I enjoyed the first book in the interconnected Moonlit Court series. While it’s not essential to read it beforehand, the references do add some richness, but you can easily find your way into this story without prior context.
Synopsis:
Duty demanded she let him go. Fate had other plans.
Lurena Ithelion has spent her life as a disappointment—too bookish, too timid, never quite enough for her ambitious mother. The only man who’s ever made her feel seen is the one she can never have: Lord Xerius Vargonus, wolf shifter and ambassador to the Dark Moon Court, her people’s sworn enemy. When her mother arranges her marriage to a political ally, Lurena does the noble thing and breaks things off with Xerius to set him free.
Then her fiancé collapses at their wedding, poisoned.
The only cure lies deep in monster-infested caves within Dark Moon territory. Lurena’s mother volunteers her to retrieve it, but they need Xerius to get past the border. Now Lurena is trapped underground with the man she can’t stop loving, battling creatures from nightmares while he’s determined to win her back. Every heated glance, every protective gesture, every moment pressed together in the dark threatens to shatter her resolve.
When a cave-in separates them from their party, leaving them completely alone, she’s running out of reasons to resist. But saving her fiancé means losing the only man she’s ever wanted—and this time, she might not survive letting him go.
Review:
The book opens with a forced marriage, and it’s obvious from the start that neither party is happy about it. They’re agreeing for political reasons, which is hardly the ideal foundation for a relationship. When the groom is poisoned and his survival depends on a rare antidote, the stakes rise quickly.
Meanwhile, the main couple still longs for each other, and being thrown together on a dangerous mission only complicates things – especially for those joining the journey without much of a choice.
I enjoyed the connection between the protagonists, but it took until the second half of the book for it to truly land for me. The mission itself is undeniably risky, but I never felt fully connected to all the characters involved, so the potential losses didn’t carry the emotional weight I hoped for.
Overall, it’s a fast‑paced and easy read, but it lacks some of the spark – and the banter – I loved in the first book.
🌙 Recension: Only in Shadows (The Moonlit Court #2) by Christine Linwood
📚 Genre: Romance, Fantasy
📅 Release Date: March 16, 2026
📗 included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 293
⭐️ 3/5
Interested in more?
- Review: Only in Shadows by Christine Linwood
- Review: Then You Happened by J.S. Wood
- Review: I Was Never Broken by Hazel Anthony
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