This book moved a lot slower for me than the first but there were a lot more characters introduced and more characters development, plus more world building. There was more history of Avalon explain, and poor Gwen kept getting trick when all she wants is to go be with Mordred

Continuation to Book 1 of the series, it starts off with Mordred and Gwendolyn separated, and Mordred betrayed. I love how Mordred communicates with her even when they were apart and obviously things become more clear to Gwendolyn as to why Mordred chose to seal the elementals in the crystal before.

I found Book 1 more fast paced compared to this and struggled to finish it. I always enjoy reading KAK’s characters and so Mordred was really interesting.

Even better than the first one!

I really enjoyed book 1, but this one took the story to a whole new level. I loved the exile and the adventure Gwen found herself dragged into with the worst travel companion possible. Her relationship with Mordred and the tension between them was truly amazing. I loved that they want one another but don't at the same time because their union could destroy the world. It makes everything all the more exciting and enthralling. And the spice was definitely on point with that as well. I just couldn't stop reading. The secondary characters stole my heart as well and I liked how everyone had to choose sides even if there are secrets and lies everywhere you turn so it's hard to know what's true. It was an addictive read that kept me on my toes and I can't wait to read the new book in the series!

I recommend this dar, adult fantasy romance series!

"To see her rid from this world...would be what destroyed him in the end."

TW: violence, sexually explicit scenes, war, death, abuse, assault, blood, murder

To Bind a Dark Heart is an exciting and captivating read that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. It continues the story from To Charm a Dark Prince, with the destruction of the prison leading to war between the Elementals and Mordred. Gwendolyn, uncertain of her position with Mordred after her betrayal, runs away and discovers things are not as they seem. She realizes she's connected to a demon and gets caught in the middle of the conflict. Gwendolyn's naivety and questionable decisions make her easily manipulated, which leads to disastrous consequences. Mordred remains a favorite character, as he genuinely wants what's best for Avalon. The true identity of the cat responsible for Gwendolyn's journey is revealed, shedding light on his intentions and his reasons for despising Avalon's citizens. The story has heartbreaking moments and intense battle scenes that add suspense. Despite issues with Gwendolyn, returning to Avalon was enjoyable. Overall, To Bind a Dark Heart is an interesting fantasy read that will appeal to fans of the genre.

3.75 ⭐️
2.00 🌶️

We pick up right where we left off in book 1 - Gwen is on the run and Mordred has a case of the sads. Honestly I would be sad, too, if my new elemental girlfriend betrayed me. 🫤

Like in book 1, I feel like we’re still getting into our journey so this review is hard to write because the story is being told in pieces.

Miscommunication trope is abound - Gwen and Mordred both love each other but she betrayed him and he’s trying his best. Lol I’m a Mordred apologist. But seriously, can these two sit down and just be honest with each other (I’m looking super hard at you, Gwen)!?!

This book had a unique way of bringing the two characters together on page when they are physically apart in Avalon. I appreciated the way Kathryn utilized that device so Gwen and Mordred could interact. If I had to go the majority of the book where the MCs were not interacting I would cry and/or be deeply frustrated (…. annoyed, I would have been annoyed).

I wonder how many books this series is, because I feel like at the end of the series I will be able to give an honest complete assessment. But until then, I like Gwen, love Mordred, and pupper Eod & Maewenn (think Disney Beauty & the Beast Mrs. Potts, dear!) are perfection side characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky books for the ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

This one begins literally where the first book ended, with Gwen having been blown away in the shockwave and picking herself back up. It's not long until not Merlin finds her, only now he is in his human form. Though no less of a jerk. Gwen finds out how he bound the two of them together and the side effects that come with that bond. Which are bad enough to force her to keep following him to the one wizard he believes might be able to separate them. And when they get to their destination, the wizard is not what Gwen was expecting. Worse, he can't do anything to help them. But he does have an idea of what might have enough power to separate them. And getting it definitely won't be easy.

While Gwen is off on her trip, Lancelot is going around trying to gather as many allies as he can get. I didn't like him in the last book, and I certainly still don't like him here. Something about his character just rubs me the wrong way. So I was frustrated at how easy it seemed for him to get as many elementals on his side as he did. Especially one that turned Mordred away flat.

During the time that they were apart, Mordred knew that war would be coming to his doorstep so he has been preparing and planning. But because he has finally realized what it is that he feels for Gwen, he has also made a new talisman that allows him to enter her dreams and seemingly control them when they're together. Which was fun. Of course Gwen doesn't realize that they are more than dreams so she lets herself enjoy her time with Mordred even if it's not real. These two also talk about many things and that's what leads up to Mordred finally being able to track Gwen down and eventually taking her back. As his prisoner of course.

I was definitely happy that these two were back together by around half the book. But I was also so very frustrated with Gwen keeping her one big secret. By this point we have found out who not Merlin really is and his whole back story. And in knowing this, Gwen can't be sure that Mordred loves her enough not to use her to destroy his enemy. In the end, it doesn't really matter. War is upon them and Gwen is just so goddamn gullible that she throws Mordred's wishes and her own safety to the wind and rushes to the battlefield.

I will say that the battle was short, but entertaining. Mordred definitely had some great tricks up his sleeve that Lancelot never saw coming. And it's when Gwen makes her sudden appearance and everything happens with her that Mordred puts all of the pieces together and realizes what her secret was and what it means for her now. With the battle pretty much over at this point, Mordred has only one last traitor to deal with. And he can't let even Gwen stop him this time.

For some reason I really thought this was going to wrap up their story, but I am so glad that there's more to come. I can't wait to see what happens next with Gwen now and what Mordred does next after winning this round.

Gwen betrays Mordred and as consequence Mordred vows to find Gwen and keep her prisoner. You can tell Mordred cares for Gwen and wants to find her but he has the Elementals to deal with. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Mordred and Gwen- when the were on the page together you could have just feel it. I wish there was more interaction.

I also liked the one liners between Gwen and the wizard- their banter was funny and her having to explain how humans feel when they need things and asking versus just taking,

I do recommend reading book one. This book would be hard to get into if you don’t have the context or background.

I was given this ARC in exchange for a honest review by Netgalley. I would rate this a three out of five and would recommend if you love fantasy. It was different and unique.

I really liked the dreams between gwen and mordred but other than that it felt like not a lot happened in this book? might be a case of second book syndrome. I do love kathryn ann kingsley's books though and this was good!! just not as good as the first book.

“Run, Gwendolyn Wright.
Run as far and as hard as you can.
Because when I catch you?
You belong to me.”

I am definitely a fan!!! Reading book two proved to me that I am a massive fan of this very original, King Arthur inspired, dark fantasy romance series. Gwen has betrayed Mordred but there’s still a link and a bond between them, none of them can break. After having the opportunity to know more about the Merlin she seem to be connected to, Gwen will have to face her feelings for the Dark Prince and what he means to her. Prisoner, enemy, lover, traitor. They are all those things. But when war is about for rage and secrets are still a constant in their relationship, Gwen and Mordred will have to find a way to deal with passionate love and deep pain, trying to prevent a war that seems to be more and more inevitable. In this book two in the Iron Crystal series I found myself even more in love and curious about these characters and this story. I legitimately can’t wait for the next one!!!

"Come back to me, firefly. I will keep you safe."

"Plans are funny things." He scratched his head. "They make you think you're on solid ground, when you're really on a bridge to nowhere.
Overrated things. Your problem is that you don't know what you want."

This was soo good
Holy cliffhanger! I really hope things work out for this best.

This is a must read! Especially if you already read book 1 and can jump into this one do it!

I requested this book before i realized that it was 2nd in a series. I read book one and it was not for me. I hoped that the story would pick up in book 2 but alas, the characters were still just not that interesting.

To Bind a Dark Heart begins directly after after the events in To Charm a Dark Prince. Gwen and the being she calls Merlin are free of Mordred and wondering through the forest. Guilt is eating her alive, and she's wondering if she could just apologize to Mordred...or if he'd sooner cut off her head than forgive her.

Which is a fair concern.

Lancelot is also free, and he decides to immediately amass an army to go after Mordred. New elementals and beings are introduced during his quest, but I wish he would have been more keen to forgive and understand why Mordred did what he did.

Mordred himself seems to have grown quite a bit between the two books. He's still temperamental, but not nearly as much as he was in the first book. He's more tender, more understanding, and we get to see him truly struggle with the choices he's forced to make.

"She was free when she was with him. Even wearing iron chains."

The romance between Gwen and Mordred shouldn't work...but it does. She's just the right amount of spunky and silly to bring out the emotions he's buried for so long. And speaking of emotions...be prepared to feel ALL OF THEM while reading this book. The pining. The passion. The heartache. The cliffhanger!

There are so many loose ends I'm dying to have tied up in the next...how will Gwen handle her powers? What will happen to Galahad and the Gossamer Lady? Will warn break out in Avalon once again? Is the insane, yet endearing, mage the REAL Merlin or someone else entirely? Did Tim survive??

Fans of fantasy with romantic elements, a strong cast of side characters, and an MMC who bends more toward morally black than grey will love this series. I can't wait for the third book!

Thank you, Kathryn Ann Kingsley and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After the explosive ending in To Charm a Dark Prince, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel.  I had to know what was in store for Mordred and Gwendolyn.  To Bind a Dark Heart delivered an exciting tale that kept the reader glued to the pages from start to finish.  Unfortunately it ended leaving the reader with more questions and looking forward to the answers in book three.

To Bind a Dark Heart return readers to Avalon. It picks up immediately from where To Charm a Dark Prince ended. The destruction of the prison which held the Elementals captive paved the way for war between them and Mordred. Gwendolyn uncertain of her position with Mordred, especially given her betrayal ran from the castle. While on her journey of trying to figure out her next move, she came to the realization things are not as it seems. She is caught in the middle of the entire debacle and to make matters worse she learns she's connected to a demon.

Gwendolyn continues to be a naive heroine who makes questionable decisions. The fact she's so easily manipulated doesn't help. One would have thought that after seeing the effect of her betrayal, she would learn, but that was not the case. Also, her actions at the end reeked of stupidity, which of course had disastrous consequences. It's no wonder the demon chose her to fulfil his mission.  I do hope by some miracle she matures in the next book.

Mordred remains my favourite. Everyone views him as a tyrant, but I beg to disagree. He genuinely wants what's best for Avalon. He just needs to find the best solution that will bring about the peace he so desires.

Discovering the true identity of the cat responsible for Gwendolyn's unexpected journey to Avalon made for some interesting reading. Now he did not have good intentions which was blatantly obvious from the start, but Gwendolyn with her naive self failed to see this.  It was interesting learning how he ended up in Avalon to begin with and the reasons he despised its citizens. 

The story had some heartbreaking moments, one of which had to do with the loss of a certain character. I am still not sure how I feel about the loss. On one hand, it could be viewed as well deserved and on another one may say that just like Mordred they too wanted the best for Avalon.

The battle scenes added another layer to the story. It brought a measure of suspense to the story, which had this reader turning the pages, eager to know the outcome. 

Despite my issues with Gwendolyn, I enjoyed my return visit to Avalon. Overall, To Bind a Dark Heart was an interesting read and one which would appeal to fans of fantasy.

For this second in the series, I just couldn't wait,
I really wanted to know what would be Gwen and Mordred's fate.
This fantasy adventure continues at a pace
With both of them with danger and trials to face.

Memories from the first book were quickly revived,
As Gwen and her cat race away, surprised to have survived.
But what should Gwen do next, who can she trust?
Finding some way to break a magical link is definitely a must.

The links to the tales of King Arthur as strong all the way through,
With added adventure and mystery with elementals deciding what to do.
Battles are looming, on whose side will Gwen stand?
Can anything be done to save Avalon and its land?

With betrayal, secrets and romances, too,
This is a brilliant fantasy I highly recommend to you.
Whilst many things are completed, there's lots more to see
So I now can't wait to read book three!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
I throughly enjoyed reading it and this is my honest review.

“𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐆𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐧. 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞.”

A quick thank you to the NetGalley, the publisher, and Kathryn Kingsley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

We return to the world of Avalon in the aftermath of Gwen's shocking betrayal. Mordred is surprisingly understanding of Gwen's actions, but he still vows to imprison her forever should he catch her.

The premise had a lot of potential. Both Gwen and Mordred had the opportunity to go on separate journeys to reflect on their actions, but those opportunities seemed wasted. Gwen spent the entire book missing Mordred and allowing everyone else to tell her what to do. Mordred spent the entire book missing Gwen and trying to tell everyone he was going to allow them a second chance. I also felt that a lot of issues between our two MC's could be resolved with a simple conversation, which neither wished to have.

I would've liked to see more of the elementals preparing for their war against Mordred, and just a touch more communication and burning between Mordred and Gwen. I will likely continue the series as we're left on quite a cliffhanger, but I am not necessarily in a rush to do so. It was enjoyable, but just needed a bit more to keep me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley for the privilege of allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured this book in one sitting. I was hooked on the first book and I'm glad to have the second book.

Mordred I understand mordred, but I also now understand Grinn due to the snippet of his past. I can't wait to get to the 3rd book.

I have to say that I was very eager to pick up the second book in this series. I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest as we begin our story straight after the events of book one. We see Gwen who is still in a very tricky and dangerous situation, torn between making decisions that will change everything. I loved the journey this book took me on. It was fast paced and kept my attention completely. There was a little bit of everything in this story from deception to betrayal but also love and a bit of hope.

The characters in this book also brought so much to the story. Whether they be a villain, hero or maybe somewhere in between. There were times I was frustrated with them but let’s just say there were some pretty hopeless situations at play. However I was always intrigued and couldn’t wait to see how it would all turn out for them.

To Bind A Dark Heart is a brilliant fantasy story that has a dash of myth, magic and romance. I was hooked after reading book one, once more in book two and remain that way eager for more in book three!

⚜️ Book Title - To Bind A Dark Heart
⚜️ Author - Kathryn Ann Kingsley
⚜️ Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚜️ Some Genre/Themes/Tropes: Fiction, Romance and Fantasy

I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is my honest review.

The story picks right back up from the ending of To Charm a Dark Prince and the chaos that was unfolding.

Throughout the book, there was further world building and new amazing characters that were introduced.

I continue to love Gwen’s dialogue but I’m hoping she mature more as she’s still pretty naive and makes some poor choices… Still, I enjoy reading from her POV. Mordred on the other hand is still focused on his mission and thinks his way is the right way. Which I love to read from his POV to understand what his reasoning is.

This ends with another cliffhanger! I must know what happens next and can’t wait to read the next book.

I would recommend this book to others who like King Arthur retellings. I will also look for other books written by this author.

I want to say thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Note (How I rate): Three stars is a good, enjoyable read. Four is an excellent read and five is a comfort read that lingers with me for life (very difficult to get but not impossible).

#2023bookreview #bookstagram #books

To Bind a Dark Heart picks up from where the first book left us; with Gwen having betrayed Mordred, and him sending her away. They're both miserable without the other but also conflicted about their feelings.

I really enjoyed To Charm a Dark Prince and was excited to read this book but it fell flat for me. Gwen had no growth whatsoever, and spent the entire book questioning what she wanted but having no answer. The lack of communication and trust between the two just led to more miscommunication and mistrust. I hope they can get it together in the next book and actually work together.

The crazy sorcerer and the protective doggo were the best part :)

🔥 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 🔥

To Bind a Dark Heart
The Iron Crystal #2
Fantasy
Kathryn Ann Kingsley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I found the start to be quite slow. The pacing throughout the book was consistent but still a little too slow for me.

I liked the characters. Mordred and Gwen were very frustrating at times, mostly due to the miscommunication trope. I just wanted to give them both a shake and bang their heads together 😂. The mage/wizard made me laugh with his weird ramblings and his strange personality and Eod, the dog, was just adorable.

I loved the multiple POVs, but I did enjoy Gwen's and Mordred's POVs more. I found myself skimming the other chapters to get to theirs quicker.

The "intricate dreams aren't real even though strange things happen" trope gets tiring/annoying for me but it didn't last too long, which I liked 😅.

I liked how Mordred was both cruel and gentle with Gwen at the same time. It was clear that he cared about her.

The fighting scenes were interesting and although I predicted certain things, I still enjoyed the ending.

I liked this book more than the first one and I hope there will be another book soon!

*Thank you to @Netgalley, the author and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*