Stephanie Garber's finale to the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy is a fairy tale that knows exactly what it wants to be — even if it doesn't quite land every pirouette on the way to its final bow.
Let me start with what hit me first: Rebecca Soler's narration is genuinely excellent. Her voice carries the youthful energy that Evangeline Fox demands, and she shifts between characters with an emotional range that kept me locked in during my evening listens. There's a warmth and urgency to her performance that elevates the romance and the danger in equal measure. When the story leans into its darker fairy tale roots — the curses, the manipulation, the heartbreak — Soler meets every moment with precision. Dan Bittner handles the second perspective, and while he's perfectly competent, the contrast is noticeable. Soler sets such a high bar that Bittner's chapters feel like switching from a vivid dream into something more workmanlike. It's not bad narration by any stretch, but listeners who've fallen in love with Soler's voice across the trilogy will feel the gap.
The story picks up with Evangeline married to her prince, living in a legendary castle, seemingly holding her happily ever after in both hands. Except she's missing memories — devastating ones — and her husband Apollo is dead set on keeping her in the dark. Meanwhile, Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, is out there being the morally questionable, emotionally devastating love interest that made this series so addictive in the first place. The central tension between these two men and Evangeline's fractured understanding of her own story drives most of the book.
Here's where my initial enthusiasm started to shift as I dug deeper into the listen. The first two books in this trilogy crackle with momentum. There's always a puzzle, a dangerous bargain, a ticking clock. A Curse for True Love has those elements on paper, but the pacing feels distinctly slower. Some of that is structural — Evangeline's amnesia means we spend significant time watching her rediscover things we already know, which can feel like treading water even when Soler's delivery keeps the emotional stakes alive. The book is nine hours, not particularly long for fantasy, but there were stretches where I caught myself wanting to bump up the speed.
What surprised me, though, was how emotionally satisfying the core romance lands. Garber has spent two books building the tension between Evangeline and Jacks, and if you're invested in that pairing, this book delivers the payoff. The push and pull between them, the sacrifices, the almost-but-not-quite moments — it's exactly the kind of fairy tale anguish that fans of this series signed up for. Soler's delivery during these scenes is particularly strong, filling the romantic tension with a breathless quality that makes you lean in.
The world-building remains lush and atmospheric without being overwhelming. Garber writes settings that feel like walking through an illustrated storybook, and the audio format amplifies that dreamlike quality. If you loved the Magnificent North in the previous books, you'll feel right at home here. But I'll be honest — the plot itself feels less tightly constructed than its predecessors. Some threads resolve a bit too conveniently, and the villain dynamics, while entertaining, lack the unpredictability that made the earlier books so propulsive. It's the kind of conclusion that prioritizes emotional resolution over narrative complexity, which will either be exactly what you want or slightly disappointing depending on what you loved most about this series. Starling House leans harder into the dark and strange side of that same gothic fairy tale atmosphere — worth a listen if you find yourself wanting something that cuts a little deeper.
At 1.25x speed, the pacing issues mostly evaporate, and the listen becomes much more engaging. Soler's performance holds up beautifully at the faster clip, and you don't lose any of the emotional beats.
Who Should Listen (And Who Should Skip)
If you've followed Evangeline from book one and you're here for the Jacks romance payoff, this delivers. Soler alone is worth the price of admission. Skip it if you need airtight plotting or if amnesia-driven rediscovery frustrates you — the pacing will test your patience. For fans who've been with this trilogy from the beginning, it's a satisfying farewell — not the strongest entry, but one that honors the romance and the fairy tale atmosphere that made the series special. The dual narration is a nice touch even if it's uneven, and it's the kind of audiobook best enjoyed curled up somewhere comfortable, letting the fairy tale wash over you without overthinking the mechanics underneath.
