Ash & Ink is a sweet and magical fantasy romance and I enjoyed every moment of it!💙📚🐉

Casie is a bookseller and budding writer, with no memory of who she was before her quiet life in the cozy and welcoming town she lives in now. As she navigates the challenges of her every day life and slowly returning memories, she is surrounded by an amazing support system. There's a fairy godmother like mentor, a hilarious best friend, a tiny dragon and a handsome, absolutely swoony man who seems connected to her in ways Casie can’t explain.

The fantasy part of the story is fascinating and enchanting and the story overall is a perfect mix of whimsy, mystery and emotional depth. I really like the tone of Casie’s narration. It feels like a friend telling you everything over coffee at the dreamiest bookstore-bakery. The book also doesn’t shy away from deeper and darker themes but they are handled with respect and purpose throughout.

Casie and Flint’s romance is absolutely pure swoon worthy! Even without her memories, their connection feels timeless, the kind of love that pulls two people back together no matter what. Flint is such a cinnamon-roll MMC and the side characters shine, too - especially Calinda, she absolutely stole my heart!

All in all, this book is heartwarming, emotional, enchanting and fun to read. I’ll definitely be rereading and I cannot wait for book two💙📚🐉

💙 fantasy romance
🐉 adorable sidekick dragon
📚 bookish FMC
💙 cinnamon-roll MMC (swoon!)
🐉 no third act breakup
📚 ADHD rep

Thank you Bella Donna, Victoria Editing and NetGalley for a copy of *Ash & Ink* in exchange for my honest review.

Posted to Goodreads and Storygraph- December 2, 2025

It’s a unique premise that really draws you into the story and keeps you hooked on the story. I really enjoyed getting to know Casie and Flint, and I loved being able to read from both of their perspectives. He has such a unique mindset that made me want to keep reading his perspective. And Calida is, of course, the absolute cutest! And who doesn’t want a dragon?!

Ash And Ink is a smoky, spell soaked tale where memory is both a curse and a weapon. Bella Donna weaves a world built on shadows, forgotten truths and magic that scars as much as it saves.
the writing is atmospheric and sharp, the characters bruised but burning, and the mystery pulls you in lime a whisper from a drying fire.

This book was fantastic and the FMC was what made the story. I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read more!

Ash & Ink was such a fun read. I went into this expecting something light and magical and it delivered exactly that, with some emotional depth and really great spice.

Cassie is our FMC
She’s flighty, forgetful, chaotic , trying to write a book, and fully convinced she just has writer’s block… only for it to slowly become clear that her memories are resurfacing. I loved that angle so much. Her narration feels chaotic in a very relatable way. I loved seeing her unfold the layers within herself and finding out who she truly is.

Flint is a total cinnamon-roll MMC but still very much a warrior — steady, protective, and completely devoted. He balances Cassie’s chaos perfectly .and the way he keeps her grounded during their time together is completely swoon worthy. Their banter was witty and easy, and their connection felt natural and flowed beautifully. Also the tiny pocket-sized dragon are you kidding? Totally unexpected and an Absolute highlight. I loved every minute of this book.

Overall, this was a magical enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing Ash and Flint’s story takes them in book two.

Thank you to NetGalley and victory editing for the arc.

Thank you to the publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this book for review purposes via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book, I really want a Calida and Flint in my life. I really liked Cassie, I liked how chaotic she was. I’m always losing things like Cassie so that made her really relatable. It made me chuckle when she met Calida and Flint for the first time in the bookshop, and Calida sets first to the box of donations lol. Calida might be a pocket sized dragon but she is small and mighty, I loved it when she made Flint read to her. Betsy and her steamy audiobooks made me chuckle, her and Annemarie were like found family to Cassie. Got to give a special mention to Miss Alice for the correct use of tool, I loved that part. Brett was a creeper, I hated him from the moment he came on the page and I was really hoping he got a good dose of karma. Overall I really enjoyed the pacing and the writing in this book, I really can’t wait for book two. Particularly after that ending.