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Heart of The Night

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The long-awaited sequel to When The Night Falls

The flames of passion burn brighter than ever for Cara and William. Their love, once a hidden whisper in the corridors of law, now roars against a backdrop of corporate intrigue and secrets. As they navigate their burgeoning relationship, a shadow from William’s past emerges – a woman bearing a revelation that could shatter their hard-won harmony. Just when Cara and William think they see a glimmer of hope, a sudden and brutal act of violence threatens to unravel the threads of their future. In this suspenseful conclusion to The Night series, every secret harboured and every loyalty tested, will either forge their bond stronger or tear it irreparably apart.

Content warnings can be found inside the book or on the author's website.

364 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2024

44 people are currently reading
98 people want to read

About the author

C. K. Bennett

2 books42 followers

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5 stars
72 (32%)
4 stars
62 (27%)
3 stars
55 (24%)
2 stars
24 (10%)
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9 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Acacia.
8 reviews
September 18, 2024
Just finished and for a moment, it had me thinking is this really the final version? Could I possibly bought a wrong book? Could she probably uploaded a wrong ebook file?

I had so many things that I am disappointed with from the book, and although I know the writer had been through rough criticisms past years, I really need to get this out of my chest.

1. The author said Book 2 would be significantly different and I really looked forward to that difference but there is barely any. Some of the changes are literally just shortening some chapters from the original Book 2.

2. The ending fell so flat. The original storyline supposedly had book 2 ended with will getting injured, and book 3 was all about finally finding that love, confessing, cara no longer being so hard with her principle plus some more which never got posted on wattpad.

This version? Will was injured in the last FIVE chapters which means the additional part after the original book 2 is only five chapters when it was initially supposed to be a whole another book.

in that five chapters are will and cara accepting they’re in love, will getting healed, francesca and oliver got their punishment, then they get married, cara is fucking pregnant and all the other couples got their happy ending as well. All in five fucking chapters.

3. The amount of things being cut from the original book 3 is ridiculous.

There was this one specific scene that was supposed to go in book 3 that i remembered so clearly where cara initially said ‘i love you’ to will but will didn’t immediately reply to her confession. it took her days, iirc and they had sex or something when cara finally subtly asking for his answer, he got the hint and he finally replied to her. I know this doesn’t exactly sound like a significant scene but God, will’s love confession at that time was superior, it melted me behind the screen but it got OMITTED??

there is also this specific chapter titled “Topping from the Bottom” that just got absolutely rid off. like im sorry but ive been looking forward for this chapter specifically and you decided to get rid of that????

——

nothing againts the writer’s writing skills. i think her language and sentence is so freaking good, but the rushed plotline is so disappointing.

not to mention that we waited for almost a year to just get FIVE new (not even new, some were already written and posted on wattpad) chapters for the ending? with the amount of waiting times, i genuinely expected the original book 2 + original book 3 being combined into HOTN.

———

and im so sorry if this hurts, but i don’t understand the purpose of changing ALL this original plotline you had because of the criticisms coming from the original SOTN. i mean, sure, there were people hating SOTN, but those people most likely won’t be picking up the book 2 and book 3. yet you decided to change all this for the people who won’t read them, while the OG fans—who have been with you for a long time (going into five years now), religiously waited for it, bought it immediately on release day—has to deal with being robbed of what we were originally waiting for 💔

im sorry if this came out like guilt tripping, because it’s your right to write what you want and you absolutely owe your reader nothing—but the wait just isn’t worth it. please consider posting some of your original book 3 on inkitt or publish an alternate special edition or fans collection edition or something for us to buy 😮‍💨💔
Profile Image for Jahda.
1,052 reviews314 followers
October 1, 2024
I’ve been waiting for a long time for a proper ending to Cara and Will love story just for it to be rushed. The original story line was much better this felt like a “here you go”. We should have gotten a trilogy at least it’s a shame
Profile Image for Triz.
16 reviews
October 27, 2024
Honestly so disappointed with how this series pivoted. I have read the 2 previous versions (Skin of the Night & Into the Night) and I can't help feel like this is a watered down version of what it was. I understand the author had to cut off a lot of content to make this trilogy to a duology, but she erased so much of what made it great. Interactions beyond Cara and Will were automatically wiped off. Characters that were endearing in the last version ceased to exist in this version unless directly concerning the couple. One example is Cara and Andy! They had a decent amount of back and forth that I could say that they got close at the office. This version just says that him and Cara got close. The author did a lot more telling than showing in this version.

Now comes the infuriating part: The pregnancy pivot.

LORD ABOVE did this ruin the plot for me. From that revelation onwards, I had so much trouble with finishing this book. The original tension point of Cara being scared of commitment based on valid, logical reasons was so good and out of the usual romance troupes! It did kind of get repetitive, with her trying to deny the relationship, but I understood it because she is characterized as head strong! Also, the moment where Will ultimately gives up and just says "I love you" despite the fear of saying it might scare her away was TOP TIER!!! Now he professes it in desperation after the pregnancy is revealed to Cara??? LORD, DID THAT CHEAPEN IT! Especially comparing to what it was originally!

Another scene that I missed was Cara and Will having dinner with the Night family. They tried to hide their relationship but Cara's blushing really ended it for them. That scene was hilarious!

Then the assault comes. It being Oliver, the ex of Francesca, rather than using the built up narrative of the sketchy Gastronomy Group? HUGE loss! Why even have this narrative of dealing with a dangerous, multi-million company when the danger arises from a disgruntled lover?

I have a lot more grievances, but I'll wrap it up. This shortening of the story really killed this series for me. To shorten the story, the author just grabbed a striking troupe to speed up the tension and erased the things that made me like it in the first place. This book was a no miscommunication, just solid, personal rules gold mine of a story. Now it's wittled down to a pregnancy scare troupe.

I grieve for the loss of a great trilogy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for melanie pierin.
105 reviews20 followers
October 5, 2024
It would’ve been perfect if the author haven’t rushed the plot. The previous version was set for a third book and Bennet somehow included an entire book in 5 CHAPTERS. Cara and Will deserved better than that. However, I still gave it 4 stars because I love the characters but I’m disappointed on how things were concluded so fast by the end.
Profile Image for C. K..
Author 2 books42 followers
Read
September 11, 2024
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR READERS

This book is a reworked edition and serves as the sequel to When The Night Falls. It is also the second and final book in the series.

The original titles of The Night series were:
Skin of the Night (book 1) and Into the Night (book 2).

Since then, the series has been significantly revised and condensed into two books:
When The Night Falls (book 1) and Heart of The Night (book 2).

If you’re unsure how these changes might affect your reading experience, please visit my website ckbennettauthor.com for more information.

If you’ve only read When The Night Falls, you can proceed without any concern.

It’s important to note that Heart of The Night is the final book in the series, and there will not be a third instalment.


In terms of trigger warnings, please note the following:

This book contains graphic descriptions of violence, injuries, assault, explicit sexual content, strong language, and themes that some readers may find distressing. Reader discretion is advised.

With that out of the way, thank you for joining me on this turbulent journey! I hope you'll enjoy the conclusion to William and Cara's story. It's been a work in progress for many years – I essentially grew up writing this story – so it feels a bit surreal to finally close their last chapter once and for all.

Remember, if you have any further questions, do check out my website. I'll add the link here once more: My website.

Really appreciate you guys! Happy reading! x
Profile Image for Hannah Bookout.
158 reviews3 followers
June 24, 2025
This has been my favorite romance series for 3+ years now & the chances of that ever changing are slim to none. I have reread it 10+ times because I am just that in love with these characters & their story.

As an og fan since 2019, I can hardly accept that Bennett is finally putting this series to rest, but the ending has left me feeling so content and nostalgic. I’m so proud of her & can’t wait to read what she publishes next.
Profile Image for mnayle.
16 reviews
September 30, 2024
ok finally read all of it. I loved it. It was amazing. Writing was so good.

But I'm kind of sad that William's injury wasn't until like the last few chapters. It didn't feel rushed but I felt like it couldve been expanded into more chapters.

I wanted to see how it could have possibly affected their relationship in a way, and in the OG story, there was that part, and after waiting like almost five years for closure, it's kind of sad to see that this how the book ended when i know there was so much more to the story!

But I still loved it nonetheless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
7 reviews
September 24, 2024
okay

Honestly the ending felt really rushed, I know the author is such a great writer because of previous work I’ve read so it was a little disappointing.
Profile Image for Jo.
58 reviews
October 4, 2024
Cara and Wiliam are my favorite book couple. I do admit the changes to the story takes some getting used to after loving the first version for 2+ years but Claire is an amazing writer who brought their story to a beautiful conclusion. I’m sad we won’t get to see more of these to love birds and I wish them all the best with their happy ending. ❤️❤️🥹🥹
Profile Image for Mileena .
26 reviews
November 13, 2024
It took a few days to fully fathom and put
into words how I feel about this book. I was
so unbelievably excited for this so pretty
much got through this in less then a day.
This was such an anticipated read for me
(waited 3 and a half years). But overall I'm
extremely disappointed.
I understand that the author said that there
would be some big changes for the 2nd
book. But this was just ridiculous. I didn't
love the changes made to the 1st book
either (I felt that the originals were so much
true to what the story was suppose to be
and she changed the book to cater to the
criticism she received).
The changes I didn't like

1. the theme of jealousy. William's
jealousy was such a crucial part of the
original storyline (she literally coloured
the cover of the book green to
symbolise his jealousy), but it was
completely omitted in the rewrites? It
added a layer depth to his character
and was an important flaw to have for his character development.
2. Aaron- his character was such a big
part of the original books. Even when
he wasn't in the book, his character still
influenced the storyline so much,
including the relationship between Cara
and William. In the rewrites- it was like
he never even existed. That took me
aback, I expected at least some kind of
ending for him if nothing else.
3. Olivia and Jason- I don't know if it was
always suppose to end with them 2
together. But the way it was done in
this version was just extremely lazy
writing in my opinion. They randomly
just start hooking up and end up
together? In the originals, I always
really liked Jason as a character but
Olivia was kind of just there. She
became so much more interesting to
me after she rejected Jason, it made
her more intriguing. And I was so
curious to see what would happen to
her in the future. However, in the
rewrites I could not care less - her
character was simply written lazily. I
don't care if they ended up together as
long as they weren’t randomly thrown together, which they were.
4. Rushed ending- in the originals, there
was going to be a whole book written
about what happens after Williams
attack. In the rewritten version there's
only 7 chapters. Simply put, you can't
really fit 2 books into 1 without
compromising something. In this case,
she shortened the original book 2 and
rushed the ending massively. There is
so much that I wanted to read about
that was just not included at all, and
unnecessary storylines (like William
helping his friend's restaurant) that
were written instead. I wanted to read
more about William and Cara's
relationship after his attack, William
finally meeting her parents (this was
such a good part of the story that was
omitted and it spoke so much to he
was), more on Williams mental health
struggles, Aaron coming back into the
picture and how they cope with it,
Williams jealousy, Cara fathoming what
she wants from life (marriage,
motherhood), more on Olivia if she
wasn't just randomly thrown together
with Jason etc picture and how they cope with it,
Williams jealousy, Cara fathoming what
she wants from life (marriage,
motherhood), more on Olivia if she
wasn't just randomly thrown together
with Jason etc
Overall, there was so much that I wish that
she included in the books and that she just
didn't. And that was really disappointing for
me. The originals were amazing and far
superior, I really hope she releases what
was suppose to be the original 3rd book. I
would love to see what her plan was.
Because this version fell completely flat to
me. I love this series so much, so I think
whenever I do my rereads every now and
then, I'll just stick to the originals and use
my imagination for the ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for emily🦋.
16 reviews2 followers
January 19, 2025
I’ve been obsessed with this since Wattpad and I love the authors writing but I am so mad this was rushed, and, the ending was so out of character for the original plot. I loved the characters but I am.. just disappointed. I expected so much more!

Honestly, the author made a terrible mistake listening to critics and changing the story because people didn’t understand what she meant when she wrote it at first, I recommended this to so many people.. smh. At least I have the original paper back copies for me to read, reminisce, and think of the different possibilities for the ending….
Profile Image for Emely.
41 reviews
September 16, 2024
Unfortunately, this was a bit disappointing. I waited a pretty long time for this series to be finalized so perhaps that’s why I felt this book fell flat. There were so many points where I just… did not care for what was happening. This book is already pretty short, but it could’ve been 100 pages shorter. I couldn’t care any less about the description of restaurants, food, or the Mario game the characters were playing. We got very little meaningful interactions between Will and Cara, they were almost always having sex until the end when she declares her love.. that was cute I guess..?

I’m not sure, I was honestly debating 1 star but I feel like it would be sacrilegious to do that given that I loved the original plot. The rewritten version of book 1 was much better but I honestly think the second book could’ve stayed the same. There was just nothing going on and the whole baby drama was so unnecessary..

THE MAIN PROBLEM:
That one sex scene where Cara puts Will in handcuffs…? Where was the consent? Safe words?? I mean I’m no expert in intimacy but that scene was just.. gross and made me extremely uncomfortable. The whole thing was just weird. Totally not needed, written purely for the sake of smut which is fine and all, but not when there was just absolutely no consent. I would be calling the cops if someone handcuffed me in the middle of being intimate like what the actual fuck.

Overall:
Super disappointing, could’ve just finished the series with the first book and called it a day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Stephie.
85 reviews1 follower
December 30, 2024
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I can’t believe it’s over. I’m so upset. There could’ve been so much more😭 i literally want to read a million more books with Will and Cara. There’s so much left to dive into. I love it so much that I wish everything was explored more. wtf do I do with my life now. I’ve waited for this for years. And it’s over. I doubt I’ll ever find a romance series (not romantasy…that’s a whole different league….but in my opinion this series heavily competes with it on the romance scale) like this. I don’t think any other romance book will surpass this. I will say that I think I prefer the original storyline of the second book, but that’s not to say this one wasn’t perfect. I did find myself wishing for a lot of the moments from the second book to happen in this one. I really wish this book was a lot longer and that we saw a lot more. But truly, Claire can do no wrong in my eyes. She’s so phenomenal, an absolutely beautiful writer, and I will literally read anything written by her and give it 5 stars because she’s so amazing at writing romance, banter, EVERYTHING!!!! UGH!!!!! I’m so upset. I need more honestly. I never want this series to end. To all the romance writers. Take fckin notes. This is how to write a romance. That is all. ✨🌌🩵
50 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2025
Honestly? Disappointing.
It’s just the second book but with an additional plot line that added nothing but legal talk to the story line and some fluffy happy ending with every couple. Also, now she’s instantly in love with him, unlike with the first version, which makes it more boring for me to read. I had to pause for several months to finish this. Also, where is Adam? He was such a crucial part of Cara’s (and Will’s) life even when he wasn’t part of it (and even more when he was) and how Will’s jealousy played part in that (which was just completely cut out of the story??? Why??) and for what? The restaurant plot? The pregnancy drama?
Such a sad way to end a story with great potential and depth, it honestly felt very half assed even though we had to wait several years for this.
Profile Image for b.
84 reviews2 followers
October 4, 2024
With you, everything just falls into place, Cara. Even the words.


what can I even say — i’ve waited for three years for this one and it didn’t disappoint one bit. i’m amazed with how everything tied together and how william & cara’s story concluded perfectly for them.


Even when we’re old and wrinkled, because in every line on your face, I’ll see the years I’ve spent with you, and that will forever be more beautiful to me than any youth in the world.


william & cara my forever babies 😭🫶🏼


ps: them dancing to lana del rey?!?! in my head it was to video games <3
Profile Image for Ann.
161 reviews
September 24, 2024
One of the BEST series you'll EVER read!

Finally, the conclusion to William and Cara's story is here!!!!

CK Bennett is by far one of the Top 5 most intelligent writers I've ever read. She could write a dramatic cookbook, and I'd read it. She just has a way of making you FEEL what the characters feel as if you were one of them in the moment. Her witty banter is second to none. Her ability to build a world and create characters with layers of depth is superb.

After reading this, go read her Mafia book Heart of Stone! You can thank me later!
Profile Image for Kayla Wilson.
41 reviews
November 17, 2024
Skeptical at first...

I had read the original duo and spent years waiting for number 3. I was disappointed when I heard the story would be concluded with book two, but the way C.K. rewrote the story to fold in the conclusion was just fine and still gave enough context and then fan service to finish it out nicely. Some people mentioned it felt rushed, but I think it worked out just fine and you wouldn't notice a thing if you were a first time reader. Happy to have come back and finished them!
3 reviews
October 10, 2024
love love love it
i’ve been reading this series ever since the beginning on wattpad and even tho i’m sad it got cut to just two books (simply because i would have read about william and cara forever) i really thing c.k. bennett managed to give the story and the characters the end they deserved.
Profile Image for Alex Giles.
36 reviews
October 30, 2024
🚨 Spoilers 🚨

DNF @ 26%
As soon as Francesca said she was pregnant i was like ugh and immediately put the book down. This is such an overused plot line and i genuinely could predicted the whole rest of the book from there. Boring. And disappointing because I really enjoyed the first book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1 review
August 9, 2025
rushed.

There’s a lot of telling and not showing happening. The story feels rushed and it’s hard to root for the characters. There’s too many characters in the story and unfortunately their stories are half baked.
Profile Image for a lei.
75 reviews
May 7, 2025
finally got closure after all these years <3
1 review
October 7, 2024
so good

I read the original versions of the first and second book and loved them. Knowing that they’ve been altered somewhat… read them both a second time and loved them just as much.
Profile Image for Alex.
116 reviews2 followers
March 4, 2025
Ok I’m still giving it 5 starts because I loved this book and have read since Wattpad. I do wish it was a trilogy again since after wills injury I felt like was really important in showing will and Cara’s relationship journey (ups and downs). A lot of storylines I enjoyed we’re removed and shortened I’ll be honest- I hated the Francesca storyline and was confused on what the Jian/Fushion storyline added to the plot when it could’ve been spent on the main two leads. Also,Cara wasn’t the first one to tell him she loved him too which I loved so much in the original version since it shows her growth and her maturing. I liked more of alex and seeing olivia and Jason get together. Overall, happy they got their happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ravs.
5 reviews
March 8, 2025
Finally got the closure for these two🥺💙. So glad we got a happy ending.
Profile Image for Haley.
66 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2025
this re-write was so disappointing |:
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