Welcome back to Bound & Bookmarked! I’m Summer, and today we’re diving into Shadow Heart by Morgan B. Lee, Book 2 of the Cursed Legacies Series. I aim to make my reviews as spoiler-free as possible, so if you haven’t read Blood Oath yet, I recommend doing so. Since this is the second book in the series, there will be a few spoilers for Blood Oath below.
As with nearly all dark romance novels, this book does have mature themes that may not be for everyone. If you are sensitive to certain triggers, please check the trigger warnings before reading.
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Crypt leans back down and whispers near my ear, his breath caressing my neck and sending a delicious shiver down my spine that I try to hide.
“All right. Keep your secrets. Just promise to keep me, too.”
BOOK OVERVIEW
Can we start by saying that Blood Oath was a wild ride? If you’re anything like me, you fell right off that cliff and into Shadow Heart without a second thought.
In Shadow Heart, we continue to follow Maven and the guys as we try to figure out what Maven really is, what she means when she says her deaths don’t stick, and how far the guys will go to make up for that doozy of a heartbreak scene. This is why we don’t place bets on relationships, people! It just reminds me of watching She’s All That as a kid. It’s never going to turn out well.
One of the Immortal Quintet has been slain, and now the school is on lockdown as they try to find the killer. Maven races to find the changeling before it’s too late to save Kenzie, while trying to distance herself from her own quintet, both to protect her own heart and to keep them from discovering her real secret.
In Shadow Heart, the tensions ramp up, there’s more at stake, and what’s on the line becomes more apparent. We see more of the real Maven, the girl beneath the emotional armor. Her quintet grows more obsessive, (especially Crypt, who has watched her die and come back) and we learn more about what drives the men to act the way they do.
From the beginning, the tension is tangible, the danger is mounting, and it leaves us wondering: What’s going to happen to Maven and her guys now?
QUICK FACTS
Length
432 pages
Tropes
Reverse Harem (MFMMM)
Fated Mates
Paranormal Romance
Forced Proximity
Academy/University Romance
Fem-Dom
Strong Heroine
Possessive Heroes
Enemies-To-Lovers
Trigger Warnings
Death
Death of a Main Character
Drugs
Graphic Violence
Mentions of Child Abuse
PTSD
Somnophilia
Stalking
Torture
“You enjoying this, baby? Tell me, how wet does it make your panties knowing you’re torturing us?”
“Hard to tell when I’m not wearing any.”
Fuck. Me.
WHAT WORKED
I feel that Shadow Heart showed a good deal of character development through the story. The development is gradual and natural, and the quintet learns to operate more as a unit out of necessity. Truths are revealed from the beginning, threats are (literally) around every corner, and new, deadlier stakes push them together.
As they get closer, we see more of Maven’s natural frustration with her fear of touch, learn more about her, and get a better look at some of her traumas. Her PTSD is vivid, but not needlessly debilitating. Some books like to make trauma completely paralyzing, but I feel that the Cursed Legacies did a good job of portraying it without going overboard.
The pacing was also really well done. While the book overall covers a relatively short amount of time, a lot is happening. Kenzie is still missing, the Immortal Quintet are at Everbound, and Maven can’t just play the wallflower anymore.
WHAT DIDN’T
I’m sure I’m not the only one that felt that there should’ve been more groveling about the bet. With the depth of the betrayal and everything that followed, I feel like it kind of got swept under the rug and that they were forgiven too quickly.
In addition, some of the pet names are a little off-putting for me. Boo, Mayflower, Raincloud…they just keep coming. It’s not really something I pay much attention to, but I find the ones being used a little distracting.
“You look like pure sin,” he whispers, drinking me in slowly. “And I’ve always loved sinning, darling.”
WHO WOULD ENJOY
Obviously, if you enjoyed Blood Oath, you will probably enjoy Shadow Heart as well. If you enjoy reverse harem books with strong heroines, this series is for you. If you enjoyed Shadow Heart, you may also enjoy these books:
- The Brutes of Bristlebrook by Rebecca Quinn
- The Bonds that Tie by J Bree
“Yes, you are. You’re mine, and I’m yours – end of the motherfucking story. The end. Get over it.”
RATINGS AND FINAL THOUGHTS
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Dark: 😈😈😈
Questions about ratings? See my rating guide!
I think Shadow Heart was a great follow-up to Blood Oath. Many of the questions that were lingering after the first book finally get some answers, there’s more spice than in the first book, and we finally get an opportunity to see some of how their quintet interacts. If you enjoyed Blood Oath, be sure to give Shadow Heart a try!
LET’S TALK
Did you read Shadow Heart? Who is your favorite character? Drop your spoiler-free thoughts in the comments, and let me know your favorite reverse harem tropes! If you’re new here, join our shadowy community for more dark romance reviews, and check out this series for a thrilling escape.
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