A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart, 3) Paperback – April 1, 2025

I absolutely loved A Curse for True Love. This third book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series is magical, romantic, and full of twists that kept me completely hooked from start to finish. The characters are so well developed, and I felt like I was right there with them through every challenge, heartbreak, and moment of joy.The story perfectly blends romance, adventure, and fantasy, and the plot is full of surprises that kept me turning pages late into the night. I also appreciated the way the author explored themes of love, sacrifice, and trust, which added real emotional depth to the story. The writing is beautiful and immersive, making it easy to get lost in the world of magic and intrigue.Overall, this book is a fantastic conclusion to the series. I loved every moment, and it left me satisfied but wishing the story could continue. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tale-inspired romance with strong characters and a gripping plot.IN SUMMARY:A Curse for True Love is a magical, romantic, and gripping finale to the series. The characters are well developed, the plot is full of surprises, and the writing is immersive. Perfect for fans of fairy tale-inspired romance.

THIS REVIEW HAS SPOLIERS FOR ACFTL!!!!The Once Upon a Broken Heart Trilogy is a favorite book series of mine. But I have some disappointments with A Curse For True Love. It left many unanswered questions, loose ends, and some confusion about how things happened the way that they did. The first two books of the series do an excellent job building to the climax and keeping you on your toes. You just have to continue reading to figure out what happens next. In ACFTL, it felt different from the authors books in the past. It didn’t seem to embody any of the excitement from learning the truth like in the first two books. Even the characters didn’t feel truly like themselves. We also had characters who played major roles in the past completely disappear from this book such as Luc, Marisol, and Tiberius. What happened to the librarian that looked as young and old as time then disappeared in a puff of smoke? LaLa and Castor/Chaos didn’t have as much page time as before and neither did Jacks but I have to say, I absolutely adored the romantic tension between LaLa and Chaos. Also the explanation that Chaos isn’t truly a fate made that scene so much better. Continuing on, some of the things mentioned in the previous books seemed like it was going to build up to an exciting moment but was never addressed. How did Evangeline’s parents know so much? It’s inferred that her Dad knew he was going to pass so he rushed a marriage and then died? Why? Who was Jacks first fox? It seemed that it was going to build up to Evangeline being that fox but she’s not? Why does she hear the ticking of time when there’s no clocks around? What happened with LaLa and Dane? If Auroras curse on Jacks was that it’d break if someone who could never love him kissed him then how did Evangeline and Jacks kiss? Was it true love that broke the curse/a back door? What happened with Evangeline’s last debt/broken heart scar? Why wasn’t it paid when she kissed Jacks? How does their relationship work if Jacks is still a Fate and Eva’s just human?I have many more questions but with the few I have written, I hope it could be understood why I felt like A Curse for True Love might have missed its mark. One last thing I want to add is the mini canon epilogue that we got. It just felt like it should’ve been more than what we got. I did love the book but was left with a sour taste in my mouth. Aside from what I disliked, I loved the different POV chapters. I didn’t think I would love the Apollo chapters as much as I did. He was such a complex character and I throughly enjoyed diving deeper into that. Jacks attempting to teach Evangeline how to fight was so out of pocket but also so wholesome and I really appreciated its moment in the book. Jacks seeing the hollow in the Cursed Forest inferring that his best day ever was with her spent there was absolutely gold. The adventure, devastatingly romantic moments, and POV chapters are why I still love this book and series. I definitely would still recommend to any book lover that this series is a must even if I felt like ACFTL could’ve been better.

I thought I hated Once Upon a Broken Heart the first time I read it.I hated Evangeline’s delicate nature, I hated how hopeful and kind she was to people who were clearly going to wrong her. I disliked her forgiving nature and I couldn’t stand her naïveté.And then I found myself reading it again. And again.My heart raced when I realized there would be a second book.The Ballad of Never After broke my reluctant, cold heart into shattered pixie dust just as I realized why I kept rereading a story I claimed to hate. I wept in a way I’ve never wept over a book when I read those final few pages. I made other people read the series just so I had company in my suffering. It was at the end of Ballad that I realized that Evangeline was not a weak character. Being sweet and flowery and lovely and liking pretty things does not make one a weak character. A forgiving nature and sweetness don’t make a person weak. Someone who can remain kind in this cold world is much stronger than the cruelest warrior.Finally, after weeks of suffering, Stephanie put us all out of our misery and admitted there would be a third book. I put a countdown on my phone so I wouldn’t lose track of this final installment.Over the past few years I went from hating Evangeline’s gentle nature to fully loving her and loving who Jacks has become to suit her. She made him a better character and he made her a better character.As it turns out, I have loved this series from start to finish. No matter how harshly I criticized it in the beginning. I was only jealous of Evangeline for staying so kind while I had let myself become cold under similar pressures.This last book really tied it all together with a gauzy pink bow. It was part adventure, part fairytale, but my favorite part is the one where there is no true ending. Because that is the reality of true love.The truth is, I have my own Jacks.He has bright witty blue eyes that change in depth with his moods and curly blonde hair that turns white at the edges in the sun and a quicksilver smile that could trick the devil himself into selling his soul. My husband is my one true love, and after ten years of marriage and two kids I still feel the flutter in my heart every time I catch him staring at me over his cup of coffee when he should be paying attention to a work meeting. Much like Evangeline and Jacks, we write new pages to our love story every day. Our story didn’t end when we got married, it didn’t end with our first kiss or our first “I love you” or one of our many big fights.Because a true love story is continuous and the ending changes all of the time.Stephanie’s message was clear to me as someone who fought against the odds for true love even when it felt impossible at times. We battled social norms as two loony college kids in love and followed each other across the country from military bases to colleges and then to the alter to say our vows at only 22.The love that was written really struck me as an accurate depiction of what true love really takes: hard work and fortitude. You roll with the punches and make magic out of the small moments when the world feels too heavy. You love each other through every season, good and bad.Cruelty begets cruelty. Only love can help to thaw this cold, indifferent world.My advice? Fall in love, hard; and let it take you to the next page, and the next, and the next…