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Cursed Hearts #1
Killer Heart
alternate cover edition of ASIN B07Z9L9941
They’re sworn enemies.
Witches and witch hunters can never fall for each other...
Wade is a witch hunter with a cursed heart.
But everything he’s come to know about those evil creatures is about to be challenged by one man...
Caleb’s love life is a mess.
He’s given up on love, but as an empath, love never gives up on him.
When he meets a witch hunter with a cursed heart, he comes up with a plan.
✓ Trade hearts
✓ Stop the witch hunters
✓ Have a bisexual awakening
✓ Go their separate ways
If they want to fix their lives, they’ll have to learn to trust each other. Can they overcome their hatred and work together or will they end up ruining both their lives?
Killer Heart is an urban fantasy gay romance with lots of magic, powerful emotions, a passionate blooming romance and a touch of kink.
This is Book 1 in the Blade & Dust series with no cliffhanger and a happy for now ending.
They’re sworn enemies.
Witches and witch hunters can never fall for each other...
Wade is a witch hunter with a cursed heart.
But everything he’s come to know about those evil creatures is about to be challenged by one man...
Caleb’s love life is a mess.
He’s given up on love, but as an empath, love never gives up on him.
When he meets a witch hunter with a cursed heart, he comes up with a plan.
✓ Trade hearts
✓ Stop the witch hunters
✓ Have a bisexual awakening
✓ Go their separate ways
If they want to fix their lives, they’ll have to learn to trust each other. Can they overcome their hatred and work together or will they end up ruining both their lives?
Killer Heart is an urban fantasy gay romance with lots of magic, powerful emotions, a passionate blooming romance and a touch of kink.
This is Book 1 in the Blade & Dust series with no cliffhanger and a happy for now ending.
254 pages, ebook
First published November 29, 2019
395 people are currently reading
723 people want to read
About the author
Rhys Lawless
30 books163 followersRhys Everly-Lawless is a hopeless romantic who loves happily-ever-afters.
Which would explain why he loves writing them.
When he's not passionately typing out his next book, you can find him cuddling his dog, feeding his husband, or taking long walks letting those plot bunnies breed ferociously in his head.
He writes contemporary gay romances as Rhys Everly and LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romances as Rhys Lawless.
You can find him and all his latest projects on rhyswritesromance.com
Which would explain why he loves writing them.
When he's not passionately typing out his next book, you can find him cuddling his dog, feeding his husband, or taking long walks letting those plot bunnies breed ferociously in his head.
He writes contemporary gay romances as Rhys Everly and LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romances as Rhys Lawless.
You can find him and all his latest projects on rhyswritesromance.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
January 30, 2022
DNF at 2%
How can I judge a book so harshly in six pages? Glad you asked! Please enjoy these utterly pointless and skeevy quotes to illustrate why this is consigned to the (virtual) firewood pile.
“Oh wow sucks I have to kill her, I really wanna tap that” stfu u nasty shit
Your dick is dragging you around by the nose, have you considered obedience training
This enhances the scene not at all except in sliminess. I hope it tears your balls off
“this witch uses vines because she’s kinky” hm perhaps she uses them because they are plants and good at immobilizing people who are trying to kill her and you should get your disgusting brain out of the gutter?
Please stop repeating this, I get it you have sexual problems and cannot see women as people
Seriously, stop thinking about dicks for five goddamn seconds
please die in a fire
-----
All of this happens in one, supposedly action-packed scene. It brings nothing to the scene except to interrupt the action, nothing to the story since this is supposed to be MM (though maybe that witch-fetish is the point?), and nothing to the character, unless this is supposed to be like a stereotypical misogynistic objectifying bro character. But I didn’t get the feeling that was deliberate.
So, overall, No.
How can I judge a book so harshly in six pages? Glad you asked! Please enjoy these utterly pointless and skeevy quotes to illustrate why this is consigned to the (virtual) firewood pile.
"Camille Matthews walked out of the pub with a little stumble in her step. Her blonde hair rested on her bare shoulders, and her red puckered lips looked kissable. It was a shame she was a witch, or I might have been tempted to hook up with her. But there was no chance in hell I’d let a witch anywhere near me. I continued to admire her lithe body, hugged by an emerald dress. Her butt didn’t look bad either."
“Oh wow sucks I have to kill her, I really wanna tap that” stfu u nasty shit
"I was getting a boner over the crystals that matched the color of the witch’s dress"
Your dick is dragging you around by the nose, have you considered obedience training
"Before I could react, vines wrapped around my body, restricting any movement, which I wouldn’t have minded—who didn’t like a bit of bondage every now and again—but one particular goddamn vine was squeezing my balls and giving me a bitch of a pain."
This enhances the scene not at all except in sliminess. I hope it tears your balls off
"This particular witch had a thing for Mother Nature. I’d followed her long enough to know green was her color and vines were her kinky preference. Did I not hate witches, I would have let her take me for a ride tied up in leaves."
“this witch uses vines because she’s kinky” hm perhaps she uses them because they are plants and good at immobilizing people who are trying to kill her and you should get your disgusting brain out of the gutter?
"The oxygen supply was decreasing, and the coolness of the dark was suffocating me, awakening my dick. It truly was a shame she was a witch. She liked ropes and a bit of choking. Plus, she was smoking hot and knew how to get what she wanted."
Please stop repeating this, I get it you have sexual problems and cannot see women as people
"I tilted the hilt of my sword upwards and slightly inwards, then tugged the blade from it, and as it grew bigger along the side of my arm like an aroused penis,"
Seriously, stop thinking about dicks for five goddamn seconds
"She looked at me, the creases on her face making her look even sexier"
please die in a fire
-----
All of this happens in one, supposedly action-packed scene. It brings nothing to the scene except to interrupt the action, nothing to the story since this is supposed to be MM (though maybe that witch-fetish is the point?), and nothing to the character, unless this is supposed to be like a stereotypical misogynistic objectifying bro character. But I didn’t get the feeling that was deliberate.
So, overall, No.
January 21, 2022
While I can see why people would enjoy this book, I couldn't find much I did enjoy...
May 9, 2020
We have one main character that crushes up and snorts magical rocks and is also a serial killer whose mom sold him and his brother to a very powerful demon who can control their minds
We have the other main character who is a witch that use to be a vampire (isn’t anymore) that was in love with an incubus that was murdered. He is also the father to a Phoenix and is raising her with a troll
There’s way too much going on it the plot line. Kind of felt like the author threw everything at the wall to see what would stick and turns out everything stuck.
Another issue, I had is that all of the characters had little to no character descriptions. I’m assuming they’re all white (of course) but for the most part I had no clear idea of what everyone looked like
We have the other main character who is a witch that use to be a vampire (isn’t anymore) that was in love with an incubus that was murdered. He is also the father to a Phoenix and is raising her with a troll
There’s way too much going on it the plot line. Kind of felt like the author threw everything at the wall to see what would stick and turns out everything stuck.
Another issue, I had is that all of the characters had little to no character descriptions. I’m assuming they’re all white (of course) but for the most part I had no clear idea of what everyone looked like
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2021
DNF @ 48% mark. This urban enemies-to-lovers fantasy initially put me off-side with one MC's internal dialogue (as assassin hunting down a victim) veered into misogynistic territory. Both MCs lost my sympathy altogether when I found I neither cared about their dilemma (of being betrayed by their superiors) or their fate (escaping retribution for their betrayals, being cursed with a frozen heart etc); their constant potty-mouthed dialogue also exacerbated matters.
May 8, 2020
I actually stopped reading this before I got to the part where one of the main characters was snorting crushed magical rocks like cocaine. I think that says enough.
April 27, 2020
this was a good first book in this series and I really enjoyed it
December 4, 2019
Killer Heart by Rhys lawless is my fisrt Urban Fantasy read and guess what? Now I am hooked!
The witch hunter who can not love and the witch who loves too much. Both seemingly cursed!
This enemies to lovers turned out to be one incredible, multifaceted storyline, filled with fascinating characters. There is non stop heart thumping action that is surrounded by so many feels and a dash of kink. The beginning was a bit bumpy for me. While I was being introduced to this new world and its inhabitants, I was a bit confused with the names and places, but that quickly turned around. Once it clicked, I was all in. It had a steady build up, picking up steam as it went along. Getting better and better along the way.
The mains characters are sworn enemies ....
or are they?
Wade is a witch hunter in the Blade force. He was taught to believe witches are the worst creatures, who can never be trusted! All his beliefs are put to the test when he meets Caleb. A beautiful witch who is also powerful empath. Caleb doesn't trust Wade either, but this unlikely pair is forced to team up because each of them has something the other needs. Their union sets them on a course of survival, as they search for the truth. Although, Wade constantly professes his hatred of witches, Caleb's empathetic powers can feel the real Wade beyond the killer. He can sense how good he is.... While Wade can not understand why he is so drawn to Caleb. He's not even gay. hummmm!
The truth is in their kiss.
As their journey unfolds, so does their trust and confusing feelings towards each other. Their intimate moments were very sexy, as well as sweet. Discovering many creatures that were believed to be myths proves to be eye opening. Some are allies while others are enemies! The intricate plot kept the twist and turns coming. Just as the book started to settle it ended. Not a bad cliffy but it did leave me salivating for more!
I am completely in awe of Ryhs Lawless. He has such a creative and imaginative mind. The vivid world he created consisted of
Witches, Vampires, Trolls and Phoenix just to name a few. I was so intrigued by it all and now I can not wait to get more of his world.
Book 2, Demon Heart is out 12/27.
The witch hunter who can not love and the witch who loves too much. Both seemingly cursed!
This enemies to lovers turned out to be one incredible, multifaceted storyline, filled with fascinating characters. There is non stop heart thumping action that is surrounded by so many feels and a dash of kink. The beginning was a bit bumpy for me. While I was being introduced to this new world and its inhabitants, I was a bit confused with the names and places, but that quickly turned around. Once it clicked, I was all in. It had a steady build up, picking up steam as it went along. Getting better and better along the way.
The mains characters are sworn enemies ....
or are they?
Wade is a witch hunter in the Blade force. He was taught to believe witches are the worst creatures, who can never be trusted! All his beliefs are put to the test when he meets Caleb. A beautiful witch who is also powerful empath. Caleb doesn't trust Wade either, but this unlikely pair is forced to team up because each of them has something the other needs. Their union sets them on a course of survival, as they search for the truth. Although, Wade constantly professes his hatred of witches, Caleb's empathetic powers can feel the real Wade beyond the killer. He can sense how good he is.... While Wade can not understand why he is so drawn to Caleb. He's not even gay. hummmm!
The truth is in their kiss.
As their journey unfolds, so does their trust and confusing feelings towards each other. Their intimate moments were very sexy, as well as sweet. Discovering many creatures that were believed to be myths proves to be eye opening. Some are allies while others are enemies! The intricate plot kept the twist and turns coming. Just as the book started to settle it ended. Not a bad cliffy but it did leave me salivating for more!
I am completely in awe of Ryhs Lawless. He has such a creative and imaginative mind. The vivid world he created consisted of
Witches, Vampires, Trolls and Phoenix just to name a few. I was so intrigued by it all and now I can not wait to get more of his world.
Book 2, Demon Heart is out 12/27.
November 30, 2019
good start to this new series.. good characters and world building. it was interesting and action packed.. fast paced with amazing writing. i enjoyed it a lot and cant wait to see what is next.
April 22, 2020
Loved it
Omg I loved this book with all it's twists and turns. I couldn't put it down. Ready for the next in the series xx
Omg I loved this book with all it's twists and turns. I couldn't put it down. Ready for the next in the series xx
September 18, 2020
I wanted to read this one and did so for a group challenge. Took a break after the first couple of chapters because I didn’t think I’d like it. Wade is a witch hunter killing witches and snorting their spells, whilst Caleb is an ex vampire witch with empathy. It felt a bit convenient so slow to get into. The story does go pretty quick and the characters together are sweet. Ends in a HFN. Will think about reading the next one. Favourite character was Nora and the raven.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2019
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
~
Killer Heart (Blade & Dust, 1) by Rhys Lawless
★★★★☆
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Content warning: deals with addiction, contains mild violence, and the MC has a struggle with their sexuality, enemies-to-lovers, curses and betrayal
Killer Heart is an interesting twist on the paranormal enemies-to-lovers trope. With a slow burn, questioning sexuality, and a good dose of action and magic, the story has a few pitfalls but is redeemed by the plot and characters. I was pleasantly surprised, after a shaky start, as the strength of the plot and the engaging characters held it together.
I started this series with the Prequel : Foxy Heart : which didn't blow me away. I'll admit, I liked the story but there were issues with execution. I started this book with reservations, and I wasn't entirely wrong. There were far fewer issues with this book than the prequel, so I was pleased to see that the execution – while not perfect – was actually much better than the prequel. It's clear to see the author has grown since writing the first installment of the series, and I'm sure they'll grow with each book.
As with the prequel, the characters shine through. This time, I loved them both equally. Caleb was strong, charming and witty while Wade had a subtle vulnerability beneath the hard-ass warrior veneer. Together, I felt the chemistry from the beginning and enjoyed watching them grow closer to each other.
I'll admit, I'm not a massive fan of 1st person POV, but I've read more than a few that managed to pull it off well, even in dual POV. One of my all time favourites – Lavender Shores, by Rosalind Abel – actually does this with great success, and I'm pleased to say that this book managed it too. I found the 1st person to be beneficial to the plot, to what the characters knew and revealed over time. Having the dual POV made their attraction and chemistry more clear, and showed Wade's internal struggle, which was so important to his journey.
Yes, there were some of the same issues the prequel had. There were clunky and slightly unnatural phrasing choices, sentence structures, and there were a few inconsistencies that could have caught with some more intensive editing. But, though it had some issues, it was a much better quality than the prequel, proving how much the author has grown in ability since that first installment. It promises good things for the future books in the series.
The story has some interesting concepts and an original mix of angelic power with magic and hunters. The series has some good potential, if the author continues to grow the way they've shown already. Though it promises to be a long series – and I'll still be avoiding the spin-offs, because I don't have the capacity for them – I would take the risk of reading the next book and seeing how that goes. The plotting is strong and the characters are the driving force of the story, which helps bolster the world building that has also improved immensely.
The slow burn is much better than the insta-love of the prequel. I liked that Caleb and Wade got to know each other, their tentative truce that progressed to a working partnership, then into a relationship and bonding. The first kiss came at 42%, but it made sense for the plot, the characters and the relationship that was being explored.
For me, Killer Heart is a great start to a new series, an interesting story about witches, hunters, and magic that blends a slow burn, witchcraft and adventure with a budding romance. It had a nice, strong plot, intriguing and wonderful characters that reach out to you. The story started slow, it had a few bumps along the road, but in the end Killer Heart captured my heart and my imagination, and I enjoyed it. I'm hoping the next book will be Hex and Winston, which I look forward to reading. After that, I'm not sure how long a series I'm committed to reading, but I'll let each book hook me one at a time.
~
Favourite Quotes
“Words were wildly inadequate and unnecessary. When our skins touched, that was all we needed.”
“I hadn't known, but I missed him. And I knew he missed me. Regardless if he remembered or not.”
~
Killer Heart (Blade & Dust, 1) by Rhys Lawless
★★★★☆
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Content warning: deals with addiction, contains mild violence, and the MC has a struggle with their sexuality, enemies-to-lovers, curses and betrayal
Killer Heart is an interesting twist on the paranormal enemies-to-lovers trope. With a slow burn, questioning sexuality, and a good dose of action and magic, the story has a few pitfalls but is redeemed by the plot and characters. I was pleasantly surprised, after a shaky start, as the strength of the plot and the engaging characters held it together.
I started this series with the Prequel : Foxy Heart : which didn't blow me away. I'll admit, I liked the story but there were issues with execution. I started this book with reservations, and I wasn't entirely wrong. There were far fewer issues with this book than the prequel, so I was pleased to see that the execution – while not perfect – was actually much better than the prequel. It's clear to see the author has grown since writing the first installment of the series, and I'm sure they'll grow with each book.
As with the prequel, the characters shine through. This time, I loved them both equally. Caleb was strong, charming and witty while Wade had a subtle vulnerability beneath the hard-ass warrior veneer. Together, I felt the chemistry from the beginning and enjoyed watching them grow closer to each other.
I'll admit, I'm not a massive fan of 1st person POV, but I've read more than a few that managed to pull it off well, even in dual POV. One of my all time favourites – Lavender Shores, by Rosalind Abel – actually does this with great success, and I'm pleased to say that this book managed it too. I found the 1st person to be beneficial to the plot, to what the characters knew and revealed over time. Having the dual POV made their attraction and chemistry more clear, and showed Wade's internal struggle, which was so important to his journey.
Yes, there were some of the same issues the prequel had. There were clunky and slightly unnatural phrasing choices, sentence structures, and there were a few inconsistencies that could have caught with some more intensive editing. But, though it had some issues, it was a much better quality than the prequel, proving how much the author has grown in ability since that first installment. It promises good things for the future books in the series.
The story has some interesting concepts and an original mix of angelic power with magic and hunters. The series has some good potential, if the author continues to grow the way they've shown already. Though it promises to be a long series – and I'll still be avoiding the spin-offs, because I don't have the capacity for them – I would take the risk of reading the next book and seeing how that goes. The plotting is strong and the characters are the driving force of the story, which helps bolster the world building that has also improved immensely.
The slow burn is much better than the insta-love of the prequel. I liked that Caleb and Wade got to know each other, their tentative truce that progressed to a working partnership, then into a relationship and bonding. The first kiss came at 42%, but it made sense for the plot, the characters and the relationship that was being explored.
For me, Killer Heart is a great start to a new series, an interesting story about witches, hunters, and magic that blends a slow burn, witchcraft and adventure with a budding romance. It had a nice, strong plot, intriguing and wonderful characters that reach out to you. The story started slow, it had a few bumps along the road, but in the end Killer Heart captured my heart and my imagination, and I enjoyed it. I'm hoping the next book will be Hex and Winston, which I look forward to reading. After that, I'm not sure how long a series I'm committed to reading, but I'll let each book hook me one at a time.
~
Favourite Quotes
“Words were wildly inadequate and unnecessary. When our skins touched, that was all we needed.”
“I hadn't known, but I missed him. And I knew he missed me. Regardless if he remembered or not.”
September 7, 2021
Within the first few pages of this book I knew three things. Our main character was 1. hot for the female witch he was hunting 2. horny 3. into bondage. I know this, because those three things were repeated no fewer than three times each. It wasn't a great start.
I think this book had a fun premise with an enemies-to-lovers romance between a witch and a witch hunter, but unfortunately it tried to fit a bit too much in at once. There was a lot of worldbuilding, different magical beings, expositional dialogue, and plenty of plot twists. Everyone was hiding something, even characters who didn't know they were hiding something. There were curses, amnesia, mind-control, betrayals, secrets and a magic rock-snorting addiction. It was a lot. I'm still not sure what Caleb being an ex-vampire or what Lorelai, who was introduced as someone close to Caleb and then promptly disappeared for the rest of the book, added to the plot.
The amount of worldbuilding to slog through and the continual plot twists at the end made it a bit hard for me to get invested in this book, and it didn't help that I had a hard time warming up to the main characters (Wade in particular). The writing got better after that first chapter that put me off, but it wasn't enough to win me back over. If you really love urban fantasy you might not have a problem with any of this, but unfortunately this one wasn't a winner for me.
I think this book had a fun premise with an enemies-to-lovers romance between a witch and a witch hunter, but unfortunately it tried to fit a bit too much in at once. There was a lot of worldbuilding, different magical beings, expositional dialogue, and plenty of plot twists. Everyone was hiding something, even characters who didn't know they were hiding something. There were curses, amnesia, mind-control, betrayals, secrets and a magic rock-snorting addiction. It was a lot. I'm still not sure what Caleb being an ex-vampire or what Lorelai, who was introduced as someone close to Caleb and then promptly disappeared for the rest of the book, added to the plot.
The amount of worldbuilding to slog through and the continual plot twists at the end made it a bit hard for me to get invested in this book, and it didn't help that I had a hard time warming up to the main characters (Wade in particular). The writing got better after that first chapter that put me off, but it wasn't enough to win me back over. If you really love urban fantasy you might not have a problem with any of this, but unfortunately this one wasn't a winner for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2023
I just can't with this. Maybe I just don't like urban fantasy? There is just so much nonsense crammed into every paragraph that I can't help picturing the author cackling over their keyboard. It's exhausting. I just can't.
December 8, 2019
This book is bada**. I was really intrigued by the blurb,because enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes,yet I was a bit cautious,not having read anything by this author before. Maybe that's why I didn't expect to find the book as thrilling as I did.
So,maybe witches and witch hunters aren't anything new. But,Rhys Lawless turned an already familiar world into something exciting,changing a few things and adding some original features,all incorporated into a fast flowing and engaging plotline.
I liked the idea of an empath witch who feels too much paired with a witch hunter who can't fall in love. Yet,despite being sworn enemies, they find themselves inextricably drawn to each other. 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 has Caleb and Wade start off as temporary partners,set on a search for answers that kept me glued to the book. Because every page is a new discovery, a new twist in the story. Wade and Caleb find themselves running for their lives,caught in a dangerous web of betrayal and secrets. Unexpected truths about their history together come to light,explaining their connection and strengthening their feelings.
They barely made it alive and the cool thing is that 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 is just the beginning of their adventures together, with more books to come in the Blade&Dust series. Can't wait.
So,maybe witches and witch hunters aren't anything new. But,Rhys Lawless turned an already familiar world into something exciting,changing a few things and adding some original features,all incorporated into a fast flowing and engaging plotline.
I liked the idea of an empath witch who feels too much paired with a witch hunter who can't fall in love. Yet,despite being sworn enemies, they find themselves inextricably drawn to each other. 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 has Caleb and Wade start off as temporary partners,set on a search for answers that kept me glued to the book. Because every page is a new discovery, a new twist in the story. Wade and Caleb find themselves running for their lives,caught in a dangerous web of betrayal and secrets. Unexpected truths about their history together come to light,explaining their connection and strengthening their feelings.
They barely made it alive and the cool thing is that 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 is just the beginning of their adventures together, with more books to come in the Blade&Dust series. Can't wait.
December 9, 2019
It took me quite a bit to actual start getting into this but once the story started picking up more and I got comfortable with the author’s writing style — I was completely engrossed into this world and characters that Rhys Lawless has created.
The Witch Hunter. Wade was a weird character for me. The way he was introduced through me off a bit. His storyline, however, is very interesting and was a huge reason I stuck to the book.
The Witch. I really liked Caleb a lot. While Wade’s storyline was a reason I stuck — Caleb also played a big part in it. His character’s ability fascinated me.
I am a huge sucker for the enemies to lovers trope and what happens between these two is the definition of it. It doesn’t happen right off the bat but that’s what I liked about them together. And, while witches and magic don’t always interest me...this held me attention.
Killer Heart is a thrilling and interesting start of this series and is filled with suspense, action packed, magic and slow burn that leads to that eventual romance that is worth the wait.
3.5 stars
The Witch Hunter. Wade was a weird character for me. The way he was introduced through me off a bit. His storyline, however, is very interesting and was a huge reason I stuck to the book.
The Witch. I really liked Caleb a lot. While Wade’s storyline was a reason I stuck — Caleb also played a big part in it. His character’s ability fascinated me.
I am a huge sucker for the enemies to lovers trope and what happens between these two is the definition of it. It doesn’t happen right off the bat but that’s what I liked about them together. And, while witches and magic don’t always interest me...this held me attention.
Killer Heart is a thrilling and interesting start of this series and is filled with suspense, action packed, magic and slow burn that leads to that eventual romance that is worth the wait.
3.5 stars
July 7, 2025
okay hear me out i have read a few reviews complaining about the oversexualization of a woman the horny ness of the nad guy and the misogynistic behavour...I am here to tell you that 1 its smut romance all body parts become sex objectives to be drooled over. but in this case yes he is he a creep with bad intentions worse ideals + a very bad drug spell habits wile yes... buy is that his fault.?? ... no!!! its not and that's what a big parts of his and his brothers cursed hearts suffering is about. and why his turn about and struggle to work against his indoctrination and choice a different path is such a big deal !!
so stick around and see some big balls being fumbled by the councelmembers when the get could bieng absolute corrupt docklands...and known they will be getting their due. both wade and Caleb tumble their way trough their discovery of shenanigans in both groups and how to find a way to get others to help.. its quite entertaining some fun ways familiar and wiched and other creatures interact. not thats great a deal of drama as one suspects.. I m missing a overlapped counci from each species a rep instead there is no oversight just ,on unreliable blade factions who want to kill all wichtches but don't know night creatures exist.. cus boss is bad
so stick around and see some big balls being fumbled by the councelmembers when the get could bieng absolute corrupt docklands...and known they will be getting their due. both wade and Caleb tumble their way trough their discovery of shenanigans in both groups and how to find a way to get others to help.. its quite entertaining some fun ways familiar and wiched and other creatures interact. not thats great a deal of drama as one suspects.. I m missing a overlapped counci from each species a rep instead there is no oversight just ,on unreliable blade factions who want to kill all wichtches but don't know night creatures exist.. cus boss is bad
December 3, 2019
Killer Heart was my first book from Rhys Lawless and it was a perfect way to discover a new author.
I adored this book. It was funny, captivating, well written with a lot of emotion and some good action.
Caleb is a witch sent by his Covent to discover who's the mole who helps the witch hunters to kill them.
Wade is a witch hunter with a curse. He can't fall in love or he will kill his lover. He's one of the best witch hunters but when he meets Caleb, he realizes that maybe things aren't as simple as he thinks.
Wade and Caleb have a connection, a deep strong connection that neither of them can explain. But most of all they have a common enemy who wants to see them dead in the most painful way. They will have to work and most importantly trust each other if they want to survive.
I adored Wade and Caleb, they're different but complementary. They have both broken heart and soul; they both want the same thing but can't have it. They are both ready to fight hard to save innocent life. I really adored them.
The story and the plot were very good, interesting and captivating. It was more complex than what I thought at first and I loved it.
It's a series I will follow. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
I recommend it.
I adored this book. It was funny, captivating, well written with a lot of emotion and some good action.
Caleb is a witch sent by his Covent to discover who's the mole who helps the witch hunters to kill them.
Wade is a witch hunter with a curse. He can't fall in love or he will kill his lover. He's one of the best witch hunters but when he meets Caleb, he realizes that maybe things aren't as simple as he thinks.
Wade and Caleb have a connection, a deep strong connection that neither of them can explain. But most of all they have a common enemy who wants to see them dead in the most painful way. They will have to work and most importantly trust each other if they want to survive.
I adored Wade and Caleb, they're different but complementary. They have both broken heart and soul; they both want the same thing but can't have it. They are both ready to fight hard to save innocent life. I really adored them.
The story and the plot were very good, interesting and captivating. It was more complex than what I thought at first and I loved it.
It's a series I will follow. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
I recommend it.
April 14, 2023
Audio Review
Fantasy is not my first choice of genre, but the more I dive into this genre, the more I am beginning to enjoy this new world. There’s never a shortage of action or suspense, whether it be the hunters or the huntee.
Caleb and Wade’s relationship became a tad bit confusing, until the end when all the pieces were put together. Their connection was unbreakable, made apparent as they always found themselves together. Side characters were absolutely amazing, adding personality to the show.
This was my first John York audiobook and he brought so much emotion to each of the characters, giving them to life with a personality for each. Only complaint was there were a few questionable moments of whether it was Wade or Caleb, but Nora’s character made up for this discrepancy.
Excited to dive into Demon Heart and experience their new adventuree!!
Fantasy is not my first choice of genre, but the more I dive into this genre, the more I am beginning to enjoy this new world. There’s never a shortage of action or suspense, whether it be the hunters or the huntee.
Caleb and Wade’s relationship became a tad bit confusing, until the end when all the pieces were put together. Their connection was unbreakable, made apparent as they always found themselves together. Side characters were absolutely amazing, adding personality to the show.
This was my first John York audiobook and he brought so much emotion to each of the characters, giving them to life with a personality for each. Only complaint was there were a few questionable moments of whether it was Wade or Caleb, but Nora’s character made up for this discrepancy.
Excited to dive into Demon Heart and experience their new adventuree!!
December 28, 2023
Keep going
Well, that one took a hot minute to get into, but once you are hooked, you are hooked until the end.
This book is all about deception and secrets that need to be told but have been lost. Once they are let out, no one, and I mean no one, is left unscathed. Everyone's beliefs are questioned, so really, you have no idea who is good and who is bad? Or really is any side right or wrong? Or is it the circumstances they were put in that set them to be they way they turned out?
Like I said yeah took a few chapters (okay really like 30% of the book) for me to get into the plot but once it started heating up it was great and made me interested enough to keep going with this series.
Left in a hfn, but the trilogy is complete, so that's okay, cause on to the next one I go.
Well, that one took a hot minute to get into, but once you are hooked, you are hooked until the end.
This book is all about deception and secrets that need to be told but have been lost. Once they are let out, no one, and I mean no one, is left unscathed. Everyone's beliefs are questioned, so really, you have no idea who is good and who is bad? Or really is any side right or wrong? Or is it the circumstances they were put in that set them to be they way they turned out?
Like I said yeah took a few chapters (okay really like 30% of the book) for me to get into the plot but once it started heating up it was great and made me interested enough to keep going with this series.
Left in a hfn, but the trilogy is complete, so that's okay, cause on to the next one I go.
April 20, 2023
This book kept me hanging to the edge of my seat, never a dull moment! Witches, witch hunters, phoenixes, trolls and so much more inhabit the London of Killer Heart. I loved following Caleb and Wade around one of my favourite cities.
I loved the characters. They start as natural enemies with what seems to be an unexplainable attraction to each other; but, as layer upon layer of lies, spells and half truths is peeled back, their true selves are revealed and them being together is not unexplainable anymore!
Very good performance by the narrator, captivating and on spot with the different characters!
I loved the characters. They start as natural enemies with what seems to be an unexplainable attraction to each other; but, as layer upon layer of lies, spells and half truths is peeled back, their true selves are revealed and them being together is not unexplainable anymore!
Very good performance by the narrator, captivating and on spot with the different characters!
December 11, 2024
3.5 🫣 This was a better book than I thought, but it started off rough and I really hated one of the MC's especially with his inner monologue. It did get slightly better and I was invested in the story. Will hopefully be grabbing book two later this week.
March 16, 2021
Really enjoyed this one.
November 5, 2024
3.7 stars. Kind of rough but enjoyable and has potential.
Big spoilers in this review!
Warning for an MC mentally sexualizing and lusting after a woman before, during, and after murdering her for being a witch. Turns out this MC has been changed by magic to a great degree.
Wade is a cis white bisexual man who thinks he’s straight intermittently (magical interference). His age is unspecified but he’s likely in his 20s. He’s a witch hunter for Blade Force, and organization dedicated to eradicating witches. This organization has a lot of erroneous and incomplete information on witches. He hates witches a lot and says so frequently. He’s quickly attracted to Caleb but panics about liking a witch and REALLY panics about liking a man, and keeps saying “I’m not gay.” No shit, you like women too. That’s not gay at all. It was very off putting at first but it turns out he’s been under a spell that mak s him hate witches, think he’s straight, and have a substance abuse disorder because all of this made him more controllable.
Caleb is a cis white gay man of unspecified age, but he implies he’s older by thinking “That’s why I was attracted to him. Because [Wade] reminded me of myself so much when I was younger.” He was a human, contracted whatever magic contagion that turns people into a vampire, then eventually was a witch. He’s ex-friend and current father to his daughter Nora, who is a Phoenix. Nora’s other adopted parent is Caleb’s lesbian(?) troll friend Annabel.
So, the plot is wild. It’s not bad but it was very fly by the seat of your pants. There felt like almost no lead up to any of it. It goes like this.
Wade is a witch hunter and thinks he and his brother have “cursed hearts” and can’t fall in love (platonically or otherwise) so they keep their distance from each other and others. Wade fell in love with a woman named Sarah, which triggered his curse and made him murder her. To deal with the trauma he collected spells from the witches he murdered at work and snorted the magic dust to get high. He’s mentally repulsed by witches and homosexuality. He’s not a nice guy. He runs into a witch named Caleb who he’s instantly attracted to but doesn’t know what it means but it freaks him out. He wants to kill Caleb, but also protect him. Caleb is an empath and can read emotions and some words especially when people touch him skin to skin. Caleb has had horrible luck with love and has a shattered heart from when he lost his ex-boyfriend (an incubus) and swore to avenge him. Caleb suspects there’s a mole in the Blade Force giving away the witches’ secrets and causing more witches to die. He makes a deal with Wade that they’ll find the mole and in exchange Caleb will swap his heart for Wade’s and take on the curse. As they work together they get closer until one night while he’s high, Wade admits to himself he’s sexually into Caleb and makes a move. They sort of hook up and Wade us confused again, and Caleb is agreeable to being his sexual Guinea pig. Eventually they find out Caleb’s boss Graham was the mole, feeding weaker witches to Christian (the leader of the blade force). Christian is also an energy vampire and feeds off the death of witches. He agrees to kill the weaker witches to spare the more powerful ones.
Then we find out that 5 years ago Caleb as a vampire infiltrated the blade force to find a way to take Christian down. He successfully seduced Christian and they became lovers. Along the way he met Wade and was his partner. Wade was confused about his sexuality but not as gross about it. He gradually thawed to Caleb, who could use his magic to keep Wade from killing him when they fell in love. Wade became insecure about Christian and didn’t like that Caleb was still with him, but Caleb couldn’t tell him why he kept sleeping with Christian. Caleb eventually found a hidden crystal that was a spell with the capability of killing Christian. This spell was created by a witch who also had seduced Christian and slept with him. This witch created the spell before she was murdered by Christian. Her girlfriend (named Danielle) survived and swore revenge. Danielle didn’t have the crystal, though she knew the password to activate it.
Caleb stole the spell crystal and hid it, then erased his own memories to hide it, with the agreement that Graham his boss would restore the memories once the coast was clear. Graham never did it because he suspected Caleb had been in love with Christian (which wasn’t true - Caleb was in love with Wade and kept it a secret because they were on opposite sides). In the meantime Graham started sacrificing witches to maintain the status quo.
Eventually Caleb is given his memories back and is pissed at Graham. He remembers loving Wade and feels less astonished by his sudden connection to the surly hunter. He shares this info with Wade who is also shocked. Eventually they go to retrieve the crystal and are met there by Christian, who uses his spell control over Wade to make aware capture and harm Caleb against his will. Caleb sacrifices himself to give Wade a chance to beat Christian. Just as all seems lost, Danielle (who ingratiated herself to Christian as a witch who hates witches) revealed that Christian’s murdered witch girlfriend was undercover and actually Danielle’s girlfriend. Christian taunts her about how willingly the girlfriend climbed into his bed and enjoyed sex with him. Danielle says the girlfriend hated him and it was all an act. There’s a scuffle. Eventually the good guys win but Daniella betrays them to try to grab power, and Christian escapes. Nora dies saving Caleb and is reborn as a baby. Wade chooses to never remember his past, unwilling to have the memories of all the horrible things Christian made him do. His brother Winston (in the same situation with the memory loss and magical control) chooses to remember. Winston also thinks he’s straight but is mated to a Raven shifter named Hugh.
The book ends on a cliffhanger.
So, overall it was wild and didn’t have enough lead up, and wasn’t smooth a lot of the time. However, it was an intriguing idea and was enjoyable. It was also the first time I’ve ever enjoyed something John York has narrated. I think the trick for me is to not listen to anything where he does an American or Canadian accent. This book was enjoyable enough that I’d like to read the sequel.
Tropes and content warnings:
—sexualizing a woman before murdering her (perpetrator was under a creepy spell)
—murder
—homophobia
—internalized homophobia
—bisexual rep (Wade, Winston, Tanya, Christian, Daniella?)
—gay rep (Caleb)
—enemies to lovers
—amnesia
—witches, vampires, hunters, phoenixes, trolls, etc.
—modern magic
—there’s like two sex scenes and they’re open door but not super explicit
Other:
—first person dual POV
—cheating: no, but Wade got sad when Caleb had to sleep with Christian for work. Tanya also had sex with Christian for work while she had a girlfriend, but this was agreed upon
—OP romantic drama: mildly with the above situation, but no true romantic rivals
—breakup: kind of. They both had their memories wiped for 5 years
—kids: yes, Caleb has a daughter named Nora
—sexual roles: Caleb bottoms and Wade tops
—HEA: no, first in a series, ends on a cliffhanger
Big spoilers in this review!
Warning for an MC mentally sexualizing and lusting after a woman before, during, and after murdering her for being a witch. Turns out this MC has been changed by magic to a great degree.
Wade is a cis white bisexual man who thinks he’s straight intermittently (magical interference). His age is unspecified but he’s likely in his 20s. He’s a witch hunter for Blade Force, and organization dedicated to eradicating witches. This organization has a lot of erroneous and incomplete information on witches. He hates witches a lot and says so frequently. He’s quickly attracted to Caleb but panics about liking a witch and REALLY panics about liking a man, and keeps saying “I’m not gay.” No shit, you like women too. That’s not gay at all. It was very off putting at first but it turns out he’s been under a spell that mak s him hate witches, think he’s straight, and have a substance abuse disorder because all of this made him more controllable.
Caleb is a cis white gay man of unspecified age, but he implies he’s older by thinking “That’s why I was attracted to him. Because [Wade] reminded me of myself so much when I was younger.” He was a human, contracted whatever magic contagion that turns people into a vampire, then eventually was a witch. He’s ex-friend and current father to his daughter Nora, who is a Phoenix. Nora’s other adopted parent is Caleb’s lesbian(?) troll friend Annabel.
So, the plot is wild. It’s not bad but it was very fly by the seat of your pants. There felt like almost no lead up to any of it. It goes like this.
Wade is a witch hunter and thinks he and his brother have “cursed hearts” and can’t fall in love (platonically or otherwise) so they keep their distance from each other and others. Wade fell in love with a woman named Sarah, which triggered his curse and made him murder her. To deal with the trauma he collected spells from the witches he murdered at work and snorted the magic dust to get high. He’s mentally repulsed by witches and homosexuality. He’s not a nice guy. He runs into a witch named Caleb who he’s instantly attracted to but doesn’t know what it means but it freaks him out. He wants to kill Caleb, but also protect him. Caleb is an empath and can read emotions and some words especially when people touch him skin to skin. Caleb has had horrible luck with love and has a shattered heart from when he lost his ex-boyfriend (an incubus) and swore to avenge him. Caleb suspects there’s a mole in the Blade Force giving away the witches’ secrets and causing more witches to die. He makes a deal with Wade that they’ll find the mole and in exchange Caleb will swap his heart for Wade’s and take on the curse. As they work together they get closer until one night while he’s high, Wade admits to himself he’s sexually into Caleb and makes a move. They sort of hook up and Wade us confused again, and Caleb is agreeable to being his sexual Guinea pig. Eventually they find out Caleb’s boss Graham was the mole, feeding weaker witches to Christian (the leader of the blade force). Christian is also an energy vampire and feeds off the death of witches. He agrees to kill the weaker witches to spare the more powerful ones.
Then we find out that 5 years ago Caleb as a vampire infiltrated the blade force to find a way to take Christian down. He successfully seduced Christian and they became lovers. Along the way he met Wade and was his partner. Wade was confused about his sexuality but not as gross about it. He gradually thawed to Caleb, who could use his magic to keep Wade from killing him when they fell in love. Wade became insecure about Christian and didn’t like that Caleb was still with him, but Caleb couldn’t tell him why he kept sleeping with Christian. Caleb eventually found a hidden crystal that was a spell with the capability of killing Christian. This spell was created by a witch who also had seduced Christian and slept with him. This witch created the spell before she was murdered by Christian. Her girlfriend (named Danielle) survived and swore revenge. Danielle didn’t have the crystal, though she knew the password to activate it.
Caleb stole the spell crystal and hid it, then erased his own memories to hide it, with the agreement that Graham his boss would restore the memories once the coast was clear. Graham never did it because he suspected Caleb had been in love with Christian (which wasn’t true - Caleb was in love with Wade and kept it a secret because they were on opposite sides). In the meantime Graham started sacrificing witches to maintain the status quo.
Eventually Caleb is given his memories back and is pissed at Graham. He remembers loving Wade and feels less astonished by his sudden connection to the surly hunter. He shares this info with Wade who is also shocked. Eventually they go to retrieve the crystal and are met there by Christian, who uses his spell control over Wade to make aware capture and harm Caleb against his will. Caleb sacrifices himself to give Wade a chance to beat Christian. Just as all seems lost, Danielle (who ingratiated herself to Christian as a witch who hates witches) revealed that Christian’s murdered witch girlfriend was undercover and actually Danielle’s girlfriend. Christian taunts her about how willingly the girlfriend climbed into his bed and enjoyed sex with him. Danielle says the girlfriend hated him and it was all an act. There’s a scuffle. Eventually the good guys win but Daniella betrays them to try to grab power, and Christian escapes. Nora dies saving Caleb and is reborn as a baby. Wade chooses to never remember his past, unwilling to have the memories of all the horrible things Christian made him do. His brother Winston (in the same situation with the memory loss and magical control) chooses to remember. Winston also thinks he’s straight but is mated to a Raven shifter named Hugh.
The book ends on a cliffhanger.
So, overall it was wild and didn’t have enough lead up, and wasn’t smooth a lot of the time. However, it was an intriguing idea and was enjoyable. It was also the first time I’ve ever enjoyed something John York has narrated. I think the trick for me is to not listen to anything where he does an American or Canadian accent. This book was enjoyable enough that I’d like to read the sequel.
Tropes and content warnings:
—sexualizing a woman before murdering her (perpetrator was under a creepy spell)
—murder
—homophobia
—internalized homophobia
—bisexual rep (Wade, Winston, Tanya, Christian, Daniella?)
—gay rep (Caleb)
—enemies to lovers
—amnesia
—witches, vampires, hunters, phoenixes, trolls, etc.
—modern magic
—there’s like two sex scenes and they’re open door but not super explicit
Other:
—first person dual POV
—cheating: no, but Wade got sad when Caleb had to sleep with Christian for work. Tanya also had sex with Christian for work while she had a girlfriend, but this was agreed upon
—OP romantic drama: mildly with the above situation, but no true romantic rivals
—breakup: kind of. They both had their memories wiped for 5 years
—kids: yes, Caleb has a daughter named Nora
—sexual roles: Caleb bottoms and Wade tops
—HEA: no, first in a series, ends on a cliffhanger
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2020
Hmm
I honestly don't know about this one. It wasn't bad, exactly, it was more that one of the main characters is so hateful for the majority of the book that I just couldn't like him. And yes, I get that he was brainwashed and other stuff, but still. I think there's a point where you can make someone so hateful they become *really* hard to redeem and that's where I ended up with this book. Which is sad, because I liked the story and I honestly wanted to like the main characters/ couple.
Spoilers
I think the thing that really got me, that won't let me just hang it all and say he's great is that he wasn't being controlled ALL the time. There was a lot of his life where he was in control, making his own choices, and doing terrible things that he felt smugly righteous about doing. So being controlled doesn't really excuse it for me. Nor does the brainwashing, at least not entirely. We see lots of evidence of him being hateful, hurtful, and basically an asshole, but very little of him being a good person. If you're going by show don't tell, then we've been shown repeatedly that he's awful and almost never that he's good.
In the end, I think I had more respect for his brother. He went through the exact same things, mostly, and from a younger age. And he was the one brave enough to confront everything he did during that time.
I honestly don't know about this one. It wasn't bad, exactly, it was more that one of the main characters is so hateful for the majority of the book that I just couldn't like him. And yes, I get that he was brainwashed and other stuff, but still. I think there's a point where you can make someone so hateful they become *really* hard to redeem and that's where I ended up with this book. Which is sad, because I liked the story and I honestly wanted to like the main characters/ couple.
Spoilers
I think the thing that really got me, that won't let me just hang it all and say he's great is that he wasn't being controlled ALL the time. There was a lot of his life where he was in control, making his own choices, and doing terrible things that he felt smugly righteous about doing. So being controlled doesn't really excuse it for me. Nor does the brainwashing, at least not entirely. We see lots of evidence of him being hateful, hurtful, and basically an asshole, but very little of him being a good person. If you're going by show don't tell, then we've been shown repeatedly that he's awful and almost never that he's good.
In the end, I think I had more respect for his brother. He went through the exact same things, mostly, and from a younger age. And he was the one brave enough to confront everything he did during that time.
February 25, 2020
Desperately needed an editor
Perhaps this author is extremely young or maybe English is their second language but whatever the case the writing came across as equivalent to the level of a lot of fanfic or perhaps early high school. It wasn’t what I would expect out of a published novel. It was obvious there wasn’t a professional editor and possibly not even proofreaders or beta readers because in just the first few pages there were obvious errors. Words were misused that I would have thought would be obvious - basic, not advanced, vocabulary in fact. This was a big disappointment because it sounded so good in theory.
Perhaps this author is extremely young or maybe English is their second language but whatever the case the writing came across as equivalent to the level of a lot of fanfic or perhaps early high school. It wasn’t what I would expect out of a published novel. It was obvious there wasn’t a professional editor and possibly not even proofreaders or beta readers because in just the first few pages there were obvious errors. Words were misused that I would have thought would be obvious - basic, not advanced, vocabulary in fact. This was a big disappointment because it sounded so good in theory.
February 9, 2020
dnf at 20 percent. This is a prime example of why I hate double first person pov. Here we have two very different people, ond cold-hearted killer and one more sensitive guy, and yet they sound completely the same. What's more, both of them have that film-noir-p.i. vibe going on, so it would have been really easy to give that to just one of them and let the other cut back on the swear words and flippant remarks, but no. It doesn't work.
Read
April 19, 2020Interesting world, but the way the information was doled out was beyond annoying. Also, books like this are the reason I don't usually enjoy dual-first-person POVs—both character voices sounded exactly the same, with the same inner musings, the same random tangents, the same turns of phrase. In fact, just about everyone in this story talked with the same quasi-edgy style of banter. I think this author isn't for me.
December 8, 2019
A witch hunter, an empathic witch and other characters are having it in this book. There are some fun moments that had me almost spill my tea because I started to laugh. I liked this story and the way the author wrote it. I even had it with the villains too.. yeah right.. Im not going to spill anything. You have to read it yourself to witness what I mean.
December 21, 2021
DNF
Needs editing to counteract the awkward word choice and stuff dialogue. I kept having to reread sentences to understand what the author meant vs what was written. In the end, DNF because it felt jumbled and forced.
Needs editing to counteract the awkward word choice and stuff dialogue. I kept having to reread sentences to understand what the author meant vs what was written. In the end, DNF because it felt jumbled and forced.
July 6, 2023
I’ve started to read this before, but didn’t finish it. Interesting premise, not great execution.
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