A devastating curse. A broken soul. A fearless girl. After finding his sister crouched over their dead parents’ bodies, Nolan turns her in. To cope with his crippling loss, he seeks to forget his sorrows in revelries. But trying to escape his life only creates more problems when two girls, last seen with him, drown. Unable to bear the town’s accusations, Nolan flees his home.Five years later, … girls, last seen with him, drown.
Unable to bear the town’s accusations, Nolan flees his home.
Five years later, he’s forced to return to the city that calls him Bluebeard and accept his count title. His welcome is anything but warm, friends treat him with suspicion, and the worst is yet to come…
Jolie knows servants shouldn’t interact with nobility, but there’s something about Nolan Bluebeard that makes it impossible to stay away even if being close to him jeopardizes everything she has worked so hard for.
While Nolan desperately tries to rebuild his reputation with Jolie’s help, a devastating curse has women around him falling dead one by one.
Will Nolan and Jolie break the curse, or will they die trying?
The Bluebeard Curse is the second book in the Cursed Fairy Tales series. Each book can be read as a standalone. However, for greatest enjoyment, the novels should be read in order.
Filled with adventure, love, magic, and a strong heroine, this clean YA Fairy Tale is a must-read!
If you liked The Siren and The Selection by Kiera Cass, K.M Shea and Melanie Cellier’s work, you’ll love this!
Buy it now and join Jolie and Nolan on their journey to break the Bluebeard curse!
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The Bluebeard Curse by Margo Ryerkerk
Nolan finds himself surrounded by death and quickly becoming the main suspect. His past is coming back to haunt him.
This is great and very dark fairytale retelling. I listened to the audio version and both enjoyed the narration and the story.
Bluebeard’s Curse is a tale like no other, a tale of love, revenge, and murder, Magro Ryerkerk has done an excellent job at retelling this classic fairytale. I’ve read a few versions of the Bluebeard fairytale but Margo is the first that I have come across that seems more like a historical retelling than the classic fairytale. There seem to be more historical points, places, and things but it still had that touch of magic.
While this is a historical retelling it still has characters dealing with contemporary problems, alcoholism, abuse, family drama, the expectations and judgment of society, all of it is represented. Margo has done a great job of weaving this tale and has created characters so life-like. The story is told from Nolan, Delilah, and Jolie’s perspectives, each a key player in this complex story that ask questions such as when is someone going to stop making excuses and own their actions, how standing by and doing nothing can cause terrible damage, and no matter what people think, no matter where you come from, there is always hope.
The characters were great, Nolan isn’t letting his past mistakes or his family’s history stop him, Jolie with her kind heart sees the best in everyone, and Delilah, while she isn’t my favorite person, she’s spoiled, mean, a complete psychological and quite deadly, takes matters into her own hands while I don’t agree by any means what she did, I can understand it and that is what makes her a good character.
We all know how fairytales go and Margo’s Bluebeard still has that fairytale quality, the lesson behind the tale, the warning. The plot was great, I loved seeing Holmberg’s culture, the societal pressures of not only the nobles but of the working class. The best part was Nolan’s and Jolie’s romance, I loved how Jolie didn’t listen to the rumors, how Nolan didn’t let social property dictate who becomes close to, that he was able to open up and show his true feelings to Jolie who inturn stood by his side. Then there is Delilah who had nothing but managed to come up with this criminal mastermind plan, who as a woman when during the time a woman didn’t have much power, she had nothing and developed an ingenious plan that was working. I didn’t like Delilah but the girl had guts and the smarts to pull it off. For the last thirty minutes of the story, I was on pins and needles because I didn’t know how the story would end, with fairytales it could have gone either way, I loved it.
I am a lover of fairytales and Margo has done a wonderful job convincing me that Bluebeard is one of the good ones. Filled with romance, family drama, murder, and magic. I loved listening to Andy Ruse narrate the story she really brought the characters to life. Bluebeard’s Curse is the second book in the Cursed Fairy Tale series. There are three books in total, I believe each one a standalone but somehow connected. I look forward to the other books in the series.
The first two books in this series have stretched me a bit as far as fairy tales go. The Bluebeard Curse is not one that I am familiar with at all. That being said, I cannot say anything about how Ms. Ryerkerk re-imagined it. I am writing this just on the value of the story itself without comparisons. I really liked it. Jolie and Nolan are such great MCs and Delilah is a fantastically evil antagonist. There is a relatively high body count of secondary characters here that brings a lot of heartache. The solution itself is kind of gruesome as well. I loved how the relationship between Jolie and Nolan developed. It was a little bit of instalove/attraction but they weren’t thrown into being hot and heavy immediately. Their relationship was allowed to grow naturally. Overall, I was very pleased with this tale. Makes me want to learn more about the original. That, I think, is a sign of a well written parody.
The Bluebeard Curse has been unleashed.
Five years ago a young girl was sent to Snake Island for the death of her parents.
Five years ago a young man couldn’t take living in the house where he saw his dead parent’s bodies lying.
A young woman who loves to play the piano takes a job as a maid and hopes to one day play professionally.
Five years later this young man Nolan returns to his home town to take over his rightful duty to the Heinberg Estate.
Five years later Nolan’s sister Delilah returns to their hometown with a plan to have her home returned to her. Delilah sneaks into town under a disguise hiding her true identity hoping no one will recognize her.
When women start to die a mysterious death and Nolan is arrested for their murder Jolie puts her own life endanger to save him. Jolie knows that as a servant she should not be hanging with a Noble but there is just something about Nolan that draws her to him.
Jolie is determined to uncover the real killer and break the curse. Can she find the real killer before it is too late? Can she break the curse before more people are killed?
The Bluebeard Curse is a fast paced read that once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. The race was on to find out the truth behind the curse and to see if the curse could be broken and how. The Bluebeard Curse is a sweet and magical read that will pull you into its magical world.
The characters are all very strong characters who knows what they want and are not afraid to go after it and all are willing to give a little piece of themselves for someone else in one way or another whether it be selfishness or unselfishly.
If you love fairy tales or fairy tale re-tellings with a twist on the re-telling and filled with magic, mystery, suspense and love then you are going to love The Bluebeard Curse and for more magical enjoyment pick up a copy of the first book in the Cursed Fairy Tale series, The Nutcracker Curse.
His sister killed his parents and he turned her in. Two women he had been with due and everyone looks at him as if he did it. Soon be needs to go back and it is just as bad. She learns he has been hit by a curse. Can they help each other? See if they can
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Bluebeard Curse by Margo Ryerkerk is a great story. This is a great that will captivate you from the very begining. I enjoyed reading this story very much and I recommend this story to everyone.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Bluebeard Curse
Cursed Fairy Tale: Book 2
Margo Ryerkerk
This was a great story, but very dark. Lots of girls dying in the hope for Nolan’s redemption. I thought the characterizations were good, and I loved Jolie and Nolan. You felt so bad for him, and just wanted to root for them all the way.
The book is a good teen and young adult paranormal romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and well written.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book . I thought it was a very good story, ..it is on the dark side but I liked it very much! It was full of danger and it kept you on the edge of your seat. It was also full of love, loyalty and sacrifice. All the right elements for a very intriguing book. I think Margo Ryerkerk did excellent with this story and with this series. I can not wait for the 3rd book!!
Margo Ryerkerk’s The Bluebeard Curse: Cursed Fairy Tale, Book 2 is an unusually dark novel for this author, but it’s a powerfully good story that I’m very glad to have read. Read the publisher’s blurb as it’s a solid description of the story. Nolan’s curse is a particularly horrible one, but Jolie is s particularly strong woman and this story has a solid adventure and great romance that’s perfectly plotted and well written with a solid cast of characters. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises – the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
The Bluebeard Curse by Margo Ryerkerk a five-star read that won’t leave you cold. This is the second novel in the Cursed Fairy Tale series, like many series they can be read as stand-alone, but they do complement each other and suck you into the cursed fairy-tale universe. The author had done a great job with this series and you will adore her writing, but I must admit that this was much darker and deeper than some of the other stories. But if you like a hint of darkness then you will love this story so much. Nolan was a complex character, but he was so well written, his story is a great one, as he grows into himself and his story develops you will just love him more and more for the most part.
The Bluebeard Curse absolutely blew me away. This is probably the darkest thing I’ve read from this author and I have to say that she does it splendidly. The story moves at a good pace and is everything I would expect from a dark fairy tale and more. We have a truly maniacal villain, a bit of magic, a curse, and even a social class crossing romance. There is a lot of death in this one, and some of those are unexpected and upsetting, but looking back on it, it was all necessary with the way things progress in the story. This is the second book in the Cursed Fairy Tale series and there is a tie in with the first book, but it easily stands on its own. This series just keeps getting better, and I can’t wait for the next one.
Wow! That was awesome! This is a second book of Cursed Fairy Tale series and Margo Ryerkerk has overtopped my biggest expectations. I loved this very different version of a famous fairy tale! This is more than just a tale with magic, spells and curse. It was very real mystery with a lot of love, courage, selflessness and additional magical curse pressence made it just perfect! Loved everything about Jolie and Nolan’s story! Thank you Margo!
I highly recommend this one! Can’t wait for the third tale.
Cold,evil,vicious, love to hate what is happening to these wonderful siblings? Why can’t Delilah leave well enough long? Jolie is this sweet.nice, caring maiden who happens to be looking after the house and staff. Nolan is not all that thrill about going home to the past he once left behind. Nolan wants to get to know Jolie. Nolan will find out more about this Maiden who is staying in Hamburg
A Dark Fairytale That’s Full Of Hatred But Also Love!!
Nolan discovers his 13 year old sister bent over the dead body of their Father whom she’s stabbed to death but she’s also killed their meek Mother via poison! He turns her in & although she’s admitted her guilt to him, because of the years of violent abuse her Father inflicted upon her & her Mother (she hated her Mother for putting up with it), she still tries to blame Nolan instead. She isn’t believed & is sent to prison on Snake Island!!
Delilah, who has a magic viewing mirror she was given for helping a mouse shifter escape (in The Nutcracker Curse), views Nolan moving back home to their Estate in Hamburg. She’s livid and decides she must escape to exact revenge on him by ruining his life completely, then taking back their Estate, money & Titles!!
Nolan’s Uncle Greg has called him home from building up his merchant’s business, to take over the running of his Estate & to reintroduce himself to Hamberg’s High Society, He is a Count after all!! He obliges reluctantly. His memories of his last month’s there were dark, depressing and full of sadness!! He felt like he’d failed his Mother & sister by not protecting them enough. Before he left he’d been questioned in the deaths of two women, he was the last person seen with them. Because of his jet black hair colouring, that looked blue in certain lights, the deaths of his Parent’s then these two as well, they became known as ‘Bluebeards Curse’ even though he was never a serious suspect!!
I’d never heard of this Fairytale before reading this book & although the author says she took a different take on it than the original, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Its quite dark and Delilah is one twisted sister She goes to extreme lengths to try and get revenge on Nolan for ‘snitching’ on her!! Uncle Greg only wants what’s best for him and the Parlourmaid Jo!ie, is extremely helpful trying to get him ready for his re-entry. But things become seriously stacked against him!! Of course this is a Fairytale so it eventually has a Happily Ever After Its a tough road getting there though & not everyone makes it!!
This is a well paced read which also sets up book #3, Hansel & Gretel, nicely
Debbie, 1970, UK