Romance with a wicked twist
By PHOENIX CARLISLE Cover courtesy of the publisher
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephaine Garber is the twisting, imaginative, sweet as baked treats fantasy novel that is perfect for leading into this new spring season.
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings … until she learns that the love of her life, Luc, will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Jacks, the Prince and Fate of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.
After Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game — and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy.
We have all seen the current trend — bows, pink, fictional men, and being our best feminine self. This is the perfect book that has all of that. Evangeline Fox is so soft, sweet, feminine, and honestly I loved how she didn’t know every solution and made mistakes. Her flowy pink hair and whimsical dresses hide the tough, witty personality that shines as she goes throughout the first novel, even throughout the whole series.
Now let’s talk about Jacks, the Prince and Fate of Hearts. If you loved Aaron Warner from Shatter Me, you’re going to adore Jacks. The platinum hair, the witty banter, and the sweet, intimate moments have revealed new sides of him, all so perfectly timed to set up our new fictional crush.
Evangeline and Jacks together are hilarious — one moment then has you giggling and another has you blushing. These two intermingling is breathless and innocent.
Outside of our characters and interlocking plot, Garber gives us this jaw dropping, Pinterest-coded aesthetic. The constant descriptions of a world submerged in voluminous flowers, the world is constantly moving to reveal new buildings and hidden spots. There’s a trick up everyone’s sleeve that spins our main characters in a whirlwind of confusion and mysticism.
Evangeline herself is the definition of light feminine energy. She always adorns beautiful dresses that compliment her pink hair, which was such a fun touch to add to the character since pink hair is perfect for this fantasy world. She is a hopeless romantic and even as she navigates this horrid curse put upon the plot she keeps that love intact. The characters that are met along the way have their own magical properties that progress the story, allowing the ability to understand how the rest of the world functions as the plot goes on. Garber gave us a visually appealing fantasy world that is wonderful to imagine.
Since it is a book series, I felt the second book dragged out a little too far ,which lost my interest 100 pages before it was finished, yet the third book has been released. I haven’t been able to read it, but I am hoping to soon to finally find out what happens to the curse, and revisit Jacks.
As the spring is welcomed through bluebirds and bluebonnets, read about the pink haired sweetheart and witty Prince of Hearts.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber is the fantasy book to dive into this spring. Don’t forget about the two additional books after to continue the adventure. Happy reading!
