Your Knife, My Heart (Dark Forces, #1) by K.M. Moronova🎧 Isabelle Turner & Walker Williams

Synopsis (via Goodreads): From NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author KM Moronova comes a brand-new compelling and addictive dark romance in her Dark Forces world.

Dark. Deadly. Irresistible.

Cameron Mortem has a problem―he can't stop killing his partners. Officially labeled clinically insane, he's also one of the most lethal assets in the Dark Forces, a brutal underground military operation built on obedience, survival, and silence. But an experimental drug has fractured his control, making him a liability whenever someone else is on the field. As punishment, he's thrown back into the Under Trials―a merciless boot camp designed to break the weak and sharpen the ruthless.

His one directive? Don't kill the new girl.

Emery Maves narrowly escapes a death sentence after her own brutal crimes, only to find herself forced into the same violent world. Assigned to Cameron, she's expected to survive the Trials and her partner's unstable nature. But Emery quickly realizes there's more to Cameron than bloodlust and body counts. Beneath the madness lies a terrifying allure―and a strange, dangerous tenderness.

As the Trials push them to their limits, Emery must navigate the brutal demands of the Dark Forces while resisting the pull of a man who could just as easily kill her as protect her. And Cameron must fight the one urge he's never been able to overcome.

Their bond is intoxicating, chaotic, and born of violence. And if it doesn't destroy them both, it might just save them.

Your Knife, My Heart was such a fun read! I finished the audiobook in just a handful of days (a really big win for me), and immediately looked to see if there was a second book. This one definitely leaves you wanting more! I'm happy to report that there is a second book (My Blade, Your Back) and I can't wait to dive back into Moronova's world over the break. I'll also be listening to the audiobook since the narrators did such a phenomenal job with this one!

Cameron is dangerous and a little unhinged. He keeps killing his partners and isn't always aware he's doing it. It's a nasty side effect of the pills he takes, but he isn't about to give those up. He's the only test subject to survive taking them, and it makes him feel important and necessary. Not dying like everyone else makes Cameron think he's finally worth something to someone. His backstory is really sad, so I'm happy he finally has someone that cares about him and doesn't mind his jagged edges. In fact, it's his brokenness that seems to draw her to him like a moth to a flame.

Emery has never known love or had a family that cared about her. They only cared about what she could do for them. She's been trained from a young age to do the dirty work for her father, and she ended up being expendable. Now she's trapped in the Under Trials with a man that doesn't have the best track record with partners. The Dark Forces are doing everything they can to test their teamwork and ability to stay alive in very dangerous situations. 

I really enjoyed seeing Cameron and Emery get to know one another. It took them awhile to lower their defenses and admit their growing feelings, but their relationship felt authentic and believable. At first it was just about what they could do for each other, but then it became about keeping the other alive because they actually wanted the other person to survive. The Dark Forces may need Cameron, but that doesn't mean they were above putting him through hell to see if he'd break. Unfortunately, that always involved Em.

If you're looking for a dark, twisty romance with lots of surprises, definitely keep this one in mind! A friend of mine said it made her think of Suicide Squad and I think that's a pretty accurate comparison. There's also a LOT of spice (and not always when you'd expect it!). (★★★★☆)