Bespelled continues Selene and Memnon’s story with all the drama, magic, and intensity fans of Bewitched will expect. There’s a lot of tension and magical conflict as Selene navigates her memories and the lingering consequences of her past life.

That said, I still struggled to fully connect with the story, just like I did with the first book. While the plot has intriguing twists and a fast pace, I found myself feeling more detached than drawn in. The romance didn’t quite hit the emotional depth I was hoping for, and some of the world-building felt a bit rushed.

I think fans of the first book will enjoy the continuation, but for me personally, this series didn’t fully click.

Rating: 2.75 - 3⭐

I wanted to love this series, but I just didn't like the MMC at all. With a plot that was so heavily dependent on the love story, this has a very large impact on my enjoyment of Bespelled as a whole. I loved the FMC and the story, but Memnon just wasn’t it. I couldn’t bring myself to overlook how he treated Selene in book one, especially after it was revealed that even Roxilana had not betrayed him. I love dark romance, and even bully romance, but it’s a huge turnoff for me if one of the love interests does anything to intentionally harm the other after realizing and/or acknowledging their feelings. The “who did this to you” moment, as spectacular as it was, couldn’t even win me over to his side after the way that he acted. Other than Memnon, I greatly enjoyed everything else and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

A fitting end to the duology, this book wraps up all the questions posed in the first book. We finally have an answer for how our MC came to be and the consummation of her love story as well. I enjoyed the romance in this book a ton but I also thought the magic university setting was lovely as well and, as before, I think the familiars are such a fun edition to this story.

My only real issue was the same one I had with the previous book in that the romance was too intense to quickly and that definitely bleeds over into this book as well. Even though our MCs have known each other from lifetime to lifetime, I think they could have spent more time getting to know each other in these lives!!!

Also, I love a murder mystery aspect to any magical story and this one was no different. I always love the hunt for clues and the mystery being finally solved.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

I wish I'd reread the first book before getting to this one! I absolutely love Laura Thalassa's books, but I struggled a bit to remember where things were left at the end of Bewitched. This is totally a me problem too, and I think if I'd reread the first book I would have loved this more.

Bespelled by Laura Thalassa is an enchanting blend of fantasy, romance, and magic that will captivate readers from start to finish. Thalassa’s writing is vivid and immersive, creating a world full of magic, mystery, and tension. The chemistry between Esme and the male lead is electric, and their evolving relationship adds depth to the story. The plot is fast-paced and filled with twists, keeping readers hooked until the very last page.

All the yesses. I thoroughly enjoy this series. It is everything that Laura is know to bring us in a story

I LOVE YOU LAURA and your books; thank you for this book and all of the others you have written in the past; I cannot WAIT for book 3 😍 drop that title!! haha

A fun and engaging slow burn fantasy romance with humor and heart. Strong female lead and unique world building. A solid choice.

Phenomenal from start to finish as always when reading anything by Laura Thalassa! I devoured this book and eagerly await the next!!!

I have really enjoyed most of Laura Thalassas work! That continues with this book. This one did not disappoint, which can be hit or miss with the second book in a series. I was invested the entire way through and can’t wait for the next one.

Love love loved this book! I have no words to describe how much I loved it! This author is now an auto buy author for me! It was spicy and romantic and swoon worthy! I hope there are more books!

The amount of groveling is ASTRONOMICAL 📈 from a certain hunky Sorcerer 🙂‍↕️🫶🏻 I absolutely loved the pacing of this and love that it was just as good (if not better) than book one! Well developed plot that sucked me in. I literally could not put it down no matter how hard I tried. Seeing Selene go full queen mode was also WELL worth it. Such a phenomenal book and I’ll sit and wait for the next one to see what chaos happens in The Curse That Binds 👀 Well done, Laura Thalassa!

**Review of *Bespelled* by Laura Thalassa**

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

*Bespelled* by Laura Thalassa offers an intriguing blend of magic, romance, and mystery. The premise of the story, with a protagonist caught in a world of enchantments and secrets, provides an engaging backdrop that kept me hooked through the first half of the novel. Thalassa’s writing is smooth and easy to read, with enough intrigue to keep you turning pages.

However, while the concept is promising, the plot can feel a bit predictable at times. The romance, though enjoyable, lacks the depth or intensity that would make it truly captivating. Some of the character development felt a little rushed, and I found it hard to fully connect with the protagonist on a deeper level. The pacing also slowed in parts, which made it harder to stay engaged through the middle of the book.

Overall, *Bespelled* is an enjoyable and magical read, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential in terms of emotional depth or plot complexity. It’s perfect for fans of light fantasy romances, but those looking for more intricate world-building or character development may find it lacking.

Fun read, and sets up good for the 3rd book but it was predictable

It needed more polishing but maybe during the 2nd go around I will like it better

This book is absolutely to die for! Laura you do such an amazing job with your books. The way that you captivate readers with your words is phenomenal. I can’t want for the novella to come out to hear what happened to Selene and Memnon!

4.5 stars

Bespelled is the second book in the Bewitched series and cannot be read as a standalone.

Memnon was still as crazy as ever, but he was also very obsessed and protective. And Selene, she got back her memories, and she didn’t shy away from using her powers.

The plot was so good, and the twist? The ending? Ugh. It was a brutal cliffhanger, and I cannot wait for the next book.

The first book was great, although some of the actions of the love interest either bothered or questionable to me. But the plot is interesting. In this second book, I think he somehow redeemed himself??? I wouldn't quite call it that, but so-so. I quite enjoyed this one, but pleasee, can Memnon even grovel just for a little bit????????

3.5⭐️

I like this autgor’s writing style a lot. It’s easy to get swept up in her words and her story telling. That being said, the plot of this was really just okay for me. There were times that were super high action and others that were supposed to be that I kind of didn’t care about. I don’t particularly like Memnon, but I do think he was less insufferable in this book than the last. Overall entertaining but not my favorite.

I am woefully and terribly late in reviewing this ARC and I’m even more mad that I had to wait so long to read it per my own doing! I LOVED Bewitched and Bespelled did not disappoint! I love the premise of the second chance romance, enemies to lovers, fated mates, curses and bonds, and an eternal love spanning decades, but this series also has mystery, murder, mayhem and more! The suspicious murders and spell circles are still to be figured out, a friendship forged with the shifters is eminent but in danger, friends and foes alike are shifting in blame and trust, and the chemistry, tension, passion, past and present are all a rollercoaster ride of the relationship between Selene and Memnon and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT. The history and ever enduring love sorry, while complicated by confusion, curses, and revenge coalesce now that Selene has her memories back and new bonds are forged while trust is tried to be earned anew. Their love is epic and the steam is top tier. I couldn’t put this one down, didn’t want it to end, and that ending was NOT something I saw coming. I need the next boom pronto!!

I really enjoyed the second book in this series. The banter with the characters is great. I'm eagerly awaiting for more books.