I liked this book with all its magic and confusion. The story has me wondering if Rathe is truthful or just saying what Cat wants to hear. Is it true or is he calculating something, making “ Chess moves”? Rathe is definitely the one guy to watch out for, because he kind of has a duel personality, he was there for Cat when her father shows up but then vanishes when she needs answers from him. I can’t wait to find out what happens when he comes back in the second book, Also if Cat is stronger more confident in the second book. She knows more now about herself and her background so I’m excited to see how she handles things.

Charmed Souls was predictable I had it pegged pretty much from the beginning. It was also quite repetitious with not much happening until late. The main character, Cat was very contradictory, she said things about herself that her actions didn't back up. I didn't find the romance believable at all. I wanted to love it but it just didn't work for me at all. Even though I'm intrigued by the ending I'm not sure if I'll read the next book in the series.

Another great read from Abbi Glines. I usually don't care for paranormal romance type books, but I was actually very impressed. I loved Cat and Rathe. I thought throughout that he was going to turn out to be a magical being, but by the end I was believing he was human. I kind of had an inkling of who the stranger was, but that was kind of a surprise as well. I don't want to give away too many details, because i want ya'll to be able to experience it for the first time when you read this. Just know that this book will have you guessing and reguessing what you think will happen. I was so bummed when it ended and can't wait for the next one. I am so eager to see where Catalina and Rathe go next.

What did I just read? I have to admit that I haven’t been loving anything new by Abbi Glines for a few releases now. I was excited to see that she was releasing another paranormal romance because I did enjoy her Existense series back in the day. However, there was so much missing and a lot of things were never explained. I’m going to try and keep this one short. Most of this will be about the characters because it was SUCH a character based book. Hardly any of the magic was talked about.

All of the characters were very one dimensional and I couldn’t connect with any of them. I wanted to love Catalina but she didn’t make it easy. It felt like we really didn’t get to know her. All we got was that she and her family were witches. What kind? I don’t know. It really wasn’t elaborated on and there were even talks of her being having siren qualities, but that was never talked about again.

The supporting characters were so typical and forgetful. They fit a stereotype and weren’t fleshed out at all. You have the typical best friend, a love interest with a mystery to them, and of a course a guy friend in love with the heroine who doesn’t see it. While not all of the attributes are bad, it just made the story flat because she didn’t make these characters worth caring about.

All in all, I have to say that this book is highly forgetful and I really don’t picture myself reading the next book in the series.

I didn’t know how I would feel about this book because this different since Catalina is a witch but it was really good. I didn’t like her mother or sisters much but I did like her mother.
Rathe is different from other guys Catalina has met. He’s beautiful and doesn’t seem affected by her or what she does to keep him away from her.
I knew Catalina was different and there’s a whole little twist with who shows up and who he is. I wasn’t surprised about some of it but I was about other parts. I loved Catalina’s cousin and how he’s so open and isn’t embarrassed to talk about his sex life and providing details.
Catalina is a witch, she’s different from other witches. I can’t wait to see how character will change and grow and see how Rathe will be in the next book. I liked Catalina’s friends and how she cares about them and protects them.
I highly recommend this book. It’s the first book in a series. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Wow, where should I start?!? First, this book was so different from anything I normally read in general and very different from the other books that I’ve read by Abbi Glines. Although this was a great story as a start to new series and genre. I throughly enjoyed the way that we got to know Catalina and her family. The foundation that was laid by giving her history allowed me to understand what she was facing and why she fought to protect herself and those she loved. I wasn’t sure what to think of Rathe but I was digging the new mysterious hot guy!! The attraction between Catalina and Rathe was intense and steamy. And the bombs that were dropped left me sitting with my mouth wide open. I cannot wait to see what happens in book 2...I need more of this story ASAP!

Book received from The Next Step PR

This book has a lot of mixed reviews. People either love it or they hate it. I fall into the middle of them. Abbi is one of my favorite authors, and maybe I just had too high of expectations. Maybe contemporary is just her genre; I don’t know. But I have mixed feelings by this book.

It started out quite interesting. Catalina is a witch, one born with a black soul that urges her to attract men, make them fall in love with them, and ultimately conveniently they end up dead while the women capitalize on their death. Catalina shies away from her curse and avoids men to avoid leading them to their death. I was so intrigued by the concept of the curse.

Unfortunately, Catalina really fell short for me. She avoids her curse, but personally, I would have preferred if she didn’t . Rathe ends up immune to her, so it would have actually been more interested (and funny) if she tried to use her curse on Rathe only to find it not working and for real feelings to emerge. This book is about witches. Why must the main characters always try to be good? I would rather a dark paranormal in which she embraced her witch curse. In the end, this just made her boring. She didn’t stand out in comparing her to Abbi’s other characters, despite her powers. She tries to be good, have her friends, and avoid men. She’s too goody. Too basic for a NA paranormal.

Ultimately, when Rathe shows up, she does decide to pursue this, just not at first. Other than that...not much happens in the book. They become friends. She hangs out with her other friends. And investigates the mysterious man that pops around at times. Basically, I was very bored reading this. It is a slow read. From 30-90%, I consistently looked at the percentage, hoping I was nearing the end.

As for the other characters, Rathe didn’t stand out to me either. I knew he was something because he didn’t react to her spells. He’s just there, until she decides to hook up with him. In fact, I quite hated him in the beginning. He flaunts other women in front of her, takes a new one out each night. He’s a player and didn’t exactly excite me. He’s not like Abbi’s other men. There’s her friends. One a girl friend, the other a guy friend that has had a long-term crush on her that she’s never noticed. Ultimately, they are all fairly two-dimensional and I didn’t love any of them.

At this point, I’m rating it 3 stars. Then the final 10% happened and it got quite good and extremely interesting, and does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. We find out about Rathe and the mysterious man, and more about Catalina that will really set the stage for book 2. So now we’re talking 4 stars and a reader who is quite eager for book 2.

Overall, it was a good book, just not a great one. I think more could have been done to the middle (or made it shorter), I think the characters could have been more developed, and a romance should have also been more developed. I see a definite decline in Abbi’s writing quality and execution, but positive feelings toward her ideas and storytelling. I will continue the series, and even look forward to it. I hope now that groundwork has been laid, book 2 will be more exciting as well.

Abbi has such a way about her books that just draw me in deeper and deeper and leave me breathless. This one was no different! I honestly couldn’t breath for most of the last couple chapters, waiting for one shoe after another to drop.....I think she threw the whole closet out!
I’m still on the edge of my seat. How long exactly do we have to wait for the next book?
The characters in this book from the ones that don’t matter to the stars of the show are amazing and written with depth that you can’t fathom unless like me you dug in deep into this book.
I’ve never been one to read supernatural things but this is one I will read over and over. Mostly because it is by a Abbi and she does a great job, but because it was honest and breathtaking.
I’m in love with Duely.

I received this for an honest review!

First off I want to thank @netgalley, the publisher & @abbiglines for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Off the bat I am already a huge fan of Abbi Glines work, I've read almost all her books. So when I heard about this one which is a paranormal romance I knew I had to get my hands on it. I adored it, it was so fast paced, filled with magic, love, friendship, friend to lover romance, forbidden love. It was so well done. The plot was very entertaining, and the world building was nicely done.
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Glines really knows how to create an environment that is so easily imaginable in your mind, that is what I love the most about her writing style. It's so easy to follow, relate to and just get immersed into it. I loved Cat as a character she was such a fierce, fearless, courageous and badass girl. I cannot wait to see where the adventure brings her next. When there's talk about sex it gets very steamy, but that's part of the authors work. I am so intrigued in this new trilogy I cannot wait for the next installment.
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If you're looking for a new adult paranormal romance with great characters and a charming world, definitely get into this series. It's already out and available to purchase !!!