Small-town paranormal romance is perfect for a romantic February! It's Stars Hollow meets Charmed and was a super fun read. It exceeded my expectations for how much I would enjoy it.

Rune has a special gift, but is cursed to never be believed about it. When she is tasked to work with her coworker, Donovan, and sparks fly, she has a vision of their future. However, with the curse in place how can she save them noth when nobody believes her visions?
This is touted as Gillmore Girls meets Charmed, two of my favourite tv shows, and it stood up to the comparison! Small town vibes combine with witchy secrecy and a fated mates story that made fo a really fun read. I would say that there's a lot of plot building for the first 50-60 percent of the book, but once the action kicks in it's really good! I loved the main characters and also the supporting ones and hope that we gwt a book about Donovan's brother, Cooper!

🔮 Cursed In Love 🔮
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“You make me feel, Rune. Sometimes I hate you for it. But mostly...mostly, I just want more. More of the unpredictability and danger and, yeah, chaos that's come into my life since the moment you stepped into the elevator with me. More of you."

This is an ARC review and this book releases February 14th.

This is a small town, paranormal, contemporary romance following Rune, a graphic designer with the power to see the future and Donovan, a seemingly frosty, data engineer who Rune is forced to spend time alongside on a work project. The two clash constantly and can’t seem to agree on anything but still are inexplicably drawn to eachother. As their connection is growing Rune’s gift shows her a cursed tragedy in their future, making her determined to push Donovan away to protect them both but this is easier said than done, as she works to solve the mystery of her past.

You know when you just need a perfect rom com and something totally delivers? When I read ‘stars hollow meets charmed’ my heart jumped for joy as this is all the cozy, magic goodness plus a hearty dash of mystery I needed and it was bloody brilliant, I was cackling for most of the book. I very much want to live in Sapphire Springs and sip on caramel chocolate milkshakes while reading spicy novels for book club. A dreamy, feel good read with all the small town, cozy, witchy vibes and Rune was a relatable and hilarious FMC, with a traumatic past that added layers and depth to her. Donovan grew on me more than I expected and I ended up loving the pair and the plot heavy romance full of humour and wonderful characters in a perfect setting plus I absolutely adored Emily’s writing style - it was so devourable.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Black Orchid Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

TW: violence, references to childhood abuse, arson, and foster care placement, mentions of suicide, and parental death (before the story begins).

This was a cozy paranormal romance taking place in a small town that is all up in each others business. I was immediately drawn in by the description as a small town romance with forced proximity is right up my ally. However, what I dislike most is insta-love, and sadly this was insta-love with a massive miscommunication trope. The overall concept kept me interested enough in the story to reach the end, however I do wish it was more enemies to lovers rather than the "I've seen you once and I'm obsessed with you" that is delivered.

The timeline of this book is super fast and I do believe it would have benefitted from being drawn out a little more. Not only is the plot really intense with so much happening that somehow all wraps up within a week, there are quite a few characters involved which just results in a lack of depth in everyone and everything. I would have loved to have more development in "quirky" Rune and "ice-man" Donovan however with how quick this book progressed, it was unfortunately lacking.

Despite my gripes with some tropes I don't like, this still served as a great little palate cleanser that had some really enjoyable moments!

This was a cute, paranormal romance. There was a lot of humor and suspense in the best way possible.

Rune can see the future, but is cursed for no one to believe her. Donovan is an uptight hunk with no interest in chaos. Unfortunately for him, Rune is chaos incarnate. Something he soon becomes attracted to. Unfortunately for Rune, she saw his death the first night together. After a series of mishaps and evil witches, these two polar opposites combined.

Cursed In Love is opposites attract, forced proximity, and a workplace romance. There's plenty of romance and magic just in time for Valentine's Day. There were a few things that my brain couldn't wrap its head around. Rune frequently said she was an outsider in the town, but everyone was always nice to her throughout the book. The ending felt a bit rushed and crammed together. Other than that, I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Why did I rate Cursed in Love by Emily Colin 2.5 stars?

🐈🔮🩸

Objectively, this wasn’t a bad story. There were times I laughed aloud, which was a plus.

However, this story felt extremely rushed and condensed. If you're into the insta-love trope then you might insta-love this book. 🤪 Thinking back, the whole story takes place over maybe… a single week? I also found the twists to be pretty damn predictable. Plot twists and I have a love/hate relationship. While I prefer having all the puzzle pieces in my hand, I don’t like them to be blindingly obvious.

My number one qualm– The Miscommunication Trope. My least favorite trope of all tropes. Please just SPIT it OUT and explain yourselves! I know some people eat miscommunication up– run and read this book! 🏃🏻‍♀️

The thing that really dropped it from a 3 star to 2.5 for me– I didn't care for the main character. Sometimes, you’re just not on the same wavelength as other people– in real life relationships and fictional ones. If I met Rune at work and heard her say “Sweet purple ponies” more than once a day, I would just lose it on her. She grated my nerves. 😩
Another grievance I had: it was described as Stars Hollow vibes- and then the name Loralie was in the story. It made me cringe.

I did like the representation of foster home life, successful adult life after a troublesome childhood, and getting a GED instead of graduating from high school.
I could see Cursed in Love being someone's 5-star read– maybe you’re looking for a dramatic, fast-paced, meet-cute, magic-imbued story full of miscommunication and simple plot points that don’t make you think too hard. While this story wasn’t my thing- it could be yours!

Thank you, NetGalley for this story in exchange for my honest review!

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started reading "Cursed in Love" by Emily Colin. I really enjoyed the main character, Rune and she is an independent, funny protagonist. The author did a really good job with the backstory of Rune and how difficult her life was, yet she still managed to pick herself up and became a successful individual. I was very intrigued about her ability or "curse' because she can see the future, yet no one believed her and every time she saw the future everything went just downhill. Now lets not forget the other main character in this storyline, Donovan Frost. The way Emily introduced him made him my new book boyfriend. I absolutely swooned every time there was a dialogue between Rune and Donovan. The chemistry between the two can definitely make ice melt, the banter also was just *chefs kiss*.

I loved how Emily wrote this book because it kept me on my feet, I was always wondering what is going to happen next? Who done it? I was constantly thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. I will say that there were some parts of the book that did confuse me for a quick second, but after rereading it - it makes sense.

The book overall is great and I love that it's really about a girl learning to harness her power, understand her identity while also learning to fall in love with her grumpy coworker.

Thank you to Black Orchid Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Cursed in Love in exchange for an independent review.

I enjoyed this it was a lot more comedic than I anticipated, had me laughing out loud, loved the characters!

“ That’s the nature of my curse: to see the future at unpredictable times and never, ever be believed. Me in a Nutshell: Rune Whitlock, Unreliable Seer, Graphic Designer, and now, Professional Cop-Tackler.”

This sweet, cozy, slightly spicy romance is a retelling of the Cassandra mythology with a twist. I absolutely loved this entire book! It is a grumpy/sunshine rivals to lovers story. I enjoyed how even when Donovan was angry and didn’t think he could truly trust Rune, he was still so protective of her. Sapphire Springs reminds me of Stars Hollow with its quirky residents. In fact, town book club is like a group of Miss Patties. They’re called the Sinsters and they read smutty romance novels and gossip about the rest of the town. The story was full of fun moments and banter, secrets, and plot twists. I really hope that this is going to be a series because I cannot get enough Sapphire Springs!

Cursed in love follows Rune Whitlock who can see glimpses of the future and is cursed to have nobody believe her. She lives in a quirky town called Sapphire Springs and her live is turned upside down the day she meets Donovan Frost. What follows is a story filled with banter, tension, mystery and meddling elderly who scandalize the town with their steamy book club.
I was pleasantly surprised with the plot in this book. The story was well thought out and executed perfectly. There is excellent banter between the main characters and sweet purple unicorns can Donovan dirty talk. I love all the characters we met and the town definitely gets them in the funniest situations. Very excited ending with the necessary twists and turn. My new life goal will be to become a sinister! This was my first book by Emily Colin and I will be checking her other books out.

Thank you Victory Editing and netgalley for the ARC!

Five stars to this magically mysterious love story. The author reeled me in from the first page. I enjoyed the cast of characters. They each brought something to the story. The hilarious town Facebook page had me giggling aloud.

Title: Cursed in Love by Emily Colin
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️

** I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

In small town Sapphire Springs, Rune Whitlock lives a quiet life with her rescue cat Valentine. She’s always felt like she didn’t belong. Rune is a seer, gifted to be able to see the future and cursed for no one to believe her. All seems to be going relatively well in her life until she’s forced to work with Donovan Frost, data analyst at the company she works for. The moment they meet, chaos ensues. While she is trying to keep her head above water and figure out how to melt Donovan’s walls, she learns that dark forces are coming straight for Sapphire Springs and she must find out the truth of her curse before it’s too late.

The overall concept and storyline of this book was what originally drew me in. I love a good “forced to work together” trope, and two nerds falling for each other sounds like a delight to read. Unfortunately, it was quite difficult to get through this one.

There was so much going on so quickly I felt like my head was spinning. This book takes place over the course of just a few days I believe, and the quick turnaround from “I hate you” to “I want to jump your bones” was too quick even for me. I think there were too many things shoved into this book for it to make much sense. The barebones of the story is great but unfortunately, the delivery was poor.

The writing style was not my vibe, it had a juvenile tone which was contradictory to the characters and themes of the book. It felt rushed and difficult to keep track of what was happening at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Orchid Books for an ARC copy of this book.

This book was so good and not at all what I expected!

I thought it was going to be a cutesy romantic book with a slight bit of magic…. But it’s a romantsy mystery full of comedy, twists and turns and a wonderful ending ✨❤️

The first half of the book definitely gives rom-com vibes but it slowly builds up to the magic and fantasy side and it didn’t disappoint.

I loved all the characters, the slow burn romance and the mystery of not knowing which characters to trust.

My only pet peeve with this book was….. sweet purple ponies 😫 27 times!! It almost made me put the book down but I’m glad I looked past it as the book was really good this phrase just annoyed me so much

a 10/10 book, Emily knows how to drag you in and keep you interested with a good plot and some good times if you know what I mean.

Thank you to Black Orchid Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Cursed in Love in exchange for an independent review.

I'm really not sure where to begin, but I figured I should start with the fact that I absolutely loved everything about this book! Rune and Donovan are now one of my favorite book couples. For me, this booked checked all the boxes.
-Small town witchy vibe
-Enemies to lovers
-Forced proximity
-Grumpy MMC
-Hilarious FMC that kept me laughing over and over
-Mysterious intriguing plot that did not seem fake or forced
-Captivating storyline that kept me hooked throughout the entire book

I do mean it when I say that this book is hilarious on so many levels. The commentary provided by Rune and her banter with Donovan kept things so light hearted and I appreciated her witty humor so much. The storyline was fast paced and I appreciated that the author just kept things moving and I was never bored. I'm a lover of all things witchy romance, and this one was just a home run. If you enjoyed similar titles such as This Spells Love by Kate Robb or The Ex Hex trilogy by Erin Sterling, then you will surely appreciate Cursed in Love and I would highly encourage you to pick it up on Valentine's Day this year (how adorable)!

An exciting fast paced story that engages you quickly from the start. It was fun small town cosy witchy vibes with a big dash of drama and chaos. It was funny in places, I enjoyed the twists and turns. I would say there is a particular phrase the FMC uses way too often that I would edit down a bit just to avoid so much repetition.

I unfortunately had to DNF @50% due to not feeling uncomfortable with a seance type situation. It was super cute and comical throughout, but when I got to the women sitting in a circle with candles doing a ritual, I had sadly stop reading.

This book was pure Chaos (iykyk) from beginning to end in all the perfect ways! I don't know where to begin with writing a review!

What worked:
- the world building, I loved the setting, the community who supported Rune from afar
- Our FMC Rune was a tough badass, she overcame some horrific situations and grew into a loving, compassionate homebody
- Valentine the cat, loved this little cutie
- The tension between Rune and Donovan (MMC)
- The HEA, thank goodness its a standalone, I don't think I could have been left on a cliffhanger with this story!
- The magic, the curse, and the turn of Cooper (thank goodness he ends up decent-ish)
- The trio of witches who jumped in to save Rune with enchiladas and helped her find out about her parents

What could be improved:
- The suspected love triangle with Cooper, I found myself getting frustrated every time he popped up, until the end!
- There were parts of Donovan's personality that were abrasive, I know its his past, he's been burned, but come on, Rune is stood in front of you literally begging!! Give her a break!?
- Ethan's motives, why did he do all the badness?

2.5 stars
The premise of this book was really good but the execution was kind of lacking. There was so much happening in this book and so many different genres that it got kind of confusing. The FMC and MMC went from 'strangers' to obsessed with each other in like less than 24hrs and that's not really my thing. At the end of the book I feel like there was still a few loose ends but that's maybe just me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

This was absolutely precious. Light hearted but one of the coziest books I’ve read lately. I think it’s a perfect mix of Gilmore Girls meets Charmed and I love that description for it, matches perfectly.