Bloodsinger - Review

Bloodsinger (The Fire That Binds, # 2)

By: Juliette Cross

Narrated By: Blair Dade; Kale Williams

Publication: April 7, 2026 by Macmillan Audio

400 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Dragons

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A spellbinding gift...

A plea answered by the gods...

An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.

Lela Bihari’s village was invaded on her wedding night, her betrothed murdered right in front of her. While her sisters were either dragged away or escaped, Lela was sold to Valerius, a consul of Rome.

When she tried to kill Valerius her first night as his slave, her bloodsinger gift manifested… and she was punished for it. Now she’s paraded in front of the other senators for their amusement.

But Trajan Tiberius, the newly elected tribune to the senate, is different. He has no love for the brutality around him. When he frees Lela from enslavement and hides her, Lela is set on a path of vengeance, and using her gift puts her in more danger than ever before.

Now trapped inside the walls of Rome while deathriders circle the skies, how can she possibly trust a Roman dragon? Especially when it is clear Trajan has ulterior schemes of his own? As her powers grow stronger, danger draws closer, and Lela realizes it isn't just her life at stake, but also her heart.

Bloodsinger is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault, and dubious consent—none of which is between the MCs. There is also a scene with self-injury. Listeners who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.

I listened to the audio version of Bloodsinger which means that spelling or names and places is hard to get right. Also, I don't have any quotes to share or notes to refer back to. I enjoyed the dual narrators. They both did a good job and most of all enhanced the story and didn't take away from it at all.

Lela is Malina's sister that we met in Firebird. She was on the cusp of her wedding when her village was attacked, and her betrothed was killed in front of her. As the description states, she was sold as a slave to Valerius who tortured and abused her and made her wear a muzzle after her attempt to kill him with her bloodsinger gift. With one taste of anyone's blood she can command them to do what she wishes. But she has been abused and mistreated to the point of not having much faith in herself.

Trajan is invivted to Valerius's house often. After Julian's betrayal, Trajan has to stay close to the leaders to prove himself even though doubt is immediately thrust upon him simply because he used to be under Julian's command. And it's true, he has been plotting with Julian to take down Inniculus and the other vile dragon shifters that would take his place. He does everything he can to help Lela escape. Although, he knows Malina, he has no idea that Lela is her sister.

Trajan was sweet and took his time building his relationship with Lela given everything she's been through. Of course, there is on-page action which I usually skim over. And there's cursing which I also prefer to skip. It's more annoying to me in audiobooks because my eyes can jump over it while reading, but hearing it aloud is harder to ignore. Another frustration is that the endearments I complained about in the first book are the same used in this book even though the characters are different. Sure endearments can be cultural, but this is one of my pet peeves and an easy way to distinguish unique voices from character to character.

Bloodsinger was good. I listened to it quickly, and I did hate to have to put it down. I felt slightly less connection to the characters as well as the frustrations I mentioned above with the endearments having the lead characters sounding too simular to the characters from the previous book. I am excited about the sneak peek given into the next book in the series, and I look forward to continuing to unravel this world. Bloodsinger gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read or listened to Bloodsinger? If so, what did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 04/05/26

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Monday night, Little Boy had a ball game, and I had to work the concession stand for Big Boy's team. They lost 4 to 8. Big Girl and Little Boy spent the night with my parent's. Tuesday was a super busy day. Big Boy had some testing to do in the morning. We went to my parents' house after that. I picked up groceries before heading home. I still had to do school with Big Boy when we got home. The Big Kids had martial arts belt testing Tuesday evening. They are testing for their senior blue belt. We barely made it to ball games for them to play. Big Boy's team won 19 to 11. Big Girl's team lost 8-9. Wednesday was a normal day, and Big Girl had pitching practice. Thursday was another busy day. The Big Kids had their homeschool nature class. Little Boy and I did some school. Then he had some chores that I had to help him with. Then I did some baking. I made sourdough bread, sourdough discard cheddar garlic biscuits, cornbread, cream of chicken soup, and southern cornbread dressing. Then Little Boy had a game that night. They won 17-4. Friday, Little Boy didn't have school, and Husband was off work. We did a slightly easier day with homeschool. And then Big Boy had a game. They won 19 to 7. Husband's family came in from out of town, and we did our family Easter celebrations on Saturday. We dyed Easter eggs, did an egg hunt, and had a big lunch. The crazy kiddos have been swimming already, several times. So they did that while their cousins were here too. Happy Easter to everyone! Jesus is risen indeed! Praise God!

THE PAST WEEK

Monday: Review of Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns, # 1) by Marion Blackwood (4 Stars)
Tuesday: March 2026 EOM Wrap Up
Wednesday: Can't Wait for North Country by KA Tucker

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Reivew of Bloodsinger (Fire that Binds, # 2) by Juliette Cross
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday
Friday: Homeschool Friday -

NEW BOOKS:

No new books this week, but I did receive a signed copy of a book I've already read as a thank you for my review.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Can't Wait for North Country

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

North Country

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: June 16, 2026 by K.A. Tucker Books Ltd.

398 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Second Chance

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the USA Today and international bestselling author of the Simple Wild comes a sweeping second-chance, forbidden romance set against the rugged beauty of northern Canada.

Emery McAllister once dreamed of leaving Cold River with the boy next door, but one devastating night destroyed their future and left her heart carefully guarded. Twenty years later, she’s built a life of control: running the town’s police detachment, raising her daughter, and keeping a fragile peace with her ex-husband, the mayor.

She’s certain she has moved on until the day she has dreaded—and secretly hoped for—finally arrives.

Logan Landry is home.

After two decades behind bars for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—and the choices that haunted him ever since—Logan returns to his family’s bison ranch carrying the weight of everything he lost, but especially Emery. Friendship is all he dares hope for now, but seeing her ignites a fire he thought long extinguished.

When a teenage girl disappears and old wounds reopen, Logan becomes Cold River’s favorite suspect, despite his airtight alibi. As distrust closes in, Emery must choose between the life she’s built … and the love she can’t let go.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

March 2026 EOM Wrap Up

I read 10 books (not including children's books).
When Calls the Heart (Canadian West, # 1) by Janette Oke
Next Level Love by Shameez Patel
Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West
A Bewildered Bachelor (A Gentleman's Gamble, # 5) by HolliJo Monroe
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, # 4) by Rebecca Yarros (re-read)
The Beginning (The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls, # 1) by MJ Thomas
I Am Devotional: 100 Devotions About the Names of God by Diane Stortz
Embrace (Off the Ice, # 4) by Bal Khabra
An Honorable Love (A Gentleman's Gamble, # 6) by Audra Wells
Seek the Traitor's Son (The Burning Empire, # 1) by Veronica Roth

I have reviewed 4 books (not including mini reviews of children's books).
A Love Most Daring (Bow Street, # 3) by Joanna Barker
Next Level Love by Shameez Patel
The Duke's Sacred Vow (Brides of the Regency, # 1) by Isabel Jacobs
Firebird (The Fire that Binds, # 1) by Juliette Cross
Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns, # 1) by Marion Blackwood

Other Posts:
Sunday Post - 03/01/26
Sunday Post - 03/08/26
Sunday Post - 03/15/26
Sunday Post - 03/22/26
Top Ten Books with Titles Featuring Ordinal Numbers
Top Ten Green Book Covers
Top Ten Spring 2026 TBR List
Can't Wait for A Love Once Lost (The Bridwells' Grand Tour, # 1)) by Jennie Goutet
Can't Wait for A Most Unfortunate Happenstance (Supposed Scandal, # 6) by Esther Hatch
Can't Wait for Ruling Out Robyn (Men of the Isles, # 3) by Deborah M. Hathaway
Can't Wait for No Match Found by Martha Keyes
Homeschool Friday - The Great Toy Escape
Homeschool Friday - Mater's Birthday Surprise
Homeschool Firday - Lucky Goes to School

Goals:
I'm a few days ahead on my Bible-in-a-year plan.
I've read 46 out of 110 books (including children's books).

Empire of Flame and Thorns - Review

Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns, # 1)

By: Marion Blackwood

Publication: October 21, 2024 by Black Dagger Publishing

366 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Dragons, Fae, Romantasy

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A fae rebel. A ruthless dragon commander.

And a deadly trial that will turn their lives upside down.

Trapped in the Seelie Court by a forest of thorns, Selena Hale lives at the mercy of the dragon shifters. Her only chance to gain her freedom is by entering the Atonement Trials: a deadly competition that pits fae magic users against each other. Only three people can win, and Selena intends to be one of them.

There is only one problem. Draven Ryat, the ruthless commander of the dragon shifter army, is determined to make her lose.

He symbolizes everything that she hates, and if he finds out that she is also a member of the secret fae rebellion, he will not only mess with her chances to win, he will kill her. But the more time she spends with him, the more she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.

And nothing is more dangerous in a lethal trial than a distracted heart.

Especially one that beats for the enemy…

I know that not all main characters are going to be like me. But I always try to see myself in the characters. Or at the very least understand the character's actions. Selena is very different from me. And her decisions are very different from ones I would make. Selena is a fae that's roughly 160ish years old. In this world the fae who were once the ruling class have become subservient to the dragon shifters. The fae in Selena's city are assigned jobs and are alloted one meal per day. Selena is working for the rebellion, but she's never trusted with much outside of guard duty or lookout. Selena has emotion magic which means she can manipulate what people feel, not by creating emotion, but basically by turning up or down what they already feel. This can't be done without people knowing for the most part as when a fae uses their power, their eyes glow. Yet people continually accuse Selena of manipulating their emotions. She isn't trusted by nearly everyone. And that leaves her with a desire to connect to others. She ends up trying to be a people pleaser for the most part. She even has a non-existent relationship with her parents because she couldn't control her power when she was younger, and they blame her for the rifts in their marriage where they can't trust their own emotions.

Selena decides that joining the Attonement Trials will be the only way to prove her worth to the rebellion and earn their trust. The Attonement Trials are a set of trials/games that have three winners each year which are finally allowed to leave their home city to travel to other cities and anywhere they want. Basically they earn their freedom. I have a lot of questions about this because the Emporer and Emperess seem to have a lot more land and cities to rule over, why is it only this city that has the Attonement Trials? Is this where all the fae of the entire realm live? Also, how is there a forest under a forest? But that's a side note for another paragraph. I had questions that I wondered why these didn't occur to the characters, but you know...that would ruin the plot.

So then there's Draven. He is a dragon shifter from the Black Dragon clan. He's the leader of the clan, and the commander of the forces. He stumbles upon the rebellion meeting that Selena is a lookout for, Selena tries to distract him so the leaders of the rebellion can escape, and she throws a drink in Draven's face. He goes after her and of course recognizes her as one of the contestants of the Attonement Trials. He actively works to sabotage her. And he's attracted to her smart mouth and how she tends to treat him differently from how she treats everyone else. She doesn't like him so she doesn't care what he thinks about her, and therefore, she tends to think and speak however she wants without care of how he will receive it. The two have many interactions and I appreciate that the characters only "like" each other, not love each other by the end of the book. Because even though they do have enough interactions to create a like they have not have enough interactions of substance to create love. Obviously, there is more to Draven than we've seen up to this point. I am curious about what more there is to his story and his limitations.

There are on-page physical scenes that I prefer to skim. That's not why I read books. Language was also high. The world seems to have religious "gods" that are referenced, but we know nothing about them except references to one of their body parts in a derogitory fashion. All of these things are drawbacks for me. But not dealbreakers necessarily.

Favorite quotes:

-I still remember the vicious smugness in my teacher's voice as he told us that this is what we deserve. That it is our turn to live in poverty. To live as slaves. Our turn to suffer so that we might pay for our ancestors' crimes.

This is so stupid. How can an entire society go along with doing to others what was done to them? This isn't "fair", if that's what is trying to be portrayed. I can tell the author and the character doesn't agree, but it's also just stupid that this is the backstory.

-But I don't. Because no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, I still desperately want people to like me. I want them to trust me. I want to be accepted. So I force a smile and pick up my plate and say, "Sure." Pain and frustration swirl like a restless storm behind my rib cage as I walk away with my plate. I hate that I am this way. I hate that I desperately want people's approval. I hate that I make myself less so that others won't feel uncomfortable around me.

Oh my goodness. I can understand...intellectually...how someone might feel this way. I think I might even know one or two people personally who feel this way. But it frustrates me to no end. Trying to get people to like you by not being truthful isn't helping those people to like you at all. I'm trying not to judge her too harshly. I'm trying to enter the stage of life where I love people where they are...characters in books as well. But since this is fiction, I don't have to read characters like this. But thankfully, this goes to further the plot between Selena and Draven that she doesn't act like this with him.

-Being slim and being fit are not the same thing.

I read Empire of Flame and Thorns quickly. I found most of the issue with the main character's decision making, and the things being used to build a relationship between the main characters. But I wasn't expecting too much, so the book exceeded my expectations. And my desire to keep reading and ability to do so in the moment helped my overall enjoyment of the book. I am giving Empire of Flame and Thorns a tentative 4 Stars. Have you read Empire and Flame and Thorns? What did you think? Let me know!