Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first read of Laura Thalassa's works, and I will definitely be looking into more while waiting for the rest of Selene and Memnon's story.

From the start, this story pulls you in and takes you on a spicy little journey into a world of magic, history, and mystery. I didn't find the characters, particularly Selene, well developed, but the amnesia explains this away pretty well. I look forward to getting to know who she really is in the next installment. There are a few other points that seem to easily glossed over, but the plot is so good that the reader can still get pulled into the characters' world and enjoy everything unfolding. The cliffhanger was a bit predictable but understandable.
Overall, a good, witchy story with a dangerous leading man, an unreliable female lead, and a world full of wonder, magic, and mystery.

I have recommended this to lots of friends, and if you are a fan of Thalassa, witches and magic, or mystery I think you would enjoy this book.

4.5 stars

Okay, I really enjoyed this! I knew I would, but it was nice to have the confirmation.

The main character Selene pulls you to her side right away. She has a kind of magical Alzheimer's, constantly losing memories every time she uses her power. Does she let that stop her? Nope, she makes note after note, documents everything, and keeps pushing. I loved her determination and how it showed again and again in her actions.

Memnon is a piece of work, but then he does something sweet and you melt for him. Selene is very conflicted about her feelings and it's easy to see why. I still love these two, Memnon just needs to stop messing with Selene and show her the love she deserves.

Another hit from Thalassa!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the copy

I love how Laura Thalassa writes, so when I saw this book open for requests on NetGalley, I knew I had to try it.

In this new series, we enter the world of Selene, a witch who pays in memories for the use of magic. This first concept was really interesting for me, because she is the only one who has this toll and, in the beginning, we don’t understand why. How she deals with it shows how adaptive she can be and how committed she is to her magic as well. In the search to fulfill all needs to enroll on Henbane Coven, she embarks on a trip to South America for a magic quest that proves to be more taxing than she could ever imagine. There we meet Memnon, a cursed sorcerer that is searching for his wife, who he thinks is Selene. After escaping Memnon’s tomb, Selene thought she would never see the sorcerer again, but when she is back to the coven and starts to hear his voice in her mind again, she knows he found her.

I think this book did a great job in introducing the concepts, characters and overall major plot of the series. I read it super fast (in two seatings) and was very interested in the development of the storyline. The witches are younger characters (they are in their early 20s), so I sometimes disagreed with their decisions, but I really enjoyed the book.
Laura’s writing is very fluid and fast paced, so I really like her books.

Witches, magic and curses - this book follows Selene, a witch who yearns to join a coven and be a part of the witch community. However, there’s a major obstacle which prevents her from being accepted - every time she uses magic she does so at the cost of her memories, and she does not get to choose what she loses. Despite her affliction, Selene shows that she is more that capable to live her life as a witch. I found this quite interesting. The book shows that magic is not free and that there are costs to being powerful - not only through Selene but some of the other characters.

As to the plot, not only is the goal for Selene to join the coven, she is also faced with a string of problems. The first and most prominent one is the case of the cursed sorcerer (enemies to lovers being a major aspect here). The second focusing on the murders happening on campus. I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot, but I really enjoyed the way these two problems played a part in the story. I generally love enemies to lovers and while I liked it here I did get angry at Memnon (the sorcerer). I’d argue that some of his actions were not in fact redeemable but I can’t wait to see how this is explored in the sequel. Additionally, the case of Selene’s possible lost identity was interesting and hopefully we get to explore more in the next book.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. I loved the magical school, and the magical system. It did however end in a cliff hanger which is frustrating but I hope we don’t have to wait too long for the sequel. I need to know what happens next!

This book…. This book had me at first sight. That cover! The title! I was in.
It was much later that I realized that it was written by Laura Thalassa. The author and I have a very rocky relationship. I loved her first horseman of the apocalypse installment, but the second book… well lets just say I still haven’t finished it. The same with her other series. So I was a little hesitant before diving in. But boy, was I swept further of my feet!
Selene Bowers is a beautiful, talented witch in her early twenties and she is trying to find her way in the world. It has always for as long as she can remember been her dream to join Henbane Coven, an Academy for witches. But there is the trick… as long as she can remember. And Selene doesn’t remember how long that actually is. Because her magic is fueled by her memories. Every spell she casts eats some of her memories away. But Selene is someone to grab life by the balls and to acquire her place in the Coven she takes a trip to the Galapagos Island. In search of her own magical quest and a familiar she still hasn’t found. But soon her holiday turns into a nightmare, when the plane crashed somewhere in the Peruvian Rain forest. Well, the plain crashes… not really… magic made the plane crash and a male voice is calling to Selene through the forest. Trudging through the forest Selene stumbles on an old temple, which contains the casket of “Memnon, the dammed”. But what happens when Selene wakes this ancient sorcerer and he claims she is his wife?
I got you intrigued, haven’t I? Well, you should be! Because this story has everything you want if you are into fantasy romance.
It is dark, sexy and action packed. It has a heroine who doesn’t need a men to save her! She is strong, confident en feisty. It has the best animal companion in Nero.
And it has a love interest that send shivers down my spine. Memnon is dark and dangerous. And even now, after finishing this first book I don’t know where I stand with him.

Only one complaint and this is also the reason why this book isn’t going to get 5 stars. The ending… this isn’t even a cliffhanger. This is just stopping your story short. I understand you want readers to be into your story and wanting to read the next book. But you cant just stop writing. There was no revelation, no ending… it looked like the author just stopped typing. I hope she didn’t and that the next book is going to be on its way very very soon. Cause I need it!

I love Laura Thalassa and am already obsessed with this new series! I was hooked on Selene's story in Bewitched right from the opening pages – a budding witch determined to prove her abilities and trustworthiness despite her struggles with memory loss. If she can prove herself, she will be accepted into the Henbane Coven and finally find her place where she belongs. Selene is a powerful witch but her spell casting comes with quite the cost -- using her powers costs her her memories. When she accepts a quest to finally prove herself and get into the coven, she accidentally awakens an ancient sorcerer who has been entombed for thousands of years.

But what's even worse? The sorcerer thinks Selene is his long-lost wife and soulmate – and he'll stop at nothing to prove it. This book has everything I love in paranormal stories -- compelling plot line, sympathetic characters, and a super intriguing enemies to fated mates with insane chemistry.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book. I already can't wait for the next one in the series!

A new book by one of my favorite authors, and I have to say I absolutely LOVED it! Like... really, really loved it, and I need the next one asap *ahem* pretty please *puppy eyes*

Worldbuilding:
It's the world as we know it in the present day. Humans don't know about the supernatural, or maybe if they did once, they have forgotten about it. In this book, we have witches, mages, and shifters. Oh, and not to forget the witches' familiars (sorry, Nero, please don't eat me).
While we stay close to home (the Henbane Coven) for most of the book, we start the story with a quest that takes us to South America, a plane crash, and an ancient tomb. Then seemingly random witches are getting killed, and the timer starts to discover who is behind everything.
We learn as we go about the different factions and what defines them, and while this is the first book in a series, there is no information overload. Excellent writing!
The scenes and environments were well described and clear enough to fully enjoy the story.

Character development:
Selene has been working towards one goal for the past year, and that is getting into the Henbane Coven and being able to study magic. Even though every spell she casts takes away a memory, she is steadfast in getting in.
She is very driven, and you have never met anyone as organized as her, I mean, I like lists and post-its, but it's very different for her. She has notebooks galore and post-its all over the place as she desperately needs them in case her magic takes one of those memories.
I liked Selene from the start, trying to overcome her limitations, reaching for her dream, and doing everything possible to get there. She is kindhearted but no pushover, and while she knows the price of using her magic, she's not shy to do just that when the situation demands it.

And then we have Memnom... I can't describe him better than "hot and cold" wrapped in a very yummy package. He gives and takes, and it is seriously hard to get a read on him. I won't say much more, as I do not want to spoil anything, but I'm balancing between hate and love, and that in itself is so so wickedly good :D
Then we have our side characters: Sybil, the best friend, and Kane, a shifter Selene has a crush on *swoon*.
As we've come to expect from the author, all characters have great depth. They have their hopes and fears and reasons for doing what they do. They feel so alive. I love it!

Pacing and flow:
We get thrown into it from the get-go. Selene goes on her quest, and boy, does she find adventure! And Nero! :D There wasn't a moment in the book where it was too much action or the pacing was too slow. I just couldn't put the book down, reading it during every break I could at work and then well into the night. I had to know what would happen!

The book:
The book was well written with no (noticeable) errors. There are some sexual scenes described (I would rate it 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of 5 so far).
The book has 443 pages, spread over 46 chapters, and is told from Selene's point of view.

Final thoughts:
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book, courtesy of NetGalley and the author, and as I've said, I really, really enjoyed it! It's flagged as one of my favorites, and I am soooooo looking forward to the next installment!
If you like a witchy urban fantasy with a lot of magic flying around and a romance that will leave you undecided if you love or hate him? Well, this book is for you!

Selene is a witch looking for a coven, but each time she uses magic she loses a memory, and this makes her a less than ideal candidate for the local coven. After another attempt at joining, she is told that she needs to find her familiar and to go on a magical journey to be admitted entry. Her magical journey ends up being a lot more than she bargained for when she survives a plane crash and is somehow drawn to a warded sorcerer who has been imprisoned for hundreds of years. Now that she has freed the mysterious Memnon, how can she convince him that she isn't the woman he thinks she is, namely his soulmate?

Laura Thalassa has done it again! Bewitched is a paranormal dark romance set in the world of The Bargainer series (but without any overlap of characters, so the book stands on its own). This book has everything I've come to love from Laura, it has intrigue, wit, twisty secrets that are revealed, and the ending left me with even more questions and on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book. Selene and Memnon have an amazing and curious kind of chemistry, as she knows nothing of him, but he seems to know all about her. Plus there is a mystery surrounding the coven and the murder of young witches. Each time I thought I had a handle on what was going on, something would throw me for a loop.

I've been a fan of Laura's work for a long time, and this book did not disappoint! A true gem for all the fans of the paranormal and the dark romance lovers out there, this needs to be on your TBR list!

Thanks so much to Laura Thalassa and Bloom Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

“ You are the only goddess I pray to,” Memnon murmurs, pressing a kiss to my inner thigh. “You’re a fucking vengeful one too.”

Laura Thalassa is a go-to adult Romantasy author for me so I was extremely excited by her new series! I was instantly in love with Selene, she is such a strong, fierce, determined, and independent MFC that she just commands your attention. The description of her dealing with her “disability” is great and I adore the way she is dedicated to overcoming her limitations and honestly just embracing them. Memnon is everything I look forward to in a Laura MMC — highly morally grey, fierce, sexy, and a fantastic dirty talker. Selene and Memnon are the slow burn of slow burns and it is fiiiiiiire between these two. I love how Laura builds up the “villains” in her books and the cliffhanger left me begging for more of this series. I cannot wait to see what happens!

It's dark and sexy and action packed. Just what I love in a book
It kept me reading.
I recommend this one.

3.75⭐️
Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an early copy because I love love love Laura Thalassa’s books. This one, however left me feeling a little sad. I was looking forward to dark and sensual in a witchy world. What I got was a college? student that at times felt older than she was but most times read like a naive but horny teenager. Memnon…that nerve people like to irritate? Yup. I mean that wouldn’t happen if LT was such an amazing writer so huge kudos there. BUT, I definitely did not get what I was hoping for in this story even while devouring the words in the page. Makes sense? Nah but I’m just a reader looking for an escape at the end of the day minus the teeny bopper, hyper sexual mind space.

In order to be accepted into the coven, Selene must first go on a quest and find her familiar. Boy does she get more than she bargained for when she accidentally awakens a being that’s been entombed with a curse for 2000 years! Memnon keeps appearing in Selene’s life…and her mind. These two have a complicated relationship and we follow them as Selene tries, with lots of fail, to shake him and get her life together. Oh, and it doesn’t help that she loses memories every time she uses her magic. This book had me so perplexed in the best way. But be warned, it ends on one hell of a cliffhanger! I can’t wait for book two’s release!

The plot and the concept is what made me read this book. Having a witch lose her memory every time she do magic is a very interesting concept to follow. There are a lot of time where I feel scared for Selene's safety during interactions with other people or creatures because of her memory loss. Other than that, the romance was bland and I feel like the plot took a different turn and vibe during the second half. The first few chapters were really engaging and I was constantly at the edge of my seat, but as the story progressed, I find myself getting bored and not caring about Selene or the plot.

Unfortunately it was a miss for me..i couldn't relate to the characters and I found the story flimsy. I'm a Laura Thalassa fan since '09 and it pains me to say that this book was lost on me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the earc.

This book was awesome. Bewitched is a paranormal fantasy romance that was so well written I was compelled to keep reading. Its dark, its unique, its spicy and I was swept up into this magical world the author created. The characters were intriguing. Selene's story was unique (a witch who's magic stole her memories) and I really liked her and was rooting for her throughout the story. Memnon was possessive, vengeful yet swoony. His character made me love him one minute and then dislike him the next but the chemistry and the push and pull between him and Selene made for some fascinating reading.
The author did a great job plotting this story and while the story focused on the character's relationship there is a mystery element also present that had me at the edge of my seat. The ending left me speechless and I can't wait for more. This was a fantastic read and I would definitely recommend it.

I'm a big fan of Laura Thalassa's books. She has a great way of blending fantasy fiction and romance that has you coming back for more. With this is mind, Bewitched does not disappoint!

Selene - our main lady - is a witch who aspires to be a part of a coven where she can learn, grow, and find a place where she belongs. The only problem is that the use of her magic requires a price and that price is her memories. While she's learned to cope, she has to prove her place and in doing so she finds herself thrust on a path she doesn't quite expect. One full of murder, magic, and a sexy thousand year old sorcerer who claims to be her soul mate.

This book was perfect for the supernatural romance book itch that I've been sporting the last few days. I really really enjoyed it. The FMC and MMC were perfect and I loved his persistence even though she was obviously struggling with the acceptance and really understanding what was going on with the past due to the memory loss thing.

The beginning was solid start. She did a great job explaining the memory loss thing and sharing how she overcame that obstacle. The plot and story line was very enjoyable and I really enjoyed learning about this new witchy world and the paranormals that inhabited it.

My only real complaint was that sometimes the scenes transitioned so quickly from one to the other that I found myself going back to the read the end of the last chapter again to make sure I didn't skip over something unintentionally. Whiplash transitions and pacing of events was a struggle at times, but not enough to take away from the story that the author was telling and didn't impact the enjoyability of it.

I am a HUGE fan of any fantasy books but when it involves witches? SIGN ME UP ASAP.

Bewitched was great! I need book 2 now because of course like any epic fantasy book, it finishes on a cliffhanger GAH!

Selene is a witch who’s been trying to get into a Coven for the last few years but is always knocked back. When she applies again she's basically told that she needs to improve her application by going on a quest of some sort and finding a familiar and only then she may be possibly considered. Such a simple request right?

She decides to go on a trip overseas but while on the plane she starts hearing a voice and said voice tries to crash the plane. She finds ✨ out that the voice is from someone that was locked away YEARS ago and said voice makes her unlock his casket. Eek 🫣
✨
Fast forward to being back in America with her new black panther familiar and new acceptance into the Coven, her world turns upside down when she realises, casket guy, followed her and is basically her stalker now ✨ because he believes she is his queen from years ago who actually betrayed him and ✨buried him in the casket alive..... yikes. also adding to the craziness that is Selene’s life, she also has an issue where the more she uses her magic the more memories she actually loses from her mind.

This was so good. The action, the adventure and just pure entertainment was so fun to read. If you were a fan of Laura's Bargainer series then you'll love this one. I actually loved this one so much more. Some reviews are calling this a dark fantasy romance but it's not as dark as I thought it would be. Laura has created a magical world in a school that I want to attend. The only thing I found whilst reading was the lack of details that I wanted more of. I wanted more of Selene's background and her family and there was a little jumping to and from scenes but overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

if you love:

✨ Fun Fantasy romance

✨ Witches and Wizards/Mages

✨ Bonded Soul Mates

✨ Action and Adventure

✨ Sexual Tension / SMUT

✨ Great Plot

I am not okay. At all. I finished this book in 2-3 sittings and I wanted to cry, scream and throw up after I finished it. I was Christina from Grey’s shouting for someone to sedate me because I couldn’t believe THAT cliffhanger and that I would have to wait for more of this amazing story. Since it was 2AM when I finished it I couldn’t even turn to my favorite bookish friends to demand they read it (I of course waited for a more appropriate time to demand they get this book).

Bewitched was so unlike any storyline I’ve ever read.. not only was it magical, but I both loved and loathed the male lead Memnon. Like I was struggling with my emotions with how much I HATED him but also wanted to beg him to be real. The author really put the female lead Selene through it.. from having unstable magical powers, to a badass witchy familiar, a trek into the freaking jungle where there are GIANT snakes and bugs but waking up an immortal man who just so happens to believe you’re his long lost wife who betrayed him and now wants to both stalk you and get vengeance? I don’t even know man.

Now, I’m not saying that this book gave me a psychotic mental break BUT I don’t think I’ll be okay until I have the next book in my hands 😂 Everyone go read this book!!! Then make sure you come back here and let me know what you think cause I’m DYING to discuss this one.

Thank you SO much to Bloom Books for sending me an early copy of this book & to the author for writing such an insanely good book!



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Thank you to Bloom Books for providing me with an arc!

This book was everything I’ve come to love about Laura Thalassa’s books. There is so much magic in this book it’s intoxicating in the very best way. This book is full of action, darkness, sexiness, and just so much fun.

Our FMC has one hell of a time sorting out soulmates and magic. And as per usual, Laura is amazing at writing in enticing and juicy MMC’s.

Definitely one of the best reads of the year!

This book was so good! It had me hooked from the very first page! The world building was awesome and I was loving every minute of learning about this world! Selene and Memnon and their slow burn was everything!! Normally I am not a fan of slow burn but this was done so well!!! I cannot wait for the next book!