The start of this confused the devil out of me. You get thrown right into the story with no much explaining. While the writing was smooth it lacked feeling with some parts.
It was hard to connect to the characters. Some sections felt like another author had worded it or described parts as it different. It's flow was more intense.

I wanted so badly to enjoy this. I love romantasy. But this fell flat for me.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the writing itself, but moreso the lack of plot or intrigue in the story. The author writes with great literary devices, but it feels devoid of the emotion that makes a story worth reading. The story itself was slow, predictable, and had no plotline that made me anxiously want to know what happened next. Meanwhile, neither the characters nor their dynamics were ones I could feel connected to/want to root for.

I think the potential could’ve been there and that the author has the technical capabilities to write a great story, but that they need to work on the creative aspect more to actually engage the reader in the storytelling.

Bewitched Shadows is a paranormal romance that is just pure fun to read. The banter between witch, Ember and demon, Killian is everything. And the almost slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, progression of their relationship makes this book shine. The world-building is stellar and easily understood, I loved Killian’s and Ember’s abilities and powers. I also loved the sisters and can’t wait to read more about them as the series progresses. Also! No cliffhanger, this is a standalone, which was a nice touch. Overall, I highly recommend checking this one out if you are in the mood for a paranormal romance with some heat, banter and a little bit of mystery and angst.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one sitting. Autumn broke my heart, mended it back together, made me cry. It had everything. Intrigue, suspense, I had no idea who done it, love, sex, Grit. I can't wait for the second book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

❗️Disclaimer: This review isn’t to tell the author that they are bad or not. This review is simply based on my own personal opinion of the book. I do suggest you give it a chance before you form an opinions about it and decide whether you like it or not.❗️

This novel was well written, I liked the New Orleans setting and the supernatural aspect of the story but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. Since the start I found the story to be boring and I really couldn’t connect to any of the characters. Also the story really didn’t have much going on even though the pacing was kind of fast, which honestly made me lose interest and feel bored. The main character didn’t really captivated my attention and I didn’t care for her at all. I really hated the whole slut shaming she had to go through and I felt like even though she stood up for herself many times it only got “resolved”, but not really, when Killian got involved. Also the slut shaming didn’t feel necessary since it didn’t have anything to do with the plot. Killian as a character felt kinda generic and like every other MMC we find in fantasy only he didn’t truly have anything new or special to him that made me like him. I also disliked how he continues to say Ember put a spell on him even though he was attracted to her since he saw her but he still continues to act like her boyfriend and saying stuff like she is mine. Unfortunately I will not be continuing this story but I do hope that the author is able to turn this story into a better path.


Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for this e-arc.

WOW! that’s all I can say! This was the perfect book for me and I’m so thankful I got to read this as an ARC, thank you to the author! The book takes place in the true supernatural underbelly of New Orleans where a tortured witch with a drinking (and a power stability) problem encounters a heady demon….the rest is a consuming plot of power, murder, and sex (🌶️🌶️) But what really kept me going in this book was that at its core the book was about forgiveness and healing from whatever trauma life throws at you…whether you are supernatural or not.

It was a blend of a touch of darkness and ACOTAR with some witches mixed in and I LOVED. EVERY. MINUTE. Beautifully written and I honestly think I’m going to buy this book even though I already read the ebook version! Can’t wait for the sequel! There is so much potential with this book as a series!

Set in New Orleans where witches, werewolves, vampires and demons roam amongst humans, this book was certainly a wild ride. I wasn’t super gripped at first, I felt like a lot of information was just revealed in the first 25% as opposed to being saved for a grander ending. It definitely picked up though, and I quickly found myself becoming invested in the two main characters and their journey as reluctant allies solving a recent string of murders. The ending felt a little cliche, and I guessed maybe 75% of the plot, but I was entertained throughout nevertheless. Definitely inspired by other fantasy romance novels such as the Crescent City and House of Devils series, but it felt new and fresh enough to remain novel to me.

Book Thoughts
Bewitched Shadows by Autumn Blake
Pub Date: April 4, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

What I Liked
~Fantasy with a mystery combined throw in some spice and romance…what a combo
~Witches, werewolves, demons, vampires…um ✔️✔️✔️✔️
~Spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️… that club scene
~Ember working through anxiety/PTSD after being the person to find her murdered parents.
~Uncontrolled magic
~A fun quick read I couldn’t put down
~Take Crescent City throw in Charmed and you’d get this book
~Perfect cozy romantasy mystery

Not Sure About
~The written Cajun accents didn’t sit right, it just seemed off
~While set in New Orleans I didn’t feel those vibes

Thanks to Net Galley and author autumn Blake for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is an urban fantasy book set in New Orleans that has it all: demons, witches, faeries, vampires and werewolves. It’s enemies to lovers with lots of sexual tension, a murder mystery, fated mates and of course some smut.

With a dual pov you get to know both the FMC and MMC on a more personal level, which I enjoyed. I struggled a bit to feel connected to the characters for a long time while reading, which made it a bit of a slower read, but all in all I did enjoy the characters. I’m very interested in knowing what happens next for Ember’s sister(s).

I really liked Ember’s relationship with her sisters, and I’d love to see more of them together.

Killian is the typical tall, dark, handsome, broody and dangerous type of MMC. I’ll admit I found it quite infuriating how he keeps on insisting that Ember has put a spell on him - instead of actually thinking it could be something more.

Throughout the book Ember is often shamed for her active sex life, which I felt was unnecessary. We’re in 2023, who cares how many people women or men sleep with? It didn’t add anything to the plot.

Plot-wise it took me about halfway through the book for me to be properly hooked and wanting to know how things ended. Once the story picked up I really enjoyed it. I would have loved to get to know more about the relationships between the different creatures and more of the political side of things.

All in all I found the book an easy read with an entertaining plot and characters. I’d easily read a sequel to see what happens next to the Belle sisters. I’d give it 3.75/4.0 stars out of 5.

4/5 Stars

*Fantasy/Romance/Mystery vibes
*2 POV’s
*2.5 Spice level

This book captured me with the cover alone, and once i opened it and started reading I was immediately sucked in. I loved how well the fantasy world was explained, and the whole enemy to lovers feel was chefs kiss. One of my favorite things about this book was how unapologetic Ember was about her sexuality, you don’t see that a lot in women characters and I loved every bit of it. So if you enjoy fantasy romance and mystery with a slow burn this is for you!!! I can’t wait for the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours four this great ARC read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishers for letting me read this book.

I was drawn to the cover and the synopsis right off the get go. I enjoyed the character development and some of the interactions between Ember and Killian through out the story. I love a good supernatural story with plot twists and a dark atmosphere. As this book could have used just a little bit more world developments and possibly some more grown-up writing style I still enjoyed this book overall.

Thank you for this opportunity. This was a fun steamy romp with a demon and a witch. I absolutely adored the grumpy/sunshine trope of the book.

holy guacamole… what was thaaaat???

Ember is my absolute fav character in this book!

worldbuilding was amazing!

I fell in love with the gorgeous cover and think there's potential in this story but it need some more character development.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Just not fleshed out enough. The writing was pretty superficial and the main characters weren't really enemies to lovers at all. Their dialogue was also pretty immature. Really bummed about this one because the story had potential.

* Received a copy for review.*

Very familiar story. The dialogue was very immature. I have an expectation for the son of Satan and this isn’t it.
It will work for a lot better c people but I’m not one of them.

I tried, but the writing in this was really hard for me to connect to. It felt pretty insta lovey, but like it was trying to be enemies to lovers.

A big thank you to Autumn Blake, NetGalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. These opinions are entirely my own.

I had a really hard time going between 3 and 4 stars. I finally settled on 3.5 stars but for Goodreads sake put it at 4.

What I liked- I like the interactions between Killian and Ember. I liked that the author build that she is a "fuck up" in the family. I like that Killian is about to be the “King of Hell”. The world is well developed and the political dynamics are interesting. I like that all the “supernatural” creatures use New Orleans as a homestead because it is easy to fly under the radar. I think this would be the case with the very witchy, voodoo, occult atmosphere of the French Quarter. I like the interactions Ember had with her family. I thought her sisters were well flushed out but didn’t think her grandmother was a well developed character. I liked that Killian’s character was well written and definitely in a sticky situation. I honestly had no idea how she would resolve it until the very end of the novel, which I enjoyed. I liked the grief aspect and how each daughter dealt with the death differently. I liked the pop culture references sprinkled into the novel.

What I didn't like- This is a me thing, not an author thing but I struggle when fantasy books are set in modern day. I didn't like the "cajun" vernacular used for the shapeshifters, it didn't feel authentic. She could have achieved the same things by giving the characters southern drawls. I also didn’t like that they only had 3 weeks to solve the murder, it felt like the timeline was a bit rushed and generally murders take more than 3 weeks to solve. I also struggled with how vulgar the language is. I know this is typical of “smut” books but the references and language came off a bit uncouth. I also struggled with the “power” behind the witch's magic. Though I don’t want to touch on that, as to not give away any spoilers, I found it to be a bit unbelievable what their power was fed by.

Overall, this book was fine. I have pretty neutral feelings about it. I didn’t detest it, or dislike it. More found this writing is not my cup of tea.

While this one gets off to a slow start, you’ll find that once it picks up, you’re hooked! With some paranormal elements, romance and a mystery, this book has such promise as the first in a new series. The theme of demons and witches in New Orleans is also a hit, as the Big Easy seems to bring this type of element into many stories.

I will definitely be back for more in this series and look forward to the next entry!

I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the ARC to read! Overall, I thought it was a good book. This book is a romance, fantasy, and mystery. I liked the mystification of the plot but I wish it had a little more. I LOVED the family aspect of the book! The girls were awesome! I wish we saw a little more especially at the end when they held hands to demolish the demon. Then all of a sudden there are a whole bunch of spirit around them….it said it was another element but nothing else. I liked the banter with Killian and Ember and then they finally came together at the end. There were some words I didn’t understand and disrupted the flow of the book for me. Overall a good book and will be reading the next one. I did post on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/100061429