Firebird

*Libro.FM ALC Review*

🔥 Firebird by Juliette Cross 🔥

Main Characters:

• Malina – Our fierce, magical heroine

• Julianus – A brooding dragon shifter and Roman general

If you love dark, swoon-worthy romantasy with fated mates, forbidden love, and a good dose of political scheming, Firebird is one you don’t want to miss!

Malina has a rare, powerful gift—she can manipulate people from the inside out. Need to calm someone? She’s got it covered. Want to make them puke? No problem. This magic has been passed down through generations of strong women who refuse to break for any man.

Enter Julianus—nephew to the ruler of Rome, top general, and next in line to rule. He’s got a reputation for being ruthless, but from the start, you know there’s something more beneath that icy exterior.

Malina and Julianus first cross paths when she’s performing with her family’s dance troupe. There’s an instant connection, and Julianus gives her a gold coin as a token—one she keeps close, sensing its deeper meaning. Years later, fate (and danger) bring them back together. Julianus saves Malina from a horrific attack, not realizing at first who she is. When he does? His dragon instincts take over, and he whisks her away to his home—to “protect” her… by keeping her as his slave.

Yikes. 🚨 This setup definitely makes for a high-stakes and intense dynamic. Malina, rightfully wary, knows Julianus’s fearsome reputation. But as they spend more time together, she starts to see past his brutal exterior—to the man underneath. A man who might not be as cold as he seems.

Cue the tension, the slow burn (but also not slow burn 👀), and all the angsty, forbidden feelings. Both Malina and Julianus realize they need each other, but claiming one another won’t be easy.

This book delivers fated mates, forbidden romance, political intrigue, and a ‘touch her and die’ hero—aka, everything I love in dark romantasy! It’s fast-paced, unique, and totally addictive. Be warned, though: it ends on a cliffhanger—and I’ll definitely be grabbing book two the second it drops.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you love intense romance, powerful heroines, and morally gray dragon shifters.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Blurb:

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
A world where dragons rule Rome.

From the moment Roman general and nephew to the emperor Julianus Dakkia laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate. But he and his dragon know one thing: she belongs to them.

Malina can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality. His warrior prowess cannot be denied, yet they don’t reveal the secret he hides. All Malina knows is his protection and gentle touch. And she cannot deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Xoxo, Melissa