Book 2 of The Crimson Moth Duology
Rune Winters has escaped to the continent and she sides with the deposed Queen Cressida Roseblood. Cressida is intent on raising her sisters from the dead, and to do this she needs the half-sister that was taken away at birth. Cressida wants to restore her monarchy and will stop at nothing to get it.
Witch hunter Gideon is after Rune, he is intent on bringing her back to the Republic and execute her. But the attraction between them still exists. On their way back to the Republic they run into some old friends of Gideon, and Rune, who used a glamour spell on her appearance, says they are newlyweds. They manage to convince them, even though they are quite suspicious.
Another problem arises when Rune and Gideon kiss and touch her. The scar on his chest (which Cressida gave him) starts to burn, and the pain is so excruciating that he cannot bear it. When they get to the Republic, Gideon hides Rune in his house. He is arrested while Rune is hidden in his house. Will he be able to free himself and profess his love to Rune?
This is a lovely continuation of The Crimson Moth, which I also enjoyed quite a bit. I did enjoy the first book more than the second, there was a bit too much romance in this one for my liking. Having said that, I did want Rune and Gideon to end up together (a feeling I didn’t have in the previous book).
Read for the ReaderHaven Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 12: published last year (2025)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
