Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a very good first book in a new dragon romantasy series featuring the first female dragon rider cadet at the Emberquell Academy. Bren starts the book out as a lowborn country girl dating a newly raised Furyknight, the famous dragon riders that serve and protect the kingdom. She sneaks out of her house to say goodbye to him before he leaves on a mission, but discovers his betrayal. Embarassed and ashamed she throws herself off a mountain but is saved and bonded with a young dragon. Everyone that bonds with a dragon must go through the dragonfury Trials and if successful, will become a Furyknight.

No woman has ever bonded with a dragon before, let alone become a Furyknight. Almost everyone is against her joining the group, and almost no one believes she will be successful. Battle Commander, Donavyn is willing to give her a chance because he knows that dragons don’t make mistakes. A unit leader agrees to let Bren join their crew and help her through the trials. It takes her awhile to earn their respect, but she’s brave, strong, independent, and determined to make it.

Unfortunately, she’s also been treated badly by almost everyone in her past and her wounds run deep. These wounds continually interfere with her ability to trust people, especially men, and interfere with all of her relationships. Donavyn agrees to secretly train Bren and as they get closer, feelings begin to develop. Both of them fight them and stay away from each other, but it’s just a matter of time before they give in.

This was a fun book to read and I especially love how big of a role the dragons play in the story. There is plenty of action and I loved the academy setting. There is always a golden retriever that follows the female MC around, and there is always a villain, or villains, that make her life a living hell just because they can. We have all that here and more, plus a little bit of spice to boot.

I received a complimentary audio of this book from Simon Maverick and all opinions are my own. The narrators did a fantastic job with the characters in the book. Troy Duran’s voice is amazing and he portrayed Donavyn with such a sexy voice. You could feel Donavyn’s stress, determination, and desire with every word. He also did a great job distinguishing all the other male characters in the book from each other. Marcella Black did a great job with Bren and all the other female voices. You could feel Bren’s determination and vulnerability through Marcella’s voice.