If you love enemies to lovers that crackles with tension, forced proximity that forces emotions to the surface, and a world woven with magic, political intrigue, and morally grey assassins, Dragonhart delivers. And let’s not forget Hark Stappen, the cocky, knife-dodging ambassador who practically begs to be stabbed but somehow makes you love him anyway.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its characters. Hark is the perfect mix of infuriating and irresistible, his banter with Arla turning every conversation into a verbal sparring match laced with barely restrained attraction. Arla herself is broody, ruthless, and so done with everyone’s nonsense. As an assassin, she’s captivating, but I couldn’t help but wish we had explored her past and internal struggles a little more deeply. Hark’s found family who completely stole the show whenever they appeared. Their chaotic, protective, ride or die energy added warmth and humour.

Despite all of this, there were a few areas where the novel left me wanting more. The final battle, for instance, felt like it was rushing to the finish line rather than delivering the high-stakes, emotionally charged climax the story deserved. Arla’s revenge arc had so much potential, but its resolution felt slightly underwhelming, as if it needed just a little more space to breathe. The dragons, while an intriguing aspect of the world, never fully commanded the presence I was hoping for. With a title like Dragonhart, I wanted to feel their power reverberating through the story, to see them shape the world in ways beyond their conceptual presence. And while the plot remained engaging, it leaned into some predictable beats, nothing that made it less enjoyable, but for seasoned fantasy romance readers, a few twists were easy to see coming.

That being said, Dragonhart delivers where it counts, with characters that draw you in, a romance that keeps you hooked, and a world that, despite some missed opportunities, remains immersive. While I wanted more from the climax and a stronger presence from the dragons, the journey was still worth it and I would definitely recommend.

I requested this ARC since the description intrigued me + I’ve been on a romantasy kick lately!

I was provided this ARC by One More Chapter and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

For a debut novel this book wasn’t bad! I can see myself reading the next book. I just wish the plot, and setting had been flushed out a bit more. I’d give it 2.5-3 stars. The second half of the book really redeemed it for me.

The book follows Arla Reinhart, personal assassin to the King of Hadalyn. She doesn't believe in the gods and their dragons who once served the people - not after they abandoned her when she needed them most. Then there’s, Hark Stappen a the ambassador from a rival kingdom. He believes in the old gods and magic. Together they are sent on a mission for the King…

I want to start off and say that I find the marketing cringy and overdone. It’s a bit much that on Goodreads the title includes “The brand new forced proximity romance for 2025.” I think more readers would be drawn to it if this wasn’t how it was portrayed on Goodreads and purchasing platforms.

Also.. I’ve never read SJM but this book very much gives off powerless, folk of the air, and fourth wing vibes.

Characters

Arla reads like a pick me I’m sorry. It’s just over and over that she’s not like other girls. She’s seeking revenge which is great but I want more to her like how she is with her friend with the kids. For being an assassin I also just don’t get why she’s snuck up on so much by Hark and then there’s that weird section about her use of a bow?? she’s just not a very likeable character. Only thing I respect is how hard she trains. Other than that she’s so childish.

Hark is surprisingly likeable.


The plot

The entire time I was reading I felt like scenes were missing. There’s not always context for what’s going on and that could just be the authors style but I do wish we were given more. The magic system is lacking description and so is the world they live within. Its hard to understand what the story is going for. Why are they under the castle?? I’m given lots of cool information but it’s not necessarily needed or part of the plot. Just seemed like a surprise point that missed its mark.

I preferred reading Harks pov best.

The Romance
- take out the finger scene. I’m sorry but it doesn’t feel like something Arla would do easily give in to.
- would’ve been better as a slow burn. Just have them make out. And build up feelings. Then give in.
- I like them together
- 18 and 22.. meh

What I loved
- the reveal of why the book is titled Dragonhart
- the back and forth wit
- the basis of the story is intriguing

Small side note: Arla loves lavender baths and then gets jasmine soap from her hairdresser. But I found it switching back and forth too much between Jasmine and lavender and it seemed inconsistent. Choose one scent.

Yes, I’m being picky but at the end of the day I do think everyone should give it a try. And I will be on the look out for the next book. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it.

Arla Reinhart, the King's personal assassin, is a protagonist who has been hardened by loss and betrayal. She's a warrior, a survivor, and fiercely independent, making her journey of questioning her beliefs all the more compelling.
The mystery surrounding the missing shipments and the unraveling of the kingdoms is engaging. The forced partnership between Arla and Hark Stappen, the enigmatic ambassador from the kingdom that destroyed her family, is a highlight. Their initial animosity is palpable, and the slow burn of their evolving relationship is expertly crafted. Hark himself is a complex character, balancing arrogance with hidden depths, making him a worthy foil to Arla.
Overall, this is a captivating read that will appeal to fans of fantasy, romance, and political intrigue.

This one didn’t do it for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters or the plot. The dragons are sleeping until 75%. I don’t think anyone had a well developed personality. This book had all the makings of a fun read, but ultimately couldn’t make it work:

The best scene in the book is used frequently in social promos and, while it is a strong scene, I wish there had been more of that throughout the book. The ending is the best part but it feels disjointed from everything that came before it. Love a dragon couldn’t get behind this one, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC. in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy... where to begin...

I will start by saying that the marketing for this book is really good. So good, in fact, I was convinced to read it. However, I am sorry to say that this one just didn't live up to the hype for me.

Needless to say, I was not a big fan of this one, which was a major disappointment because I wanted to like it so badly. It had a lot of potential, but it missed every single mark.

I won't go into too much detail as to why I didn’t like it, as I can tell the author put so much work and love into this, but I also want to be honest about what it was I didn't like in particular.

For me, the characters were unlikable (with the exception of a couple of side characters that barely got the chance to shine). I literally couldn't care less about the FMC (if she survived or not), which just felt like a carbon copy of Calaena/Aelin but with a bad attitude. The MMC was no better either, and the romance between them felt forced, in my opinion.

In terms of writing style, this was just not for me either. It was just too repetitive. I kept wanting the author to get to the point half the time.

Also, there was a stylistic choice the author used when someone was speaking that was unconventional. Not only did that irk me, but it made it difficult for me to know when someone was done talking because dialogue could appear in the middle of a paragraph. Idk if this was accidental or intentional (I hope the former), but regardless, I had to dig deep to look past it tbh.

Unfortunately, this is perhaps the worst book I have read this year, and I say this with the heaviest heart. There, for sure, is an audience out there for this novel. It just isn't me. I give this 2.5⭐️ (rounded up to 3).

This novel would be perfect for readers who enjoy ToG, magic & dragons, high fantasy, enemies to lovers, feminine rage & leadership, chosen one tropes, and slow burns.

Although this book didn’t quite live up to my expectations, there were enjoyable elements. The author has promising writing skills, but I had difficulty connecting with the characters and found certain parts of the book challenging to read.

The pacing was consistent, though certain parts felt slow due to what seemed like excessive descriptions or inner monologue. Sadly, the dragon and fantasy elements were minimal, and the lack of world-building made it difficult to connect with the story.

Arla’s bond with the dragon felt hurried and lacked any opportunity to form a connection with this supposedly significant character in the story.

For me, the romance lacked chemistry between the FMC and MMC, resulting in a very fast shift from hatred to love and a spicy scene felt awkward and forced.

While it wasn’t my favorite, I still don’t think it was a bad book. It certainly has the foundation of a great fantasy—unique magic, political intrigue, and even the beginnings of lovable side characters. However, I believe more time could have been spent developing the world and its characters, as well as their relationships to elevate it to a higher level.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I truthfully cannot say that there was any part of this that I enjoyed. This felt like a ripoff of multiple popular romantasy novels and that’s putting it nicely. I think the ending did show some promise, and that’s why I’m giving it 1 star and not 0. Otherwise, Arla was extremely brash and disrespectful, which didn’t make sense for her character, the king’s assassin that was raised by the king himself. Hark felt like a copy paste of every other one dimensional broody but loyal male leader. Arla was another female lead that was “so smart and intelligent” yet consistently makes the dumbest decisions. The plot felt like a bunch of tropes held together with a dream. I was hoping for more originality and depth of the story based on the synopsis but I’m sure other people will love this.

🌟 3.5

The cover art hooked me for this one! So pretty.

⚔️ Enemies to lovers
⚔️ Forced proximity
⚔️ Strong FMC assassin seeking revenge
⚔️ Dragons & magic
⚔️ Arrogant flirty MMC - enemy 👀
⚔️ Must work together with the enemy
⚔️ Slowburn 🔥
⚔️ Good world building
⚔️ Banter
⚔️ Third person dual POV

For a debut novel there’s a lot of promise and a fun ride none the less. Enjoyable ride, easy reading Romantasy with enemies to lovers vibes.

2.5★

I had high hopes for this book, especially because When The Moon Hatched is one of my favourite recent fantasy reads, however, this just missed the mark for me, unfortunately.

The fmc, Arla, was so insufferable, in my personal opinion. She was irritating, argumentative, angry, and foul mouthed. Usually I wouldn’t mind this in a strong female character, but she just seemed juvenile and these traits annoyed me. She was oblivious to most things around her, and for someone who is supposedly a top notch assassin/spy, she was caught off guard frequently.

Hark was slightly better. He is the stereotypical cocky, arrogant, and flirtatious guy. I don’t mind this. I’ve gotten used to this character type since it’s the standard male character in recent books these past few years. He is trying to do the right thing, and fight injustice, which is very admirable. and I think he cares a little too much. Overall he isn’t as unlikeable, but there also isn’t much to him either.

Their romance wasn’t really too believable either. They went from “hating” each other and Arla being mad at Hark for everything, to devleoping a romance? It wasn’t natural and I didn’t really see the true romantic connection between them.

At the end of the day, I just don’t think this was for me. I think it’s unfair for me to continue bashing it, when other readers may enjoy it. The plot was relatively good, and the writing was ok too.

This is an enjoyable fantasy, especially if you are just breaking into the genre. It's pretty light and no-angst - and there are dragons - what more could any fantasy lover want?!

If you took Celaena Sardothien made her more irritating and childish and put her into a shittier version of Forth Wing, this is what you’d get.

Arla Reinhart is supposedly the best assassin in her kingdom, so much so that she is the “kings assassin”. However, all of her actions went against that. Multiple times she referenced not being as good as she should’ve been or how “known” she was around the kingdom. It was not a well depiction of her being this “badass unbeatable assassin”. Not only that but the dialogue was so very bad. It felt forced which made it cringey to read. Everything that she said made me constantly roll my eyes.

Hark Stappen felt like every romantasy MMC mashed into one. There was no originality with him. Broody ✔️ Standoffish ✔️ complete fucking dick ✔️ I hated this man with my whole heart. This chapter POVs made me die inside everytime they came up.

I am usually more forgiving with debut authors. However, this felt very much like a mash of so many romantasy greats. It was not well written. I can get past bad writing if the story is entertaining, but with this the story was cringy and the writing was bad. I recommend skipping out on this one, you won’t miss much of anything. This one should’ve stayed in the drafts a little longer..

Final rating: 1.5 stars ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC of Dragonhart.

Dragonhart offers an interesting world and a solid storyline, but the characters didn’t quite shine for me. While the world-building was well-done, the character development felt a bit flat, making it harder to fully connect. The romance element was also quite underplayed. Overall, an okay fantasy read, but it didn’t leave a strong impression.

I am always sold on a book with dragons!

I really enjoyed the story itself. It’s different to a lot I’ve read in this genre, though the backstory is one I’ve seen before, and it kept my attention easily once I got into it.

I liked the FMC more than I thought I would, and I really liked her skepticism around things that are often plainly accepted as part of fantasy. She does come off a little childish and one-dimensional, which I think is reinforced by the repetition of her traits and skills throughout, and gets a little frustrating. But she is only 18 - I don’t know anyone that wasn’t a little childish at that age, so it might be that I’m just too old. I loved the world it’s set in, the side characters and the dragons - though I would have liked to have seen more of all of them.

I found the ending a little disappointing and the romance a little predictable - maybe it’s just because I’m used to reading series long stories with cliffhangers at the end of every book, but I found it all wrapped up a little too neatly considering the amount of loose ends that felt like they still needed to be tied up. I also found the twists predictable - but only because I picked up on the hints earlier in the book which made them a little too obvious.

I found the book well-written generally. It was easy to read, though a little repetitive or over-explained at points, and a little more in the style of YA than I usually like. It took me a little while to get into, though I am glad I pushed through. I did find the writing to be much better than a lot of ‘romantasy’ I’ve read so far. I didn’t find myself pulled out of the story constantly or cringing while I was reading, which honestly made a refreshing change!

Overall, a solid 3 stars - there are some niggles I have that come down to personal preference, and probably being older than the target audience, but I really did enjoy the story and would definitely read more books in this series if there were any. I think, had I been closer to the age of the FMC, I would have been obsessed with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and One More Chapter for my copy!

DNF @36%

I was going to try to finish this, but I can't. The main character is childish and annoying and too quick to violence. I don't think the dual perspective was necessary either.

A Magical and Gripping Fantasy Adventure ★★★★

Abbie Eaton’s Dragon Hart is a spellbinding fantasy that sweeps readers into a world of destiny, magic, and heart-pounding adventure. With its richly woven storytelling and a heroine whose fate is written in her blood, this book is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy.

Eaton’s writing is immersive, drawing you into a beautifully crafted world filled with mythical elements and strong character development. The protagonist is both relatable and courageous, making her journey all the more compelling. The themes of self-discovery, fate, and resilience are explored in a way that keeps you hooked from beginning to end.

The novel’s pacing is engaging, though there are moments where the world-building slightly overshadows the action. However, the intricate details add depth to the story, making it a rewarding read for those who love rich lore.

With its official release on April 18, Dragon Hart is a fantasy adventure that should not be missed. If you love stories brimming with magic, destiny, and fierce heroines, this book deserves a spot on your reading list!

From the beginning I felt the characters lacked depth, especially our FMC. I really wanted to love her, but she was just soooo argumentative and I felt like she had a backstory that I’ve read 1,000 times before.

I did really love the forced proximity and enemies to lovers vibes!! That’s where I’m giving this 3 stars. I felt like these characters were true enemies from the beginning, and I enjoyed their journey to love.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and the author for this ARC!!

''𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐'𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶.''
°˖➴ 🗡️🏹🖤 ''𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭'' ARC review! ⋆ˎˊ˗
A solid 3 ⭐️ stars - Dragonhart is a promising romantasy debut, but I didn't feel the connection between the two love interests, Arla and Hark, and the story has a few plot holes. I wanted to like this one so badly! There were definitely things that I enjoyed about the book, but I found myself struggling to connect with the characters, the somewhat YA-style writing, and the world the story is set in which feels still somewhat underdeveloped.

'𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰.' 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘱𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. '𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦.'

The story follows Arla Reinhart, the king’s assassin, who is compelled to work alongside Hark Stappen, an ambassador from the kingdom responsible for her family’s tragic fate. Their uneasy alliance, marked by constant arguing and banter, takes them on a journey filled with shocking revelations that challenge Arla's long-held beliefs.

I came very close to not finishing this book multiple times. At the beginning, it had too many similarities to Throne of Glass to me, which made it difficult for me to process that I was reading a different book 😅. I mean, I get it that you can take inspiration from other authors/books, of course! But this just almost felt like copy paste to me; Kings's assassin, blonde hair, both her parents that died, saving slaves,...And I don't mean this in any hateful way, and of course I don't know the author's writing process and how much was taken/inspired from another book or maybe not, and I don't want to be that person and hate to say it, but...I also can't sweet-talk it all. It was the major reason It didn't feel right for me to read further. I also struggled to connect with the fmc and the other characters as well. Arla felt forced and annoyed me multiple times; her constant arguments weren’t engaging or fun, but rather came off as juvenile. Hark, her love interest, simply argued back. However, there was something about this book that compelled me to keep reading, even though I wanted to put it down. Every time I was on the verge of giving up, the story pulled me back in. I try to give every book a fair chance, so I decided to keep reading.

About halfway through the story, we meet some side-characters, and I wish we could have seen more of them since they didn’t appear much, because I quite liked them. However, the plot starts to pick up, and I found myself quite hooked. Things became exciting, and Arla began to experience genuine character growth. As she started to realize certain things, she began to change for the better. She no longer annoyed me, I actually started to like her. Now the banter started to be fun, because she wasn't constantly arguing. And she stops feeling the need to stab anyone she meets along the way or to constantly choose for anger (although I get why she felt that way because of what happened to her). Instead, she becomes more thoughtful and vulnerable, slowly opening up to herself, to the world, and to Hark. Arla appears cold on the outside most of the time, but we soon see her inner struggles and insecurities, and her softer side. I understand Arla's behavior was shaped by her past, but I appreciated seeing the walls she had built start to crumble, and her ''i'm-the-kings's-assassin-mask'' fall off bit by bit. I started to appreciate her, and I began to see some pieces of myself in her. The way she started handling things was quite inspiring to me. The romance between her and Hark develops gradually alongside her growth and starts slowly building up, which I found lovely. However, I didn't feel their feelings for each other very convincing. I just didn't feel it, because their romance feels more told and sudden than that it feels genuine and real. There are some beautiful moments between them, and some quotes I annotated that I liked, and him calling her sweetheart, and then the revelation of his feelings and hers and how it all started and such and the gentle in-between moments, and I wanted so much to fall in love with them and their story, but aahh, It felt so forced instead. From I hate you to kissing to I have always loved you and then to I love you...I don't know, normally I would have really liked something like that, but I just didn't feel their chemistry so it all felt quite unnatural, unfortunately :(

I have to be honest: I was eagerly waiting for the dragon part of this book since I love dragons and would read anything with dragons in it. For a long time, there are mentions of dragons, but we don't get to see anything of them. Nearing the end, we finally meet one tho! Around the 70% mark, there’s a twist that sets off a bit of action. There's an epic scene, which was a beautifully written moment that was quite emotional. That specific moment is why I love romantasy so much, and it was also when I really started to like Arla, Hark, and Thara even more than I already did. Their journey is slowly coming to an end, at least for now, and I’m left with mixed feelings. The ending felt quite abrupt to me; I didn't expect I was reading the last page already. I wanted more! The story is definitely interesting, and promising, especially for a debut. I think the ending leaves room for a second book, which I would definitely read. Around the middle of the book, this book starts to stand on its own and becomes a bit more unique. I find this so difficult to review, because I liked the book, but also, the Throne of Glass similarities were still way too much for me, and ahh, I'm not sure. I didn't like that I was struggling so much to read further and had to push through until things started to get more exciting, but I'm happy I did tho, because I did enjoy the second half of the book. However, I'm still left with so many answers regarding to worldbuilding and plot. There are mentions of gods, but we never get to know anything about them and who they are. We don't get to know why ''the villain'' is doing the things he's doing, and so on. There's still lacking a few things. I don’t really think I see myself thinking about this book or the characters very often, but I am curious to the author's upcoming works and the other books set in these series!

Even though perhaps this wasn't completely my thing, that doesn't mean It won't be yours. I think you might like this one if you'd like:
🗡️ A slow burn, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance.
🗡️ A strong FMC seeking revenge.
🗡️ Magic and dragons (and dragon-riding).
🗡️ Falling kingdoms and easy worldbuilding.
🗡️ Banter.
🗡️ A group of side-characters (not much appearing yet tho).
🗡️ Political intrigue.
🗡️ Character growth.
🗡️ Third person dual POV.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins, One More Chapter, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the plot line but felt it could have been expanded out so that you felt more of an emotional connection to the main character. There were a lot of similarities to Sarah J Mass’ Throne of Glass series which could be a way to introduce similar readers to the book or may be a barrier, leading to too many comparisons.

A huge thank you to One more Chapter for providing the arc for me.

I was so excited for this, the premise reminded me of throne of glass as well as graceling - both books I have loved so much. This book tried so hard to be something similar, to have an epic enemies to lovers love story and high stake fantasy plot.

And it failed on both counts. I lost track of how many times we were told that Arla didn't care about anyone or anything, she was a ruthless killer, raised to be an assassin like no one else. And then despite all the times the book told this - Arla was nothing like it described. Arla was self centered childish idiot who remained me of a basic Mary Sue. I was so disappointed. In addition the world building in this book was severely lacking, and the plot seemed so black and white, more suitable for ya than a spicy romantasy book.

Speaking of which - Arla was way too young to be the FMC of spicy romantasy book. If I understood correctly she was 18, and yuck, I don't wanna read spicy scenes with a fmc who is basically a child. And to make matters worse - the love interest was twenty two. AND they met when she was sixteen... I almost dnf:ed when I realized this. She at least should have been older - it would at least make it believable that she is the king's assassin and not just a child.

And just to add, the fantasy elements were so lacking, and basically entered out of nowhere at 60%. not at all, what I was hoping.

1,5 stars, rounded up, which may be to generous

This feels like a YA version of Throne of Glass and not in a good way.
Maybe this book just wasn't for me, but I felt like I'd read it before. While there was a lot of potential in the story, the author seemed to assume that the reader would have a basic knowledge of fantasy books and therefore didn't feel the need to expand on the world. The main character is 18, yes, but she is acting 18. As in, how can the lauded King's Assassin be so successful when she's acting like a child. I never really got hooked and it was a slog to finish.