Once Upon a Broken Heart Summary

Evangeline Fox is a seventeen-year-old girl living in the magical world of Valenda. Heartbroken, she learns that the love of her life, Luc, is set to marry her stepsister, Marisol. They had kept their love a secret, making this news doubly painful. Feeling lost and helpless, Evangeline searches for a way to mend her broken heart and stop the wedding.

In her quest, Evangeline seeks the Prince of Hearts, known as Jacks, who can heal broken hearts. She discovers his hidden church behind a magical door in an old curiosity shop where she works. Desperate, Evangeline makes a bargain with Jacks. He agrees to stop the wedding but wants three kisses from her at times and with people he chooses. Their deal is sealed when Jacks marks her wrist with a scar shaped like a broken heart.

After Evangeline agrees, Jacks freezes the wedding guests, including Luc and Marisol, turning them into stone. To free them, someone must drink a potion, which leads Evangeline to make a huge sacrifice. She drinks the potion herself, becoming stone to save them all.

For six long weeks, Evangeline remains in stone. Eventually, she awakens in the chamber of a fate poisoner, discovering that she has been restored. The poisoner warns her—Jacks might forget about her, so she should be very careful to avoid getting turned to stone again. Evangeline decides to return to her family, only to find that they have grown wealthy and want to present her as a desirable bride.

To protect herself from her family’s plans and unwanted suitors, Evangeline spreads rumors that her magical kiss is cursed, meaning it can turn people to stone. Yet, as she struggles with her choices, Evangeline finds her life entangled with Jacks. The kisses he demands push her into more danger, forcing her to think about what she truly wants.

Throughout her journey, Evangeline questions the price of love and freedom in a magical world where fate weaves into reality. Engaging with Jacks complicates her perspective; his charming but dangerous nature creates a mix of desires and consequences. Evangeline’s struggle results in a quest not just for love, but to seize control over her own destiny.

As the story unfolds, Evangeline faces heart-pounding challenges and magical twists. Each kiss she gives and every decision she makes brings new stakes, revealing the cost of her bargain with the Prince of Hearts. Evangeline learns that breaking free from a broken heart is just the beginning of a greater battle; the bigger challenge lies in discovering who she really is and what she truly desires in the face of enchantment and sacrifice.

Once Upon a Broken Heart concludes with Evangeline being cleared of murder charges after the tragic death of Prince Apollo, which happens after her kiss. Jacks, the tricky Prince of Hearts, confesses that he manipulated Apollo's feelings, revealing that Apollo actually died from poisoning, not Evangeline's kiss. The story takes an intense turn as Evangeline herself gets poisoned and needs an antidote to survive.

After overcoming her near-death experience, Evangeline reunites with her family. However, she discovers that she has become a well-known princess with many suitors seeking her hand in marriage, a future she is not interested in. To fend off her potential suitors, she begins a rumor that her kiss has the power to turn people to stone, thus keeping them at bay.

As the tale unfolds, Evangeline is guided by Phaedra and one of Apollo's knights to a secret area of the castle. There, they find Apollo in a cursed, suspended state, revealing he’s not truly dead. Faced with a choice to wake him, Evangeline realizes Jacks has been using her as a tool all along. Understanding her newfound agency, she prepares to open a mysterious door that hints at further adventures ahead.