This was a strong sequel in the Elven Kingdoms series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this world, Donna Grant has a great writing style and was hooked from the first page and enjoyed how it continued the story. It left me wanting to read more and was glad I got to read this.

Arya is being hunted along with her superior Dain. She is leaving a bar when she is kidnapped along with a human woman. When she awakes, she’s in a cage on a ship being taken to the Masters. She has a gold necklace around her neck that restricts her magic. The man who disappeared over four years ago, is the one to abduct her. Jai has been waiting for his revenge against Arya for years. Because of her, he believes is the reason he is enslaved to the Masters. But someone was working against him and he finally learns the real reason for his captivity. Arya escapes but barely and goes to Dain. Dain, Arya, Yasmine, and Ravi sneak into the Fort where the kidnapped elven are kept and try to free them. But they are unable to free them and must leave while they can.
Slow burn romance. Secrets. Betrayal. Second chance for love. Good story. I felt like I was right there with them. Can’t wait for the next one.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

Fastpaced action-packed fantasy with romance, a mission and lot's of adventure!
I liked the first one better than the second one, but the setting on sea was very captivating! We follow Arya, Dain, Jai and Pyra. There's chemistry, there's tension, a bit of spice and action!
Defently in the look out for more books in this series! 3,5 stars and a thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

The books can almost be read as a standalone, but I do recommed to read in the right order.

Post on IG the 3. December 2024

Received an ARC for this and really enjoyed reading it.
This book follows Arya, who is introduced in the first Elven Kingdoms book. I might note that the Elven Kingdoms book is a spin-off of the Dragon Kings series, which is a spin-off of the Dark Kings series. As I haven't read either of those two series, I did feel like I was missing some details on characters, though it didn't interrupt my enjoyment of the story too much.
I really like how the author can do dark, scary, and serious without it being gruesome or horrifying.
The spice was good, slow burn till near the end. 🌶️🌶️/5
It was probably just me but I had a hard time finishing after around 90% through, as the main story had been resolved by that point. It seemed like it took too long to wrap up.

Full review available on Goodreads.

Characters lacked personality and chemistry. Too much telling and not enough showing. MMC is painted as a helpless victim with no agency who was manipulated into becoming a Slaver. He is never held accountable for the lives he ruined. The villain is over the to psychotic and the FMC has no personality, no backstory, no motivation nothing that makes her interesting or likable.

The Fae story continues, with an appearance of a Dragon King! Adventure, betrayal, secrets, amd lies all unfurl revealing truths no one could have guessed. Tense and addictive, and some secrets are resolved, while others remain. A satisfying HFN, with more to come ...

With non-stop action and tension as the plot is slowly revealed, Dark Heart is a roller-coaster ride from start to finish. Who are the good guys and who are the villains? Some are obvious but others less so. Who can Arya count on to assist her and who will turn against her? New villains are revealed and some who should be harming her seem to be offering assistance. But can she trust them? The Epilogue hints at things to come. I am eagerly looking forward to Donna Grant's next book in this series, Storm Wood.