Dragonheart…
This book was absolutely delightful to read. It’s a classic romantasy with a stabby assasin who goes on a character building journey with someone she hates… (we’ve all been there) I did see some similarities to other stabby assassins but it did create a story that was unique unto itself.
Arla is a lovable yet angry FMC who struggles with dark small spaces. She has no faith in an old magic system, and ends up having more than enough proof of its existence in this fantasy that creates easy to picture kingdoms and relatable characters. I loved our dragons although they don’t appear until the very end, and I did find the pacing of the book really good, it wasn’t slow at any points and especially towards the end I was racing through the chapters. I loved the mid-book plot twist and the little surprises we learn along the way.
There were a few spelling mistakes I highlighted in my copy that I I am sure will be rectified.
This would be a 4.5 for me, but cannot give half stars here. Half a star missing due to similarities I frequently found myself noticing. I hope there is a sequel coming, I can’t wait to see what Arla and Hark get up to next!

I feel the premises and the world-building were so intriguing. But the characters wre lacking depth. Given that it's a romantasy and the character dynamics are integral to the story, and i couldn't connect to them to the level I wished to it was lower than it could have been. But I still see potential in this series so I'm definitely gonna give the next book a chance

Fantasies have my heart. They absolutely do. Give me dragons anywhere, and you've got me hooked. I started this hoping for an excellent, dragon-based romantasy, and it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I don't feel like the FMC was written as a particularly likeable character, which I understand can be part of a character's development, however I don't think we pulled it off quite well here in redeeming her. She felt very crass and unpolished for most of the book which made it very difficult to read.

The world building was excellent, as the author was able to paint an excellent picture of a realm where magic is crumbling and political conflict is on the rise. But when it came to building the plot in this lush world, it felt a bit meandering.

Overall, I do feel like this will appeal to readers who enjoy more high fantasy, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I've read Dragonhart by Abbie Eaton.

You can say it's in the proximity of the books of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout with a very strong and badass FMC.

Arla is an assassin for King Cyrus and she has a hatred for the Ambassador of the rival kingdom of Kastonia, called Hark Stappen. Together they are send on a mission to secure the deliveries of "products" for Kastonia... but when they find out what it is, Kastonia is going to burn.
While this mission she connects with herself, she connects with all the things she was being lied to, and she connects also with her "enemy".

I loved the story and I pre-ordered this book when it comes out.

It's an Enemy2Lovers, badasss, assassination vibes romantasy. Definitely a 4-star read for me!

(I have read this as an arc, thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins)

⭐️⭐️

I really wanted to like this book. The blurb made it sound like my cup of tea, but unfortunately, it just fell a bit flat!
Our FMC Arla is the kings assasin and shows an arrogant persona, which can work in some instances, but she drove me mad. She acted like a child with her attitude and some of her arguments with Hark. She's meant to be a famed, deadly assassin but spends most of the story showing that her skills may be slightly lacking.
The book had potential but just missed the mark, in my opinion.

Thank you to Harper Collins, One More chapter for the arc of this for my honest review.

Dragonhart is the kind of fantasy that reminds me why I fell in love with reading in the first place. Epic stakes, slow-burn tension, and just the right mix of danger and heart.

Arla is sharp, vengeful, and impossible not to root for. Hark is arrogant, mysterious, and every bit her match. The enemies-to-lovers arc? Perfectly paced. The world? Gritty, magical, and full of secrets waiting to unravel.

It felt familiar in the best way, like the stories that first pulled me into fantasy. Nostalgic, yet fresh. Bold, but still tender where it counts.

This is the kind of story that stay with you.

This book fell short for me. The premise sounded great, but I never could get invested. The FMC was slightly juvenile in her responses. I kept hoping to see some growth as the book developed, but I could never really find myself liking her. The plot was a good one, but the characters just didn’t make me love them. Thank you NetGalley for my eARC.

Three and a half
This debut on paper has it all ,strong heroine, hunky enemy, magic and even the possibility of dragons ! Arla is the kings assassin and boy are we told that repeatedly which sadly became a tad annoying. Hark was a dark horse except he really wasn't because something about him was a little too obvious by my lips are sealed.
In a world abandoned by God's there seems to be a curse on the land leaving countries at war forced to work together and this forces Arla and Hark to travel together to try and find out what is happening. Honestly as the story unravelled I just didn't understand why Arla was chosen because she very clearly has her own opinions and agenda. The couple fall for each other although I didn't really see why except for physical attraction although I cannot fault Arlas relentless get up and go save her man.
I would have liked more backstory about the Gods and just some general world building but I very much enjoyed the final third of this book as secrets are revealed. There are interesting supporting characters but alas we don't really spend much time with them. This ends in a way that clearly leaves the author room to continue this series and it will be interesting to find out what happens next.
This voluntary take is my fair opinion of an advanced copy

Thank you Harper Collin’s UK for an advance copy in exchange for my review.

Dragonhart is a frenzy of fast romance, dragons, sass, and head-scratching plot twists. Our main character, Arla, stomps onto the page with all the grace of a hormonal teenager and clearly thinks the world owes her something. She’s a bratty, bold, King’s assassin and no one is going to tell her what to do or who to be… Until they do and then she melts into a whiney overindulged mess. She gives bad ass warrior Queen energy and then three seconds later she’s arguing with everyone like a spoiled 3rd grader. I love a good crafty character dimension, but lordy, she’s a ride. Anyone who loves a dramatic girlie will love our Arla

The story itself has a fantastic and well established trope set. You get a chosen misfit, you get enemies to lovers, you get a forced proximity mission, you get some heist vibes, it’s chockablock full of all our beloved romantasy favorites. If you love an epiphany driven “fallen for you” moment, you’re going to adore the love story Eaton has created between Arla and Hark. I, on the other hand, loved the clever dialogue during the character’s “I hate you” moments. They were awful in the very best kind of way.

A few cons:
There was a bit of an issue with repetitive character lines and duplicative historical explanations. At times it felt like a verbal déjà vu. “Wait, didn’t she just say that?”
Yes. Yes, she did. A few minor tweaks (and maybe a good thesaurus) and the interactions would have stayed a little more fresh.

I also struggled with the ending and conflict resolution. Without spoilers, imagine watching a tense chess match and suddenly someone wins by throwing glitter at the board. That’s about how much sense the ending made to me. Problems literally vanished with the narrative equivalent of a shrug and a sparkle and I was left feeling abruptly abandoned in my worry for their kingdoms. They went from being die hard Hell-bent saviors to complacent democratic rulers, without actually saving either of the countries? Maybe it’s supposed to feel like that? Maybe that’s the setup for book 2? I don’t know.

Despite the snags, rest assured, Dragonhart was still a fun and entertaining read. There was enough charm, chaos, and dragon-related drama to keep me faithfully flipping through all 400 pages without hesitation. If you love dragon fantasies, if you love enemies to lovers, if you love a spicy fast paced love story, this is your pick. 3.25 stars

Unfortunately DNF’d five chapters in. I couldn’t stand Arla - she was immature, angry and called a poverty stricken town lazy? I got immediate Throne of Glass vibes, and I do see potential with the dragons and gods, but the FMC needed fleshing out a lot more or at least made more likeable from the get go. Either that or we need a likeable character’s POV to lighten things up. From other reviews it didn’t seem like she gets any better so I don’t think this book is for me.

Thanks to One More Chapter, NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

The theme and romance in this book were great in my opinion and I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. The beginning was a bit slower, but it did pick up and the story became very enticing. I enjoyed the romance between Hark and Arya when it finally got to that point. They became two very different people towards each other when they finally let go of their own internal conflicts.

I do think there were a lot of things heavily inspired from other books and that is why I didn't rate this 5 stars. I think the main female character reminded me far too much of Celaena Sardothien from the Throne of Glass series. Both their personalities were very similar and they were both their king's assassin. I think when Hark introduced the city he built it resembled Velaris too much in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, and Abbie Eaton for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

𝖥𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝖽𝖾𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖻𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌. 𝖨𝗍'𝗌 𝖺𝗇 𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗌𝗌 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝖾𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌. 𝖨𝗍'𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝖺 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝖽𝗎𝗅𝗍 𝖺𝗎𝖽𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗋𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝖼𝖾.

𝖨 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽 𝖻𝗎𝗂𝗅𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋 𝖽𝗂𝖽 𝖺 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗃𝗈𝖻 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗌𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗁 𝗂𝗇 𝗉𝗈𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗎𝖾, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖿𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗀𝗂𝖼.

𝖮𝗎𝗋 𝖥𝖬𝖢 𝖠𝗋𝗅𝖺 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖪𝗂𝗇𝗀'𝗌 𝖺𝗌𝗌𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗌𝖾𝖽𝗅𝗒 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖿𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌. 𝖲𝗁𝖾'𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗀𝖺𝗇𝗍, 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝖻𝖻𝗒 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐𝗌 𝖺 𝗅𝗈𝗍 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐𝗍𝗁.

𝖧𝖺𝗋𝗄 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗆𝖻𝖺𝗌𝗌𝖺𝖽𝗈𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗂𝗀𝗁𝖻𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖽𝗈𝗆 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗇 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗆𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝖠𝗋𝗅𝖺 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌. 𝖭𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖪𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋.

𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗆𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗇s 𝖺lo𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗃𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗇𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝖿𝗎𝗇 𝖻𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝖺𝗀𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝖺𝗅𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗌'𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾, 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗒/𝗋𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗒 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒 𝗂𝗍.

𝖥𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝗌:

𝖲𝗅𝗈𝗐 𝖻𝗎𝗋𝗇
𝖬𝖺𝗀𝗂𝖼
𝖥𝗈𝗋𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗑𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗒

I was incredibly excited to read this book as it has all the makings of an amazing Romantasy story - enemies to lovers, assassins, magic, forced proximity, DRAGONS… unfortunately, this one just fell a little flat for me.
Our FMC, Arla, started out strong and sassy but seemed to have very little growth throughout the book. She reads very young and naive, though she’s supposed to be this hardcore assassin and the two don’t completely jive together in a way that made sense to me.
I really liked Hark, however, and I liked the chemistry and banter between them. The slow burn and tension between them made their relationship interesting to watch develop.
While the writing is easy to follow, I felt like it was either so slow and lacking in world building, or so fast paced and everything all at once that it really made it hard to stay interested in the story and the characters. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't a bad read but it didn't reach its full potential. I thought it borrowed from other series' that just did a better job. It's a great first book and I look forward to seeing what this author does next. I think being compared to Fourth Wing and When the Moon Hatched hurt it more than helped it. I do think there's a lot of potential here and I think a lot of people will really enjoy this book!

Dragonhart is a captivating blend of adventure, romance, and emotional depth, weaving together an enemies-to-lovers plot that is executed with incredible finesse. Arla, a fierce assassin with unwavering loyalty, is thrust into an unexpected alliance with Hark Stappen, the ambassador from a neighbouring kingdom. The dynamic between them is electric, starting with animosity and slowly evolving into something much deeper as they confront painful truths and unspoken emotions along the way.

The twists and turns in the story were completely unexpected, adding layers to an already rich plot and keeping me on the edge of my seat. The forced proximity trope is masterfully executed, intensifying the enemies-to-lovers arc and drawing out complex feelings between Arla and Hark. I especially enjoyed how the humour in the book lightened the tension it had me laughing out loud even when the characters were on the brink of danger.

Arla’s is fiercely strong, determined, and loyal. Her growth throughout the story is remarkable, making her one of the most memorable FMCs in fantasy. The world-building is immersive, pulling readers into a vivid, well-crafted universe, while the character development and intriguing backstories keep you deeply invested in every twist and turn.

The pacing is spot on, with the adventure element thrilling and unpredictable, matching the intensity of the romance. The chemistry between Arla and Hark is undeniable, and the slow-burn tension between them makes their relationship feel both heart-warming and earned.

This book is a must-read for fans of romantasy, fantasy, or enemies-to-lovers tales. With its well-rounded characters, gripping plot, and undeniable chemistry, it’s a gem that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this world.

OMG! This book was such an unexpected, fun read.

First of all, Hark is now on my list of book boyfriends. He's absolutely delicious (and a perfect mix of vicious, yet soft)

Arla is the Kings Assassin; she's snarky and ruthless and detached. I adore her.

She despises the Ambassador from the neighbouring kingdom, so when they're sent off together on a mission you know it's going to be a good time. The banter and dynamic between them definitely made me chuckle.

The old religion talks of Gods and Dragons that have gone to sleep. I won't spoil what happens, but you definitely get to see this play out (and I can't wait to see it continue in book 2)

The writing was excellent, and the side characters weren't lacking.

Go read this book.

I think Dragonhart has so much potential to be a great series. Some positive things that stood out to me were the dialogue and witty banter between the two romantic interests. I think the FMC could use some more fleshing out in terms of being a round character. She felt flat to me because she just seemed angry about EVERYTHING. I needed to see more vulnerability to make her more likable. The magic also felt a little underwhelming because it wasn't fully weaved into the whole story. It almost felt like it was saved for the end and I would have appreciated it to be fully incorporated throughout.

Thank you for the ARC.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity with the advanced copy. I was very excited for this book, however overall it fell a little flat for me.

I struggled to get into this story as the backstory felt like other story lines I had read before. It was tough for me to connect with the FMC and I found her infuriating at times. I did enjoy the romance and the MMC more, as those aspects progressed - I found it easier for me to continue.

The world building felt choppy for me at times and again made me think of other fantasy books I have read before. I will likely still recommend this book to readers that I know enjoy dragons and the tropes involved.

I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I simply couldn’t vibe at all with the FMC and found myself more focused on how juvenile it felt. I think the author shows a lot of promise, but it just wasn’t for me this time.

I find myself unable to write a long review without it spiralling into a whinge about the things that frustrated me and made me unable to connect with the whole story, and I simply don’t have the desire to write a negative review on both a book and author that I do believe show promise.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this eARC. My review is wholly my own opinion.

This was a really great read. It was a slow burn with little spice. I loved the interactions of the main characters. I could see Arla roll her eyes more than once at Hark. All in all it was a great read.