Review: ‘Bespelled’ by Laura Thalassa
Bespelled
by Laura ThalassaSeries: Bewitched #2
Published by Bloom Books on May 28, 2024
SubGenres: Fantasy Romance, Paranormal Romance
Format: AudioBook, Paperback
Pages: 544
Narrator: Stella Bloom
Length: 14 Hours And 24 Minutes
Source: Purchased
Audience: 18+/Adult
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“Neither magic, nor time, can keep us apart. We are like the stars. Eternal.”
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.
After the cliffhanger from Bewitched, I was anxious and excited to start Bespelled, primarily because of how the FMC, Selene, was treated not only by the other witches but also by Memnon, the sorcerer whom she had awakened, who is supposed to be her soulmate. At least that is what Memnon keeps telling her, even though he’s acting nothing like a soulmate, trying to frame her for murders and also get revenge for what she supposedly did to him years ago. She is in jail initially in Bespelled due to what he did in the first book.
Bewitched was definitely a true Enemies to Lovers, but the second book ends up being a Second Chance Romance where Selene and Memnon rekindle their love for one another after Selene starts having past memories of her life with him. Memnon also gets off his high horse and finally realizes that Selene never betrayed him and will do a lot of groveling in this book. A LOT OF GROVELING because he definitely needed to grovel to Selene for what he did to her. I really questioned his character and love for Selene in Bewitched, but he’s made up for it in Bespelled.
Let’s not forget to mention the Touch Her and I’ll Unalive You trope, which I always enjoy reading in Fantasy/Romance storylines. Memnon is not a sorcerer you want to tick off when Selene is in danger, plus he can be a tad jealous/possessive of her. Just ask Kane, the werewolf who tries everything to get with Selene in this book, but he’s derailed several times, not only due to Memnon but Selene letting him know she’s with Memnon. Here’s hoping Kane gets his own HEA with someone else so that he can leave Selene alone.
Selene’s character development grew in this book, especially when it came to her witch powers and how she handled herself in certain situations. She did need assistance sometimes because the poor girl was put in some awful situations (five against one, etc.), but she managed her own. Selene learns what’s happening to the witches at her Academy, and she has a target on her back after she finds out the truth.
Fair warning: there is a cliffhanger again at the end of Bespelled, and it’s a big one, too. I give this book 4.5 stars and anxiously wait for the next book in the series. I’m thankful, though, that while I wait for the next book in the series, I can check out Laura Thalassa’s backlist, which I’ve already started her The Four Horsemen series. Laura Thalassa has definitely been added to my list of favorite PNR/Fantasy Authors now.
This series is definitely recommended if you enjoy reading Paranormal/Fantasy Romances. This series has a sassy witch who deals with an overbearing sorcerer who’s her past love and tries to figure out what enemies are after her at her Academy.
Trope(s)/Element(s):
✓Enemies to Lovers
✓Second Chance
✓Soulmates/Fated Mates
✓Touch Her and I’ll ☠️ You
✓Magic
✓Witches/Sorcerers/Werewolves Oh My!
✓Steamy (Lots of Groveling from the MMC in this book)
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About Laura Thalassa
Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods.
… or something like that anyway.
When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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