This book is now one of my new favorite paranormal witch romance series. I thought it was so good, not a dull moment with action, mysteries, missing memories, and an ancient hot sorcerer. This story follows the perspective of Selene, who is a witch, but her magic has a unique cost… her memories. In her desperate attempt to join a coven of witches, she goes on a spiritual journey, but what she does find is a lot worse.
The setting of this book was great. I loved how this witch's coven was like a college campus and not just a small group. The classes, students and their powers were so cool, and it was immersed in the story, especially Selene and her’s came at such an unbelievable cost. It was such a unique and hard element to overcome, it was just another great aspect that really kept me so engaged in the story.
Selene was so badass; she never gave up and took every step to make her dreams come true by joining the coven. Not to mention that this book has some major emotion inducing moments and I was right there with the characters, and I could not believe what was happening, so shocked. The romance is an enemy to lovers, but it's really back and forth on whether they are enemies or lovers. At times I really wanted them to get together and am all for their relationship developing but then other times I am like hell no girl, don’t do it.
I can’t wait for the next one, I am super excited to see where this series goes especially how it left off. I need more!
The very beginning of this story I did feel it was rushed to get everything set up and at times a little cheesy, but it was like the first twenty or so pages. After that the story really leveled out with the pacing and plot and I really ended up loving it.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

She’s a twenty year old witch who’s magic has a cost... her memories... and when she accidentally awakens an ancient evil from his tomb on her trip to South America what she didn’t think would happen would that he would claim that she’s his wife who betrayed him. Selene has always wanted to work on her magic and wants more than anything to be accepted into the Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Yet her magic has such a high and dangerous cost that the school requires that she get a familiar and go on a quest before being accepted. On her trip to South America a voice begins calling to her and takes her plane down and then she finds herself being drawn to the tomb of Memnon the Cursed... and awakening him only for him to mistake her for his long dead wife. Memnon is convinced Selene is his wife because not only can she speak the same dead language as him but they share a soul mate connection as well as the fact that kissing him is so familiar to her despite the fact that she just met him. Memnon is willing to go to any lengths to not only get revenge but to get his wife back. The line between love and hate bis blurred and Selene’s memories begin to come into question as she finds it harder and harder to try and explain her relationship with Memnon. There also is the fact that witches are being murdered and its somehow connected to Selene but her memories force her to rely on Memnon to help her... but his price is high. This is the first book in the series and ends on a major cliff hanger. I was seriously so into Memnon hahaha, his yearning for revenge but absolute love and devotion to his wife were *chef’s kiss*. I can’t wait to see where the next book goes and what Selene will do now that she’s married to Memnon and the fact that he unleashed the curse on them and now she has all her memories of her past life of being with him only for him to frame her for the murders as revenge and force her to marry him. With her memories back she is arrested, but he promises that now that she has them back they can work everything out... but its never explained why she betrayed him in the first place and put him under a sleeping spell while making herself cursed to lose her memories (it’s going to be such an interesting sequel book and their dynamic between loathing and love is going be great).

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, Bloom Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I am so sad! I wanted to love this so much, I loved Laura's Four Horsemen series so I was so hyped to review this book. It had such promise, witches, shifters, ancient sorcerers and not to mention a big bad ass panther. Unfortunately, Bewitched fell so flat for me. I found myself hate reading it as early as 30%.

Let's start with what I did like. Nero. He was honestly the best part of this entire book. He's a familiar for the main character and he's also a huge ass panther with a grumpy attitude but the softest heart for his witch. The spicy scenes were good, but after reading them I felt so eww because Memnon was such a twisted toxic person with what seemed like a multiple personality disorder. This is all that I sort of liked, sadly.

The writing was so juvenile I didn't believe I was reading one of Thalassa's stories. The writing made Selene (the FMC) sound much younger than she was. She made so many dumb decisions and the rhyming spells she used for her magic were so cringe. Memnon's physical description was hot and to be honest when he was in his loving mood he was great. He was basically worshipping at the alter of Selene and I love when the MMC fall all over themselves for their love interests. But what was so sick was that he would be so gentle with her one minute and then in the very next he would want to exact his revenge by hurting her friends, stealing her memories, etc etc. He basically blackmails her into marrying him and helping him remove the curse over the both of them and she just falls for his charms every single time even though she is supposed to be some powerful "empress". It wasn't sexy.

Anyway, I will not be continuing this series. If not for having to do this review I would've DNF'd it a long time ago. I just feel this was not the author's best work, like this was a story she had written years ago when she first started and wanted to throw it out there to ride on the success of her other series. I won't entirely give up on her, I'd definitely give any other books she puts out a go but this series is firmly in the NO category for me.

Thank you so much to Bloom Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Maybe too honest, yikes).

GENERAL INFO

Year Pub: 4/18/23

Date read: 4/28/23

Format: Kindle

Source: e-ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Page Count: 443

Setting: San Francisco

Genre: PNR, UF

Tropes: enemies to lovers, memory loss, fated mates

Standalone/Part of a Series: Book #1

HEA/HFN ending: cliffhanger

Epilogue Included: no

Character(s)POV Spoken: h Selene

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Selene wants to be a part of Henbane coven. She needs to connect her witch powers via a quest through the wilderness. She also needs to find her "familiar"- her magical animal counterpart. Once she completes everything, things get complicated when her soul mate shows up wanting revenge for cursing him. Witches start dying, Selene becomes a suspect. She can't trust herself, other witches, or the one claiming to be her soulmate.

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Representation: witches/mages, lycanthropes, sorcerer

Contains Cheating: no

Contains Children: no

Flashbacks: yes Memnon with wife and soulmate Roxilana who he believes is Selene

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : yes, Memnon is upset when Selene goes out w/ Kane- an old high school crush

Amount of Sex In The Book: Selene has some vivid sex dreams about Memnon but no actual intercourse

Overall Smex Rating: 4

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Hero: Memnon

Hero Description: 2,000 years old sorcerer Selene frees from a tomb in South America. He believes Selene is his mate who betrayed him years ago.

Hero Likability Rating: 5

Heroine: Selene Bowers

Heroine Description: 20 yrs. old witch who loses memories when she uses magic. She is trying to get into Henbane Coven -to live and work with other witches.

Heroine Likability Rating: 4

Secondary characters:
Sybil Andalucia-Selene's bff
Olivia and Benjamin-Selene's parents both a witch and mage
Nero-Selene's familiar, a panther

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO

Endearments: little witch/est amage

OW/OM/Exes: Kane-Selene had a crush on him. They go out on a date that goes haywire. Roxilana is Memnon's wife who he thinks is Selene.

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no

CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS
murder

AUTHOR OVERVIEW
Laura Thalassa
New or read before & any favorites: read her 4 horsemen series-hits and misses. Liked The Bargainer series book#1.

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 3.5

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: no

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes


COMMENTS/NOTES: Loved the idea of Selene losing memories while using magic and becoming more powerful. Because she forgets quite a bit, she is an unreliable character for the truth. Memnon is tricky and can't be trusted, but there are glimpses of his love for her. I loved her date with Kane, and all that followed. Plenty of action, suspense with a hint of romance/true love. It ends on a cliffhanger after a lot of build up between Selene and Memnon which I hated, but I'm guessing this will become another series.

I have to say I really enjoyed the concept of this story and how it all played out. Thalassa has created a magical world that will keep you on your toes with just the right amount of spice to have you swooning. It can be a little dark and twisty but I loved that about this story!

I am conflicted about whether or not I liked Bewitched.

I applaud Laura Thalassa for her ability to write characters that do stupid things, yet I can understand why those stupid things are done. Throughout Bewitched, Selene made so many stupid decisions. Without getting spoiler-y, the whole book is about her releasing a man who was cursed to be entombed forever known as "Memnon the Cursed". That's pretty stupid. And yet, I can understand why she does it, and it doesn't take away from the story. That is pretty impressive. My biggest pet peeve for novels is when characters make dumb decisions for no reason in order to further the story. I found that Bewitched managed to avoid that trope.

I also enjoyed the world in Bewitched. Think Hogwarts, but set in a college and for women only. I enjoyed the characters. One of my favorite characters was Selene's familiar. I won't spoil anything, but he is pretty cool. I found myself enjoying Selene, too. Just when I thought things were tipping towards problematic relationship-wise, Selene reminded me that she has sense. Without those reminders, I don't think I would have been able to get through this book with more than 2 stars.

The iffy parts (I wouldn't call them bad, because I think whether or not they are deemed as bad will depend on the actions of the next novel). Memnon and Selene's relationship was consistently borderline (?) problematic. Their relationship is in no way healthy. I cannot figure out whether Laura Thalassa purposefully made the relationship problematic or not. I think the purpose behind their relationship will be answered in the next novel and will determine whether this is a book I can stand behind or not. SO beware, readers, that their relationship may trigger you.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Bewitched. I wish I could pick up the next novel in the series now, so I can finally make a decision on whether or not I liked this. Perhaps I will update review once I have. Thank you Laura Thalassa and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

I don’t think I’ve ever read a fantasy romance where the soul mate is… the villain? We’ve all seen the bait and switch - the false mate who turns out to have been cursed or lied to or just in misleading circumstances - too many times to count in almost every iteration, from fae to vampiric and from adult to YA. But this version - this trapped centuries-old king with a grudge against a twenty-year-old witch with a leaky memory - was very interesting.

Bewitched did seem a little confused about whether it was low fantasy or fantasy romance, so both aspects felt a little shallow. I would have loved this world to have been developed further. I wanted to get to know the coven better, learn more about Sybil and their relationship, and get more information about the different species of magical beings and how they interacted. Unfortunately, a lot of the relationships were left very undefined, like parents who have taken off on an extended European vacation, leaving their daughter behind with no financial support, and prey to many unfortunate scenarios. Also, it’s pretty hard to develop a romance, or at least a believable one, if your love interests are actively plotting against each other.

Honestly, I may have whiplash from the number of times that Selene went from ‘Memnon is probably a murderer and I can’t trust him, and I don’t want to trust him and trusting him would be a bad idea’ to ‘well I had a sex dream about Memnon so he must not be that bad and my magic likes his magic so I obviously trust him’. I get that it was the only way to force the ‘romance’ side of things, but I would’ve rather sacrificed the romance and focused on the danger, rivalry, and thriller aspects.

I’m very keen to get my hands on the second book in this series, mostly to see if we can start to flesh out this world a little more and introduce some complexity into what started as a promising but relatively simple premise.

This whole book was a journey!! i love the original premise of magic, the world building was sensational and the tension between characters was sublime.

A long time lover of the bargainer wolrd- and this just kept doing it justice! Whilst I had a good feeling about where the plot was headed, the fleshed out sub plots and twists made this so enjoyable!! 5⭐

Selene Bowers desperately wants to be part of a coven; the only problem is any time she uses her magic, she loses her memories. In her bid to join the Henbane coven, she embarks on a magical quest where she not only finds a familiar, but also awakens an angry god claiming that she is his wife. As any sane witch would, she escapes back home and finds refuge at Henbane until local witches start turning up dead and she can’t help but wonder if she’s brought the danger with her.

This book felt a little different from Laura Thalassa’s earlier Rhapsodic series - mainly that I didn’t immediately get the ick for the love interest. Instead it evokes the feelings of her Four Horsemen series where I’m very confused about how anyone would let their potential partner speak to them that way, except Memnon is so much meaner? Since we don’t know what exactly Selene remembered at the very end, I am intrigued and will likely read the next book but please for the love of god make your male love interests nicer!!

I loved this cover! And I gave this 4.5 ⭐️. Laura Thalassa writes interesting, tension filled story lines that I always find enjoyable. Yes, I’ve read The Four Horsemen series.
So this started out very slow for me and if I didn’t already know this author I would have probably put it down. But I didn’t give up and I’m so glad I didn’t. Memnon the Cursed was broody and gorgeous and a force to be reckoned with. And Selene was a hot mess and always trying to figure out what the heck was going on! Over halfway I was hooked. This had chemistry, mystery and vengeful acts. This is a cliffhanger but it wasn’t a devastating one. I can wait for book 2 and I’m excited.
I recommend this novel and hope you like it as much as I did.
Thanks Sourcebooks Bloom Books via NetGalley.

I took my sweet time writing this review and that's partly due to how sad and disappointed I am that Bewitched didn't live up to my expectations. I wanted to love this, I really did, but the dynamic between the two mains was annoying and painful. I could have forgiven the barely existing plot, if Selene isn't as insufferably annoying, or Memnon is not being a jerk for no reason. Also, Selene's whole double identity felt like a joke. My girl was having wet dreams from her past life when she was supposedly this badass sex-goddess but in reality she's like a catholic virgin having her first time as being the sole course of breakfast.. It's a joke.
Something about the dynamic between the characters didn't sit right with me either. I can't pinpoint exactly what, but I just wasn't a fan of their interactions, nor how their relationship developed.
I just probably expected too much from this, after the love story between Desmond and Callie in the Bargainer series.
Regardless, I'm forever thankful for the ARC that I have received from Bloom Books and Netgalley.

I've read some of Laura Thalassa's work in the past (the first book of "The Bargainer" series) and while I generally enjoyed reading "Bewitched", there wasn't anything exceptional unique or surprising about this story. I feel like I generally knew what to expect story-wise, and I knew the cliff-hanger was coming at the end. Thalassa definitely embraces some classic tropes like enemies-to-lovers, and loves some *spicy scenes, but the way she writes her protagonists and their antagonists/love interests seemed pretty consistent across the first Bargainer book, and Bewitched. I probably won't be reading the next one when it is released because I'm not exceptionally curious about the specifics of what will happen to Selene and Memnon in the short run, and I'm pretty sure I know what happens in the long run.

4.25/5 stars! This was my favorite read so far by author Laura Thalassa. It is filled to the brim with witchy goodness and Selene is a strong and powerful FMC. There was a high emotional payoff for the losses she incurred throughout the story. I'm very interested in seeing what's next.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I was given this ebook by @netgalley and Bloom Books, in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited about this ARC because I really enjoyed the Bargainer series by the same author, and when I saw the blurb it seemed to fit in with my usual reads (but so you have some reference, I didn’t enjoy the Four Horsemen series as much).

I really wanted to like this book, however, I felt very disappointed with the outcome.

Pace wise this book is slow ( it starts speeding up at about 40% into the book), plot-wise it feels more like a 0.5 book than a full-fledged first book (the blurb basically spoils the majority of this book's plot), and none of the plot conflicts is fully resolved and it ends on a cliffhanger.
It has spice but it felt bland and very repetitive.

The FMC is your innocent, hard-working, indecisive and abnormally gifted girl. The MMC is a possessive, powerful, vengeful, ‘touch her and you 💀’ kind of guy. The main characters are in disagreement for 80/85% of the book, with Selene going back and forth between hating him and loving/‘can’t resist him’. The few moments that she feels confident and with a purpose are quickly dissolved when she looks at him.

The best parts of this book for me are the independent familiar, the faithful best friend and the possessive but respectful long-term crush.

If this book has piqued your interest, Bewitched is already out and available on Kindle Unlimited!

I went into Bewitched purely because it was Laura Thalassa & I had just finished Pestilence - which I LOVED. Soooo I’ve come out of Bewitched so happy and stoked about this title! Bewitched was everything I didn’t know I wanted!
I was completely drawn into the world of magic - Laura’s world building was perfect. Easy to just dive into, to the point you forget time even exists!
Slow burn 🔥 enemies to lovers ❤️ definite 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this beauty of a book! Cannot wait to recommend this to EVERYONE!

I loved the bargainer series so when I saw that this was available to request I had to jump at the chance. I was not disappointed at all, This was not as amazing as her previous series, I will admit, but still great. Loved it.

✨Bewitched by Laura Thalassa✨

Genre: Romance
Pages: 464

✨ At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene's magic awakens to save her life—at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.

Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found dead across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot. Accused of the murders on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon's help for answers—and his plans for her will change everything.

📝I think this book had potential, but the execution wasn’t the best. Despite the fact that I love all things magical, I wasn’t captivated by this particular magical world or by either MC. Selene kept making decisions that made no sense and Memnon was just mean. There was no real connection between them which made me indifferent to their relationship. Perhaps in the next book, the story will focus more on the relationship between the MCs versus the plot and world building.

I made another rookie mistake assuming this was a stand-alone 💁🏻‍♀️ You’d think I would know better at this point, but oh well😂

If you're looking for a dark, twisty, and mystical read, look no further than Bewitched by Laura Thalassa. The book takes place in the Bargainer Universe and follows the story of Selene Bowers, a young witch whose magic is devouring her memories. Despite this, she is determined to attend Henbane Coven, and her journey to get there sets off a series of events that lead to the awakening of an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed.

Thalassa's writing is captivating and manages to draw the reader in, making it hard to let go of the world she has created. The slow pace initially may deter some readers, but the complex plot, interesting magic system, and conflicts, both internal and external, will quickly pull you in.

Selene is a strong-willed main character who is not afraid to stand up for what she wants, even with her memory loss. Her relationship with magic is intriguing and well-written. Memnon is a mysterious and dark male main character, and the push-pull between him and Selene is electric.

The themes of self-discovery, giving yourself grace, and not getting caught up in the anxieties of everyday life are delicately woven into the story, making it relatable for all readers. The endearment Memnon uses, est amage, is swoon-worthy and sure to give readers butterflies.

The book is spicy and full of tension, with a hate-lust dynamic that keeps the reader on edge. The sudden twists and turns will leave you on the edge of your seat and wondering who is really behind the murders.

Overall, Bewitched is a journey of self-discovery set in a mystical realm, and Thalassa's writing will leave you wanting more. This book is a must-read for fans of dark and twisty romance.

This book is quite the conundrum.

I enjoyed so many aspects of this particular book:
-The twists
-The forgotten memories
-The soul mate connection
-The enemies to lovers back to enemies

I didn’t enjoy
-some repeated references
-situations of convenience without properly being explained
-the strange interactions with friendships/ other students felt stiff and unnatural

This is a TRUE VILLAIN for our MMC and it is hard to get through at times. I kind of hate him, and kind of love him at the same time. Extremely curious if said MMC can even be redeemed at this point.

I really didn’t enjoy any of the outside plot EXCEPT FOR finding out what happens between Selene(FMC) and Memnon(MMC). It was like a reality TV show I couldn’t put down. I had to know what happened next. HAD TO KNOW. For that reason a two star read became a three star read, as I simply could not put it down. I will be looking forward to the next installment, just to see what the author decides to do with the couple overall.

Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for this copy. All opinions are my own.

This was such an interesting story! I will say it started off slow, but once you get further into it, things really start to pick up! I feel like there were a couple of plot points that got no answer mainly regarding the dark magic circle that Selene was a part of and escaped. I really wanted to know more about all of that, and it felt like we saw a little bit of it and then the plot line just fell off.

I liked the types of magic discussed in the book, and the uniqueness of Selene’s magic and how her memories disappeared when she used her magic. Also, the plot twist towards the end?? Absolutely crazy. Also, her “familiar” was a giant predator cat. So cool. The dreams that Selene had put a unique, spicy spin on the story as well!

The story leaves off on a huge cliffhanger, and I am hoping that means that we will get a sequel. Overall, this was an interesting book!

Overview:
- enemies to lovers
- soulmates
- forced proximity
- slow burn
- strong, confident fmc
- spicy dreams 😴