Your Knife, My Heart by. K.M. Moronova | Book Review – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Your Knife, My Heart (Dark Forces, #1)

Author: K.M. Moronova

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 11/11/25

Categories: Dark Romance

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.

Content Warning: violence, gore, bullying

+ Two things come to mind when I think about this book: violence and sex. Cameron “Mori”, is a part of the military special forces or dark forces as they call it – dark? Because they are ruthless killers, especially Mori. His problem? He can’t stop killing his partners. He is also the military’s test subject on all kinds of drugs. The one he is addicted to prevents him from feeling pain, but they have taken the drugs to the next level and now Cameron is wondering if the addiction to them will kill him. But he’s been given another chance, they paired him up with Emery and his objective? Not to kill her. Cameron is a walking red flag, with a British accent and, he’s hot.

+ Emery has a past of her own. Daughter of a powerful, wealthy man, she grew up being his trained assassin until she got caught and was supposed to go to jail. But she gets a second chance too – pass the deadly trials the dark forces have set up for recruits, not die at Cameron’s hands, and she will be part of his unit, Fury. I found Emery very interesting – she’s a reluctant killer, but when she did kill for her father she positioned the bodies in artistic ways in protest to her father. So, does she like killing? No. But she does it well, and she does it to survive.

+ The romance is insta-lust, due to the forced proximity put upon them. It’s very physical, definitely a release from the high stress they are all under in that facility, sometimes it was even happening after some violent scene. It’s very spicy. And basically Cameron is the red flag that Emery wants to help change. Her humanity, and caring for others (even though it’s a kill or be killed kind of environment), really opens Cameron’s eyes to the possibility that maybe someone could really care for him. It’s a lot of pushing and pulling on his part though, so it was normal that she get frustrated with that.

+ Most of the story is about training, Cameron and his downward spiral, and then the deadly trials. I think with how it ended, we’ll be getting to know more about Emery’s past in book two since now the two sides will intertwine.

~ Although I loved the chaos, and mayhem of Cameron and Emery’s relationship. I wanted a little more than the spice and more of an emotional connection but it was almost impossible since Cameron has a lot of attachment issues. I’m hoping this guy breaks open in book two, just to win Emery over.

~ Emery has a reputation but I thought it was interesting that in this group of killers she is one of the weakest of them all. She has a specialty for guns, but we don’t even get to see her using it. I guess it was for the purpose of her learning and growing, but I wanted her to at least shine using her strength. She kicked some ass, but Cameron was basically her shield most of the time.

Final Thoughts:

This was a quick, binge-able read and I was highly entertained with Cameron’s crazy. I will definitely be reading book two after how things ended, I need to see what happens with Emery and how her past and family comes up to catch up with her!