Royal Heart

Black Rose Auction #6

by Nana Malone

Damon Hunt, the world's most ruthless thief, wants my skills for a dangerous job. Worse, he wants me...as his wife.

When Damon Hunt—the thief my father trained instead of me, his protégé, the same one responsible for his death—strolled back into my life after years, I shot first and asked questions later.

Then he had the nerve to ask for my help to recover the stolen Royal Heart, a Winston Isles Crown Jewel, from the underground Black Rose Auction.

Despite how I used to feel about him, I see him for who he really is. And I’m not getting sucked back into the world that cost me everything. Not to mention, I’m not a damn thief.

I’ve built my career at a recovery firm, avoiding the field. I might be the best safecracker around, but I won’t go back to my private hell.

Until Damon dangles the one thing I can’t resist, the man who shot my father.

The catch? We have to pose as husband and wife to infiltrate the auction and steal back the Royal Heart for the Winston Isles.

Navigating the underground deals brings back old wounds and undeniable attraction. Damon is like a beast from my past—dangerous, captivating, and hiding secrets behind his fierce exterior. I have to decide if I’m falling for the monster who broke my heart—or the man determined to win it back.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Audiobook, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Dark

235 pages, Unknown Binding

First published February 25, 2025

About the author

Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author, Nana Malone writes Sexy Feel-Good Romance and loves of all things romance and adventure.

That love started with a tattered romantic suspense she "borrowed" from her cousin. It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I took to skimming the last half of this.
The plot wasn't terrible, but the writing read like a first draft, and it became too annoying to try and slog through...

[Ashly · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

Im really torn about this book, the premise was good and so was the pacing. There were minimal grammatical errors/misspellings but for some reason the book just felt underwhelming to me.

There was a lot of repetition regarding how Ari felt about her relationship with her father and Damon, so much so that I would have throat punched her and told her to get the hell over it if she were in person. Damon was too patient with her BS if im being honest.

The heist itself was intriguing, but there were a lot of holes in the plot. Like who stole it to begin with? How did it get to the Black Rose Auction, why did the other character want it? So many un answered questions!

The spice was not it. Was it spicy? meh, kinda but it felt like an obligation to the story and not because the characters were so into each other that it needed to be done. Some of the "terms" used to describe these scenes left a lot to be desired, and some gave the ick factor [Will not be writing them down here]. I really just did not get the feeling that Damon and Ari were into each other. Especially on Ari's part.

All in all, the book was decent and I will most likely read the next one to see if some of my questions are answered but I was not blown away by this book.

[Jenna Hollyfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my first book by this author. i could not put it down!! i loved damon and ari with my whole heart❤️i’m so happy they got their happy ending

[Nana Malone]

Available now!

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Amazon: https://bit.ly/4jlQxQp
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/RoyalHeart

Audible: https://bit.ly/4k8AAO7
Narrated by: Sebastian York & Leila Allarie

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4g85Jh6

[Artemis Cienfuegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Naomi‘s characters and once again, I’m riveted to the world and wanting the best for these characters. Not gonna lie I’m not a big fan of Black market selling people. I read the trigger warnings, and I did have hesitation because I usually don’t read books along this line but I was determined to get through the book because I’m a fan of her books. I would recommend to read the trigger warnings beforehand don’t push through if you’re not a fan.

[Brittanie Foley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, jewel heists, a prince, a murderer, and enemies to lovers. What’s not to like!?

[Nicole Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like I came home to old friends. Sure, we met some new people, but some oldies but goodies were in the mix as well. That made me devour this book. I had to see what my friends in the Winston Isles were up to. If you have not read the books in that series, please do yourself a favor and jump into it. You will not regret it. This book fit right in. Now I have to read the rest of the books in the series because Ms. Malone has got me hooked. I need to know what other mayhem was going on at this auction.

Lucas Newson Winston needs some help. This is a sensitive job that he cannot do alone. If you know Lucas, you know that he is a thief. Well, not anymore, but he was. Now he needs to get the Royal Heart back to Winston Isles before it is discovered that it has been switched with a fake. The real one is scheduled to be auctioned at the very exclusive Black Rose Auction. The security at the auction is next level. Lucas only knows of one person that can get into a safe of this magnitude. That person is Damon Hunt.

Damon has lived the thief life and is doing well enough to be legit most of the time. He knows he cannot do this job on his own. He goes to the only other person that can help him get into this safe. Ari Denton does not live the life Lucan and Damon did, but her father did. Ari's father was Damon's mentor. Ari learned everything she knew by sneaking around and picking up things. Her father did not want her in that life. One other problem is that Ari blames Damon for her father's death. How are these two going to work together? Let's not forget the tension. Once everyone is on board. Damon and Ari have to act like a married couple. Can Ari put her feelings aside to focus on the the job? This book is quintessentially Ms. Malone. There is a a high-stakes mission that could go wrong any number of ways. The two main players are enemies that are attracted to each other. Readers will enjoy seeing this caper play out. Will Damon and Ari be able to complete the task?

[Jean Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari is the main female character. Her father was a thief and very good at what he does. But he never wanted that kind of life for Ari. Instead, he took in a young man, Damon and taught him everything. In an effort to prove her value to her father, she secretly read all his notes and learned how to break into safes as well as her father did. Unfortunately, Damon brings her father back from a job and her father was shot and died. Damon, feeling guilt left.
Years later, Lucas, the newly crowned Prince, visits Damon because he needs help getting back the stolen Royal Heart. His brother, the King, will be getting married soon and the royal heart that's in the safe is a very good fake. Lucas is afraid that his brother will think that he was involved with stealing it and needs to get it back. Damon understands that the only way to get this back is to have the help of Ari. This is not going to be an easy job to steal back the heart but now he has to convince her.
After much convincing Ari is coerced into doing this job with Damon and to make matters worse, they have to appear as a newly married couple deeply in love. This will not be easy, or will it? The more time they spend together, the more the lines are blurring.
Now they're in a secret, Black Rose auction where every move they make is being monitored. All while trying to steal from the auction house. One slip up and their lives are on the line. And then, the man who killed Ari's father is there.
Without giving everything away, you must read this book! The intrigue, the heist, the romance, and what happens next! A great read!

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC

I really enjoy this book! This had a couple different tropes that everybody loves, enemies to lovers, childhood friends and even some fake dating. Ari Denton and Damon Hunt start off by knowing each other from childhood, but end up strangers until Damon needs some help. He finds Ari Denton to help him with a very dangerous job.

Ari Denton is one of the top notch analyst and Damon needs her help to retrieve a stolen gem from the Black Rose auction. They essentially go undercover to try to retrieve it back. The have to pretend to be married to fool everyone at the auction Ari was hesitant to help at first to help, even more so when she learned about fake relationship with Damon, but had no other choice because her boss said she was the best one for the job.

I felt like this book had enough action, spicy moments, but also some emotional, and was fast paced enough to keep me intrigued to keep reading. This book was also a dual character book which I think really worked for this book, I really enjoyed that aspect. Overall it was a great book!

[Soph ⋆☾⋆ bookfinsta_shh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 (rounded up)⭐️ 1.5/5🌶️ 5/5🎧

I really wanted to love this book more, unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. The premise sounded great but there just wasn’t enough drama or intrigue for a story about a heist to keep me on my toes

I even struggled to find quotes that stood out to me, their descriptions on how they felt about each other was just a bit lacklustre and I felt there were a few times were things were kinda just written weirdly

She’d worn her hair up, pinning her long, thick hair up.

There were a few sex scenes but they didn’t really feel like they fit the story, more like it was obligatorily placed in so it could be a spicy romance

🎧 Duet narration 🎧
Sebastian York & Leila Allaric

Even with all this said, I did still enjoy listening. It was quick and the narrators did a phenomenal job with it. It was a nice audiobook to have on in the background because of how easy I found both the narrators voices to listen to! So if you want an easy listen I’d recommend it for sure

💜 Thank you to Nana Malone & Valentine PR for this ALC 💜

[Kamila Mykhailiuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. Amazing characters and wonderful plot. Very beautifully written and easy to read.

I read this book in one sitting and I loved every second of it. The chemistry and sparks between Damon and Ari was undeniable and sizzling. They were made for each other. Beware of the trigger warnings.

Overall I loved this book very much. If you’re looking for an enemies to lovers, second chance, fake marriage, workplace, anti-hero, fairytale retelling romance then you’ll love this book.

[Tamarah Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story starts with a trip down memory lane. At first, we set the tone with a younger version of heroine Ari Denton, anxiously awaiting her dad's return with her Aunt Adele. Life hasn’t been the easiest for her to put it mildly. In addition to that her relationship with her dad has changed significantly as well. When Ari’s dad does return home with his protégé Damon Hunt her life is forever changed.
In the present Damon Hunt‘s life has taken on more than its share of events including helping out his old friend newly crowned prince Lucas Newsome and so much more. Of course, Damon thinks of the one person in mind to help them pull this off and it is Ari Denton. The only problem is that Damon is the last person Ari wants to see or is there more to their story?
Ari and Damon must work together to ensure their plan is successful while navigating their unresolved feelings. I don’t want to reveal any major surprises, but I enjoyed the action, humor, and paging-turning romance. I will always appreciate the appearance of the Winston Isle crew. There were moments when I wanted both Ari and Damon to get their respective acts to get their acts together. Other than that, I enjoyed the story. I am looking forward to the next adventure from the author.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

No… just no.

I ARC read this and i barely finished it. The story line was cool, i liked it. The heist aspect of it was exciting and kept me engaged for a while.

The characters were bland. I couldn’t connect to them at all.

BUT THE SPICY SCENES… so mf weird. He tickled her belly button after he ate her out… then had intercourse. I’m sorry? But no thank you. Also the names for her private regions were OUTRAGEOUS. I was cringing bad. This may float some people’s boats, but for sure not mine.

[Mandy (Bestie Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so different from what I normally read. I LOVED that our main characters didn't like each other and were forced into a jewel heist together. We have Ari who hates Damon because he was who her dad trained in thieving while pushing her away. Damon is desperate to help the Prince get back the Royal Heart and Ari might be the only one who can help. Oh, and they have to pretend to be married to pull this off at The Black Rose Auction.
And now I must go read the rest of this fairy tale retelling series!!

I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration by Leila Allarie and Sebastian York. I truly felt the frustrations of Ari and Damon and their chemistry was on fire!!

[Megan Wadsworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope. This wasn't it.

Also learned two new ick words, so that's cool.

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5 ⭐
The h was really really annoying...

[Kaitlyn Reilly]

arc for review!!

Interesting concept, but fell a little short for me.

[Jenna Yallop · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Jasson Osborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had more to say on this book but I'm just underwhelmed. I believe this was supposed to be the Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it really didn't have many ties to the original tale.

It begins with Ari witnessing her father come back from a job in critical condition and for some reason she believes his protege, Damon, was the one to fire the fatal shot. She tells him to leave and her father dies some days later.

Years later, Ari is working for a friend in security and Damon is trying to live on the straight and narrow, returning stolen goods to their rightful owners. Damon's friend is the prince of a few isles and is trying to retrieve a necklace since the genuine article was stolen. Damon wants to enlist Ari's help, Ari isn't into it, somehow her boss at the security company twists her arm into it, and she accompanies Damon to the Black Rose Auction to steal the necklace back.

That's about it. I'm REALLY unsure of why and how he coerced her and I read the whole book. I also had a hard time suspending my disbelief of a lot of things, but especially Ari's heel face turn into love with Damon, and Damon confessing that he had always thought of Ari as "his Ari," when he was learning under her father considering I really didn't get that vibe at all and we never saw enough flashbacks for it?

The editing also leave a lot to be desired. The beginning of chapter six is from Damon's perspective, but there's a line literally on the first page that's attributed to Ari's thoughts and I thought I was having a stroke. Another line I came to, that I had to read aloud to my boyfriend who was sitting next to me, was "She'd worn her hair up, pinning her long, thick hair up."

This is apparently the beginning of a series with the next book being from Damon's prince friend, so I may have to give that a read too.

[Candace P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first by the author and I really enjoyed the style and storytelling!

I am a big fan of romantic suspense and this added an extra layer with the heist aspect as well that was so much fun!

Overall I enjoyed the tropes of this story and the characters. It was a quick and easy read that didn't feel rushed!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this book didn’t do it for me. I was hoping for more beauty and the beast influence and also the writing just wasn’t where i had hoped it would be. the story felt choppy and things just happened so quickly everything felt forced and random.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept getting lost and having to go back. Found it didn't hold my attention well.

[Akeila Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Ari, I have loved you since we were young. It didn’t take me long after that to fall in love with you.”

Royal Heart follows Ari Denton, a brilliant analyst for a recovery firm whose life is defined by her skills, her grief, and the brutal way her world once fell apart. Ari’s father was a master thief who never wanted her in the dangerous life he led, but instead trained Damon Hunt, the young man he chose as his protégé. When a job goes fatally wrong and Ari’s father ends up shot, Ari blames Damon for both the death and for taking the place she always wanted in her father’s life. For years, she carries that wound — not just the grief, but the resentment and the hollow ache of a life that could have been. 

Years later, Ari has forged her own career on the right side of the law, avoiding fieldwork and eschewing the very underworld her father and Damon inhabited. She’s built a reputation for brilliance and precision behind a desk, and she’s determined never to return to the world that cost her everything. That resolve is tested when Prince Lucas of Winston Isles arrives demanding a priceless artifact — the Royal Heart, a crown jewel that has been stolen — be recovered before his brother King Sebastian’s upcoming wedding. Rumors say the original has been replaced with a fake, and if the real gem isn’t retrieved in time, scandal and political fallout will follow. 

Lucas enlists Damon Hunt — now a world-renowned thief with a reputation for getting into (and out of) impossible situations — to recover the stolen Royal Heart, knowing that the security surrounding the Black Rose Auction is unmatched and that conventional specialists won’t crack it. Damon acknowledges he can’t pull off the job alone and names the one person he knows with the extraordinary technical talent required: Ari Denton. 

Ari doesn’t just know how to break into safes — she understands them on a level that defies most experts. When Damon shows up and asks for her help, Ari refuses at first. She’s seen what that world does to people. She’s seen how it took her father from her. And she’s sure she can’t go back. But circumstances — including her boss’s insistence and Lucas’s royal ultimatum — leave her with little choice. Somehow, Ari finds herself agreeing to go undercover with Damon, and the plan requires them to pose as a married couple in love to infiltrate the Inner Circle bidding at the Black Rose Auction. 

From the moment they step into that lavish — and deeply corrupt — underground gathering of wealth and decadence, old wounds are reopened. Damon and Ari have to navigate old history, simmering resentment, and unresolved feelings while pretending intimacy and affection in front of some of the most dangerous and powerful people alive. The tension is electric and layered: they are two people with a shared past and complicated emotions who cannot fully trust one another even as the mission they’re on depends on their seamless cooperation. 

The auction itself is a spectacle of danger and desire, where bargains involve far more than wealth — power, secrets, futures, and reputations are all at stake. Damon and Ari’s facade of marriage slowly blurs into something more authentic as they share moments of vulnerability, mutual respect, and the sharp sting of attraction that neither expected to reawaken. Facing physical risks alongside emotional ones, they begin to see each other in new contexts: Damon isn’t just the boy who escaped Ari’s past; he’s a man shaped by guilt, loyalty, and a relentless drive to be better. Ari realizes that her resentment, while understandable, has kept her from seeing the full truth about Damon’s choices and motives over the years. 

Complicating matters further, the very person who started this journey — the man Ari blames for her father’s death — is present at the auction. His shadow looms over their mission, forcing Ari to confront not just the danger of the job but the unresolved grief and anger she’s carried for so long. Every step through the glittering but threatening auction house becomes a test of trust, forgiveness, and the possibility of a second chance. 

By the time the Royal Heart is recovered — amid twists, betrayals, and edge-of-your-seat moments — Ari and Damon’s relationship has evolved from wary cooperation to something deeper. They’ve faced the shadows of their shared past, come to understand each other’s pain, and found unexpected compassion and connection. Ultimately, Ari must decide whether she can let go of the blame that’s defined her for so long and allow herself to accept that love — even from the man she once thought destroyed everything — might be worth holding onto.

[Sherley's Reading Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

*𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.75 (Rounded to 4.0) ⭐
*𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥: 3.0 🌶️

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂
Royal Heart was an overall good read. The beginning was really really good and I was so excited to get into the story but somewhere along the way, I kind of got lost and felt a little underwhelmed.

So Royal Heart is about Damon Hunt and Ari. They grew up together when Ari’s father adopted Damon. Ari’s dad took Damon under his wings and trained him in the family businesses (heists and the like). Growing up, Ari always envied Damon because she wanted to be the one to take over after her father’s death and she felt like her father loved Damon more than her. The envy turned into pure hate when Ari’s dad died while with Damon and for years Ari blamed her father’s death and the fact that she was never able to get closure as it pertains to her and her father’s relationship.

Years later, the universe brings Ari and Damon back together and the two must now work together and pretend to be husband and wife to steal a prized jewel during the Black Rose Auction. With the two being forced to be around each other, new feelings, hurts, and anger come up and this ends up being a heist like none other

I loved the premise of the story. It had all of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers, childhood friends, fake marriage, etc.) and the author did a good job overall. I read this book via an audiobook, and I listened to it straight through without any interruptions. I found that I got lost a few times while reading. There were times where I felt like the story jumped a bit and I missed some things but overall, the story did progress at an ok pace. Ari and Damon’s chemistry was hot and spicy, and I absolutely loved it but I felt like it was a little rushed. These two people were sworn enemies one second and then the next they are hooking up. I just wish there was a little bit more there.

Because I know this is a part of a series, I plan on going back to read the previous books and coming back to this one. I think I will enjoy it much more the second time around.

For now, I would still recommend this read. Having read previous Nana Malone books and loving them, I suspect that reading the previous books will make this one much more enjoyable.

🅼🆈 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 🅾🅽 🅰🆄🅳🅸🅾🅱🅾🅾🅺
**𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5.0 ⭐

I had an opportunity to receive an ALC (advanced listener’s copy) of Royal Heart and the narrators, Sebastian York and Leila Allarie did a really good job bringing the characters to life and I enjoyed their narration. I hope to read more books narrated by them in the future.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

⬇️ SOME SPOILERS MAY BE FOUND BELOW ⬇️

🆆🅷🅰🆃 🆃🅾 🅴🆇🅿🅴🅲🆃
Second Chance Romance
Enemies to Lovers
Anti-Hero
Heist
Fake Marriage
Workplace Romance
Fairytale Retelling

🅵🅰🆅🅾🆁🅸🆃🅴 🆀🆄🅾🆃🅴🆂/🆂🅰🆈🅸🅽🅶🆂
“Eyes on me beautiful, I want to watch your face when you c*m around my c**k.”
“Just so you know, all I’ve done, everything, was because I was trying to be better…to be deserving.” “You’ve always been good enough.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

* 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 & 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 5.0 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆
**𝑨𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓’𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROYAL HEART by Nana Malone is the sixth and final instalment in the contemporary adult, romantic BLACK ROSE AUCTION multi-authored suspense series. This is professional thief Damon Hunt, and analyst Ari Denton’s story line. ROYAL HEART can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the other story lines is revealed where necessary (all of the instalments will be released on the same day). Several characters from Nana Malone’s Winston Isles Royals series cross over for cohesion and familiarity.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Daman and Ari) ROYAL HEART follows former childhood friends as they are forced to work together in an effort to steal back the ROYAL HEART, A Winston Isles Crown Jewel. Weeks before his brother Prince Sebastian’s wedding, Prince Lucas discovers the Royal Heart is a forgery, and is desperate to retrieve the original jewel. GT Securities has been hired to reclaim the stolen property, and Galen Trent brings in professional thief Damon Hunt who knows of only one woman able to help with the job. Enter Ari Denton, Damon’s former mentor’s only child, and the woman Damon has loved most of his life but years earlier, while on a job, Ari’s dad Paul Denton was murdered, and Ari blames Damon for the death of her father. Working together may prove to be a problem as Ari and Damon must pose as a married couple, hoping to ‘buy’ the Black Heart jewel at the Black Rose auction, only to come face to face with the man who started it all.

The world building focuses on the past; the search and recovery of a crown jewel, and the rekindling relationship between our story line couple. While Ari Denton blames Damon Hunt for the death of her father, Damon refuses to reveal the truth in an effort to protect the woman he loves.

The relationship between Damon and Ari is one of second chances, of a sorts. Ari was never a part of Damon and her father’s world of high end thievery, and in this, Ari has watched from the sidelines as her fathered mentored someone else. Desperate to prove he is worthy of a second chance, Damon’s slow seduction of Ari is aided with their masquerade as a married couple. The $ex scenes are erotic, and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.


The secondary and supporting characters include Winston Isles Royals Penny Walsh (Cheeky Royal /Cheeky King) and Prince Lucas (Royal Bastard/ Bastard Prince): Security specialist Galen Trent owner and head of GT securities. The requisite evil has many faces.

ROYAL HEART is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, forgiveness and acceptance, relationships and love. The premise is intriguing and entertaining; the romance is fated and provocative; the characters are desperate and charismatic.

Copy supplied for review

[Lisa Spofford · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROYAL HEART by Nana Malone is Book 6 in the Black Rose Auction series, a series written by six different authors including Katee Robert, RM Virtues, Sav R Miller, Jenny Nordbak, Sara Cate, and, of course, Nana Malone. Damon Hunt had been Ari’s father’s protégé, and had been there when her father was shot and killed when she was a teenager. She had always blamed him for the losses and for never coming back. In the present, Damon Hunt was a highly accomplished thief and Ari worked for a recovery firm as an analyst. When Prince Lucas of the Winston Isles approached Damon to help him recover the Royal Heart from the Black Rose Auction for his brother’s wedding, Damon knew that the only person skilled enough at safe cracking to assist was Ari. Not only did he want her to go out into the field under dangerous circumstances, but she would have to pose as his wife, two positions in which Ari had no interest. But refusing a Winston Isles Prince was not something her boss wanted to do, and Ari reluctantly joined the crew. All the time she was forced to spend with Damon helped her to put some of her resentment to bed and awakened some of the feelings she had harbored as a teen. I was definitely hooked by this steamy, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake marriage, romantic suspense audiobook from the very beginning. I enjoyed the appearance of Prince Lucas and Penny, who became Queen of the Winston Isles and the zing between Damon and Ari was delicious. Sebastian York and Leila Allarie were great narrators for this dual POV novel. I honestly haven’t come across an audiobook with Sebastian York that I haven’t loved! If you are a fan of Nana Malone’s Winston Isles series this will be a treat, and if you are not, this will be a small taste of that world. I definitely recommend this audiobook for listeners who enjoy romantic suspense, and give two thumbs up for the audiobook format. If interested, the ebook is available in the kindleunlimited program.

I received a free copy of this ALC via Valentine PR and am voluntarily writing this honest review.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Royal Heart was an absolutely wonderful read! I fell head over heels in love with Ari and Damon! These two were meant to be together. They were a perfect match for each other. What a perfect mix of old and new this one was. Some of our favorite characters make appearances along side our new found favorites. I am telling you once I started reading this book I could not put it down. It was soooo good! There was suspense, romance, intrigue, and action all wrapped into one in Royal Heart.

Ari Denton is a super smart analyst at a recovery firm, and Damon Hunt, well, he is an export-import businessman...now, and he needs her help to recover the Royal Heart, which was stolen from King Sebastian of the Winston Isles, who plans to present it to his bride, Penny, at their wedding ceremony, from the Black Rose Auction. Damon and Ari have history. Damon was mentored by Ari's dad, Paul, on the art of the heist, but something went wrong and Ari blames Damon for what happened. My friends, it is this coming together to recover the Royal Heart where this entire story takes off and holds you in a suspenseful grip until the end, and I'm not sure it has let me go just yet. The chemistry between Ari and Damon jumps off the pages and burns you. I loved every minute of the rollercoaster of a ride that is Ari and Damon.

Friends, if you are looking for an enemies to lovers, second chance romance, with a strong independent and gorgeous heroine and a super sexy hero, then look no further, because Royal Heart is it. Bravo on yet another well told story, Nana Malone. I truly hope we are going to get more in this series, esp. Galen and Taryn's story. I am so looking forward to that one. Hope springs eternal.

[lowkeyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently had the pleasure of reading Royal Heart, the sixth installment in Nana Malone's Black Rose Auction series. This captivating tale combines elements of a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a thrilling narrative of theft, revenge, and romance.

The chemistry between the leads, particularly Damon Hunt and the protagonist, was intense and captivating. Damon's character, as a ruthless thief, added a layer of complexity and danger to the story that I found intriguing.

The plot was engaging, with a mix of suspense and action as the characters navigated the underground world of high-stakes thievery. The tension between them was palpable, making their interactions both heated and emotionally charged.

The Black Rose Auction setting provided a rich backdrop for the story, offering a glimpse into a world of luxury and exclusivity where nothing is off-limits. This added an exciting layer of intrigue to the narrative.

While Damon was well-developed, I felt that the protagonist could have been fleshed out more. At times, her motivations and backstory felt a bit underexplored, which made it slightly harder to fully connect with her. The pacing was generally well-balanced, but there were moments where the transitions between scenes felt a bit abrupt. However, this didn't detract significantly from my overall enjoyment.

Overall, Royal Heart was a compelling read that delivered on its promises of a thrilling romance with a strong alpha male lead. While it may not have been perfect, the strengths of the book far outweighed its weaknesses. Fans of Beauty and the Beast retellings and those who enjoy complex, suspenseful romances will likely find this book appealing. Nana Malone's storytelling continues to captivate, and I look forward to more from this series.

[Linda Ketter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royal Heart is book 6 in the Black Rose Auction series following Damon and Ari and special guest Prince Lucas.

Ari lost her father at a young age to a job gone wrong. He never wanted her in this life. So instead he took on a young, male apprentice.

Damon is the young, male apprentice. He learned everything he could until that fateful day.

That day is embedded in Ari’s mind. She hates Damon for getting her father killed. So when he comes knocking at her door needing her help, her answer is a resolute no. But Damon still plays dirty and he pulls the rug out from under her.

As they begin their journey to recover the Royal Heart, they are stiff with each other. Since they are posing as a married couple they need to be believable. But will practice lead to perfection or will it blow up in their faces?

When a surprise player enters the picture how will these two handle the challenges? This player seems to be a step ahead of them at all stops and it is frustrating. But with Prince Lucas on the team will the tides change?

I love Ari and Damon together. They hate each other and yet are so attracted to each other they can’t think straight.

Seeing Prince Lucas in this story was just pure bonus. And his escapades are epic. He apparently has a thing for climbing through air vents.

Seeing Damon’s brother, Max, get his life on track and work for GT on a recovery team was the final deal sealer.

Leila Allarie is a new narrator for me. I enjoyed her voice as Ari and she is a good blend with Sebastian York. It has been awhile, over a year, since I have listened to a SebYo narrated book. It was such a pleasure listening to him again. I have missed his voice.