The War of the Crimson Heart: A Dark Sapphic Portal Fantasy Romance

by V. Dalmatina

One night in Texas was supposed to be safe.
One almost-kiss in a tiny condo living room.
Then crimson lightning rips Olivia Quinn and the exiled Princess of Rosethorn straight back into the world that cursed them.
Now the living chain between them isn’t just metal;
It’s awake, jealous, and done waiting.
It hums when they lie.
It burns when they want.
And it will drag them through battlefields, ancient ruins, and each other’s hearts until they finally admit the
They would rather watch every kingdom fall than live a single day apart.
But a five-thousand-year-old vampire queen just ended a war before sunrise,
a 200,000-year-old curse is stirring,
and Olivia’s new violet eyes mean the monster inside her is finally opening its eyes.
This isn’t about surviving anymore.
This is about who gets to keep the ashes.
High-heat sapphic fantasy romance • portal fantasy with Texas attitude • living armor • possessive magic • found family • epic battles • deep emotional scars • women who choose each other over everything
Read Lightning in Her Palm first
(or the chain will never forgive you)
No apologies. Only lightning.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2025

About the author

V. Dalmatina is an author whose life reads like one of her own romantic novels—full of adventure, unexpected turns, and profound love. After half her life serving as an officer on mega-yachts and circumnavigating the globe, she returned to her beloved Dalmatia to tell the stories that have lived in her heart for over a decade.

In her interconnected universe of steamy sapphic romances, love is sacred—a force that transcends time, karma, and even death. Across the sun-drenched islands she created (complete with their own maps, families, and histories), women find each other again and again: through reincarnation, across centuries, or in the storms of modern life. Every story ends with a hard-earned happily ever after, because her heroines deserve nothing less. From the windswept cliffs of Veli Škoj to the hidden coves of Gornji and Donji Otok, her books are more than romance—they are journeys of healing, destiny, and the kind of love that feels eternal.

Welcome to her world. You might never want to leave.

Reviews

[Ore Kovač · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I come across an unknown author with a strong first book, I don't expect too much from the other books, and why? Because experience has shown that first books can be lucky, and the second or third book can be a fluke. I think I will continue reading this author from now on because she gave us a very nice sequel to the first book. I am very interested in the third CBC book about vampires and whether V. Dalmatina will bring something new to this very bleached and overused genre. In any case, CBC 2 is for those who like dark sapphic romance on steroids with fast action, steamy scenes, and no dry excesses to make the book bigger and longer, or to be precise: I recommend it wholeheartedly to everyone who loves epic fantasy with horror elements, fight for survival, tears, and love, period!

[Morana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I love the Texas scenes, and the beginning of book two, that little ‘breather,’ was definitely brilliant. The second installment of the Crimson Bloom Chronicles Series is almost cinematic and heroic as Kaeli and Olivia advance toward the ‘heart of the problem’ (No spoiler alerts), but the most important thing is that they are finally together and victorious in many ways. Now, this book is just like the first one, rich, action-packed, and for readers who appreciate dark sapphic romance. I love them, and right now I’m on book five.

[Vuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Tolkien and G.R.R. Martin, and I love the way they build massive worlds mixed with light and darkness. The War of the Crimson Heart is woven into that kind of world, full of complex extremes and some gray zones, with a delightful HEA ending. This book is almost cinematic, but with clever chapter cliffhangers. The author knows what it takes to keep us reading, and I did read this book in one sitting. All right, time to move on to book three and see what Aele is cooking. PS: Fast, unpredictable, and alluring dark romantsy on steroids.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story continued to be unique and fascinating and now I can’t wait for Aele’s book!! I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The world building in this book is even more remarkable than the first which makes sense as more is explored and unleashed. Olivia and Kaeli grow ever closer and it is sweet, sultry and again…unique. The challenges were enormous and the support was glorious. The groundwork was laid for Aele and Maria which at least will start back on earth! I’m so excited to see what Aele thinks of our world lol.

Recommend!

[Babette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect, five stars from me. :D
P. S. I'm in love with Kaeli.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read everything Gun Brooke wrote, and now I have a new lovely series to gorge on. Thank you.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect sequel. I love it even more than the first book because of the action and intense emotion, and it finally has a happy ending.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This was much better than book one. It was more focused and I was way more into Aele and Maria’s story over Kaeli and Olivia’s so I’m super glad that they will be the main focus in the next book. This was a lot of fun.

Spice: ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥/❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
Content Warning: Violence, Death, Cancer (side character)

[Marquise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hated the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, so I started reading the second immediately. This one delivered what I needed. Epic battles, fast-paced action, and love above all. Thank you. I’m going to read the Aele and Maria book, and I can’t wait.