An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.
This steamy portal fantasy about a modern woman and a sexy, fae lord has everything you love!
When a castle full of ridiculously gorgeous immortals showed up on the ley line running through my small town outside Nashville, my life changed.
Because of an ancient curse, the fae and their vampire frenemy can’t leave their castle without turning to ash, and they only have one month before they’re all toast. When the most powerful fae lord uses his seductive power to lure me close, to psychically feed on my aura, he successfully steps out of the castle for the first time.
Now the fae want all of my supposedly special blood to break the curse and find their freedom. Until I can somehow shove the immortals back into whatever magical hole they crawled out of, my life is forfeit.
I have a new plan, but it doesn’t account for the insane feelings I’m starting to have for the leader of the group…
Perfect for fans of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series, FAE CURSE is an enemies to lovers portal fantasy romance full of steam, laughs, vampires, shifters, fae, and fated mates.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I love the FMC, her level of snark and attitude is divine, bleeding through with just the right amount of humor. However, as the situation she finds herself in reveals itself, I found the world itself a little flat. It’s.... awkward? She reacts appropriately, or so I think, but they don’t... and events progress in an oddly stilted manner.
Pros: - Great FMC. - Well edited. - Interesting concept.
Cons: - Too many questions!! How does the vamp know the other two are mates? That’s just one... - The sex scene was droll and misplaced.... why then? I get the emotions, but it just came out of left field considering the circumstance.
What do sexy fae lords, a vampire assassin, and a mysterious castle have in common?
A cool and spunky baker, who rides a badass bike.
Coren Connely is perfectly happy with her perfectly normal life, running her own bakery with her best friend Hekla. Until one day when she squeezes the brakes and almost eats the end of a bright blue Tesla. Because she suddenly sees a brand new hill above her town. And on the hill there is a castle. 'A legit castle. Like, Renaissance style.' And because Coren is, as her mother used to say, exactingly nosey, she has to go and investigate.
Now, if you haven't already grown to like Coren from the very first chapter, as she gently talks to her fridge: 'I understand, fridge! You need some me time.' You're definitely gonna love her by the time she starts to argue with the castle. 'What are you doing here? You're making me seriously doubt saying no to those meds my doc suggested last year. .... So bizarre. What are you doing here Italian castle? I must be insane..'
And her reaction to the drop-dead gorgeous man within that castle - priceless! But I won't spoil and give you just a hint: 'My mouth opened to moan Yes, take me, but my head shouted a firm WTF Connelly!' followed by a very unladylike kick to the groin.
And this is how Coren's adventure starts. With a supernatural situation in which she's practically expecting Dean and Sam to come walking over. In one single day, her life goes from perfect to perfectly insane as she finds out that the ridiculously gorgeous immortal and his brothers, his vampire buddy included, are affected by an ancient curse. One that Coren is supposedly able to break. Because of her supposedly special blood.
In other words, her life is forfeit, until she can somehow shove the immortals back into whatever magical hole they crawled out of. Determined to take the insanity head on and win, AFTER unsuccessfully trying to run from their asses, Coren grits her teeth, says a prayer to the Universe at large and agrees to play their game.
Still wondering at times if she hasn't really lost her marbles and ended up like her aunt Viv, 'completely bonkers and delightfully nuts,' Coren takes the madness head on. And she hatches a plan. But said plan didn’t account for the insane feelings she's starting to have for the alpha of the group, who may be the most awesome man alive and possibly fluent in magical lustery.
Fast paced, entertaining and a hell lot of fun, this short read is full of mystery, adventure and humor. Coren is snarky, cool and awesome; the friendship between her and Hekla shines; and the premise is fascinating. The character backstories are not very developed, and some scenes do feel rushed. But to me, that did nothing to diminish the charm of this little tale. I read it in one sitting with a smile on my lips and am going to dive straight into the sequel ASAP. Because that end!!!! OMG!!!
If you are on the lookout for a light and captivating read full of snarky banter and fun, you have got to give Fae Curse a try!
Happy reading Bookdragons and keep some pancakes or chocolate croissants at the ready while diving into this. Believe me when I say... You're gonna need them! :D
Find this review and more on my book review and cover art blog The Magic Book Corner
Beautiful cover on this book. Also props for putting the MMC on the cover instead of the FMC. I've noticed a trend in the YA and NA paranormal/fantasy novels where the Bad A female is on the cover. I actually grabbed this book because the cover featured the MMC instead. This made it stand out on my KU recommended feed.
This book read much more like a novella in the midst of a series where all the world building, explanations, and backstory happened somewhere else. It was unfortunate because there was so much potential here for some amazing things but nothing was defined clearly enough including the characters themselves and it made it a little confusing. Also, the extremely rushed plot left a lot to be desired in the terms of explaining the magical world and why things are possible etc. I know it was kind of explained away by the repeated reference to "instinct" but it really made the plot turns seem way to convenient instead of building up to each event. I feel like this was an outline for something that could have been great but the meat of the story was kind of MIA.
A magic castle just suddenly appears and calls to our FMC. Turns out supernaturals are actually real and Coren, our FMC, can either help them with a hundreds of years old curse or be a meal apparently. Coren was actually my type of heroine she had the attitude for sure. As for our male characters.. I was definitely getting RH vibes but that didn't actually happen.. I'm really not all that sure what the point of the other characters are at this point. None of the characters were all that fleshed out and other than creating some controversy and things to overcome that was all we got from the other curse recipients. These guys obviously have a lot of backstory we didn't quite get.
The book ends in a really wam, bam, thank you ma'am fashion with a cliffhanger on the side. Really I felt like there just wasn't enough in the first book to really send me flying on a rampage through the series. Its just a little too abrupt and doesn't have the richness and depth that I crave. As far as super fast paced reads go its not a dud though. I like this author's ideas I just hope we can see some growth for this series if I decide to continue onward.
I had such high hopes for this novel but I was sorely letdown. I feel like this novel could have been great, all of the right ingredients were there: fantastical creatures, mystical lore, a devious curse, forbidden love, a snarky heroine. But I don't think that the author explored any of these elements to their full potential--the creatures were confusing, the lore was confusing, the curse was...confusing (I see a pattern here), the love was unbelievable, and the snarky heroine came off as immature and annoying at times. Overall, I was disappointed and found myself skimming towards the end. I also didn't highlight many passages of the novel (which is a huge indication of how much I enjoyed a novel for me). I don't see myself finishing this series.
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
DNF - Quit at 25% I just couldn't get into this book. The flow was a bit stop & go, and the world building was learn as the heroine learns. The writing style was a bit awkward for me to read. The humor interjected was the only upside that kept me reading until the point I gave up. The characters were very polarizing for me. I just never got to the point where I wanted to keep reading. Other readers may appreciate this where I didn't. Needless to say, I won't be continuing with the series.
At my age (approaching 60), life is way to short & my time is to important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
I have just finished Fae Curse, I only started it yesterday but I simply could not put it down. I loved every moment of it and I really cannot wait until I can get my hands on the next book in the series!
Right from the start I fell in love with Coren, she is exactly the kind of snarky, strong, female protagonist I adore. I also love that her best friend Helka was so awesome and the two of them supported each other. We need more examples of female friendships like this in fiction! Coren is such an interesting character, from her love of baking to her motorbike. I loved reading her reactions to the the castle and of course those cursed Fae.
I knew I was going to love Fae Curse from the moment I read the synopsis. It has everything I love in a book, including both Fae and Vampires... does it get any better than that? It is dark, fast paced and oh my goodness is Lucus is a very very interesting love interest... who wouldn't want a brooding alpha Fae looking in their direction? I love that Coren is just as strong willed as Lucus and that she knows her own mind and is determined to do things her way.
The world building was amazing, and it was presented so seamlessly throughout the story, the sharing of memories was a really nice touch, not only did we get to learn more about Lucus but also about the Fae world too. I really like the Fae lore introduced in this book and I cannot wait to read further in the series, I need to know more!
The pacing of Fae Curse was spot on, like I said, I didn't want to put it down but at no point did it feel rushed. We has enough time to get to know Coren, and her friends and life - the bakery and her love of baking along with her friendship with Helka all really helped explore what kind of person Coren was.
I would definitely recommend Fae Curse to anyone who is a fan of Fae, snarky heroines and urban or high fantasy in general. It's a fantastic read and I will definitely be rereading it in the future and I cannot wait for the next book!
Well this wasn't bad, but it was good either. Everything felt rushed from the discovery of the castle, to the weird romance, to the whirlwind ending.
Also-concerning the romance- I mean, even if he says the lure doesn't work on someone who isn't attracted in the first place- doesn't mean its not manipulative and kind of gross.
But I will say I liked the female friendship- so plus on that! Oh, and great cover!
If you're in the mood for snark and sexy, this is the book for you. Supernatural creatures and a girl battling her own identity. Can't wait to see what book 2 brings.
I have some mixed feelings. I’m docking a star mostly because this felt super rushed. I feel like there were a lot of threats and critical problems that needed delving into, and instead it was all kinda tied up with a pretty bow. I would have liked deeper development all around. Hekla and Kaippa are my favorite characters, I need more of them... like a lot more. All considered though, I was definitely entertained, and I’m ready for the next book.
Interesting read. Can’t wait to see what else happens
The main character is by far the best just because of the stuff that comes out of her mouth. I also really enjoyed the pop culture references to the supernatural world (Buffy, Supernatural and The CW shows).
I’m intrigued with what will happen next as she finds out who she really is and where her feelings will take her.
Fantastically thrilling! An absolute fun fantasy tale full of magic, suspense, snark and a dash of romance. I really enjoyed the story and all the characters. I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!
Eve Hunt weaves an exciting tale full of magic, fae, vampires, shifters and a witch in this first book in a new series entitled Yew Queen. Coren and her friend Hekla run a very good bakery with scrumptious to die for delicacies, and they used to live a normal kind of life until Coren saw the Italianesque Castle on the hill in the centre of town and was approached by a hunk of a man who was steaming hot. Lucus however, had green eyes, pointed ears, vine leaves on his eyelashes and horns so Coren automatically assumed all of this was part of a film set. But it turned out that her assumption was totally incorrect and that apart from Lucus there were his brothers, Baccio and Aurelio and a vampire called Kaippa who were under a curse which kept them imprisoned in their castle and able to surface from deep slumber once every hundred years to feed. They needed someone to break their curse before they all died and it seems they picked on Coren, the golden aura from her blood having called her to them, hoping she could save them. Coren felt she was living a nightmare out of which she could not escape. Can she truly free these monsters, as she called them and unleash them on her world? And could she do this without getting herself killed in the process? Wow I just loved this original tale of mystery and fae powers and I also love the fact that Lucus became so protective of Coren and am now dying to read the next book having stopped at such a precarious stage in the tale.
I randomly picked this book as I read the blurb and thought it has an interesting storyline. I used to love vampires but now I am not sure as I found them admirable.
The storyline is about a castle that appears out of the blue in the middle of the town when Coren Connelly spotted it. She owns a bakery with her friend Hekla but the strange part is no one is able to see that castle except Coren. When she approached it, she got entangled with a vampire and three Fae lords. They are cursed and trying to break away from it. Is Coren the one who can break that curse or will they kill her as they killed the people who have seen their castle?
With entwined mystery and truth, this story seemed interesting when I picked it up. Surely the build-up was good and fast-paced. I liked the plot and the FMC being a badass, confident woman. Although this story was good, it was very fast and I was a little disturbed by the way events played out. Everything happened so fast that it was a little weird I guess.
All the secrets and solutions just popped out without wasting much. It’s good but also bad in a way that you can’t savour that fantasy. The ending was a cliffhanger and there are two more parts of the book so I will read it and let you guys know about the series a as whole. But it’s worth reading if you are a fantasy fiction fan and love faes.
I absolutely love this story. Love the way only the first female can see the cursed castle with the Fae and vampire in there. The backstory of the war between the mages, fae and vampires and how it occurred is intriguing and also an example as to how wars can be started! Punish the many for the mistake of one! I love the characters especially Caren and Lucus and their fated bond and am looking forward to where that will go and what path they will take as they are waring races. I am also looking forward to reading more about Hekla and as to what Hekla’s part in all this is. Is it down to Caren that she can see the men and the castle or is there more to her story? Will Kaippa be back In Book 2 to assist them or will he just go on a killing / feeding spree? Very intriguing , very mysterious and that ending well I really really need the next book ASAP please!!
Overall: 2.5/5 Naration: 2.5/5 Thank you to the author for providing me with an audiobook.
I feel like this book needed to be fleshed out more, I didn't hate it, but it just felt unfinished. There was very little worldbuilding and some of the story was choppy and the main characters did some things that just made zero sense. If this book was like 200 pages longer and more fleshed out I'd probably really like it.
The narrator didn't exactly do a bad job, but I feel like she didn't sound like she was all that enthralled by the story. In fact her voice sounded bored. Also, her voice felt like it was a little older than what I would've chosen for the MC.
I most likely won't continue the trilogy, but I will try other books by the author.
It was an easy book to read. I liked the setup with the curse and the friendships, but I wanted a little more depth from the story.
This is marketed as steamy, but though it had a lot of attraction in it, the sex wasn't quite at a level I'd call steamy. I'd give it a 3/5 on the heat scale.
What I liked: the friendships, emerging magic (I like that trope and it helped offset the instalove-thing which is a trope I don't like), interesting concept.
Some of the writing is jumbled and messy, it doesnt read right. It's a good story line putting those things to the side. I think the next book will decide the series.
Very quick read, everything happens pretty quickly. The book has a lot of dialogue, and little description. The plot is interesting, and does leave you wanting to know what happens next. There is just something missing that I can't place.
This was such a fun read! Some of the conversations felt like ones between me and my best friends.There is so much to like in this story.magic, curses, fae, vampires, and vines... Think I found my new series to binge!
I really enjoyed this book! It has set out the world we are entering nicely and building up the characters well. I couldn't put it down and read it really quickly. I'm loving all the characters already and can't wait to see where book 2 takes us.
This book is actually a 4.5 stars but damn cliffhanger! I would have loved it to be longer also. I already pre-ordered book 2!! Fantastic adventure and some really great one liners!
Dark-haired, sexy males? Yes, please! This is my type of book with magic, attraction, unraveling mystery. Plus, Coren has lots of attitude. I read it in one day! Couldn’t put it down. Good thing I had the day off work!
Just not a fan of anything that is going down. It feel like something is missing and I'm not able to connect with the characters. Probably because I'm the kind of person who'd help the dudes not die, while she... isn't. So, she is annoying me hardcore.