Black Heart

by Moira Kane

The story of a beauty and a beast reimagined.

Mara never dreamed of escape. Not really. How can a bird caged all her life ever think to fly? When a chance opportunity presents itself for the princess of Dunhill to flee her upcoming marriage and the cruel family that arranged it, she spreads her wings. But fate has other plans.

After narrowly surviving an encounter with the fabled Beast of the Blackwood—a dragon that stalks the forest that separates Dunhill from neighboring kingdoms—she finds herself in the unwilling company of Baron Gannon Black. He is mercurial at best, downright rude at worst.

The Black estate is teeming with secrets and the brusque baron is none too keen for Mara to unravel the mystery of the Black line. But hiding himself from the princess becomes impossible as he learns she is much more than the timid, bland daughter of the king. Can he keep her cloaked from the family that seeks to drag her back to her prison of etiquette and expectation or will her presence bring the long kept secrets of the Black family to light?

Adult scenes and mentions of abuse.

Genres: Fantasy, Spicy, Booktok

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2021

About the author

Nacida en el norte español, pero dormida en el subconsciente de una mujer común…

Así podría ser la breve biografía de Moira Kane, quien nació después de encontrar la pasión por la lectura unos cuantos años atrás.

Aficionada a la lectura de novelas románticas de toda índole, empezó a preguntarse si esas ideas locas que a veces surcaban su mente podrían tener vida al igual que las historias que devoraba sin parar.

Y así, un día cualquiera, empezaron a salir hojas de historias propias que deseo que os gusten tanto como a mí crearlas.

Espero que os entretengan y que os sintáis cómodos en estos mundos creados… en los mundos de Moira Kane…

Reviews

[Aniela Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars... only because I love Beauty and The Beast retellings

Black Heart is book 2 ni the Dragon Brides series by Moira Kane, and this time we're diving into a Beauty and The Beast retelling, which, let's be honest, I'm an absolute sucker for. Add dragon shifters, fated mates, emotional baggage, and a touch of broody tension? Sold.

I actually liked this one a bit more than Blood Feud. Even though it's only a few pages longer (234 total), it gave the plot and characters more space to breathe. The worldbuilding felt slightly richer, and the pacing wasn't as rushed. We're still not fully diving into the deep end of character emotions or history (I want more inner turmoil, please), but we're definitely getting closer with each book.

I especially enjoyed not only the main couple, but also the witty and lovable secondary characters that added heart and levity to the story. It's not quite a reread for me, but it almos made the cut; definitely something I could see myself picking up again in the right cozy, escapist mood.

And yes, the Beauty and the Beast vibes are strong, you'll instantly recognize a few scenes that feel like direct callbacks to the beloved movie. But I didn't mind that at all. It was more homage than copy-paste. As with Blood Feud, the spice level was present, but manageable, enough to keep it interesting without overshadowing the emotional beats.

So if you're in the mood for a comfort read with fairytale nostalgia, dragon shifters, and just enough romance to make your heart flutter without burning your eyebrows off, this one's a lovely in-between reads. Think of it as a cinnamon-sugar palate cleanser before diving into your next five-star epic fantasy.

[Taylor Bartow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spice: ⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A lord’s daughter (or is she a princess? Can’t remember) doesn’t want to marry the guy arranged for her so she runs away to the dark scary estate in the woods ran by a grumpy hot dragon shifter. And yes they fall in love. Nothing groundbreaking but entertaining.

[Malin Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precis som den första boken så var denna mycket underhållande. Rolig och precis lagom spännande och till viss del enerverande upprörande med elaka antagonister för att slukas och lämna en med en mysig känsla av att ha läst en saga värd att minnas.

[Atleastreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

First dragon-shifter romance book and surprisingly really liked it!

[Victoria Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guess I’m in my dragon era. I loved this respin of beauty and the beast. Spice level was low but the rest of the story had a wonderful plot. Definitely worth adding to the bookshelf.

[Serina · Rating 2 out of 5]

shes raised to obey. promised in marriage but runs away. dragon finds her. the baron agrees to let her stay temporarily. but then her spark grows

[Meaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

First read: ⭐️⭐️