Masquerade of the Heart by Katy Rose Pool

The quick cut: A sequel that picks up from the tragic aftermath of a wedding in the first book. 

A real review:

 Finding out family secrets can be difficult on any day, but when finding out that they tie directly into the leadership of the country? That somehow makes it all the more dramatic. For Marlow, she finds that her family's secrets keep appearing in the center of the drama unfolding with the five families. 

 Marlow had a hard enough time dealing with the aftermath of the Vale-Falcrest wedding, but now Adrius refuses to see her. He's also vowing to find a bride by the end of the year. How can she uncover the evidence needed to prove who really created all these tragedies? Will she survive to see a better world by the end? 

 It's been so long since the first book that it took me quite some time to get back into this fantasy realm, but it was well worth the effort. The way the magic works is unique enough that it stands out and the characters feel real. Marlow is definitely fighting an uphill battle and seeing her battle her own self doubt (and others evil deeds) makes you want to see her succeed. 

 I definitely recommend re-reading the first book before picking this one up. I didn't and it took a significant amount of the start to really get back into the rhythm of it. The author wrote in such a way that you very much do need to be familiar with the first to appreciate what's happening in the second. 

 My only real grudge with this one is the rapid fire conclusion. The pace was consistent enough until the end when suddenly everything wrapped up fast. It practically gave me whiplash! It's almost as if the author originally meant it to be a trilogy and then switched it to a duology near the end. 

 A satisfying follow-up to the first book in this curse based series. 

My rating: 4 out of 5