Dragonhart is romantasy with an enemies to lovers romance and a sprinkling of dragons.

Unfortunately, it was not for me. The main characters felt like caricatures, and I just did not care about the romance because it didn't feel real. It felt like it was ticking trope boxes; 'enemies' to lovers, forced proximity, 'who hurt you?' etc. in a way that didn't feel natural or developed.

Arla is an irritating protagonist. She is supposedly so strong, powerful and cunning. But she is utterly oblivious, stubborn and frequently stupid. She completely misses multiple heavy handed clues, seems to not notice things, and is caught off guard despite being an apparently incredible spy. Hark is the stereotypical cocky, arrogant guy who flirts and calls Arla sweetheart, but of course is doing the right thing under it all and just cares too much. He isn't as unlikeable, but still a caricature, and it was frustrating that all the vulnerability and weakness came from the FMC and almost nothing from the MMC. Supposedly they hated each other to make it enemies to lovers, and yet they're clearly obssessed with and fancy each other from the start.

The final nail in the coffin for me was the repeated sentence starters. The author seemed to like having 2-4 sentences in a row that all started with the same phrase, and whilst I can understand this sometimes for emphasis and flow, it happened far too often. "This was for..." x4 sentences in a row. "She wanted to..." x4 sentences in a row. "I can't pretend..." x3 sentences in a row. etc. etc. I wrote down many more in my notes and then just gave up. Once I started noticing it in the second half of the book, I couldn't stop seeing it. I might have been able to give this a 3 star rating and just say it's not my kind of fantasy and I'm not gelling with the characters, but not enjoying the writing style as well tipped me over the edge.

I am sure there is an audience for this as it is light and easy to read, and hits some of the tropes that people might be seeking out. The premise is interesting and I would've liked a bit more world building and lore to try and get into the fantasy side of the story. Romance/romantasy fans who just go with the flow and are happy to skim along the surface of a book without thinking too much, may enjoy this. There is one sex scene, but other than that it's not a particularly spicy book.

This book was confusing for me, and I don’t necessarily think I was the target audience. The FMC was hard for me to connect with from page one & made connecting with the story difficult. Thank you for the opportunity to read & review.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book and the fantasy-romance themes it promised. Arla is the assassin of a Kingdom rumored to be home to sleeping dragons. She is tasked with working with her enemy, an ambassador from the neighboring kingdom, to investigate missing trade shipments effecting both their kingdoms. Political intrigue, enemies-to-lovers, and teases of dragons makes up the premise of Abbie Eaton's debut novel.

However, I found it lacking in substance and romantic tension. The plot is overly simplistic, leaving a tedious trudge through to an ending that had all the right ideas, but sadly falling short of the execution.

The FML was a struggle to enjoy. Half of Arla's personality seems to be having dead parents. The other half is a contrary mix of "arrogant tough-guy" and "merciful savior." While I enjoy reading about flawed and multifaceted characters, Arla lacked the dimension needed to feel like a complete character. Her personal development didn't match well with the story progression. By the end of the book, she had a major leap when the dragons were introduced instead of the groundwork being laid for true character growth. In fact, all of the characters had a similar issue and often felt indistinguishable from each other. Their poor depictions created some dull dialogue and juvenile motivations.

I wish I could say the romance saved the entertainment value. Unfortunately, Eaton seemed to rely on the tropes audiences love, but without the substance behind the reasons why they're so popular. With no initiating event, Arla and Hark flip a switch and go from enemies to catching feelings. The back-and-forth tension and gradual buildup of emotion is completely absent. We do get the ever-beloved, "who hurt you?" but it comes at such an early point in their interactions as to feel wasted.

Overall, Dragonhart has some fun ideas with its fantasy elements and political scheming. The issues with the execution and characters, however, will leave readers disappointed.

4.5 stars. I literally read this in one day. Great pacing and the in a genre that is full of tropes, some good, some not so good, this book hit all the right ones in the best ways. I will be buying this for my libraries and for myself when it is released.

I am not a huge fantasy reader but this book was well-written enough that it held my attention. I think fantasy lovers with devour it

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

I really liked the premise of this book, who doesn’t love a good dragon book? Unfortunately I’d say the first 3/4 of the book are dragonless and the story got a bit tedious. But the ending was amazing! I almost considered DNF at 50%

This is set to be a really fun dragon romantasy, but unfortunately for me this just fell a bit flat and really felt like trope stuffing. I understand that this is part of a series but the dragons came in a little too late for me and I felt the dialogue was a little lacking in substance, I couldn't really vibe with the FMC or MMC at all, which is super rare for me. Overall, I am super gutted I didn't love it as much as I wanted to.

As I do with all books that I don't vibe with, I take a break, and then come back to it a few days later. Which i did and managed to finish it but I don't think I am enthralled enough to carry on with the series.

However, I do feel that for some people this will be absolutely up their street and I think when it finds it audience, it will be a hit.

This is a great debut novel from Abbie Heaton. We are introduced to a world full of political intrigue, tension, the idea of magic and the rumours of dragons.

Arla Reinhart, our FMC, is the King's Assassin. Trained after a rival kingdom invade her own and killed her parents in the process. Hark Stappen, our MMC, is the ambassador from that kingdom.

They are tasked with working together to discover what is happening to shipments which are going missing and putting a stop to the thievery. They end up discovering a lot more along the way.

I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters and like that it was more of a slower burn and not an https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7415230080 attraction. I would say the romance was more of a subplot rather than the primary focus which is definitely the political landscape and movements of the kings in power.

I would say that I wish we got introduced to the dragons a little earlier but I can definitely see it adding to a sequel.

All in all I was entertained and would definitely recommend picking it up and giving it a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC!

Abbie Eaton's Dragonhart is a solid debut with a unique take on the typical fantasy heroine. I appreciated that Arla, the female main character (FMC) wasn’t confined to the standard trope of either a delicate princess or a hardened tomboy. Instead, she exists in a refreshing middle ground—comfortable in both an elegant gown and a battle scene. That balance added some depth to her character which I appreciated.

Arla's bond with the dragon was another highlight. Their dynamic was intriguing and full of potential, offering moments of genuine connection and awe. However, I couldn't help but feel like it came about suddenly in the story, lacking the gradual development and belief systems necessary to make it more impactful. A bit more time spent exploring different beliefs and anticipating that connection would have gone a long way.

Unfortunately, the same can be said for the romantic relationship in the book. The FMC and the male main character (MMC) had very little chemistry, and what was there felt underdeveloped. The spicy scenes, which could have added emotional intensity, came across as awkward and rushed instead. It made their dynamic hard to root for, and I found myself wishing for more meaningful interactions between them.

Another struggle I had was with the FMC's temper. While flawed characters can be relatable, her anger often felt disproportionate and underexplored. Understanding more about her backstory could have helped justify her reactions and made her emotional journey more engaging. Without that context, it was difficult to connect with her fully.

Additionally, the romance and character drama at times seemed to overshadow the plot. While the world-building and overarching story held promise, pivotal moments often took a backseat to the relationship drama. It left me wishing for a more carefully constructed narrative that gave the plot the space it deserved.

Overall, Dragonhart has the foundation of a great fantasy novel, but a bit more time spent fleshing out the characters and their relationships could have elevated it to the next level. I’ll be interested to see how Eaton's storytelling develops in future works!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC! <3

I really loved the premise of this and I do think the barebones of a great story are here but it just fell flat for me unfortunately. I did not connect to any of the characters at all and actually found Arla quite annoying!

I think one of my biggest issues was that there just wasn’t enough exposition and things were just flippantly mentioned with absolutely no elaboration meaning I just couldn’t buy into it. There were certain elements that made me feel a little bit like they were just there to tick the romantasy checklist which again may be linked to my lack of emotional connection.

I do think the author shows promise as I think the storyline has great promise!

Thank you to Netgalley and One more Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my opinions

I LOVED this book and if there isn’t a series, I will riot. But before rioting, let’s talk plot in layperson terms. Arla Reinhert is a badass, 18 year old personal assassin to the King of Hadalyn. Her parents died nine years ago when the kingdom of Kastonia stormed Hadalyn looking for dragons below the castle and killing anyone, including Arla’s parents, who got in their way. They didn’t find any dragons and there has been a (sort-of) peace since, but there is no peace for Arla. Arla is filled with rage, which makes her perfect for assassinating, but not great for letting people in.

She and Hark Stappen, the ambassador from Kastonia, are sent on a mission to Kastonia to find out why iron shipments keep going missing. Does she want to spend time with a man from the kingdom that killed her parents? Absolutely not. But this is her job, so they try to set their differences aside (not without continuing to bicker with and barb at each other) as they travel north. But once they get to the shipments, Arla realizes that it isn’t iron that is going missing and that there is so much more that she isn’t being told and doesn’t know. Oh, and maybe she hates Hark less than she thinks she does. It is all very confusing and very fun for the readers.

I loved the way that Abbie Eaton created this world. I sometimes get intimidated by fantasy when I can’t pronounce the names or there are 20 kingdoms to keep track of or the magic doesn’t make any sense, but this world was vivid and rich without being overwhelming. She also had an amazing ability to set scenes so that you could visually picture everything because of the richness of all of the amazing detail (honestly, I sometimes felt like I could smell it too).

This was the type of book that I was rushing back to so that I could keep reading (lunch breaks be damned). It was so engrossing and had many good chapter cliffhangers and twists that made it a page turner. There was a section in the middle that was a little slower paced for me but when we got back into the action, I was hooked again.

I loved Arla and Hark’s dynamic. They are two young adults trying to figure out their feelings for each other and about the world and their growth of enemies to partners felt really organic. Sometimes, they were both very stubborn in their beliefs (especially Arla) and that could feel frustrating but it made sense that she could want to hold on tight to her beliefs because they were what she could control and could latch on to after the trauma of her parents’ death. It was rewarding to see her start to adjust her beliefs even though I wished it had happened a tad bit earlier.

The ending of the book was super satisfying and I can see (and hope that there will be) a series in this world.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.

If you like throne of glass and Lady Of darkness series then this book is for you. It's like they joined they 2 books together. It wasn't a bad read. Some parts were actually really good.

Absolutely enjoyed reading this book because it had a cocky woman assassin, hidden dragons, a hate to love relationship, and of course, political games where the main characters are caught having to decide what they firmly believe in. Are there some parts of the book that could have been better explained or explored? Yes. But the gist of the story and writing is enough to keep you going once you start consuming the book.

Many thanks to the publisher for the e-arc! April 18th is fast approaching and I would not be surprised one bit if this book starts accruing special editions.

Assassin Arla Reinhart must team up with her rival ambassador Hark Stappen to journey across kingdoms to uncover the secrets that will save their world. Dragonhart is a new romantasy that will appeal to readers of Fourth Wing and When the Moon Hatched. For dragon fans!

Loved the enemies-to-lovers dynamic, My favourite trope and it was super well done. I also enjoyed the world development. 5 star, enjoyable read,

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Dragonhart. The story has potential, and the author shows promise with their debut novel, but I struggled to connect with the characters, particularly the heroine, Arla. Despite being an undefeated assassin, she was repeatedly bested or surprised within the first 25% of the book. Her arrogance felt more temperamental than earned, which made it hard for me to empathize with her.

The writing and pacing were solid, but some sections dragged, especially with the overabundance of descriptions and inner monologues. While I was promised a dragon, the fantasy elements were sparse, and the lack of world-building left the story feeling more like YA fiction than a full-fledged fantasy.

The romance, involving a bickering ambassador from a rival kingdom, felt more frustrating than charming, and their quest lacked the depth I was hoping for. Overall, Dragonhart reminded me of Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Fourth Wing, but it didn’t offer the originality I was looking for. It has potential, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for me.

Dragonhart is fantastic!

We follow Arla, a young woman who has risen to the role of the kings assassin after being orphaned by a brutal invasion of her city by the neighbouring kingdom. The story begins when the king tasks her with travelling to the border with the ambassador of the kingdom who killed her parents to investigate stolen shipments of “iron”. She soon finds out that the shipments are not what they seem and she might need her enemy to save herself and her kingdom.

This one has:
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Found family
- Grumpy/ sassy dragons 🐉

This is genuinely the first book I’ve read where I can safely say that anyone who liked Fourth Wing will love it!

I can’t wait to read what happens next!

Thank you to Netgallery and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I did really like this book! We love an enemies to lovers situation and the magic was really interesting. Love a dragon bond and when the dragons are sassy. The only thing was that it felt a bit rushed. It being labeled as book 1 implies that the story will continue so I hope that is the case because I feel pretty unresolved at the moment. Getting to the secret kingdom and the enemies suddenly becoming lovers just felt really fast and sudden. Just felt a bit jarring to race towards the finish line and all of a sudden it was over.

This was an easy read and one i would recommend to fans of SJM, Sarah A Parker and Rebecca Yarros.

With a great plot, well-rounded characters and just enough intrigue to spur you on, Dragonhart does a wonderful job of keeping you engaged.

Dragonhart had such a good plot--an enemies to lovers trope that really made you wonder if the enemies would become lovers, a morally grey FMC, a fight against evil, and of course: dragons (which improve just about any book, if you ask me).

I struggled at first to immerse myself into the story because of recurring awkward wording choices, but when I set the book aside I found myself drawn back because I genuinely wanted to know what was going to happen next--the sign of a good plot and intriguing storyline if ever there was one.

This book is for those who love dragons and FMCs more feral than those dragons.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.