“Fantasy romance at its finest! This book has it all: A heroine full of spunk and spark, a hero full of mystery and masculinity, and an epic story full of intrigue and action. You will fall in love with these delicious characters. This book is utterly breathtaking!” -Darynda Jones, New York Times bestselling author of the Charley Davidson seriesKINGDOMS WILL RISE AND FALL FOR HER…“Cat” Catalia … WILL RISE AND FALL FOR HER…
“Cat” Catalia Fisa lives disguised as a soothsayer in a traveling circus. She is perfectly content avoiding the danger and destiny the Gods-and her homicidal mother-have saddled her with. That is, until Griffin, an ambitious warlord from the magic-deprived south, fixes her with his steely gaze and upsets her illusion of safety forever.
BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT
Griffin knows Cat is the Kingmaker, the woman who divines the truth through lies. He wants her as a powerful weapon for his newly conquered realm-until he realizes he wants her for much more than her magic. Cat fights him at every turn, but Griffin’s fairness, loyalty, and smoldering advances make him increasingly hard to resist and leave her wondering if life really does have to be short, and lived alone.
Kingmaker Chronicles Trilogy
A Promise of Fire
Breath of Fire (coming January 2017)
Heart on Fire (coming Fall 2017)
More praise for A Promise of Fire:
“A sexy, mysterious fantasy that straddles the line between mythic adventure and paranormal sizzle.”-Damon Suede, award-winning author of Bad Idea
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A Promise of Fire is a wonderful addition to any collection of fantasy romance that features a strong female heroine. With heavy influences from Greek mythology (but used in a unique and original way), this book offers action, romance, and a cast of delightful characters, as well as engaging dialogue and great character dynamic.
I was in the mood for a Fantasy Romance book and the blurb of this book sounded amazing. Wow! This book exceeded all my expectations. I am blown away with the world Amanda Bouchet has created. This book is refreshing, unique, adventurous and funny. Also there is just the right amount of action and romance added to perfect the story. I was intrigued and hooked from the first page.
A Promise of Fire starts with Cat working as a soothsayer in a circus. She can tell when someone is lying. Griffin is a warlord who meets Cat and wants to use her for her powers. I absolutely loved their first interaction. Cat is such a smartass and isn’t afraid of anything. He ends up kidnapping her and takes her with him to his home. The days on the road weren’t all without pain and struggle. Cat can’t stand Griffin and fights him at every turn. There’s are also Griffin’s brother and two friends who made this book even more enjoyable with their smart remarks and jokes. Cat really did put up a struggle and I was amazed by how long she kept it up. She has secrets that no one can know about and she is in constant danger. She doesn’t want to feel anything for these men because she doesn’t want to put them in harms way. The more she pushed the more they protected her.
I loved every character in this book and they all added so much to this story. Cat has found her way into my top 10 favorite badass female characters. She is smart, caring, loyal and strong. Griffin was such an alpha male and he was the perfect guy for Cat. He was loyal, protective and honest. Their push and pull relationship had me laughing out loud a couple of times. They were the perfect match!
This book is definitely one of my all time favorite Fantasy books. It was phenomenal and I loved the writing. I wouldn’t change anything about this book. This book is a gem in the Fantasy genre and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. The ending didn’t leave me hanging, so don’t be afraid to start this series. Amanda Bouchet is an author to look out for!
Great characters and a wise-cracking first person attitude… but best of all (in my opinion) key secrets and powers that get revealed slowly… like who the main character really is… in a skillful way that both leaves us guessing and also lets us feel clever when we put the pieces together.
Strong female lead character. All of the characters are vividly created. Enough action and romance to keep the pages turning! There is some confusion about the main characters’s origins in the beginning, but that becomes part of her mystique. Couldnt wait to download the 2nd book!
PHENOMENAL new book from a debt author!
A Promise of Fire is book one in the Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet.
The cover pulled me in and I’m so glad I tried out this book. This was my very first fantasy romance read. I don’t understand why it took me so long to pick up this genre, but I am so glad that my first book in this genre was OUTSTANDING!
Amanda Bouchet did a SENSATIONAL job! I was so engrossed, that I lost track of time and when I needed to stop I didn’t want to. A Promise of Fire is loaded full of action, adventure, prophecy, and so much more. We get battles to fight and creatures from myths and legends to slay. Plus our characters have secrets that involve Gods and more.
The story is original and the author weaves a complex world with unique characters and a thick plot full of action. The beginning felt a bit slow, but once you get past the first chapter things pick up and move along fast.
Catalia was an interesting character. Her past is not pleasant, so she has learned to not let anyone get close and to keep her secrets to herself. But she will learn to open up and start healing. The Warlord Beta Sinta aka Griffin was a very sexy character and I love that he never gives up on Cat. These two still have a long way to go, but things are starting to change. I throughly enjoyed the verbal sparing Cat and Griffin do and how their relationship is developing. All the characters introduced in A Promise of Fire are pretty interesting and likable.
This story ended way too soon and left me wanting more. It captivated me and I can’t wait to dive deeper into the Kingmaker Chronicles series. I’m waiting on pins and needles for the next installment.
Rated: 4.5 Stars
*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the second book to my local indie bookstore, so I can continue reading. Cat and Griffin’s chemistry is off the charts playful and fun, and the worldbuilding is phenomenal!
Amanda Bouchet heard all the gripping of fantasy fans across the nation that desired a fantasy romance that was NOT for young adults and decided to grace our lives with her Kingmaker Chronicles. With a snarky and powerful heroine, a conquering alpha and his dashing team of warriors, and a magical world on the cusp of dramatic change, fantasy romance fans finally can breathe and enjoy a book up their alley. Initially, I picked up this book because it had a neat looking cover (yes I know, I know. I fell prey to the worst trap. Sometimes it happens no matter how much I chant to myself “don’t judge a book by its cover.” At least this time it worked for good.) However, I stayed reading this book and the next and the next because Bouchet spins such an interesting and powerful story. While the idea of magic, conquering warlords, and a powerful girl in the middle of all the chaos is not necessarily unique, how Bouchet decides to combine all these factors produced a story that not only captures readers but keeps them coming back. I have read this book three times, at least, and I still love each time I read it because I find new aspects of the story I never noticed before.
As with every book, there are some pros and cons. I like to start with the cons because I like to end on a good note 🙂
So, sometimes this book is a little predictable. You can guess where parts of it are going and how things will end up. I will say that that does not take away from the brilliant writing, world building and character development. Otherwise, the later parts with Daphne (when you read it, you will understand so I’m not going to go into detail) did not seem to really help the plot all that much. They seemed to just be there to fluff and finally push the relationship between Cat and Griffin.
Otherwise, on a good note, the world building within this story deserves high praise. Bouchet does a wonderful job of tying Greek mythology to a new fantasy world. Her descriptions and details make the world all the more believable. Magic has limits, it is not just a cure all, and not everything is dependent on it, but it also offers great gains and aid to those who can use it right. The relationship between Cat and Griffin also enhanced the story tremendously. Their romance was filled with tension and spark that drew you in and kept you wanting more. However, if I had to choose one thing that stood out to me as my “favorite,” it would have to be the dynamic between Cat, Griffin, and Griffin’s team of warriors. The friendship and camaraderie that surrounded Beta team made you want to be apart of that group. Bouchet’s decision in writing how these characters interact with each other, with humor, kindness, snark, and love, creates a compelling story that I have loved to read and re-read multiple times.
All in all, if you want some fantasy romance, magic, or just plain ole camaraderie and danger, then A Promise of Fire is sure to sate your cravings. In fact, it will probably lead to you buying the next and the next book in order to quickly satisfy your desire to know more about Cat, Griffin, and Beta team.
Honestly I was not expecting to be this blown away by this book. Love the “gods” aspect of it. Love the romance. Suuuuuch a good “enemies” to lovers. Probably the book that kind of got me into the enemies to lovers trope. Both the MC’s are smart and funny and even 4 months later I think back on this book and think “man I wish I could find another book like that…”
3.5 stars, rounded down mainly because of the iffy kidnapping dynamic, and one secret still untold to her love-interest, even at the end of this first volume (of three). It was sort of a guilty pleasure 4 until the frustration of the end, though that’s dramatically addressed right in the beginning of volume 2. Original, classical-myth-inspired world-building and action, mixed with steamy romance. One of the few authors whose present-tense narration feels smooth, natural, and gripping. (ICYDK, I’m usually *not* a fan of this recent trend.)
I am loving this trilogy. I always love a good Greek mythology foundation (who doesn’t?) The female lead is so relatable, in that she exudes confidence, but is also terribly insecure and even a bit self loathsome at times. One of the most important things to me in a series is character development, and Ms. Bouchet nailed it. The world building is excellent; you can almost picture the realm. I loved the magic system, as well. It is different and intriguing. The entire series is action packed, filled with political intrigue, and the all important romantic aspect. This series is great; I fully recommend it.
Main character was considered unreasonable for being upset over being kidnapped and trying to escape. They blamed her for a lot of things not her fault. Plus, the “superior” culture of the “hero” didn’t make much sense. Mostly, I thought the characters were idiots.
Title: A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles #1)
Author: Amanda Bouchet
Publisher: Piatkus
Edition: Kindle
Amount of Pages: 464
Genre: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Date Read: 30-07-2019 – 31-07-2019
Favorite Quote: “Happiness is a strange, frightening, fragile feeling when you’re not used to it.”
Review:
I liked this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was excited going in. I got even more excited when I realized this book was heavily based on Greek mythology.
It was a bit difficult for me to step aside from the view I had of the gods and their personality from reading the covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, but I did it.
While I was also excited I was also hesitant going in because I’ve seen some less than nice reviews about certain events. But I was glad to see that they weren’t right. Well not in my opinion atleast.
Yes the main character, Cat got kidnapped by a warlord named Griffin, and he forces her to come with him by magically attaching her to him. But nothing happened between them while he had her under his control. When something did happen, he had released her and given her the choice to stay, and she choose to stay.
The banter between Cat and Griffin was great, it was super funny. They had great chemistry. The story was well developed, with great supporting characters as well.
Overall I really liked this book and I’m excited to read the rest of the series.
Rating:
4 I loved it stars
Strong female lead. Good conflicts & action.
I often find adult fantasy so focused on the steamy scenes that it neglects the storyline, but this book was absolutely delicious, plot wise and romance wise.
A 3 book arc that is worth reading. Characters are interesting and always up to craziness. I am more than happy I read this series. Different world, different time, magic reigns.
******3.5*****
I was so excited to be first on the audiobook waiting list at my library, as I’ve heard great things about this authors and series (and I actually own the ebook) but didn’t have a chance to pick it up. Well, this book was thoroughly entertaining and hooked me right from the very beginning.
First, the narrator of this book was amazing! She brought the story alive, gave each character and distinct and unique voice and made my reading journey very entertaining.
I will admit that I went into this book blind, other than knowing it was a fantasy romance and I was so excited that the book center on Greek mythology (which are some of my favorite books to read). Within the first few chapters, I was hooked and was devouring the book as I work. I loved both Cat and Griffin and there push/plus was done to perfection! they had sizzling chemistry, a great bond and Cat made him work for it!
I will say that the book started really strong with tons of action and angst but it did suffer some pacing issues throughout the book. I felt like the middle portion was slow and found myself losing interest, but glad I stuck it out because once Cat made it to Griffin’s home it became everything I love about reading. Cat interaction with the Court and the Griffin family was wonderful. It was fun having seeing Cat have to deal with people who are so different than her own family to see that all are not selfish and vindictive. Cat really grew in her time with Griffin’s family and friends and become more confident in who she is.
I will say that last quarter of the book suffered from some pacing and found myself a bit bored with some of it but I thought it did end nicely. Not major cliffhangers and a nice set up for the next book.
Exceptional and outstanding! Incredible action, romance, and magic. Not to be missed!
YAYYYYY!!!!! Finally a fantasy series that I love! There have been a few older popular series I have tried, but never finished. This one is probably going to break that streak! What a great debut and Griffin and Cat are an amazing book couple!
It was a fine palate cleanser. Don’t go in with high expectations, though. The writing is so/so, there are a few plot holes, the metaphorical fire/ice thing doesn’t really make sense, none of the big issues were really resolved, and the romantic lead is… forceful. I didn’t think it was horrible, but there were a few times where he skated the edge of acceptable behavior.
This is a very interesting series. It wasn’t easy to figure out what the future held. I was greatly entertained.