Sweetheart: Part Two

A Reverse Harem Omegaverse Bully Duet #2

by Marie Mackay

I’d fought and lost.
Rejected, with my heat pushed off for the last time, I’m left to the cruel pack who see me as nothing more than an object.
But is it possible the Crimson Fury pack will fight to get me back?
Fragile and broken, I desperately cling to my last conviction: This time if I choose my mates, I’ll choose them for myself and not because of this dark bond. I’ll drag the alphas that enslaved me to the gates of hell before I let them steal that away.

Last time, I had to convince my mates to fall for me.
Now, it’s their turn.

Earning my heart might be the key to breaking my chains, but can Rook, Ebony, Love, and Drake become the men I will fall for before it's too late?


This is part two of a bully omegaverse duet, MFMMM why choose with dark themes. HEA guaranteed

Genres: Omegaverse, Reverse Harem, Romance, Why Choose, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2023

About the author

A British-Canadian writer, artist, and ex nurse currently living in BC, Canada. All the art-from the cover, to the illustrations within the pages-are her own.

I'm a self-proclaimed angst queen, and I write omegaverse and fantasy romance, most often with many lovers per lady. I have a strong preference toward enemies to lovers, bully, and dark romance.

The voices I bring to the paper draw from the distinct social settings in which I have lived, the many places I have travelled, and from my time in health care.

I maintain a commitment not to write pregnancy in my books (including epilogues). While I have nothing against the beauty of babies, my leading ladies find HEAs outside of children <3

Reviews

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

✅ Angst
✅ Sexual tension / Smut
✅ Characters
✅ Multiple POVs
✅ Pace
✅ Overall addictiveness
✅ Plot
✅ Groveling
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: reference to sexual assault and physical abuse (off-screen), coerced behavior via dark bond, manipulation, emotional abuse, blood, and death

Oh yeah.
The groveling was gooooooood.

Piece by piece, I let everything go. My mates. My hope. The world was coming apart at the seams, and I didn’t have anything to hold onto anymore.

Vex is back in the clutches of the pack that forced her into a dark bond, and they now want to use her as leverage to get the Crimson Fury pack to do anything they want. They agreed to let Vex return to her true mates, but only until her heat comes, and then the true negotiations can begin. That means the Crimson Fury pack only has a few days or weeks to earn Vex’s forgiveness. She must remain strong, which is hard because she knows there is a possibility that the pack will not give up whatever is asked of them, even though they are trying to prove her otherwise, and she will end up being a slave to the dark bond for the rest of her life.

Vex continues to be such a strong character, driven by her desire to get free from her bond, but still struggling with everything that’s happening to her. She wants to hold on to what little hope she has, but we can see how hopeless she feels at the same time, and how scared she is that she will never escape. The fact that she lives with this fear every day and still manages to think about her alpha and care for them is impressive. She is amazing, and I am in love with her, the author did a stellar job with her and her development in the duology. We also learn more about Vex’s past in this second book, and we also finally understand why she decided to become a Gold Omega.

“You don’t have to do anything,” he told me. “Never again will it be your job to make us like you. It’s up to us to discover if we will ever be worthy of you.”

This book is as intense as the first one but in a different way. It starts with yearning and groveling, as the alphas realize who Vex is, and how horrible they were to her. On her side, Vex is, once again, a captive trying to survive and keep the little shred of hope she has, which is harder every day that passes. Then there is bittersweet happiness, as Vex is back with the alpha, but they all know it’s only until the alpha who dark bonded her calls her back, and they only have a few days or weeks to apologize to her and show her that they want her. In the last part, there is angst and also some development in the relationships among the alphas, but I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil anyone.

The groveling was gooooood. Drake had a free pass, of course, but he still made sure that the other alphas knew how badly they fucked up, and that they took adequate actions to earn Vex’s forgiveness. Love opened up to Vex, and showed that he was, indeed, capable of being a pack leader, and sensible mate. He has this calm, reassuring vibe that I love. Rook had a harder time because he remained focused on himself at first, but this book allowed us to better understand him, his past, and how it affected his behavior, in the end, he was able to find a way to show how sorry he was, and how he was willing to change for Vex.

I wasn’t just going to bring her home—that wasn’t enough for my mate. I would hunt down every person in this world that had caused her pain and I would turn them to fucking ash.

Ebony, being the psycho that he is, is on a mission to avenge Vex and kill or destroy the life of everyone who wronged her, outside of his pack. He is so violent and unhinged at times, yet always in control, and so cunning, I loved his cold calculation, and how he made sure Vex knew he was out there fighting for her. He even took Rook with him a few times, and it was nice to see those two finally have a semblance of friendship, even if it was fleeting and brief… There is hope yet for them!

“You picked Rook, I picked Drake. And Drake’s better. Clearly.”
“Ah yes, I forgot,” Love said. “That’s all the Crimson Fury pack really is: the Hightower brothers and their pets.”

The alphas are working on healing their relationship with Vex, but there is also some healing among them. We get to see how they all ended up together, and we also understand why they seem to dislike each other half of the time. It was nice to see them spend more time together and claim back the fraternal love they had, or develop new bonds for some of them. I like that the author managed to include their healing in the book, and didn’t just focus on the groveling, because their pack was seriously dysfunctional in the first book, and they needed to get their shit together.

I flew through this duology, and I loved every minute of it! It’s a wild ride that you will definitely enjoy if you liked Pack Darling, and if you like angsty books with sexual tension, groveling, and dysfunctional alphas that somehow made it work. Vex is an amazing and inspiring main character, and I can’t wait for the author to publish the novella with more content about her and her pack.


1. Sweetheart ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[Milo (if lost, return to hot fictional character) · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you ever wanted to read a full grovelling book: this is it

[Valkyrie ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssss

This one delivered

It was exactly what I needed after Part 1

[Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. The grovelling was pretty good but she still forgave them too quickly. My biggest issue was that it was really boring. It felt the this book didn’t know if it wanted to focus on the character development or the plot so it only gave each 50% of an effort. We were seeing their day to day life which frankly, was boring and I still didn’t really feel the connection between Vex and the guys. Also I may be the only one here but Rook annoyed me so much. I couldn’t stand how he kept stealing or butting in on the other guys ways to make up to Vex. He didn’t do anything on his own which made him come off disingenuous. There were some cute and funny moments in here. I really loved Ebony and Vex’s relationship, Love kind of felt like a background character and Drake was a very boring character with just a whisper of depth to him.

[Sydni Donahue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweetheart: Part Two ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Reread baby! Keeping the same rating cause I just love this book. DRAKE I LOVE YOU MY SWEET PERFECT DAMAGED BOY MY LOVE. Vex my baby. Love you. I actually liked all the men more on the reread. Obviously drake the most duh. 💖😍🙏🏼

God I loved this book so much. So fucking much. This is one of my fav books and comfort books. I genuinely love it with my whole being. Vex is so fucking bad ass. THE GROVELING WAS SO GOOD I AM MADE FOR GROVELING. I LOVE DUETS/DUOLOGIES I AM MADE FOR THEM. I love these boys. Mainly drake obviously. Tell me why the pack lead is always my least fav. I’m a drake then rook then ebony girl. The reason this book was so perfect to me was this author was better at writing trauma and expressing emotions than most I’ve ever read. It fucking hit me. So much of this book was like MADE FOR ME. This quote especially is literally me and it fucking killed me “"Do you know what it's like to give and give until there's nothing left?" I asked.
"Only for someone to turn their back and walk away?" I did. I knew what it was like to break myself for people who walked away the second they thought there wasn't anything more to take.” God I love drake. I love vex. I loved these characters so much and I loved the story. I about lost my shit over finding our Aisha was a dog. Her one fucking friend in the world. That gutted me. What also gutted me was every perfect reaction they had to her pain and how much they all were willing do do for her and loved her. But oh beautiful drake how he loved her and protected her the whole fucking time 😭😭💓💓😭😭😭. I won’t lie I also loved that this was centered around her and none of them were fucking. I am even obsessed with how well she wrote ebony and his psychopath tendencies. Alright my only issues were I didn’t love how her killing of Zeus was skipped over pretty quickly and not explained enough. I would’ve also loved to see more of his obsession and his struggle with his pack. I would’ve loved to see more of what ebony did behind the scenes. I also would’ve loved more smut or at least more descriptive but it was still really good and turned me the fuck on. I loved rooks journey in this book a lot truly. I loved the obstacles of mental health she tackled. I also would’ve loved to see more with her and drake bonding over the pack that tortured more of them and would’ve loved to see more of her healing. With that being said I’m obsessed with this book I love it so much and I wish this never fucking ended. I want this book framed. I love these boys and I love her and I’m in shambles. And I love knotting and omegas and alphas and heats. And god how I felt the fucking love. I loved the stakes here. I loved how this was written I fucking loved this. I wish it never ended. I also wish I got more into her past and her mom but ugh I just love

[cha [back!!!] · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For every moment you were alone. That we weren’t there.”

Ooookay. Slightly better than the first. Grovel was okay, could've been better if book 1 wasn't so weak. It scratched the itch though.

Who said this book was almost all grovel!!!! yall lied to me 😒

I think Vex forgave them too easily. Rook was the only one who had to actually work hard for it and I didn't even think he was even the worst out of the guys lol. Drake got a free pass because he was a pathetic simp, Ebony got off easy because he was a psychopath.

I felt like Love should've groveled longer but apparently Vex was magically okay with what he did (in book 1 whenever it was time for Vex to be with Love, he made her kneel on the floor the whole night while he was sleeping bc he said he didn't want her) because Love said his dick was hard the whole time she was there kneeling. And this for some reason pleased Vex (she had abandonment issues I guess lol) because oh! he was a jerk but he was horny for me the whole time! so he wants me! that's all I want!

Girl. Come on.

The whole blackmail/darkbond thing still confused the f outta me. I guess this book didn't feel all that emotional to me because the reasoning for it just didn't make sense & very very confusing. Might've to do with the writing & storytelling too. They're not bad but too... vague? Complicated?

I'm trying not to compare this to Pack Darling but PD literally exists in this book as a popular book & movie series which the fmc Vex was a BIG fan of so it's hard not to. This was good enough to satisfy the angsty omegaverse craving, but unfortunately it lacked so many things PD had. Can't even joke that Vex wished she was Lilah Darling because she probably did wish she was Lilah LMAOOOO 😭

Shoutout to Rook & Ebony tho. They carried the hell out of this book on their backs.

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 4 out of 5]

the way I'm FROTHING AT THE MOUTH TO READ THIS!!!

update--I did not intent to do so, but I binged this in a day hehehe RTC!

update #2--And here's the review:

Finishing up a duet is always bittersweet.

On one hand, I finally get the closure I need. On the other hand, I am so attached to these characters that I don't want to say goodbye. This was the light at the end of my book slump tunnel. It was exactly what I and the characters needed.

This duet follows the sour patch kids way: first the alphas are sour, and then they're sweet. Groveling? We LOVE her.

After the reveal at the end of book one, the alphas thankfully get their heads out of their asses and show up. This book opens up with angst and yearning from all of them and it pulled at my heartstrings in the best way. Each have their own challenges but they all focus their attentions on mending their relationship with Vex, and ultimately their pack bond.

I think each alpha's apologies and redemption were appropriate and delightfully angsty and dare I say perfect?

I'm going to be vague on purpose but mild spoilers:
Drake -- we all know the sweet boy did barely anything wrong.
Love -- he learned from his mistakes and put Vex first! and when he kneeled? AND THE COCKWARMING. yes please.
Rook -- don't at me but I loved what Rook did as his gesture. and what Vex did in response hehe.
Ebony -- THE UNHINGED ONES ARE THE BEST. What he did was totally on brand and so freaking good. I really liked seeing him be himself (also thought the whole masking bit was fascinating) but Vex meeting him in the middle with her own feral way.

"The universe had matched her with us. With Ebony. I really, really needed to start remembering that"

Honestly, Ebony/Vex scenes were pure gold and some of my favorites. When Vex talks about past dates and Ebony is about to make a list. Him commending her for unaliving someone and her getting turned on. Him saying he'll knot her and fill her up. Collaring Rook and the delight in Vex's eyes when she sees him. The bit where he's making her come to the point of wheezing, Love calling him out, and then Vex spending her next orgasm with her arms crossed and glaring at Love? I'm dead.

I do wish we spent a touch more time fortifying the emotional relationship between Vex and the alphas outside of them supposed to be together because of the scent match. Also, the stakes did not feel as dire in the middle of this because the dark bond pack felt so removed from what was happening.

But overall, I adored this! The unique bonds each of the alphas have with one another and with Vex, the smutty scenes (chasing and edging? yes please), the heart of it all? Like I said before, I'm so sad it's over, but I'm so fucking glad I read this.

I received a free copy of this book from the author however all thoughts are my own

[Luna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first book, but instead of one-starring both - which I do hate to do - I saved it for this book.

This is a classic example of why I hate duets. The one staple of romance is that the book has to have an HEA. These new authors try to skirt this by saying there is ultimately an HEA, but the first one ends with the relationship(s) imploding. Just write those pay per chapter ripoffs and call it a day.

But I wanted to read another omegaverse and this one had great reviews…I’m not sure why. The only good thing about it is that it didn’t have any noticeable typos.

Let’s start with the fact that this entire story is 986 freaking pages. That is over 600 pages more than it needs to be. Because there is actually a really compelling story buried in hundreds of pages of drivel and excess monologuing. And yet, in almost 1000 pages, the author didn’t see fit to truly explain her own universe, banking on the fact that readers have read the previous books set in that world (spoiler alert: I haven’t and I won’t).

After that length of story, I still do not fully understand:

-What a gold pack omega is, besides the fact that they have gold eyes and society doesn’t like them. I’m not sure why or why they have to take a shot or register. None of this is explained.

-What a rogue alpha is and why it’s a bad thing. *Shrug* Never once explained.

-What the Princess bond is. It can be formed and is rare, but it can’t break the dark bond, so is it really as powerful as stated?

-What the Institute is and their purpose.

-What Agritox does and why it’s dangerous.

-The Evening Stars. To be fair, this might’ve been explained, but after so much exposition, I had no hope of remembering.

But you know what I do know about? Vex’s silver-freakin’-brown hair with a peach stripe. That was covered ad nauseam.

She’s so stressed about them finding out she’s bonded to another pack and is stressed about covering the bite on the back of her neck and worrying that the makeup is wearing away, but yet she wears messy buns all the time.

There are plots introduced, like Gambit and his family, that go absolutely nowhere. Or Rook’s family who is viewed as a threat but, again, goes absolutely nowhere. Or the PI who is useless and even when it’s discovered who the pack is, they do nothing. And random things that made absolutely no sense and I had to go back and reread because I felt so lost. Like the smoothie. Ebony brings her a smoothie and after she finished it, she begins freaking out that he put human remains in it. WTF?! Where the hell did that come from and what point did it serve?? Read it twice, still don’t know.

And, in this massive tome, with 100 pages to go, we’ve had a grand total of three singular love scenes with 3 of the 4 alphas. By the time the end rolled around and the confrontation happened, I was so exhausted and bored that I began to skim. Still not sure if the fourth alpha ever slept with her. By the time it got to her heat - one of the main reasons to read these books - I didn’t even care anymore, I just wanted to be done.

And it is a shame, because there’s a good story beneath all the excess. But with as big as it is, we still don’t really know the characters.

Vex: The ultimate Mary Sue with no faults. Everyone falls in love with her, despite the fact that she has the personality of wallpaper paste. The first book showed hints of fire, but that’s doused beneath the background character she became in the second book. My eyes couldn’t have rolled more when the villain fell for her too. Why? You’d get the same personality with a sex doll. And more satisfaction, apparently, due to the lack of intimacy in the majority of the story. And the resolution of the dark bond? It was really that easy? Why not just do that at the outset.

Drake: The male equivalent wallpaper paste. He had a little trauma in his background, which could’ve made him interesting, but he’s just the male Mary Sue who can do no wrong and is worthy of instalove. I dreaded his POV because it was so boring.

Love: Pack lead and a dick, but he stood up for her one time and made one effort at a grovel and everything was a-okay.

Ebony: (WTF is up with these names?) Was actually interesting, but he spoke in so many riddles, it was tiresome. And he, despite being a sociopath, instantly fell under Vex’s spell, even though he tried to choke her upon their first meeting. An action that Vex later described as him falling in love at first sight with her (yeah, I wanted to hurl. What a Mary Sue thing to say).

Rook: Mildly interesting and definitely tried to work his way back into her affection, but like most of the others, fairly one dimensional.

I can’t speak to the last 100 pages, because I started heavily skimming once I saw the way it was going.

If this had been one 350 page book, it would’ve been an easy 4 stars. If the characters had been tightened up - 5 stars. As it is, I rate the entire thing 1.5 and that’s for grammar and for the actual story trying to be compelling, even as too much went on around it and the alphas actually having to read the book of what they did wrong (that I really enjoyed!).

[a seductive cactus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic grovel duet.

[Britney ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was perfection 🥹 it's everything that book one promised it would be. There was tension, angst, beautiful moments, and some pretty steamy scenes.

I love the balance of spice to plot. There was so much plot and it was such a good one. This duology might actually be my favorite omegaverse.

[pen · Rating 4 out of 5]

got boerd a bit by the end other that that it was perfect:)

[Aimy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
Do I recommend: 🤷🏻‍♀️
Summary: This book needs a TLDR version


The characters are supposedly living on the East Coast of the United States, yet everyone sounds aggressively British. I know the author has stated that she’s originally from England, now a resident in Canada, and that her writing is all over the place, but she didn’t even try. It’s one thing if you want to use your native style of spelling, that’s fine. I don’t particularly care if you spell “humor” with an extra “u” or not. But if you’re writing American characters, yet you don’t even bother trying to make them sound like Americans at least in their dialogue, it’s just jarring and confusing for the reader. They constantly use idioms and expressions unique to English slang, there’s nothing remotely American about any of them. Which is fine, btw? But then just place the story IN England, at least it’s cohesive that way.

The pacing of both books is also genuinely horrible. First of all, both books are way too long, they could’ve easily been condensed into a standalone with no more than 500 pages. But it’s also scene per scene that the pacing is off. It happens constantly that you have tension filled moments that are then interrupted by flashbacks. Not once, not twice, not thrice, it happens all the time. Look, no one wants to be interrupted during a high stakes scene, with tensions running high, for a flashback exposition dump. Especially if you’re about to finally get answers you’ve been teased with for the past 1000 pages, even more so if it happens all the damn time.

I feel like flashbacks in general are one of the most misused story telling devices in fiction and are rarely done well. It’s also just counterintuitive; it’s difficult to get readers to care enough about the characters to feel the tension in a scene, you want to ride that edge and keep your readership on their toes and invested, unable to put the book down until the situation is resolved. But then you interrupt them with a flashback intermission, while the characters the reader is invested in are sitting there with a gun to their head, about to do something stupid and brave that will finally deliver some much needed answers? And it’s the fact that Marie Mackay did it multiple times during the same scene. Towards the end of the book you have this big conflict going on and she interrupts the scene, no joke, three damn times with pages and pages of flashbacks. Frustrating reading experience.

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
I wasn’t just going to bring Vex home—that wasn’t enough for my mate. I would hunt down every last person in this world that had ever caused her pain, and I would turn them to fucking ash.

I loved this book! I loved this duet!

Be prepared to ignore all familial/work requirements! Sweetheart: Part Two will pull you in, keeping you emotionally entangled when forced to put it down.

The redemption arcs were handled perfectly. Marie gave ample time to each Alpha’s arc, basing their retribution on their slights to Lex instead of allowing them to fall into the “scent match trap” where forgiveness is blindly given.

I am absolutely obsessed with Ebony. He takes top billing with his "I will burn down the world for you and bury everyone who ever hurt you" attitude. While love is not a feeling he understands, he feels some sort of way for Lex that is his closest approximation of love and will do anything for her. And she accepts him as he is. 100%

Part Two is medium burn with increasing spice. Highlights include group scenes, a primal chase/claiming, and a heat that spans several chapters. Interactions are MF and MFM+ only (no MM).

This is an excellent duet, and I highly recommend it to readers who love a high-angst story that leads to a sweet HEA.

Genre: Contemporary Omegaverse
Tropes/Features: dark elements, unusual ABO, redemption arc, hidden omega FMC, brothers, chosen family, arrogant celebrity pack, fated mates/scent matches, rejected mates vibes, psychopathic MMC, actors, HIGH angst, forced bonding and compliance, primal chase scene, claiming
Narrator: Multiple 1st Person POV
Relationship Type: Why Choose MFMMM, medium burn, spicy (Increases throughout book)
Book Type/Ending: Part Two of duet, HEA
TW/CW: Available in book

[Ari Loves All The Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part Two was absolutely amazing.. this is my favorite OV book. It had its dark moments in part one and two.. but part two just made everything worth it. We got to see the pack together... && let me tell you.. I had tears in my eyes from moments when the pack was competing against each other or fighting one another to Drake trying so hard not to laugh!! ..I absolutely loved that towards the end we got to understand why Vex had chosen the path she did.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars

You know, I don't even think its about the grovel for me. To me, it is the realization that there was something amazing that slipped through their fingers and their desperation to win it back. I don't necessarily know what that says about me, but I said what I said.

[aliyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when men grovel... that's all I got to say

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible sequel! I was an ARC reader and I couldn't be more lucky or happy to read such a good book a little bit early. Marie did a beautiful job to show the development of the characters and the growth of their relationship through the existing struggle of the dark bond. Vex was portrayed as such a strong character while still having regular struggles processing her trauma and initial lack of hope when she eventually makes it back to her pack, which is so realistic and relatable. Just because you're strong doesn't mean you can't struggle sometimes. The surprise around Aisha tugged so hard on my heartstrings and it really helped show where in life Vex was before it got turned upside down after her social media post. This was a darn good resolution to this duet and I would happily recommend it!



----Some spoilers ahead, continue with caution----



It was an incredible surprise to hear about Vex's past with her mom and pack fathers and the timing of that reveal was impeccable. I'm so glad that the guys had to work for their forgiveness, especially Rook. He was my least favorite for how terribly he treated Vex for no other reason than he could, and I'm glad we got to see his personal growth from being a shallow spoiled manchild into a more responsible and emotionally developed adult! The little chapter from Zeus' POV wasn't my favorite just because it felt kind of out of place, but I understand the suspense it provided in the confrontation/negotiation scene. From Vex's POV it was brilliant to have Zeus start 'falling' for her because it added a depth to his character and an interesting level of tension to see how it would affect the 'negotiations' and how it all resolved. Ebony's manipulations were such an amazing connection back to the previous books in this universe and I'm curious to see if we'll see the repurcussions of it in the next books in this universe.

[Holly's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to say that this didn't workout for me. While there was some grovel I feel like the only one who did it right was Ebeny. 2/4 of them only said sorry once and she immediately forgave them. The other 2 took one more apology for her to forgive them. After everything was said and done none of the trauma and her feelings they put her through were talking about or hashed out. They wouldn't even know how bad they hurt her without reading her book. I don't feel like we really got to know the pack as individuals besides Drake. Disappointed

[Autumn Miller ~ autumnbookreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Emms-hiatus(ish) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book dragged on wayyyyyy too long. Add in the female narrator felt the need to sing during certain parts and the male narrator used the same voice for each character it was effing annoying.

[Doom Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This duet is meh.
The author really needs to have more faith in her writing abilities so she doesn't rely on ellipsis, hyphens and fragmented sentences as much as she currently does.
A content editor is also a good idea as there are some serious plot holes, lack of world building details and a void of descriptors.
It's also a shame that the author did not fully commit to her ideas and instead chose to use vague thoughts, half formed scenes and incomplete dialogues.

At it's core, the duet is about healing and finding ones self in a world where one is not welcome.

I doubt I will read anything else from this author as she has demonstrated a lack of commitment to her craft.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, I couldn’t do it. DNF @ 27%. It’s a big book and half the time there’s no groveling, which I really wanted to see. So much inner monologuing.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good grovel.. and this one did not disappoint. The twists and each alpha stepping up to earn her. Ahhhh! It was amazing. Vex had all these sneaky little moments all throughout. Loved seeing her play them against each other to spark change and growth as a pack. Not gonna lie, I was edge for a while there, so I enjoyed the suspenseful writing.
And those epilogues had me cackling, to myself. So much sexy cuteness!

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect

Perfect grovelling and a perfect ending to Vex and Crimson Fury's story filled with ansgt, grovel, romance, spice, action and humour.

[Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

an RH has no business being over 500 pages, and I was bored to death. The pack did not have the chemistry I look for :(
in fact i wanted them to suffer more. I like the author's books but I hated this one

[Hannah Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! Sweetheart Part 2 was incredible! I loved the first book, but every single thing about Part 2 was absolute perfection. There was the most perfect blend of drama and love and romance and danger and…cage fighting?!

If you love a good “touch her and die” moment, this book will be perfect for you. Ebony, who was not at the top of my list of favorites after Part 1 somehow…became one of my favs! I loved how each of the characters grew even more in Part 2 and our connection to them was so solid. Rook and Ebony’s growth was one of my favorite parts of this book.

The entire story was perfectly paced, not a slow moment to be found, and when the world started burning down or when the “fireworks” started as Ebony referred to it, I could not stop reading.

Thank you to Marie Mackey for the ARC on this book, I can’t wait until this book comes out so everyone can read the conclusion to this amazing duet.

[LaTosha Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. It obviously didn’t have quite the same type of suspense as part one but the when will she forgive and what will they do to earn it was just as good. This is one of those rare occasions where I was so wrapped up in the story that the romance was just a really really nice bonus. Which was the case for part one and Havoc for me and I adore that about Mackey’s writing. I love that immersive feeling so much. By the end Drake was still my favorite but Ebony (as I suspected) was definitely next. The whole gold pack omegas and rouge alphas is something that I hope getting expanded on in coming works because the whole commentary of that during a certain part was so interesting and in the hospital. Like I said I was very captivated by the plot and the world building in this duet. Anyway Vex is truly one of my favorite FMCs the pack dynamic becoming more cohesive was beautiful to read and so well done. And I just enjoyed this duet so so much! All hail the OVA for introducing me to Maria Mackey!!

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grovel Galore yes please

I read the first book quickly and absolutely loved it. The angst? *Chef’s kiss.* The characters are rich and layered, with a well-written, likable FMC.

In book two, we really get to delve into each character’s essence. Rook's spectacular redemption arc was a standout highlight for me.

One thing I appreciated was that, despite being dark-bonded, the FMC never falls into the “damsel in distress” trope. She fights fiercely to stay true to herself and protect both herself and her pack.

That said, the story did feel a bit drawn out at times, though it allowed for a deep connection with the characters.

I do think there was a missed opportunity with Drake. I was hoping he’d uncover who Vex’s captors were, especially after seeing those images on Zeus’ phone (if you know, you know).

Overall, I really enjoyed the cast of characters. Ebony and Rook are my favorite duo.

I’m rating it a 2 as it felt like a chore to read.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy 5 stars

As a heads up I did get an ARC copy of this novel.

It has been SO LONG since I’ve found myself stopping reading a novel because I didn’t want it to end. This duet was amazing. Definitely up there with Pack Darling and it will scratch the same itch for groveling and smug satisfaction at the end.

Marie has easily become an insta buy author for me. I love thé Poisonverse world that’s been created here in these series. She wields light hearted humor with absolutely heartbreaking topics that make the stories so beautiful to consume while still being a break from everyday life. Definitely recommend these books and this series if you have a live for omegaverse content. 10/10

[Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good grovel and a satisfying conclusion to this Pack Darling-esque omegaverse duet. Ebony was probably my favorite (love the 'pet psychopath' trope and a big strong guy who's willing to get on his knees for the right woman... rrowr). Rook rather surprisingly had the most character growth considering he was the privileged 'poor little rich boy' and kind of a douche in the first vol. I ended up loving him the most after Ebony.

Anyway, suspenseful plot, a good words/actions/time grovel, and an enjoyable ending.