"Consort of Fire" by Kit Rocha is a scorching fantasy romance that ignites the page with passion, intrigue, and fierce determination. Set in a world where power is everything and alliances are forged in the flames of war, the story follows protagonist Queen Rena as she navigates the treacherous politics of her realm while grappling with her own desires and ambitions. Rocha's writing is as fiery as her characters, drawing readers into a world teeming with danger and desire. As Rena fights to protect her people and secure her throne, she finds herself drawn to unlikely allies and torn between duty and desire. But amidst the chaos and conflict, there are moments of intimacy and connection that burn brightly against the darkness. With its compelling characters, steamy romance, and intricate world-building, "Consort of Fire" is a blazingly addictive read that will leave readers hungry for more.

I actually really liked this book. The worldbuilding is done well, the spicy scenes were 🥵 and I really liked the characters. My reason for 4 stars is because it does drag a bit but overall I enjoyed this one. I definitely recommend this book if you like a spicy, romantasy, dragon shifter book!

I’m super late with giving my review of this book, I’m not sure why it didn’t post a few months ago!
Firstly, I would like to mention that the tension and angst was sooo good. Also who doesn’t love dragons?? The only criticism I can give would be that the world building could have been a little stronger. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. :)

This is honestly one of my top favorite reads of last year. I reread it just now to prepare for Queen of Dreams.

Watching Ash, Sachi, and Zanya fall in love is such a joy. I really love the quiet strength of Sachi. How she is just the absolute firmest steel that guides both of her lovers. It’s easy to see why they both love her and how she gives them exactly what they need - whether they realize it or not.

Ash is one of those heroes that is so perfect. The fact that he has no concerns about doing whatever necessary - up to and including option himself under their control - to put Sachi and Zanya at ease is one of the best things I’ve ever read. There’s no toxic masculinity in him and it’s such a relief.

Zanya is such a perfect contrast to both Sachi and Ash. She’s like both of them and utterly unique to herself at the same time. I really appreciate her journey to self discovery, even as it was uncomfortable for her. And I’m desperately looking forward to these three conquering all they need to in order to bask in their HEA.

I think something I can safely always expect from Kit Rocha is an experience that prizes love and absolute security in that live in every world of theirs I visit. The joy and pleasure that each of them get knowing their loved ones are satisfied and loved? It’s beautiful. I’ll take it over jealousy and insecurity every day.

I am generally a big fan of Kit Rocha's world-building and find their writing extremely compelling and readable. For some reason, this book did not do the same things for me as their work generally does. Essentially, this book is about a woman who is being forced to wed the Dragon and she's taken her lover as her maid with her. Only both women are actually being sent on a mission to kill the dragon. I loved the way this book maintains the tension of that plot point, even while they are all falling in love with one another because the tension is what kept me moving forward. However, there was something about that pacing that also kept me from ever sinking into their relationship. If the sequel to this book follows the same characters, I think it would be better because this book, to me, does not provide for a satisfactory romantic ARC. And in thinking of it that way, I wonder if perhaps it wasn't entirely the fact that my expectations going in were different than perhaps they should have been. Anyway, if you want a queer normative fantasy book with a dragon and spicy spice, then I would recommend this one. If you're not into explicit sex, skip this one.

Such a brilliant book, at the beginning I almost DNF (nothing to do with the book, just my mood!) but I am so glad I continued. World-building was great, the characters grow on you and stay with you (I am looking at you, Zayna). The only thing I will say is I hope I get more of Sachi's backstory in the next book as at the moment it feels like I know she from Ash and Zanya's opinions rather than her own story.

Looking forward to the next book!

I like the concept of this book. A marriage of convenience with a magical dragon god? Sign me up. Also the summary hinted at a throuple, which intrigued me. I didn’t get far enough in the book to see either of these come to pass. The writing was overly descriptive to where my mind was wandering while things were described. One of these scenarios that comes to mind was a character’s room being described as well as what was on the floors below. I zoned out. BUT I could see myself picking up the book again in the future. It just isn’t working for me right now.

I don’t usually read things other than romance but this book just pulled me into this amazing world and I just want to go back. It was an incredible read and anything I want to share turns into a spoiler but just please if you enjoy a good story, read this book.

Polyamorous romance has always been hit and miss for me. Loved Liv Zander's Court of Ravens but I'm still kinda still put off given my experience with the Anita Blake series which I read when I was far too young.

I've tended to avoid polyamory because there's always one character who feels like the third wheel. For me, in Consort of Fire that was Zanya. Sachi and Zanya infiltrate the Court of Dreamers with the intention of killing The Dragon.

Ash, the Dragon, is of course not the monster he has been made out to be. Instead, Ash is desperate to be loved and herein lies the problem. It could have been anyone. I fully believed he desired Sachi but no idea why they were supposedly in love.

Sachi and Zanya are lovers from the beginning so we don't see them fall in love but it's clear that there's a lot of history and trauma there. While there seems to be something between Ash and Zanya, it seems that Zan is just going along things to please Sachi and Zanya would be perfectly content if it was just her and Sachi. Given Sachi was Ash's Consort and there was a prophecy about them and the focus was their relationship, Zanya felt like the third wheel. I thought that would slowly change in the last third of the novel but instead events turned more plot focused. I would like to see more development in the Ash-Zan relationship so that things don't seem so lopsided and that might happen in the sequel so I'll read it but in any case, apart from the romance, the world building and mythology are interesting enough and make a nice change from fae fever that sweeping the fantasy romance genre.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! If you’re looking for a dragon book with some real spice, assassins, gods, secrets, magic, and super hot and steamy queer and poly love you need to pick this book up.. This one follows the princess Sachi and her handmaid, Zanya, when she is sent to be the Dragon’s mortal consort. The thing is she’s trained in the art of seduction, her handmaid is an assassin, and the Dragon is not what he seems. Also, a curse has been put onto Sacohi and Zanya and if they don’t kill the Dragon in 5 weeks, Sachi will die. But the problem is they are all super hot and can’t stop banging and being in love with each other.
There was a lot to love about this book. The side characters were fun and left me wanting more. I also thought the world building was well done; you’re not hit over the head with an info dump, instead given more and more context throughout the story. The pacing was a little off in the beginning but once the book hits its stride it takes off and doesn’t stop!
this book is available now and on kindle unlimited. I can’t wait for the next book in the series which comes out later this year.
Thank you to @netgalley and Montlake for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this so badly. The synopsis was so intriguing and I had high hopes from enjoying Deal with the Devil. Instead, I was bored out of my mind and almost put it down permanently multiple times.

There were too many characters with no development. Ash being a dragon was irrelevant to the plot which was so disappointing. Everything moved so slowly, and hardly anything even happened.

I thought there would be angst and action and a ton of smut. Instead, I was let down.

This book was a dream. Kit Rocha established a fantastic new world with a fascinating history, compelling characters, and a steamy romance. I hope we continue to get new entries in this world, because I couldn't put it down!

Kit Rocha start a new fantasy romance series--romantasy in modern parlance--with Consort of Fire, a novel about a young woman, her bodyguard/companion and the dragon god she's been sent to marry and murder. If our princess doesn't assassinate the dragon, she'll die.
The romance set-up is a polyam triad and it wasn't successful for me because we don't see much of the romance develop between the two female leads. It felt like the focus was on the new relationships with the dragon and the whole thing didn't gel for me. I was also somewhat adrift with the world-building and while I expected it to be an erotic romance like Kit Rocha's other books, it didn't pick up steam for a long time and wasn't satisfying when it did.
I'm glad this isn't meant to be a stand-alone because things aren't wrapped up at the end, but I recommend waiting until the second is out before diving in.

As always, another absolute gem from writing team Kit Rocha. The first in a new series (and a genre shift from their recent post-apocalyptic sagas), Consort of Fire is set in a lush fantasy world with dragons, intrigue, and steamy romance. The worldbuilding is phenomenal, easily stepping around the pitfall many authors fall into with infodumping, and I was never confused or bored. This ensemble of characters is a big hit with me, and I can't wait to see what they'll be getting up to in the next installment of Bound to Fire and Steel.

I received an ARC of this book and I am not going to lie, it took me a long time to read this. The book was good but it took me a while to become invested in the characters because in the beginning there was so much going on. A mortal consort is given to the dragon every hundred years. This year is Sachi and her handmaiden Zanya. Unbeknownst to the dragon the two women are trying to kill him in order to save Sachi's life because a curse was placed on her. Sachi falls for the dragon. The story was well put together and well thought out and the last 15%, I could not put it down because I had to know what was going to happen. It reminded me of From Blood and Ash but reversed.

It was the title, the cover, and the authors that drew me in. A trifecta of bookish attraction. The author Kit Rocha is a pseudonym of authors Donna Herren and Bree Bridges. My first time reading them, and I’ll be waiting for book two of this new series, “Bound to Fire and Steel.”

The world is well developed and the characters are built on throughout the book, and I think this added to their intriguing personalities and the story. A woman, Sachielle of House Roquebarre, who grew up as an orphan - her handmaid the assassin and she’s cursed….but wait - there’s a dragon, yes a dragon god in fact, with a bad rep. Sachielle is due to become his consort, number 31; numbers 1-30 didn’t make it….

Quite an interesting story, let’s just say it’s not what you expect, it’s a different twist on the paranormal dragon relationship, with some heavy-duty steam on the side.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

All opinions and observations are mine alone. Thank you to Montlake for sharing this ARC.

Mix a dragon, a princess and her handmaid with magic and you get a new fantasy/romance from Kit Rocha. Sachi and Zanya are sent as Assassins who are tasked with killing the dragon. Strange things happen when you fall in love with your target. Ash the dragon is not what they have been told to expect. Lots of world building and smexy times with all 3 characters.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

While I enjoyed Rocha's "Mercenary Librarians" series quite a bit, I found the world building in this new series to be even better. As the book unfolds we learn more about the conflict between dark and light and how the so-called gods fit into it all. The two female protagonists have a hard time of it, as they are trying to find a way and time to kill their intended victim, a god who can manifest as a dragon. Also, one of the women will die a horrible death if they are not successful in their assassination attempt. As this is a "romantasy", first one of the women actually falls in love with the dragon, then the other treads that same path. And to make things more interesting (and spicier), the two women are in love with each other. They are all on a difficult path.

The only thing keeping me from giving this five stars was that the sex scenes came too often (pun intended) and were a bit overly long, thus taking too much away from the rhythm and advancement of the plotlines. I'm sure that many others would disagree with this, but it's just my opinion for how I personally felt about the plot.

I am looking forward to seeing the next book in the series, which is already scheduled for publication in the next year.

Thank you to Montlake and Kit Rocha for letting me have an ARC copy of Consort of Fire to give a fair and honest review! From the pages spills an opulent fantasy world full of ancient magic, mighty gods, deadly curses, dangerous secrets and powerful fears to form a devastating fantasy romance racing against a ticking clock. Not to mention, this was one heck of a spicy read! Off the Richter scale for spice and the earth moving events!

The romance angle of this book was a first read for me, with the dynamics of a MFF relationship. I thought the author cultivated a wonderful subtleties of the love and affection between Ash (the dragon), Sachi and Zanya. The original sweet love and tenderness between Sachi and Zanya spills warmly across the page. While the intensity of chemistry brings Ash into this bond, their love strengths to encompass him. If you like your big declarations, you will be swooning over the perfect ways the character exchange ‘I love you’ affirmations. There are some seriously good heart-melting versions.

An exciting romantasy, setting up an incredible world for a series that is definitely going to be a page turning read, full of beautifully developed characters and an incredible world of adventure. I can't await to read the next in the series.

CONSORT OF FIRE by KIT ROCHA (#1 Bound to Fire and Steel)

From cult-favorite writing duo Kit Rocha comes a fiery novel set in a lush fantasy world brimming with ancient magic, dangerous secrets, and erotic connections.

For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.

Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes. She is young, beautiful—and she has three secrets.

First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.

Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.

Third—and most dangerous: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.

The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess them both.

REVIEW

I loved this new book by Kit Rocha and first in the series Bound to Fire and Steel. I’m a huge fan of Kit Rocha’s books and when I read about a new paranormal romance with dragons I was thrilled, but I couldn’t imagine how far they could go with the worldbuilding for this series.
I was stunned at first, it’s a mix between paranormal romance, magic, gods and somehow a little like the world of Greek mythology. Perhaps everything at first slow down the story, but it’s worth it, I was enthralled with the plot and the characters.
I loved the journey through the lands of the Dragon, Ash, after he exchanged his vows with Princess Sachielle. With Kit Rocha the romance in their story is never easy, or only between two people. It’s more complicated and this time at first is a slow-burn, then an intriguing game full of passion, erotism, secrets and betrayals, that involves Ash, Sachielle and her handmaid Zanya.
Ash is the character I loved the most, because of his immortal life he’s gone through a lot of pain, losses of loved ones, but his heart still has the strength to love and care, to protect the people he loves and his lands.
Zanya is an amazing character as well, her story, her loyalty and love for Sachielle is unconditional, she’s a fighter and I love her darkside.
I can’t say the same for Sachielle, I didn’t connect with her as the others.
There’s so much more to read about this story, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series, after the little cliffhanger at the end of the book.


**Thanks to Netgalley, ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

RATING 4 STARS