Cursed in Love by @emilycolinbooks was graciously sent to me by @victoryeditingngc via @Netgalley. I was SO excited to receive this just around the corner from Valentine’s Day. I haven’t read many romance novels and I was so ready to start diving in to them after seeing all of your posts on the genre!

I was able to chat with the author Emily prior to reading the book and we found out she lives close to my parents, so that’s fun! She is very sweet and I couldn’t be more excited for her to share this book with everyone on her Valentine’s Day pub date 2/14/2025!

NetGalley Description:

“Stars Hollow meets Charmed in this darkly funny, small-town paranormal romcom... Love doesn't get much more forbidden than this.

In the quirky, tight-knit town of Sapphire Springs, beloved for its chocolate-caramel milkshakes and spicy senior citizens’ book club, Rune Whitlock has always felt like an outsider. Gifted with the ability to see the future but cursed to have no one believe her premonitions, she’s accepted that romance isn’t in the cards. She’s got a cozy cottage, a fulfilling graphic design career, a loyal best friend, and Valentine—the sweet rescue kitty who is definitely not her familiar. So what if she’s sometimes lonely?

But everything changes when she meets Donovan Frost. A brilliant, brooding data engineer, Donovan is everything Rune is not: methodical, reserved, logical. He’s also grumpy, judgmental, and 5-chili-peppers hot. Thrown together on a mysterious work project, the two clash spectacularly—until an unexpected connection ignites between them.”

My Review: 😻😻😻😻😻

Y’all, this book was so much fun to read! It was a great book for me to fall in love with the romance genre.

I enjoyed the banter between not only the two main characters, Rune and Donovan, but also between the entire town in the book! It’s a cozy, fun, grumpy/sunshine and forbidden love romance that turns very suspenseful quickly and is so hard to put down!

The author does a wonderful job of painting a detailed picture in your mind of what their world looks like. It’s amazing how much you can feel the chemistry between Rune and Donovan with the author’s words. I found myself thinking how great this book would be as a miniseries even though we all know the books are always better!

Thanks again to NetGalley, Victory Editing and Emily Colin for giving me the opportunity to read this adorable, fun, twisty paranormal romance that should be in everyone’s hands this Valentine’s Day 💜

#cursedinlove #ecRxD #cozysmalltown #netgalley #grumpysunshine #forbiddenlove #ARC
#emilycolin #victoryediting #paranormalromance #valetinesdaybooks #witchyvibes

I really enjoyed the premise of the book. I was not a fan of the on the nose Charmed/Gilmore Girls references. The first half of the story was kinda slow, but did pick up in the second half. The story only takes place over a couple days. I would have enjoyed it being over a longer period to get to know Rune and Donovan better. Overall 3 stars as I enjoyed it.

I absolutely devoured this book!!! It was such an amazing paranormal romance with main characters I loved.

Rune, who had premonitions most of her life, but no one ever believed her. After she meets Donovan, who is her exact opposite and with whom she feels a connection, she sees something that forces her to stay away. But the more she tries, the more chaos ensues. As their connection grows stronger, so does the danger.
I loved the setting of a small town and all of the secrets it kept hidden, as well as the characters (especially the Sinsters).
The writing style and the pace suited me well and I really enjoyed reading this story filled with magic.

I want to start by thanking Emily Colin considering I had the honor of reading this book as an ARC. Thank you!

This book is about Rune, a young lady who grew up in several foster homes and now lives in a small town with her cat, Valentine. However, Rune has a special gift that no one knows about: she gets visions of the future. The only problem is: she has absolutely no control over at what times these visions present themselves which causes many uncomfortable moments. And when she tries to explain to people that she's getting these visions they don't believe her.
To avoid the uncomfortable situations, Rune works mostly from home until her boss, Ethan, forces her to work with Donovan, an "icecold" colleague who seemingly dislikes her. As the project progresses and Rune discovers more and more about her origins she faces the question: Who among her friends, colleagues and acquaintances can she really trust?

I really enjoyed reading this book! It starts out as a cozy romance book, but the further you get into the story the more it becomes a romantasy! Definitely a recommended read!

Thank you NetGalley & Black Orchid Books for the ARC! I'll be honest, I DNF'ed this at 31%. I'm personally not a fan of fast romances and I felt lost on where this story was supposed to go. I hope others enjoy this more than I did, but I just couldn't get through the rest of the book.

This books is a little chaotic.
I like the idea of 2 types of witches and the FMCs powers. I really liked that the town's coven has a spicy book club and loved how Gilmore girls like is the town.

I found the curse to be interesting, but we don’t get to see or learn much about it or the witches until about the 40%. And everything seems just a bit messy and not as well integrated with the romance storyline.
I would’ve liked it better if we had a better understanding of the world, and if it wasn’t instant Love. Somehow I feel the backstory of foster care was unnecessary, while representation matters I don’t think it added much to the plot.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

i want to thank netgalley and emily colin for giving me the pleasure of reading an arc of this book.

i actually enjoyed it a lot more than i thought i would, the romance felt a little rushed in the begging but then it all made sense and i end up really rooting for them. the town and the magic elements were done beautifully and i really did enjoyed it.

The Stars Hollow similarity drew me in and the characters and chemistry kept me hooked. I absolutely loved it!

Cursed in Love is marketed as a "Stars Hollow meets Charmed" cozy paranormal romance. It's lacking the Gilmore Girls banter but this book is set in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone, so I suppose that's the parallel. I'm not sure that I'd call this book "cozy", but I'd say it's a witchy paranormal romance!

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS:
Rune is a graphic designer who can see the future but is cursed to have no one believe her premonitions. Donovan is a grumpy and methodical senior developer and data engineer. When they're thrown together to work on a mysterious project, they clash at first but can't resist their attraction for each other. When things get steamy between them, it triggers a premonition that reveals Donovan dying on their wedding day. Rune decides to push him away to protect him, but it's impossible when they're forced to work together so closely.

He nicknames her Chaos?! SOLD.

This book had me HOOKED...until about 65% in. The writing started off so captivating and I kept itching to know what happens next. I was SO sure I'd be giving this book 5 stars, but I feel like the ending didn't really live up to its potential. Rune came off as immature at times, and some phrases were so repetitive that they lost their quirkiness and charm. I think the insta-lust worked really well for this plot, but the insta-love didn't. I'm still glad I read it because I really enjoyed more than half of it, but by the time I finished it, I was glad it was over.

Thank you to @netgalley + Black Orchid Books for the ARC!

Review: ⭐⭐⭐💫
Tropes: opposites attract, workplace romance, forbidden love, fated mates, grumpy x sunshine
Trigger warnings: violence, references to childhood abuse, arson, and foster care placement, mentions of suicide, and parental death (before the story begins)

☪️ Cursed in love by Emily Colins ☪️

Publication Date: 14th February 2025

My review date on IG: 12th February 2025

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨️ Review ✨️

Loved this ARC and i have to say a massive thank you to #Netgallery and Black Orchid Books for giving me the chance to read this arc!

Cursed in love is a captivating read that effortlessly blends romance with supernatural intrigue.

From the very first page, the story pulls you in with its rich world-building and well-developed characters. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader engaged and invested in the characters' fates.

The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, making their romantic journey both heartwarming and tense, as they navigate their complex feelings amidst the curse that haunts them. Colins' writing is smooth and engaging, perfectly balancing the supernatural elements with deep emotional depth.

What stands out most is how the book explores themes of love, fate, and self-discovery, with a refreshing perspective that makes the reader think long after the last page.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this ARC.
The first part of this book got me hooked. The story opening was full of charm and humour, giving me some genuine smiling or laughing out loud moment.
However, as the story went, there was so much going on and I felt kind of dizzy. I could understand the chemistry that drew the main characters towards each other, but the pacing was pretty fast so that their feeling development became somehow confusing.
My rating : 3 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review. All opinions are my own.

In this story, we follow Rune Whitlock, a graphic designer who has the ability to see the future, yet nobody believes her. She has accepted that romance is not for her, and she is completely fine living with her cat, Valentine, who is definitely NOT a familiar. This changed when she met Donovan Frost, a grumpy and judgemental data engineer, for a work project. Rune’s gift reveals that their love story is doomed to be a tragedy, and she must unravel the mystery before it's too late.

This book genuinely had me so invested in the characters. I love Greek mythology, and the fact that Rune’s curse is based on Cassandra is one of my favorite things. I also adore Donovan with everything in my heart; he may be one of my new favorite MMCs. Also, I cannot get over the Sisters; I would love to be an old lady in a spicy book club when I am old. This book genuinely had me laughing out loud at some points. Oh my god, the twists. I usually can see a twist coming, and I expected none of them and loved them at every turn. This is probably one of the best witchy romances I have read in a while, and I had the best time with it. It managed to be everything I wanted it to be and more.

🔮Forbidden Love
🌿Fated Mates
🌙Witchy Magic
🔮Grumpy/Sunshine
🌿Curses & Secrets
🌙 Cozy Small Town

I went in expecting a light, fun, witchy mystery—but wow, this story got deep and intense, and I couldn’t put it down!

Rune is such an easy heroine to root for. Her gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it) makes her both strong and vulnerable, and her struggle between love and fate had me hooked. Then there’s Donovan—broody, logical, and the perfect balance to Rune’s chaos.

What really makes this book stand out is how effortlessly it mixes romance, mystery, and magic. The paranormal elements are just the right touch, and the humor—especially from the quirky town and its lively book club—helps lighten the darker moments. And the mystery? Totally kept me on my toes.

If I had one gripe, it’s that the ending was intense. It felt like a whirlwind of incantations, blood rituals, and sheer panic, all speeding up faster and faster. But overall? Loved it.

i been going back and forth about giving this a 3.5 or a 4 star and it landed on it being a 3.5 stars.

i really enjoyed the magical aspect of this book and everything that was going on with rune i found myself so invested in that storyline and with her past.

the romance is just what really lacked for me i feel like we didn’t get much to it they went from not liking each other to liking each other so fast and i feel like if we had more time with them and more flashed out i would of liked it so much more i just didn’t root for it. at first it didn’t bother me too much but having the realization all of this happen in such a short time span made me wish that section was just more flashed out and given more time because we went from nothing to talking about kids and marriage in a week. i however did like the action of him remembering the flowers she had on her frontyard and him placing the same ones on her desk i thought that was really sweet.

overall it was a good story and i definitely liked it and even stayed up to carry it on but it was purely for rune and her story and everything that was going on with her so it is fair to say i really loved rune and she personally carried the story for me.

i wanna thank netgalley for the giving me a arc for this book !

I just finished reading this book, and it took me a week to finally complete it! Going into this book, I really thought it was going to be a light-hearted, easy-going romance book. But I didn’t expect this book to have paranormal elements in it. So I was honestly a little confused about how this came about and felt like it was kind of out of the blue. I was really stuck at about the 60% mark of the book because I felt like it didn’t make sense. I really thought to DNF this book, but I pushed through it.

This book is about Rune who has the ability to see the future but somehow cursed because no one would believe her. She accepted the fact that and knows that romance is also out of the picture for her. Until she meets Donovan. He's icy cold toward everyone but somehow they're destined to be together.

I'm kinda glad I pushed through the rest of the book because as I read through the rest of the book, the paranormal elements start to make sense. And I couldn't put the book down because I want to find out what's going to happen to the female and male main characters.

I get to learn everything about the two main characters and other characters toward like 80% of the book, and I feel like the author could've dropped a few more clarifying clues earlier in the book. I was so close to DNF-ing this book because it felt like it was so slow and things took forever to unfold.

It was a pretty enjoyable read but I wish I wasn't confused as I was after reading half of the book.

‘Cursed In Love’ by Emily Colin is a heartwarming yet emotionally intense romance that blends supernatural intrigue with a touch of whimsy. Rune Whitlock, a woman gifted with the ability to see the future, faces a life of isolation, especially in matters of love. Her life takes a turn when she meets Donovan Frost, a brilliant but reserved data engineer. Their chemistry is undeniable, but Rune’s premonitions reveal that their love is doomed to end in tragedy. As the couple battles fate and dark forces, Rune must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect the man she loves. With a charming setting and a gripping twist, Colin crafts a tale of love, destiny, and self-sacrifice that keeps readers hooked until the very end.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were great and I loved the story line, even if I was able to figure it out pretty early on, it was still a fun enjoyable read.
Although going from the insta-love at the beginning to the slowest slow burn almost killed me.
The only thing I didn’t like what the overuse of the phrase “sweet purple ponies” but I dunno, maybe turn it into a drinking game or something?

I LOVED this book! Read it it one sitting, it is hilarious! Such a perfect read, beautifully written! I loved how the author captured the modern woman, I loved the writing style, 10/10! So many funny quotes saved!

Sweet purple ponies! This book was a cross between cozy small town rom-com and cozy fantasy!
This book made me want to curl up under a blanket with a cup of tea and imagine I was in the story (as an innocent bystander, not someone with magic).
Runa and Donovan had such grumpy/sunshine energy, and I loved every obstacle thrown their way

This book wasn’t what I expected. I think I expected more of a rom com with a bit of witch but it turned out to be much more fantasy based than I was expecting. Neverless I loved it, I thought it was well written and after about half way, really hard to put down.