Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha Narrator: Caitlin Elizabeth, Victoria Mei, Will Thorne, Adenrele Ojo
Series: Bound to Fire and Steel #1
Published by Brilliance Audio on November 28, 2023
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Length: 12 hours, 31 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive. Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes. She is young, beautiful―and she has three secrets. she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction. her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved. Third―and most she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul. The Dragon has only one he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess them both.
Consort of Fire is the first book of the Bound to Fire and Steel series, where the Kit Rocha writing duo have left behind dystopian words to work in a new fantasy realm. In this realm, the dreams or the beliefs of people can be pulled form the void to make protectors of the land. These gods, as they have become to be known, live with and slightly removed from the people. None are more feared than the Dragon, the protector of the land. He has been tied to the royal line for millennia by taking a consort from their line every 100 years or so. Sachi has just been sent to him to fulfill this promise, but the men of the word are tricksters and she is supposed to kill this Dragon so they can have free reign to do whatever they would like.
I read the blurb for this and immediately needed it in my life. I’m not a stranger to the Kit Rocha writing team having read most of their Beyond series, the said…<b>Warning</b>, this is not for the faint of smut, there is a lot of sexy times happening throughout the story. So if you haven’t read them before, I think you would be in for a surprise. They have a great way of blending the story with a lot of sex and in Consort of Fire they didn’t disappoint. This is a poly-amorous story as Sachi comes to be the Dragon’s consort with her long time lover Zanya. While Sachi was trained to seduce the Dragon known as Ash, Zanya was trained to assassinate him. The Court has used the love between the two women to create a dangerous duo. Zanya will do anything to save Sachi, including trying to kill a God, to break the curst on her lover, no matter the cost.
I’m not really big into threesomes involving two women normally. But I liked how this all played out, the authors were great at heightening the sexual tension as Ash really tries to court two woman. Also there wasn’t a scene that was only the two women together that wasn’t fade to black which helped keep my interest in the romance. One woman is soft and everything of comfort and love. The other is a hunter like himself, but who better to stalk a hunter that the ultimate hunter. Ash is determined to not only win Sachi’s heart but that of her lover. As they tour the various courts of the Gods after the binding ceremony all with struggle with their different roles, as how do you kill someone you are growing to love and might be bound to part of your soul?
There isn’t a lot of action in the story. It really revolves around stories of Ash’s past and fights to protect the land and Sachi and Zanya’s internal battles with the assignment they have been given. The girls didn’t have an easy life and this is the first time in their lives they have been allowed to live openly. While it has given them some freedoms it has also made their planned betrayal that much harder. Ash on the other hand has been alive for millennia and while he knows there is something they aren’t telling him, he is trying to gain their trust. He is a patient hunter and the Dragon wants the reward having both women would bring his lonely life.
“You’re my tether. Without you, I’d by only darkness.”
“You’re my light. And you’ll by his too.”
This was a great introductory story to a new world and new characters. There are a lot of characters and while the main arc of dealing with the Betrayer will need more books to flesh out I’m sure, we at least have a resolution to the arc of the curse in this story. There is a little time needed for the initial set up of the world and there was a short part of the story that just seems like sex scene after sex scene for about 3-4 chapters, when I was more interested in getting on with the main plot but other than that I would say the book flows really smoothly and Kit Rocha have me completely invested in this new world they have created.
Narration:
The narration for this was so good. I loved that each PoV had a distinctive narrator for it. Ash’s narrator was by far my favorite as his voice was so deep and booming, perfect for our dragon. But each narrator was able to make their PoV character shine. Sachi’s narrator captured her softness and love, Zanya’s was a little more sharp and was able to portray her harder side and broken being. I loved the narrations and how they added to the enjoyment of the story. I was able to listen this at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Kit Rocha
Once upon a time, two best friends decided to write paranormal romance. And while that was awesome, they also sometimes wanted to write insanely dirty stuff that wasn’t paranormal at all. This is that stuff.
Kit Rocha is the dystopian-erotic-romance writing alter-ego of writing duo Moira Rogers.
How do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. Toss in a dash of whimsy and a lot of caffeine, and enjoy with a side of chocolate by the light of the full moon.
By day, Bree and Donna are mild-mannered ladies who reside in the Deep South. At night, when their husbands and children are asleep, they combine forces to unleash the product of their fevered imaginations upon the page
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I’m not usually into reading threesomes or polyamory stories but this sounds pretty good.
Me either. In fact the only times I’ve even mildly enjoyed it Kit Rocha wrote it. That was one of the reasons I was willing to give this a try.
Beautiful cover and I love the dragon aspect. Great review!