u/gamy10293847

It's professor/student romance for me. A very popular CR that came out when I was in grad school featured a young professor and a grad student. So it's not any age gap issues but just purely it being my lived experience of being a grad student at the time with a very first hand understanding of power dynamics in that situation. And just the blurb had me quite irrationally go "nope. nope nope nope".

If the pairing was in a historical setting where a bluestocking FMC was mentored/tutored by said young professor who championed her academic pursuits against societal norms or something, I'd read it.

Hello! I read Fourth Wing and just finished the graphic audio adaptation. This is the first romantasy book I've read and what a ride!

The FMC, Violet, is very easy to root for. That opening scene of Violet, her badass sister, Mira, and their hard-to-please mother, who is also their superior officer in this war college setting, is an instant hook. I love that she is not a fish out of water in the typical sense because she actually grew up in that world and is super knowledgeable about it. I also love how unapologetically sex positive she is. Speaking of which...

Xaden, Xaden, Xaden. I don't know why but I have confusing feelings about this MMC. Don't get me wrong, he checks a loooottt of boxs for me - hot, _hot_, cocky, competent, charismatic with a tragic past and a tortured soul. Drool and pant. But, I'd like to know him from some other POV than Violet. He is a bit too, umm, fantastical? perfect? godlike? in her smitten to the moon and back POV. He is an interesting character but Violet is too distracted by his physical beauty. Girlie, I relate but focus.

I. Love. Tairn. What a sassy grump. Goldie is adorbs too. Saegyl is a queen. I was not prepared for the dragons sex scene. Because my friend who recommended the book said there were dragon sex scenes and I shall refrain from stating what I thought that meant before reading but it was not two dragons going at it so hard that they make their mind-melded human riders horny out of their minds, lol.

I adore her friends group. Except Dain. But even with Dain I have a weird, _weird_ urge to, like, tempt and corrupt him a little? 🙈 because he is such a rule follower. I hope he doesn't turn into a villian. My redemption loving heart is hopeful.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conspiracy setup. At first I assumed it was the rebels obviously wanting to overthrow the current rulers just because. But I love that it is a bigger conspiracy about stuff outside their borders. I like a good "looming threat from the outside while the people are fighting amongst themselves" setup.

I have a bad feeling about Violet's mother. Like her dad is not really dead and her mom is keeping him imprisoned level of bad? 👀 Like she knows about the looming threat and is probably part of it level of bad? 👀👀

Onto Iron Flame!

Okay, so here's the thing. The first Eloisa James book that I read was {When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James} and I adored it, reread it. Then I read {The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James} and I haven't picked up another one since. I think it's more because of how good the former is and not so much that the later is bad necessarily.

Please tell me your favorite Eloisa James book that's not one of these two 😭🙏 (Sorry if the latter is your favorite book by her!)

I am looking for Victorian HRs with a British aristocrat FMC whose family has money troubles due to changing times and marry her off to a new money American who wants to buy his way into the aristocratic social circles. FMC is very proper, pragmatic and aware of what's going on but is ✨scandalized✨ by the MMC's common manners.

A few checklist items (don't need them all satisfied) -

1. Their dynamic is him slowly making her improper and her resisting at first but eventually thoroughly enjoying it.

2. A scene where members of her social class look down on him or embarass him in a social situation and she swoops in like a knight to save his damsel in distress self.

3. A scene where he thinks she'll be put off with or overwhelmed in his world so he keeps her away from it but she puts herself in the middle of the action and takes it in her stride and aces it.

4. He needs a favor/help from an aristocrat to pass a beneficial law or something but they won't give him the time of day, so she takes the lead and "charms" the aristo. Although he understands that they are working as a team, he feels jealous of said charming and confesses it to her.

Thank you in advance! ❤️