This is the second book in the Cursed Bonds series, a why choose epic fantasy romance. Tropes and themes include slowburn, why choose, dragons, banter, bada$$ FMC, grumpy MMCs, hurt/comfort/angst, past trauma and forced proximity. As this is a dark-ish, and spicy book (including MF, MM and MFM, please pay close attention to content warnings. I received an advance review copy and my thoughts are my own. 

Tropes and themes include: 

✨Light v. dark 

✨Why choose 

✨Dragons 

✨Bonded mates 

✨Banter 

✨Bada$$ FMC 

✨Grumpy MMC 

✨Hurt/comfort/angst 

✨Grief/loss 

Rating: 5/5 Stars 3/5 Flames 

Nicknames: Nivale, Little Flame, Domina 

The Lovely: I sobbed - full on sobbed - at one point. And cried at other points. Wow this was an emotional roller coaster that I didn’t want to end. I love the relationships between the characters and how we see them grow beautifully over the course of the book (really, the duology). All three are struggling - with loss, with fear - and it hurt sometimes to experience it along with them. 

Also Lovely: I also loved the world building, which is rooted in Slavic lore and mythology. There are dragons and monstrous, deadly creatures interwoven within a unique magic system. Even some of the names and words are other-worldly (with definitions provided), which led to an immersive experience. 

Recommendation: This duology broke my heart, put it back together and then repeated the process several more times for good measure. I love a book that makes me feel and this book did that in an over the top manner. If you like why choose fantasy romance with a small group (two Ms, one F) with an intricate but understandable world, I think you would like this book.