400 pages unfortunately felt too long. For me it should have been later when they found out they were mates. The Druid was too quick t be like "that's it I am not going to sacrifice her."

C.J. Burright masterfully creates a spellbinding modern story rich in magic, mystery and Irish lore. Each page has you immersed in Kellen and Maggie’s world. A world that brings Kellen’s Irish Druid past crashing into Maggie’s modern day life. Together they have seven days to break an ancient curse that entraps Kellen and win the prize that can change Maggie’s life forever. A magical adventure and mystery that is a definite must read.

This was such a fun mix of magic, romance, and danger that kept me hooked from the start. I loved the Celtic-inspired worldbuilding and how the story blended mythology with fast-paced action. The chemistry between the characters felt strong and really carried the story for me. A couple of the plot points wrapped up a little too quickly, but overall it didn’t take away from how entertaining it was. If you like paranormal romance with a darker, mystical edge, this one is definitely worth picking up.

3.75 stars

This paranormal romance weaves together druidic and dark magic in a unique and enchanting way. The story follows a druid cursed to a magical prison, allowed only seven days of freedom every fifty years. Now, on his final chance to break the curse, he must make an unthinkable choice: sacrifice the last living descendant of the witch who cursed him. But when he unexpectedly falls into an instant, intense love with her, everything changes. She’s determined to save them both—him from his fate, and herself from becoming a sacrifice.

Though I expected a darker tone, the story surprised me with its cozy, heartwarming vibes. It’s super cute and atmospheric, perfect for getting into the spooky season spirit. There were a few slower moments, and I would’ve loved more development for the side characters, but overall, it’s a delightful read that blends magic, romance, and just the right touch of mystery.

Druid Cursed felt like a mix of Never the Roses and urban fantasy that sets up a unique premise and a romance with a ton of potential. Maggie and Kellen's dynamic was cute and I appreciated watching Maggie grow in confidence after experiencing rejection and hurt from a previous relationship. I also enjoyed the overall setting, as I always find myself loving gothic vibes and brooding love interests. Unfortunately, Maggie was too immature for my liking and I don't usually jive with insta-love type stories. Druid Cursed also seemed to be missing just a little bit of something to take it to the next level. I think this book is decent and an easy, quick read that I lot of people will enjoy, I just fell a tad flat for me and never breaching the "just okay" threshold. If you like gothic/Halloween vibes, insta-love, soft FMCs, and curses that lead to a lot of self sacrificing, pick this one up on pub day!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Druid Cursed is a high stakes fantasy romance with ancient rituals, trials & a broody MMC who is cursed to live in a magical prison.

Kellen Ravenwood is locked away for 6 centuries but once every half century his twin brother is able to perform a counter-spell to escape his prison for only seven days, but this time will be his last & he must break his curse to save his land & everything he has sworn to protect.

Our FMC Maggie O’Malley & her best friend Wendy are invited to an Ireland estate to compete in Magic, Moonlight & Mayhem to win $500,000 to save Maggie's childhood home & start her dream business, “Book, Brews & Bygones”. Everything gets strange on night one of their week-long stay when Wendy suddenly gets ill & starts acting out of character, it is up to Maggie to continue the trials of the competition but she will have help from our MMC who is infatuated by everything that is Maggie O’Malley.

In Druid Cursed you will find witches, ghosts, fae, druids, (of course) spooky castles, possession, mystery, fated heartmates, he falls first, friendship & brotherhood.

“She was an entire millennium worth of dreams breathed to life. Mine” Kellen Ravenwood

I really enjoyed the spooky mystery of Druid Cursed, I found myself wishing I could read when I wasn't & looking forward to finding out the truth while I was reading. Everything came together so well in the end & I was honestly so happy with the ending & I hope to see more from this world!

Thank you so much C.J. Burright, Entangled Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC & the opportunity to read this book!

The book started off great. The edition is beautiful and the vibes were incredible. But once I got further into it, I struggled to connect with the dialogue especially. The mix of modern day and centuries old speaking manners didn't work for me and I found the MMC to come off a little creepy. I also found this to be way too similar to the premise of ACOTAR, so I couldn't get that comparison out of my head.

💀 Druid cursed by C. J. Burright 💀

Druid Cursed is a paranormal romance novel set to be released on October 7, 2025 .

It’s a standalone, adult fantasy romance that blends dark magic with emotional tension and high stakes .

A druid cursed to an enchanted prison, is granted a narrow window of freedom, just seven days every fifty years .

This Samhain marks his final chance to break the curse; he must obtain the blood of the last living descendant of the witch who cursed him .

Refusing to be sacrificed, she is determined to find another way and perhaps defy fate itself.

Druid Cursed by C. J. Burright promises to be a tense, emotionally charged paranormally tinged romance with a gothic, magical twist

Rating: 3.75/5

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It initially caught my attention because you don’t see many books focusing on druids, and that alone made it feel fresh. The pacing worked well for me, and the writing felt pretty solid in a way that kept me hooked and wanting to keep reading. There were a few spots that felt a little rushed or repeated, while simultaneously dragging on, but on the whole it wasn't enough tot ruin the flow.

I will say, based on the cover, title, and description, I expected something darker and moodier. I thought there’d be more of that intense, dangerous magic vibe, but it ended up leaning more toward a contemporary romance with magical elements. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just wasn’t what I had pictured going in, so I was a little thrown at first. I do think there was a missed opportunity to really lean into the dark magic side of things and move this book into a darker romance category.

What really stood out, though, was the druid twist. You don’t come across many books exploring that side of magic, and I thought it was a really cool angle. It added something different to the romance and kept things from feeling completely predictable. There was a nice bit of slow burn tension which I enjoyed, but could (always!) do with a bit more spice.

Even though I had some small hang-ups, I still enjoyed the ride and would recommend it to anyone who’s curious about a romance with a unique magical thread.

Druids and their secrets.

Phew this book. It was so good. I fell head first into it and was equally desperate to read it all at once and also to savor it and make it last. The storyline was imaginative, the characters were real and relatable, the writing was captivating and the world building phenomenal woven together scene by scene, layer by layer until it became a living breathing place full of three dimensional beings. There is a fantastic mix of all the yummy things in this one - a scarred but strong woman, an honorable long suffering man, a vengeful spirit, fated love, twins, and a ticking clock - all swirled together with delicious hints of dark secrets, intrigue, and magic. This fantasy will have you feeling all the deep emotions - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, knuckle biting, raging, and cheering. I was right there with Kellen and Maggie feeling all the things as their story unfolds. Part of my time reading was definitely spent trying to guess the secrets and solve the mystery of the curse and the counter-curse and low key yelling at the characters. Kellen Ravenwood is a 600 year old druid who was cursed for rejecting a witch’s daughter. He has woken from his slumber for only 7 days and the only way to break the curse is to kill the last descendent of Sorcha, the witch who cursed him. Maggie O’Malley is a divorcee who is done with men after her ex-husband stole from her and as a result, she’s almost homeless. She arrives in Ireland with her BFF Wendy after winning the wildcard entry to attend the famous Ravenwood Halloween celebration with a potential cash prize of $500k. Unbeknownst to Maggie, she is Sorcha’s last descendent and upon first meeting her, Kellen realizes she’s also his true love. And that’s just the beginning of the wildly unpredictable spooky week. And phew what an exciting journey it is - exhilarating adventure, palpable tension, unexpected twists, life-threatening danger, powerful magic, deep emotions, and spicy romance. This was definitely a story worth falling into again and again. 4.5 stars.

Gives cozy autumn vibes. Not overly amazing but also not a terrible book. It’s an easy read that keeps you engaged but not so much that you can’t focus on life also. Worth it.

I want to thank Entangled Publishing, C.J. Burright, and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to arc read this.

Druid Cursed is a fun, entertaining, gothic read that will be perfect for the colder months into spooky season. The atmospheric setting and the characters made this fun and interesting.

I will say the pacing felt off at times. Kellen’s manner of speaking and Maggie’s would throw me off a bit with the difference but it also meant it was easy to tell who was speaking.

Overall this is a good book to add to one’s TBR for this fall!

3.5🌟

The gothic vibes in this book make me want to dive to autumn season already. What I liked most about this book was the plot and how it went around the mystery of it and how to break it. I think everyone puts their energy on that curse but at the same time, the book gives all the characters their own space to be. I enjoyed reading dual POVs, one Maggie’s and Kellen’s. Maggie gives the perspective of a normal woman going through a rough life and diving into this magic castle. Then, Kellen gives the perspective of a very old soul, who is trapped in a curse with only 7 days of freedom. Both of them being soulmates was a nice touch. And bonus point to Kellen for being so noble in the entire book.

I enjoyed all the side characters too. Wendy was a nice best friend but she is kinda missing most of the book, Cara was a great addition and of course Caedmon had a big part in this book. He definitely has more mystery of his own. I enjoyed the plot and how the witch gets taken down. Overall, it was a simple plot but it’s a feel-good story with a happy ending so I was satisfied.

did nooooooooooot like this at all. story was promising but this book fell victim to being the most predictable writing. no bueno

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️

✔️ Slow Burn
✔️ Found Family
✔️ Paranormal Romance

I have been impatiently waiting for this one to come out after seeing its stunning sprayed edges - seriously, go check them out if you haven’t already. So to say I was excited to get this one is an understatement, thank you @entangled and @netgalley for providing me with a copy! 🩵

This story was fun and the magic was complex and interesting. I really loved reading about the lore and the magical plots on both sides. 🤣 This one truly kept you guessing on how things were going to turn out and had lots of twisty layers - which I love. I also really enjoyed the scavenger hunt and ritual event elements - at times it kind of reminded me of the Harry Potter Triwizard tournament. The characters for me - more specifically the romance aspect was lacking for me. I know we were working on a short time frame but the instalove didn’t seem believable for me and with the exception of some scenes lacked chemistry. I’ll put it to you this way - I wasn’t sold on their romance. I also struggled a bit with the pacing on this one, at times it felt like the story was dragging. Now with that said this was still a really cute read and I did end up enjoying it so it’s worth checking out. 🩵

“You tell me the truth, even when it would be easier to lie. You don’t pretend to be something you’re not. When you look at me, it’s as if you see…just me. All of me, every imperfect corner. And you still don’t look away.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this book.

Kellam's and Maggie's love story was a different twist for me. Kellen Ravenwood is super hot and I loved how he fought for Maggie and was not willing to sacrifice her to save.

The writing told from both Maggie's and Kellam's perspective added to the story. The scavenger hunt was a fun way to move the story forward.

I loved the finale!

Hoping for a book about Wendy's and Caedmon's love story.

Recommend

Druid Cursed is an easy read fantasy. The romance is fast burning and the plot twist comes at you fast. I really enjoyed our swoon worthy and broody MMC to play counter to the sweet and sassy FMC.

Set on an eerie Irish Estate, a Druid and witch need to find a common ground.

Loved this one. Maggie was amazing, strong, and independent. Kellen was fun too, kind of old fashioned and awkward with modern stuff, which made their interactions really funny sometimes. The atmosphere, especially the fall vibes and Ireland scenery, made me feel like I was actually there. I liked Maggie’s journey, and Kellen was sweet and selfless. I really liked the ending. Overall, it was a fun, magical, and emotional read. Four stars. Thank you so much to the author, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

“You tell me the truth, even when it would be easier to lie.”

This fun read with fall vibes has me in the mood to decorate for Halloween! I loved the atmosphere of the book, and solving the mystery was fun. It felt a little rushed, but I think that was meant to showcase how little time they had together. I'm just not convinced a week is long enough to form an epic love bond meant to span near eternity.

As much as I enjoyed Maggie and Kellen’s story, I found myself hoping to see more of Wendy. Here's hoping she and Caedmon connect in a later book!

A fantasy castle romance with a dash of mystery, this was the perfect read for a rainy afternoon. 3.5⭐, rounded up to 4.

This book is okay. I think the idea of it was the most promising part. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read, and unlike anything I’ll probably ever read, which was enough to keep me going.

The pacing of this book was all over the place. I couldn’t keep up with it. At some parts, the story moved so fast that I felt like I blinked and important moments already were over. Then, there were moments that were so stretched out that I started to force myself to keep reading instead of just skimming through.

This isn’t a particularly exciting book. There’s some fun characters, unique ideas, and a cool world, but it’s not a literary masterpiece by any means.

I don’t regret reading it, but I likely won’t pick up another book by this author anytime soon.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.