The book has left me feeling a lot. I had not read Legends of Thezzmar but had only heard good things so I was pretty excited but as soon as the FMC chapter hit I found her annoying and rude. Yes there was a war and she had been through a lot but sometimes it felt like she was needlessly cruel. Also, the book felt a bit too long... I mean 92 chapters why? The whole length of this book felt like it was laying the groundwork for the series and nothing much was happening other than romance and grief. and the connection between Wren and Torj was not there at all, no growth and just lust. Would read the next book to give the series a better shot but this one was not my cup of tea.

I have literally just put this book down and OMG I am stunned. Another masterpiece from this author.

Torj might just be my favourite character ever, what a beautiful, strong warrior of a man. This man would do anything for the woman he loved. He got put through it again and again. The ending had me heartbroken and I desperately need book 2 already.

Wren is the perfect sort of complicated, stubborn, independent fmc that I love to read. Was she a bit annoying at times? Did i want to shake her to make her realise what she had in front of her? Of course I did but could I completely understand why she had made the choices she made - 100%.

A great plot, a great bunch of characters, wonderful world building. Like I say - a masterpiece

The worldbuilding is intricate yet easy to digest, with a strong focus on magic and alchemy that I absolutely loved. The Gauntlet trials had me hooked - dark, gritty, and intense, they really packed an emotional punch. Helen also masterfully balances fantasy and romance, something I often find tricky in this genre, where romance can sometimes overshadow the plot.

The slow-burn romance is full of tension, with well-written spice. Torj, with his brooding, Witcher-esque energy, was everything, while Wren’s sharp wit and intelligence made her a fantastic FMC who constantly challenged him. That said, I think I would have been even more invested in their connection had I read Legends first.

Beyond the romance, the cast of characters is crafted with distinct charm and personality. The camaraderie between them adds so much to the story, and I loved Kipp - there’s just something so about a lovable “class clown” in fantasy!

Overall, this was a great romantasy with the perfect balance of fantasy and romance elements and I’ll definitely be picking up more of Helen’s work!

I loved everything about this!
It has everything i want in a romantasy and i loved the writing and the world that the author created.
Being someone who hasnt read her original series set in this world, i do think that if you read that series first then there would be a whole new level of impact. Despite that i hadnt, i DEVOURED this and will be going back to read everything else she has ever written!

Iron and Embers was an enjoyable read, and I particularly loved the characters and their development. However, I can't help but feel disappointed by how this book was marketed. It was pitched as a standalone set five years after the Blood and Steel series, focusing on side characters. Given that description, I expected a self-contained story that could be enjoyed independently.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. There are numerous references to the previous series. Certain events and characters were mentioned repeatedly. Because of this, I would not recommend reading Iron and Embers without first reading Blood and Steel. Despite being marketed as a standalone, it heavily makes reference to characters and events in the previous series, making it feel more like a sequel than an independent novel. I know I’m not alone in this opinion, as many other readers have expressed similar frustrations.

That being said, if you’ve already read Blood and Steel, you’ll likely appreciate the continuation of the world and the development of familiar characters. But if you’re new to the author’s work and were hoping to start here, I’d strongly suggest picking up Blood and Steel first for a much better reading experience.

while i wanted to love this book, i found it a chore to get through. i’d heard so many good things about iron and embers, which made me really excited to start it. and while i enjoyed it a the beginning, i found myself struggling to finish it. i’ve seen many people call this “slow burn” but it’s not slow in the slightest. it’s a fast insta lust with no chemistry, tension or yearning. the characters are literally horny for each other from the first moment they “meet” (as they weren’t strangers). they go “wow I’m so aroused, but he/she hates me so i’ll walk away” only for the same thing to repeat 20 pages later. because it’s a constant back and forth of her being wet the whole damn time, it felt extremely repetitive and redundant.

the characters weren’t particularly likeable either. they annoyed me to no end. i was intrigued by wren’s past (/current?) but that was hardly important as the focus was on the arousal “pooling between her legs”. we get it, she’s turned on. the author was clearly going for wren to be one of those badass heroines, but it was very lacklustre considering she hardly did anything to warrant being a badass. she did a couple of things, and i wished that was more of focus instead of her lust.

i really liked the world but found there wasn’t enough worldbuilding. i would’ve loved to see more of it fleshed out, as i was very intrigued.

all in all, i really don’t think i’ll ever pick up another book by this author — they clearly aren’t for me.

3.75 stars rounded up

I loved the Legends of Thezmarr series by Helen Scheuerer, so I was really excited when I saw the announcement for her new spin-off series! Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan/Tor Bramble for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Iron & Embers follows Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, who is hell-bent on seeking vengeance for the deaths of her friends during the last war. When an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king, Wren is charged with finding a cure for the strange new poison. Offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor, she must claim her spot by conquering a series of deadly trials called the gauntlet. To her dismay, she is assigned a bodyguard in the form of Torj Elderbrock, the war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge. Their shared history ignites a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both.

Although this book does have a small recap on the events of the last Legends of Thezmarr book, I would urge anyone wanting to read this book to go and read the Legends of Thezmarr series first. One, it’s a great series and this book does spoil the ending, and two, I think you’ll enjoy this book more if you know the backstory of the characters.

I knew I liked these characters from seeing them in the previous series, and it was really great to get to know them better. While I liked Wren, Torj was the standout character for me. Although I did enjoy their slow-burn romance, I wasn’t *obsessed* with them as a couple. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was, but something was missing, and I didn’t love them together as much as I did Helen’s other couples. I also found the “bodyguard” conflict a little flimsy, as we know from the previous series that warswords do whatever they want! The spice was well-written, and there was a twist in their relationship that I didn’t see coming.

The academy setting sounded really fun, and I did enjoy learning more about alchemy, but I felt that all of the lessons took away from time that Wren and Torj could be spending together, developing their relationship. I think I actually enjoyed it more at the beginning of the book where Wren was poisoning her victims, and Torj is sent to stop her. This could have been a really fun storyline if it had been dragged out and further developed, with a cat and mouse dynamic that could have added more tension.

I was really glad to see Cal and Kipp return, and there were some interesting side characters introduced. I also loved the Wilder and Thea cameos we got!

The plot had good pacing, and it was overall engaging. However, I was disappointed by the gauntlet, which seemed to be over in a few pages. It was talked about as such a huge and daunting event, but it was over so quickly. The ending had a great twist, but I’m still not sure how I feel about it yet. I’m also unsure about how one of the characters reacted to something that happened - I think they could have handled it in a different way that would have been more true to their character, but I appreciate that this decision was probably made to create more angst for the next book.

Overall, this was a good start to a new series, and I’m so excited to see what Helen does with these characters next! I will definitely be reading the sequel when it’s released.

4.5⭐️- born to read fantasy books, cursed to be left on devastating cliffhangers.

This is my first book by Helen Scheuerer and I absolutely loved this! An alchemist training to find the cure for dark magic threatening her kingdom and the war hero entrusted to be her bodyguard. And they can’t stand to be around each other after an incident years earlier?! Sensational.

I kind of wish I had read the Legends of Thezmarr series first as those characters do play big parts in this, but it didn’t ruin my reading at all. Due to the bad blood between them, Wren and Torj have so much tension and chemistry I was just screaming for them to snap! This is very much a slow burn on the romantasy element but it’s so so worth it.

The fantasy plot was incredible too, the world building was really comprehensive and easy to understand, despite not having read the previous series.

This is dual POV which was <b>everything</b>, and I was screaming at getting to read what the other was thinking during certain scenes. Wren is a an introverted hoarder who is invited to an academy for alchemists to train and work with others to reach her goal of becoming a sage. And Torj is broody, tortured and frustrated at not being able to work in the way he wants ever since the war ended. These two are polar opposites but their chemistry was off the charts.

“Now, she knew small, intimate things. Like that the Warsword murmured in his sleep. A handful of phrases that sank hard into her chest: I’ll save you. I’ll protect you. I’ll always protect you”.

I highly recommend this and after that cliffhanger ending I need the second book like yesterday!

Thank you to Book Break @ Pan MacMillan for gifting me an ARC of this book to review.

I can’t wait for the second book! The angst the pining I need more!!! Wren and troj were just everything. He was so protective of wren and he was exactly what I would’ve expected wanted for our girl wren. Excellently written book where every word counted and contributed to the story!

Okay I thought I was a Wilder girly thanks to his godly-yum-ness in Legends... but let me fking tell you how fast I was on my knees and BEGGING for a teeny tiny morsel of attention from Mr Torj Elderbrock.

Slay me. Slay me with your bear paws sir.

The yearning and mutual pining had me salivating. Helen knows how to deliver a tension filled slow burn. And being in Torj's head and seeing how down bad he is for Wren had me absolutely feral.

Wren. Sweet, fiery, hurting Elwren oh my goodness. She's lost so much and her soul carries so much heaviness from the war. It was so heartbreaking to go through her struggles and pain after everything.

If you haven't reads Legends of Thezmarr yet... PLEASE TAKE A U-TURN AND DO SO. But if these things sound like your cup of alchemists tea (IYKYK)...
- broody warsword
- alchemist
- bodyguard
- forced proximity
- magic
- found family
- slow burn (but so tension filled with the FILTH that occupies Torj's mind) romance
... add this one to your tbr!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I wasn't sure about this story at the start, especially as I'd never read Scheuerer's other series and therefore didn't have the emotional connection to the characters that other readers might. However, it drew me in and by halfway through I was completely invested in Wren and Torj's relationship. That ending, jeez! But what I really enjoyed was that, while the romance was a central plot point, the other threads such as Wren's PTSD and grief were still dealt with brilliantly and with full support of all the other characters. I wish all romantasy fiction had characters this good!

This book is almost 550 pages, and I read the entire thing in one sitting!

I honestly loved this so much more than Legends of Thezmarr (even though I reallly loved that one as well). This had all the same elements we saw in the first series but it was a lot more slow burn. The yearning and romance between Torj and Wren was stunning, and I'm also so happy that we saw the trauma and struggles that any person would face after the event of Legends.

My only complaint is that the ending was a little predictable, but it honestly doesn't bother me that much. I can't wait to see what happens and I'm so excited we don't have to wait too long!

4,5/5

This book was everything I wanted and more! I love Wren so much. She has been through so much and deserves every happiness. Deeply traumatised after the Legends of Thezmarr series, Wren has built up walls and shut down rather than face her grief. Seeing her build new friendships and rekindle old ones is so emotional! Despite her pain, she remains witty and feisty. Her character is so well done and so complex!

Where to start with Torj 🥵 a grumpy, overprotective bodyguard so full of yearning! The Witcher but with banter. And the side characters! Kip is still a firm fave and never fails to have me actually laughing out loud.

”Now your woman is fighting to achieve something she has wanted her whole life. Your role, your only fucking role here, is to support her.”

(Ps, this book/series can definitely be read without reading the Legends of Thezmarr first, but it does have spoilers and link back to events in the earlier series.)

I had no idea what to expect going in to this - it had a slower romance burn as promised, the world is really well built and the alchemy plot is beguiling. Ended up really into it, unable to put it down. This is the first in a new series, connected to the writer’s existing series and it speaks to its strength that I still loved it without the prior reading.

3 Stars

IRON & EMBERS is a difficult book to rate. I found it hard to continue this book as it was a continuation/spin-off from the author's previous series, The Legends of Thezmarr. It picks up 5 years after the conclusion of the former series.

With fiesty characters like Wren Embervale who is technically a queen, she turned from alchemist to assassin. The opening scene was great, but with the inclusion of other POVs and characters, it tended to be a little confusing. It didn't help that we jumped straight into scenes with not much of an explanation. It would've helped if there was an author's note explaining more about the world in the beginning.

Overall, it is indeed an enemies-to-lovers book, and is pretty long at over 500 pages according to the website - which felt longer due to my eReader's size. What kept me reading was the character's motivations and funny side-characters which made IRON & EMBERS worthwhile.
I've no doubt it will find a suitable audience, but I'm a little disappointed with this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Absolutely fantastic! I read the series before this and I have been reading this author since I got my first arc! I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait for more! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Slow start figuring everything out. Love how male protagonist understands that the female protagonist needs space to heal and "face her monsters alone".
I can see how her constantly pushing him away could be annoying but I also understand why she does.
Not actually enemies to lovers at all at the start, More like friends to lovers and some second chance mixed in but that changes abruptly.
Throughout the book there are sudden changes in character behaviour, one chapter they're kind and understanding and the next they're enemies, it is super confusing and derails the flow. The story is a great idea but just does not seem to flow easily, it's abrupt and uneasy.
Unfortunately not one for me.
One of the few things I did enjoy was the lqbtqia+ representation.

If you love tension, angst, and a ‘who did this to you moment, plus you liked blood and steel by Helen Shcueurer, then you will love Iron and Embers!

This is set 5 years after the Legends of Thezzmar series so I would recommend reading this afterwards because there’s not loads of world building and character introduction as a lot of that is in the previous series. Also, characters from the previous series are also in Iron and Embers so it might spoil some things if you don't start with the Legends of Thezzmar.

I really enjoyed the setting at the deadly alchemy academia and loved Wren the female main character, she’s independent, stubborn, thinks that she can do everything by herself - I love a female main character with all those traits! She's struggling with some trauma from the Thezzmar war and you really connect to how she's feeling and her struggles throughout the book.

The two main characters are supposed to be older as well, late twenties to mid thirties, so it’s nice to read about someone other than 19 year olds in a lot of romantasy books.

Someone also told me Torj, the MMC, reminds them of Thor so if that doesn't persuade you - I don't know what will!

It was just a really fun romantasy read and definitely worth a spot on your TBR

This was a great book, and great characters. I loved all the alchemy side of this story, great world building and obviously the spicy scenes.

I’m so glad this is my first book by Helen - now I’m heading to read her entire back collection!

I loved Torj and Wrens story from the start, it was full of tension, banter then happiness leading to heartache. The world building was fantastic, and considering I haven’t read the LoT I wasn’t confused in the slightest.

The use of alchemy and warfare in this story was phenomenal and seeing the characters come into themselves was a joy to read

I can’t wait for book 2!!