After reading the first book, I was unsure about the MMC, mainly due to his initial villainous actions. I must apologise for that because he has completely won me over in this sequel.

This book surpasses the first in every way: the characters evolve profoundly, as evident in Selene's journey from not accepting who she is to owning her powers. The pace is relentless, making it impossible to put down as each chapter propels you to the next. The romance is beautifully crafted, intertwining perfectly with thrilling action sequences that keep your heart racing.

I'm already eagerly anticipating the next book, and this one isn't even out yet! Laura Thalassa has cemented her place on my auto-buy list, and this series is quickly becoming a favourite. I can't wait to see where she takes these characters next.

Selene never knew just how difficult having a soulmate could be, especially one with a taste of vengeance who would frame her for a crime she didn’t commit and force her to remember a life she once forgot. Ever since Memnon woke from his enchanted sleep, he swore to find out why Selene betrayed him. But, he is utterly unprepared for the truth and is desperate to make amends. As if things weren’t crazy enough for this duo, they still have enemies hanging around Henbane Coven and the only way they can stop them is if they work together….

Bespelled picks up right where Bewitched left off and takes readers on a thrilling ride. The story is well-paced, intriguing, and will keep readers on their toes. This time around, I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Selene. She was tough, yet frustrating. Yes, she had every right to be scorned by Memnon, but after a while, I wanted her to forgive him and move on! Speaking of Memnon, while he might be a ruthless sorcerer, nothing is more important to him than Selene. Once the truth of their past is revealed, he will stop at nothing to make things right and boy does this man know how to grovel. And let me tell you, the groveling does not disappoint. If Memnon hadn’t won me over before, he definitely did in this book.

It should come as no surprise that this story wasn’t all hearts and flowers. There are lots of unexpected twists and turns and unthinkable situations. I loved watching Memnon and Selene navigate their way through each obstacle that was thrown at them and grow together as a couple. And just when I thought that everything would be okay and that I had a good handle on where the story was going next, the rug was pulled out from me

Bespelled is a fantastic addition to the Bewitched series. This book invoked so many feelings and has left me breathless for more. I can not wait to find out what will happen next.

Est amage. Oh, how I loved this book!!! I’m still sitting with all my feelings. What a fantastic book, and how quickly I was sucked into their story. Gosh, I love all the characters, especially Nero. I’ll just be sitting here patiently waiting for book three. Laura knocked it out of the park with this second book in the Bewitched series.
I received an arc copy from NetGalley for an honest review. Honestly, this is five stars!!!

Good pacing. Good story. Good spice. I did think the FMC gave in to the MMC easy even though she was angry. You see where the next book is headed towards the end and with the cliffhanger. I want more groveling!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinion.

Ok for those who thought Memnon was out of line in the first book let me say loud and clear he really knows how to grovel in this book ! Like others I just couldn't quite believe how awful he has been to Selene but here the author ups her game and gives this couple much more of a chance to truly know and understand each other's motivations. How does that happen ? Simply by Selene getting her memories of a previous life back and realising exactly what happened and how their curse came to be. They still have to come to terms with who they are of course but equally important is that they discover who has been killing Witches in Selenes college because it looks like Selene could also be a target !
I'm so happy that the lack of Selenes memories from her time as wife to Memnon was quickly resolved here. If blunt previously I felt a slight ick around the couple as Memnon felt mature whereas Selene acted like a young girl crushing on the local Werewolf and giggling ( or is that cackling ? ) and just generally the possibility of romance between them felt wrong. This is definitely the book that gave me what I expected and indeed hoped for. I thought the mystery behind the recent murders was well done and indeed the bad guys are truly heinous and deserve all that's coming to them ! This ends though with yet another really big problem for Selene as not every enemy is dealt with and Memnon is true to himself Sorcerer and Conqueror leaving Selene with a whopper of a dilemma !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

A twisty, turny and captivating read

This book. Phew. Strap in for a teeth clenching, edge of your seat, twisty turny epic dark fantasy because this author does a phenomenal job creating multi-layered characters and plot lines which will completely immerse you in the story. Just like the first book in this series, I was captivated from the first page until the last. The amount of creativity and imagination this author weaves into the story of Selene and Memnon is unreal and deliciously dark perfection. This is a continuation of the spellbinding tale started in Bewitched and the story picks up exactly where that book left off. The tale is again told from the POV of Selene, a sweet, kind, dedicated and powerful witch. Memnon has let the dying supernaturals live and removed the planted evidence framing Selene for murder. She has her memories back along with the memories of her previous life as Roxilana and she can now use magic without losing any memories. But all of this is was at the cost of an unbreakable marriage pact to Memnon who is a smart, strong, unscrupulous, conniving, wicked, and kind of psychotic sorcerer. Even if he is her fated “soul mate.” Once Memnon learns Roxilana’s part in his entombment, he realizes his mistake in seeking vengeance against Selene. To atone, he agrees to be bound to her control at least until she falls in love with him. Together they set out to uncover who’s responsible for the murders of witches and the reason for the spell circles - the other two evils currently stalking Henbane Coven. This is a dark fantasy. There are no black and white lines in this book and no purely good or evil actions or characters. There are shades of gray and hard choices about how to interpret and implement “good” intentions. And oh boy was I feeling all the things - laughing, crying, sighing, gritting my teeth, swooning, biting my nails, and yelling - as Selene struggled with her feelings for Memnon, as the events unfold in their investigation and the danger increased. The book includes everything you would expect from this genre - sweet moments, spice, intrigue, dangerous situations, supernatural creatures, evil masterminds, henchmen, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, secrets, mystical coincidences, snark, laughs, unexpected plot twists, and all the love. All these wonderful elements help weave together this unforgettable tale. The story arc for this book concludes by the end but we are left with a teaser/not quite a cliff hanger for the next book which I will be eagerly awaiting. 4.5 stars.

The 'Take Me Back I Owe You the World' attitude Memnon had was worth the setup of book one for me. But it was a long setup.

Overall I enjoyed the character dynamics more than I expected and while I did not love the first book, the second one cemented all the plot points that were brought together. From getting the full backstory of the main characters to the spicy bedroom times scenes I would give this four stars. Laural Thalassa has my faith, trust, and pixie dust which means I will try any of her books once and this one. I would recommend this series to anyone who likes Holly Blackwood.

Rating: 4.5/5

“Neither magic, nor time , can keep us apart. We are like the stars. Eternal.”

When I thought the first book was extraordinary, the second one is beyond that. I finished Bespelled in a couple of days and I cannot wait for the next book. The story continues where Selene remembers her old life and realizes that Memnon is her soul mate and husband in her past life. She’s trying to figure out who is beyond the killings of the witches and Memnon offers his help in order for a second chance. However, they don’t realize how deep they are involved until it’s too late.


“I love you, I love you, I love you. A thousand lives wouldn’t be enough with you, but I have to content myself with just this one.”

I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF MEMNON AND HIS LOVE FOR SELENE. He’s constantly trying to win her heart back and continues to save her life. I also love their relationship dynamics, and can’t wait to see how their story continues in the third book.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THIS BOOK.

Thank you Net Galley and Laura Thalassa for providing me with an ARC.

I had the first book in the series on my TBR for a while and getting this ARC made me pick it up, I read the first one and this one IN ONE DAY.

The chokehold this series has on me is INSANE. 10/10 wish I could read them both for the first time again.
The way it's written, the pacing,the storyline, everything is just SO GOOD.

I am absolutely loving this series! I stayed up until 2am reading this book, and then woke up at 8 to finish it. I didn’t even feel like I was reading. I blinked and then suddenly I was at 99%. I was absorbed in the mystery and the will they won’t they. The tension between Memnon and Selene was everything. I thought the lore and magic system was really well thought out and made a lot of sense. As someone who sometimes struggles with fantasy and world building, I thought that Bewitched and Bespelled were really easy to understand and follow along which really helped immerse me in the world. I loved the answers that we got from the first book. There were so many revelations that I was absolutely not expecting. I loved watching Selene fall in love with Memnon again and watch him love her all the while. Bespelled was an amazing follow up to Bewitched, and I cannot wait to see what happens next with these two!

PERFECTION. I wouldn’t change a single word of this book. I’m so in love with these characters and this world.

5 star read from me. Loved every second of it. The plot is fantastic... the writing in this book is fenomenal.

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC of Bespelled by Laura Thalassa.

I loved the Bargainer trilogy, and having recently read Bewitched I was beyond excited to get an early copy of Bespelled. I even warned my partner, if I start reading this, I am not going to stop until it's over - and that was true, I read it in one sitting and loved every minute.

The story picks up right where Bewitched let off, and the history of Roxi's final moments is revealed. From there we see a lot of movement on multiple story points: the murdered witches, the bonding ceremony nightmare, Selene having all her memories and how they impact her ability to be a functioning person, and how any and all of this impacts her feelings toward Memnon. It is hard to say more about the plot than this as each of these spaces is relevant multiple times throughout the story and more information would be all spoilers.

What I can say is we see a lot more depth in Selene - now that she knows both her lives and all her forgotten moments it is interesting to see the confidence this gives her compared to Bewitched. Memnon also shows more sides of himself: the sorcerer, the devoted husband, the enemy. We see him accept a loss of control all while reaffirming his commitment to Selene, and while she's still resisting that wedding, this story leaves their relationship in a much better place.

The plot itself opens wider than I expected - and not in a bad way. It's like Thalassa saw the web being built and then she spread it to another corner of the room. There is a LOT more story to be told in the next book, and I'm really excited to see where it goes based on the way Bespelled ended. I don't feel like the ending was a cliffhanger by any means, more than anything I was like "Why is X being so secretive? This seems like exactly the thing X would need to do and I fully support".

My only hang up, and my only reason to remove one star, is that sometimes Selene changes her mind 5 times in a page or people use magic in such large ways that make me wonder how powerful everyone is in this book and how the magic system functionally works. It just made a few sticking points in my brain with reading, but other than that I absolutely loved it all and can't wait for the next one.

Words cannot express just how much i enjoyed reading this book!! It was stunning and a perfect follow on from the first book. It picked up straight away from the moment that the first book ended on, throwing us back into the action happening between my two favourite characters Selene and Memnon!!
Honestly, i don't know how Laura was able to fit so much into this book but it genuinely felt like something was constantly happening, both good and bad, and i again can't believe just how much of a fun time i had reading this!! Usually the second book in a series falls a bit flat and doesn't have the same impact as the other books and almost always feels a but unnecessary, but there wasn't a single moment that i was bored or wanted to stop reading. Everything had me hooked, from the plot to the romance, to the banter and scheming between characters, it was so intense, had me on the edge of my seat multiple times!

It was also really fun to see Selene and Memnon work together as opposed to all the fighting that they were constantly doing in book 1. Yes Selene still didn't want anything to do with him but knew there was no way around their oath, so she made the best of a bad decision *wink wink*. Can't say i blame her either because not only is he hot as sin and stupidly powerful, but he is low-key such a sweetheart and completely smitten with her. All he really wants is for them to have the chance at a life they missed out on, which had me nearly sobbing.
Speaking of sobbing, Memnon does a lot of grovelling in this book too. Yes, he's always been flirty and tried to win her over, but it really amped up in this book. Even more so when the truth of their final moments together in their past life were revealed. I'm not gonna give anything away because it's a huge part of the book and changes everything entirely, but my god was it soul crushing, gut wrenchingly good. He felt so heartbroken and i was sobbing along with him.

The main plot is still apparent in this book too, with Selene obviously getting attacked a bunch more from that weird cult she saved the shifter from, but we find out exactly who is behind it as well as a lot more gruesome details. It's a lot more complex than just some witches going missing, there's a while secret society that revolves around an insanely powerful crime family who are doing hella shady shit.
There was a lot of forced betrayals and plot twists too that i did not see coming at all!! So glad that Memnon and Selene had each other otherwise it would have been a mess...

Even though Memnon and Selene were technically together throughout this book, there actually wasn't that many spicy scenes between them, and shockingly i feel like it really helped overall. It made the moments where they were together intimately feel more special, and to be honest they had a lot bigger things going on than being with each other in that way. Saying that though, what did happen between them was explosive and intense as fuck, with Memnon's teasing side really coming out to play...

I also can't freaking believe how it ended!!! Are you kidding me?!?! I knew it was gonna be too much for them to get a fairytale happily ever after, but i hoped OK! Yes they're in love and safe and can finally be together which is great, but Kane just had to go and stick his foot in and is trying to make Selene question everything again. Not cool man. I take back everything i said about book 1 having a love triangle that i liked, cannot stand Kane at all...
And that's not to even mention the lurking danger of someone from their past coming back again. I don't even wanna think about it, book 3 is gonna be insane and i'm not mentally ready for it at all. Just gonna live in ignorant bliss imagining that they're having a great happy time and nothing bad is ever gonna happen to them again.

But seriously, this was a phenomenal read and so unique to the rest of the fantasy romance books that are out their right now! I cannot stress enough just how well thought out everything is from the world building and characters to all of the little details that really bring everything together. Laura Thalassa will always be one of my auto buy authors for this exact reason!!
Cannot wait to see what happens in the future with this series (even if i'm not ready for that roller coaster)

A million thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author herself for giving me the opportunity to read this book!!

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ok so where do I start? First of all I LOVED this one. The first book, Bewitched, was good but I didn’t just love it. This one was more of what I expected from a Laura Thalassa book. I feel like we got to know our MCs more in this book. I had already like Memnon but I grew to like him even more in this book. Now I was not really a fan of Selene in the first book but I grew to like her in this one. She still wasn’t my favorite, I like my girls a little more morally gray/cunning (think Aelin from Tog), but she definitely came out to play this book. Honestly I think I would’ve enjoyed Roxilana more than Selene. I loved the chapter we got from her and loved seeing her fight for her man/family. It gave a beautiful recap of her and Memnons relationship and was a little heartbreaking. I honestly could’ve lived without that (won’t mention the part due to spoilers but if you’ve read it you know which part) as it really affected me. That’s a soft spot for me and I truly was horrified for them. Moving right along. I didn’t really care for Sybil one way or the other in the first book but I grew to like her this book. I still think she was kind of a bad best friend but now (won’t mention specifics due to spoilers) it makes sense. Kane was like an annoying gnat that won’t go away. Lol. Nero we love you! ❤️ I will say I wish the familiars had a little more going for them. Like extra strength or they can communicate with their witch, idk but something special. I still think this coven situation is weird. It’s like a college but not. They have assignments but it doesn’t seem like anything is ever graded. There’s no “degree”, not tests, no real riposte other than living with other witches. Are there no witches who don’t want to go to “college” around, do they not live in other places unhidden? I was a little worried about how Thalassa was going to get readers to love Memnon after the first book but I think she did an excellent job. I personally never disliked him but I know from others reviews some felt very strongly about things he did. We see a certain someone show up this book and I wish they had been smited, smote (?), where they stood but hey something to look forward to. Lol. This review is all over the place because I had so many feelings about this book. Anywho now I’m mad I received and read this ARC because it means there’s just that much more time before I can read the next book! 😭 Seriously I’m going to having major withdrawals. The cliffhanger was probably meant to be shocking but like it didn’t shock me nor did it make me even the slightest bit upset with a certain sexy sorcerer so Selene better not do anything stupid! I get why others might have an issue with it but I feel like Selene shouldn’t. Also what was up with that sniff Kane did, I’m getting thoughts and the thoughts I’m thinking are making me smile so we shall see. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC and all opinions are my own.

This was exactly what I wanted from this sequel!

The cliffhanger at the end of book one had me stressed out and more than ready to get my hands on this, so I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. There is a consistent tension between the characters that I loved, and the little flashbacks to Selene and Memnon's past definitely had me craving more of that story line. It was great to learn more about them and see how their previous relationship affected this one. I liked the break from the main storyline and the little bits of information we got about them through those moments.

As always with Laura's books, the romance is perfect. I really love these two together and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they've been connected for far longer than most characters I've read before. The very long and complicated connection makes for a lot of big and complicated feelings, something that translated well on page.

All of my questions were answered in this one, so I'm curious to see where Laura takes the rest of the series, especially after the little plot twist in those last few pages.

This book follows on from the previous book and exceeded all my expectations. The reincarnation part is interesting and how some live millions of years, this was a slow burner, lots of adventure and romance I loved it.

This book picks up immediately where 'Bewitched' left off and get us right back into things! Continuing with the back and forth of Memnon and Selene's relationship, and finally getting to experience the past and reasons behind the betrayal, were seamless. While the banter and animosity does feel a bit overly drawn out, once the past has been revealed, it's fairly easy to understand why. One thing hard to understand about Selene is why her magic is so weak. Clearly, she is tough and resourceful, but why does her magic deplete so easily? Finally, we get down the bones of the mystery and why certain individuals are being taken and the big plot! However, the cliffhanger...this author is good at those. Mostly wrapping up the story, while effortlessly transitioning right into another...wow! The wait for the next book will be excruciating!

Omggggg. This book was everything I needed it to be and more! It was clear after I finished Bewitched that I *had* to see if Memnon could ever redeem himself. I mean, I’m a huge fan of a morally grey MMC, but Memnon was NOT HOLDING BACK on exacting his revenge.

Luckily, Bespelled picks up exactly where Bewitched left off and all I can say is that the author expertly crafted every scene to not only cajole Selene into falling for her long lost mate—but she also does the same with her readers. I might have gone into this book wanting to shake some sense into Memnon, but this book had me very slowly but surely doing a 180°. (Then again, I love a villain archetype, lol)

What you can expect:
Witchy ceremonies in graveyards🪦
Broomstick mayhem🧹
Groveling 🙌🏻
Touch her and 🔪 vibes
He’s only soft for her
Mysteries and murder 😳

The way the author artfully weaved in memories of the past to help us better understand both characters, their individual character evolutions, and watching them rediscover who they could be in this new version of themselves was probably my favorite part of this book.

I can’t wait for the nex

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! As usual, reading Laura Thalassa was a joy!

This book continues the story of Selene and Memnon where it left off with touch of drama in the last book. I loved the plot twist near the beginning, as I was honestly super curious to find out where the author was going to take the story with the way Bewitched ended. I was not disappointed…and Memnon got his comeuppance in a ways that is both satisfying and endearing, a balm to the reader who wondered if Memnon wasn’t going a liiitle overboard with his revenge in the last book against someone he repeatedly proclaims his undying love for.

“[M]y head is filled with memories of his touches, his whispered pledges of undying love, and his sheer magnetism.” Memnon's love is intense, nonchalant, and yes, a little feral…and I’m not mad about it. Let's be honest, who doesn't love a good, steamy mating bond?

The story develops from there along two tracks—the uncovering of the plot (who is killing supernaturals? Why?), and the evolution of Selene’s feelings for Memnon and about herself. And then there’s the spice. 🥵 These things together really drew me through the story, eager to hear what comes next. I am excited to listen to this story on audiobook again once it comes out.

This book has everything: action, romance, enough plot twists to make your head spin, and spice levels that'll leave you wanting more. Plus, the world-building gets even cooler, with glimpses into the fae realm and the underworld (because apparently, trouble follows Selene wherever she goes). Seriously, grab this book, and maybe stock up on fire extinguishers... just in case.

P.S. Author, if you're reading this, a few chapters from Memnon's POV would be the ultimate gift. We all know that brooding exterior hides a heart of... something. Don't leave us hanging!