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The Wraith and the Cursed Heart
A brand new fantasy debut perfect for fans of Ella Enchanted, Once Upon a Broken Heart, and Assistant To The Villain.
Curses come in many forms. Emery’s just happens to look like love.What should have been a blessing from the Fates has turned Emery’s life into a nightmare. Spurned by her village, Emery spends her days locked in the back of a flower shop, creating arrangements for the world around her.
When a man from her village announces he had his curse broken by a Fate, Emery formulates a plan to break her own.
Her path leads her directly to The Wraith, a notorious thief-for-hire from her village. They embark on a journey across the continent in search of three magical objects, but not everything is as it appears. It seems The Wraith is hiding a curse of his own— and he’s searching for the same objects as her.
As their journey becomes more perilous, Emery and The Wraith grow closer until the lines begin to blur.
Breaking their curses could cost them everything… including each other.
Curses come in many forms. Emery’s just happens to look like love.What should have been a blessing from the Fates has turned Emery’s life into a nightmare. Spurned by her village, Emery spends her days locked in the back of a flower shop, creating arrangements for the world around her.
When a man from her village announces he had his curse broken by a Fate, Emery formulates a plan to break her own.
Her path leads her directly to The Wraith, a notorious thief-for-hire from her village. They embark on a journey across the continent in search of three magical objects, but not everything is as it appears. It seems The Wraith is hiding a curse of his own— and he’s searching for the same objects as her.
As their journey becomes more perilous, Emery and The Wraith grow closer until the lines begin to blur.
Breaking their curses could cost them everything… including each other.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2025
8 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 19, 2025
this book is like if all the fairytales had an orgy and this was the baby lol!
the mmc is Flynn Rider plus a shadow daddy
the fmc literally talks to animals...how more fairytale princess can you get... she has the sass of Merida and the heart of Rapunzel
there is a wizard that is very Gandalf like with a pinch of fairy godmother
*hidden identity
*touch her and die also a cinnamon roll
*"eyes on me" moment
*mouth watering tension!
*big character development
*the sweetest love relationship blooming
*he is feral for her
vibes:
a warm hug then a slap in the face a little bit of anxiety back to tenderness and then some tears a sigh back to oh no now what...
zero spice but none needed because the tension makes it know you will be satisfied in book 2
the mmc is Flynn Rider plus a shadow daddy
the fmc literally talks to animals...how more fairytale princess can you get... she has the sass of Merida and the heart of Rapunzel
there is a wizard that is very Gandalf like with a pinch of fairy godmother
*hidden identity
*touch her and die also a cinnamon roll
*"eyes on me" moment
*mouth watering tension!
*big character development
*the sweetest love relationship blooming
*he is feral for her
vibes:
a warm hug then a slap in the face a little bit of anxiety back to tenderness and then some tears a sigh back to oh no now what...
zero spice but none needed because the tension makes it know you will be satisfied in book 2
September 24, 2025
Thank you to the author for selecting me as an ARC reader for this book.
This book is what you’d get if Flynn Rider was a shadow daddy and a mix of Snow White/Rapunzel was cursed with love.
That’s this story- it’s a charming, whitty and will actually make you laugh out loud romantasy. The banter between the main characters is unmatched.
The twists on the typical fantasy/romance tropes made me full of glee! It’s somehow an insta-love and a slow-burn at the same time.
I just envisioned playing with dolls as a kid and smashing them together to kiss as I was yelling at the main characters to do the same. Did they? 👀 guess you’ll just have to read it.
The side characters are all amazing too! The wizard in the likeness of Disney’s Merlin, the found family the main female (Emery) has in Lyra and Maura makes my heart full.
The epilogue plot line is FOR SURE going to cause mayhem in the second book and I’m buckled in for it.
Yeah, can we get book 2 already? (Greedy I know) 😁
This book is what you’d get if Flynn Rider was a shadow daddy and a mix of Snow White/Rapunzel was cursed with love.
That’s this story- it’s a charming, whitty and will actually make you laugh out loud romantasy. The banter between the main characters is unmatched.
The twists on the typical fantasy/romance tropes made me full of glee! It’s somehow an insta-love and a slow-burn at the same time.
I just envisioned playing with dolls as a kid and smashing them together to kiss as I was yelling at the main characters to do the same. Did they? 👀 guess you’ll just have to read it.
The side characters are all amazing too! The wizard in the likeness of Disney’s Merlin, the found family the main female (Emery) has in Lyra and Maura makes my heart full.
The epilogue plot line is FOR SURE going to cause mayhem in the second book and I’m buckled in for it.
Yeah, can we get book 2 already? (Greedy I know) 😁
November 21, 2025
Where do I even start? I was speechless by the end of this book!
Emery is cursed to be loved by all who look at her, but this causes chaos within her village (for example, when already married men start requesting her hand) and so she ends up isolating herself in a cottage in the woods, keeping her head down and working in a flower shop with minimal human interaction. She eventually finds out that the blessings/curses can be broken somehow and decides she’s going to find the magical items to break her curse, and she decides to employ an infamous local thief called The Wraith to help her on her journey.
I finished this book in one day, almost in one sitting. I ate it up so fast I was shocked when I checked the time and realized I was still up and CRYING at 2am!! The story is beautiful, whimsical, and very childhood fairytale coded but also blended with everyone’s favorite modern romantasy elements. For example the fmc can talk to plants and animals, people have magical powers, and there are many magical beings (fae, goblins, sirens, vampires, and more). The romance was to die for - very slow burn, DUAL POV, he falls first, he is incredibly down bad and willing to do anything for his girl. Our shadow daddy mmc says things like “that’s my girl” and “eyes on me” while simultaneously radiating touch her and die vibes. I loved seeing the growth of Emery on their journey, and their relationship with each other, and I cannot wait to read more from this world (give me book 2 asap please!!).
Edit after reading both books: This duet is kinda giving "Once Upon a Broken Heart", but with a more adult romance (and a much more satisfying ending if I do say so myself). If you enjoy fairytales you’ll eat this duet up!
Emery is cursed to be loved by all who look at her, but this causes chaos within her village (for example, when already married men start requesting her hand) and so she ends up isolating herself in a cottage in the woods, keeping her head down and working in a flower shop with minimal human interaction. She eventually finds out that the blessings/curses can be broken somehow and decides she’s going to find the magical items to break her curse, and she decides to employ an infamous local thief called The Wraith to help her on her journey.
I finished this book in one day, almost in one sitting. I ate it up so fast I was shocked when I checked the time and realized I was still up and CRYING at 2am!! The story is beautiful, whimsical, and very childhood fairytale coded but also blended with everyone’s favorite modern romantasy elements. For example the fmc can talk to plants and animals, people have magical powers, and there are many magical beings (fae, goblins, sirens, vampires, and more). The romance was to die for - very slow burn, DUAL POV, he falls first, he is incredibly down bad and willing to do anything for his girl. Our shadow daddy mmc says things like “that’s my girl” and “eyes on me” while simultaneously radiating touch her and die vibes. I loved seeing the growth of Emery on their journey, and their relationship with each other, and I cannot wait to read more from this world (give me book 2 asap please!!).
Edit after reading both books: This duet is kinda giving "Once Upon a Broken Heart", but with a more adult romance (and a much more satisfying ending if I do say so myself). If you enjoy fairytales you’ll eat this duet up!
October 15, 2025
I was so blown away by this book, I couldn’t read another at the same time because I only wanted to read this any time I had the chance! Since finishing I have found myself thinking about the characters and wishing I could sit down and keep reading!
Rachel writes great romance but I think she has outdone herself with this fantasy!
You’ll fall in love with the character and with the village of Fate’s Hollow!
This book has love, risks, magic, action, and page turning plot and world building that you won’t regret picking up!
Rachel writes great romance but I think she has outdone herself with this fantasy!
You’ll fall in love with the character and with the village of Fate’s Hollow!
This book has love, risks, magic, action, and page turning plot and world building that you won’t regret picking up!
November 12, 2025
What a charming book! I really enjoyed these characters so much and became invested in their stories. They all had their own distinct personalities and flaws which made them very endearing. This definitely brought the fairytale vibes, and I’m very intrigued with the storyline. It was such a fun, delightful read. I’m excited for the next one!
November 12, 2025
I basically devour everything this author writes and this was no different! Loved being a beta/ARC reader for her.
September 20, 2025
3.75 - The Wraith and the Cursed Heart is the perfect cozy fantasy to curl up by the fire and read.
Emery was cursed by a fate to have everyone who lays eyes on her love her. To most, this would be a dream, but for Emery, this means that no one will truly love her. After news that there’s a way to break curses reaches her, she finds herself teaming up with the Wraith- an infamous thief who is also trying to find the same object as Emery for his own reasons. Together, they embark on a quest together, meeting creatures and people they would heave never expected to form friendships with.
The cast of characters were what really made this book. From Emery’s found-family back home to a whimsical wizard they meet on their quest to Tristan’s butler, Quigley, (who carried btw), there was such a cozy sense of friendship and love that was set up in this book. There was also the romance which was so addicting, it made it hard to put this book down. I loved the way Tristan and Emery’s relationship developed throughout this story, and I can’t wait for the next book to see where both they, and the plot develop from here.
Emery was cursed by a fate to have everyone who lays eyes on her love her. To most, this would be a dream, but for Emery, this means that no one will truly love her. After news that there’s a way to break curses reaches her, she finds herself teaming up with the Wraith- an infamous thief who is also trying to find the same object as Emery for his own reasons. Together, they embark on a quest together, meeting creatures and people they would heave never expected to form friendships with.
The cast of characters were what really made this book. From Emery’s found-family back home to a whimsical wizard they meet on their quest to Tristan’s butler, Quigley, (who carried btw), there was such a cozy sense of friendship and love that was set up in this book. There was also the romance which was so addicting, it made it hard to put this book down. I loved the way Tristan and Emery’s relationship developed throughout this story, and I can’t wait for the next book to see where both they, and the plot develop from here.
December 9, 2025
I LOVED this book! When I first started reading this, I kept getting distracted with other things around me and had a little bit of a hard time getting really into the story, but once I got away from the distractions I was aaaalll up in it! I could not put it down! I really enjoyed all the characters and their unique and fun personalities. I was able to empathize or relate to them and their thoughts and feeling throughout the story. I also really enjoyed how each environment was described. I felt that it was enough to get you to imagine where the characters were but not too detailed that it took away from the adventure. I kept envisioning myself in the world of Ella Enchanted with the romance, the comedy, the fun fantasy! Emery was Ella in my brain (minus the obedience curse and the dark hair), and the Wraith was Prince Charming (plus the mystery and the hood). I was sucked in!
I kept finding myself giggling and kicking my feet, stopping and looking around when I got to the twists or when a big reveal happened (I felt like I was in the office looking for an off screen camera), and had a smile on my face just about the whole time. I can’t wait for book 2!
I kept finding myself giggling and kicking my feet, stopping and looking around when I got to the twists or when a big reveal happened (I felt like I was in the office looking for an off screen camera), and had a smile on my face just about the whole time. I can’t wait for book 2!
September 27, 2025
This book was incredible. I really loved how magical it was. It was like watching a Disney movie and I loved it. The main characters are honestly so well made for each other. I think my favorite part of the book was the relationship between them.
This is so heart warming and heartbreaking. I was crying, smiling,and laughing. When I imagined some of the details I thought a lot about classic fairytale like sleeping beauty and cinderella.
When I think of emery rose I think of Cinderella in a way. If you like old fairytales and that kind of aesthetic then I really recommend reading this!
When I read the epilogue it got me so excited for the second book. I can’t wait to see how Tristian and Emery’s journey continues!
This is so heart warming and heartbreaking. I was crying, smiling,and laughing. When I imagined some of the details I thought a lot about classic fairytale like sleeping beauty and cinderella.
When I think of emery rose I think of Cinderella in a way. If you like old fairytales and that kind of aesthetic then I really recommend reading this!
When I read the epilogue it got me so excited for the second book. I can’t wait to see how Tristian and Emery’s journey continues!
October 14, 2025
If you’re someone who wants a touch of nostalgia, a bunch of adventure, some kicking your feet cute moments and a cheeky cast of characters… this is your read. It felt familiar in a way that makes you warm but has a good approach to classic fantasy tropes. Helloooooooo brooding MMC.
I can’t recommend it enough. I feel like it touches on friendship in a beautiful way too. It showcases different types of friendships, familial relationships and the characters have so much depth to them. I really enjoyed this and can’t WAIT for book 2.
I can’t recommend it enough. I feel like it touches on friendship in a beautiful way too. It showcases different types of friendships, familial relationships and the characters have so much depth to them. I really enjoyed this and can’t WAIT for book 2.
October 18, 2025
WOW!!! This book had me hooked from the first chapter!! I did not want to put it down!! Whenever I had a free minute I had it in my hands! It was one of those books that you can’t wait to see how it ends but also don’t want it to end at the same time!! The growth of the characters and slow burn were amazing! I can’t wait for the next book!!!! Do yourself a favor and read this book today!!! You won’t be disappointed!
October 19, 2025
Genuinely really liked this book! It’s hard to get into fantasy, I think it’s just soooop much to remember and memorize. I liked that I didn’t have to do any of that. It ended perfectly and I can’t wait for the second one!!
November 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this! Emery and Tristan were easy to relate to. This book has a very unique magic system . I will be reading more of Rachel’s books. 5 stars!!
December 13, 2025
This book was fantastic. Loved both the female and male lead characters and their banter! I read this in a day and a half. Such fun.
November 19, 2025
This was a lovely cozy read! Perfect for absorbing over the course of a weekend or snuggling up for an hour each night before bed for a full week. I loved the pacing of Emory and Tristan’s story and their challenges. I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews