The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino – Review

Published: September 23, 2025

Publisher: Forever

Series: The Hand and the Heart #1

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 475 (Kindle)

My Rating: 5 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice.

Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier.

She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier’s to use. Grey would do anything for Kier – be anything for him – if he would only ask.

When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into the dangerous heart of their nation’s war, Grey and Kier will need to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect their secret.

For Grey is no ordinary magical well, but heir to the lost island of Locke – the root of all power. If she dies, all magic dies with her.

The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly romantic epic fantasy and about the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Six Deaths of the Saint.

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The knightcore books are absolutely slaying this year and so far all three that I’ve read have been amazing. The Second Death of Locke is a strong contender for my favorite thanks to a criminal amount of yearning, self sacrifice, and general tragic backstory. It’s absolutely brimming with feeling. 

The Second Death of Locke follows Grey Flynn and her mage, Kier Seward as they un-subtly long for one another all while slaying the enemy. Grey is a well, a source of magic for Kier to wield in battle. The two have been together since childhood when Grey was adopted by a young war widow who was practically a child herself and Kier’s mothers basically took in the both of them. When they set off to join the military it was purely for the purpose of hiding Grey in plain sight because Grey is far more than just a mysterious orphan who washed up on the shores of Scaela. Grey is the heir to the island nation of Locke and is the source of all magic. When they are sent on a mission to transport a girl claiming to be the heir of Locke they know it’s fake, but what they want to know is why. Why is this girl claiming to be someone she couldn’t be? Who is she really? And can they survive the mission and earn their retirement?

Grey and Kier have such fantastic dialogue, well written rapport, and desperate desire for one another. V.L. Bovalino did an excellent job of writing two people who grew up with one another and gives some delightful little moments of reminiscence to their younger years. Grey is surprisingly grouchy and good at killing people for someone who was first trained as a healer. Kier, as a mage specializing in the body, is also great at killing people in a whole different way. These two are gritty, hardened battlefield heroes that generally kick ass. This book is bloody and heartbreaking and at times wrung genuine laughter from me. There are some long running jokes between Kier and Grey that I really appreciated. And lest I forget, the side characters that go along with the pair on their journey are also so well written and memorable.

I always try to avoid major spoilers, especially for new releases but man, this book had me all kinds of torn up and I really didn’t know how it was going to have a happy ending. I can’t believe the author did that to us readers!!!! That being said, I appreciated being thoroughly traumatized by a book with a romantic lean to it for once. Usually I’m like, oh, this will resolve eventually and they’ll have a happy ending, but The Second Death of Locke really kept me guessing until almost the very end. If you’ve read The Knight and the Moth, I would highly recommend picking up The Second Death of Locke, especially if you would like something that is a standalone story with a good resolution. This is listed as the first in a series, but it seems the next book may follow a different set of characters. And, if you’ve read and loved this book, I would recommend you pick up The Everlasting by Alix Harrow when it comes out in October. Same vibes, same traumatic reading experience.