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.

The first half of the book i think is more fantasy than romance, and the last half of the book the opposite. I think that’s why I feel like when they get together, it feels like it was mostly physical attraction as i feel like it’s one sided? But i enjoy the story more and more as the story goes on. I love the found family aspect. The banter between the main characters i feel like was good but it does feel like arla really hate hark so how can she change her mind in just a short amount of time? But other than that i feel like this is a good book! I would recommend if you enjoyed fear the flames or the serpent and the wings of night.

I've been thinking about how to review this book for almost a week. I wanted to see if my feelings would change, but I still believe it feels a lot like a remake of Throne of Glass. The characters and story seemed familiar and forgettable, and I often confused this book with other fantasy stories. There wasn't anything new or exciting about it. I found it hard to connect with Celaena the first time, and reading this version didn't change my mind. I'm giving it a decent rating mainly because the pace was good and it was a better read than something written by a sixteen-year-old.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

This unfortunately fell flat for me. The pacing threw me off the whole time…it was either giving me whiplash or going nowhere.

I’ve read too many books lately with a troubled girl turned assassin for the king who is a secret softy. It read very Throne of Glass/A Broken Blade but it wasn’t original enough to connect to it.

The romance also felt very disingenuous, forced, and rushed.

It just wasn’t for me.

I had high hopes for this book, a strong FMC, enemies to lovers, found family and dragons, it sounded absolutely perfect for me.
Unfortunately whilst there is so much potential in this book it felt to me that everything was kept very surface level. More depth was needed for the storyline, for the enemies to lovers and the found family for those points to really hit home and have an impact on the reader. Because nothing was really explored deeply it was impossible to find a connection with the characters.
It felt like parts of lots of different books had been added together into this book but not joined together in any kind of cohesive way.
It makes me sad as the book has the bones of a really great story, but it needed to be fleshed out, deepened and its such a shame that didn’t happen.
I really did enjoy the premise of this book, but I feel like it needed more work.

I tried really hard to get into this, but it reads more like it was written for 12 year olds because that’s about how mature the main character is. I can’t read the name Hark and take it seriously (I read “listen!”). He has no personality. Plus this was almost a rip off of Throne of Glass.

Here we've got two enemies from rival (and once warring) kingdoms with a dollop of forced proximity, a dash of only one bed, and a drop of who did this to you?! I sailed through this book which was an interesting adventure that took us across a foreign kingdom full of danger and politics. Arla's a King's assassin, full of rage but loyal to her people. Hark is an ambassador with surprising skills - one of them being the ability to rile up Arla. While I love a revenge plot, Arla's character was a little too angry at times, and it was hard to see her in the role of assassin which requires more skill and self control than unaliving people. The story itself was intriguing and the politics complex, it also threw in some real curve balls (some I saw coming and others I didn't) and we get to know Arla much better throughout. We also occasionally get Hark's perspective, which spiced things up a little bit and allowed us to see more of what was going on, but not much - there was still a whole lot of mystery! There weren't any side characters I was particularly fond of, they weren't developed very much beyond the necessary, though Arla's horse was probably my favourite. I also couldn't entirely get behind the way Arla and Hark's relationship was written as it developed which made this story overall a little hit and miss for me but I'll keep an eye out for how the author's writing develops in future!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I had high hopes for this book but it just didn’t work at all for me. Arla is introduced as the King’s Assassin, superior in any way. But it’s made abundantly clear that she isn’t as mighty and powerful as she still thinks she is. Which leads to a bit of an awkward read as I just couldn’t find myself rooting for her. She gets incredibly annoying by how distrusting and rude she is to everyone, and her dialogue with Hark might be the most annoying of all.

I found myself not caring about the book as it kept dragging on. It definitely has potential and I can see why people do enjoy it, but the characters and dialogue made it a rough read for me.