Assassin of Fire and Sacrifice
Release Date: April 5, 2024
About the Author: SMary Mecham writes high stakes, high swoon, no spice romantasy and fairy tale retellings packed full of adventure and romances. Her greatest joy is writing snarky banter and morally grey characters.
Mary is a born and raised Texan with a love of theater and books overshadowed only by her passion for disability advocacy. After she was cast in a theatrical production of Cinderella as the Ugly Stepsister, Mary decided to give a voice and background to her character and created her first novel Ugly: The Stepsister’s Story.
When she isn’t writing, Mary enjoys spending time with her family and trying out new experiences, from fire breathing and axe throwing to trapeze flying and power paragliding. She currently lives in Texas with her husband and three children.
MY REVIEW
Azora grew up as part of a secret society of assassins in Termarth, orphans whose parents had been killed by the neighboring country of Pyren. When the royal family of phoenix shifters from Pyren demand a bride from Termarth for their prince, Azora is chosen to undertake the mission. She dresses as a noblewoman and travels to Pyren to meet her prince and fulfill her mission…assassinate him as soon as she receives the command.
But as Azora comes to know Prince Tarquin, she begins to develop feelings for her royal husband. As she uncovers more secrets about her own heritage, she begins to wonder where her loyalties truly lie. But if Azora does not carry out the mission, her fellow assassins will do it for her….
I enjoyed the way the Pyren society was structured and the rituals surrounding the phoenix wedding. The plot of the book is engaging (with a surprise twist at the end), and the worldbuilding is unique. A few quibbles I had with the characters is that Tarquin is a weaker character than one would prefer in a hero while Azora is more a contemporary “girl boss” heroine. The banter between Azora and her fellow assassins and Azora and Tarquin was funny for the most part, but did get annoying at times. It’s a challenge to find clean romantasy, and this one is a good addition to the genre.
Romance with Humor and Heart 
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