My Blade, Your Back (Standard Edition)

Dark Forces #2

by K.M. Moronova

*The limited deluxe edition comes with designed edges*

From USA Today bestselling author KM Moronova comes the explosive second installment in her Dark Forces world―an intense and seductive dark romance that cuts deeper than ever.

Broken. Lost. Unforgiven.

One month after surviving the Under Trials, Emery Maves finds herself in a world she doesn't recognize―with a man whose cold eyes are haunted by secrets she can't remember. Stripped of her memories, Emery is tormented by dreams of danger, death, and deceit. The only constant is the lure of the experimental drug that shatters her mind but leaves her almost invincible―and the dangerous pull of the man called Mori.

Cameron Mortem is fighting a battle he thought he'd already lost. He knows letting Emery in could destroy them both, but her amnesia is a curse neither of them can outrun. Forced together on a high-stakes level black mission that goes disastrously wrong, they find themselves thrust deeply into the underworld of the black market with an unexpected foe.

But as old scars are torn open and hidden plots unravel, Emery discovers she's more tangled in this world than she ever imagined. And Cameron will have to face the one person he fears most: himself.

Loyalties will be tested. Secrets will be weaponized. Their bond―once forged in blood―may be the only thing that can save them. If they don't lose themselves first.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Military Fiction, Dark, Fantasy, Audiobook, Enemies To Lovers

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2025

About the author

New York Times, USA Today, and #1 International bestselling author K. M. Moronova has enjoyed telling dreary stories as far as she can remember. She adores reading and writing dark-themed, romantic books with plot twists and emotional turns. Often, she is found drying flowers in her study or drinking tea while relaxing in her garden. She loves spending time with her partner, exploring the forest, and envisioning more devastating stories to tell.

Reviews

[aira]

I totally forgot this came out last month, but I must read this after that cliffhanger in the first book 😩

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ BROKEN SOLDIER STARS...📚'𝙼𝚈 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝚂'📚 can also be found on my blog: ╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

❀⋆.ೃ࿔*YOUR BLADE, YOUR BACK°❀⋆.ೃ࿔* Is the second full length dark military romance book in the (Dark Forces) series by author K.M. Moronova. Cameron (Code name Mori) & Emery (Code name Morphine).

After reading the first book Your Knife, My Heart and loving it I was so excited when this was released, and couldn't wait to dive in after finishing up what I was reading. This world is heart pumping, emotionally sad, and an unforgiving world, action packed angsty moments which I crave in my books and this series definitely ticked all the boxes.

☀︎ Military/Black Ops
☀︎ Amnesia
☀︎ Enemies-to-Lovers
☀︎ Touch Her & You Die
☀︎ Morally Grey/Unhinged Hero
☀︎ Forced Proximity
☀︎ Found Family

This picked up right where the previous book left off, Many moons have gone by since Emery woke up with no memory at all.

Even though he sends chills down her spine she can't help but be drawn to Mori a boy in her squad. He's there in her dreams but just out of reach. I enjoyed this tip toeing around each other, as she didn't remember him, but he remembered everything about her. But never once told her anything of her past or who she was to him. So there was a lot of her chasing her tail trying to figure things out on her own.

(“I am only a wicked man filled with demons, but she makes me feel like the sea on a starless night-calm and clear.”)

Then the squad is sent on a suicide mission, to retrieve a flash drive, what's on that is anyone's guess but they have to get it back to base and hand it over. This mission and ones after had me sitting on the edge of my seat devouring all the chaotic hair-raising moments. Many times I heart created an extra beat as I prayed these characters I'd come to love came out unscathed.

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[DianaRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOT nearly as good as book one (not that it was a riveting piece of fiction lol) BUT i’ll probably read moronova’s other books for shits & giggles

——

love that this was just published and i didn’t have to wait to borrow the audio from the library hooray

[Kriste ☾Papartis ir knyga☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Blade, Your Back and my brain? Not on speaking terms right now.

Let’s be honest: the entire main drama could’ve—no, SHOULD’VE—been wrapped up in book one. Instead, we wandered around in circles like emotionally damaged Sims until it was time for the “big reveal,” which I guessed so early it should’ve mailed me a thank-you card.

I adore Moronova’s books, I really do, but I clearly walked in with expectations way too high — and that’s on me. I’ll take the accountability.


⭐️ One star for correctly identifying the traitor before the characters’ two brain cells could rub together.

⭐️ Another star for Chapter 46, because anonymous POV chaos will always own me.

Everything else? Yeah… nope. Logic left the chat, tension fizzled, and the dark romance themes felt recycled.

Two stars. Generous. Honestly, I deserve a medal for finishing.

[Larareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

25 BOOKS IN 2025 CHALLENGE: 24/25

My favorite from K. M. Moronova! Can't wait for more books in this world!!!

[Nicole is Reading Fantasy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to preface this review by saying that I really liked the first book and gave it 4 stars, but this sequel did not work for me. The amnesia trope is admittedly one of my least favorites, so I was already a bit on the fence going into this. Still, this sequel fell short of my expectations. Cameron and Emery were infuriating for the first 40% of the book; I found myself disliking both of their characters, and their reconciliation felt unearned. The plot was all over the place and completely nonsensical at times, and the writing frequently made me cringe. I’m glad to know how Cameron and Emery’s story ends, but I don’t think we needed another 300+ pages to get there.

[Amanie ✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ʜᴀꜱ ɴᴏ ᴇɴᴅ?”
“ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴇɴᴅʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴡᴇ’ʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇ. ɢᴏᴅꜱ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ, ᴛᴏ ɴᴏ ᴇɴᴅ. ɪ ᴅᴇᴄʟᴀʀᴇ ɪᴛ ᴅᴏɴᴇ.”

My Blade, Your Back picks up immediately where Your Knife, My Heart left off, and from the first page it felt like watching the most relentlessly action-packed war movie unfold—loud, brutal, cinematic, and emotionally charged.

At the heart of it all is Emery — Morphine — my girl. Her codename couldn’t be more fitting. There’s something about her presence that steadies chaos, eases pain, and still carries a dangerous edge. Even when her world feels fractured, she never loses her core. She endures. She adapts. She keeps choosing herself and the people she loves, no matter how many times the ground shifts beneath her. Her strength isn’t loud—it’s persistent, stubborn, and deeply moving.

And Cameron — Mori. I’ll be honest: he frustrated me in the first half. But grief and guilt are not clean emotions, and the way he carries them here feels painfully real. He doesn’t fall apart—he closes in on himself, lets the weight calcify inside him, and bleeds inward. Watching him navigate that internal war was difficult, but it made his journey feel earned.

What truly makes this book work, though, is them together.

This is a love story about finding each other again and again. Through loss, distance, fractured memories, and impossible circumstances, they keep circling back—drawn together like something inevitable. Their bond isn’t soft or easy; it’s forged through survival, choice, and an almost defiant refusal to let go. They see each other at their worst, and still decide: you, every time.

The found family only deepens that emotional core. The loyalty, the shared history, the way these characters show up for one another in the middle of war adds so much heart to an already high-stakes story.

As the conclusion to the duology, this book is heavier, more reflective, and rooted in consequence. While I missed some of the razor-sharp tension of book one, what we get instead is resolution, depth, and the quiet power of love that survives everything.

K.M. Moronova is officially an auto-buy author for me. This duology wrecked me—in the best way—and I’d fall into this world again. Again. And again.

[purlpur · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
кемерон, моя поетична булочка, ця оцінка для тебе 🥹

✍️ вона - кожна квітка на моєму полі смерті.
✍️ могли б існувати нескінченні версії тебе, і я кохав би кожну з них так само шалено й цілковито.
✍️ я б обрав її навіть ціною всього світу.
✍️ я кохав тебе повністю. коханням, яке ми не встигли прожити. ти була сонячним світлом над замерзлим озером. шепотом щастя, який мені пощастило пізнати. я кохаю тебе, ем… кохаю.

❤️‍🩹 я не чула його сміху так довго. він заслуговує на життя, де він сміється так щодня. ми обоє заслуговуємо.

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

MBYB kicked off immediately where the first book ended. Let me tell you, it hits you from all corners: gruesome hand-to-hand combat, internal battles of love and redemption, fatal attraction, and no mercy. I think one of the main reasons I love the dark universe is that it’s raw and unfiltered, the darkness bleeds internally, and every character is just trying to survive.🖤🔥

“I will always choose you, Em. Over anything. I want to prove that to you. No matter what becomes of me and the monster they made me, I’ll only obey you.”

Emery is the epitome of chaos and peace. Coexisting through resilience, which is why Cameron was drawn to her from the beginning. Our girl didn’t come to play in this book; she showed us that she can adapt to whatever comes her way.

As for Cameron, that man remains one hot and scary psycho, but you can’t help but love him. In the small moments, he was there for her while battling with his inner demons. Oh, and I can’t forget how much he sat back and admired her being such a bad a$$, he roots for her while also protecting her when needed.

4 ✨

While I absolutely had a time with YKMH, this one didn’t deliver as much as I thought. I had high hopes for it, because towards the middle of the book, it fell flat, and the romance wasn’t as angsty and burning from the pages like the first one. I was intrigued by the premise with Cam and Emery finding their love again, but mainly the plot and action surrounding these black pills and the villains. However, one thing I will always adore in the writing is how much it pulls at your heartstrings and has you questioning everyone’s loyalty and motive. Also, excuse me, Reed? That man is an enigma. What is up with always gravitating towards the mysterious, unhinged side characters? He’s deranged but meticulous. I would volunteer as tribute to whatever he asked for.  

I can’t wait for what else the author has under her sleeve and her upcoming release, “Bulletproof” in April 2026.

[Aiste Tauras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pirma dalis tikrai patiko daug labiau, kadangi pusė 2-tros dalies teko skaityt su nekenčiamu trope 😄 Bet turiu visišką silpnybę tokiems veikėjams, kaip Cam ir bendrai paėmus istorija patiko! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Berry ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 / 5 ⭐️

Obsessed. I LOVED Cameron and Emery's story so much.
After reading Your Knife, My Heart.. I was absolutely hooked and captivated by these two! The previous cliffhanger made me so anxious to read this one.

When I tell you I was clutching my pearls, on the edge of my seat, kicking my legs for mister Cameron Mortem, you best believe it! He felt much more loving, much more tender than in the first book, and I ate that upppp.
The pacing was a bit slow during the first half, but once the second half hit I just couldnt stop reading! It felt soooo high stakes. The action, the rifts that build within the group, the yearning between Cam and Em.. I felt it was all so well executed!

In all, I loved this duet so much <3

pre-read

FINALLY hehehe
I NEED to know how things go with Cameron and Emery after that cliffhanger sob

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gonna rate it 3.7 or 3.8 stars but I really liked the last chapter !! I love when a book leaves me with a bit of suspense !

Anyway, I loved this book ! I think I enjoyed it a bit less than book one but I feel like it’s more because I’m not that much into military settings when it’s not fantasy 😅 I still found the story really good ! (and emotional..)

[Left on Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book as I did the first because the ideas and plot points were genuinely good. On paper, this should have been a hit for me. In reality… it just didn’t land the way I hoped.

There were so many moments where I felt like something big was about to happen, but then the action would get skipped over or wrapped up too quickly, which meant it never had the impact it should have. I kept waiting for that wow moment and instead got a lot of “oh… that’s it?” energy.

And then there’s the romance. Once Cam and Em were officially together and the romance became actual romance, I realised something important about myself:
I apparently do not thrive on soft, tender, emotionally healthy relationships 😅

I LOVED crazy Cam.

They were very sweet. Very gentle. Very supportive. And unfortunately, I was bored 😩I missed the tension, the sharp banter, the slow-burn angst, the are-they-going-to-kill-each-other-or-kiss vibes. Once everything turned calm and loving, my interest quietly clocked out.

Overall, this book had a solid foundation and a lot of potential, but for me it just fell flat. I think readers who enjoy softer romances and lighter action will probably have a much better time with this than I did. Sadly, my taste clearly leans more toward chaos and emotional damage.

Still glad I gave it a shot — just not a new favourite for me. But I still love the series overall.

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Processing… will probably revise this later.

This duet is perfectly paced and executed (pun intended). I thought this book couldn’t match book one, but it absolutely did and exceeded my expectations. Without spoiling anything, the specific trope that happens at the end of YKMH and the beginning of MBYB really allows for that love to feel just as new and exciting in this book as well. I really enjoyed seeing Mori and Morphine in a field/ mission setting, as opposed to the trial setting in the last book. This story felt much more reminiscent of LMB, and I was super interested in the side characters who became more important. The ending was satisfying, and I felt like it was something that I couldn’t have predicted. Overall, an outstanding duet, and it’s safe to say that I’ll read anything that KM Moronova writes.

[Em]

OMGGGG

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

[Madeline McKinney · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I definitely wanted a second book, I think this was a somewhat disappointing follow-up to the first. I already was at a shaky place with the duology from where the first left off. I think Bree and Bryce were wasted characters and the amnesia trope was a bad ending spot.

Throughout this book, the amnesia trope and Emery's "journey" to remembering herself and Cameron was very sloppy and did not at all mend the ending of the first book. Emery basically forgot everything that made up her character, and someone in her position with her lack of memory would definitely have a lot more questions and hesitancy to such a hostile environment. To me, it was unrealistic that she entered the drug trials, and even more so that she didn't have more doubt in the leadership of the Dark Forces. She was sadly inconsistent and hypocritical even after recovering her memories, holding resentment for Cameron only to immediately fall victim the same things that he had.

Cameron lost all of his character as well. He was so much more of an open book that he felt incredibly disconnected from the character presented to readers throughout the first book. Most of his dialogue felt like word-vomiting in attempts to make him feel more romantic, which ends up feeling ingenuine because readers know he just doesn't show love that way. The chemistry felt very forced. Furthermore, my disconnection from Cameron resulted in me growing more fond of the side characters like Gage and Kaylen.

There were so many times that people should have been dead but miraculously recovered, and others that they died almost too easily. I think gore and violence in this book got thrown around way too much for shock factor without having any impact on the actual plot. Then, when characters were really in high-stakes situations, there was a lack of importance and nearly no tension, especially by the final climax.

There was also a lot of confusion in this book for me. I couldn't quite place how we were supposed to feel about Reed. And everything I tried to conclude about him contradicted other plot points. Motives were all mixed up and unclear for a lot of people. I could never quite figure out Nolan or Erik's role either, and it was incredibly vague how the Dark Forces as a group were related to the Mavestellis. The "death pills" and supplementary injections were also incredibly confusing and almost overused. To be mentioned in every other paragraph, I feel like we needed some more information about where they came from and what each different dose did. By the end of the book, Cameron had become a pin cushion simply for plot convenience and there was no significance to any of the drugs.

While I hold a lot of criticism for this book, it is only because I enjoyed the first so much. It was definitely easy to read in a page-turning sense, and most of the ideas held a lot of intrigue. There were just a lot of inconsistencies and questions that, if cleared up, could have put this story on a pedestal with the first.

[mads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah so this duology was so stinking good (especially bc I was in need of a brain refresh after reading red rising) but I literally read both books today and if there was a third (already read and loved leave me behind and will impatiently await more of this world) I would absolute be staying up and continuing the dark force train that is so freaking fun

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Blade Your Back is a great follow up to Your Knife, My Heart! If you’re a fan of books with mercenaries, dangerous missions, and of course enemies then I highly recommend reading these books! I feel like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. My nerves were frayed, and I felt so many emotions while reading. The story is SO good and entertaining. I loved the characters, the world, the way the author told their story and so much more! I don’t want to go into detail because I don’t want to spoil this series for you, but I very much recommend it (and I’m not usually a big fan of these types of romances!). Now however, I can’t wait for more!

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️

A decent wrapping up of the Dark Forces duet. It was a tad harder for me to get in to than the first book. But, as the pace turns up, so does the excitement. It delivers a much more tender MMC and FMC than the first book. It’s such a juxtaposition from the dark world around them.

[⚔️Caitlyn&#x1f319; · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was unfortunately underwhelmed by this book. There were so many good ideas and plot points that just didn’t hit home for me. Also once Cam and Em were together and the romance was actually romance I was bored LOL. and I feel like the actual action was too skipped over and didn’t have the kind of impact I was hoping for. It all just kind of fell flat for me.

Im assuming the series is going to get continued in some way since they left it kind of open ended. I really like the idea and premise of this series and think its unique compared to a lot of the dark romance out there now, but I really wish it was much more fleshed out to make it more of a well rounded story.

[zya · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 19% —

I skipped and went to the last 5 chapters, and then cross-checked by reading an online summary of the book, and honestly? I didn’t miss much. Obviously, I didn’t know what was going on and how the plot progressed but it didn’t feel like it had too much development.

Overall, the characters were bland, the motives were all over the place, and while I initially liked how dark and demented these characters are, the ending implied that the characters want to make “good” of themselves—or to do something “good” for the world. Which, I understood from as character arc, but it felt like a cop-out because you were operating from a “dark” perspective and you didn’t know how to keep them “dark” and “likable” and had to make them be “good” in order to show growth and likability. Also, it was really dreary and boring, and I thought the found family - esque relationship with the Fury Squad was heavy-handed.

[Olivea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emery and Cameron were everything to me . This duet was crazyyyy.
I'll never get tired of reading dark military romances.

[Blaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the events of Your Knife My Heart I was honestly so scared of where this story was going. If you’ve read Leave Me Behind then you know KM isn’t afraid to “go there” as an author. While the beginning of this was devastating to read for poor Cam and Em, KM took us on a journey of loss and grief and anger and forgiveness and finally just the will and necessity to find a way to live and exist outside of your forced circumstances. It truly was a beautiful ride. The love these two have for each other despite everything they’ve through was everything.

She also left us with just enough secrets to set up another book in the series so of course I’m not feral for more. Keep em coming KM! We’ll take 20 more!

What you get:
- dark military romance
- amnesiac FMC
- psycho in love MMC
- forced proximity
- deadly missions
- second chances
- mental health rep + drug abuse
- check triggers!

[Kiana Hatton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book one was definitely better. First time reading amnesia trope and it was alright but it seemed like her memories came back so quick and then they’re madly love again, like ??? Idk

[KRISTINA B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Marissa.Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me on the edge of my seat, not going to lie I was questioning if KM was going to wreck us again at the end of this one…

[Gustė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action-packed, spicy, and enjoyable… yet somehow still living in book one’s shadow! 🙂‍↕️🤯🌶️🖤

[Vita Wirt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ it felt a little flat for me after they got together, not sure it needed to be a duology 😭

[Jennifer Miner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that if you loved her first book, Leave Me Behind……this one hit so much better!! I would give this more than 5 stars if I could! I am so emotional after reading this! The love and passion these two have is strong, potent and severe! This one hit hard and was absolutely fantastic!