Rating: 4.25🌈
If I thought the dark curses of Like a House on Fire were terrifying, Rose takes this story and goes into another magical lane of darkness and curses.
Fool Me Twice by A. M. Rose, the second book in the Cursebreakers, Inc. series, has two main characters we met in book one. Cain, the brutal, anger filled owner of an illegal underground fighting club (where Ash fought in book 1), and Hart, the uber polished, always controlled unofficial head of his family of Cursebreakers.
Of the two main storylines, the relationship aspect between Cain and Hart doesn’t really work (imo) as well as the magical curse plot line.
Aside from a instant heavy D/s element, there’s other parts of this relationship, that as written, makes it harder, imo, to create a connection between them as a couple and a reader. One is the missing history or background between them. It’s implied here but it’s not clear what happened. There’s a short story that a reader can access after finishing the book that fills this in, but it’s lack of details in the narrative leaves a deep gap between the present day emotional complexity and intensity of the actions of the characters to make their interactions believable. For Hart to break down, abandoning his character, there needed to be a foundation laid out for this to be something that could be understood. Especially when Cain is the key.
I don’t think that happened. The characters apart are intriguing. Together, not so sure.
What was incredible about the story is the curse , the mystery and once again, the escalating suspense and horror that surrounds the curse and those affected by it. It’s so well written, the tension and horror so intense as well as the puzzling nature and scrambling for a solution.
That last part of the narrative is a true white knuckle ride. It’s emotional, compelling ,and very dangerous. And the reader is all in.
Aside from the romantic thread, there’s other things that really matter here. The authors bring us more background information about how the Cursebreakers were formed as a unit, we see more of the agency and its members, and get a feel for stories to come.
The various members of the remarkable Cursebreakers are still being fleshed out. The first being Ash with Morgan. Now Hart, still polished house family manager alongside his partner Cain. Next up is the affable Fix, the large Cursebreaker who’s helped hold them together during a formative period/history that’s slowly being revealed.
Wren, an intriguing Cursebreaker who works with cursed creatures, has important clues released here about his past and a new character that was introduced. Can’t wait for their story to be released.
I’m excited for this series and recommending this story. Read them in the order they are written for character development and event content.
Cover designed by BCJ Art & Design
Cursebreakers, Inc.:
- Like a House on Fire # 1
- Fool Me Twice #2
- A Thousand Cuts #3 – March 12, 2025
Buy link
Fool Me Twice (Cursebreakers, Inc. Book 2)
Blurb
“Be a calm wave in the ocean of chaos.”
Hart, perhaps, took that quote a bit too much to heart. In the midst of drama and the constant restlessness of his family, he chose to present himself as unwavering. Poised. Controlled. Even when inside, he’s anything but. There are layers to him underneath the perfection. Layers he’s desperately craving for someone to peel away.
It’s just his luck that the only person who knows how to do that lives his life in shades of gray. Morally gray.
Cane punches first. Period. What question would he even need to ask?
Only, it seems like his tried-and-true method isn’t working so well for him anymore. With an empire to run in the underbelly of Slatehollow, the last thing he needs is a curse placed on his head and drawing attention to the details of his…business ventures.
But when it starts to do more than just that, he knows there is only one person he can call. Hart. And with Hart, inevitably, comes a realization. Cane wants so much more than cursebreaking from him.
Will Hart let him have it? Or will the curse destroy them both first?
- Publication date: June 10, 2024
- Language: English
- Print length: 379 pages
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 