Beautifully written once again a true gem of a book from Keith, I have loved all his books and this one was no different, full of twists and drama and al you need from a good book, a fantastic novel once again bravo!!!

This has to be my favourite of Keith Stuart’s novels so far.
It is an absolute celebration of the pursuit of love through adversity. Don’t be fooled by the title, this is not a romance novel.

So many twists and turns, so much drama, suspense and historic gothic atmosphere. And so many fabulously colourful and dark characters. Loved them all, even the wicked and cold hearted ones.
Keith Stuart has a wonderful way of weaving a story from page one and it doesn’t take long for the reader to feel invested and immersed within the character’s lives.
Cammy is a fabulous goth protagonist who sets out to solve the family curse and in doing so meets so many intriguing characters.
The visual settings are crafted well and you get a real sense of place. St Cyprian’s church feels very foreboding and threatening and the sense of dread of what is following the main characters, in the dark, throughout the book feels very scary and real.

My heart goes out to two characters in particular. Their story told in the form of a series of love letters, between Daphne and Robbie. The contents of these letters are incredibly moving and give the reader the sense of strength in love and friendship surviving through adversity against the backdrop of war and the attempt to save someone by letting them go. I shed a few tears there.

Well done to Keith for creating yet another emotional rollercoaster ride of a story.

This whole book is an entire feeling. It’s raw, gothic, suspenseful, thought provoking and an emotional read; and you just can’t help but root for the Cammy! Loved it.

Well, what a fabulous read, I suspected it would be as this author never disappoints. Stuart has a gift for storytelling. Not a word is wasted and it reads beautifully.

Don't be fooled by the title - this is not a romance book, but it is a book about romantic love. It's also about parental love, sibling love, love through the ages, forbidden love, all kinds of love. Stories swirling within stories. There is also a healthy dose of the spooky & more than a nod to the era of Victorian seances & family curses - right up my street.

The characters are so fully formed, that they are still living in my imagination, which, for me, is what makes a great book. To make the reader care about the characters & what happens to them, believe in them & think about them outside of the covers is a gift. And Stuart most definitely has that gift.

Family secrets, whispers & half told tales are what may curse love. But love most definitely is a blessing if we let it in. Even the ending was utterly sublime. I loved it.

I thank NetGalley and Little Brown Group UK for providing me with an ARC copy of this novel, which I freely chose to review.
This is the fourth novel by Keith Stuart I have read, and I’ve enjoyed them all. This one follows more in the steps of The Frequency of Us (his third novel) perhaps, than A Boy Made of Blocks, but it shows the same affinity for its characters, non-judgemental attitude, and glass-half-full perspective of life which I’ve come to expect and love.
The story starts with a prologue, set in 1892 in Batheaston, a village near Bath, where we meet a woman called Camille, in pretty mysterious circumstances, and the whole episode (which I cannot discuss in detail) has a clear Gothic feel. Then the story moves to the present time of the story (pretty contemporary, although not specified), and we meet another Camille. Everybody calls her Cammy, and she becomes our first-person narrator. And she has quite a story to tell. It seems there is a course going back four generations affecting the women in her family. If they fall in love, things will go wrong. Although not everybody believes in the curse, Cammy takes it to heart, and it seems to fit in with her outlook on life. When her aunt dies and leaves her the old church where she used to live as an inheritance, Cammy becomes more and more convinced the curse is true. Then, things start looking up, only for something terrible to happen that makes her reconsider everything. She starts digging into the story of the female line of her family, and her findings are anything but reassuring. Is it all just a case of confirmation bias, or there is something to the story?
Of course, I am not going to reveal anything that has not already been hinted at in the description, but this is a gripping story, and I became enwrapped in it. The pace isn’t always fast, as tends to be the case when somebody is investigating a long-buried mystery because there is much through and fro —one step forward and one step back— involved, and the difficulties increase the further back she tries to go. Still, I enjoyed the way the story is told, with its mix of memories, letters, diaries, newspaper articles, personal accounts... The narrative jumps about a fair bit, because there is much ground to cover, and there are different versions of events, but I didn’t find it confusing. The way the main protagonist keeps hesitating, changing her opinion, and being put to the test feels quite realistic, and despite the supernatural elements suffusing the story, it does manage to create credible characters whose behaviours and reactions feel true and understandable.
The writing is compelling, with beautiful descriptions of the church, the woods, the landscape, the jewellery (Cammy designs jewels), and the artworks (her aunt, Lorna, was an artist), which I enjoyed and I did not feel it detracted from the story, rather the opposite. The atmosphere of the narrative is fundamental, and though engaging, this is not a story that goes at a breakneck pace, but one that builds up slowly. But don’t get too comfortable, because the tension keeps ramping up as we get closer to the ending (which is very good).
Is this a totally realistic story? No. Does it require suspension of disbelief? Of course. That is the nature of the beast. The writing is compelling and the story manages to combine classic with modern elements and make them work. And it is beautifully constructed and written.
Some of the author's followers were not too impressed with this novel, as it is quite different from the others, especially his first one, but I think this is a case of unfulfilled expectations. I am happy that he keeps exploring and finding new stories to tell. And, anybody who hasn’t read any of his previous work doesn’t need to worry, as each novel is completely separate, independent, and quite different from the rest. I look forward to Stuart’s future writing.
Oh, and for those who love music, there is a playlist to go with the story. The link is at the end of the book.

Love is a Curse by Keith Stuart is an intriguing story about love and loss, heartbreak and hope.
Cammy first learns of the curse on her family when her beloved aunt mentions it on her deathbed, but her mother dismisses it as nonsense. Supposedly the women in the family are cursed to lose those they fall in love with, but to teenage Cammy this seems more than a little ridiculous. It is not until years later when her boyfriend is severely injured by being hit by a car that she begins to wonder more about the curse and where it came from. As she digs into her family history she uncovers a story that is a hundred and fifty years in the making and will reveal the truth behind the tragedies that have befallen the generations of women before her.
This is a very different type of story from Keith Stuart with darker and more gothic vibes than his previous books, not that that is something I am complaining about, in fact I quite enjoyed how atmospheric the book was with its creepy setting in an former church and the bohemian and striking characters, especially Cammy. I admire his skill in creating a story that unfolded slowly yet still held my attention as a reader and I was impressed that he managed to create an ending that worked so well in the context of the story. I also want to give praise for his handling of the recovery process following serious injury, the fear and frustration of Ben, Cammy's boyfriend as he embarked on a long rehabilitation process was brought vividly to life on the page, as was Cammy's guilt and her fear of losing him.
This is a book that will appeal to many readers and I have no doubt that it will be another success for Keith Stuart.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Having thoroughly enjoyed all of Keith Stuart's previous novels, I was really excited to get stuck into this one. It had many of the things that I enjoy about his work: it deals with the complexities of familial relationships and the characters must face challenging hurdles as they navigate life and finding their place in it. However, this book had quite a different feel to it and had an air of menace and creepiness
I am not usually a reader of ghost/ creepy stories but I tried to put that bias aside and enjoy the quality writing that I knew was guaranteed. It has taken me some time to sit down and write a review as I am a little conflicted in that, I love the author and how he writes but struggled to connect with this story and the central characters in it. I didn't find the warmth in the characters that I usually do; maybe the focus on the curse and supernatural elements distanced me from them as a reader. However this is a very personal response as the story is certainly well crafted and unfolds across several generations of women and I liked the way that we were able to see the background story develop and build over time and from different viewpoints.
I would recommend this book as it is well- structured but the themes just weren't for me. This would in no way prevent me rushing to read the next book by this author.

I enjoyed this, having loved Keith’s other books, which are individual and interesting. This was very much a gothic tale, told over different generations of the same family and an attempt to understand how a curse came into being. There were strong characters and a tone of foreboding.

I loved this book. It had everything, suspense, horror, love.
You name it this book had it!
My only complaint was I got a bit lost with who some of the older characters were so a family tree might have been handy.
Never the less I thought it was highly original and great.

I'm afraid I struggled a bit with this book. I thought it quite slow and too many people from the main character Cammy's family ancestors. Trying to keep track of all rhe names and what happened to them needed too much concentration. I nearly gave up but tried again and enjoyed it from about halfway through. Nice ending.

Love is a Curse took me on a journey through a family's history, blending the ordinary with the supernatural. This isn't my preferred genre as I don't enjoy reading anything about the supernatural or paranormal but I have read other books by this author and enjoyed his unique style so much that when offered an ARC by the publisher on Netgalley, I decided to give this a go.

The story unfolds as Cammy, haunted by the warning of a family curse that dictates the tragic fate of the women in her lineage, delves into her family's past. I really enjoyed the way the narrative weaves between the present and the past, incorporating elements of letters, diaries, manuscripts, and newspaper articles. This approach introduced me to the intricate lives of the women who came before Cammy, each who faced unique struggles with love and loss.

As with all of the books so far by this author, the novel is loaded with emotional depth and the characters feel very real. For example as Cammy embarks on her quest for understanding, the novel journeys through a poignant exploration of love's complexities and the impact of a perceived curse on generations of women.

The evocative setting of a converted church, surrounded by an ancient graveyard and ominous woods created a vivid backdrop which added to the atmospheric tension and (unfortunately for me) enhanced the overall supernatural vibe of this novel (and freaked me right out).

Personally I would have enjoyed it more without the supernatural elements which is why I gave this only three stars but this says more about me as a reader because I am not able to rate the quality of the narrative related to the supernatural elements. However, it is clear that Kieth Stuart's writing skills are multifaceted.

Overall, this is an emotional and engaging story that seamlessly blends supernatural elements with a family's historical exploration.

What a fantastic read, everything you'd expect from Keith Stuart and more. I was invested and engaged with the many characters and their emotions straightaway and didn't get lost at all in the twisting, tangled story lines that knitted together perfectly. I enjoy Keith's novels because they are believable, have real settings and historical facts threaded throughout. I am learning fascinating snippets of socisl history as I read! I love that the book is centred around Bath and surrounding areas too. It all adds to the experience for me. Top book from top author.

I absolutely adored A Boy Made Of Blocks, this authors non fiction account of life with his autistic son. This is the first fiction book by the same author that I have read. I don’t know what I was expecting- but this was very different from any preconceived ideas I had about what Keith Stuart’s novels would contain. This is a tale of family and inter generational trauma, with a touch of the occult and the gothic, and ultimately love and family bonds. It follows Cammy who is told at 15 by her dying aunt that the family is cursed- that she can never fall in love or tragedy will befall her. Cammy delves deep into the family history to uncover more about this curse, and along the way we learn so much more about the women in the family, past and present. This was a really absorbing read, I particularly loved the articles and letters. I felt this book had a little bit of everything and kept me wondering throughout. A great read

Overall I enjoyed this book although I did get a little muddled with all the generations of women in the family.

It was really suspenseful and I liked the main character. Recommended.

I have read one of the author’s other books, "Frequency of Us” so was really pleased when I was given the opportunity to receive an ARC of his new book. Cammy' is told by her dying aunt about a curse on the women of her family so some years later, after her boyfriend Ben is involved in a serious car accident; Cammy starts to investigate the 150 year old story of the curse. The book goes back and forth through the centuries as she traces her family tree to find the root of the family curse.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, a great choice for those who enjoy a spooky, gothicy vibe to their reads.

I am a big fan of Keith Stuart's writing so was excited to read this latest story. Cammy is told by her aunt who is on her death bed, that the women in their family are cursed, and that if they fall in love something terrible will happen. Years later Cammy meets and falls in love with Ben When Ben is seriously injured in a car accident, she believes it is her fault and starts to investigate the 150 year old story of the curse. This is a really creepy story - can the curse be real or is there a logical explanation?
Thanks to Netgalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I loved this book! The gothic style appealed to my inner goth. The characters were colourful and the plot was well executed. I will go back and find more by this author.

I have been in a reading slump for months now and had been sent an arc by the publishers. This is my second book from Keith Stuart and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I went in blind not knowing anything about the book or what to expect. As I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down honestly- it got me out my slump which I am very happy about.

The story is based on the main protagonist Camille who is told about a “curse” in the family by her dying aunt. Camille then investigates, finds and learns about her “pasts” which holds three more generation stories. The story is captivating as it had a lot of haunting, supernatural, mysterious as well as emotional parts to it.

There were many a times whilst I was reading I felt how could someone have even thought of this or how could someone even come up with this story so kudos to the author. The story initially starts with mysterious as well as thrilling part however the book covers so much more than a dark suspense element. There were times where it could feel dark, tense, sad but then there are times where you feel good, happy etc. I would also call this a beautiful story as I was greatly fascinated by how the author has blended in art, literature and history to the story, love stories not just one but several and how each characters play their role in the story. The major plot towards the end I could see it coming and it all makes sense as to why and how it happened.

Thankyou Netgalley and the publishers for providing me this arc. It was a wonderful read and shall stay with me for a long time.

This is the 4th book by Keith Stuart I have read. Each one an original and unusual story. I loved the supernatural element to this story, I loved the mentions of The Cure and other goth music ( will be checking out the Spotify playlist) I loved each individual woman’s story and the only reason why it’s not 5 stars was I found it a little messy with the stories from the past, letters, manuscripts, journals and newspaper articles. Surely everything and every conversation wouldn’t be written down. Feel it would have worked better with each chapter in a different timescale rather than Cammy finding things out through research. Apart from that I enjoyed it, thank you Netgalley for giving me an early opportunity to read it and I look forward to his next book.

Love is a Curse by Keith Stuart is a well written and unique story spanning several years in a multi-generational family convinced that they have a curse hanging over them.
This is different to any book I have read before and I really enjoyed it. It will appeal to readers who enjoy supernatural, gothic or spooky sorts of books.
Highly recommend!