I am a hoe for magic with a great cost. And this? Selene uses magic at the cost of her memories *chef’s kiss*. I’ve loved Laura since i found out she was a Kresley Cole fan. But her books keep me entertained and this might be my favorite of hers yet.

Another amazing series stared for Laura, this one is so good. Definitely enjoyed the story and the plot on it .

Loved Laura's previous books and sure did enjoy reading "Bewitched", too!
Thanks for the chance to read it in advance <3

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the book. Here I leave my honest review.

Actual rating 4.5 ⭐

WOW JUST WOW!

I love the Bargainer Series by Laura Thalassa that's why I'm so excited with this new series, and you never disappoint me Laura!

I love everything in this book, we have enemies to lovers (sort of lovers to enemies to lovers again smh?). Selene is a witch but every time she doing her magic, her memories will wipe out. So she didn't have her complete memories since she Awakening. One thing that make her life more miserable is when she awakening ancient evil and claimed as her husband and worst her soulmate.

Selene and Memnon, the ancient evil, is the truly enemies to lovers type, the worst type. Memnon clearly love or possessive toward Selene but he also hate her at the same time because he believes Selene betrayed him. Whatever is happening between them is so good, I really hate to see them together but at the same time I want them to be together soon. Their banter, their hatred toward each other, their connection, their chemistry is top tier for me. I can't see what is Memnon real motive toward Selene or their relationship. He wants her but he destroy her too. He's a real psycho here.

I also love how the author build the world with the witches and other supernatural things here. We see some spell, their coven, this mysterious group. The "mini" battle that happen to Selene is well describe, I can feel her despair, want to live, want to save her life.

I can't figure out the real content or conflict for the future book, basically this book tell us about Memnon and Selene relationship, Selene power and memories, and there's also a bit murder mystery here. Maybe it will be the real conflict and can't wait to see Memnon and Selene future relationship. With the cliffhanger ending of this book, I really can't wait to see what happen next. I'm afraid there will be sort of love triangle here but I just hope that the author will not focused on that.

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!

In this first book of an exciting new series, twenty-year-old Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Ever since her magic was awakened, she discovered that each time she uses her magic it cost her one of her memories. At first, Henbane Coven rejected her because of that, saying that it would be impossible, because of the amount of spellwork that she would be doing at the academy, the memory loss would be too great. However, they came up with an exception. If she found a familiar for herself, and if she were to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, then they would grant her admission. 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 and all those on board. When Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon , who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife who cursed him. Selene manages to escape him, returns home, 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.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but I am definitely excited to read more. She did an excellent job with world-building, and character descriptions. I will say, I loved the author's brand of snarky humor, and found Selene quite refreshing. She was unapologetically messy, but doing her best, and I liked that. There were a LOT of steamy love scenes, and a lot of action as well. The way the book ended was the perfect setup for the beginning of book two. I am already eagerly awaiting it!

Bewitched is the first book in the new Bewitched series by Laura Thalassa. I have enjoyed the way Laura Thalassa has written antihero male characters in the past and looked forward to a brand new series with another questionable male lead. The Bargainer series has been a favorite of mine and I loved the dark male lead of that. Bewitched seems promising in that regard too, with another male lead locked away by magic for millennia supposedly by the woman who loved him.

Selene has magic and at the tender age of 22 she has been trying to get into the esteemed Henbane Coven for years. To be accepted, she went on a magic quest and while there found a familiar, a very cool one, and possibly woke up her husband from a previous life that she herself trapped. Thing is she has no memory of her past life; she barely has memories of her current life since her magic steals memories from her life as payment.

Memnon, trapped for millennia has plotted his revenge for years against his love that bound him. He wants her to pay for her betrayal, but he didn’t plan on this woman that doesn’t remember him at all and seems innocent of the crime he has accused her of. They play a game of cat and mouse as he tries to tease memories from her. He wants her to remember him and the love and passion they share before he breaks her the way she broke him. She will pay for her betrayal.

As a first book goes, this sets the stage well. Selene and her unusual magic, mystery from her past to be solved, current mystery of who is murdering witches and why does she seem to be in the middle of it all, sexy man from her past she can’t remember. The story builds until the reveal at the end which made me wonder what direction Laura will take in the next book.

Memnon, I’m also on the fence about. I can see why he has this great need for revenge and how he is torn, but sometimes he is just a jerk. Is it warranted or is he just a megalomaniac bent on power? Hard to say without knowing the story of their past. I look forward to having more of that past story revealed and seeing if this is a love that will conquer all of time or if Memnon can’t be redeemed and Selene will have to figure out how to destroy the man she loved in a past life.

The characters in Bewitched are well-developed, realistic, and likable, which makes the story even more compelling. The book is both sweet and steamy, and the world-building is excellent, drawing the reader into a magical and dangerous world. Thalassa's writing style is beautiful, descriptive, and emotive, allowing the reader to feel the characters' emotions and experience the world they live in. The pacing of the story is just right, keeping the reader engaged from start to finish, this is a delightful and captivating read that will leave the reader wanting more.

Bewitched is for you if you love;
- Witches
- Ancient beings
- Wolf shifters
- Past life.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Bewitched by Laura Thalassa
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 443 / Genre: Paranormal Witch Romance

Happy Pub Day for Bewitched by @LauraThalassa!

Selene Bowers is plagued with a rare condition that strips her of a memory every time she uses her magical powers. But even so, she’s determined to get into Henbane Coven, an academy for witches. So, she sets off on a magical quest as part of the application process. On this quest, she accidentally awakens a cursed sorcerer who believes she’s his long-lost wife and soul mate who betrayed him. She’s also later accused of murder and needs his help and power to prove her innocence, all the while, their relationship slow burns into a spicy enemies to lovers thing as he tries to convince her that she really is his soul mate.

I love a good contemporary witchy romance with lots of magical action and this really fit the bill! I’m looking forward to reading more by Laura Thalassa especially since her books are all on #KindleUnlimited—including this one.

Thank you @netgalley and @read_bloom for an advanced copy of this book. I’m looking forward to Book 2!

I really enjoy this author's writing style and how she creates romantic tension. I loved the unique fantasy world here and the animal companion.

It sets up the series nicely and can't wait for the next installment!

Selene est désespérée de ne pas être acceptée par le Covent dont elle rêve. Après un 3ème refus, le jury suggère qu'elle ait un familier et une meilleure quête magique. Ce n'est pas obligatoire en soi mais Selene n'est pas une sorcière comme les autres : à chaque fois qu'elle utilise sa magie, elle perd sa mémoire. Elle a d'ailleurs pris l'habitude de tout noter pour relire ses carnets quand elle ne se souvient plus des événements. Alors qu'elle se console dans l'alcool après le refus du covent elle décide, ivre, de prendre l'avion pour une destination de rêve pour réaliser une quête magique alors qu'elle n'a pas les moyens. En plein vol, une voix l'appelle… la voix est tellement puissante qu'elle provoque le crash de l'avion que Selene évite avec ses pouvoirs. Une fois au sol, elle suit la voix, à travers la jungle jusqu'à des ruines. Elle contre les enchantements qui scellent les lieux et libère, dans son envoûtement, Memnon le maudit… oops! D'ailleurs Memnon est persuadé qu'elle est sa femme qui l'a trahi et il promet de se venger… re oops !

C'est une lecture coup de cœur pour ma part. On retrouve l'univers de la série de l'Autremonde de Laura Thalassa. J'ai adoré ce premier tome qui met en place l'intrigue de la trilogie à venir. Memnon est chaud bouillant, sa relation amour/haine avec Selene est dynamique et on ne voit pas les pages passer. Seul le prologue est écrit du point de vue de Memnon, tout le reste du livre est vu selon Selene. Cette femme est un warrior, une optimiste qui se bat contre la pitié qu'elle voit dans les yeux des gens quand ils comprennent ce que lui coûte sa magie. Elle se relève après les obstacles et fait de son handicap une force. J'ai ressenti beaucoup d'émotions pendant ma lecture et j'ai eu du mal à poser ma liseuse tellement j'ai été emporté. Les personnages secondaires sont peu présents mais apportent à Selene. Memnon est très mystérieux et je pense qu'on en apprendra plus sur lui dans le prochain tome. La plume de l'auteure est sublime, magique et entraînante. En toute honnêteté je n'ai rien vu venir et il va falloir attendre loooongtemps avant de pouvoir lire la suite. J'ai l'impression de revivre ma jeunesse où je devais attendre la sortie du prochain tome d'Harry Potter, c'est dire combien j'ai adoré ce livre et j'ai déjà envie de la relire.

This is what i call a book that has both good plot and good enemies-to-lovers romance.

I introduce you: Memnon, a 2000-something year old warrior which enjoys the art of battle, ruling and pleasuring his empress. Yes, he is very adamant into calling Selene his queen, empress, lover... and he as sure does like everything about her, even if she made his life a liiiiiitle bit hard.

Selene is a strong and confident witch whose life gets turned upside down quite fast, but she still holds her head fast. She is a compelling young woman, a great witch and an empathic person. We don't see much of her personal life and that is important to the plot, but i love how the author managed to create this sense of confusion for readers that is very similar to what the character feels. She is an achiever, doesn't let anyone tell her what to do and she helps anyone who needs it.

Selene and Memnon's relationship is nothing short of complex and interesting, full of details we have not been given. This book is the definition of lovers to enemies (to lovers, maybe?) and it portrayed the feelings of both characters exquisitely as they both went through grief, love and anger. Their personalities clash with each other, so it was very difficult for them to come to an agreement (except when they were having 'fun').

This book is easy to read as the magic system is simple and unchallenging, and the world is the exact same as the one is "Bargainer' series, so we might even see our other favourite couple in the next book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC!

This was my first book by Laura and I now want to go read anything she's ever written!

I was literally entertained the entire time. There wasn't a point in this book where the story slowed or made me bored. It was just non-stop entertainment.

While some of the logistics didn't make much sense, you can almost just ignore it because the characters make this so fun. Selene is such a strong character in my opinion and Memnon... whew... he's umm... something alright. No really, he's something. I loved his character and how morally grey and complex he was. There was a bit of a repetitive nature when it came to Memnon's "masterpiece" of a physique but I think it added to Selene's struggle with her feelings for him.

This was a glorious torturous slow burn and the anticipation was *chefs freakin kiss*

I'm so sad that this book isn't released yet because that means I have to wait so long for book 2. I'm really looking forward to what's next in their story.

I'm sorry to say I'm very disappointed with this book.

I'll try to write this review spoiler free, but as I'm going to explain what I didn't like about the book I'm going to have to discuss it in general terms.
The first chapters were very interesting, a big nice start... then Memnon gets free and it all blows up.

One of the first things that got me perplexed was how Selene gets in potentially very dangerous situations but at the apex of it there's a change of scenery...
Then there are the dreams... I'm ok with steamy scenes but i found the placement very unsettingly...
Another thing that is not sitting well with me is that Selene starts her life in the coven following lessons, we get glimpse of assignments, lessons she follows, but as we get along with the story the "school theme" totally disappears if not for marginal mentions...
Up to this point I could still enjoy the book, there were still glimpses of interesting themes evolving, but then I started getting mixed signals about the characters, and I found them weak.
I get that Selene amnesia might be a liability and might justify some of her behaviour, but I can't understand her relationship with Memnon, nor the fact that she doesn't share what's happening with Sybil.
Going on I can't really wrap my head around how she dealt with the spelling circle events and what happenes further.

I can't totally discard it as bad, because it had some very interesting point and I liked the first third of it...
I kept on reading because despite everything there was still some selling points and the story was engaging... but at some point it all turned kind of crazy and I can't find a reason for the plot twist...

Thanks NetGalley and Bloom Books for sharing this book in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for providing me the e-ARC

We follow Selene and Memnon as the main characters in this novel. Selene is witch and for her magic she pays a big price - her memories are getting lost.
Memnon is cursed warrior king from ancient time and was liberated by Selene. She suppose to be his beloved wife reincarnated.
I liked the atmosphere in this book and the magic is interesting as well, but we don´t see the magic so much. Also the relationship and Selene´s decision as well are really weird.
The most disappointing thing was the ending. We did not get the answears and I understand that it should make us curious, but this was just unsufficient.
I will continue the series, because I need to know :D

Selene est une sorcière qui veut absolument intégrer le Covent Henbane mais petit bémol, à chaque fois qu’elle utilisé sa magie, celle-ci lui dévore ses souvenirs. Le jury lui suggère de faire une quête et de trouver un familier. Pour oublier ce nouvel échec, elle passe la soirée avec sa meilleure amie et une bouteille de vin et découvre le lendemain matin, qu’elle a réservé un vol pour l’Amérique du Sud. En plein vol, elle commence à entendre une voix lui demandant de la libérer provoquant un crash de l’avion mais Selene évite de trop gros dégâts… Une fois de retour sur la terre ferme en plein milieu de la jungle, elle va découvrir son familier, mais aussi des ruines d’où provient cette voix mystérieuse… malgré les indications inscrites sur les murs, elle libère Memnon qui est enfermé depuis plusieurs centaines d’années… Et il est persuadé que Selene est sa femme Roxilana…

Il faut être au courant que ce livre est le premier tome d’un spin off de la série de l’Autremonde que je n’ai pas lu mais cela ne m’a pas du tout gêné dans ma lecture! J’ai passé un très bon moment avec ce livre qui nous offre de l’action, des rebondissements, des révélations mais aussi des scènes très chaudes grâce à Memnon!! J’ai adoré le personnage de Selene qui se bat pour ce qu’elle veut, indépendante, résiliente, maligne et elle se bat aussi pour les autres! Memnon est mystérieux, chaud bouillant mais très protecteur aussi! Leur couple est explosif! L’autrice nous tient en haleine jusqu’à la dernière page et j’ai vraiment très hâte d’avoir la suite pour savoir ce qu’il va se passer pour Selene et Memnon!

En bref, un très bon premier tome!

I am so obsessed with Laura Thalassa's writing. I loved Selene. She was smart, feisty and sassy. I am so obsessed with this series and can't wait for more!

This is a fantastic start to a new stories but I don't believe there has been one book by Laura I didn't enjoy.
.
I love this fantasy world Laura has crafted, it's set in the same world as the Bargainer series.
You can expect witches, wolves, mages, old curses, a villain MMC and a heroine that is easily forgetful.

I really do have a soft spot for morally grey MMC's
While the romance took a bit of a backseat, there is still a lot of mystery to it and I can't wait to get some answers in the next one.

I'll just be impatiently waiting.

Highly recommend picking this one up today!

Thank you Netgalley, Laura and Bloom Books for the arc.

✨ Urban Fantasy Romance
✨ Witches and Wolves
✨ Millenia Old Curses
✨ Revenge
✨ Soul Mates
✨ Morally Grey MMC
✨ Amazing Banter
✨ Unsolved Murders
✨ Cliffy

Selene wants nothing more than to join the Henebane Coven, an academy for young witches. In order for her to join, the Coven tells her she needs to 1) connect with her power with a magical quest and 2) get a familiar. During an alcohol infused night, she books a trip to South America for her quest. En route a dark supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky but Selene is able to thwart the crash when her magic awakens - all at a cost. As she navigates the jungle to find the source of the attack, she stumbles upon ancient ruins and awakens an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who believes Selene is his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. She is able to escape Memnon and head back to Henebane where she starts her witch studies. Shortly after her arrival back home, Memnon finds her and a string of murders begins.

I love everything Laura Thalassa writes and she is an auto buy author for me! Laura’s amazing storytelling capabilities had me entranced with this book and I couldn’t put it down! I was definitely “bewitched” by this book!

Selene is so relatable and I absolutely loved her! Her thoughts and actions are definitely something I would do and say. Memnon is 🥵. He’s obsessed with Selene in an almost stalkerish way but he also thinks she’s his wife who cursed him and wants his revenge so you can’t really fault him much. I love that he is still infatuated with his wife after all these years yet is also conflicted in his thoughts and feelings. Their chemistry together is off the charts. 🔥 I can’t wait to read more about their evolving relationship, Nero (Selene’s new panther familiar), and find out what is happening with all the unsolved murders.

This book ends on a cliffhanger and I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next one! Thank you to @netgalley and @read_bloom for the advanced copy! It’s out now and on KU❤️

“Power is to be celebrated and feared. You have it in spades, but it is locked away. Find the key and use it. Don’t be a pawn when you’re a queen. No one commands a queen.”

Am I rooting for the villain? Again? Am I the problem? No, I’m not the problem. Or am I? No, he will have some kind of redeeming story, I’m positive. But why don’t I care if it doesn’t? Ah, it’s me. I’m the problem. Oh well. Whatever. I sleep just fine either way.

This was one of the most refreshing books with witches and curses I’ve read in a long time. Fun; upbeat, 🥵, and I didn’t even mind Kane 👀 Please and thank you!

Laura Thalassa has more than proven her ability to offer us truly terrible MMC and have us worshiping the ground they step on. So, being all for Memnon is not surprising at all 🙈 But I never expected to have THIS MUCH fun reading a story on 2000 years old curses. Wow this was BRILLIANT 🤌🏼

And I loved — LOVED — how kick*ss Selene was. While others saw her condition as a limitation, she always thought of it as just a part of who she is. Not the whole. Not even her biggest part. It was just something she had to finds ways to deal with and overcome it.

There’s still much we don’t know, questions to which we need answers. But that ending sure does make me crave book 2 🤌🏼

What’s inside:
🖤witch fantasy romance
🖤same world as the Bargainer series
🖤enemies to lovers — kind of, it’s complicated
🖤stay with me
🖤who did this to you?
🖤don’t touch what’s mine
🖤fated mates
🖤dark academia
🖤m*rder mystery

Adult. 5 stars ⭐️ Thank you so much @netgalley @read_bloom and @laurathalassa for this eARC.

A fantastic start to a new series from Laura Thalassa and it’s a tale of curses, soul mates and past lives. Of a remote crypt containing a powerful being, locked away for eternity and the girl who unwittingly releases him on the world once again.

All Selene Bowers wants is to join the Henbane coven, an academy for witches even though every time she uses her magic, another of her memories vanishes for ever. One of the requirements for her admittance is she finds her familiar so she sets off on an adventure to find one. Cue ensuing paranormal forces, plane crashes, treks through a jungle and hidden tombs protected by wards and I was hooked, furiously powering my way through Bewitched desperate to find out what was going to happen next. Throw in a mysterious villain in Memnon (I’m not calling him the hero because I’m on the fence about his true intentions) who can invade your mind and beckon you to ‘come to him’ in a very vampirish like mind control and who is more than a little mercurial in whether he loves or hates you, this story has everything I love in a book. And to add to all that goodness once Selene takes her place at the coven, there’s a series of murders and events conspire to make her the prime suspect, all while she’s being stalked by the newly awakened Memnon. Did I mention that there are shifters as well? This book can’t possibly get any better!