Book Review: A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber (Book 3 of Once Upon a Broken Heart series)

Book Review: A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber (Book 3 of Once Upon a Broken Heart series)

by The Book Pup on January 23, 2026

Blurb for the book (on Goodreads):

Two villains, one girl, and a deadly battle for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out. . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

My Summary:

Evangeline has everything she thought she wanted—a prince, a castle, a fairy tale ending. But something is wrong. She can't remember important pieces of her past, and the Prince of Hearts is missing from her life entirely.

As the truth begins to unravel, Evangeline discovers that her "perfect" ending is built on lies, curses, and stolen memories. To reclaim her real happiness and save the person her heart truly belongs to, she'll have to fight against a villain who will stop at nothing to keep her trapped in this false fairy tale.

With time running out and deadly curses at play, Evangeline must break free, remember what she's lost, and prove that true love is worth any curse.

My Review

STEPHANIE GARBER GAVE US THE PERFECT SERIES FINALE AND DESTROYED THE FANDOM IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE! 😭💕✨

A Curse for True Love is everything I wanted and MORE. This is how you end a trilogy—with satisfaction, tears, swoons, and a conclusion so perfect I want to reread the entire series immediately. 🎭📚

Let me tell you about the PACING because it's PHENOMENAL. 🏃‍♀️💨 There is always something happening—revelations, action, emotional moments, plot twists—but nothing ever feels stretched or dragged out. Garber knows exactly when to move the story forward and when to let moments breathe. It's masterful.

I remember reaching the second-to-last chapter and thinking "wait, there are still so many things happening, how is she going to wrap this up?!" But you know what? The ending didn't feel rushed AT ALL. 🎉 Garber stuck the landing perfectly, giving us resolution without cramming everything into the last five pages. Every plot thread got the attention it deserved.

Most of the loose threads from the series are tied up beautifully! 🎀 All the questions I had, the mysteries that haunted me through two books—they get answered in ways that are both surprising and satisfying. Garber respects her readers by delivering on the promises she made throughout the series.

Now let's talk about what REALLY matters: THE ENDING. 💔💕

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: The rest of this review contains spoilers! If you haven't read the book yet, skip to the rating! ⚠️

The happy ending is SO SATISFYING. Evangeline gets Jacks! JACKS! The Prince of Hearts! After all the curses, all the pain, all the impossibility of their love—they actually get their happy ending and I'm SOBBING. 😭💕

The way Evangeline repairs Jacks using LOVE? DEVASTATING. BEAUTIFUL. PERFECT. 💫 After everything they've been through, after all the ways love has been a curse for them, it's love that ultimately saves him.

And that moment when Evangeline kisses him with hope she won't die?! 😱💕 No caption needed.

Apollo being annoying throughout? PERFECT. 😤 He's the villain, and Garber never lets us forget it. We're SUPPOSED to hate him, and boy, did I! Every time he showed up I was like "ugh, THIS GUY AGAIN." But that's exactly what a good villain should do—make you desperate for the heroes to win.

The magic, the curses, the Fates mythology—everything comes together perfectly. Garber doesn't leave any major questions unanswered, and the resolutions feel earned rather than convenient. 📖✨

Honestly, there's NOTHING I didn't like about this story. From start to finish, it delivered everything I wanted from a series finale. The romance is swoon-worthy, the magic is enchanting, the plot is engaging, and the ending is absolutely perfect. 💫

This trilogy will go down as one of my all-time favorites. The way Garber weaves fairy tales with original magic, creates impossibly compelling characters, and delivers a love story that feels both epic and intimate—it's masterful storytelling. 📚👑

I'm still not over it. This is the kind of ending that lives in your heart forever. 💕

5/5 pawprints 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

You can find the book on Goodreads here!

Who I think this book is for: Anyone who's read the first two books (if you haven't, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!), fans of forbidden romance with actual payoff, readers who love curses and fairy tale magic, and everyone who believes true love is worth fighting for.

Reading order reminder: You MUST read the series in order! Start with Once Upon a Broken Heart, then The Ballad of Never After, then this beautiful conclusion. (You can find my reviews for [Once Upon a Broken Heart here!] and [The Ballad of Never After here!])

Ending type: HAPPY! TRUE LOVE WINS! All the feels! 💕✨

Cheers, and happy reading (then crying happy tears)!

The Book Pup

P.S. Stephanie Garber, thank you for this perfect trilogy. My heart is full. 💕🎭✨

P.P.S. If you need me, I'll be rereading this entire series and sobbing over Jacks and Evangeline's love story. 😭📚

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