With Hearts of Flame (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Dark Academia Romantasy Novel of Vampires and Dragons Featuring Stenciled Edges and Illustrated Endpapers (Bloodwing Academy, 4)
Briar Boleyn
In This Iron Ground (Natural Magic)
by Marina Vivancos
About this book
Damien might be sleeping with his best friend and werewolf, Hakan Salgado, but he knows deep down that he’s not good enough to ask for more.
Damien knows he’s defective, worthless—his foster carers made sure he learned that. Even when he discovers a world of shifters and magic within the Salgado pack, there’s no way he’s worthy of being part of their pack. Of calling Hakan his home.
But, at the end of the day, he’s too selfish to let go. He knows it’ll hurt him in the end, but he’ll hold onto this for as long as he can.
Content Warning: Themes of (non-sexual) child abuse and related trauma. However, book focuses on recovery and found-family.
This is the first story in the Natural Magic but can be read as a stand-alone with its own HEA.
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2026
- ASIN
- B07GNS5MZ4
Reader Reviews
October 2, 2018
This is one of those books that’s something of a rough read, but in the end is so, so worth it. Young Damien is a pawn of the foster care system. He bounces from home to home, then the bad situation is made worse when he is placed with a foster carers (not parents, never parents) who don’t know how to deal with a rambunctious 13-year-old, and resort to abusive behavior to keep him from upsetting their lives too much. This is so painful to read, as we see Damien taught that this is all he is...
December 7, 2021
I have never read a book quite like this. I also never leave book reviews, but Im compelled to for this one. This author must have some kind of magic, the way they write the pov of the MC from ages 13-19, the progression of thoughts, of ACCURATE trauma, of how adults, friends, therapists, and doctors; how they all treat you at those ages.. this story sucked me in from the beginning, and didn’t let me go. I loved the world she built and how she captured werewolves and pack, I honestly really...
April 1, 2024
Rating: 5 Steam: 2 PoV: single, 3rd person Genre: paranormal romance, MM Main tropes: hurt / comfort, shifters, found family I didn't pick this one up expecting to have my heart shattered, but oh my... Damien went through so much in this story and my heart completely broke for him. It was so difficult to read about the abuse Damien suffered while in foster care, and I was so relieved when he found his place in the Salgado pack. There were still struggles, but I loved seeing him with Mia and her...
June 17, 2025
This book. THIS BOOK. I have rarely ever felt this many emotions when reading a book. A story. This was such a journey and such a pleasure to read. I felt like I was Damien. I was the earth. I felt his emotions even if I have never experienced such emotion before. This has to be the best story of found family I have ever read. Damien and Mia and Cameron and HAKAN .. KoKo, Olive. I was watching Damien heal over the years .. watching him learn that the path of healing is not easy and it’s painful...
August 23, 2024
The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. The author has such a magical way with words. This book will rip you apart, rearrange you and put you back together. All the stars. The below contains spoilers, because I feel like trigger warnings are necessary. If you don't want spoilers, don't read any further. The story starts when Damien is a child, and he is physically and emotionally abused by his foster parents. This is on-page. There needs to be a trigger warning, not just for the...
