I was completely hooked on Monster of the Dagger Mountains from start to finish, utterly absorbed in its world and characters, unable to put it down.
Kira was an easy character to love—sweet yet sassy, braver than she realizes, and fiercely determined. She deserves answers, real ones, about her past and present situation. I loved journeying alongside her as she hunted the Godkiller, with secrets unraveling that would change everything.
Then there’s Reznyk. My heart grew heavier the more I learned about him. He’s a man burdened by his past, haunted by what he once wanted, what he lost, and the choices that still weigh on his soul. He’s stuck in time, unable to move forward, until Kira forces him to face what’s in front of him.
Together? Absolute fire. Their chemistry is undeniable—charged with tension, sizzling attraction, and perfectly timed banter. Their first encounter at the Golden Peaks? Everything. But the road to love was anything but easy. Barriers stood between them, past and present colliding, yet finding each other was so worth it.
And the side characters? Tholious, Matius, and Zayne totally won me over. I wasn’t sure about them at first, but by the end, they had me completely invested. I’m hoping to see more of them in future books. And Xavier? The feisty little cat stole every scene he was in.
This book has it all—adventure, angst, growth, humor, and some seriously fantastic spice. A phenomenal read, and I cannot wait for the next installment!
-Laura, Amazon 5-star review
The dialogue in this book, the banter—chef’s kiss!!! It’s not even advertised as a comedy, but the characters are SO funny. Sarcastic and yet genuine at the same time. The MMC is kind of a mess, but he’s OUR mess, and it feels so good to see him get his happily ever after. The FMC’s backstory means she could’ve easily fallen into a sort of lame “rebel princess” role which I would’ve hated, but instead we get a fascinating character who is dealing with the much-more-relatable issue of not fitting into the role that was laid out for her, in spite of her best efforts, and the feelings of rejection and “why am I like this” and “am I the only one who feels this way?”
Suffice to say, the characters are great, the dialogue is fantastic, the plot contained some interesting mysteries without being too dense or decentering the romance, and the ending gives the MCs their HEA and leaves a clear path forward for the rest of the series without feeling like a cliffhanger.
-Tabitha, Goodreads 5-star review
A long time ago, one of my English teachers told me that great authors don’t tell you a story, they show you the story.
I received an ARC of the third book in this series recently, and I decided to celebrate by re-reading the first two books. About ten pages into the first book, “The Flame and the Blade”, my mind drudged up the well-buried memory of that phrase.
If I think about books, in any genre, they’re all pretty good. I will read pretty much anything to escape the happenings of my day, and I’m more than happy to slip into any story or world. But if I had to point out what separates my 4 star ratings from my 5 star, it would be that sentence.
Meredith Hart shows us this story with such compelling, crystal clear, thoughtful, funny, sexy skill, it’s just wild.
I’m honestly not sure why it doesn’t have as much traction as some other books out there. Romance, even fantasy or paranormal, has a tendency to become very formulaic. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the formula as well, but it’s the difference between getting dinner at Chili’s and getting dinner at the new, innovative restaurant concept that came in. Both will feed you. You’ll feel happy after both (okay, maybe not after Chili’s but that seems to be a matter of personal debate), but you’re definitely going to walk away with a different experience from one than the other.
The Flame and the Blade is five star dining, that’s for sure.
This book is really the story of things that are overlooked, down on their luck, or beyond the mainstream. Both Lyria and Vethe are characters that, for different reasons, have simply just seen better days, and their meeting finds them both at particular low points. They are sent to retrieve an ancient marriage contract, set up by Vethe’s world-ending ancestor, from the site of an ancient battle of light against darkness.
At first, their assumptions of each other are baseless, and rooted in stereotypes. Lyria sees Vethe as a pampered noble, and Vethe thinks Lyria a “meathead” (I chuckle still) without grace, knowledge, or any grain of fun.
As they travel together, their attraction for each other becomes stronger, especially as they each begin to see each other for who they are, instead of who they should be. They also begin to see that something is afoot in the world around them, which again, is not as it should be.
Ending on a killer cliffhanger, this book is a fast read, because each turn of the page reveals a new, hidden surprise, which could feel forced, but flows together seamlessly.
I laughed. I cried. I gasped out loud. I cannot sing the virtues of this book enough, and I highly, highly recommend you read it.
-AlmostDrQ, Amazon 5-star review
Meredith Hart 