Crimson Heart

by C.L. Reeder

The darkest days of Rowan Arlo’s life are far from over. They linger in the shadows, clawing into her thoughts, feeding a relentless hunger for retribution she can no longer ignore.

All Luca Stonewall wants is to keep Rowan safe. But duty pulls him away, and absence has a way of inviting danger. The harder he tries to protect her, the deeper she drifts into the fire he swore to shield her from.

Their love is fractured—built on secrets, lies, and the unbearable weight of trauma; neither of them knows how to set down. Trust is fragile. Hearts are bruised. And some wounds refuse to heal quietly; they scream.

As the past comes for its reckoning, Rowan and Luca must decide whether they’re strong enough to forge a new path together… or if they’re doomed to keep walking the same blood-stained road.

Because love was never meant to be easy.
Sometimes it sears your heart.
Sometimes it shatters your soul.
And sometimes, it demands everything

The past was never buried. It waits patiently, whispering vengeance.

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2026

About the author

C.L. Reeder resides in Texas with her childhood sweetheart, their two grown-ish kids and too many animals. Crimson Fate is her debut novel, she's hoping for many more to follow. Hobbies include thrifting, going to yard sales and coffee shops. She hasn't met any shop listed in the category above, that she didn't like. Lover of all things witchy and collector of dead things. When she's not working, she can be found at home with her husband, trying to find something to watch... or looking for her vape.

Reviews

[Miki My-Last-Name-Is-None-of-your-bussiness]

4.5/5

Fav book of the trilogy!

I think the story was amazing. The plot kept me on my toes, the passion, like there's so much chemistry between Luca and Rowan. I love all the side characters, they're an amazing friend. I love their story.

And I hated Catherine, and I hated that the author tried to make us feel bad about her story, but she's a piece of shit, and nobody likes her. Everyone hates her, nobody will ever forgive her. I don't understand why she ended up with Nico. This is stupid, and I loved Rowan when she said, fuck you, bitch. You deserve to die. Yup.
One of my favorite moments was when Rowan stood up to her and said, "Fuck you, bitch." It was a powerful scene that showed just how much pain and anger had built up throughout the story.

Rowan is still an amazing protagonist, but in this book, I found her fucking annoying. She was often so focused on getting revenge that she didn't stop to think about how her actions affected the people around her, especially Luca. He would have supported her in taking down her father, but she was too impatient and kept acting on her own. Because of that, she put herself and everyone else in danger multiple times, and I hated that. Honestly, there were moments when I just wanted to scream, "Girl, what fuck are you doing?"

As for Luca, he is pure perfection. Someone please send me a man like Luca! He is loyal, loving, supportive, hot and willing to do anything for the people he cares about. The chemistry between him and Rowan was incredible, and you could genuinely feel how much they loved each other throughout the story.

I also loved the entire friend group. Every side character brought something special to the story, and I enjoyed reading about all of them. Their friendships felt genuine, and they made the book even better.

Overall, this story is a masterpiece. It was emotional, exciting, romantic, and impossible to put down. And the spice? Oh my God 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ the spice was everything. It was perfectly written and added so much to the chemistry between the characters. I loved every second of it.

[K J]

This book was very disappointing and unnecessary in my opinion. Nothing important happens until the 82% mark and what does happen was not worth it. There is so much hypocrisy from Luca for her "putting herself in danger" but he does the same thing? Also why couldn't they come up with a plan and work together to finish what she wanted to so she wasn't putting herself in danger by doing it on her own? I feel she got annoying as a character and had no personal growth as a person. Perhaps in the epilogue it's probably clear that things worked out for her but I like to read those things not just be told "they all lived happily ever after" basically. I enjoyed the first 2 books of this series but this one can be totally skipped.

[Mrs Reads Between The Lines]

In this emotionally raw journey, Rowan and Luca’s connection is a jagged, beautiful mess—a dark emotional whirlwind that is utterly consuming. Their spicy chemistry is undeniable (just look at that graveyard scene!). Their love serves as a fierce, gritty lifeline amidst the wreckage, proving that despite the secrets and lies, their unbreakable bond is forged in fire. Theirs is an intense, bone-deep love—the kind that burns straight through the soul.

*Please read trigger and content warnings.*

I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advanced copy.

[Ann Marie Robinson]

This was such an emotional journey to read. Rowan's darkest days are something she can no longer ignore as they feed into her hunger for revenge on the people who caused her trauma. Luca wants to protect her from danger, but having him be called away causes danger to appear. Their chemistry is off the charts and undeniable. Their love for each other is so fierce and serves as a lifeline among the wreckage caused by past trauma. It's a love so intense that it's the kind that will burn right through the heart.
Darkness recognizes darkness!

[Shelbi]

what a beautiful last book of the trilogy!

I love that we get little nuggets of the side characters love interest and being able to see Luca and Rowan go through the struggles of healing and trust and still making it intentional to work it out and love one another. Absolutely loved it! Lots of spice in this one, if you don’t like heat stay out of between these pages because there’s fire left and right!

[Jen Strimbeck]

Emotional read you have a few couples in this book series that are recovering and learning how to trust and lean on each other after the females are on the other side of incredibly traumatic events. It seemed realistic portrayal of grief and self sabotaging behaviors. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot.

[Athena, the goddess of books]

This was the story I liked the least, because instead of focusing on the plot, it felt like it was filled with smut on almost every page. Also, the fact that Cat turns out not to be the villain we were led to believe in the first two books felt like a big, big letdown.

[Lindsay Pirris]

Hate the typos…like who is proofreading?! I know that’s irrelevant but it thoroughly pissed me off. Good not great read but I’m the person that commits to finishing a series once started unless it’s absolute hot garbage. Still have unanswered questions…

Ok, bye.