A Promise of Fire: The Kingmaker Chronicles #1

Amanda Bouchet’s A Promise of Fire was an amazing, skillfully written fantasy-romance that was an absolute joy to read.

The book was written from the point of view of Cat, the Kingmaker. When people lie, it causes her physical pain. She works at a circus as a soothsayer to hide from the dreaded Andromeda, leader of Fisa, who had her in custody and tortured her. While at the circus, Cat is abducted by Griffin, an alpha-male warlord and second-in-command of the Sinta region. He wants to use Cat’s powers to advance his own agenda. Cat is combative and guarded but eventually warms to Griffin, and, like any romance novel, they fall in love. But Cat still has secrets to hide and so many people want her dead.

This book has everything: a fantasy world, Greek mythology, complex characters, sizzling romance, epic battles, and powerful magic. Cat’s personality was multifaceted and realistic. Griffin, unquestionably a typical manly-man romance hero, had a softer, compassionate side as well. A Promise of Fire is one of the best romances I’ve read all year, and I can’t wait until Breath of Fire comes out in January 2017.