⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. A compelling fantasy romance with excellent world building, thrilling battles, edge-of-your-seat tension, and enduring love.

Idallia has been serving in the Dragon King’s Elite Wing of dragon shifters for nearly two hundred years. She doesn’t have fire or flight of her own, but she’s a phoenix rider with enough speed and skill to make her enemies think twice about tangling with her or her warbirds. Centuries of life without knowing who or what you are is complicated enough without harboring a growing secret attraction, but the more time Idallia spends with Bale Cinderheart, the harder it is to stay away from the fiercely protective Dragon King. Dominant, intense… and the one man with the power to ruin everything.

Bale has centuries of ruling under his scales and more responsibilities than he has fangs. His greatest triumph is his Elite Wing and their warbirds, but his biggest fear is losing them. Especially Idallia. She’s his forbidden desire and the one person he can’t seem to let go of—even for his own good. While the man in him guards his heart as relentlessly as the dragon in him guards his kingdom, he’s also the keeper of the answers Idallia has been seeking her whole life. Revealing the truth now could cost him everything—his home, his crown, his heart…

MY THOUGHTS

It really irked me how patronizing Bale sometimes sounded when he told Idallia to focus on her life now and not on her questions about where she came from, especially considering that he seemed to have all the answers. I was very close to shouting “just tell her!” out loud on more than one occasion. Her questions and his thoughts definitely set me up to be extremely curious about who and what Idallia was, leading to wild speculation on my part.

There were constant references to link sunshine with Idallia and shadows with Bale, that matched their personalities. Almost like a literal sunshine/grumpy pairing. Bale was super intense and the narrator’s voice brought that to life. The same with Idallia’s lightness and her narrator’s voice. Idallia did have a past filled with trauma and it definitely had an impact on her life, but overall, she brought light and enthusiasm to the Elite Wing.

The slow burn tension was unreal, adding another layer of frustration. I’m not sure what I wanted more, for them to break and finally give in, or for Bale to reveal her secrets. There was definitely some loud yelling happening in my car.

So, it should be clear by now that I was completely invested in Bale and Idallia. The ending wrapped everything up very nicely and I certainly heaved a relieved sigh. I can, obviously, highly recommend this book if you like dragons, vampires, magic, and a slow burn, steamy romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an audio copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Published: February 23, 2026
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Book 1 of Heirs of the Second Dawn