Once upon a broken heart set of 3 books by Stephanie Garber

Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books by Stephanie Garber collects the complete original romantic fantasy trilogy following Evangeline Fox and the dangerously charming Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, through a world filled with curses, magical bargains, impossible love, betrayal and the desperate search for a happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox has always believed in true love.

Fairy tales.

Destiny.

Happy endings.

Then the person she loves decides to marry someone else.

Heartbroken and desperate to stop the wedding, Evangeline turns to the mysterious Prince of Hearts.

Jacks can perform miracles.

But magical bargains never come without consequences.

In exchange for his help, Evangeline promises him three kisses, to be given whenever and wherever he chooses.

What appears to be a simple bargain becomes the beginning of a much larger story involving ancient curses, dangerous magic, mysterious prophecies and a relationship neither Evangeline nor Jacks can easily understand.

Across the Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books, Evangeline must decide what she truly believes about love.

Can someone who repeatedly betrays you still care about you?

Can a villain become the hero of someone else’s story?

Can fate be changed?

And how much should someone sacrifice for the possibility of a happy ending?

Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books – Complete Trilogy Overview

The Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books brings together Stephanie Garber’s original three-book fantasy-romance arc in the correct reading order.

The story begins with Evangeline’s broken heart and expands into a magical adventure filled with castles, curses, enchanted objects, secret histories and impossible choices.

Each book builds directly on the previous one.

This is therefore a series that should be read in order.

Book 1 – Once Upon a Broken Heart

The first novel introduces Evangeline Fox.

Evangeline believes deeply in love and happy endings.

When the boy she loves prepares to marry someone else, she becomes desperate enough to seek help from one of the dangerous immortal Fates.

That Fate is Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Jacks is beautiful.

Mysterious.

Manipulative.

And almost certainly not trustworthy.

His bargains come with prices.

His kisses are dangerous.

Yet Evangeline believes he may be the only person capable of stopping the wedding.

Her decision launches her into a magical adventure far larger than the heartbreak she was trying to solve.

Jacks, the Prince of Hearts

Jacks is one of the biggest reasons the trilogy became so popular.

He is not a traditional heroic love interest.

He can be:

Cruel.

Manipulative.

Secretive.

Protective.

Dangerous.

Unexpectedly vulnerable.

Readers are never allowed to feel completely certain about his intentions.

Does he want to protect Evangeline?

Use her?

Both?

That uncertainty drives much of the romantic tension.

Evangeline Fox

Evangeline is a heroine who genuinely believes that stories can have happy endings.

That optimism can make her brave.

It can also make her vulnerable.

She repeatedly has to learn that wanting something to be true does not automatically make it true.

Her journey is therefore not simply about finding love.

It is about learning how to trust her own judgment.

The Magnificent North

A large part of the story unfolds in the magical Magnificent North.

This setting contains:

Ancient castles.

Legends.

Royal families.

Curses.

Prophecies.

Strange magical rules.

It gives the series the atmosphere of a fairy tale while also allowing darker consequences.

Fairy-Tale Atmosphere

Stephanie Garber’s world is designed to feel enchanted.

Doors.

Keys.

Apples.

Kisses.

Castles.

Prophecies.

Objects that appear ordinary can carry magical significance.

The result is a world that feels like an old fairy tale rewritten for modern fantasy-romance readers.

Magic With Consequences

Magic in the series rarely comes free.

A bargain creates another obligation.

A curse solves one problem while causing another.

A magical solution may carry a price nobody initially understood.

This creates one of the trilogy’s recurring lessons:

Be careful what you wish for.

Fate

Fate is important both as a magical concept and a philosophical question.

Are Evangeline and Jacks destined for certain outcomes?

Can prophecy be changed?

If someone knows the future, does that knowledge make the future inevitable?

The trilogy repeatedly plays with the tension between destiny and personal choice.

Kisses

Kisses are unusually important in this world.

Jacks is known as the Prince of Hearts, and his kiss carries legendary danger.

Romantic gestures that would normally be sweet can therefore become threatening.

This transforms kissing into both:

Romance.

And magical risk.

Book 2 – The Ballad of Never After

The Ballad of Never After continues directly after the first novel.

Evangeline has learned an important lesson:

Jacks cannot automatically be trusted.

She decides she will not allow him to manipulate her again.

Unfortunately, a new curse forces them back together.

Hachette describes the sequel as another journey of magic, mystery and heartbreak in which Evangeline discovers her own magic while facing a dangerous curse.

Enemies, Allies and Something More

The second book intensifies Evangeline and Jacks’s relationship.

They frustrate each other.

Need each other.

Distrust each other.

Protect each other.

This creates a constant emotional contradiction.

The person Evangeline may need most is also the person she believes she should trust least.

Betrayal

Betrayal becomes one of the strongest themes in the trilogy.

Trust is easy when nothing important is at risk.

The difficult question is whether trust can survive after someone has already hurt you.

Evangeline must repeatedly decide whether Jacks’s actions reveal:

Selfishness.

Protection.

Manipulation.

Or a mixture of all three.

The Hollow

Magical places in the series often feel as important as individual characters.

They hold:

History.

Secrets.

Old magic.

Rules.

The environment itself often influences what characters can do.

This strengthens the fairy-tale feeling of the novels.

Prophecy

Prophecy introduces another problem.

People behave differently when they believe they know what is going to happen.

Some try to fulfill destiny.

Others try to escape it.

But attempting to prevent a prophecy can sometimes become the very thing that brings it closer.

The Archer and the Fox

Fairy-tale stories and old legends become increasingly important.

Readers gradually realize that the world contains stories that may be more than simple entertainment.

Legends can preserve warnings.

They can hide history.

They can also influence the choices people make in the present.

Memory

Memory becomes especially significant across the trilogy.

Who are you when your memories change?

Can another person control your identity by controlling what you remember?

Can love survive when memory disappears?

These questions become increasingly important as Evangeline’s journey continues.

Book 3 – A Curse for True Love

A Curse for True Love concludes the original Evangeline-and-Jacks trilogy.

Evangeline appears to have achieved the fairy-tale ending she wanted.

She is married to a prince.

She lives in a castle.

She should be happy.

But something is wrong.

She does not understand what she has lost.

And the person closest to her is determined to prevent her from discovering the truth.

Meanwhile, Jacks remains caught inside the conflict surrounding Evangeline’s missing past.

Hachette describes the novel as the conclusion to the original trilogy and frames it around two villains, one girl and a deadly battle for happily ever after.

Happily Ever After

The series constantly questions the meaning of a happy ending.

Is happily ever after:

Marriage?

A castle?

True love?

Safety?

Freedom?

Getting exactly what you wished for?

Garber repeatedly demonstrates that appearances can be misleading.

A life that looks like a fairy tale from the outside can still be built on manipulation.

Love Versus Possession

One important distinction throughout the story is the difference between loving someone and wanting to possess them.

Real love should involve:

Choice.

Respect.

Agency.

A relationship becomes dangerous when one person decides they know what is best and removes the other’s ability to choose.

Choice

Evangeline’s choices matter because so many people attempt to influence them.

Fates.

Princes.

Prophecies.

Curses.

Love interests.

Her growth requires learning to make decisions for herself.

Villains and Heroes

One of the series’ biggest attractions is its interest in morally complicated characters.

Someone can behave heroically and still be dangerous.

Someone called a villain may still love deeply.

Titles such as:

Prince.

Hero.

Villain.

do not necessarily explain the entire person.

Can Villains Love?

Jacks creates this question repeatedly.

Love does not automatically make a dangerous person safe.

Feeling strongly about someone does not erase harmful behavior.

This creates a more complicated romantic fantasy than a simple story about changing a villain through affection.

Slow-Burn Romance

The romance develops gradually across all three books.

Readers are not immediately given a comfortable relationship.

Instead, the trilogy builds tension through:

Bargains.

Arguments.

Near-kisses.

Jealousy.

Danger.

Secrets.

Betrayal.

Protection.

The emotional payoff depends on reading the books sequentially.

Romantic Fantasy

The Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books sits strongly within fantasy romance.

Romance is central.

But so are:

Magic.

Plot.

Worldbuilding.

Mystery.

Curses.

Readers who enjoy both romance and fantasy are likely to get the most from the trilogy.

Is It YA?

The trilogy is generally published and marketed within teen/young-adult fantasy romance categories.

The storytelling includes fairy-tale romance and adventure but also darker themes such as death, magical manipulation, violence and coercion.

It is therefore not a children’s fairy-tale series.

Is the Series Spicy?

The original trilogy focuses much more on:

Romantic tension.

Kissing.

Yearning.

Emotional chemistry.

than on explicit sexual content.

Readers looking for romance with strong tension but without highly graphic adult scenes may find it appealing.

Is It Connected to Caraval?

Yes.

The Once Upon a Broken Heart books take place in the same broader world as Stephanie Garber’s Caraval trilogy.

Jacks originally appears in that world.

However, Once Upon a Broken Heart begins a new central storyline focused on Evangeline.

Do You Need to Read Caraval First?

Not strictly.

A reader can begin with Once Upon a Broken Heart and understand Evangeline’s main story.

However, reading the Caraval trilogy first can provide additional background about Jacks, the Fates and the wider magical world.

It can also help readers understand references that otherwise function simply as background.

Correct Reading Order

For this three-book set, read:

Once Upon a Broken Heart → The Ballad of Never After → A Curse for True Love.

Do not read them out of order.

Major twists, relationships and revelations depend directly on previous events.

Is the Three-Book Set Complete?

For the original trilogy, yes.

The Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books contains the full original trilogy arc through A Curse for True Love.

However, as of 2026, Hachette lists the later illustrated novella The Mirror of Infinite Endings as a fourth installment in the broader series/universe.

So customers should understand:

This set gives them the complete original trilogy, but it does not include The Mirror of Infinite Endings.

The Mirror of Infinite Endings

This later title returns to Evangeline and Jacks after their original trilogy and expands the world with a new illustrated story.

It should therefore be treated as an additional later installment rather than one of the three books in this collection.

Is It Similar to Caraval?

Yes in atmosphere.

Both series feature:

Magical rules.

Romantic tension.

Secrets.

Dangerous bargains.

Beautiful but deceptive settings.

Fairy-tale imagery.

However, the central characters and main story are different.

Jacks and Evangeline

The emotional core of the trilogy is the relationship between Jacks and Evangeline.

She believes in happy endings.

He behaves like someone who stopped believing in them long ago.

She wants love.

He is associated with dangerous love.

She wants honesty.

He keeps secrets.

Their opposing personalities create much of the series’ chemistry.

Hope

Evangeline’s optimism is sometimes treated as weakness.

But hope also gives her resilience.

Believing that a better ending is possible can motivate action.

The challenge is learning the difference between:

Hope

and

denial.

Trust

Trust must be repeatedly rebuilt.

The trilogy demonstrates that attraction and trust are not the same thing.

You can want someone while knowing they are dangerous.

You can care about someone while questioning their motives.

That emotional conflict gives the romance its tension.

Curses

Curses are everywhere in this world.

A curse may affect:

Love.

Memory.

Death.

Destiny.

The rules surrounding magic often create problems that cannot be solved simply through physical strength.

Characters need to understand the curse before they can escape it.

The Price of Wishes

Evangeline begins the series because she wants something desperately enough to make a magical bargain.

That starting point echoes through the entire trilogy.

Desire can make people ignore warning signs.

A person asking:

“What will this give me?”

should also ask:

“What will this cost?”

Fairy Tales With Teeth

The trilogy looks beautiful.

Pink covers.

Castles.

Romance.

Magic.

But beneath that beauty are darker elements.

Poison.

Blood.

Death.

Betrayal.

Manipulation.

That contrast is central to Garber’s style.

Beautiful Things Can Be Dangerous

The world repeatedly teaches Evangeline not to assume that beauty equals safety.

The most attractive character can be dangerous.

The perfect castle can hide secrets.

The ideal ending can be false.

Appearance and truth are not always the same thing.

Identity

Evangeline’s identity is challenged throughout the story.

Who is she when other people try to control:

Her choices?

Her memories?

Her future?

Her relationships?

Protecting personal identity becomes as important as defeating a magical curse.

Content Considerations

The Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books contains mature YA fantasy themes including magical violence, death, murder, blood, poisoning, curses, betrayal, manipulation, memory loss, grief, controlling behavior, threats, emotional distress and romantic coercion.

The books are romantic and whimsical in atmosphere, but readers should not assume the story is entirely lighthearted.

Important Themes

The trilogy explores true love, destiny, choice, trust, betrayal, curses, magical bargains, memory, identity, fairy tales, villains, morally grey characters, hope, sacrifice, free will, jealousy, heartbreak and the meaning of a happy ending.

7 Magical Reasons to Own Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books

1. You get the complete original trilogy together. The collection gives readers Evangeline and Jacks’s central story from the first magical bargain through the conclusion in A Curse for True Love.
2. Jacks is one of modern fantasy romance’s most memorable morally grey characters. He can be charming, dangerous, manipulative and unexpectedly protective, keeping readers uncertain about him throughout the story.
3. The world feels like a dark fairy tale. Magical castles, curses, prophecies, dangerous kisses and enchanted objects create a distinctive fantasy atmosphere.
4. The romance is built through tension rather than instant certainty. Evangeline and Jacks develop through distrust, bargains, betrayal and reluctant partnership, creating an addictive slow-burn dynamic.
5. Each book ends by making the next one feel necessary. The trilogy is highly serialized, with revelations and cliffhangers pushing readers directly into the next volume.
6. The series asks interesting questions about happy endings. Rather than treating love as automatically perfect, it explores choice, manipulation, sacrifice, memory and whether fate should control people’s lives.
7. The set makes an excellent fantasy-romance gift. Three matching books together are ideal for Stephanie Garber fans, BookTok readers and anyone starting the trilogy for the first time.

Why Read Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books?

Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books is an excellent choice for readers interested in Stephanie Garber, fantasy romance, BookTok fantasy, fairy-tale retellings and aesthetics, morally grey love interests, slow-burn romance, magical curses, enemies-to-reluctant-allies dynamics and stories filled with secrets.

The trilogy is especially suitable for readers who like fantasy that feels romantic and whimsical on the surface but becomes darker as the characters discover what magical wishes actually cost.

Who Should Read This Book Set?

Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books may especially appeal to fantasy-romance readers, Stephanie Garber fans, readers who enjoyed Caraval, YA fantasy readers, fans of Jacks and Evangeline, readers who enjoy morally grey heroes, BookTok readers, fairy-tale fantasy fans and anyone looking for a complete three-book romantic fantasy collection.

Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books – What Would You Risk for a Happily Ever After?

Once Upon a Broken Heart Set of 3 Books begins with one broken heart.

Evangeline wants to stop a wedding.

She wants the boy she loves.

She wants her happily ever after.

So she makes a bargain.

That one choice changes everything.

Jacks enters her life as someone who appears to offer a solution.

Instead, he becomes a question Evangeline cannot easily answer.

Is he the villain?

Is he protecting her?

Is he using her?

Can all three be true at once?

As the trilogy continues, Evangeline’s original idea of love becomes much more complicated.

A happy ending cannot simply be something beautiful from the outside.

It has to preserve choice.

Trust.

Memory.

Identity.

Love without choice becomes possession.

Protection without honesty can become manipulation.

Destiny without free will can become a prison.

That is what gives Stephanie Garber’s trilogy more substance than its glittering fairy-tale surface initially suggests.

The series remains full of romance, enchanted settings and magical drama.

But underneath all of that is a simple question:

If someone else writes your happy ending for you, is it really yours?

Learn more about the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy by Stephanie Garber on the official Macmillan website.

Explore more fantasy romance books at Bargain Books.