Once Upon A Broken Heart Series by Stephanie Garber

Here is a summary of Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Once Upon a Broken Heart follows Evangeline Fox, a young woman who has always believed in true love, fairy tales, and happily-ever-afters. When she discovers that the boy she loves, Luc Navarro, is about to marry her stepsister, Marisol, she becomes convinced he has been cursed rather than willingly abandoning her. In desperation, Evangeline seeks out the legendary Fate known as Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, who is rumored to grant impossible wishes in exchange for impossible prices. Jacks agrees to stop the wedding if Evangeline repays him with three kisses, given to people of his choosing at times he decides. Their bargain is sealed with three broken-heart scars on her wrist, binding their fates together.

Jacks fulfills his side of the bargain, but the wedding guests, including Luc and Marisol, are turned to stone. Horrified by the consequences of her wish, Evangeline learns that the only way to reverse the curse is for someone else to take their place. She willingly drinks a magical poison that turns her into stone, sacrificing herself to save everyone else. Weeks later, she is revived after the return of the Fates has thrown the world into chaos. Her selfless act has made her a celebrated hero, while Marisol has gained a reputation as a cursed bride. Although Luc disappears after the events of the wedding, Evangeline struggles to move forward while wondering what Jacks truly intends to collect from their bargain.

Evangeline is invited by the new imperial family to travel north to attend Nocte Neverending, a magical celebration where Prince Apollo will choose a bride. Hoping for a fresh start, she brings Marisol with her. In the Magnificent North, Jacks reappears and forces Evangeline to fulfill the first of the kisses she owes him by kissing Apollo. The kiss causes Apollo to become completely devoted to Evangeline, eventually leading him to propose marriage. Although Evangeline initially believes the kiss itself was enchanted, she later learns that Apollo's obsession resulted from Jacks's own magic rather than any power she possesses. Throughout these events, Jacks continues manipulating circumstances while revealing very little about his true motives.

As Evangeline becomes involved with the northern court, she uncovers an ancient prophecy centered on the mysterious Valory Arch, a magical prison said to contain extraordinary power. The prophecy describes a peasant who becomes a princess and whose willing blood can open the arch. Jacks eventually admits that he believes Evangeline is the girl from the prophecy and that many of his actions have been designed to place her where she can fulfill it. Seeking answers, Evangeline encounters Chaos, another Fate, who explains more about the Valory Arch and the dangerous magic surrounding it. Meanwhile, Luc reveals that Marisol placed him under a love spell before marrying him, confirming that his feelings for Evangeline had been magically altered.

The novel concludes with several major revelations. Apollo is believed to have died after Evangeline uses the final kiss from her bargain, but it is later revealed that he survived and that his brother, Prince Tiberius, murdered him. Evangeline also discovers that Marisol manipulated multiple people with love spells in an effort to gain royal power. As the various conspiracies unravel, Evangeline realizes that Jacks has been orchestrating events from the beginning because of the prophecy surrounding the Valory Arch. Although Jacks repeatedly saves Evangeline's life and their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, she ultimately concludes that she cannot fully trust him. The book ends with Apollo secretly alive but magically asleep, Evangeline determined to find a way to wake him, and the larger mystery of the Valory Arch and Jacks's plans left unresolved

Here is a summary of The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

The Ballad of Never After begins shortly after the events of Once Upon a Broken Heart. Evangeline Fox is determined to wake her husband, Prince Apollo, after he is placed into an enchanted sleep by Jacks, the Prince of Hearts. Although she once trusted Jacks, she believes he betrayed her and refuses to help him gain access to the legendary Valory Arch, an ancient doorway said either to contain incredible magic or imprison something dangerous. While searching the royal library for another solution, Evangeline discovers that her blood can open magical doors, reinforcing that she is one of the rare "Keys" capable of unlocking the Valory Arch. Jacks insists that opening the arch is the only way to save Apollo, but Evangeline remains deeply suspicious of his motives.

Apollo eventually awakens, but he has been placed under two additional curses. A mirror curse binds his life to Evangeline's so that injuries suffered by one are shared by the other, while the Archer's Curse compels Apollo to hunt and kill Evangeline, mirroring the old northern tale The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox. Jacks repeatedly rescues Evangeline from Apollo's attacks while helping her search for the four magical stones required to open the Valory Arch. Their search takes them through the Magnificent North, where they encounter hidden magical objects, rival noble houses, vampires, and the Fate known as Chaos. Along the way, Evangeline learns that another Key has been murdered and realizes that powerful people are competing to control the arch and its magic.

As Evangeline and Jacks continue working together, they travel to House Slaughterwood and later to the Hollow, an enchanted refuge protected from curses. There, Evangeline begins to see a gentler side of Jacks and develops romantic feelings for him despite reminding herself that he is manipulative and dangerous. She eventually discovers that Jacks has been collecting the four arch stones not because he wants the power inside the Valory Arch, but because he intends to use the stones to travel back in time. He hopes to return to the moment he kissed Donatella Dragna, believing he can change his past and finally achieve the happy ending he has always wanted. This revelation forces Evangeline to question whether everything between them has simply been another part of Jacks's larger plan.

Jacks also reveals the truth behind the legendary Archer's Ballad. Long ago, he was the Archer, cursed to kill the woman he loved with his kiss. Although he managed to resist the curse for a time, he ultimately kissed her, and she died, beginning the curse that causes every girl he kisses to die except one. Meanwhile, Evangeline and Chaos finally open the Valory Arch, discovering that it is not a prison for monsters but a sanctuary connected to the long-lost Valor family. Chaos is revealed to be Castor Valor, one of the surviving members of that family. However, once freed from part of his curse, Chaos loses control of his vampiric hunger and nearly kills Evangeline by feeding on her blood.

After Evangeline dies from her injuries, Jacks uses the power of the arch stones to reverse time, preventing her death and creating a new timeline. Evangeline retains no memory of the previous sequence of events, but once again realizes she has fallen in love with Jacks and intends to tell him before he sacrifices everything to change his past. Before she can reach him, Apollo intercepts her and magically erases all of her recent memories involving Jacks, including their growing relationship. The novel ends with Evangeline unable to remember why she feels drawn to Jacks, while Apollo secretly vows to keep her memories hidden and ensure she never leaves him.

Here is a summary of A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber

A Curse for True Love begins immediately after the events of The Ballad of Never After. Evangeline Fox awakens in Wolf Hall with no memory of her relationship with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, after Prince Apollo erased those memories in an attempt to make her love him instead. Apollo convinces Evangeline that they are happily married and that Jacks murdered and poisoned him out of jealousy. Although Evangeline accepts much of what Apollo tells her, she is troubled by a persistent feeling that something important is missing. Strange encounters, mysterious messages, and brief flashes of forgotten memories convince her that the story she has been told is incomplete. Meanwhile, Apollo works to strengthen his claim to the throne while encouraging the kingdom to view Jacks as a dangerous villain.

As Evangeline tries to uncover the truth, she repeatedly encounters a mysterious royal guard who calls himself Archer. Although she does not recognize him, his presence triggers fragments of memories she cannot explain. Archer secretly trains Evangeline to defend herself and repeatedly saves her from assassination attempts, including after she is pushed into the Well of Wishes and later attacked in her chambers. At the same time, Apollo is revealed to have orchestrated several of the attacks himself in order to make Evangeline more dependent on him. He also orders the deaths of loyal guards and manipulates public opinion by falsely blaming Jacks for murders and other crimes throughout the Magnificent North.

Eventually, Evangeline discovers that Archer is actually Jacks in disguise. During their escape through the Cursed Forest and the Hollow, she finds a letter that she had previously written to herself warning her not to trust appearances and reminding herself of everything Apollo had stolen from her. Reading the letter restores her memories of opening the Valory Arch, dying in Jacks's arms, and learning that Jacks turned back time to save her life. She also remembers that Apollo, not Jacks, erased her memories after the events of the previous novel. Although Evangeline regains the truth, she pretends to remain amnesiac so Apollo will not realize she knows what he has done.

As the conflict escalates, Evangeline learns the full history behind Jacks's curse. Aurora Valor reveals that centuries earlier she manipulated the magical Story Curse into ensuring that Jacks's true love would always die from his kiss. In an attempt to protect Evangeline, Jacks traded away his second heart—the part of himself capable of love—to Aurora in exchange for a magical cuff that would prevent anyone from harming Evangeline. Without his second heart, Jacks becomes increasingly cold and believes the only way to keep Evangeline safe is to stay away from her. Evangeline, aided by LaLa and Castor Valor (formerly known as Chaos), uncovers Aurora's deception and recovers the truth about the curse and Jacks's sacrifice.

In the final confrontation, Evangeline reaches Jacks before he destroys his own second heart. She declares that she loves him despite the curse and kisses him. Instead of dying, she survives, proving that Aurora's curse has finally been broken because their love is genuine rather than dictated by fate. Apollo interrupts them and attempts to gain immortality by drinking the blood of the Tree of Souls, believing it will secure both eternal life and his kingdom. However, the tree demands the life of the person the drinker loves most. Because Apollo ultimately loves himself above anyone else, the tree consumes him instead. With Apollo defeated and the centuries-old curse broken, Evangeline and Jacks leave together at last, finally free to choose their own future.