Firebird

In this sex-heavy historical romantasy, the Roman Empire is reimagined as a cruel and debauched regime of elitist dragons able to transform into human form at will. After a hard-won campaign against the Celts, General Julianus Dakkia claims the beautiful human witch Malina as his own. After transporting her to Rome and establishing her among his house slaves, Julian soon learns her magical gifts can help him wage a hidden war against the emperor. Trust between the two builds quickly and eventually shifts to lust-fueled romance. As secrets and spies abound, allegiances hang in the balance, and violence rages in the Roman capital, forcing Julian and Malina to act sooner than expected or lose each other forever. The world of Firebird offers a unique take on Roman history, not shying away from the empire's practice of enslaving those they conquered. The inherent power imbalance in a romance between the enslaver and the enslaved (despite Malina's potent magical abilities) will be problematic for some, but readers of dark romance will get lost in the fantasy.

Dacian dancer Malina is captured and abducted by the Roman general Julian Dakkia, also known as the Coldhearted Conqueror, whom she remembered as a kind centurion years ago (an image that his current reputation belies). Upon seeing Malina again, Julian, nephew to the depraved emperor of Rome, transformed into his dragon form, killing one of his own men to steal her away to his home. Once there, Malina and Julian both wonder how much they can trust each other with their secrets as Julian and his dragon are drawn ever closer to Malina. In keeping with the novel's setting in ancient Rome, Julian enslaves Malina and others. The novel makes something of a misstep in depicting the enslavement as Julian's way of protecting his chosen family that causes Malina to question whether he really is as ruthless or brutal as his reputation. She sees he is more than a warrior alone and may be deserving of her trust and magical assistance to achieve a mutual goal. VERDICT Cross ("Stay a Spell" series) mixes royal debauchery, political machinations, and hot sex in her new epic romantasy, a sort of mash-up of TV's Rome and House of the Dragon. For fans of Carissa Broadbent, Rebecca Yarros, and Sarah J. Maas.--Eve Stano