Review: Cursed by S.J. Harper (Fallen Siren #1)

Cursed (Fallen Siren #1)
S.J. Harper
Published: Oct. 1, 2013 (Roc)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Emma Monroe is a Siren: one of three sisters cursed by Demeter for their failure to save her daughter Persephone. Emma works for the FBI in missing persons. Every successful case brings her one step closer to getting back into the Goddess’s good graces. But don’t get the wrong idea; Emma has already spent lifetimes atoning. She’ll never give up though. She just has to keep her head in the game. That mantra is easier said than done when her new partner turns out to be Zach Armstrong.

Zach is a werewolf shifter recently moved to the west coast. He and Emma partnered together on a previous missing persons case about a year ago in South Carolina. To say there was attraction between them was putting it mildly. When they ended up sleeping together at the close of that case, Emma figured she’d never see him again. When he shows up as her new partner, it puts Emma in a tough position. She could see herself developing some serious feelings for the werewolf. As Emma has learned in the past, Demeter frowns on any of the Sirens forming serious attachments. Even though it appears Zach is different from others Emma has given her heart to, she doesn’t want to risk him. To keep him safe she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I was immediately drawn into Cursed. I think this had something to do with the fact that Emma and Zach already have a history. There’s no ‘getting to know you’ phase, they just jump right in which helped me get caught up in their relationship. I liked that, despite their clear and obvious attraction to one another, they also worked well as a professional team. Helping victims is something that they are proud to be able to do, and that doesn’t go away just because they may be in emotional turmoil with each other.

My being able to quickly acclimate myself with this series was also helped along by the fact that the concept of the series, while clever, wasn’t overly complicated. In a few pages the author(s) conveyed who Emma was and her goal. It’s not the world that’s complicated, so to speak, it’s the decisions that Emma will have to make over the course of the series. The inner struggle, if you will, with what she wants and what she can have and how those things can or cannot be obtained.

Basically speaking, Emma wants Zach, but in her mind that doesn’t mean she can have him. I feel like their developing relationship has the potential to be excruciating for me to read about down the line. The romantic in me wants Emma to throw out all her past and be with Zach despite what Demeter will do. The other part of me actually understands the fact that Emma has been through the loss of someone she loves at Demeter’s hands, and I think it takes a modicum of selflessness to not put someone through that, even if said person doesn’t know it. Emma makes decisions about their relationship that won’t be popular with some readers. Since this is the first book, I try not to make my judgments about certain things too rashly. I’ll wait to see how the story plays out a bit more.

Cursed was an engrossing first book. I’ll definitely be picking up the next in the series.

Sexual content: Sex