⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. All hope seemed to be lost as Rohan and Alara and their people fought for freedom.

Welcome to the Enclave… I fell for him and he lied. Made a deal to give me to his father. Now we’re all captured, and my heart has been torn to shreds. I thought it couldn’t get any worse than that, but I’m proven just how wrong I was. The games have begun, and there is no guarantee for survival in the enclave. But the king has harbored a secret, one I am to work closely with. I can only hope we get out of this alive. But when your hanging from a rope in a cell with a monster… It’s hard to see any hope at all.

MY THOUGHTS

This story picks up right where the first book ended. Right from the start, it was very hard to read, with its casual cruelty and unnecessary violence. Not gonna lie, the despair and utter hopelessness really got to me. I kept waiting for Rohan and Alara to find a way to fight back, but the odds were heavily stacked against them. They didn’t give up and their love was a ray of hope.

Be aware, the violence was quite horrific. I wanted things to turn around sooner before more people and dragons suffered and died. But I also really wanted to see how it would all play out and what Alara was capable of when it came to communicating with the dragons. This book comes with plenty of warnings, heed them.

My least favourite part was how you kind of became numb to all the never-ending brutality. There were too many senseless deaths.

The simmering resentment and anger finally reached the point of no return with a spectacular showdown. It was a very satisfactory ending, filled with renewed hope and purpose. I was left feeling sad over all the lost lives but knowing that they will be remembered and honoured.

So, in summary, this book covered some extremely stressful situations that were tough to get through at times, and ended on a bittersweet note. This series is for you if you like intense heroes, dragons, and underdogs, with a hot, spicy romance. It is definitely best to read the books in order.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a 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: July 16, 2026
Sensuality Rating: Hot
Series: Book 2 of Upon Buried Embers
Other books in the series: Upon Buried Embers