⭐ Rating: 2.75 – 3 out of 5 stars

Once Charmed, Twice Cursed is a standalone fantasy romance that centers around Bria, a woman marked by the goddess of fortune. Her blessing brings wealth, health, and prosperity not just to her—but to everyone around her. After 99 suitors and plenty of pressure from her brother to marry well and maintain their family's status, Bria is really only waiting for one proposal: from Weston, her brother’s best friend.

But Weston carries the mark of a Null—his life is plagued with misfortune, and he’s the only one whose touch can cancel Bria’s charm, just as she can nullify his curse. Their connection is deep but forbidden, and things take a turn when Bria is kidnapped en route to marry a Duke. What follows is a fantasy story with romance at its core.

The book has fun tropes romance readers will recognize and enjoy—touch aversion, forbidden love, best friend’s sister—but as a standalone fantasy, it felt a bit underbaked. There’s minimal world-building, a very light magic system, and surface-level character development. The plot mostly seems to exist to serve the romantic and steamy moments, which may work for some readers but left me wanting more depth. The pacing was also uneven, and the timeline was a bit murky.

Overall, it’s a light, predictable read with a fun premise that could appeal to fans of fantasy romance who are more about vibes and tropes than fully fleshed-out worlds.


**Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advance audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review.**

Ate this up in one sitting. A fun stand-alone romantasy read, brothers best friend, a masked stranger, and mutual pining. She’s a charm, he’s a null and if they touch each other they could lose their magic. She’s betrothed to a ruthless man she doesn’t love, and on the night of her wedding she’s kidnapped by a masked stranger -much to her luck.

This was so fun to read. I saw the twist coming immediately but it didn’t take away from the adventure. I did not like the brother at all, his greed really got the best of him and I wanted to throw him against the wall at times. The parents coming in at the end didn’t seem necessary but I’ll overlook it. Although Bria frustrated me at first, leaving her fate in the hands of her luck, towards the end she really grew into her own. The lining between Weston and Bria kept me on my toes. The concept of those gifted with luck- “charm”, and the unlucky- “null” was a new plot I haven’t encountered and it read really unique in this world. It also added suspense to the whole slow burn & pining but if they touch it could ruin their lives. You bet I was fully sat begging them to touch lol. The romance was a steady climb and the one spicy scene was PIPING HOT. I would have liked a little more world building but regardless, this was fun and I’d read it again.

Audiobook: 4⭐️
Book: 3⭐️

Big thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the audiobook of Once Charmed, Twice Cursed—narrated by the incredibly talented Kimberly M. Wetherell.

Let me just say: the audiobook is where this story truly shines! Kimberly’s narration brings so much personality and warmth to the world of Bria and Weston. She made it super easy to get swept up in the story, and I found myself smiling at the way she brought the characters to life—especially the push and pull between a lucky charm and a Null. Their dynamic? Pure magic (and a little bit of chaos)!

As for the book itself, I enjoyed the forbidden love element and the emotional depth of Bria and Weston’s journey. The tension of not being able to touch—because his Null powers would cancel her luck—added a unique layer of angst and intensity. I was especially drawn to Bria’s arc of self-discovery, learning to embrace who she is with or without the magic.

Oh, and the spice? Just enough to keep things steamy without taking over the story—chef’s kiss!

If you’re into paranormal romance with a twist, a bit of star-crossed love, and some self-empowerment along the way, definitely give this audiobook a listen. You won’t regret it!

I loved the fresh concept of them being marked. In a few spots it was predictable, but there was a twist I really liked that kept me on my toes. Overall it was a really well written cute novel. I enjoyed the story as well as the narrator.

Okay, wow. If you’re into stories that punch you in the gut, make you yell at your headphones, and then leave you gasping for more, this is it.

Bria Radcliffe is the definition of “blessed with a curse.” Charmed by the goddess of fortune since birth, she’s got all the luck — but at what cost? Every man in town wants a piece of her, yet the one guy she wants, Weston Wildes, is keeping his distance because of his Null mark. But here’s the thing: Bria doesn’t just want Weston… she wants freedom. Freedom from this damn Mark that’s ruining her life.

When I tell you I was hooked from the first chapter… I mean it. The tension? Thick enough to cut with a knife. The chemistry between Bria and Weston? Explosive. The moment the masked highwayman swoops in? Oh, hell yes. This book goes from 0 to 100 real quick, and I couldn’t put it down. The stakes are high, the emotions are high, and don’t even get me started on the twists.

And the narration? Get out of here with how good it was. The voice acting had me feeling every single moment. The sarcasm, the desperation, the passion — it was like the narrator knew what I needed to hear.

Bria is no damsel in distress, but damn, her journey will leave you breathless. It’s a messy, glorious ride of self-discovery, forbidden love, and a quest for a normal life — if she can only figure out how to break the damn curse.

5 stars. This book? It doesn’t just live in your head, it haunts you. If you’re not listening to this audiobook, you’re missing out on something wild.

Bria Radcliffe lives in a charmed world. Like, literally.

This is a world of charmed and cursed, the goddess Fortuna can bless one with the marking of good luck. This mark is easily noticed, a tattoo mark across ones chest, and Bria is one of the lucky ones. Everywhere she goes lucky occurrences fall. This is viewed as a currency to some, like her brother, who is preparing to marry her off to the highest bidder, I mean, suitor.

Now on the other hand, some are cursed with the very opposite marking, making them a Null. Bad luck follows them everywhere and also affects those around them. Weston, her brother's best friend, is a Null. He also happens to be object of her affection.

Why can't this work? Well if a Charmed person touches a Null, both will lose their mark and deem just your average, uncharmed folks. No one will let this match happen, so her brother plans to marry Bria to a wealthy suitor. And of course, he's awful.

But lucky as always,,,instead of being married off, Bria is kidnapped by a masked man and THAT is really where the adventure begins.

This is perfect for fairytale or fantasy lovers (many compare to Princess Bride) It has some spice, so not sure I would recommend it as a YA novel, but more for the romantasy crowd. It is truly a VERY unique storyline and I highly recommend.

Bria had all the good luck and weston all the bad luck. They are attracted to each other even though they can't touch. I loved this Ying yang aspect of the story. At times the characters let their pride get in the way of what they wanted. I also would have liked to see the magic system developed more. It was a cute fast romance. This book is good for people who want to touch their toe in fantasy but get lost in world building as this was way more relationship driven.

3.75 stars 🌟

Listened this on audio and it was just okay. I feel like the story had promise but it fell flat for me. Bria was incredibly frustrating, naïve and a little childish. I did not feel any connection with the characters. Overall it was a short and pretty entertaining read but just not my favorite

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book from start to finish! I thought the concept of having charms/marks. This was a straight to the point forbidden lovers that was very well written. At first I didn't enjoy Bria's love interest Weston as he didn't seem to care about her or want to protect her. He absolutely redeems himself as the story progresses and I believe that there is nothing he wouldn't do to see her happy and safe.

One thing that I would have loved to learn about was if there were other curses/charms/marks besides the two that were displayed in the story. I think that would have been interesting to add and maybe had the antagonists with different charms.

I strongly disliked Bria's family and how their love and affection seemed solely based on her luck charm. Her brother tries to sell her off for a large amount of money despite not needing any more money. Her family lacks any kind of compassion or empathy and I think they were partially the true villains in this story. What her family lacks, thankfully Weston makes up for.

I think the narration in this audio book were well done and portrayed the characters accurately. Thank you to Netgalley, Tantor Audio, and Shaylin Gandhi for an ARC of this audio book. This review is my own honest opinion.

Curses, Forbidden love, Brothers Best friend, Awful families

Very cute love story! I really enjoyed my listen

A fun adult dark fairy tale, mature themes, with an I nteresting, original magical moral conundrum. I listened to the audiobook, which was entertains. There isn’t a wicked stepmother, but Bria’s family more than make up for that. A Bria besotted Prince Charming, Weston, who isn’t a prince, and is unlucky in the extreme. But Bria doesn’t care because she has more than enough luck to make up for that. But good luck is really at the centre of all her problems, and giving it away doesn’t seem to be a possibility. Will there be a fairy tale ending? Bria can hope! Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I thought this audiobook was very well done. The narrators did a good job on it. I did DNF only because I got to around 65% done and I just wasn't super invested in the story itself.

It was good for a stand alone. The pacing was a little weird. They would slow down on the parts that weren't important and they would speed up on the the parts that could have benefited from a slower pace. For example, whenever it came to Weston she would explain everything in great excruciating detail, and after the 4th time it got a little old. For the time she was locked away in the room to submit to the duke, it would have been nice to linger on her thoughts and feeling on the whole process. I was hoping that whole thing would give her the balls to push and ask for the things she wanted and become an immovable force when it came to not getting her way, but no she still was a push over.

Don't get me started on Weston just rolling over like an injured dog whenever the moment presented itself. He was so wishy washy, like dude pick a lane. This story had two main characters that were so wishy washy you had no idea what would happen next because neither would stand up for themselves.

I did appreciate the princess bride inspiration, but the execution could have been better. Also, where was the world building about the charms and fortuna? That was super interesting but ended up being nothing other than a plot device. I wish that would have been expanded upon a little more.

All in all, an entertaining read. Would I read it again? Ehhh...

Thank you to NetGalley and RBMedia for early access!

The narrator did a phenomenal job. Easy to understand and follow along. I was captivated, truly.

Okie so this was a super quick read!

The characters were not overly complicated and it was extremely easy to follow.
This book would be good for someone into romance and not yet entered the fantasy genre with this book they are able to dip their toes without overwhelming them.

For me this was all a bit predictable and boring, I felt like I was always waiting for something big to happen and yet nothing did.

This could be because I am a fantasy reader so I am always expecting some epic twist or turn and this didn’t feed that want in me.

So I will give this 3 stars because the plot was good the characters was easy to follow. I just lacked the disruptive side and the world building.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

This romantasy book is a classic with common tropes that aren’t hinder by the limited world building in favor of focusing on the connection between the main characters. Bria, with a gift of good fortunate, and Weston, with the ability to nullify another’s gift, are star crossed want to be lovers with many obstacles in their way. This is a quick read that is full of heart and leans more romance with a fantasy topping.
Pros
- Lovable characters
- Friends to lovers
- Unrequited love
- Standalone read

Cons
- Foundation for an interesting fantasy world without the depth
- Feels somewhat dropped into the narrative/missing details
- Felt like something was missing


Overall a quick and easy read for someone who likes a romance with a female lead who knows what she wants and a love interest who is denying what he wants.

Spice level - 2

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the book sounded interesting and I was so excited to read the book. However my excitement ended with the summary. Once I got into the book, I was bored and annoyed listening to the FMC. She was whiney and so so weak. She never once actually fought for herself. Every chance she had, she just gave up and let other people fight her battles and just expected that other people would save her. I finished the book hoping that it would become this empowering story of her taking her power back by giving up her luck. Instead her head was still only focused on a boy and not actually about her growth as a person.

This fantasy is set in a world where some people are blessed with good luck (charms) and some with bad luck (nulls) whose luck effects all those who around them. The catch is, that if a null and a charm touch then they both will loose their mark, and their luck.

The story focus’ on Bria, a charm who is in love with her brothers best friend, Weston. Bria’s brother Brendan is attempting to arrange a marriage for her with one of the 101 men who have proposed, but the only man she wants is Weston. However as Weston is a null, and would steal her luck if they touch, their marriage is not one that Brendan will consider.

I felt that there was a few issues with consistency of plot in the last quarter of the book which is why I took one star away from the rating but overall I really enjoyed the story.
While it’s not a very spicey book - the spice was amazing!

Troupes:
-brothers best friend
-insta love
-forced proximity
-forbidden love

I received an ALC of the audiobook narrated by Kimberly M Wetherell. I really recommend this audiobook as the narrator did a great job of bringing all the characters to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for an honest review!

“There's only one man I want to marry, and he isn't one of the ninety-nine who have proposed.”
Once Charmed, Twice Cursed, by Shaylin Gandhi

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bria is marked by a charm, one that makes her desirable, but she only craves one man: Weston. She needs him with her very marrow. Yes, he is inspired by Wesley, wears a mask, and their story unfolds with a ton of tension and UNBEARABLE (but delicious) longing. The audiobook does a great job between the characters, and the rest of the characters too!

- 🖤Forbidden Love
- 🖤Friend's to Lovers
- 🖤Brother's Best Friend

Kimberly M. Wetherell's narration of "Once Charmed, Twice Cursed" succeeded in making the book a very quick and easy romantasy read. Despite my initial difficulties following along with the plot, I found Kimberly keeping me interested and engaged with the story because of their enthusiastic delivery, which drew me in. Kimberly read with passion, bringing the fantasy and world-building magic to life. The plot started to solidify around 40%, and I began to enjoy both the characters and their journey. The theme of good luck versus bad luck was a wonderful concept in this fantasy, adding a forbidden love element to the romance. All in all, it ended with a HEA, so that's always a win for me.