Emilie has had to deal with a lot in her life, the death of her mother at an early age, the cold emotional withdrawal of her father toward her, her younger sister, and older brother, and the unique gift of being an empath of other people’s hidden feelings that she feels she inherited from her mother. However, when her father appears to be losing his grip on the family business, Emilie discovers that he is being extorted over the news that his family line is cursed, which is why her mother died so early in life, a fate that has occurred to all women who have married into the de Gourgues family line. The curse appears to be documented in an antique book that relates the history and spiritual ritual between a French sea captain in her paternal lineage during the time of the French attempt of colonization of Florida in conflict with the Spanish and a chieftain of the Florida Timucua tribe that sought to assist the colony. As she goes on a journey to investigate the curse and discover a way to break it, she crosses paths with Jeremy, who is also on a hunt for answers, as it was his uncle who was murdered for the book that was sent to Emilie’s father to extort his submission. However, the parties behind the extortion are not anxious to have Emilie and Jeremy break the curse. This is a well written complex tale of romance, family drama, paranormal intrigue, and mystery with touches of emotional horror, historical investigation, and threatening twists. Told mostly through the limited omniscient view of Emilie, her empath powers provide a means for the reader to connect and feel the good and evil emotions of all characters, adding to the anticipation and drive of the plot. However, there are some occasional moments that appear to be a stretch, but for the most part this is a very satisfactory read. ( )