I enjoy this series and world, and this was a cute installment. I loved the human/dragon pairing, and I'm always a sucker for a grumpy and protective hero. A cute and enjoyable story!

I love jumping back into this world. It seems like forever since we last visited Nova Realm. What a magical setting for this story.

I love that Mia is a human and gets to live and create her art in Nova Realm. I love that Tiber knows she is his mate and puts on his best grumpy face to try and discourage any time of bond between them.

Great story full of adventure and intrigue. Loved seeing more of the folks who live in that realm.

Great addition to the story!

Love these dragons! Nothing this writer does is bad. There’s always adventure, suspense, and some serious romance. This is Tiber and Mia’s story. Made me giggle in a couple places. I loved the baby dragon! When Mia moves to the Nova realm to escape from an ex, she and her paintings are loved by the dragons, especially by 1 grumpy dragon in particular. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

I was so excited to read Ancient Warlord, the tenth book in what has become one of my favorite paranormal romance series. The Ancients Rising series has some of the swooniest MMCs and romances, and I love the unique and ever-expanding world the author created. This story takes place in the Nova realm, a dragon realm filled with romance, danger, enticing and sometimes terrifying supernatural beings, and richly developed and compelling characters.

Mia is one of my favorite heroines in the series so far. A celebrated and exceptionally talented artist, her work is in high demand, and she's grounded, creative, and resilient. Mia's toxic ex, an elite vampire, enters the realm and disrupts the peaceful, happy life she carved out in the Nova realm. She's a strong woman trying to move on from the trauma of her past, and I loved how fiercely she held on to her independence.

I also liked that Tiber never tried to control or overshadow Mia. The pair definitely started off on the wrong foot with Mia overhearing Tiber insulting humans. Oof, his first impression was awful, but he more than made up for it. From giving her space when she needed it to teaching her how to fight and recognize poisons, Tiber respected Mia’s strength while doing everything in his power to protect her. His actions always came from a place of care, and I love how hard he worked to change her impression of him and to earn her trust. OMG, watching this centuries-old warrior unravel over a woman who wants nothing to do with him was fantastic - funny, endearing, and unexpectedly sweet. He's a ruthless and feared assassin, but when he's with Mia, he's a tongue-tied mess who says all the wrong things. Their dynamic had sparks from the beginning, and their chemistry was amazing!

There’s also a suspenseful storyline threaded through the story, with someone targeting Mia and Tiber going full protective alpha mode in response. Loved it! It was intriguing and intense, which made for a quick and entertaining read. I also adored the found family feel vibes! Tiber’s warrior friends were fabulous - fierce, loyal, and just as compelling as the main couple, and I'm hoping a few of them will be the focus of future novels. And a special shout-out to Ilmari, the cutest, bravest, and cuddliest dragonling! What a scene-stealer!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Katie Reus for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Is this book 10 in a series? Yes. Did I realized that before I started reading it? Noooo. But that is my own fault for not reading thoroughly. I actually will go back and read the other ones after this, I enjoyed it.

I was so mad when I found out who this book was about! The author has so many unresolved plotlines from all the previous books that made the existence of this book a mystery to me. Then she said that Ancient Warlord was supposed to be a novella and then things started making sense. I am still a little mad, because after finishing this book I have even more characters to worry about! And ship because there is a very interesting couple that is in the making! Instead of resolving things, we ended up messing them up even more.

Getting to see another part of the universe this world is set in was interesting and it could get its own series. There are mentions of our beloved characters, so we wouldn’t forget them and to place this book in the series but for most part we only see the new characters. And let’s be honest, even Mia is kinda new because we didn’t get to see her a lot in the past books. I didn’t like that Tiber’s comment was the justification for the delay to his and Mia’s relationship. It was silly and served as a point of friction for too long. On the other hand, I loved Tiber’s dragon. In my opinion this is the most we have seen of someone’s beast side. Usually the dragon/wolf is there but it doesn’t have as many opinions/commentary as Tiber’s did.

Overall, I enjoyed this fresh view of the world we got to know in the Darkness and Ancient Dragons series. Tiber’s possessiveness was exactly what I expected and wanted from him and Mia’s character was well written as well. I look forward to the next book ans I hope we will see the people of the Nova realm.

✨Arc Review✨

Thank you to the author Katie Reus And Netgallery for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

-All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Fiery, Grumpy-Sunshine Romance with Heart

Katie Reus delivers another engaging installment in the Ancients Rising series with Ancient Warlord. This paranormal romance blends dragon shifters, fated mates, and a compelling enemies-to-lovers dynamic into a fast-paced, emotionally resonant story.

Ancient Warlord delivers a thrilling mix of steamy romance, magic, and dragon lore that kept me hooked throughout. Katie Reus knows how to craft characters with depth and grit, and Tiber and Mia’s story is no exception.

I loved the push-and-pull tension between the two leads — their chemistry practically crackled off the page. Tiber’s gruff exterior paired with Mia’s fierce spirit created a dynamic that felt genuine and full of heart. The moments of vulnerability woven through the banter added emotional weight to their connection.

The world-building is immersive, with enough detail about the dragon shifters’ culture and powers to make the stakes feel high without getting bogged down. The pacing is mostly smooth, though a few plot points wrapped up a little quickly for my taste.

That said, a couple of plot points felt somewhat rushed, especially in the resolution phase, which slightly diminished the emotional payoff for me. Additionally, some secondary characters, who have potential to be interesting, didn’t get as much development as I would have liked, but I hope future books in the series will explore them further.

🔥🖤 DRAGON SHIFTER PERFECTION 🖤🔥

Ancient Warlord by Katie Reus had me hooked from page one and did not let go. This book is everything I crave in a fantasy romance, fierce protectiveness, a human/shifter relationship, and a dragon shifter specifically who will ruin anyone who touches what’s his.Mia is the kind of human I root for—strong, brave, and not afraid to meet the supernatural world head-on, & date vampires & then dragon shifters lol. She’s got backbone, heart, and just the right touch of vulnerability(which she is fully aware of). And then there’s Tiber, the ancient dragon shifter who is lethal, possessive, and completely devoted to his fated mate. Every scene with him? Absolute fire. 🔥 THE HOT SPRINGS. 😮‍💨While the chemistry is electric, the world-building is fast paced and not super descriptive which would be my only “negative”, however for a short book it was the perfect fantasy romance palate cleanser.Katie Reus knocked it out of the park. I didn’t just read this book, I devoured it. More dragon shifters, please. 👑🐉

This review was posted on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble (posted by @her_bookish.life) as well as a review for it was posted on Instagram and TikTok under my bookish account @her_bookish.life

“I’d rather gouge my eyes out with the femur bone of a giant deer.”
“That’s oddly specific.”
“I had my eyes gouged out in a similar fashion before we met.” Many years ago, and they’d grown back. “That’s how I know I’d prefer it to a party with a bunch of stuffy—”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I received Ancient Warlord by @katiereus as an eARC from @NetGalley.

Ancient Warlord is a Paranormal Fantasy Romance and is the tenth book in the Ancients Rising series. This book was fun to read. It had me laughing from the very beginning.

It’s a shorter book, under 300 pages, which makes it a perfect amuse-bouche in between heavier books or series.

Ancient Warlord focuses on Mia, our FMC, who is an artist and human living in the Dragon Realm. And Tiber, our MMC, who is a warrior dragon shifter that made a VERY bad first impression on Mia and his dragon half has been kicking him for it ever since.

Mia finds herself in danger and Tiber steps in as her guardian. The supporting characters are great, especially the baby dragon.

I took a star away because the book is building up to two things-the eventual confrontation with the villain and Tiber eventually taking Mia as his mate. In both these instances, I found them to be anticlimactic. I would gladly have read a more pages to have had more elaboration.

Overall, if you’re craving the Romantasy trope high, this book delivers. I read this book without having read the other books in thjs series and was able to follow along just fine. Though I’ll be going back and adding the 9 other books to my TBR since I enjoyed this one so much.

Tropes you’ll find:

Enemies to Lovers
He Falls First
Forced Proximity
Touch Her and Die
Found Family
Dual POV

Great addition to the series
When you’re an old, old, old retired assassin in charge of the up and coming assassins you have given up on ever finding your mate. Then along comes changes, and in the mix is a wee human, that scares the bejesus out of you.
Mia loves living in the dragon realm; she just needs to stay away from the grumpy Tiber. Until the past rolls in and he becomes her saviour.
Really enjoyed the fall of the mighty Tiber, taken down by a wee soft human. Though she’s not quite as soft as he thinks.

Mia took a big chance by moving to the dragon realm but she feels like this is home now. She has made good friends and she is selling her paintings. But there is a certain male dragon that has gotten under skin. She tries to avoid him after she heard what he said about humans. Tiber knows that he messed up with Mia and his dragon isn’t happy as she is their mate. But how can he make it up to her? When a ex lover appears in the realm Mia knows that she is in danger as he is unpredictable. Tiber won’t allow anyone to harm Mia and the best way is for them to go away for awhile. But will she ever be able to stop running from the vampire?
Their relationship has grown and now it is time to tell Mia the truth as Tiber wants to claim his mate forever but will she accept him?
A great read. Good storyline & characters.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

3.5 stars

I love Katie Reus' Ancients Rising series, truly, and the dragon heroes she writes are among the best supernatural heroes out there. Tiber is no exception. And as heroines go, Mia is great. Kind and creative, she's no wimpy pushover herself. The two together are adorable. All that said, the story didn't fully deliver.

It's been a while since the previous book in the series, and it took me a while to remember the gist. It's not imperative to understanding this novel, but reading them closer together would have probably helped. This one takes place entirely in the Nova realm, and man, it seems like an amazing place to live (almost too perfect). I would have liked maybe some more scenes with Mia encountering differences between Nova and New Orleans, rather than offhanded comments about XYZ tasting like apples or ABC being similar to champagne. As it is, it's almost bland, like the human realm being, well, the way we all know it, while the dragon realm is perfection on steroids (minus one creature we briefly met).

The threat from Mia's past held promise but it played out more in Mia feeling fearful than it ever getting particularly suspenseful, and then it was dealt with all rather quickly in the end. As for the romance, Tiber and Mia have chemistry for sure, but it too wraps up rather quickly and without fanfare; even the actual mating happens off page.

In an author's note, Reus says this book was originally meant as a novella, but the characters demanded a novel. I'm not entirely sure I agree. I think some of the lazier or less eventful parts (like the trip to the artist retreat) could have been pulled or shortened in favor of more suspense. Or even a secondary storyline, perhaps fleshing out the Octavia/Nolan teaser into a subplot instead.

All that said, it's a good read that I recommend, especially if you've been following the series thus far.

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley. I'm writing this review voluntarily, and it reflects my honest opinion. Thanks!

romantasy

4⭐
Mia has been invited to live in nova realm because of her artistic talent. Nova Realm is a fierce matriarchal dragon world. The dragons are warriors, and assassins. The dragons have opened up their world to humans and others. Tiber is a warrior and assassin guard, in charge of training the new warriors and protecting the kingdom.
Tiber knows Mia is his mate but he doesn’t know how to recover from her hearing him make a couple of rude comments about humans. Tiber vows to protect, possibly kill, a vampire threat to Mia, and she’s glad to have his protection. The more time she spends with Tiber, the more she likes him. Her laughter delights him and his dragon.



For me, their romance is sweet. He will do anything for her. From cooking and keeping her fed, to wrapping her in his dragon form to keep her warm.Their banter was pretty good too. This book can be read as a standalone.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

I adored Mia and Tiber. It was also really fun reading a different setting that was unique. There's action and suspense and humor to go alongside the romance. The world building that goes into this series is fantastic. This fast read is perfect for fans.

Thank you Katie Reus and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a great read, it is the first shifter story and I really enjoyed it! I enjoyed Mia's and Tiber's chemistry and how it heightened the story line further. It is part of a series which I would recommend reading the rest of the series which I will do now but the story was still really good!

It was good to see Mia open up throughout the story and let Tiber in after all the stuff she has been through, she wasn't ready to let anybody in but with her undeniable connection with Tiber.

I would definitely recommend!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book....

mia is a very talented artist
tiber is an assassin dragon shifter

when these two met it wasnt the best mia overheard a conversation and tiber wasnt complimentary about humans..... since then hes been trying to apologise to mia who is having none of it.....

she had felt welcomed into their kingdom until this....

but it was the arrival of an ex... a vampire ex who made her extremely uncomfortable as before she had left her world for this one strange things kept happening to her friends and family and though she couldnt pin point it being this vampire it was easier to keep her distance....

but now he was here and she needed to escape from his nearness....

so much to her horror tiber was selected to take her to the art retreat..... and along with a dragonling off the went....

not a bad storyline though not nearly enough dragon fighting to my liking but it adds to this series so i am cool with it...

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was suspenseful, action-packed, steamy and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

This was a fun, emotional, and action-packed read that beautifully wrapped up the *Ancients Rising* series. I loved the dynamic between Mia, a strong and artistic human, and Tiber, the grumpy dragon assassin who accidentally insults her right before realizing she’s his mate. Their chemistry was great, full of tension, sweet moments, and sizzling attraction. I enjoyed watching Tiber struggle to make amends while protecting Mia from danger linked to her past. The fantasy world is rich with magic, dragons, and heartwarming side characters, especially the adorable dragonling Ilmari. While the story leaned more toward romance than high-stakes conflict, it still managed to keep me engaged. It was a satisfying, heartfelt romance with just enough fire to keep me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and KP Press, LLC for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars – 2 chili peppers

-Mates and mate bonds
-Dragon shifter MMC + human FMC
-He falls first
-Forced proximity
-He saves her
-Touch her and die
-She doesn’t know they’re mated
-Kidnapping
-Age gap
-Found family
-Baby dragons
-Vampires

Mia is a human artist that is living in Nova, a realm that is full of dragon shifters. She loves everything and everyone in the realm except for Tiber, the dragon shifter who hates humans. When the Queen asks Tiber to be Mia’s guard during the two week art festival that Nova is hosting, she begins to question everything she knows about the grumpy dragon. As trouble from Mia’s past (and the reason she moved from the human world) begins to stir up and cause problems, Tiber decides that her safety is his only priority.

Tiber is an ancient dragon shifter who has been through a lot in his hundreds of years. So when the Queen decides to sponsor a human artist to come and live in his world, he is not impressed. When he expresses his concerns and distaste for allowing humans to live in their world, he comes face to face with Mia – and discovers that she is his mate. For months he tries to apologize with no luck until finally he has a reason to ‘guard’ her. When there actually becomes a threat to Mia, Tiber will stop at nothing to keep her safe, hopefully gain her forgiveness, and win her heart.

This book was a very quick read. It is book 10 in a series of interconnected standalones. I don’t know that I missed anything but some pretty obvious cameos and a few references to individuals that came in the previous books, so I would say they are probably safe to read in any order. The writing is definitely more surface level so if you’re looking for something that is romantasy fluff this is for you. There is not a huge amount of emotional connection with the characters but it is a fun time that you don’t have to think too much about to enjoy!

I would recommend this to anyone who loves Roxie Ray’s Dragon Daddy shifter romance novels! Overall a fun read and I can see myself going back and reading the previous books if I need something quick and fun!

Ancient Warlord takes place in the wonderful dragon realm of Nova. I had first thought that this would be a story from King’s New Orleans, but this tenth Ancient Rising tale was not to be. It all takes place in dragon territory but not all near the palace. By Katie Reus, it has her strong determined female and formidable, bossy but tender male, with a pairing of human and dragon. A wonderful slow burn romance that fits the story and the characters.

Artist, Mia is wildly popular in dragon land with her past following her there. Tiber head of the private elite assassin guard, realizes early on that she is his mate for life. Covincing her keeps the story flowing and exciting, even more so than the danger. Somehow you just know that Mia’s enemy is no match for Tiber. Exciting until the end with more than one surprise along the way.
5.6 Stars