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He'll do anything to stop her... and she'll do anything to survive.

Titus is just trying to control his new power without losing himself to the darkness. Already cursed, and now suffering with noxious black magic, he believes his luck couldn't get any worse.

Until an assassin appears, ready to end his life. He never expected such an infuriating woman, and now he's not sure what to do. Kill her before she can kill him, or give in to the intense desire that proves bad luck comes in threes.

Rae is prepared for a typical hit. But when she can't seem to eliminate her target, she quickly realises that it wasn't only Titus who has a price on his head.

Forced to work together, or risk both their lives, Titus and Rae must unravel the mystery of who hired the hits, all while fighting against a dangerous attraction that's a frustration to them both.

Can they trust each other to survive long enough to discover who wants them dead?

Or will they end up killing each other instead?

Heart of Crimson is a dark paranormal romance that contains explicit content, graphic violence, profanity, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers. Full details can be found listed inside the book. Recommended for 18+.

This novel is written in British English including spelling and grammar.

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2023

154 people are currently reading
1518 people want to read

About the author

Taylor Aston White

33 books381 followers
Taylor Aston White writes deliciously dark fantasy & romance, where tension burns, secrets break, and love always wins. Based in the UK with her childhood sweetheart and their two children, she's the author of several bestselling series and loves to explore mythology and European faerie tales to create her own, modern twists.

Follow her on Instagram - @taylorastonwhite, and join her newsletter on www.taylorastonwhite.com

Be sure to follow Taylor on BookBub for the latest on sales https://bit.ly/3rNVVlm

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5 stars
219 (47%)
4 stars
162 (35%)
3 stars
72 (15%)
2 stars
7 (1%)
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1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Angie.
1,406 reviews234 followers
May 5, 2023
“But the thought of him, or anyone else hurting you makes me want to destroy the fucking earth. I’ll torture, maim, and fucking annihilate anyone who thinks they can hurt you.”

4.5 stars!

Taylor once again delivers a brilliantly sexy and nonstop story filled with fantastical creatures, unrelenting steam, and badassery. However, I do wish Taylor had recapped previous storylines a little more as I didn't quite remember how/when Titus had gone through the Rite. Even though each book can be read as a standalone, characters and plotlines do overlap between novels, and I felt a little lost regarding his backstory.

Regardless, I still wholeheartedly enjoyed Titus and Rae's novel. Both were independent and guarded due to their pasts, but they couldn't stop from teasing each other...after each of Rae's attempted assassinations. Rae was no wilting flower and the perfect matchup against Titus and his detached nature. The chemistry and steam between them was so yummy, and I loved watching them try and dominate each other, while slowing succumbing to their shared passion. The secondary characters were fantastic as always, and I cannot wait to see whose story is up next🖤

Tropes: fated mates, hate-to-love-you, enemies-to-lovers, assassin heroine, broody hero, 'touch her and die' vibes, heroine-in-danger, alpha j/p hero, praise kink, light dom/sub, STEAMY🔥

*ARC provided by the author, and I voluntarily reviewed it*
Profile Image for Derryn.
102 reviews
May 8, 2023
I love this series!
This one didn't disappoint.
Profile Image for Sara.
219 reviews15 followers
May 13, 2024
Another fantastic story in the Curse of the Guardians series! I absolutely loved Titus and Rae and the whole found family gang!
Profile Image for Ana Isabela.
38 reviews
May 12, 2024
“They really need to update the questioning,” she muttered quietly to herself. “If I’d known he was this big, I’d have brought a forklift.”
Profile Image for Littlebookishbirdie.
190 reviews7 followers
April 29, 2023
“𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘸, 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵.”

. . . . . .

Taylor keeps blowing my mind with each book she releases in this series. Kace and Axel were great but there hasn’t been one to top Xander for me. But Titus just dethroned him. I love this guardian so much and the story that goes along with him.

Titus and Rae are the perfect enemies to lovers. Their hateful romance is just that at first but it works for both of them. They are both darker individuals needing someone to lean on. Titus learning how to accept these new dark powers and her dealing with others using her.

A lot of the spice feels like a hate fuck because they both love that aggression. Rae loves to fight for dominance but submit in the end while Titus loves her bratish behavior if only to conquer her in the end.

But despite their trust issues at first, they have each other’s backs throughout the story. Titus teaches Rae to value herself more, to not let people use her. But Rae teaches him to embrace all of his dark powers, that he will be loved regardless. They really do feel like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly. They balance each other.

I also love that Titus knew pretty quickly on what she was to him. He knew his beast and the connection he felt. He doesn’t love the idea but he also doesn’t necessarily fight it. The secret behind Rae’s necklace was cool and unique. I want more information on that and what that entails for her.

This story was so good. It wasn’t predictable. I really didn’t expect some of the characters to turn out the way they did. AND I think Sythe’s story might be next and that’s my boi. 😍 if you haven’t read this series, I highly recommend it. The story, character development, and romance/spice just keeps getting better and better.
Profile Image for The Caffeinated Grimoire.
735 reviews5 followers
May 25, 2023
4.5☆ Titus and Rae

I didn't think I'd love anyone more than Xander but then Titus came in and stole the show 😍 I love both he and Rae their sizzling chemistry had me blushing all the way through. Rae is now one of my fav book heroines who doesn't love a bada$$ chick who can do her own dirty work but still submit where needed 😜😉 Titus is the perfect dom that every girl needs in their life and I loved their back and forth banter haha

Signed to a life killing in order to save her brother Ray's life belongs to the guild she signed her life to in blood. 100 kills before she's free her latest assignment marks number 13 but this might be her hardest target yet when he doesn't stay dead. Titus is one of the Guardians but being forced through the rite a second time is taking it's toll as he struggles to with the black magic invading his chi and made even worse when someone attempts to kill him. What he doesn't expect is the feisty red head to be the assassin in question but all of a sudden they're forced together when Rae finds herself being hunted too. Titus needs Rae to find out who put the mark on him and Rae needs him to stay alive long enough to find out why she's being hunted at all when her assignment is still active. But when Titus' beast chooses Rae as his mate, he finally realizes they need each other even more because now he wants her alive more than dead. When they finally track down who put the hit out on her betrayal will burn her to her core and they'll have to work together to weed out the corruption in the systems meant to keep everyone safe. Titus may have just found his match beacuse his little rae of sunshine can handle herself just fine but he'll remind her she doesn't need to go it alone anymore....

Definitely Recommend Reading 📚
Profile Image for Shannon.
367 reviews
May 7, 2023
4.5 Stars

The story did start a little slow for my liking, but it eventually picked up and became something wonderful! Titus is struggling with the events from the last book and Rae doesn't let if off easy because she's an assassin (or contractor, whatever you'd prefer) and she tries to kill him.
Rae and Titus's story was wonderful! It started as enemies-to-lovers with some slightly murderous tendencies. I loved how even though Rae is human, she was never weak or one to sit on the sidelines. She was a strong character, even when her family was completely undeserving of her affection. She rolls with the punches and throws quite a few of them, too. Titus has gone through some things from the previous book and he was working through the changes and Rae was there to keep him in line and call him out on his behavior.
It's a great story with tons of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat! It's written in 3rd person POV with dual narration with British spellings because it takes place in the UK and was written by a British person.

CW: Violence, murder, torture, demonic possession, the steam is BDSM-type (including aftercare!! The aftercare isn't a CW, it's just something that it's usually included in books and I was excited it was included!)

I will reiterate: Lucy needs his own story! He is a gem!!

This book has a self contained story, however it is necessary to read the others to understand the overarching storyline in the series. It is also a part of the same world that the Alice Skye series is set in. And I wholeheartedly recommend reading that series.
Profile Image for J.
4,083 reviews21 followers
April 10, 2024
This is book 4 in White's Curse of the Guardians and White does a wonderful job of transporting us into this dark and twisted paranormal world. Our main characters are Guardian Titus who is dealing with trying to control his darkness and Rae who's a hired assassin with Titus as her mark. Rae makes several attempts (somehow all being unsuccessful) and after so many twists she and Titus find themselves working together to find who's behind the hit (s)?!? Torn between fulfilling her job and the chemistry between them Rae succumbs to Titus' dominance. The storyline has one twist after another that will have you gasping and glued to your reader. The dual narration of Drake and West bring our characters to life. A little overlap with the dual points of view but I thought it was reasonable. I also think this could be a standalone while some characters from previous books in the series are present there really isn't much spoiler to be had. Overall, I loved the dual narration and the suspenseful twists. I also loved that while Titus' character is super domineering, Rae is strong in her own right. Looking forward to what's next!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I voluntarily provided this review.
*this review is based on the audio version of this read.
1 review
April 29, 2023
Loved it. Feel like that says it all to be honest, what more needs to be said, stop wasting your time reading me and GET THIS BOOK, get all of them in fact TREAT YOURSELF!

Taylor has written another book that hooks you in, the story was well thought out, it felt real and captivating.

Other characters from other books are mentioned so that was awesome to have, I adore when we get to check in with the other Guardians.

Lucy is Lucy and just so funny, some of his one liners in this book had me laughing out ridicously loud, and some parts I read, looking over my shoulder that it felt naughty as I was in public, like I should have had a sign pointing at me, this girl likes to read her porn not watch it!

I struggled to put it down, I read it in one day. Like the true Guardian pervert that I am!

I feel that having prior knowledge of the other books would be useful, but if you just fancy a good enemies to lovers book full of desire and angst, this is definetly going to be a win for you.

I loved it and hope you do too.

Taylor, amazing job once again, kudos my Guardian queen!
Profile Image for Desiree Worth.
23 reviews
May 8, 2023
A Fun Ride!

Rae is epic and I love how strong FMC she is! So excited to see how she worked with the other mates of the guys! It’s so fun to see all these new people come into this awesome found family!

Titus is wheewww quite the steamy read! His story was one I was excited about after reading Axel’s and Taylor did not disappoint!

The only reason I took away a star was because their relationship moved a little quicker than the slower burns from the 3 previous books but it didn’t detract from the story it’s just a personal preference of mine!

Loved that we got a human as a mate as well thought that was fun as well and seeing how a human deals with the supernatural in this verse. Even if we did get a little look in Alice’s story I thought it was nice to see it from an actual human’s pov. ALSO SO OBSESSED THAT TAYLOR MADE RAE BA even though she was a human. It never made her lesser in the story and I loved that about this story. Showing the strength and power Rae still had even though she was a human. Loved how Taylor weaved that into the story.
Profile Image for Suzy.
131 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2025
I did a full re-listen of the series leading up to this newest installment on audio, and I have to say-it’s a toss-up between this one and Kace & Eva’s book for my favorite! This story centers on Titus, who was left badly injured in the previous book, and Rae, a fierce heroine who has been ordered to kill him. Of course… they’re mates. 😏 The dynamic between these two is everything. Rae is strong, decisive, and absolutely refuses to back down, even when facing off against Titus’ own family. I loved how she stood her ground, especially when they tried to put Titus down in front of her. She’s got grit, loyalty, and backbone in spades. One of my favorite things about this series is the return of characters from previous books. It gives the world so much depth and continuity. And once again, the narrators knock it out of the park. I highly recommend listening to the Alice Skye series first if you haven’t already. It adds so much context and richness to this world.
Profile Image for Barbara Atkinson.
975 reviews7 followers
September 12, 2023
Ok this has to my favorite guardian book in the series so far. Titus is going through a lot of changes and now someone wants him dead on top of it. Who does his beast choose as his mate non other than the contractor that tries to kill him. He cannot believe his luck on top of everything else that is going on.
Rae is a contractor fighting for her freedom. She sold
Herself to the guild to pay off her brothers debts. The only person she loves and the only family she has left.
Wow this book is full of betrayal, danger, and the steam. I’m still fanning myself.
Side note I absolutely love Lucy!!!
Profile Image for Tiffany Bumgardner.
Author 2 books3 followers
February 12, 2024
Not Bad But Holes

I will be the first to admit I did not read the previous books but….. this kinda read like it be able to standalone.

Honestly I liked the character and even the paranormal side. Assassins are fun and I only wish the fmc was blood thirstier and more mayhem and bodies dropping.

I don’t know if what kind of beast the mmc turns into was answered in previous books but the fmc never questioned it and never asked questions. Like as readers we could have gotten an explanation without having to read other character stories if we don’t want too.

But this was a fun, get out of a slump read.
Profile Image for Shelves_by_sim.
593 reviews8 followers
May 5, 2023
Here, Taylor introduces a morally grey, completely new FMC whom I LOVE. I think this book has my favourite main characters so far! Rae is absolutely amazing, that strong female character I tend to gravitate towards and Titus? Oh gosh 🥵 he is everything you want! Not to mention, he has kinks for daaaaays! Aside from Rae being hired to kill Titus, their forced proximity and all the sexual tention that made this book great, the cliffhanger I mention above was explored and I loved the outcome of it! I cannot wait for the next installment of this series.

Sythe and Jax's books are going to be brilliant BUT I really hope Lucifer gets his own book because he is my overall favorite character😍
5 reviews
May 7, 2023
Absolutely love this book!
I had read all the Alice skye books before I moved on to these which I'm glad about but honestly you can read these first then go onto her story nothing is given away!
I Read the first 3 of this series in just over a week so I could read this one. Although you don't need to read the others first I highly recommend them.

Everything you need in a book, I love the dynamic between them both it has darkness but also some sparkle 🤣😉 fantastic read and I can not wait for the next one. X
Profile Image for Lisa.
3,788 reviews21 followers
March 17, 2024
What a wonderful story! I loved getting to know Rae and Titus. They have quite a story! It is full of action and suspense. These two have a great chemistry! Bantering between them is off the charts! I enjoyed their humor and actions. I really never knew what was going to happen.

I listened to this on audio. Lily Drake and DB West did the narration. I enjoyed them both but did struggle a bit with Mr West’s low gravelly voice took a bit to get used to and understand. After a while I just got used to it.
Profile Image for Debbie Eyre.
5,918 reviews116 followers
May 4, 2023
This is a fantastic enemies to lovers dark romance that features guardian Titus and assassin Rae. They are strong, passionate characters with chemistry that is off the charts. Their story is exciting as Titus battles to control his dark powers and Rae discovers that she has a price on her head not to mention their attraction and frustration. It’s an incredible read filled with twists, surprises, spice and steam and I just couldn’t put it down.
3,208 reviews47 followers
March 16, 2024
Loved the dual narration of Lilly Drake and DB West

Titus is struggling with his beast and the black magic polluting his body when he learns he has a contract on his head. Rae is fighting for her freedom and the only way to gain it is to become a contract killer. When the two paths cross one must die for the other to live. Forced to work together in order to stay alive. The chemistry between the two is of the charts.
Profile Image for Avelynia Kersh.
299 reviews2 followers
February 14, 2025
4⭐️s
🌶️🌶️🌶️
An assassination gone wrong brings Titus and Rae together as they figure out who is after both of them. Titus is going through so much as he fights the black
Magic and his new transformation. Rae is bound to work for the Guild full of the shadiest characters to pay off her brother’s debts. I love this book, it was action packed with such great chemistry between the characters and touch her/him and die vibes.
Profile Image for Kell X.
314 reviews6 followers
April 23, 2023
This is a good example of an enemies to lovers when even though they fall for each other their individual spark continues and keep driving each other crazy!
This book shows how one can find a family in the most unusual circunstances.
As usually, Taylor does not let us down!! I didn't wanted to puto it down!

I wonder wich guardian story is being told next?
978 reviews6 followers
March 19, 2024
This paranormal world is so intriguing to me. Each book has a different spin with the storyline and mate to the Guardian of the book. With Titus and Rae, it's so up in the air what's going to happen with so many new developments and twists and turns. There's action, danger, and suspense as they journey towards their HEA. Narrators bring the characters to life with great accents.
Profile Image for Maddison Ponder.
39 reviews
April 28, 2024
Okay interesting enough as much as I hate how this book started (felt really slow), I think this was my favorite book. Rae falling in love with her target, and Titus’ mate one being his assassin makes theirs love story that much more interesting! The twist and turns as they figure out who’s put the hit out was really interesting! I was truly shocked to realize who put the hits out but that the hits were for Rae! By far my favorite part is, Titus doesn’t just mate with her but ask her to marry him. He wanted her to know that his beast might have picked her, but he picks her too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
42 reviews
May 12, 2023
Action and romance

Perfect blend of action, strong story line and romance (with a bit of a hard edge in this book, but completely consensual). This is a very good series, with interesting, flawed characters, and very strong females.
Profile Image for Nicole Ortiz.
2,062 reviews55 followers
April 12, 2024
3.5* for the narrators and story

Rae and Titus
I thought the story was ok! It's a bit slow in the begining. The narrators did a good job the only thing I didn't enjoy is when Rae's character spoke I found it to be low and a little hard to hear.
Profile Image for Rachael Beckemeyer.
87 reviews7 followers
June 5, 2024
best of the series so far

I’ve really enjoyed this whole series but this one had something special. A Combination of writing, plot, character development and everything else made it worth the read. I found myself really into the characters more than any of the other books.
142 reviews
June 14, 2023
Wow hot hot

This is one of the best of the series. The heat alone was enough to keep me reading but a bad ass chick who dosent need protection but gets it anyway wow
Profile Image for kayleigh davis.
41 reviews
December 14, 2023
Love

Love this series , can't stop reading even though I have many other things I should be doing 😄 im invested in seeing them all find their match.
Profile Image for Mandy.
188 reviews9 followers
February 7, 2024
This is my favorite one of this series!
Profile Image for Jade.
1,791 reviews8 followers
March 17, 2024
This series has really taken me for a ride. This book was slow to start but picked up speed nicely. The characters were great, and it was a fun book to read.
Profile Image for Mandy Sawyer.
5,036 reviews41 followers
March 18, 2024
This is a great book. I love how these characters are thrown together. It’s a gripping action packed story that will keep you hooked. A brilliant performance.
#pfp
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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