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Curse: A Novel (Loveletting, Book 2)

By: Christina Maraziotis
Publisher: Existential Publishing
Publication Date: March 17, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-959776-05-5
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: April 26, 2023

Christina Maraziotis’ second novel, Curse, is a phenomenal continuation and testimony to this author’s superb writing ability to leave no man (or woman) behind in this riveting continuation of her Loveletting Series.

This legendary tale begins with a cryptic (and evil) exchange that one can only assume something bad will unfold as time goes on. Chapter One opens with the introduction of the character Jesse McCoy. He is a ranch hand who works for the ornery rancher Walston in the town of Freelands. Walston is verbally assaulting Jesse because he is caught red-handed due to his random act of kindness of sneaking eggs to the Whietfields. Jesse has been on his own and needs this job if he is ever going to take his beloved Amelia’s hand in marriage. For the most part, he is alone in life. He hasn’t seen his mother Elise McCoy in quite some time and his father is a ghost. Elise is a lady of the evening and fairly accomplished at her profession. Although Jesse never knew his father he was sure of one thing, his mother could never stop resenting him.

Downtrodden Jesse returns to his ramshackle cabin after losing his job and is greeted by Charlotte in her familiar form, clutching the empty bottle of whiskey. She asks how his day was only to learn he was fired. One too many times he gave away the free eggs and all he could think of was the thought of happily ever after with Ameilia was becoming more of a distant memory. Jesse thought about how he met (or actually found) Charlotte virtually knocking on death’s door. He carried her back to his cabin and slowly nursed her back to life. She was a ramshackle of a soul and the notion of taking one step across the cabin’s threshold was more than she could bear. Physically, she was relatively fine. It was her emotional state that Jesse questioned would ever repair. While she never spoke of the particular person who haunted her memories, she couldn’t bring herself to leave the cabin. She earned her keep by maintaining a tidy place, doing the wash, and cooking the meals, and that’s how her days morphed into weeks. All this was about to change and neither Jesse nor Charlotte could remotely fathom what lay ahead for them.

I have had the honor of reading (and reviewing) the first book, Haunt, in the Loveletting Series. Once again, author Christina Maraziotis is like a locomotive train that keeps barreling down the tracks in Curse (Book II)! From the onset, it is abundantly clear these novels are bound to each other given the reintroduction of characters from Book I. Yet, Ms. Maraziotis has a fantastic ability to continue the saga and paint the story to stand on its own merits. As I referenced in my review of Haunt, the book is lengthy but by no means is this a deterrent given the electric flow of the story line. Ms. Maraziotis has an intention with every word she places page upon page that immediately hooks her audience and once she sets her anchor, she refuses to let him/her go until the bitter end. Her ability to paint vibrant details and layer the plot and dialogue and breathe life into her characters is enviable! Maraziotis is the quintessential storyteller and to think there are five more stories yet to be released in this series makes me quiver with anticipation! All I can say is a heart-felt thank you for another incredibly captivating and engaging read!

Quill says: Curse is a legendary novel that challenges its audience to ponder love, experience despair, and question morality.

For more information on Curse: A Novel (Loveletting, Book 2), please visit the author's website at: www.christinamaraziotis.com/

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