Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Title: Once Upon a Broken Heart

Author: Stephanie Garber
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #1

Hardcover, 408 pages

Publication: September 28th 2021 by Flatiron Books
Source: Personal library
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How far would you go for happily ever after?

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings...until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy….

 

MY THOUGHTS

For full disclosure, I read the author’s first novel, Caraval, and wasn’t a fan of it and never continued with the rest of that series. With that said, I am about second chances and Garber’s second series sounded promising. A little too late, I didn’t know her new series was set in the same world as Caraval until the sisters, Donatella and Scarlett popped up.

What piqued my curiosity about her new series was hearing the author say she wanted to explore the ugly side of heartbreak. I thought, hey that’s different! I was expecting a devil-may-care revenge story. However, that wasn’t what I got. Oddly the entire premise of the novel was built on finding a happily ever after no matter what and the belief that nothing was impossible. Like, say someone you love marrying someone else…Hey! That’s impossible! It’s as sugary sweet as it sounds. I’m all for HEAs. I freaking love them. But this, I didn’t love. Even though Once Upon a Broken Heart is a fantasy novel it was beyond fantastical to the point of the main heroine being delusional, obtuse, naive, or all three.

Right off the bat, I knew the book was heading in the wrong direction when I felt like I was reading a snippet from Cinderella. Our main heroine Evangeline Fox is a beautiful yet belittled sad damsel in the shadow of her evil stepmother and stepsister. Then suddenly by some miraculous miracle, she is sent up north to Nocte Neverending as a representative of her kingdom to attend an event where Prince Apollo is supposed to find a bride. Does this all sound familiar? But what turned me off more than seeing Garber use other people’s story without putting her spin on it (which is pretty horrible already) is a dull, vexing mary-sue heroine which is exactly what Evangeline was. I’ve never read a novel where half the story was an internal monologue of asinine comments and questioning. The comments and questions Evangeline was asking herself should be self-explanatory. They were common sense and of right and wrong any child would know. And yet Evangeline must be extremely unintelligent because she kept choosing the wrong course of actions that didn’t benefit her or anyone around her.

The writing overall was decent but it wasn’t enough to save the story/plot or lack thereof. Every wrong decision led to more stupid wrong decisions that the heroine didn’t realize she was making. She was too blinded by her childhood stories and beliefs that the world is soft and full of rainbows and unicorns. This type of ‘reality’ isn’t even found in other fantasy novels. The author is known for her whimsical flair but everything was too childish including Evangeline.

Evangeline and all the secondary characters fell flat and weren’t likable. I thought it was in bad taste for Evangeline to be chasing after the Prince and her first love Luc while secretly or not so secretly lusting for the Prince of Hearts, who was like Edward Cullen in the first book of Twilight finding Evangeline both attractive and repulsive. The whole I hate you but I like you, 1st grader interaction between Jacks and Evangeline was enough to give me whiplash. Why do people still like and fantasize about these types of disgusting and unhealthy relationships? Nothing says I like you like treating you like shit. No thank you.

The entire book felt like an endless journey with no destination in sight. What I thought was the main reason/plot of the story turned out to be something else, only to end on a sudden cliffhanger. I honestly don’t know what Garber’s goal was for the book, and that’s a problem in itself. I had some expectations for Once Upon a Broken Heart but it didn’t live up to it or the hype. Once Upon a Broken Heart was a mess with poor character development and weak world-building. I don’t recommend it and wish I saved my time and money instead.

Shadowed Steel by Chloe Neill

Title: Shadowed Steel

Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Heirs of Chicagoland # 3

Paperback, 336 pages
Publication: May 4, 2021 by Berkley Books
Source: Personal library
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Elisa Sullivan is the only vampire ever born, and she bears a heavy legacy. After a sojourn with the North American Central Pack of shifters in the wilderness--where she turned a young woman into a vampire to save her life--Elisa returns to Chicago.

But no good deed goes unpunished. The ruling body of vampires, the Assembly of American Masters, is furious that Elisa turned someone without their permission, and they're out for her blood. When an AAM vampire is found dead, Elisa is the prime suspect. Someone else is stalking Chicago--and Elisa. She'll need to keep a clear head, and a sharp blade, to survive all the supernatural strife.

My Thoughts

Shadowed Steel is the third novel in the Heirs of Chicagoland series, a spin-off from the Chicagoland Vampire series. I was really excited to get back to the world, having enjoyed the first and second book. Elisa is still adjusting to being back home in Chicago and around old family and friends. The pressure to join a house has been mounting since the first book but the pressure finally built up in the third when the AAM came to town to question Elisa for creating a new vampire which breaks their most sacred rule. To make matters worse, someone is going around hurting people on Elisa’s behalf making her suspect number one.

While I enjoyed Shadowed Steel in my opinion it wasn’t as engaging as the previous books in the series. I think I’ve passed the honeymoon phase. Instead of finding Elisa’s action endearing as I did before, I found it annoying. Connor jokes and always calls Elisa a little brat and I gotta say it’s pretty accurate. Conner’s alpha wolf bravado has also gotten old. Everything I liked about the couple, I no longer like for some reason…perhaps not relatable or believable as I thought.

The only saving grace for Shadowed Steel was the ending. I must admit it was the best part of the entire book. Elisa’s speech at the end was everything and the scene was well-written. I think that’s what I missed most in this book, there wasn’t enough good action. With that said, I’m not sure If I’d pick up the next book…I’ll see how everything goes but if the author plans another 13 book series like the original…I’d think I’ll past. So far I don’t see the overall plot, endgame. Unless something big happens with Elisa’s inner monster in the next book, the series is currently a boat without direction. At least none that I can see. 

 

Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa

Title: Rhapsodic

Author: Laura Thalassa
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Bargainer #1

Paperback, 326 pages
Publication: November 15, 2016 by Lavabrook Publishing Group
Source: Personal library
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Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she’s been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she’s received. Only death or repayment will fulfill the obligations. Only then will the beads disappear.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He’s a man who can get you anything you want... at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects.

But for one of his clients, he’s never asked for repayment. Not until now. When Callie finds the fae king of the night in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows things are about to change. At first it’s just a chaste kiss—a single bead’s worth—and a promise for more.

For the Bargainer, it’s more than just a matter of rekindling an old romance. Something is happening in the Otherworld. Fae warriors are going missing one by one. Only the women are returned, each in a glass casket, a child clutched to their breast. And then there are the whispers among the slaves, whispers of an evil that’s been awoken.

If the Bargainer has any hope to save his people, he’ll need the help of the siren he spurned long ago. Only, his foe has a taste for exotic creatures, and Callie just happens to be one.

My Thoughts

Have you seen those tiktok videos or IG posts where they mention a book so many times that you cave in and buy it? Well, Rhapsodic was that book for me. It also helped that the book featured a Fae and Siren. The synopsis sounded promising, but I was a bit hesitant in starting the book. The reviews were divided, people either loved it or hated it. However, curiosity got the better part of me.

 

The opening chapter had me intrigued. With our heroine’s siren budding powers, she becomes the target of everyone’s attraction whether she wants it or not. Even her own father. After multiple violent attacks against her person, she fights back which is how The Bargainer came into her life. She makes a deal with him to get rid of the evidence and the police off her back in exchange for a favor of  The Bargainer’s choosing at a later time. One favor becomes two favors and so on until she owes him over 300.

 

The book jumps back and forth from the present to the past, alternating chapters showing readers Callypso’s relationship with The Bargainer over the course of seven years from the age of 16. This book was tricky since the heroine was so young at the start. Callypso spent most of her time with him and although nothing truly happened until the very end of the seven year (a kiss) its hard to ignore that he’s an adult and she a minor. Many people had issue with this, and I too can see what’s problematic with this relationship. But the same could be said about Twilight and other novels featuring century old sups and their teenage human love interest. So I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape about it. Like Twilight again, The Bargainer waited for Callypso to get older to pursue an intimate relationship…specifically 23-years-old (unlike Bella’s 18).

 

I like the plot for the most part, it was different. What I didn’t like was how rushed the ending was and the problem solved. For example, The Bargainer was plagued by the Thief of Soul for almost what, 10 years or something? Thousands of women put under the sleeping spell and countless numbers of children born and The Bargainer couldn’t protect his Kingdom from this villain? Then suddenly Callypso comes along and attracts The Thief of Souls attention and her bracelet from The Bargainer led him straight to her and the Thief. It was a little too easy, convenient, and anticlimactic in my opinion. Overall, I liked Callypso and The Bargainer Des. Honestly can’t think of anything negative about them. I read a review that Callypso’s best friend, Temperance was poorly written and that I agree with. I guess she was the token person of color friend because the way the author wrote her. Was it supposed to make her sound ‘ghetto’? Well, whatever the author was trying to do, she failed. Because hello....most women don’t call their friends the B-Word or other degrading terms. Normal people of any ethnicity don’t talk like Temperance at all. Talk about trying to stereotype people. Like Temperance, most of the side/secondary characters were poorly developed. I didn’t care about their story nor were they memorable.

 

At the moment I am a little curious to see how Callypso and Bargainer Des’s relationship/ story will play out but not so invested that I need to read the sequel immediately. Would I recommend this book? Not really. The writing and story was decent but nothing spectacular. There are far better faerie fantasy out there. But if you’re looking for a quick brain candy smutty book...then you may be interested in Rhapsodic.