. We don’t feel it. It’s just assigned.

I was really trying to stick it out for the dragon lore but I cannot. I dread picking up this book to read it.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5 stars)

Dragonhart is a fierce, fiery fantasy that grips you from page one and refuses to let go. Think dragons, vengeance, and a slow-burn romance that smolders with every chapter. 🐉🔥💔

Arla Reinhart is a royal assassin with a vendetta and zero patience for the gods—or the charming ambassador from the kingdom that destroyed her life. But when war looms and magic stirs, Arla is forced into an uneasy alliance with Hark Stappen. Cue enemies-to-lovers tension, epic battles, political intrigue, and yes—dragons. 🗡️👑💥

Their journey across fractured kingdoms is packed with action and angst, but it’s the emotional stakes and Arla’s inner struggle that give this story real depth. The chemistry? Off the charts. The twists? Jaw-dropping. The world-building? Absolutely immersive. 🪄❤️‍🔥

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses, Dragonhart delivers everything a romantasy reader could want—danger, desire, and dragons you’ll wish were real. Add it to your TBR right. Now. 📚⚔️✨

Dragon Hart book review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐬, 𝐈’𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛 𝐲𝐨𝐮,’ 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤. ‘𝐈’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭.’

I sped through the first 40% of this book, had a slower time reading the remainder and then got back on track at 85% through. Although slightly drawn out at times, the writing in this book did create vivid images in my mind especially during fighting scenes and when describing the main characters.
I enjoyed the dialogue between the MMC and FMC it was violent, passionate and heartfelt perfection.

This story at times read similar to other well known books. Did that stop me enjoying it, no but it did make it predictable at times.
That said this book left me wide eyed, heart wrenched and also made me pull all kinds of smug, ‘yes you kick ass girl’ grins when the stabby FMC was being, well stabby! As for the FMC Arla Reinhart was quite simply 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚. Stab first, ask questions later and I’m here for it!

I would have liked the dragons to play a bigger part in this story. They only came through at 80% into it and the part they do play reads fairly similar to Fourth Wing. I liked the dialogue between the dragons and the FMC and the personality was portrayed well of the dragon.

LARGE SPOILER 🚨
Another similarity to Fourth Wing is a 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 to a 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙙𝙤𝙢 unknown to the other main city’s within this story and I guessed this would be the case before it even happened, so again some predictability.
SPOILER OVER🚨

Another knock to the overall rating of this book was the use of the term ‘vulgar gesture’. I’m sorry but we read enough of that phrase in ACOTAR to last a lifetime 😂

I gave it 3 stars because whist I thoroughly enjoyed aspects of this book I didn’t LOVE it and found the middle a bit bland and I don’t feel the need to do a reread of it but it definitely contained tropes I very much enjoy!

Thank you @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc @harpercollinsuk for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, thank you so much to Netgalley, HarperCollins and One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I gave Dragonhart 2 stars because while the premise was great, the delivery fell short for me.

What I did like about this book was the dragons and their snarkiness, even though that felt a touch familiar. I also liked the found family aspect of Hark and his crew, and Hark as a character was fine. Not a stand out, but I like an MMC with strong beliefs who is arrogant and a little bit flirty. I think this story has potential to grow and find its own feet if it is continued.

I think it let me down a bit as it just didn't feel like a fresh story. I really enjoy romantasy books, but I think that having a fresh story to tell is critical. Dragonhart had so many similarities to the Throne of Glass series, down to the plot itself and the similarities in the FMC (blonde, vain, young woman with dead parents, who has been taken in by a powerful man and trained as an assassin, with a very similar nickname). I found this really distracting and hard to look past.

I also found that the curse of 'Gods!' was overused. It completely lost any meaning for me the more it was used, and it just made the characters seem totally insufferable to me, as this was their response to almost every minor inconvenience. There were two chapters in a row where this curse was used on almost every page, sometimes up to three times a page. Once I noticed it I couldn't unnotice it, and it really pulled me out of the story. The same can be said for how often the characters spoke about how they hated each other. Arla and Hark are constantly talking about how much they hate one other, but there didn't seem to be any real, deep seated tension and hatred between them that was fully explored.

There are many more things I could say about this book, but in the end I think it just wasn't the right book for me.

When Arla Reinhart, The King's Assassin is paired with a Rival Kingdom and their Ambassador Hark Stappen to find missing supplies, many dark secrets are unravelled between the two kingdoms, not only is Kastonia responsible for Arla's parents death but it seems that both kingdoms are hiding things that neither want discovered.
Arla and Hark absolutely despise each other, but can they put their differences aside for the sake of a greater cause and will they hate each other by the end of it.

what to expect. Enemies to Lovers done exceptionally well.

Dragons. I'm low-key obsessed with Thara!

Forced proximity.

bad ass fmc!

Who hurt you?

the first part of the book was good, but I was slightly irritated by Alara. There was an over emphasis I felt on her being an assassin and I'm not sure how believable it was, but the enemies to lovers plot in this is done fantastically and I loved her character development where we got to see both her bad ass side and for her to be a little bit more vulnerable.
The second half of the book had me completely hooked, and I loved watching the relationship bloom between the two main protagonists. The plot was actioned packed, and I loved the magic system.

Full of political intrigue, warring kingdoms and magic. Dragonhart is addictive, entertaining, and a solid romantasy. I would definitely recommend this one to those looking to read more from this genre.

I think this story has a lot of promise and would be enjoyed by someone who is new to fantasy or doesn’t read a lot of the genre. For me personally, it felt very similar to Throne of Glass and I was looking forward to a more unique story. The FMC was insufferable for majority of the time and I quickly grew tired of her stabby attitude. I think there is definitely potential, but I found it hard to pick up and overall it wasn’t for me.

Romantasy has been big lately and this one just felt like something was missing for me to really feel it but regardless of that i did enjoy the slow burn romance and the beginning also peeked my interest, setting the tone for what was to come. I liked the dragon of it all too.

A Captivating Fantasy Romance

Dragonhart by Abbie Eaton is a compelling debut that seamlessly blends political intrigue, magical lore, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance. The story follows Arla Reinhart, the King's assassin, who is forced to collaborate with Hark Stappen, an ambassador from the kingdom responsible for her parents' deaths. As they embark on a perilous journey, their animosity transforms into a complex and evolving relationship.

Eaton's world-building is rich and immersive, drawing readers into a realm where dragons have vanished, and the gods' influence wanes. The narrative is filled with action-packed sequences, from tavern brawls to royal intrigues, all while exploring themes of trust, vengeance, and self-discovery.

The character development is particularly noteworthy. Arla's internal struggle between her duty and her growing feelings for Hark adds depth to the story, making her journey both emotional and engaging. Hark, with his own secrets and vulnerabilities, complements Arla's character, creating a dynamic partnership that drives the plot forward.

Dragonhart is a must-read for fans of romantasy, offering a perfect blend of adventure, romance, and fantasy elements.

I gave this book 3 stars because, while it had a lot of potential, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The worldbuilding was really engaging, creating an interesting setting that drew me in, but the pacing felt uneven some parts were slow and others rushed through key moments. The main character showed some depth, but I struggled to connect with them at times, as their motivations weren’t always clear. The secondary characters were ok i think , which made the relationships feel a bit off. The plot started strong but became a bit predictable, and some parts felt repetitive. Overall, it’s a decent read if you're looking for a quick escape, or read.

I really wanted to enjoy this with its promising premise of dragons and enemies to lovers, but it just didn’t work for me. The characters felt flat, and I found Arla particularly frustrating. I kept reading hoping it would pick up, but unfortunately it never quite clicked for me.

I barely made it to the 50% mark, and for that I apologize. I simply could not tolerate the female main character any further. Since it became obvious that she was connected with the dragons somehow - probably possessing some magic of her own - it really didn't seem like it was worth my time to finish.

From the very beginning of the book, I was not invested. I wanted to be. (I chose this book for a reason, after all.) Unfortunately, the beginning was boring. There was very little world building, though a fair amount of "woe is me" and "I'm the best" from Arla. She really needed something to make her relatable or likable. What especially made her viewpoint difficult was how terrible she was at her job. At every opportunity to show how much of a bada** she was, I only cringed. I've ready many assassin characters who were far superior than Arla.

In contrast, Hark was a wonderful character. Unfortunately, I kept reading his name as Hank and questioning why he could possibly have an interest in Arla. He was superior, by far, in all things. I wish his POV was longer. I found there was a lot more world building in his chapters, and there was definitely more of a setup.

Meanwhile, Arla's POV only provided information when it was convenient or pertinent to the plot at hand. I had no sense of the magical views of either kingdom until it was necessary. I had no sense of slave law until we were about to discover slaves. I had no sense of romantic feelings until they randomly had a one-night stand.

I wish there was more to the world. I wanted to feel the tension between them. I wanted to actually see her being a wonderful assassin without peacocking about. I would have loved to FEEL something when reading this book - anything other than annoyance toward Arla. After Arla received the dragonhart pin, I knew what was coming and just had to call it quits.

Due to my lack of finishing the book, I will not be posting this on Goodreads like I normally do. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it. I just wish the author had read "Save the Cat! Writes a Novel". They really could have benefited from it.

So… Dragonhart. Where do I even begin? This book is kind of like fantasy fanfiction’s greatest hits—if you’ve read Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, or any combination of those, then buckle up because this will feel incredibly familiar. Maybe too familiar.

Let’s start with the main character, Arla. She’s the best assassin in the land—or at least, she keeps telling us she is. She’s got the reputation, the ego, the flashy knives, the tragic orphan backstory… but somehow she’s always getting caught, outsmarted, or just straight-up followed without noticing. It’s like someone turned up the “I’m so amazing” dial and forgot to code in the actual competence. I wanted to root for her, but honestly, she came across as more arrogant and petulant than impressive. She spends most of the book glaring at people and reminding them (and us) how great she is, while constantly getting shown up.

And then there’s Hark, our broody ambassador from the rival kingdom. He’s supposed to be the mysterious, secretly soft love interest—but he’s mostly just there. He throws a few sarcastic remarks, pines from a distance, and is… conveniently hot, I guess? The banter between him and Arla is meant to be the enemies-to-lovers slow burn, but it felt more like two mildly annoyed coworkers stuck on a work trip. They bicker, they brood, they save each other a couple times, and then… boom, romance. It’s not the worst, but it never really hit me in the feels.

Plot-wise, this book is a slow burn. Like, really slow. It kicks off with promise—assassins, court politics, mysterious dragon lore—but then kind of loses momentum in the middle. Around 50%, things finally start happening that make you feel something, and by 80%, it actually gets exciting. But until then? Be prepared for a lot of inner monologues, dramatic declarations, and vague political intrigue that doesn’t make much sense. (Also… why is the villain doing any of this? Still unclear.)

Now the dragons. I love dragons. I read this book for the dragons. So imagine my disappointment when the dragon appears late in the game, barely does anything, and sounds exactly like Tairn from Fourth Wing. Sarcastic, telepathic, hates the love interest—check, check, check. The bond? Also very Fourth Wing. I wanted something new or meaningful here, but the dragon ended up feeling like an afterthought—a checkbox ticked off the romantasy trope list.

The worldbuilding had potential, but it barely scratched the surface. There are sleeping gods, vanishing magic, and a history with dragons—but it’s all vague and undercooked. There’s also this weird time lapse issue—apparently, dragons were real just a hundred years ago but somehow everyone thinks they’re a myth now? I don’t buy it. A century isn’t nearly long enough for that kind of cultural amnesia, especially with giant flying lizards involved.

In the end, Dragonhart wasn’t awful. I actually liked the pacing in parts, and the writing itself had moments that flowed nicely. It just leaned so hard into familiar territory without giving me something new or meaningful to latch onto. If you loved Celaena and Rhysand and Tairn and want more of the same, this might scratch that itch. But if you’re craving originality or strong character depth, this one might leave you side-eyeing your bookshelf.

Also—bonus points for no cliffhanger ending, which I did appreciate.

I enjoyed Dragonhart, and I wanted to really love it. But it just felt like something was missing.
I love the premise, I love enemies to lovers and action and dragons.
I loved the world building! Eaton has beautifully described a world of political intrigue and crumbling magic.
But the pacing fell a bit flat. When there was action it was great, but all the in between times? Not so much. And I understand that thee needs to be slow moments, those are the moments where characters are developed, the little things happen and the questions are often answered. They just fell a little flat for me.
I also wish the characters had a little more oomph between them. I wish that Ayla wasn’t quite so insufferable and Hark was little less wet blanket personality (my personal opinion).
Dragonhart has so much promise and I think is still worth a read!

Dragonheart is a new fantasy story that came out April 18th and it has a lot of things that would set it up for success: dragons, magic, revenge story, strong female characters and enemies to lovers story. For me it fell a little flat, I was not keen to pick it up and keep reading and the ending felt rather unresolved to me and I do not believe that this planned to be a series.
If you enjoy the above tropes, it could be an interesting read for you but the competition in these genres is fierce and I'm not sure Dragonheart stands out.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dragonhart by Abbie Eaton is a decent enemies to lovers fantasy novel that had me wanting answers to so many different questions.

There were so many things about the world found in this book that had me deeply intrigued and somehow left me feeling like I was unravelling some kind of mystery at the same time that I really enjoyed. There are so many questions that both the reader and the main character, Arla, are presented with about the world she lives in, particularly about Hadalyn, her home, and Kastonia, their neighbour. There are the questions of whether the dragons people talk about and the gods often mentioned are actually real, whether in the past or even in a lesser state in the present as some people wholly believe in them, whereas others like Arla think they are a made up story. This also ties into the question of magic, said to be related to the dragons though seemingly something only talked about as if it exists, and never actually seen.

It felt like these were questions that Arla was on a path to find answers to, whether she intended it or not, and the way the answers felt so secret except to a certain few added an element of mystery that I really enjoyed in this book, particularly because I wasn’t expecting it and it created this unique atmosphere to the story that I loved.

As far as characters, I quite enjoyed Hark, grumpy and constantly butting heads with Arla, yet seeming like he was denying even to himself that there might be more to his feelings for the assassin then disdain. Arla wasn’t as exciting of a character in comparison in my opinion, solely because she felt like a bunch of other fierce warrior-esque, deadly killer type females I’ve read in the past and it left her feeling like a not very unique character. As much as I understand why she is a certain way, because of her upbringing, her past in general, and her status as an assassin, I just felt like she could have been more of her own character if she didn’t feel like she was such a contrived personality type. She was also very childish and at the same time felt like she was tooting her own horn about being the greatest assassin ever which had me growing pretty tired of her. I didn’t dislike her by any means, I just found myself very meh about her as a main character as a result and not deeply invested in her.

The book also suffered a bit from taking too long to get to the point and really go anywhere that left it dragging and had me struggling to get through it and keep reading. The plot of Hark and Arla going off together to find out why a shipment was disappearing on the King just took up way more of the book than it needed to and as a result made it feel super slow paced and difficult to push through at times. I felt like I lost a bit of interest around the halfway point which left me putting off continuing with the story for an extended period.

All together it was OK, but not overwhelmingly exciting or groundbreaking. There wasn’t quite enough happening in the plot to keep me interested and it felt like it took too long to get to the point of the book and I just didn’t feel entirely invested. The characters themselves were also for the most part underwhelming, with the most interesting by far being Hark. In the end I could take or leave this book though it could have potential going forward. Will I read more of the series? Eh, I don’t really have an answer at the moment, perhaps if I feel like it when the next release, or not if I don’t feel particularly motivated.