Love and Danger in A Cursed Heart by Jenny Hickman

A Cursed Heart ♥ Jenny Hickman ♥ Myths of Airren #2

Published May 2022 ♥ Published by Midnight Tide Publishing

Book One Review : Discover A Cursed Kiss by Jenny Hickman

Book Two Companion Novel Review : Discover Rian’s Curse in Prince of Deception

❥ Irish Mythology

❥ Fantasy Romance

❥ Fake Engagement

❥ Found Family

❥ Enemies to Lovers

❥ Completed Series

Storybooks spoke of love that transcended time and death, and kisses that stole one’s breath. If love like that existed, I hadn’t experienced it. And as far as kisses went, they were fine. Chocolate cake was better.

“Pity the girl from Graystones who loved a heartless prince. For the only way to save him was at her own expense.”

A Cursed Heart Review

A Cursed Heart is book two in author Jenny Hickman’s Myths of Aireen series. This time around, we are following the strong-willed and precious Lady Aveen. I instantly fell in love with Aveen. Instantly. Aveen has her feet on the ground and her head out of the clouds, unlike her sister, Keelynn. Growing up early to take care of your younger sister will do that to a girl. Personality-wise, I felt more of a connection with Aveen than her sister. She is far more level-headed. Both sisters are well-written and utterly distinct from each other. I read these books back to back, and not once while reading A Cursed Heart did I confuse Aveen with Keelynn.

Where we met Keelynn on the night of Aveen’s betrothal soiree, we meet Aveen the day her father demands she find a husband. In less than eight weeks! From Aveen’s point of view, we find out how she comes to die on the night of her betrothal party. When Hickman labelled these books inter-connected standalone, she meant it. You do not have to read A Cursed Kiss to read A Cursed Heart, or vice-versa. Although I highly suggest you read both. They are both lovely & are perfect in the way they are tied together and yet can stand on their own.

Padraig. As if I didn’t love him enough the first time around.

” He was so much more than a coachman. “

I fell even more deeply in love with characters I had already fallen in love with. Padraig is my second favourite coachman. Characters, namely Robert, whom I despised the first time around, loathed even more in A Cursed Heart. I still love Tadhg, but his brother Rian may have stolen my heart away from him. He does need a heart more than Tadhg, after all. Where A Cursed Kiss is the story of Keelynn and Tadhg, A Cursed Heart is about Aveen and Rian.

Two sisters fall in love with Cursed Half Fae Princes.

If A Cursed Kiss was the most delicious moist chocolate cake in the universe, then A Cursed Heart was the fluffy boiled icing with sprinkles. Fair warning, these books may make you hungry, & not just for handsome, mischievous fae princes to devour. The boy’s love for their feckin sweets had me craving sweet sugary deliciousness myself. This brings me to one of the few things about these books that bothered me. Hickman’s character’s don’t have a very colourful vocabulary. It is such a minor thing to complain about, foolish really. All these beautiful words flowing across the pages, stopped abruptly by the word feckin’.

If you are feeling extra adventurous, may I suggest reading Part One of A Cursed Heart followed by the entirety of A Cursed Kiss and then go back and finish A Cursed Heart. If you are particular about your timelines, that is the way to go.

I can not wait to read Hickman’s upcoming books for this series.

Choosing a husband was like selecting the weapon for your execution: your life was forfeit either way.

With proper guidance and training, I could do anything as well as – or better than – any man.

Although, one could argue that marriage was its own brand of death. It certainly was more drawn out.

Women were pawns in a game of wealth and power. And yet without us, there would be no men.

Lifelong commitment. Till death do us part. Rings and promises. I didn’t want any part of it.

Love was used to trick women into giving themselves away.

I had just blackmailed a woman. If I wanted to speak to a fortune teller, I could.

Pretty on the outside but with a heart too heavy for happiness.

The acidic taste in my mouth was nothing compared to the bitterness growing in my heart.

He was like a flame, beautiful and enticing. But flames scaled and burned.

Despair that now grew like a vicious weed inside my head and my heart.

My tears watered the seeds. My broken heart seeped into the soil.

My hope flew away like the breeze.

I’d have his pretty little head on a platter if he didn’t watch his tongue.

Long black nails curled from her slender fingers. The candles flickering on the walls illuminated veins of black flowing beneath her almost translucent skin.