Don't Marry the Cursed

Haunted Romance #2

by C. Rae D'Arc

The state of Margen is Grimm.


Eighteen months after moving from the land of Horror, Pansy Finster has made her home in Romance. All she wants is to become a paramedic and fall deeper in love with Fantasy Lord Theodor Fromm while avoiding Hauntings like unusual animals, crazy relatives, and witches.

As a member of Fairy’s royal family, life was never that simple for Theo, especially when a mysterious death makes him heir to the Margen Duchy. Unable to choose between the home of his heart and the keeper of it, he proposes for Pansy to marry him in Margen; home to Jack the Giant Killer, the Little Red Cap, and the Robber Bridegroom. Except Margen has fallen under a curse of disappearing magics and people--including Theo’s father, the duke.

Pansy knows all about surviving werewolves and serial killers, but mountain giants and in-laws are another story. She must earn her place among royalty and help Theo save Margen from his tyrannical brothers: Dunstan the Night Terror and Oswald the Fire Breather. Friends and foes aren't who they appear to be as a sinister power rises to threaten every land in Fantasy…and even Novel.
Werewolves and serial killers don't seem that bad now.


Continue Pansy and Theo's haunting and romance in "Don't Marry the Cursed," book two of the Haunted Romance trilogy, by C Rae D'Arc. If you like Seth Grahame-Smith, Christopher Moore, or Grimm's fairy tale retellings, then this dark romantic comedy will more than satisfy!
Don't forget; be careful for what you wish.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Fiction

207 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2021

About the author

C Rae D'Arc has been involved in every stage of a book's life. As a writer, editor, retailer, reader, and reviewer, she has worked four part-time jobs at once. Thankfully, one of them actually paid her. She received her Bachelor's in English from Brigham Young University and now lives in the Tri-Cities of Washington with her husband and Aussie dog.
Next Release: "Spirit of Suspense: Dead and Back Again #2"
PS. To save you from hiccups, D'Arc only has one syllable.

Reviews

[Sande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Don’t Marry the Cursed
I love the idea of stirring horror, humor, romance, fantasy and just plain high adventure in the same bowl, and the results are delightful. The author has created the world of Novel, and we are invited to visit its several duchies and become acquainted with all manner of creatures and folks.
Pansy, from Horror, and Theo from Fantasy are solid, real characters from seemingly different backgrounds; their relationship works because they share a willingness to sacrifice for those they love. After finishing Don’t Marry the Cursed, I’m willing to follow them through all sorts of adventures.
Bouncing from different genres means you have to be on your toes and ready for the sudden appearance of humor just when you’re hanging on for dear life. Buckle your seatbelt and hang on for the ride.

[Valerie Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss Horror, but Fantasy can get pretty dark, too!

First and foremost, I still absolutely adore Pansy and Theo who are the heart and soul of this story. Their bond has only grown stronger since the first book, and I love how they're willing ot step out of their comfort zones for one another. Theo's POVs were one of my favorites along with his thesis notes at the top, and I love how he didn't just magically become invincible this book even with his new weapons and strengthened abilities. He remained the lovable, awkward dork who I adore.

Even the villains were intriguing, if a bit psycho, and I liked how the story played out. Especially when Theo used a tip of Oz's book to survive just like Pansy!

Also, I still want Oz's book.

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

After defeating Pansy’s Haunting, she and Theo continued school at Heartford and are now ready to graduate and get engaged. The problem? The ring of the heir of the Margen duchy has suddenly appeared on Theo’s finger, which means that his elder brother is dead and the duchy is in danger. With his father having been missing for a few months, this means that Theo must return to Margen and claim the title of duke. Pansy and Theo have many Adventures ahead of them, but will they survive?

Wow. I am again blown away by C. Rae D’Arc’s world building and storytelling skills. It was a fun twist to have the Thesis of Adventures instead of Oz’s Survival Guide leading each chapter, yet familiar and comforting having Oz’s mentioned so frequently. Can we get these as books, too, please? Like how J. K. Rowling had Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (premovie) and Quidditch Through the Ages? I would love that.

It was so fun with all the fantasy connections and new fantasy additions mixed in together. Theo and Pansy make great Adventure buddies.

(Spoilers ahead.)

I’m very anxious about the next book, though. Theo gave up his first born son with the hope they would kill his stepmother… but they didn’t. Maybe he’s not worried because they effectively removed her from their lives, but if I know anything about fantasy tropes like this, she’ll be back SOMEHOW to claim the baby. And poor Pansy doesn’t even know! Ugh. This is so stressful.

[Joshua Hicken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly harder time getting into Fantasy. but i'm glad the plot moved there. References to Fantasy as the Fantastical were everywhere. But still a fun addition to the series and a good read.

CAWPILE SCORE
C-7
A-6
W-6
P-7
I-7
L-7
E-9
TOTAL-7/10

CAWPILE
Characters.
More Depth to Theo, nice to see Pansy's progression over the years.

Atmosphere
Fantasy had a unique feel to it. Speaking in Aliteration and rhyme and verse was fun.

Writing
The Writing was good. able to quickly show what was happening. Each Characters voice felt unique and easily identifiable

Plot
The plot was interesting. i had ideas where it was going. and i did call that someone was stealing abilities and not just removing them.

Intrigue
The story had plenty of intrigue. between what was happening with abilities to what will happen between Theo and Pansy

Logic
The logic is a little more skewed in Fantasy Land precisely because it is fantasy land, but nothing was so out there that i couldn't follow it.

Enjoyment
I enjoyed this book book, but I enjoyed the first one more. Sometimes it felt like there was just a little too much going on. The Racism against animal people felt added with no real substance.


I will be talking about it on Libromancy 08/01/2021 https://libromancy.podbean.com/

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t Marry The Cursed is a sequel to Don’t Date the Haunted, a wonderful series by C. Rae D’Arc. While this book resembles a portal fantasy in many ways, the novel subverts some of the traditions of that subgenre. Pansy Finster lives with Lord Theodor (Theo) Fromm in a world divided into regions of literary genres and subgenres. Pansy, from the horror genre, is aware of the fantasy-land at the start of the novel. No one needs to convince her of magic or the supernatural. The novel progresses in the usual way for speculative fiction but with self-aware characters.
For high fantasy enthusiasts, Don’t Marry the Cursed delivers. Different lands, titles and lineage, political and family squabbles, and unique settings are all part of the package. Some portal fantasies lean toward urban fantasies—not so here. Given the first book was a superb urban fantasy, this succeeds in its cousin genre, the high fantasy.
Don’t Marry the Cursed continues the tradition of excellent offerings in this series. Both as a standalone and as a sequel, it succeeds, driving the narrative of Pansy and Theo forward in a playful and exciting way. Getting in the spirit of the titles, this reviewer’s advice is “Don’t Pass Up This Series.”

[Angelique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic visit to Novel!

I absolutely loved the way the world of Fantasy was written and seeing how Theo and Pansy changed, especially gaining confidence, yet remained who they'd always been at heart. This book felt like never-ending action, but what else should fantasy be? I was surprised at how dark things got in Fantasy, but I loved everytime Theo or Pansy called up one of Oz's many survival gems on this new adventure. It's just further proof horror movies are really teaching us lessons so I should continue watching them! I cannot wait for October and book three!

[R.A. Cheatham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read!! Theo’s perspective is so very different from Pansy’s, it creates a nice contrast!! Thoughtful plot, love the love story as always.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back for more. ❤️ C Rae did it again with her second installment. Don't Marry the Cursed. Book 2 is chillingly romantic. Brimming with wit, and fairytale settings. It's planted itself firmly as the literary series I never knew I needed.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book of this series, but this one is even better! Thoroughly entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat till the end! I look forward to reading the 3rd book soon.

[Kelly L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun continuation of book 1 (Don't Date the Haunted). It was interesting to see how Pansy uses her Horror skills to handle adventures with Theo and his family in Fantasy. I'm really looking forward to learning how Theo does in Horror in book 3!

[Emily Learmont · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really don’t know what happened here. I *loved* the first book in the series. it blew me away. this sequel just did not stick the landing imo. I don’t even think i’ll finish the series at this point.

[Rebecca Dehart Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the characters. It was a fun continuation of the previous novel. Looking forward to reading the next one.

[Mackenzie Friel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Love the characters and world so much. I can't wait to see how the trilogy ends

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it it the plot and the storyline of the characters and just falling in love regardless I do recommend and hopefully the audiences like it as I did.

[NaDell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the Haunted Romance series, "Don't Marry the Cursed" continues the story of Pansy (originally from Horror-a land with attacks around every corner) and Theo the Trusted a Royal in Fairy in their voyage to the land of Fairy to meet Theo's family. Once they get there, nothing is as expected. They battle challenge after challenge and prove their commitment to each other along the way.
This book is categorized as a Dark Romantic Comedy and it delivers. It's totally unexpected at times, but it does a great job with the serious dark moments, romance, and funny bits! It almost makes me want to hang out with Pansy and Theo along with the characters who join them along the way, but I don't think I'm strong enough for that.
In full disclosure, I'm the manager at a book store where the author works, but I found myself forgetting throughout the book that I even know the author. Because the book is fantasy, it doesn't fit her life at all or remind me of her (except a few of the funny parts!) and is super fun to read about all the amazing adventures!

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆｡°✩ Spoiler Free Reviews ⋆｡°✩

4.5 stars.

Oh this was sweet!

Still love the concept of this book - a world where each country is a genre of books (Children’s, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Horror).

Our FMC is from Horror, though she went to school in Romance in book 1. Now she is off to Fantasy with her boyfriend Theo, a Duke. Fantasy is EXACTLY what you’d imagine; a clashing cacophany of all the fantasy tropes in one world. There are fights and battles and magic, but all with the same steady characters we knew from book 1, with new ones joining.

This book was great, but it didn’t beat the humour and novelty of book 1 for me. This was heavily fantasy based and whilst I’m a romantasy lover, I was a little overwhelmed at times (me issue, not a book issue) so it took me a while to read. Compared to book 1 with a heavy romcom aspect, I just enjoyed seeing the continuation of the story!

[A.L. L. Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed seeing Pansy and Theo go on an adventure together in Fantasy. The second POV surprised me, but it was nice to see things from Theo's point of view. I was excited about Mr. E's return and enjoyed Dunstan. He became my favorite character despite his short appearance.