Kelly is a lover of Coffee and alpha-holes. She has spent many years reading all things romance, and it became a dream to write her own stories along the way.
You can expect darkness with her books, along with explicit and graphic scenes that will either get you hot and bothered or a thirst for revenge.
Either one is a good time.
*Winks in Dean Winchester gif*
When Kelly is not writing, she is usually spending time with her family or reading, because who doesn't love to escape into another world then to jump into another book?
Did you say one last chapter? The lies we always tell.
If you enjoy Dark Romantasy and dragons, you’re going to love this book!
If I had to list my top three reasons to read it, they would be:
1. Escor 2. Sparks 3. Drogonah
I can’t really explain the list. You’ll just have to read it to understand what I mean.
Aside from that, there’s a possessive MMC who rides dragons and an FMC that you’ll want to hug and befriend. It’s a slow-paced book that makes it hard to stop reading because you just want more. Beyond bonding with the main characters, Kelly does an amazing job of connecting you with the side characters too. You care about them just as much as the mains, and you really feel like you’re there with them. I also love all the dragons and their unique personalities 🐉🙌🏻🖤 The romance is 🧑🍳💋.
Compared to the extreme slow burn in "The Hidden of Vrohkaria," this one is more instant. The first kiss happens about 80% into the book though, but the tension between them is palpable from the start. I mean, it’s a captive x captor scenario, so it makes sense that there’s a lot of tension!
I absolutely love this book! Can’t wait to read the next❤️🖤
I binged this book in 48 hours – that should already tell you something. Fast-paced, exciting, sometimes deep, sometimes funny. A few situations felt too constructed, and the plot/themes started to feel a bit repetitive compared to the author’s earlier work. But overall, it was a damn good time. Dark themes though, so check trigger warnings.
I saw a few snippets of this book a couple times on TikTok and it intrigued me. Couldn’t find safety spoilers and going in blind NEVER usually works for me! So I started it anyway thinking aw sure I’ll just DNF if I have to. Well at the start I was tempted to DNF just out of boredom because it’s very slow to get into but I just kept going because it was easy to read and I had nothing else to do and I loved the Dragons. 🤷🏻♀️
This review is vague as fuck because the book was 474 pages and I can’t be arsed to recap it all but I’ll give the gist and I’ll spoil the cliffhanger below so don’t read if you want to be surprised.
So Elf the fmc has been a slave for as long as she can remember until she’s discarded into ‘The Pit’ by her former master. (She doesn’t even know her name she literally just goes by ‘Elf’.) Anyway, she’s fully prepared to just give up and die until she’s found by Rohan, a Dragonbond clan leader who takes her captive. He tells her elves are rumoured to be able to communicate with animals and he wants her to help him work out who is taking and harming dragons, so even though she doubts her ability she agrees to help him. They grow closer and it’s slow burn as fuck and they kiss and go all the way at like 80ish percent. Then the rest of the book finally picks up pace a wee bit with them being together, getting ready for the clan to go compete in The Games in front of the king. It ends on a massive cliffhanger, turns out at the games a year before Rohan had promised to deliver an elf to The King in exchange for ending The Games (It’s like hunger games vibes, the king has a truce with the Dragonie clans to do the games to entertain him in exchange for not just wiping them out or something.) but when he started to fall for Elf- who now goes by Alara he plans to not go through with it. The King summons Rohan and in the meantime kidnaps Alara and then exposes it all in front of her and she’s heartbroken and thinks it was all a lie between her and Rohan from the start. The king says he’s going to use Alara to keep Rohan in line and when he’s like ‘Do you understand me’ Rohan answers ‘yes, Father’. Ooooohhhhhh I knew from the snippets on TikTok he was gonna betray Alara but I didn’t see it coming that his dad is the king.
Book 2 is like 632 pages which just seems so unnecessary after this one was 474 pages so hopefully it doesn’t drag and bore me or I’ll just dnf.
-Dual PoV- mostly the fmcs pov though with just a few here and there from the mmc -h23, H late 20s I think? -captor/captive -end in a cliffhanger but book 2 is out
Safety: -Dual Virgins- h was a slave her whole life, she was badly beaten all the time but never raped. There was no mention about the H’s past throughout the book until he was intimate with the h and then we found out he was a virgin too. Here’s 2 quotes from his pov about it=
“I haven’t wanted to be inside another that way. I was adamant that a mouth would do, never wanting to risk adding to my fucked up bloodline, wanting it to end with me. But I couldn’t with her. Could never with her. “
“I’ve been inside of a woman exactly one time, not wanting to pass on my family line, and that’s with the one under me….”
-So he unfortunately wasn’t 100% inexperienced like the fmc but this didn’t bother me too much I guess, and there was no mention that he’d been intimate with anyone from his clan. -no omd/ but OWD was a woman named Darcia who took an instant dislike to the fmc and was hostile to her from the beginning, even when the other clan members thawed towards her, this Darcia bitch was horrible to her all the time, she even physically attacked her a couple of times but the Fmc was so afraid of her and to say anything to the Mmc incase he didn’t believe her. It was soooo annoying how she wouldn’t tell him what was happening. She’s eventually found out and Rohan wants to kill her but Elf just asks for her to be banished. So yeah she’ll definitely be popping back up to fuck shit up at some point I’m sure. Oh before the banishment there was a part where she came up to Rohan and offered to bathe him and touched his hand and he told her to ‘get your fucking hand off me before I remove it.’ Then he pours water over his hand where she touched him and tells the fmc ‘the only one I want to touch me is you, Elf.’
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance ⭐️ 4.5/5 🌶 2.5/5 🧠 4/10 Cliffhanger: 7/10 Noteworthy: Book 1 of an incomplete series. Dual first-person POV. Dark world with major triggers so please check content warnings. Available on KU.
I'm equally happy and sad to be back in this brutal world. I know as soon as I open one of Kelly Cove's books I need to be prepared to be wrecked but I still wasn't ready.
In this book we've moved over to the other side of the world and are introduced to the barbaric dragon clans. The FMC is an Elf who has been enslaved since childhood and can't even remember who she was before. Not even her name. The MMC Rohan is a Dragonbond aka clan leader and dragon rider/caretaker. He finds Elf and claims her to use her affinity with animals to help uncover a mystery that's endangering wild dragons. Being inside Elf's head is not easy. She's been beaten and broken for so long that it's her only identity. While Rohan is rough around the edges, watching him learn to be softer and more patient as ELF fights her intrusive thoughts and battles to find self worth is actually really beautiful. Both characters are so much more than the sum of their self reflective parts.
This book had me in tears more than once. The mental health rep is highly represented here so be aware going in. The cliffhanger was a twist I absolutely did not see coming. I'm so sad we have to wait so long for book 2.
I don’t understand how this book is receiving 3+ stars throughout 400+ pages of FMC being all “but I am just a lowly, weak, vulnerable, pitiful slave. please give me sympathy 🥹🥹🥹”. 🙄😒
I was so bored and uninterested in what was happening. There is no world building and what little world building there is, isn’t being explained thoroughly, you’re still left with confusion. The “romance” is weak. There’s zero chemistry with the MMC and FMC. The dragons are the only interesting part of this book. The climax is lacking excitement and was predictable and the cliffhanger could be seen from a mile away.
Don’t waste your time. This book needs more jazz than what it gave. Pity.
(Second Read July 2026) i loved this just as much the second time around!! i did the audiobook this time and it was so well produced. i definitely recommend this to any DARK romantasy lovers out there looking for something that will give you all the big feelings. please check your trigger warnings and be advised here & now that the second book to this duet (which i've already read now) is EVEN DARKER than this. read my initial review below if you want a little more insight as to why i initially enjoyed this so much!
(First Read Dec 2025) you know what, i absolutely ate this shit up. no crumbs. feral for the next book. [absolutely gutted i have to wait so long though]
this was a TRUE enemies to lovers, very slow burn, morally grey MMC, captor x captive scenario, with secrets, deals, dragons, and dark themes.... i mean come onnnn! i am literally running to Kelly's other series just so i can get more of her dark fantasy vibes asap
i can totally understand why this might not be some people's cup of tea, but it was mine- so hand over the whole damn teapot, Kelly Cove! definitely read trigger warnings, and be aware that the MMC is in fact a total asshole for a good portion of this book (don't worry though, once you uncover his OTT possessive/protective streak, you'll overlook all the rest). ~however~ something i really appreciated was the depth and dimension that was afforded to the main characters. they might've made dumb decisions, or frustrated the crap out of me; but they both had valid reasonings for acting the way they did. one thing i can't stand in books is when a character does something that 1) i wouldn't do in the same scenario, but more importantly 2) i can't understand the WHY behind their actions. thankfully the author fleshed out these main characters in a way that makes it (for me) easily understandable for them to do certain things even when i disagree.
the tension and betrayal in this made the book completely un-put-down-able for me. the lore/magic was captivating and easy to understand, while still keeping enough unanswered questions to leave me intrigued instead of frustrated. i'd literally sell a kidney to get the next book early!
I will be honest, I thought this was going to be first DNF in the first 50-100 pages. I really struggled with the constant reminder that the FMC is soo tiny and soo little, and an seemingly unstructured writing style; this felt like a second book in a series with how little set up there was, paired with random characters showing up, or plot points emerging with next to no introduction or explanation. But, I gave it a shot and I am glad I did. This book was like a sexy How To Train Your Dragon, complete with some beautiful flight scenes and dragon snout-to-hand cuteness.
The FMC coming out of her shell and letting her walls down was done well, and not too rushed. That paired with a kill-her-and-you-die MMC eventually whittled me down and I finished this book, excited for its upcoming sequel. The soft moments are lovely, and the not-so-soft moments are probably some of my favourite I’ve read so far. The dynamic that developed between the two main characters is wonderful and honestly, really well done.
✨Looks like there’s some fire in your heart after all. I cannot wait to breathe life into it. For what a wonderful sight it will be.” ✨
I do wish there was a bit more attention to the development of side characters and a deeper connection to the overarching plot. But it was done well enough that I felt connected to the two main characters, the dragons - so cute! - and the overall world as I went further into the story. The last portion of the book is a whirlwind that had me sitting up in bed with my mouth agape, so bring on 2026.
✨”You are more than you have ever been given a chance to be.” ✨
I am still trying to figure out how I feel about this. It certainly had its good points. There were some really sweet parts, and I very much liked the slow burn, which kept me quite invested in the story. However, when we got to the action (if you know what I mean 😏), it was...too much?! Not in the sense that there were too many scenes—there weren't—but the descriptions were too overdone/over-the-top for my liking. The plot was ok-dragons and Vikings; there is really not much to dislike about that - but the amount of times it was mentioned how tiny the FMC was and how the MMC said "I am a Dragonbond" pretty much anytime the heroine asked him something, was annoying to say the least. Overall I found the book rather basic.
Took me a day and the only bad thing I have to say about this book is that I have to wait another year for the next one. For those who haven't, highly suggest this book and also checking out the hidden of Vrohkaria series to help paint some more of the background. Upon buried embers is captivating, full fantasy and alluring in all the best ways. The dynamic of the main characters is well written and gets you hooked from the start. I laughed, I cried, and I related. There are times I wanted to shake the main characters because what they make you feel is a lot. I've said it before and l'll say it again, Kelly Cove is an automatic read author for me because of her ability to write romance that tears your heart and pieces it back together, but also strong plots and world building to captive and never leave you feeling confused about where and what you're reading. If you haven't check out her other books. As for me, I'll be crying in a corner till the next one drops
The books starts off with her being thrown in the Pitt to be given as dragon food. She’s had a pretty tough life she’s basically been a slave all her life abused. Honestly the entire book she didn’t have second of peace and Rohan here made her life more miserable by keeping her captive 😃
Honestly I don’t understand what the appeal she sees in Rohan sure he finally warmed up to her but he let her be treated like shit by his clan members. She genuinely didn’t have a single person on her side besides the dragons.
See I only find it doable if she fights back but she never fought back and was just letting them shit on her. It made the book unbearable and depressing.
The fact she had no name was called Elf the entire time. Only until the end where she decides to name herself Alara felt like she was finally freeing herself until that got squashed down by the cliffhanger 🙃
Anyways I’m expecting him to grovel in the next book after that cliffhanger🌚
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Oh boy, how good was this… This author was new to me when I started reading “Upon Buried Embers”, but I swear she won’t stay new. For books like this one I’m totally willing to read more MF romances. I was hooked on this story from the start, but if you have any triggers I do advice to check those first and not dive in simply based on this recommendation.
“Upon Buried Embers” is a romantasy story with amazing dragons, fascinating worldbuilding, dark elements both to the world and the storyline, great character building and some surprising twists and turns. Elf hasn’t had the easiest life, and meeting Rohan doesn’t immediately change this either. But slowly she gets the chance to start living instead of simply suriviving, while becoming friends with some amazing dragons.
I love how multidimensional these two main characters are at the end of this first book, and it definitely helps they both get their POV’s. The end of book one came way too soon, and I can’t wait to find out what’s next for these characters!
I hadn't read MF fantasy in a while, and this one blew me away! The reading was so fast, I was impressed with myself lol And the story is so good and easy to get into (sometimes fantasy is so hard to understand for me). Anyway, the real question is, when is the next book? How many books will there be?
ARC Review Huge thanks to Kelly Cove for the ARC so grateful I had the chance to read this early and share my honest thoughts.
When a Viking warrior who can bring a dragon to heel yet still carries a kind, empathetic heart steps onto the page it just hits differently. Kelly Cove has a gift for creating emotionally strong FMCs and MMCs who are almost too good-hearted for their own sake. The way she weaves relationships, between humans, magical beings, and even animals is simply beautiful.
This is a powerful story of perseverance against all odds. At its core is a heroine who has never known kindness, yet continues to give it freely, often at her own expense. Alongside her stands a hero burdened with the responsibility of his clan and his dragons constantly sacrificing to ensure not just their survival, but also their happiness.
The world is rich with unforgettable side characters you can’t help but adore. But the true stars of the story? The dragons.
It’s a testament to Kelly’s incredible writing that each dragon feels like a fully realized character, their personalities shining through without a single spoken word. I found myself just as invested, if not more in their fates as I was in the human characters. Honestly, I think I love the dragons most of all.
I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next. This is absolutely a MUST READ!
ARC review: After her first series (one of my fav romantasies) - “The Hidden of Vrokharia” I just knew I was going to love this, but I didn’t know how much. There’s just something about her books and her writing – she makes every single page interesting. No unnecessary filler, no boring moments. The two of them had PERFECT chemistry. Her background is so heartbreaking, and watching him try to light her fire was beautiful (though not gonna lie, he was an asshole at times – as they all are – and I wanted to beat the shit out of him). But really, I was on edge the whole book. I kinda suspected the ending because we got easter eggs about it earlier in the book, BUT HOLLY SHIT I DID NOT EXPECT ALL OF IT. I read the last sentence and my. Jaw. Was. On. The. Floor. That’s the thing about this author – HER EVERY BOOK LEAVES ME SHOCKED AT THE END. And honestly, I couldn’t wish for anything more. I love nothing as much as a MMC who pisses me off and then becomes the biggest softy. (Love me some groweling hihihi) I just hate that I have to wait so long for book two, because this was the first romantasy in a LOOOOONG time that actually got me this excited. Honestly, of course it’s 5 stars – I didn’t expect anything less from her. Truly a masterpiece ❤️❤️❤️
Once again, Kelly Cove has revived me from a reading slump. Her books are so easy to digest and become fully immersed in. This books is full of wonderful plot points and world building, and I COULD NOT put it down. The fantasy aspect of this books was so easy to understand and it was packed full of amazing creatures and plot themes! Sometimes fantasy and romance books can feel repetitive, but not this one! This was its own story in this genre and it was so refreshing.
I’m beyond thrilled to see what is next for these characters 😭😭 and to see what Kelly can think up next!! This book is amazing for romance/fantasy readers who are both new to the genre and have been here for a while. I will always highly recommend Kelly’s books!
Her previous trilogy quite literally changed my literary life, so when the opportunity came up to be an ARC reader I COULD NOT pass it up!
First off, thank you to the author for the ARC❤️❤️
Okay, wow. The start of this book had my heart hurting for Elf right away. She goes through so much, and I was instantly rooting for her. Then we get the dragons—ugh!! Drogonah with his grumpy, no-nonsense vibe, Escor being the younger, lovable one(my favourite 😘)and baby Sparks… my heart broke with how they got him in their family and I’m begging that he’s okay in the next book. Please don’t let him suffer, Kelly! 🥺🐉
Rohan, I’ll admit, came off cold in the beginning, but it was obvious he noticed Elf right from the start. The bathing, the hair braiding practice on each other and the braiding significance (which totally gave me Dothraki vibes from GoT, ngl). I loved how Elf sought comfort in the dragons, and how protective they were of her in return. That bond was honestly one of my favourite parts. And her naming herself!!!!!
As for the drama… Darcia. Yeah, that bitch had it coming. And omg—the spice?? Hotttt. 🔥🔥 I loved how they were given a chance to get to know each other before the intimate scenes, the building up of sexual tension definitely didn’t disappoint. And then the twist at the end?! I did NOT see that coming and now I’m screaming for the next book!!!!!!
Honestly would have done earlier if the reviews for this weren’t so high???? I am so confused???
I am not one that is usually bothered by immature style writing but my GOD the dialogue (internal and external) was soooooo childlike. I wanted to like this book so badly - the premise and plot plan was solid - but the writing and characters just killed it for me. I genuinely hated everyone.
I could go on for ages but maybe this just isnt the book for me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I have not read a story with an FMC with this kind of a backstory before and I loved seeing her story evolve, following her progress and her reclaiming herself. For me, her arc in the book was perfectly portrayed. I went in knowing nothing about the book, was directly put in to the story and read it almost completely in one sitting. Cannot wait for book 2!
Regretting the day and half I spent reading this 😭😭. I would have liked it if Rohan didnt treat Alara like a salve even after saving her. THE FUCK YOU MEAN BATHE ME????????? And her liking it is so questionable 💀. Ok he didn’t beat her great, but he spent 70% of the book yelling at her. So much testosterone.
La verdad empezó muy mal, odiaba a todos por como la trataban. Sobre todo al protagonista por no defenderla, después seguí enojada con el protagonista porque tenia sus momentos.
Cuando llegamos a que se trataban tiernamente y de la nada se enoja con ella fue horrible. Lo odie muchísimo, pero tambien tuvo su redención. Yyy después esta el final, que en si no hizo nada malo solo le faltó comunicación.
Aún así, mucho antes del final Rohan era muy tierno. La trataba con cariño y muy lindo con ella🩷
Elf (no voy a decir su nombre, porque se van a bancar la misma espera que yo), fue DEMASIADO tierna. Posta es una protagonista muy gentil, que siempre esta para ayudar y quiere hacer el bien. Fue débil, torturada y abusada. Pero conserva su resiliencia y fuerza para seguir adelante.
Me hizo muy mal cuando la maltrató, al comienzo del libro, el clan de Rohan. Por todo la ligaba, llegaba un punto en que no queria leer más. Pero gracias a que seguí porque estuvo muy bueno ese arrastre por parte de él 💋
Me gusto mucho cuando le dijo que mencione 3 pequeñas cosas por las que seguir viviendo.❤️🩹 Y que no lo dejen solo ahí si no que lo sigan mencionando a lo largo del libro.
Tuvieron muchos momentos tiernos y graciosos los protas, una vez que pasó lo peor. Así que por eso, por lo que se arrastró el prota, y por el plot del final es que le di 4⭐️
Y si, tiene spicy. 2 o 3 escenas muy piolas, pero tengan en cuenta que es slow burn🙊
...
I almost don't slept because the addiction that this couse me.
The truth is, it started off really bad. I hated everyone for how they treated her. Especially the MMC for not standing up for her. Afterward, I was still angry at the MMC because he had his moments🙄
When I got to the point where he treated her tenderly and suddenly he got angry at her, it was horrible. I hated him so much, but he also had his redemption. And then there's the ending, which, in itself, didn't do anything wrong, he just lacked communication.
Even so, long before the end, Rohan was very sweet. He treated her lovingly and was very kind to her.
Elf (I won't say her name because you'll have to endure the same wait as me) was SO sweet. She was a very kind FMC, always there to help and wants to do good. She was weak, tortured, and abused. But she retains her resilience and strength to move forward.
I felt really bad when Rohan's clan mistreated her at the beginning of the book. I got to the point where I didn't want to read anymore. But thank goodness I kept going because the way that he crawl for her was so good 💋
I really loved when he told her to mention 3 little things to keep living for. ❤️🩹 And that they didn't just leave it there, but kept mentioning it throughout the book.
The MCs had many tender and funny moments once the worst was over. So, because of that, because of the MMC "crawling", and because of the plot at the end, I gave it a 4⭐️.
And yes, it's smut. 2 or 3 spicy scenes, but keep in mind that it's a slow burn. 🙊
automatically recommending this book to everyone since it got me out of my six month reading slump 🙏🏼😛 slow burn and tension was absolutely delicious. ate it the fuck up
the plot twist and the ending though…. what the actual hell?!
𝑬𝒍𝒇- ugh honestly she just deserves the goddamn WORLD. i just want to bundle her up in a blanket and give her the biggest hug ☹️🫂 went through so much torment in life and still is one of the kindest + caring people you could meet! seeing Elf find comfort and love in the dragons 🫠💗 utter perfection. i need her happy ending right now please and thank you.
𝑹𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒏- dislike love relationship with this man but damn when he’s being a big softie do i love him ☹️ watched her sleep the entire night while both of them were curled up with his dragons, got mad because someone else braided her hair instead of him 🥹💗 then he has to go and open his mouth a couple chapters later and ruin it (¬`‸´¬) he’s a grumpy asshole, which i love dont get me wrong, but i’m very maternal towards Elf so back off ✋🏻😾
'𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟. "𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫. 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠." another honourable mention for Escor cause he’s just so freaking cute 💗💗💗💗💗💗
"Looks like there's some fire left in your heart after all. I cannot wait to breathe life into it. For what a wonderful sight it will be." 💌
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!! I had zero expectations going in, but I had the best time reading it! It was super fast-paced, the plot was exciting, and the characters were actually so deep! The ending was absolutely insane and I need book 2 rn idk how i’m gonna wait till september! I loved all the fantasy elements (escor and sparks mwah), as well as it was SO funny! like I was genuinely planning out loud at some parts! I love Rohan and Elf’s dynamic so much, and watching them grow together was everything. The world building was also done so well in this book and wasn’t overwhelming like some are, which I really appreciated. It also contained dragons which automatically makes a book 10x better in my opinion soo you already know I liked it. anyway, I genuinely don’t understand how this book hasn’t blow up because it’s THAT good!!!
also this scene was so funny and I needed to put it in here lmaoo twin is absolutely whipped -> "We are not taking in a baby dragon." His tone is as firm as mine. "He's better off with the others." I soften my voice as I take his hand in mine. "Please, Rohan?" His jaw clenches. "No." Sparks. That's what I named the little red dragon.”