Review: A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns to the 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.

A FIRE IN THE SKY by SOPHIE JORDAN

Series: A Fire in the Sky #1

Publication date: September 24, 2024

Published by: Harper, Avon

Genre: fantasy, romantasy

 

SYNOPSIS

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. 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 marry 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 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 it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

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Praise for Sophie Jordan:

“Firelight soars to dizzying heights, combining forbidden love, scorching romance, and thrilling danger.” — Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy

“Magnificent and masterful! A world so captivating, you’ll never want to leave!” — Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author on Firelight

Praise for Vanish: “With thrilling fights and several escapes…[an] impossibly handsome love interest and star-crossing impediments to love…[Vanish is] imaginative.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Just surrender to the sizzle.” — Kirkus Reviews

"Bestseller Jordan (the Duke Hunt series) will have readers rooting for adultery with this risqué and alluring series launch. Jordan conjures such chemistry between Tru and Jasper—and makes Lord Chatham so odious—that readers will leave any qualms at the door. The tantalizing struggle between love and honor at the heart of this delectable romance keeps the pages flying."  — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess

"Sharp, sexy, and blissfully salacious, The Scandalous Ladies of London is an adrenaline-soaked, romantic delight. I flew through this in one sitting, completely unwilling to stop until I reached the perfect last page. This book is precisely what I love most about romance! " — Christina Lauren, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Soulmate Equation

"Jordan…makes a firm argument for more historical romances that dare to live outside the ballroom or even the aristocracy altogether. Her love scenes crackle (don't worry, the book makes good on its deliciously clever title) … for those looking for a historical romp that goes a bit further afield than a 19th century estate, The Duke Goes Down is a delightful diversion.”

— Entertainment Weekly on The Duke Goes Down

"Jordan gives readers a clever and high-drama twist on the traditional Regency romance but keeps the heart of what makes the genre so popular and beloved. Historical romance fans who like their romance with a dash of soap opera antics will eat this book up and anxiously await more scandals in future volumes." — Library Journal on The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.

A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.

In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.

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REVIEW

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan


I gave this one a try because I'm a huge fan of Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison and I'm always on the lookout for another Dragon book that can grab my attention. It's very hard to find good quality paranormal/fantasy books with dragons-at least that has been my experience. This series takes place before Sophie Jordan's Firelight series and is supposed to give more background on the creation of the dragon shifters. I have never read her YA series, but I was excited to read this author for the very first time as she entered the adult romantasy genre. One positive thing that comes to mind about my impression of this book is that it quickly and easily engaged me in the story and I never struggled to continue reading. It took me less than 24 hours to read the book in its entirety which I can't say for a lot of stories I have read.

Based on the wording in the synopsis, one of my only concerns going in was that the hero becomes violent or abusive in some form when he learns that he's been deceived by the heroine. Yes, his character is a brutal warrior, but one thing I can't stomach is when an author romanticizes abuse. I took the risk and read it anyway, and luckily my fears were never realized. While he was understandably enraged and left feeling betrayed in a huge way, I never felt that he crossed the line in his treatment of her.

   Legions of warriors followed this man. 

He was the stuff of legends and nightmares. 

The strongest. The most vicious. The man 

who held this realm together.

Fell is a "border lord" who fiercely protects Penterra and its inhabitants-including the royals. Their freedom and safety are all due to him and his warriors, however they do not receive the respect they have earned. His people from the Borderlands are seen as brutish, uncivilized, and Fell himself is referred to as a Beast. When he marches upon the castle to greet the royals, he is greeted with artificial compliments and praise. Everyone has pretty words and bright smiles for them until he demands to marry a princess in return for his service. Suddenly their true feelings are revealed. These outrageously selfish people think it's laughable to reward the very person who has kept them all safe for many years. A scheme is quickly concocted to use their whipping girl to take the place of a princess and hide her identity until it's too late to reverse the marriage.

Honestly, almost everyone in the castle is despicable. King Hamlin is a spineless weakling who relies on his advisor to make his decisions for him. The chancellor is the man in charge of whipping the heroine for the princesses' transgressions and he finds sadistic pleasure while doing it. Two of the three sisters are vain and selfish. The majority of everyone else belittles Tamsyn for being raised with the royals but being "beneath" them.

   I might be trapped between worlds—royal 

and not royal, belonging and not belonging—

but at least I knew my place, my purpose.

One princess and Stig, the captain of the guard and Tamsyn's best friend, were the only people with any decency. Though even Stig quickly lost my respect as well. I just didn't understand why Tamsyn seemed so humble and giving towards all of these people who had her whipped because of an archaic tradition and only thought of themselves. Truly. She was willing to constantly sacrifice for them and never feel an ounce of resentment, even when they led her like a lamb to the slaughter to a man whom everyone deemed dangerous. It was sort of frustrating all around from every angle, but I suppose I gave her a little bit more understanding since they took her in when she was an abandoned baby and she felt indebted to them. She was also quite sheltered living in the palace and had no experiences with the outside world regarding how their political policies and decisions were negatively affecting the lower classes. Her marriage to Fell is supposed to gain him entry into political discussions so that he would be able to help the poor and struggling prosper. Unfortunately, that hope is destroyed when he discovers that he has been duped, and unsurprisingly he does not take it well.

After the marriage, the story becomes more of a journey/adventure type fantasy as they make the grueling trek back to his homeland. They encounter danger and hardship, and we get a lot of internal dialogue through alternating POV chapters. What the book is truly lacking is character depth, any development of romantic feelings, and detailed explanations on just about anything important in the plot. In general, everything is very surface level. It almost has the feel of how a novella reads to me because of how everything is briefly told to you instead of being shown or brought to life. Questions I had regarding the physical reaction Tamsyn and Fell had in their hands where they were blood bonded during their wedding were never satisfied. Why did the dragons start delivering human babies who could shift? There was a brief throwaway comment about a witch being responsible, but the full background was never explained.

This is the first book and a prequel to another series. Its main purpose is to tell backstory and history, yet it seemed noticeably absent. Maybe more will be introduced more in the next book? I couldn't help but feel disappointed in the worldbuilding and flat characters. How did Tamsyn and Fell even have such strong emotion for each other when they barely spoke to each other? When they did speak, most of the time they weren't getting along. The book ends very abruptly on a cliffhanger. I knew this was supposed to be a series, but the way the book ended was so rushed and jarring. There was a big reveal with Tamsyn and Fell and his reactions didn't quite come off as natural to me based on the lack of time he spent with his wife getting to know her. We are just to believe that he would immediately accept the things revealed and upend his entire life the way he did at a moment's notice? I'm not convinced.

I wanted to love this book, but I think it didn't meet the potential that I felt it had. Unfortunately this one was just okay for me.

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Review: Fast & Reckless by Amanda Weaver

Race into a sexy New Adult romance, set in the fast-paced world of Formula One. These friends-to-lovers are about to fall . . . fast and reckless.

He’s the one man she can’t have . . .

FAST & RECKLESS by AMANDA WEAVER

Series: n/a

Publication date: September 10, 2024

Published by: Zando, Slowburn

Genre: contemporary romance

 

SYNOPSIS

Mira Wentworth knows Will Hawley is trouble. Even if he revs her engine, flirting with the handsome new driver on her father’s Formula One team is not in the cards. Mira has sworn off on-track romance after a mistake as a teen cost her everything. Now she has a chance to win back her spot in F1 as a team assistant, and she's not going to let one cheeky, bad boy driver get in her way.

She’s the one woman he wants . . .

After his party boy antics nearly blew up his racing career, Will is finally back in the driver’s seat and determined to get onto the podium. He likes to think he’s reformed, but with one look at the boss’ daughter, he’s willing to risk it all.

As the heat builds between Mira and Will, their chemistry deepens into something more. But when the ugly events of the past come to call, their fragile new relationship is put to the test. Can Mira and Will’s love cross the finish line?

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Praise for Fast and Reckless:

“Weaver delivers a smart, sexy romance perfectly paired with the high-octane world of Formula One. Whether you’re already a fan of the sport or just getting up to speed, Mira and Will’s story is not to be missed!” ―Grace Reilly, USA TODAY bestselling author of First Down

“Amanda Weaver burns up the pages in Fast & Reckless, a gripping, sexy story between F1’s bad boy driver and a straightlaced assistant trying to outrace her past. With an exciting peek into the world of Formula One racing and the angst of forbidden romance, I could not turn the pages fast enough!” ―Liana De la Rosa, author of Ana María and the Fox

“Fast & Reckless is a high-octane forbidden love story, playing out on the global stage of Formula One racing. The heartfelt romance is enhanced by the glittering locations and adrenaline-filled moments of speed and danger.” ―Adele Buck, author of Fake Flame

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda has loved romance since she read that very first Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel at fifteen. After a long detour into a career as a costume designer in theatre, she’s found her way back to romance, this time as a writer.

A native Floridian, Amanda transplanted to New York City many years ago and now considers Brooklyn home, along with her husband, daughter, two cats, and nowhere near enough space.

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REVIEW

Fast & Reckless: A Racing Hearts Novel by Amanda Weaver
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

   He could feel it happening, like something 

locking into place in his heart. He was 

falling for this girl like he’d fallen for 

racing: hard, fast, and irrevocably.

This book appealed to me because of the Formula one setting. I have read very, very few romances with this as a backdrop (only 3 come to mind!) so I was looking forward to something a little outside of my norm. This is also my first read by this author, so of course I had no idea whether or not I would connect with her writing style. I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed Amanda Weaver's writing-most especially her attention to detail in describing the racing world. You really get a behind the scenes look at not only some of what a driver experiences, but the support team including engineers, assistants, and principal. I don't watch racing, so it was great to learn a little bit more about this competitive field. You can really tell when an author takes the time to put in extensive research and it's glaringly obvious Amanda Weaver took that aspect very seriously. Kudos to her for bringing the characters and setting to life so brilliantly.

This book has a strong forbidden romance theme from both the male and female leads' side. Will is the new driver for Mira's father's team and he is determined to prove that his disastrous party boy ways are in his past. His reputation is still in tatters after he let fame get to his head and acted unprofessionally his first time as a driver.

   Will was the wild card, the hotheaded 

bad boy, the flashy angle they’d use 

to sell their stories.

He wants to redeem himself in the media and prove to his new boss that he made the right choice taking a chance on him. Getting involved with his boss' daughter is the last thing that would achieve that. On Mira's side, she has a lot to prove as well. She got involved with a driver from another team which caused a lot of damage to her father's team after a scandal broke out. Now both Mira and Will are looking for redemption-the absolute last thing they are looking for is an ill-advised attraction. I enjoyed this forbidden theme quite a bit, it added some tension and anticipation. There was also a sense of foreboding as they got closer to giving into their feelings because you know everything is going to blow up in their faces quite spectacularly. It's pretty much inevitable.

   Well, that extremely inconvenient blast of 

physical attraction was going straight into 

a trunk, padlocked, and dumped into the 

depths of the ocean, because there was 

no way. Not ever. He was one thousand 

percent off-limits for a million 

different reasons.

Mira and Will both have their own individual struggles causing internal conflicts. Mira feels a deep sense of shame over her past foolish involvement with a man who used her horribly and ruined her reputation. She was a rebellious teenager who made a stupid decision and that choice almost destroyed her father's team as well as her own chance at a career in Formula 1. The man from her past is still around, and never fails to taunt her with her personal demons. Will is struggling to prove to the media as well as his team that his head is 100% focused on winning. More than that, he wants to become a success to finally make his snobby parents proud. He was always a disappointment to them for not joining the family banking business, and their approval is never within reach. I do wish this conflict was explored as much as Mira's was, but that's nitpicking if I'm being honest.

Mira and her father's relationship is damaged, but slowly, gradually, they begin to work their way back to a stronger place. There is a definite lack of communication between the two that has led to some hurt feelings and misunderstandings over her past mistakes. Mira is upset that her father seemingly judges her bad decisions and that there is still distrust on his side that she can be responsible. He is not the most expressive, open person so there is a bit of a wall between them. Their fragile relationship added another layer to the forbidden romance between Will and Mira because she did not want her actions to ever negatively impact her father again.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would definitely read another by this author in the future. Even if you're not a fan of Formula 1, there is a lot to appreciate with this romance and I'm sure you will find the detailed racing world immersive. There were hints that one of the secondary characters named Violet will be getting her own story told next, and I'm fully on board for continuing on with the series with that installment.

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Blog Tour With Excerpt: No One Does It Like You by Katie Shepard

College sweethearts reunite to restore more than just an old inn in this new romance by Katie Shepard, author of Sweeten the Deal

NO ONE DOES IT LIKE YOU by KATIE SHEPARD

Series: n/a

Publication date: September 3, 2024

Published by: Berkley

Genre: contemporary romance

 

SYNOPSIS

When’s the best time to tell your ex that you want them back?

Probably not in the middle of a Category 3 hurricane. But when Broadway actor Tom Wilczewski is about to dive into the floodwaters to rescue his co-lead, he calls the ex-wife he hasn’t seen in ten years to swear he still loves her and ask for a chance to make things right.

Two months later, Rose Kelly is tired of seeing pictures of her ex-husband Tom rescuing Hollywood darling Boyd Kellagher. Not that she’s jealous. Of course not. She’s far too busy taking care of her elderly aunt and worrying about the storm damage to the family B&B on Martha’s Vineyard to miss the love of her life. But after belatedly hearing Tom’s voicemail, Rosie asks him to follow through on his promises for once by helping her fix the inn. Thinking this is the perfect way to win her back, Tom agrees.

When they get there, things are…less than ideal. Rosie expected the inn to be in better shape. She expected it to have more beds. And she expected more help from her actual family—not from Tom and the rest of his Broadway cast. But Rosie begins to wonder if maybe the life she expected isn’t the one she really wants. If she and Tom can repair the inn together, can they possibly repair the damage to the relationship they both thought was long gone?

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EXCERPT

Rose clenched her jaw when she saw the article her aunt was reading.



"That newspaper is three months old," Rose informed her aunt.



  "Oh? Well, like you said, I have short-term memory loss. It'll be new to me," her aunt said with purposeful sweetness.



   Rose recognized the picture on the page because she couldn't mentally erase the image of her ex-husband's distinctive Greek-god nose smooshed up against the equally distinctive profile of Boyd fucking Kellagher.



   As if she needed something else to deal with! This was the year Tom had to make the national news with his tongue in someone else's mouth!



   If the Times article was to be believed, Rose had at least another year of news ahead of her about Tom smooshing faces with Boyd Kellagher onstage. And, hell, probably offstage too, based on the equally pervasive image of Tom dragging the movie star out of the floodwaters, the other man clinging to Tom's neck like a giant, chiseled damsel in distress. Rose did not want to see it again. Those photos gave her the same uncomfortable feelings as real estate listings for homes she could never afford or other people's holiday cards, pictures that made her quickly turn the page or close the card.



   It wasn't that she begrudged Tom his first big Broadway role in ten years. Or kissing Boyd Kellagher. Or even Boyd Kellagher kissing Tom. She was unsurprised he had a gorgeous boyfriend now. But if Tom was going to get everything he ever wanted-love, fame, professional success-could Rose not get just one thing? If not Tom, if not a family of her own, why could she not at least get a couple of happy weeks of vacation every year spent preparing extravagant meals and group photo shoots in matching sweaters? It didn't seem like too much to ask for.



   "I've seen it already," Rose said, trying not to sound as stressed as she felt.



   "So handsome," Max cooed, and she could have been referring to either Tom or Boyd. "I always liked him."



   "No, you didn't," Rose retorted, snapping at the bait before she could stop herself. This was revisionist history. "None of you did. You told me not to marry him."



   "Telling you not to marry him is different from liking him. I thought he was a nice boy. You should have waited for him to grow up."



   Tom's age had nothing to do with it. "We just ended up wanting different things." That was her standard line on their divorce, one that assigned no blame while obscuring the painful truth that Rose, specifically, had not been one of the things Tom wanted.



   "And you didn't even send us a wedding present," Rose said, certain that would get her aunt off the subject.



   Max raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. "I'm sorry, but we all assumed you were in a family way and too embarrassed to admit it before the wedding. I was going to get all your nursery furniture."

       Rose stiffened her shoulders in familiar hurt because she'd known what her family thought, but nobody had ever given her the chance to set them straight. 

   She hadn't married Tom because she was pregnant, then or ever, or for tax reasons, or to get him on her health insurance, or for any of the other reasons people had speculated about their marriage at twenty-two.

She'd married him because he'd asked her and because she'd loved him-she'd been utterly, stupidly in love with him-and she'd thought it would last forever. Which had made their breakup only a year later much more embarrassing than an unexpected baby would have been.



   But that was a long time ago now. What was really embarrassing was that she was still having feelings about it at all, which she decided she would stop doing at once.



   "Well, I wasn't. Obviously. And I'm happy he's finding success. He's a very talented actor, so I'm not surprised he's working with people like Boyd Kellagher," Rose said, getting herself in hand and saying the things the kind of person she wanted to be would say.



   "Are you going to see his new play?" her aunt asked.



   "It looks like I'm going to be busy over the next few months," Rose said dourly, checking the time again. Her family's tardiness did not bode well for their contributions to fixing up the inn.



Excerpted from No One Does It Like You by Katie Shepard Copyright © 2024 by Katie Shepard. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Praise for No One Does It Like You:

"Shepard’s authentic, imperfect characters lend credibility to the possibility of second chances. Readers will cheer for Rose and Tom to find their way back to each other."—Publishers Weekly

"Shepard's No One Does It Like You is a gorgeous, heartwarming look at love and second chances, and an unforgettable story about family (both the ones we're born into and the kinds we make for ourselves). It's full of both laugh-out-loud moments and scenes that made me cry, with the sort of prose you want to savor forever. I loved every second and can't wait for whatever Shepard writes next!"—Jenna Levine, USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire

"The coziness of small town meets the yearning of second chance in No One Does It Like You. Shepard brilliantly stirs together the comedy of fandom personalities and the creativity of an HGTV show into a swoony love story full of lovable characters."—Julie Soto, USA Today bestselling author of Forget Me Not

"No One Does It Like You is pure brilliance: equal parts tender and sharply funny, and layered with a constant subtle wit that kept me hooked from the first page to the last. Second chance is my favorite trope, and Katie Shepard delivers it on a PLATTER with Tom and Rose's story. I gobbled up every word with my heart in my throat."—Jessica Joyce, author of You, With a View

"No One Does It Like You is a beautiful second chance romance from an author who writes with wit and profound emotional depth. Katie Shepard has a knack for making me laugh on one page and tear up the next, and I absolutely adored reading about divorced college sweethearts Rosie and Tom as they renovated an inn, wrangled a bizarre yet earnest Hollywood heartthrob and his erotic-art-drawing fangirls, and slowly rekindled their relationship. Shepard's characters are nuanced and lovable, and it was a delight to see these two rediscover how well they fit together. A powerful and sweet love story, sprinkled with hilarious jokes and winks at fandom culture."—Sarah Hawley, author of A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo credit: Katie Shepard

I write love stories. I write about people whose jagged edges happen to match up with someone else’s. I write love stories because I wanted to make happy endings for people who are afraid they won’t get them. 

I studied Soviet history and worked in human rights law before burning way, way out and achieving professional tranquility as a simple country bankruptcy lawyer. It’s just as exciting as it sounds!

I live in Texas with my husband, kids, and elderly rescue cat, but am often found hiking in the mountains of Montana or the virtual woods of Thedas.  

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