This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
She Cut My Heart Open…
I only meant to steal a car. I didn’t know I was stealing a girl, too. Until the most gorgeous face I’d ever seen popped up in the rear-view mirror.
I fell hard, fast, and forever…
But she tore out my heart — left me alone and bleeding.
How can I forget her, when I have to see that damned perfect face on billboards and magazines?
It’s torture.
9 long years. I thought I moved on.
Then I saw her in the flesh…
And my heart started bleeding all over again…
There’s no joy without pain. The greater the pain, the greater the joy.
My Review
First Impressions
I was quite intrigued by this one though, and I have been meaning to get back to this author here and get through this series. Even though some of the books haven’t been my favorite so far, I have been quite intrigued by this one, and I did like this one. One thing you can say about the books in the series is that they aren’t your typical mafia type of romances so you can rely on this having a refreshing feel to it. I had forgotten the trope that is in this one, so I admit this one isn’t going to go on the list of my favorites from this author. She is really becoming a hit or miss for me. Now that isn’t to say that I didn’t find this a solid read, it was, and the hero in this book is going on my book boyfriend list *hands down* however, I also had plenty of issues with this one.
I love you like . . . like I’d destroy anything that tried to come between us. Like I’d burn the whole world down if I had to.
Summary
Simone and Dante live in completely different worlds. Simone lives in high society, and she is expected to find a good match and marry as her parents expect of her and it doesn’t matter what dreams she has for herself. Her baby sister is sick and will always need to be in the care of family. When she finds herself in her car being stolen by strong and intimidating Dante, she never expected that she would engage in a secret love affair with the man. Dante and Simone’s love is forbidden, they are from two different worlds but Dante believes that their love is worth fighting for. Simone while she has a love for Dante, she also is fearful of her parents and standing up to their expectations and she knows being in a relationship with Dante won’t reach their approval. But when the time comes for Simone to stand up, Dante is left on his own, and Simone ends up pregnant and she and Dante are separated for nine long years. Now Simone is stronger than ever, she is willing to stand on her own. She has created her own career as a model and has her own wealth, but she doesn’t expect to cross paths with Dante again, but now that Dante and Simone have found their way back to each other, will their love be enough to stand the limits and dangers of evil that want to destroy them?
I love you, Simone. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I’m never going to stop. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you have my heart in your hands.
What I Loved
There were quite a few aspects of this story. There are a number of tropes that are actually in this story that I actually do enjoy. There was a forbidden love and also a class difference setup that really seemed to work for this pairing. We have a devoted hero, who may be in the mafia and have to kill when he has to, but he also has a sense of honor and is willing to fight for those he loves. What he is willing to sacrifice for Simone was so beautiful. I absolutely loved the way that they were with each other in those quiet moments. This pair makes you believe love can withstand any trial of life. I really admired the sensitive and sweet nature of Simone. She has such a tender heart. And I loved even in the worst of moments, and the betrayals, that Dante stands firm in his love for Simone. What is willing to go through for her, has so many heart aching moments that leave the reader humbled in unexpected ways. He is one of those heroes you dream of in every romance. I also liked that there were no back and forth flashbacks. The flashback was done first and then we see the story kick off nine years later. I also liked seeing the entry of Raylan (who is the reason I wanted to read this series, he is the character I have heard the best about and he had the most perfect entry and I SWOONED.
I never stopped wondering how you could leave me, when I couldn’t let go of you even for a second.
What I Struggled With
I will be honest, even though there were aspects of the heroine’s character that I did like, I found that overall I just found her weak and without a backbone. I DESPISE secret baby as a trope, but honestly, she has the option to go to Dante with this and she chose not and it was dragged out al the way through till almost the end of the book. I didn’t understand it. I felt for her and what her parents did to her here, but at the same time, she wasn’t willing to stand by Dante when it mattered and also not tell him the truth that he deserved and he missed 9 years of his child’s life. Quite frankly, Dante deserved so much better than what he got with Simone. This book is evidence that shows you don’t pick who you love, and quite frankly, Simone should have groveled much more. She betrayed one of the best heroes I have ever read especially in the mafia, and even though I understand she isn’t a super strong and healthy balanced heroine, I felt like he deserved a woman that was willing to fight for him. The relationship felt very one-sided in that aspect and left me disappointed and just sad.
She loves me. And I love her. I can’t stop loving her. No matter what she’s done to me, no matter what she might do in the future, I can never stop. I would cut off my hands for this woman. Strip the flesh off my bones for her. I can’t live without her, and I don’t want to try. Forgiving her isn’t optional. I have to do it. I can’t exist without it.
Overall View
Overall I found Bloody Heart to be a captivating read, Sophie Lark sucked me in very quickly into this story, she brought some powerful emotions to the front and added layers of depths, and Dante is a hero worth reading, no matter the battle in getting there!
She’s the other part of me. I’ve been wandering around for nine years with only half my soul. I never thought I’d be whole again.
Title: Blood Heart
Author: Sophie Lark
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Length: 464 Pages
Book Links
Amazon| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 4.25
Story Itself: 3.5
Character Development: 4
Writing Style: 4
World Building 3.5
Feels + The Romantic Heart 3.5
Pacing 4.5
Plot 2.5
Cover Art 4
Ending 4
Book Ratings
Overall Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Series Order
Brutal Birthright
Brutal Prince-Pub 2020 #1 in the Series
Stolen Heir-Pub 2020 #2 in the Series
Savage Lover-Pub 2020 #3 in the Series
Bloody Heart-Pub 2020 #4 in the Series
Broken Vow-Pub 2020 #5 in the Series
Heavy Crown-Pub 2020 #6 in the Series
About Sophie
Sophie Lark is an Amazon Bestselling author who writes intense, intelligent romance, with heroines who are strong and capable, and men who will do anything to capture their hearts. She lives with her husband, two boys, and baby girl in the Rocky Mountain West.
She has a slight obsession with hiking, bodybuilding, and live comedy shows. Her perfect day would be taking the kids to Harry Potter World, going dancing with Mr. Lark, then relaxing with a good book and a monster bag of salt and vinegar chips.
This series has been making the rounds recently and it looks really good!