Book Review: Rosaline's Curse by Katharine Campbell

Rosaline's Curse by Katharine Campbell

In this sequel to Love, Treachery, and Other Terrors, Rosaline is a princess whose life has gotten progressively worse. She had a twin brother with whom she would get into mischief. In their teens, they decided to "recover" relics of their national hero, Ilona the Godslayer, from neighboring Kalathea. They were successful except that they started a war with Kalathea. During the war, her brother died and she was betrothed to their best friend Lord Julyan. She was smitten with him but the more she got to know him the less she thought of him. She got to the point of not wanting anything to do with him but the political situation was not in her favor. If that was not bad enough, she was put into an enchanted sleep, only to wake up in 2017 when an archeology student named Mark discovered her in an English castle and touched her. She can't speak English but Mark and the other archeologists want to take care of her. They communicate with her through his cell phone which can access a translator program at least her Latin speech can be translated. Things might be looking up.

But her bad luck runs true--her fiance is still alive and after her. And she's hit by a car and winds up in hospital. She thinks she's cursed for stealing the bones of Ilona and the only way to get rid of Julyan (who is passing himself off as a benefactor who funds Mark's college) is to return the relics to Kalathea. Julyan is really Jace, the male half of the evil fairy twins from the first book (so that's why he's still alive). He wants to leave behind his life as a fairy and try out marriage with Rosaline. His twin, Acacia, wants him to go back to the fairy lifestyle they've been leading for thousands of years, torturing innocent humans for their own amusement. The easiest thing for Acacia to do would be to kill Rosaline but fairies are not allowed to harm humans without causing harm to themselves. If she could set up some indirect circumstances or get Rosaline to give up that protection, Acacia would get what she wants. 

The story is a light-hearted fish-out-of-water fairy tale that uses the modern setting well. In addition to the evil twins' machinations, Rosaline has to deal with motor vehicles, internet-enabled devices, and endless paperwork. She is fascinated by it all and has a nice spirit of adventure. She also has her Christian values that don't quite sync up with Mark's modern take on things like pre-marital sex or respecting international borders. He's skeptical about her age and the fairies until he gets some hard evidence. He's also not aware (as the reader is immediately) that he and Rosaline are destined to be together. They have a rough ride getting to know and appreciate each other. He clearly cares much more about her than Julyan, who only looks for his own good. Good and evil haven't changed over the centuries even if technology has.

The plot moves along at a nice pace and I like the twist of having the villains from the previous story be the main connection, though Rosaline is a descendant (several generations removed) of the heroes from the first story. The jump in time allows for different sorts of complications than were in the first book, though this novel keeps the romantic-comedy vibe that worked well before. Campbell does a great job providing both familiar and new elements, a challenge for sequels. She rises to the challenge and gives the reader a fine, entertaining novel.

 Recommended.

I did receive a review copy from the author (thanks!) but my opinion is my own.