First of all i want to thank Netgalley and publishers Dialogue Books for the opportunity to read an arc of this book.
Omg i enjoyed this book so much definatly 5 stars.
I want to say that i hope the actual book will have the pronunciation guide in it as i found it very useful.
Names of people and places are based on Scottish Gaelic and i feel the pronunciation guide was a really good idea.
Before reading please be aware of possible triggers such as misogyny, sexism, domestic violence, sexual harrassment/assault and a case of attempted forced sterilisation.
The FMC has been hidden for most of her life so that when the time is right she can claim the throne.
A male orientated religious group want the king and his (male) heirs to stay on the throne as they have no respect for women at all and we follow our FMC as she attempts to take her place and when plans go awry she must make a political alliance in order to survive.
This book also includes elemental magic and bonding with magical creatures such as dragons.
Such an enjoyable book and i will definatly be buying when it releases on May 27th.

I absolutely loved this book! The Celtic lore woven throughout the story was incredible. The magic system with the bonded animals, known as beathach, was such a clever touch. Aemyra is an amazing FMC—fierce, powerful, and unapologetically independent. I adore that she’s the kind of character who will rescue herself rather than waiting for someone else to do it.

The book does address some heavy topics, so I’d recommend checking the trigger warnings before diving in. I found these themes especially impactful given the current state of the world—misogyny, religious conflict, and the oppression of women and girls. It was all handled thoughtfully and resonated deeply with me.

“A Fate Forged in Fire” is dark, gritty, and at times gruesome, but it’s also action-packed, engaging, and full of unexpected twists. I’m definitely looking forward to the release of book two!

4/4.5 star review
This was a highly anticipated read for me as I have been following the authors journey on tt, and so I am so happy to say I really enjoyed it.
It is unique for a romantasy that it is based on Scottish heritage and so yes there is a bit of difficulty with the Scottish words and pronunciations. Whilst there is a pronunciation guide and glossary would be useful and I was worried it would be at the back all along and I had missed it and I hadn’t.

I started about 25% of this before a certain dragon book came out so left it and came back to it. Stuck with it for a couple more chapters but once I got to 40% make couldn’t put it down.
The story goes into a different direction to what I thought but I really enjoyed it as it featured some of my favourite tropes.
There were plenty moments of humour, some bleaker moments and more spice than I thought,
There is another twist at the ending which sets up for book 2
Overall an enjoyable strong 4 star read

Okay, so I have a few thoughts on this one.

While I enjoyed the premise of the book, it really took me a while to get into it. The word building was really complex and there were a number of words that I just couldn’t wrap my head around. It would have been useful to almost have a bit of a glossary alongside the guide at the front to support name pronunciation (even though I questioned myself the whole way through if I was reading things correctly).

I found the FMC Ameyra a tricky character to get on board with at first and there were so many aspects of her persona that lacked logic. She was bold and fiery but felt as Queen there would have been a stronger sense of independence and leadership that surrounded her. However, she grew and developed so much throughout the story.

This book was a real slow burn, enemies to ‘lovers’ vibe. Once I got past the first 20% I settled in more and found it easier to get lost in.

I enjoyed the relationship between Ameyra and Fiorean it did make me laugh in parts, his touch her and die vibes really did it for me! Fiorean was on both my good and bad sides throughout I think he is a character people will want to dislike but won’t be able to.

While I enjoyed this there were some elements that were pretty shocking and therefore please check the triggers as I found one part of this book super difficult to read.

I am so grateful to have been given access to an ARC of this but I am gutted that I have to wait so long for the second book!

Actual rating 2.5/5 stars.

Aemyra was raised as a blacksmith's daughter but knows her true place is sitting on the throne. When her plans to bond with the late king's dragon and claim his seat are thwarted she must spend time bonding with the enemy instead, if she hopes to continue living and one day gain her rightful place as ruler.

Aemyra ruined this book for me. I can get on board with an unlikeable character when I feel the author has purposefully made her so, but here I saw few redeeming features and didn't gel with her character arc so left the book feeling merely frustrated at her views on the world and how little emotion she appeared to have.

Her reactions to the events that occurred were only ever briefly mentioned and then moved on from when, in reality, she should have been devastated and angered and violent, baying for revenge and all of the things the synopsis marked her out as being.

The storyline itself had the bones to be a very interesting one but it too, unfortunately, failed to grasp my attention. I found it hard to throw myself into the story but this, unlike Aemyra herself, this did alter as the book progressed and I found myself slowly warming to the events happening. The romance wasn't one of these things but the progression of events was.

I really had high hopes for this book, the cover looks so beautiful! The description of the book is something I really would love. But I just don’t know what it was, I just couldn’t wait to finish the book and couldn’t connect with the characters.

This is the first book in the Bonded to Beasts series and it was a great start!

There is just something that hits different when it‘s REAL enemies to lovers. I really enjoyed the tension and hate between the two MCs. Think dagger to throat, fighting with knifes and then doing OTHER things with knifes 👀

We get a stabby bi-furious FMC who isn’t afraid to speak up and fight for what is rightfully hers. The morally grey MMC gave off Aemond Targaryen vibes and I was absolutely here for it.

The female rage in this book was high and I ate it up. The combination of Celtic lore, dragons, oppressive religion and „f*ck the patriarchy“ was highly entertaining.

The twist at the end was everything I hoped for, because I honestly love a good cliffhanger. The crueler the better 🙌

"You are descended from ancient queens. Fire runs through your veins. Embrace it"

Celtic Mythology - check. Stabby bi-furious FMC - check. Dragons - check. A rightful Queen - check!

A Fate Forged in Fire was everything I wanted it be. I don't want to say too much because I urge you to read it and enjoy one of my favourite enemies to lovers in a long time. The tension was palpable, the back-and-forth insults were perfect and the pure fiery hatred between Aemyra and Fiorean was exquisite. This was a true "I actually want to kill you" vibe.

As a massive House Of The Dragon fan, I was intrigued to see how the influence would shine through in this story, and my god did it do just that. Two Houses at war, dragon warfare, female rage, religious influence and interference, political manoeuvres, deep familiar bonding and a sense of fulfilling your destiny: it is all wrapped up in this delicious and decadent Celtic world building that just so perfectly hits the mark for me.

The last 20% of this book is some of the best story and character development I've read in a very long time, and it's actually taken me a few days to write this review without giving anything away whilst also convincing you to read this because this story is best left to be discovered and enjoyed so you FEEL everything.

I absolutely cannot WAIT for book 2, I just need it NOW. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

<i>’she would not allow herself to be defined by the violence of men.’</i>

This was a really interesting fantasy that left me feeling very conflicted!
I loved the world that has been crafted, the interesting magic system and Gaelic influence throughout.
However, I just really couldn’t get in with the FMC. For someone who is so bold and (allegedly) capable, she was surprisingly incompetent and childish. I kept waiting for her to do/achieve something! And then the ending irked me too. So overall I’m really unsure on if I will be continuing this series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I struggled to get into “A Fate Forged in Fire” to begin with. There is so much complex world building in the first 30-40% of the book that I actually thought I was going to have to DNF it.
However, I am so glad I persevered because the last 30% of the book had me absolutely hooked and that ending…. 🤯🤯. I didn’t see it coming at all and I now need book 2 immediately!

As a fellow Scot, I really appreciated the inclusion of aspects of Scottish culture and history in this book! The addition of a ceilidh dance took me back to school dancing in PE and every wedding I have attended in an adult so I really appreciated it!

I also really enjoyed Ameyra’s character. She is the definition of feminine rage and I’m all for it. I’m excited to see how her character develops in book 2.

If you like enemies to lovers, SLOOOOOW burn, dragons and Scottish history then this is the book for you!

This was an interesting concept. When I heard dragons, enemies to lovers I was like yep right up my street. I was super intrigued to read this book. I also really adore the cover of this book. When the physical book comes out this will be stunning on people's shelves.

From what I can gather, this is part of a duology for this particular area of their world and the plan is for each area to get their own duology which focuses on a different element. Here in Tir Teine we are focused on fire.

The basic premise of the story is that Aemyra is a queen in hiding until the time is right to claim her legacy. She bonds with a dragon which increases her powers but then she is captured by the enemy and forced to marry and stay confined.

To begin with I did struggle with all the Gaelic language, even with the pronunciation guide at the start of the book. It took me a while to get used to that and it kind of took me out of the story because potentially I was pronouncing things incorrectly!

The story is very very political so if you enjoy that side of your fantasy, you'll probably eat this up but for me it got a bit bogged down with that stuff and took me out of the story. The scenes with the dragons were really good and I really enjoyed those and I hope there are more of these in the next book.

The characters were not the most endearing and Aemyra was not a great FMC to be honest. She came across quite arrogant and entitled to begin with. As her story goes on though you see glimpses of humanity but not really enough throughout the book to make her likeable. It was good that potentially she was an older FMC that you would not normally see in a fantasy novel and that she was potentially bi sexual so it was good to see this represented in a fantasy novel. Fiorean was also a bit one dimensional and lacked a bit of personality and didn't really seem to offer that much however their scenes and tension was written very well and I enjoyed their backwards and forwards battles with each other.

Overall I enjoyed the book however does it add anything different to the genre than what is already there... Possibly not. However if you like a fantasy book to be heavily political and lighter on the romance, then this might be up your street.

"DNF at 30%

This book had great potential, with impressive world-building. Unfortunately, the characters needed more depth. I found it challenging to connect with the FMC, as she lacked redeemable qualities, and the MMC, while mentioned, didn't evoke any thoughts or emotions. However, I did appreciate the pronunciation guide at the beginning. For a debut book, there are some promising elements, but it ultimately fell short for me."

I did enjoy this book.
Got my out of a small book slump and hit the spot for a new Romantacy to read
Magic system was really interesting as well

Thank you Hazel McBride, Dialogue Books | Renegade, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wish it had leaned a little more political. The book comes across YA with sex scenes to be honest. Goddesses, she was infuriatingly dumb and just plain infuriating. Years of being trained to be queen and not one strategy lesson? Every single move was a flop.

This was clearly a HOTD / ASOIAF fanfiction down to the names beginning with ‘Ae’. The scar on Fiorean’s face… just say Aemond and keep it moving.

I did, however, love the use of Scottish Gaelic, the magic system was also interesting, and it was fast-paced for an easy read. I’ll probably read the next book even though the ending potentially set up for a trope I hate.

A Fate Forged in Fire is thrilling, action packed and a complex enemies to lovers fantasy. I liked the lore, the world building and the eventual change of heart between Aemyra and Florian. Some scenes were difficult to read due to violence and fear, but, overall I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you to the author,, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this.

Hazel McBride delivers a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy in A Fate Forged in Fire, setting the stage for what could be an epic series. The story follows Aemyra, who has been raised with the certainty that she will be queen—a belief that has given her a sense of confidence, even arrogance. She fully expects a fairytale ending, assuming she’ll effortlessly restore the matriarchy to power, only to face the harsh reality that it won’t be so simple. While she’s clearly a strong FMC, her true test is still to come in the next book.

The novel is packed with action from start to finish—there isn’t a dull moment. I particularly enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers romance, which brings all the tension, chemistry, and banter you could ask for. And speaking of banter, Aemyra’s one-liners had me actually laughing out loud. Her sharp wit and sarcasm make her even more fun to follow, especially in the more intense moments. My only complaint? We need more dragons!

The use of Scottish Gaelic adds depth to the world-building, though I’ll admit that some words were tricky at first. I found myself flipping back to the pronunciation guide a lot, but I’d encourage readers to stick with it—it gets easier. I also think a family tree at the start of the book would have been helpful, as keeping track of all the family relationships was confusing at times.

Overall, I’d rate A Fate Forged in Fire 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a strong start, but there’s still room for character growth and development. I’m excited to see how Aemyra evolves and where the story goes next.

Fire, goddesses, dragons and a matriarchy. This book was very fun to read!

We follow bratty and mouthy Aemyra as she is more than just a healer and a blacksmith. Did I say she's bratty? She sure is and it took me a bit to dial into it instead of getting annoyed by it. It's female rage and the fact I found her annoying at first actually shows the ingrained misogyny in me. This might be a thing that will stop others from reading but I highly recommend you keep going. If only for one of the hottest and most swoon worthy declarations of love. I was clutching my proverbial pearls in absolute admiration when I read that part. Enjoyed how ingrained the goddesses were in the story. With simple quick prayers but also signs of which goddess was being represented. Felt very natural.

Really enjoyed the ending of the book and that very nice last line of the book, gorgeous!

Personally I'd like a big more world building and more political intrigue, but I know this is not the hook the writer went for. So I turned off that part of my brain and just went with the flow. I'd love to know more about the other parts of the world but I understood the writer is working on the next duology set in another territory of Erisocia. So I am looking forward to the second part of this duology and the next duologies Hazel McBride has planned!
Loved that a map was added, I kept going back to it to see here we were. Loved the fact there was a name and pronunciation list added, but can highly recommend keeping a Scottish Gealic translator nearby for the first few words you encounter.

For those wanting more fantasy and dragons but feel like Game of Thrones itself is too daunting, enjoyed Throne of Glass, or Fourth Wing this book is for you (Personally I'd really disliked Fourth Wing and would definitely recommend A Fate Forged in Fire to my friends.)

Do mind the trigger warnings as they are not to be taken lightly!!

Wow this book is amazing! The dragons, the magic, the insane chemistry between the MCs, I was completely hooked right from page one and could not read fast enough. The cliffhanger ending was insane and I have no idea how I will contain my excitement as we wait for the sequel

I DNF'd this book about 60% in.

Unfortunately I did not find any of the characters appealing and the sheer level of info dumping about the world left me feeling like somone was toting facts from a wiki page rather than reading a novel.

The men were vile, the abuse seemed unnecissarily harsh and I can see why fans of GOT would like this as it left me with the same bad taste in my mouth. If you are a fan of GOT or Furyborn, then this may be for you, but for me I just could not get past how revolting I found nearly every character, and the FMC was just an empty vehicle to abuse to further the story in my opinion.

I like the concept but I just cannot deal with the way it is written.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this, I’m rating it 5 stars.

Aemyra was an incredible FMC, her feminine rage was everything. Aemyra was not a perfect character, she showed a lot of growth during this story, she appeared quite headstrong at first but along the way learned when to hold fire and when to go all guns blazing.

This story will hurt, the corruption of religion used to support the hierarchy of men above women is atrocious. Check your trigger warnings as the story has abuse, violence and other dark contents.

My heart broke many a time during this book, magic and dragons mixed with romance and political intrigue created an environment for betrayal, violence and loss.

The MMC in this book almost had me and now quite frankly I wouldn’t be mad if Aemyra followed through on her promises. There is some spice in this book and romance, this is true enemies to lovers and is done very well. I’m not sure what book 2 will hold for our FMC and MMC but as long as she makes him beg then I’m here for it.

Can’t wait to continue this series, I’m captivated.