The story of a beauty and a beast reimagined.

Mara never dreamed of escape. Not really. How can a bird caged all her life ever think to fly? When a chance opportunity presents itself for the princess of Dunhill to flee her upcoming marriage and the cruel family that arranged it, she spreads her wings. But fate has other plans.

After narrowly surviving an encounter with the fabled Beast of the Blackwood—a dragon that stalks the forest that separates Dunhill from neighboring kingdoms—she finds herself in the unwilling company of Baron Gannon Black. He is mercurial at best, downright rude at worst.

The Black estate is teeming with secrets and the brusque baron is none too keen for Mara to unravel the mystery of the Black line. But hiding himself from the princess becomes impossible as he learns she is much more than the timid, bland daughter of the king. Can he keep her cloaked from the family that seeks to drag her back to her prison of etiquette and expectation or will her presence bring the long kept secrets of the Black family to light?

Black Heart is a slow burn romance that can be read as a standalone. Readers have rated this book 2/5 on the spice scale.