This book is the fourth I have read by Keith Stuart, all have been very well written, with great characters, in whom you become fully invested. While ‘A Boy Made of Blocks’ is very much set in the real world, the other books have a whiff of magic or the supernatural in them.
This book starts relatively normally. The main protagonist, Camilla Piper, is told by her dying aunt on her death bed, that there is a curse on the women of her family, that if they fall in love, something terrible will happen. That’s okay, because Camille doesn’t get involved in relationships – until she does.
Lovely horticulturalist, Ben, is working near the run-down St Cyprian’s church that Camille inherited from her aunt. Camille is living there, and working as an artist – as her aunt had done. The two meet in the local pub, and start going out. But, before either of them really knows how they feel about each other, Ben has a terrible accident, and ends up in long-term rehab – his body and mind damaged. Camille is certain it is her – and the curse’s – fault.
She sets about trying to find more about her family history and the curse, in the hope that she can somehow break it, and be with Ben when he slowly recovers.
Camille is drawn to the dark side – as was her aunt. So, you have the impression that if anyone would believe in the curse, it would be Camille. At the start of the book, I was inclined to see her as rather superstitious silly woman, who would be forced to come to her senses. A case, maybe, of confirmation bias, where if you believe you are (un)lucky, then you will only remember the (un)lucky things that happen, and disregard the rest as irrelevant. But one discovery after another supports the existence of the curse, and before you know it, you are in the middle of an eerie ghost story. The book goes back and forth through the centuries as yet another Piper woman falls to the curse. Throughout all is the menacing St Cyprian’s, which all the locals believe is haunted. Then near the end, an almighty storm – what more could a ghost story need?
The book takes a while to take off, but the pace increases until we are at breakneck speed. Can Camille break the curse? Can true love finally prevail?
A final – major – twist at the end. Definitely recommended.

Cammy is 15 when she attends the deathbed of her Aunt Lorna and learns about the family curse that has blighted the women of her family for generations: that no woman in the family will have lasting love. In the years that follow, Cammy diligently avoids falling in love until a chance meeting puts her in the way of Ben. Now Cammy has a dilemma - follow her heart or follow the curse?

This is a multigenerational novel that covers four different generations of the same family. As Cammy traces her family tree we learn about the roots of the curse and other big family secrets that will have a huge impact on everyone.

I liked this story but there were some elements that I found a bit frustrating. I liked the multigenerational aspect, I liked the ghost story aspect and I liked the tension built around the ghost story. What I was less keen on was the aspects of the story written from her relatives point of view - whether it was in the form of a diary entry, published journal article or someone else's account of what happened. What bothered me about these was the overuse of reported speech that gave less of the feel of a journal or diary recount and more the feel of a flashback scene, which in my opinion would have been more effective.

The story ends where you think it will but the journey there is still an entertaining read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Realistic family drama through the generations as the current-day impacts of the family curse drive the overwhelming desire to search out its origin and with that the truth. The pace increases as the story nears a conclusion and the reader cannot help but get caught up in it.

Thank you for allowing me to read this preview copy. I really enjoyed the book, mostly as it was set in nearby Bath and mentioned some of the area I lived in. The storyline was well laid out and the characters and events were well formed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great concept that has been executed very well. I particularly enjoyed the story being told from multiple timelines as this really brought each characters personality through.

I've read previous Keith Stuart novels and loved them, so am grateful to get to read an early copy of this book.
The novel opens with a woman walking to a house and starting a huge fire, seemingly to die in the fire herself. This is then followed by the present day scene in a converted church , where a woman is dying and her favourite niece is with her, along with the family. Cammy, inherits the church, and decides to investigate her family history, through her mother's line, to trace the source of a supposed curse. This says that no woman in the family will experience a lasting love. Cammy is obsessed with this and how it has affected her current relationship with Ben.

I really engaged with this book and was invested in the story of the individual relatiionsips of the women involved. The very end was predictable but no less satisfying.

I’ve loved all Keith Stuart’s books so far and so was delighted to be offered an advance copy of Love is a Curse. It may be my favourite yet! The story was set across various generations and each timeline drew me in with the strong characters and intriguing events. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone so will just say that I thought it sheer brilliance the way the reader discovered that reality wasn’t always as it seemed. The book is effortlessly romantic. Keith Stuart is a genius storyteller. I can’t wait to see what he does next!

Having previously read The Frequency of Us by the same author, which I also very much enjoyed, I was happy to be offered an early copy of Love is a Curse by the publishers to review.
I thought the story had an intriguing premise and was pleased to find it proved a different read and it kept my attention all the way through. Cammi is told by her aunt, on her deathbed, about a curse on family's women, that means they can never have a loving relationship. She has always felt something oppressive and been attracted to horror and spiritual stories so Cammi does not find this so strange. Indeed she begins to explore her family history and finds indeed some odd events have taken place.
The story is set near Bath, in a village with an old church that belonged to Cammi's aunt and which she inherits. The setting is quite spooky and the author uses it well to build in tension to the story. I very much enjoyed the way the background from each generation is revealed, slowly allowing the reader more and more information.
Definitely not a traditional love story but with some moving and emotional scenes and many sinister and haunting elements and page turning quality to the writing. Recommended.
With thanks to Little Brown and Netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I was keen to read this book as I have enjoyed other books by this author. The theme of the book is very different to his previous books, but just as enjoyable to read.

A great novel that I looked forward to reading each night. Stuart is such a great writer and I’ve enjoyed many of his books. This was a little bit different from what I usually read but the characters were so well done. It’s a little creepy at times which only added to the enjoyment. My only quibble is that there were a lot of characters and I sometimes got confused as to who was who. Otherwise, brilliant - well done!

I love Keith Stuart's books, which are varied in style and genre. This has a distinctly supernatural vibe, being largely centered around a crumbling church, rumoured to be haunted, with its backdrop of ancient graveyard and dark, overgrown woods. Camilla's inherited the church, converted into a dwelling by her recently deceased aunt. She comes to agree with the family stories about a curse on those who fall in love - and the people they fall in love with.
Camilla looks into her family's history and it's a very interesting journey both for her and the reader. I really enjoyed this book. Another belter by Keith Stuart.

Such a beautiful uplifting story that sparkles with a message of love and hope.

Authentic characters and a meticulous plot with just the perfect balance of tension and romance that made it a thrilling and enjoyable read.

I absolutely adored how all the narrative threads came together in the end to leave a poignant heartwarming feeling.

Gorgeous storytelling.

I have read and loved all previous Keith Stuart books so was very excited to read Love is a curse.
This book is quite a departure from my usual reading genres and maybe why I didn’t enjoy it as much as previous book’s, the historical element and flipping between eras I found quite confusing and erratic at times.
I enjoyed the modern era and the family dynamics between Cammy her aunt, mother and sister and longed for more present day material.
The curse aspect of the book was very detailed and I did struggle with that, but that’s probably more a reflection on me rather than the author
Overall the elements I enjoyed were the family dynamics, and the realisation that love, hope and happiness was possible despite previous history
Thank you NetGalley for this early read.

This was an unusual love story about Cammi who was told by her aunt on her deathbed that the women in her family have a curse upon them which means they'll never be able to fall in love as something will happen to damage the relationship. Now I have to confess my immediate thought were that few people have not suffered heartbreak so it’s not unreasonable that generations of the family would have suffered in their relationships so the concept of a curse was far fetched however the author did a very good job of explaining the story of each generation of women and the way their relationships ended. Cammi herself was so fearful of the curse that when her boyfriend of a few months had a serious car crash she felt compelled to investigate to find out if her relationship had any chance or if her family history would risk further harm to her boyfriend. The way many of these stories were linked to an eerie church meant the author could build up a fantastically tense atmosphere with sinister undertones which really helped carry the story. Cammi’s investigations built up some interesting pictures of her ancestors and the full development of their stories painted some ultimately interesting stories with an intriguing twist.

This was a very intriguing book that will pull you in instability and keep you gripped until the end. Full of secrets and mystery!

Very interested for this one! I can’t wait to see if the curse gets broken and what originated it as well. I will be sharing much more soon and cannot wait to share this with readers. I love the fresh premise and unique concept.