Author’s Summary:
Come stay at an island getaway where you can forget all of your worries. The longer you stay, the harder it will be to leave…
Lady Angeline didn’t seem to follow the path that the other ladies did in her town. In the 1800’s, most would have been married off while Angeline found independence and freedom through working closely with her father at his shop. When the deal of a lifetime seemingly falls into their laps, they are quick to take it and start their own inn on an enchanted island. At first glance, everything was perfectly normal until the truths of the island’s cursed nature is revealed in the night. After repeatedly ignoring the warnings from the land’s natives, she falls in love with someone she would’ve least expected to. As Angeline assists her father in the inn’s grand opening masquerade ball, she struggles to grasp reality and finds that there are very few she can actually trust.
Mystery. Immortals. Secret love. What does that mean? It means that Connecticut based author Marissa D’Angelo is back with yet another historical fiction installment of the Charles Island series.
This time, we follow main character Angeline, a young woman who is ahead of her time. While most of the women are married and pregnant at a young age, she is intellect, curious and a business woman. She writes in her journal in solitude. She tags along with her father to purchase an inn on an mysterious island. However, there is a hidden secret on the mysterious island, and not everything is what it seems. There is a secret that lingers into the air and Angeline is determined to find it.
However, that is not the only thing that is in the air. Angeline is fascinated with local Calian, and the two begin a semi secret romance. But, with George — the person whose family previously owned the inn — acting as if he’s entitled to her, that may be tricky.
Okay so I have some opinions on this installment of the series. This, by far, was my favorite of all D’Angelo’s bibliography. There was a ton of action — between the romance between Angeline and Calian, the altercations between Angeline and George, and the sweet moments between Angeline and her father.
The Cursed Inn has many of the common themes that have appeared in the previous installments of the series. This includes the importance of family, death of a loved one, and of course, curiosity. Angeline was curious about the island’s secret, and what was behind that very curse. What was unique about this particular installment was that the mother was deceased versus the father (something that was common in the rest of them). That said, Angeline and her father were extremely close. She noted that her father “treated her as her equal.” And, you can see the development of that relationship throughout the course of the novel.
Now, let’s talk about the romance. Although it was not the center of the novel — the grand opening of the Inn and the Island’s secrets certainly were — I loved seeing Angeline find love. This is something that she has been searching for for years. In fact, the novel opens with her watching couples get married and looking for a relationship that truly lasts. Angeline was drawn to Calian from afar and the two got closer. Calian even got the approval to marry her from her dad, which was amazing.
That said, there was some other conflict other than the mystery of the island. Many of the inn’s employees — James, Alice, and Mary — seem to have a scary secret behind them. And, as I mentioned, there is George. As I said earlier, George is the stereotype of the spoiled rich kid. You see it in his mannerisms. You see in the way he treats people. There is something that is off about him, and readers quickly grow to hate him. I know I did.
Out of all of the installments of this one is definitely one of my favorite reads. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. That said, I do want to warn you that this has a trigger warning for rape.
*Please note: I received an ARC (advanced reader’s copy) in exchange for my honest review. That said, all opinions are my own.
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