Once Upon a Broken Heart
A girl makes a deal with a fate for true love and pays in curses and kisses
Once Upon a Broken Heart is about Evangeline Fox, who makes a deal with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, to stop the man she loves from marrying someone else. The deal costs her three kisses, and Jacks is a dangerous fate who feeds on heartbreak. Stephanie Garber writes fairy-tale romance with teeth, where every wish comes with a price and love is always a gamble.
What makes the book special is how Garber writes Jacks. He's not safe or redeemable in traditional ways. He's selfish, manipulative, and cursed to kill anyone he kisses. But he's also tragic, trapped by his own curse, and maybe capable of caring despite spending centuries proving he can't.
The world-building is lush and dangerous. Garber writes magic as beautiful and cruel, fates as capricious gods, and curses as inevitable consequences. The romance is slow-burn because Evangeline and Jacks can't trust each other, but they're bound together by bargains and fate.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber follows Evangeline Fox making a deal with Jacks, Prince of Hearts, trading kisses for true love. The book explores dangerous fae bargains, curse-breaking, morally gray romance, and fairy-tale magic with consequences.
A girl makes a deal with a fate for true love and pays in curses and kisses
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What you're really looking for when you search for books like Once Upon a Broken Heart
You want fairy-tale retellings with darkness. You want magic that's beautiful and dangerous, wishes that cost more than expected, and love stories where the price is high.
You're also looking for morally gray love interests. You want men who are dangerous, selfish, and maybe incapable of love. You want the tension of not knowing if redemption is possible or if loving them will destroy you.
And you want lush world-building. You want fantasy romance where the setting is as compelling as the characters. You want magic systems, curses, and fates that shape the story.
The reader take
Garber writes lush, dangerous fairy tales. Jacks is compelling because you never know if he's capable of love or just using Evangeline. The magic is beautiful and cruel. The romance is slow and fraught because every step closer might destroy them both. If you want fantasy romance where love is a gamble and curses have teeth, start here.
Book recommendations
A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
Fairy-tale retelling with dangerous fae and curse-breaking. Maas writes morally complex love interests and lush world-building with similar scope to Garber.
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
Mortal girl navigating dangerous fae politics. Black writes sharp-edged fairy tales and enemies-to-lovers tension with cruelty that matches Jacks.
Caraval
by Stephanie Garber
Garber's first series, set in the same world. Similar magical atmosphere, dangerous games, and the sense that every choice has hidden costs.
House of Earth and Blood
by Sarah J. Maas
Urban fantasy romance with dangerous bargains and slow-burn tension. Maas writes fated mates and world-threatening stakes similar to Garber's scope.
The Shadows Between Us
by Tricia Levenseller
Heroine plots to kill the king and marry him for power. Levenseller writes dangerous attraction and moral ambiguity with similar fairy-tale darkness.
Common questions
Is this a standalone or part of a series?
First book in a trilogy. The romance arc continues across all three books. You'll want to read them all. Also loosely connected to Garber's Caraval series, but reading those first isn't required.
How dark is it?
Dark in tone and stakes, not content. There's emotional manipulation, curse consequences, and heartbreak, but no graphic violence or abuse. The darkness is fairy-tale gothic, not grimdark.
How much romance versus plot?
Balanced. The romance is central but slow-burn. The plot involves curse-breaking, fate politics, and uncovering secrets. If you need constant romantic progression, it might feel slow. If you like fantasy plot with romantic tension, it's perfect.
Related books like
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Beauty and the Beast retelling with fae politics, curses, and slow-burn magic
The Cruel Prince
A mortal girl survives in deadly fae court by being crueler than the fae themselves
Fourth Wing
Dragons, danger, and an enemies-to-lovers romance in a cutthroat war college
From Blood and Ash
The Maiden chosen for the gods falls for her forbidden guard and discovers everything she knows is a lie
House of Earth and Blood
Urban fantasy meets murder investigation with fae, angels, and a slow-burn that tests patience
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Ember writes you into the story as someone who makes a dangerous bargain with a fate. You're the one deciding how far you'll go for love, whether to trust someone who feeds on heartbreak, if you're willing to risk your heart when every kiss might be your last.
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