Your Knife, My Heart

Moronova’s gloriously twisted Dark Forces duology launch, focused on the same top-secret military operation that was featured in her standalone Leave Me Behind, places two deeply flawed and complex characters in an untenable situation. Shades of The Hunger Games, “Beauty and the Beast,” and the toxic relationship between Batman’s the Joker and Harley Quinn inflect the plot, which brings together tiny, pink-haired serial murderess Emery and berserker Dark Forces agent Cameron, code-named Mori. Emery is pulled from prison into the Under Trials, a Dark Forces boot camp in which only the strong survive. She’s paired with Mori, the squad’s longest-running “lab rat” who’s undergone many experimental procedures to become the perfect soldier. Unfortunately, side effects include nosebleeds, insomnia, and a tendency to kill his partners in combat. The ensuing dark romance burns hot and wild as both characters wrestle with external threats and inner demons. This foray into dark military romance will certainly appeal to fans of the genre. With its careful plotting, off-the-charts spice, and witty dialogue, it will create a legion of newly converted readers as well. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Nov.)