Bad B's Oct Book Hive Pick 2025

Stars Hollow meets Charmed in this darkly funny, small-town paranormal romcom... Love doesn't get much more forbidden than this.

In the quirky, tight-knit town of Sapphire Springs, beloved for its chocolate-caramel milkshakes and spicy senior citizens’ book club, Rune Whitlock has always felt like an outsider. Gifted with the ability to see the future but cursed to have no one believe her premonitions, she’s accepted that romance isn’t in the cards. She’s got a cozy cottage, a fulfilling graphic design career, a loyal best friend, and Valentine—the sweet rescue kitty who is definitely not her familiar. So what if she’s sometimes lonely?

But everything changes when she meets Donovan Frost. A brilliant, brooding data engineer, Donovan is everything Rune is not: methodical, reserved, logical. He’s also grumpy, judgmental, and 5-chili-peppers hot. Thrown together on a mysterious work project, the two clash spectacularly—until an unexpected connection ignites between them.

Then, Rune’s gift reveals a chilling truth: they are destined for each other, but their love story is doomed to end in tragedy on their wedding day. To protect Donovan, Rune must push him away, even if it breaks her heart. But the harder she tries, the more entangled they become. As dark forces conspire against them and secrets come to light, Rune must unravel the mystery of her curse…before it’s too late.

If you’re a fan of The Kiss Curse, Payback’s a Witch, and The Dead Romantics, this modern-day Cassandra retelling will scratch your itch.

A quick content warning: Cursed includes violence, references to childhood abuse, arson, and foster care placement, mentions of suicide, and parental death (before the story begins).

But it’s also really funny. I promise. Just ask Rune, if you don’t believe me.