Caffeinated Reviewer | Cursed in Love by Emily Colin
28th Apr
Narrated by Erin Bateman, Cursed in Love by Emily Colin delivers a standalone cozy paranormal fantasy complete with a curse and romance. Witches, suspense, and premonitions will keep you listening.
Cursed in Love
by Emily Colin
Narrator: Erin Bateman
Length: 12 hours and 26 minutes
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Rating: 
Heat Level: 
Narration: 4 cups Speed: 1.45x
In the quirky, tight-knit town of Sapphire Springs, beloved for its chocolate-caramel milkshakes and spicy senior citizens’ book club, Rune Whitlock has always felt like an outsider. Gifted with the ability to see the future but cursed to have no one believe her premonitions, she’s accepted that romance isn’t in the cards. She’s got a cozy cottage, a fulfilling graphic design career, a loyal best friend, and Valentine—the sweet rescue kitty who is definitely not her familiar. So what if she’s sometimes lonely?
But everything changes when she meets Donovan Frost. A brilliant, brooding data engineer, Donovan is everything Rune is not: methodical, reserved, logical. He’s also grumpy, judgmental, and 5-chili-peppers hot. Thrown together on a mysterious work project, the two clash spectacularly—until an unexpected connection ignites between them.
Then, Rune’s gift reveals a chilling truth: they are destined for each other, but their love story is doomed to end in tragedy on their wedding day. To protect Donovan, Rune must push him away, even if it breaks her heart. But the harder she tries, the more entangled they become. As dark forces conspire against them and secrets come to light, Rune must unravel the mystery of her curse . . . before it’s too late.
The author takes us to the small town of Sapphire Springs, a place where the ley-lines merge. Here we meet Rune Whitlock. Rune gets premonitions and refers to them as her curse. Something she works very hard to hide from everyone, especially her nosy neighbors. We learn about Rune’s past growing up in foster care and her encounter with the monster. As an adult, she lives alone and works as a graphic designer.
When Rune is assigned to work a project with Donovan Frost, a socially awkward and grumpy data engineer, things get complicated. First, there is undeniable chemistry; I mean, those kisses! Then, there is his brother, a cop who has warnings for Rune, and then there is the nosy book club who are closely watching Rune. The tale that unfolded was engaging, with plenty of dangers, secrets, and maybe a romance if Donovan doesn’t die first. Only fate can tell.
I listened to the narration of Erin Bateman and thought she captured Rune perfectly. I wasn’t as impressed with her voice for Donovan as it didn’t match the description on the page, but ultimately I enjoyed the story.
If you enjoy cozy paranormal romances with secrets, danger, and an unsure protagonist, you’ll want to check out Cursed in Love.
*kindleunlimited
About Emily Colin
Emily Colin’s debut novel, The Memory Thief, was a New York Times bestseller and Target Emerging Authors Pick. She is also the author of The Dream Keeper’s Daughter, which Publishers Weekly called “a splendid mix of time travel, romantic yearning, and moving on after grief.” One of her short stories appeared in the USA Today bestselling romance anthology, Dissent. For young adult audiences, Emily is the author of the award-winning romantic dystopian fantasy series, The Seven Sins. She is also the co-editor of two YA fiction anthologies. Emily’s life experience includes organizing a Coney Island tattoo and piercing show, hauling fish at a dolphin research center, and roaming New York City as a teenage violinist. Originally from Brooklyn, she writes, teaches, edits, and indulges her mocha addiction by the sea in North Carolina.
About Erin Bateman
Erin Bateman is a Canadian-born audiobook narrator of 250 titles. She has coached with Sean Pratt on narration, worked accents with PJ Ochlan, and takes private vocal lessons. Her versatility as a voice actor is evident, not only in her snarky narration or sassy characters, but in how she breathes life into all elements of an audiobook with her voice of an animated, positive, millennial. Think Little Miss Smarty Pants meets Carrie Bradshaw. Erin primarily narrates science fiction, fantasy, and its many subgenres, including LitRPG, sword and sorcery, and paranormal. When not in the studio, Erin can be found enjoying life with her three kids and two dogs, Roxy, the English Mastiff, and Harley, the Golden Retriever.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
