I read and loved the authors previous novel so was excited to read Love is a Curse.
Cammy is fifteen when she learns about her family’s curse from her aunt Lorna, a famous artist and ten years later when she moves into the dilapidated Gothic church left to her in her aunt’s will she decides to investigate the truth behind the curse.
I love a multi generational family history and I enjoyed the spooky, atmospheric setting of the church, in an area I know well, a village outside of Bath. I did feel that the novel was fairly slow paced and in the first part I was keen for it to move on to the history of the women in Cammy’s family. I enjoyed these sections of the novel and felt that they flowed well alongside the present day narrative. The author writes beautifully and I loved the descriptions of the church and the characterisation of Lorna.
A well written novel that I became immersed in.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC,

@currentlyreading__
Book 27 of 2024

Thank you to @NetGalley, @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and the author @keef.stuart for the advanced reader copy of ‘Love is a Curse’ ahead of publication on 25th April. Having read and loved Keith’s last novel ‘The Frequency of Us’, I was happy to be offered his new offering to review. It was NOT what I was expecting. All the same I loved it! I was not expecting a modern gothic story intertwining multi-generational secrets, lies and mystery. I am not usually a reader of family sagas but I enjoyed seeing how the stories of women through the ages would pan out.

The start of the novel has our main character Cammy Piper preparing to say goodbye to her aunt Lorna who is on her deathbed. Lorna was a role model to Cammy - an artist, eclectic, mysterious and full of intrigue. She tells Cammy that all of the women in the family have been cursed; that Cammy should NEVER fall in love as it will end in disaster and she will never have what other people have. When Cammy does eventually fall in love with horticulturalist Ben tragedy strikes.

So Cammy sets off to uncover the secrets of her past and all the while living in St. Cyprian’s Church in a small village in Somerset left to her by her wonderful aunt. As well as uncovering her aunt’s art installations, she uncovers letters and wonders to what extent this curse has affected the lives of four generations of women.

I loved the sense of foreboding in this novel as Cammy discovered more tragic tales of the women in her family and how they seemed to spell disaster for Cammy’s own future.

A great novel which I whizzed through as I was so invested in Cammy’s story. If you love a character-led book, stormy settings and gothic intrigue this is one for you.

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3,5 stars rounded up.

A single sentence was all it took to define Cammy's life. It came as her beloved artist aunt was dying, a teenage Cammy is warned that the women in her family are destined to always lose the one they love. She thinks nothing of it - until the day when, in her late twenties, her new boyfriend is hit by a car. Convinced she's to blame, Cammy begins to investigate the one hundred and fifty year story of a family that is both ordinary and remarkable, tragic and beautiful. But is the curse real, or is there an answer lurking in the letters, diaries, and paintings of generations of women whose heart were broken?

Camille (Cammy) Piper is told by her dying aunt that there is a curse on the women of the family, and when they fall in love, something bad will happen. Horticulturalist, Ben, is working near the St. Cyprian's church that Cammy inherited from her aunt. The two meet in a local pub and start seeing each other. Then Ben is hurt in a terrible accident. Cammy is convinced it's the curse, and sets out to find out her family history and the curse.

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the author's previous books, but this book was a bit different. I think it was the supernatural part that let this story down. We learn of four generations of women from the same family. This is a very different story, with gothic vibes, than the other books written by Keith Stuart. The characters were interesting. There were parts that were tense. I did enjoy this book, just not as much as the others.

Published 25th April

I would like to thank #NetGalley #LittleBrownBookGroupUK and the author #KeithStuart for my ARC of #LoveIsACurse in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a fan of the author so was looking forward to reading Love is Curse. I’ve read all of his books. I really like the fact each book has been different so his work is never predictable. I loved the world building and characterisation, how the places and people really come to life. The also loved the fact the book is set in a creepy, gothic and eerie church which helps great a great atmosphere and sense of place. I found this book engrossing. I’d recommend it.

Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Love is a Curse’ is my first book by Keith Stuart I have read even though I have heard some good things about him in recent years. The cover and description on NetGalley are what initially drew me towards this book. A cursed family and a ‘haunted’ building!! It did not disappoint. This is a story about love, heartache and hope with some paranormal elements to it.

I absolutely loved the gothic and atmospheric vibes in this story. I could really feel myself in this world. The graveyard and church were sure spooky and I really did feel myself tense up and anticipate what would happen next in certain scenes which involved these 2.

I enjoyed Cammy as a main character. She felt so real because she was flawed. The way she slowly discovered the true story of herself and her ancestors really kept me engaged and wanting to read more. I loved that we got to read letters and journal entries from the past. It made the book that more interesting with the different media! There was layers to this storytelling!

I loved this book but the ending felt a little rushed for me. It just felt like everything fell into place too quickly. Still highly enjoyed it though.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group Uk for early access to this book for an honest review*

I have reviewed Love is a Curse by Keith Stuart for book recommendation and selling site LoveReading.co.uk. I’ve chosen Love is a Curse as a LoveReading Star Book and Liz Pick of the Month. Please see the link for full review. Thank you.

I’d like to thank Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Love Is A Curse’ written by Keith Stuart in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As Cammy’s much-loved Aunt Lorna is dying she takes Cammy to one side and tells her about the family curse, that the women can’t experience the romance and relationships others have and that she can do what she wants with her life but mustn’t fall in love. When her boyfriend Ben has a serious car accident Cammy blames herself and starts a search through her Aunt’s documents to learn more about the curse.

‘Love Is A Curse’ is a gothic novel of the supernatural and a curse that dominates Cammy’s thoughts and actions. I enjoyed the story of Cammy, her relationship with Ben and her family, but the historical flashbacks slowed it down somewhat and although it gave more background information I didn’t find them as interesting as Cammy’s experiences at the present time. The plot is interesting, it’s been written with great attention to detail and has an epilogue that brought a tear to my eye, and although not my favourite of this author’s books I enjoyed reading it.

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful story this is. Cammy is the main character, she is telling her story in the present day, she is also digging into the lives of the woman in her family who have had a curse on them, all destined to loose the person they love. Cammy has met Ben, who has had an accident which she feels is related to the family curse and this is pushing her to continue the dig into the past.
Cammy is a bit of a Goth, then add in she is living in the old converted haunted church left to her by her aunt, add to that lots of family secrets from the past and the present. The story is told over 150 year, each part of the story told beautifully, described so vividly, I could feel myself there in each era, The different relationships over the long period are each and everyone heart melting, each character is unique and they are vivid and alive on the pages, and all connect to the story of the family curse.
How do you wrap such a story up? The ending is WOW! Though I didn’t want the story to end.
Many thanks to Net galley and Little Brown Book Group UK for an ARC of this wonderful book. This is my fourth book by this very talented author, I highly recommend this book and the other titles are - The Frequency of Us, Days of Wonder and A Boy Made of Blocks.
This is one of those books that the story remain with you and a 6th star is needed. A top read for 2024.

An odd gothic novel with quirky characters and a family curse. Well written but sadly not for me.

With thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy

A very different Gothic story line. Clammy is convinced by information given to her that the females in her family-of every generation have a curse over them. Although I enjoyed it at times it was a little confusing with so many characters and time lines.

Keith Stuart is one of my all time favourite authors, his beautiful phrasing and well developed characters draw you in to whatever world he creates. I especially like the way he doesn’t just replicate his other books, but tries out different genres. This is a fascinating gothic tale with interwoven stories of women from different generations of the same family. It is always a true pleasure to read a book by this author.

Cammy is a teenager when her aunt dies after telling her that all the women in the family have lost or will lose their loves.
There is a curse on the family.
Then her boyfriend is involved in a hit and run and she is convinced it is her fault. She starts investigating her family through the years but will she finds the answer she wants and will it be to late?

Really enjoyed this gothic horror/mystery of cursed love in a family. Bit of a spoof but totally gripping. Sheer entertainment

I loved this author's previous books so I was very excited to get my hands on this, his latest. Even without reading the blurb, which I maybe should have done as this book is a bit of a diversion from what has gone before. But I needn't have worried as I blooming loved it just as much...
So, as I started this book, as the main character Cammy was told that there was a family curse in which the women of the family are destined to lose the one they love, I started to worry that it was going to be going down the Practical Magic route... Which, incidentally is a series that I also absolutely love... But, there the similarity ended... What I then went on to get was a delightfully spooky Gothic tale spanning the generations as Cammy, after suffering her own issues with boyfriend Ben's accident, sets out to discover more about her family history, as she believes that maybe she could be the one to break the curse...
Oh My Days! What a cracking book this turned out to be. It had all the things that are necessary for a Gothic novel. Set mostly in an old converted church, with a main character who is and has always been drawn to the darker side of life. Throw in a bunch of family secrets, both past and present, light the blue touchpaper, and away you go...
As with all his previous books, the characters contained herein are superb. Well described and all play their parts perfectly. Both the present day ones and the ones in the past, the getting to know part being done through magazine articles, letters, old journals, that kind of thing. All very effective ways of getting the necessary information into the readers' hands. With the story spanning some 150 years, each era has been meticulously recreated and all felt so very very real.
And the ending, when it came, when the whole truth was all eventually laid bare... WOW! Never saw that coming. But it was perfect, and I loved it.
All in all, a cracking book from an author I already love. And with the genre switch this time, I really can't wait to see what he delivers me for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

First time reading this author and really enjoyed it,loved the historical flashbacks and the stories and really enjoyed the writing,the more I read the more I wanted to read to find out what the outcome would be
I will definitely read more from this author

I really enjoyed this book, it had the perfect balance of spooky and realistic without going too far. I loved all the different women’s stories through the ages though sometimes it was hard to remember which was which and from which time period.
Overall, I really liked this book and read it really quickly as I wanted to know what would happen.

Love Is a Curse is the fourth novel from Keith Stuart, who also wrote the wonderful A Boy Made of Blocks, Days of Wonder and The Frequency of Us.

This book is a very different read from his previous novels – a modern gothic tale which focuses on a years old curse, disclosed on the deathbed of a beloved Aunt. Cammy writes it off as nonsense but when things soon take a tragic turn, she starts to delve deeper and deeper into her family’s past, and uncovers a lot of secrets and lies – but can the curse really exist, and more importantly – can she risk it?

There are a few obvious twists along the way and some interesting back stories, although I, like some other reviewers found some of the timeslip segments took me out of the main story, leaving it feeling a little disjointed. I could also have done with a family tree or a glossary of characters as there are quite a few of them, though I realise this could be difficult without spoilers.

All in all, a different type of book from Keith, and I’m not sure it holds quite the poignancy of his other subjects which tend to focus on a much smaller ‘cast’, but it’s still sensitively done and should be appealing to a wider audience as the paranormal/spiritual element is kept in check and doesn’t take over the story. This becomes more evident as the investigation goes on, so don’t be put off by the blurb if you are not of a mystic persuasion! A It’s a great read, spanning the years and told from several different voices, through rediscovered letters and historical accounts.

If you enjoyed Weyward, or Fyneshade, or any gothic/modern day timeslip, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

Another great read by this Author, such a wonderful storyteller this book mixes modern day with historical flashbacks, Fantastic relatable characters. A focus on family, heartbreak, and hope, generational stories of women whose hearts were broken, exploring the possibility of a family curse.

Cammy is convinced she is cursed to never be able to love, an accident to her boyfriend, Ben, serves to prove this. Or does it? She is determined to find out the truth about her family history and of the curse . It took me a while to "get into" the book, but then I could not put it down until I discovered the truth .

I was gradually drawn right into this compelling family saga and was ultimately really invested in the story. Cammy’s family was cursed. All the women in the family knew it. They could not fall in love or else they would bring disaster for their loved ones. The curse had proved itself time and again. Cammy, very different from her perfect mother and sister, is told about the curse by her beloved aunt. When she mistakenly begins to fall in love, the curse comes true and her wonderful boyfriend has to rebuild his life after a serious accident. Cammy becomes obsessed with tracing the origins of the curse, which leads us, the readers, through generations of her family. I must admit to getting a bit confused about which generation was which, but this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the story. It was beautifully plotted, well-written, fascinating and original.