“The Ballad of Never After” is Stephanie Garber’s best and most heartbreaking book yet! 

 

Like her other novels, Garber’s latest publication has the fun formatting that her readers know and love. Letters, scandal sheets, and book excerpts break up the text, contributing to the whimsical atmosphere that is created in “The Ballad of Never After.” 

 

What makes the sequel to “Once Upon a Broken Heart” different, however, is the building romantic tension between Jacks and Evangeline. Garber turns up the heat, allowing the two characters to grow far more intimate than ever before. Their relationship development from loathing each other to not being able to resist each other has an addictive quality to it that ensnares the reader, leaving them craving for their every interaction. 

 

Another aspect of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed was venturing deeper into the Magnificent North. Through Evangeline, the reader is able to explores places like The Hollow and Merrywood, two locations that play a pivotal role in helping us uncover Jacks’ true identity. Garber does a fantastic job slowly revealing bits and pieces of The Prince of Hearts’ past life that give good insight into his character motivations, add depth, and spark more questions than there are answers. 

 

The ending of “The Ballad of Never After” TORE my heart out!!! I am so glad there is a book 3 in the works because there are loose threads that still need to be tugged at and conflicts that need to be resolved. I cannot wait to see where Garber takes us with this next book so long as Evangeline gets the happily ever after she deserves.