Publication: 28th May 2024 – Bloom Books
From bestselling indie author and TikTok favorite Laura Thalassa comes the next installment of a witch fantasy set in the world of the Bargainer series. Only the dangerously handsome Memnon the Cursed can help Selene find the answers she seeks…if she doesn’t lose her heart first.
No one told witch Selene Bowers having a soul mate would be so difficult. Nor did they warn her that he might be a vengeful, ancient sorcerer who would frame her for murder, force her to remember a past life he swears she lived, and then coerce her into an unbreakable marriage pact. But that’s exactly what happens the night of the Samhain Ball, when Selene finds herself in a jail cell.
After waking from enchanted sleep, Memnon swore to discover why Selene betrayed him long ago. But when his soul mate’s memories return, the truth reveals something else entirely. Horrified by his own actions and desperate to make amends, Memnon offers Selene the unthinkable: a magic bond that will give her full control over his will. And Selene is desperate enough to accept it.
But other enemies still haunt Henbane Coven, Selene’s magical academy, and they’ve taken a keen interest in her. If she wants to stop them, she’ll need Memnon’s help. But partnering with the sorcerer is a tricky business, especially when he’s dead set on winning her heart. And that can’t happen…because the bond controlling him will break the moment she falls in love with him.
Bespelled starts off right after the events of Bewitched, in which twenty-something witch Selene Bowers wakes up the powerful Memnon from a two-thousand years old curse only to discover that she is his soul mate and wife and he is out for revenge. Now, after recovering all her memories, Selene remembers her past life as Roxi and the events that led to the curse. Discovering that Selene is not the cause of his fall and eager to prove himself to her, Memnon offers her a magic bond that gives her control over him and that will be broken only when she falls in love with him. But can she really trust him? Also, someone is still kidnapping and killing witches on campus and Selena is determined to find out the truth and stop the murders once and for all.
I must admit that I enjoyed this book more than the first. I liked how Selene develops and is more dependent and stronger and how, even though she finds herself in danger many times, she is determined to protect the witches from being murdered. Her relationship with Memnon is still full of banter and fun and steamy, but now she is the one with the upper hand and the power, although he doesn’t mind obeying her orders.
Bespelled is action-packed and full of twists. There is a swoony romance, there is horrifying murder, a morally gray handsome hero that doesn’t mind groveling for the woman he loves, a kickass heroine and, once again, an unexpected ending that makes me really look forward to the next book.
A huge thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
Laura Thalassa is the author of over a dozen paranormal and fantasy romance novels. She fell in love with stories as a child and decided she never wanted to escape them. She lives in sunny southern California with her husband and children. When not writing, she can be found reading about lost civilizations, splashing with her kids in the Pacific, and hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse.
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