I think that as I age, the type of character that Gray is appeals less and less to me.

This wasn't a bad read, it entertained me, but the plot and character progressions felt lackluster to me.

DNF. I loved book 1 so I had high hopes for this book, but I just could not get into it at all. I even tried the audiobook but eventually had to give up.

The Cursed was a solid 3 stars for me. About halfway through, it finally sunk its hooks into me. I just wish that it had gotten good sooner. The first half felt like a repeat of book one at times, which detracted from my overall enjoyment.

The Cursed picks up immediately after the events of The Coven and ends on a mild cliffhanger. More is revealed about the plotting that the older generation of witches. Willow comes into her own and so much is set up for the next book that I went from being 'meh' about this series to interested. A few less smut scenes would have kept the plot moving along nicely.

The copy was kindly given to me by publisher and Netgalley for review; all opinions are my own.

I ended up finishing this book physically instead of audiobook but that was more due to convenience (when and where I was) that the audiobook. Look to physical book review for opinions:)

I'm so sad that The Cursed marks the end of The Coven duet too. But let me tell you, it's one heck of a finale! Seriously, this book grabs you from the very first page and doesn't let go. The plot twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. And let's not forget about Willow and Gray, they are absolute gems! Their story is beautifully broken and painful, but it's also so much more than that. Love shines through all the lies and deceit. Willow may be alone and broken-hearted after Gray's betrayal, but she's a fighter, and I know she won't stay down for long. And Gray, oh Gray, he knows he messed up big time, but he's determined to make it right. He's always there for Willow, encouraging her to let go of her fears. It's not going to be an easy journey, but they're in it for the long haul. Trust me, this book is a must-read! I couldn't put it down, and I'm sure you'll feel the same. And not just Willow and Gray, even the side characters are amazing. So, yeah, highly recommend diving into this world! Happy reading! 😊📚

It took me quite a few tries to get through this book. It was .... like a rehashing of several other vampire romance stories and it never really grabbed me. I could tell the MC was intended to be a sympathetic character and from the beginning I could see where this all was going and there wasn't enough punchy banter or surprises to make it feel like anything other than reading it just to get through it.

I felt like it was spice at the expense of plot. Like a shoot em up for romance fans. I stopped and started this book so many times hoping the next time I picked it up I'd like it more and every time I was rolling my eyes after a few pages. That being said, I am positive there is a market for this. It's just not me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

I’m giving this a 3 stars for the narration alone begin good. I was super lost but I guess that’s my fault for not remembering enough about the first book

The Cursed by Harper L. Woods is the sequel to her book The Coven and part of the Coven of Bones series. While in the first book, we followed Willow infiltrating with a plan of vengeance into the coven and navigating a dark romance with the vessel Grey, in this one, we see the consequences of her actions in book one.

Willow has been betrayed by Grey, whom she started to fall in love with, and has discovered he was de Devil himself with an ancient plan to get liberated where she was only another piece of the puzzle. Heartbroken, unable to stop her destiny, Willow has archived her vengeance partially, discovering that the complot ran deeper than she thought. Now she is married to Lucifer himself, known before as Grey, and sees herself and the remaining survivors of the coven, surrounded by powerful demons from the pit of hell (literally).

How could she regain her power and free will? How will she recover from her demon husband, the coven, and how will she mend her broken heart?

I will never know, probably, since I DNF this book at 44%.

I was looking forward to this sequel and was thrilled when I was given access to the audiobook. The first book, as you may know, ends with an earthshaking plot-twist and a cliffhanger, so I was ready to devour this audio and enjoy every second of it. The first novel has its issues, but it was overall an entertaining reading experience, and I was quite invested in the whole murder mystery and the toxic and dark relationship between the main characters. So my expectations with this one were moderately high. I expected hell to break loose and a lot of drama; not the best development or writing, but at least a juicy, interesting reading experience.

I didn't actively decide to DNF this book, it just happened. To no surprise to anyone but me, I found myself finding excuses to not listen to it, and the time kept passing until I had to face the truth. I was not going to be finishing it just to be able to say I pushed until the end. It made no sense.

My main complaint would be that it feels like we came back to book one in terms of development, relationships, and character arcs; and I would rather read a new book with a similar plot. It was a letdown and ridiculous.
We came from a very intense moment of betrayal, something that should have shattered Grey and Willow's relationship. Instead, we get them having sex and Willow being kind of annoyed by her lover faking to be protecting her and manipulating her. We are talking about a woman whose life has been a living hell because her father abused her and exposed her to other abusers…but we kind of forget about it because Gray “actually didn't know” and killed her father as punishment?? WHAT? WHAT KIND OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS THIS? Willow is supposed to be this tough girl, who has been used her whole life and wishes for a freedom she would never be able to have because of her destiny. And you are trying to tell me she ignores all this situation because she is too horny?? Make it make sense.

Woods warns at the beginning of the book that the main male character of this series is a villain. I'm okay with that, and I think that brings an interesting aspect to the story. But then, why are the characters not reacting like he is doing villainous things? Why are Willow's friends being like “I mean, he is bad, but he kinda loves you, and it could be worse”?? Why is she having the SAME dilemma she had in book one when she didn't know half of the things and only felt bad because she had to manipulate him, not fall in love?? That's what I call a 0 in character and story development. This story preferred to ignore the elephant in the room, so the protagonist would bang, rather than truly give the readers the depth they deserved. There were no consequences for the actions portrayed in book one.
And I don't care how many women empowerment scenes you add to the story, since all the main issues that bring us to this point are being brushed under the rug. They will inevitably fall flat.

I think Woods bit off more than she could chew and made the final plot twist just a void attention grabber.

From the audio aspect comes the most positive part of this review, mostly. (I did have some issues with Emilia Bauer's performance, but just some light criticism).
We get a dual POV narration, with Bauer reading Willow chapters and Ellis Evans in Grey chapters. That's always a nice touch to this kind of multiple type of narration. It helps bring life to the story and gets you more invested in it.
Ellis Evans's voice is incredible and fits the character so well that I was utterly shocked when I started to hear the audiobook. Emilia Bauer put effort into portraying every character, modulating her voice and way of reading. Impressive. My only issue would be that I found some voices a little off, and it took me out of the experience.

My conclusion would be then that this was a good audiobook for a not-so-great book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an Audio ARC of "The Cursed" in exchange for my honest review!! I was also lucky enough to recieve an ARC of "The Coven" last year and I quickly became obsessed with the story! The Cursed is for sure a dark romance so if that is not your cup of tea this might be a skip for you! Williow and Gray's chemistry?? OFF THE CHARTS. If dark romance and dark academia are your thing? You have to give this duology a try!

I did enjoy this one, but the beginning was very draggy. I feel like it suffered from second-book-syndrome or maybe I just liked the enemies to lovers action from book 1, and we obviously don't get that in book 2.

Meh.

To be completely honest, I had no idea who or what was bad guy in this book; we moved from Gray to God and his angels. About three quarters of the way through the novel, something was introduced. I was utterly bewildered when it concluded. Gray and Willow had nothing to do with the epilogue. At the conclusion of this, Willow's sentiments and position toward Gray underwent a total change. She hated Gray and wanted to kill him so he could go back to "from whence he came"; she spent the most of the novel harboring these feelings. In the last one percent of the book, she had a change of heart and determined that he had really given her a choice; she would have the foretold daughter and battle God and his army. I thought I had picked up a different book; I was so bewildered, as I mentioned before. Poor editing and a hasty conclusion indicate that this piece was not proofread. I feel this book should have been better.

I was so excited about this too. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC for an honest review.

This sequel I think was much better than the first book.

I loved where the story went and all the suspense in it. I really liked how Willow and Gray became more of a United front towards the end. I think having them be more than enemies/“lovers and more into a true pair made it enjoyable.

I can’t wait to hear what happens next!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I really enjoyed how the cursed picked up right where the coven ended. It was a direct continuation I had been waiting for. However, I did enjoy the coven more than cursed. It didn’t captivate me or keep me interested like the first book. The character chemistry was great. The narration was pleasant and easy to listen to.

I received this audiobook ARC via NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

3 ⭐️

I liked this book slightly better than The Coven. Honestly, this book felt like a filler episode of Supernatural. That may be why I liked it more.

Willow was slightly more tolerable in this book. Also, now that we know who Gray is he too was more tolerable in this book.

This book felt like it explained some things, but explaining things doesn’t count as having a plot. It felt more like wanting to throw in a bunch of different scenarios and loosely string them together.

Willow’s friends felt more like work friends than the best friends she makes them out to be.

Again, Willow's brother is thrown in as an afterthought, but at least he is mentioned a couple of times throughout the book. He is basically one of the biggest throwaway characters in existence.

I didn’t really care about Margot and Beelzebub so I am unlikely to continue with this series.

I would slightly recommend this book.

I LOVED The Coven and was beyond excited for this sequel. We start The Cursed where we left off in The Coven, which was a whirlwind! I love Willow and Gray and this book was very focused on Willow's journey. The spice and chemistry was chef's kiss, but some of the plot fell a bit flat for me. Of course, my expectations for this book were sky high after reading The Coven, so this could be just a me thing. I think overall, it just felt too rushed and the plot wasn't fully realized to its full potential. I still enjoyed it overall though and love the duology as a whole.

This wraps up this duet in a mind-blowing fashion! The story weaves a complex narrative, blending witchcraft, biblical elements, and fantasy to create an utterly engaging experience filled with unexpected twists. Character development shines in this book. Willow's path to self-discovery and Gray's transformation from self-serving to devoted are captivating. Their evolving relationship, from enemies to lovers, is a real highlight, especially Gray's intense, possessive love for Willow. Picking up where the last book left off, this book ties up some loose ends while introducing new questions. Themes of forgiveness and revenge are central, delivering an emotionally charged story. This conclusion is incredibly satisfying, leaving me eagerly awaiting Harper's next adventure.

The Cursed by Harper L. Woods is the second book in the Coven of Bones series. I would highly recommend reading the series in order so that you can have a better understanding of what is going on.

Willow has been manipulated her entire life. The narrative she was told her whole life was not the reality and now she has been duped again. As she comes to herms with the truth of what is going on around her, she also has to reconcile the fact that she is meant for Gray, and he has waited all this time for her. She still loathes him, but is also hot for him.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of the audio book. All opinions are my own. #HarperLWoods #TheCursed #NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia

Nope....I really liked the Coven. I don't know if it was right book right time, but it had really fun atmosphere to go with the campy romance. This one starts with so much crude for crude's sake, not at all sexy, and just weird sexual discussions. I was not a fan. It was so much cringier than the first book.