Add in glimpses of her humanity, which soften her edges for a brief moment before doubling down on her horror, and you’ve got the Deana-Dhe. Narratively, this story felt night and day to the first in the duet- as book 1 really situated us in the history and past, leaned heavy on the origins and the turbulent intrapersonal issues between Cyn and the Deana-Dhe. The friction, the tension existed primarily between them- they were the antagonists in each other’s stories…until, well, they weren’t. The emotional energy was immersively volatile and desperate, the angst choking. But book 2 takes a different turn- a external antagonist and a heart-wrenching situation divide our quad-ruple (is that a thing?!), but their SOULS are no longer divided. Despite the horrific situation Cyn finds herself, this second book is heart bleedingly romantic- part rescue mission, part the best groveling ever. The Deana-Dhe have to save our girl, but since they do, they have a lot of making up to do for all the years of damage they themselves inflicted- and HOLY MOLY do they deliver some swoony alpha grovel. The first part of this story is all action and tragedy, and the second is richly relationally immersive. The emotional story is full of adrenaline and then just heaviness. SO MUCH HEAVINESS. There’s a horror and melancholy that permeates their progression, but one that morphs and twists into hesitant healing, cathartic trust, and and most of all, hopeful. Bea weaves an unexpectedly diverse emotional tapestry, but oh my it is so fulfilling. My heart felt so swollen with FEELING for these characters that I thought it might stop beating. Deana-dhe are twisted sociopaths and sexy as hell. They trade information for debts owed to them at a time of their choosing. We take a look at the early days of these debt traders.

With how fast everything was overcame given the resolvement resulted in happening in the blink of an eye, it made it feel rushed through. I love the ambience of this book, it’s very British, with all the grey skies, rain, secluded island and cold beach. And it’s perfectly mixed with years of family drama and a little bit of magic: not only Cyn’s gifts challenge science, Arden has visions of the future and the 4 of them are tied by more than story, by a true soul bond none of them can escape. And boy, do they try. I pretty much love anything this author writes. She really takes the time to delve into her characters, in to this shared world so many are interconnected with. I love all the cameos/mentions, it must be exhausting trying to keep all of the characters and timeline in mind when writing new romances in the world. Kudos to her! The heat in book 2 is HOT and many developments occur. There are scenes of MM and MFM so if that is not your thing then skip ahead! Overall, the book was written well and the characters made you love the world.

Another thing I like about this series and the world that Bea has created is that it's contemporary with a touch of paranormal/magic which I never see! I usually read things that lean heavily into contemporary or paranormal but not both. To explain, it's set in a contemporary world but we've got clairvoyant characters who see visions of the future and an herbalist FMC whose so good at her craft some could argue she's a green witch! It helps to add the perfect amount of magic while still keeping everything set in our modern world! Narration was good again. Nothing more to say, same small criticisms but the emotion in this one was more intense than the others. With the different baddies and the aftermath of their chaos and destruction, the confrontation with new characters, the deaths, etc. So an emotional rollercoaster, but the narrators did a fab job bringing the characters to life in my head while I listened, I felt like I was in the studio, their home, Pen’s old family home, the bar, etc. The narration just helped prove this could be an incredible TV show and how the readers would eat every word up haha. Our pain and hurt bled out with every movement, with every step across the dance floor. The Breakers never expected to love me again and I never believed we could get past our pain. Yet here we are. My Breakers are mine once more.

Definitely another favourite here from Bea. The way the characters lives weave into the same world always gets me. I'm looking forward to seeing where Curses and Cures leads us. The main character Cyn, short for Cynthia has not talked for years due to her mother's death and is mute. Her character had nice moments, but I do think she was portrayed more strongly in the summary of the book than her character really was.Thanks so much, Bea for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. OMG, this book may be my favorite in Bea's overall series. It's so angsty, powerful, and the most amazing enemies to lovers I have ever read. I had to devour this book in one sitting. There is no shot I couldn't put it down!