Evangeline Fox is in love. She’s never known love before, but she can tell this is the real thing. Unfortunately, her lover is betrothed to her stepsister. Evangeline knows that he would rather run away with her, as he insists what they have is true love. In order to save their relationship, Evangeline makes a risky deal with the Prince of Hearts, Jacks, which leaves her stuck as a statue for weeks. When she finally rejoins society, she learns that her lover has left her. Heartbroken, she meets with Jacks to accuse him of ruining her chance at a life with love. He denies the allegations, reminding her that part of the deal has yet to be fulfilled. Trapped in a contract with the cunning prince, Evangeline must toe the line between standing up for herself and completing the tasks set for her by Jacks, all while battling her growing feelings for the dangerous immortal.
This book ticked all the boxes for me. I loved the adventure and fantastical characters, and the romantic tension was written nicely. I do think that it had a slow start to the main plotline, and it took me some time to get really invested. Once I passed that mark it was honestly one of my favorite reads of the year. This book was more enjoyable to me than Caraval was, and I’m glad to see Jacks get his page time. I would rate this a four out of five because of the slow start, which is usually a problem for me, but other than that, an all around great read.