Bewitched - Bewitched #1 - Review

Couple: Selene (Roxilana) & Memnon

Author: Laura Thalassa

Tropes: enemy to lover, hidden plots, dark fantasy, memory spells, touch her and die, PNR, adult romance, smut

Review: Laura has done it again in this all new series that takes place in the Bargainer Universe. This book is dark, twisty, spicy and oh so mystical!

Selene is a witch who loses her memories every time she casts spells. This sets her up to be at the mercy of the Hebane Coven and their whims. I loved Selene! While we do not know the origin of her memory loss at first, she is resilient and her methods of keeping tabs on her life are impressive. I enjoyed her dark humor and her determination to stand up for what she wanted.

Memnon is perhaps the most mysterious and dark MMC I have read of Laura’s (in my opinion). While we do not see a ton from him in this first book, what we do see showcases how deliciously evil he is. I enjoyed the push-pull between them and the “care” he seemed to have until he did not. While we know Memnon is not behind the murders…his deception to Selene makes you wonder who is?

The book has so many sudden twists and turns that it will leave you on the edge of your seat. The things Selene stumbles upon in her desire to solve the mystery of the murders and the dark coven. It almost makes you wonder if it wasn’t actually Selene who locked Memnon away.

The book is spicy and what we love from Laura. It is hate-lust and full of tension. I thought Selene not bowing to Memnon was pivotal. I also thought the way Memnon uses his magic was a huge hint that maybe he is not totally lost to being evil.

I am excited for the next installment and cannot wait to see what this couple does.

Rating: broke the scale, this book is HAWT!

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A strong four out of four stars for me, I read this in one sitting and will share the clear plotline, clever ideas, and trustworthy character development that made this book impossible to put down to all of my patrons!

I loved this so much, Laura did such an amazing job with this one and I can't wait to get more of this series! I loved that it was a new series BUT in a world that Laura's readers will already know! She has quickly become an author that no matter the book, I know it will be good so I am going to just purchase it.

bewitched is full of action, fun and silliness. The characters are great, you will have them pulling on your strings in no time. best part, it was the PERFECT set up for the next book in this series.

Little bit of witchcraft here, magic police there. Buckle in and get ready!

I wanted to also thank Laura and NetGalley for this one!

I really liked the setting of this book and plot development. I really enjoyed the writing of this book and the characters
Cannot wait for the next book :)

Laura NEVER disappoints. The themes, history and story for this novel were so thoroughly written I was enraptured from the moment I opened the book. Selene is a witch with a distinctive cost of use for her magic and causes a bit of mayhem on her journey to joining a well-known coven. I expected more spice from Laura but I am not complaining, I hardly missed it! It reads fast and will leave you jonesing for the second installment.

Ok omg, this book was so much fun. The narration was so sassy and heartfelt and straightforward, I sorta breezed through the book and finished it in just a few sittings. I love the MC so much, her character was the absolute best, and her journey through the course of this book was so thrilling. And the cliffhanger?? I can't wait for book 2, I need it resolved 😭

The hero Mennon? I have such conflicting feelings about him, which I guess is *precisely* what the author wants 😭 like I need a proper redemption arc and loads of grovelling in book 2 🥲

TWs - blood, gore, violence

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

This is my first book by this author, and I’ve heard such good things. I definitely enjoyed the plot and thought the lack of knowledge of the main characters backgrounds kept me intrigued. I liked the main character and her inner monologue, and loved her familiar. Unfortunately, I just found the male main character, Memnon, completely unlikable and was unable to understand the relationship between the two. Even in the moments I think the author intended for us to be intrigued by him, I was still unable to see the connection. The soulmate thing also didn’t really make sense to me. I can see this being a very enjoyable read for someone who is looking for lower stakes fantasy, but overall, it didn’t work for me. I’m still looking forward to reading this authors other books and think I may enjoy them more.

"You have never needed magic... You are entirely bewitching without it."

I've never read a Laura Thalassa book before (though I have had her Four Horsemen series on my tbr for a hot second), but this was an enjoyable ride! I loved the idea of covens being like colleges/sororities, and magic looking and being a little different for everyone who uses it.

And though I doubt he was supposed to be, Nero was my all-time favorite character. I need to immediately be informed if Laura owns a cat because he was written to act *exactly* like a cat does. Just a hundred pounds heavier and far more deadly. I died whenever he was around and Selene "narrated" his thoughts.

I will definitely be on the lookout for the second installment in this series. [I need to know what happens between Selene and Memnon now that she has her full power and memories of her past life back.

Bewitched was published on April 18, 2023. Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS, Bloom Books, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book starts off kind of weird. You have the witch who says she loses memories as a result of using her magic. She documents absolutely everything and fights hard for people to take her seriously. I say it starts off weird because it kind of tosses you into her trying to get into a school then heading off on a witch’s quest.

That quest leads her to an entombed man and she just feels it in her soul that she needs to release him. While she questions it, she also just does it.

Memnon the Cursed has been released and instead of dealing with accusations he throws her way she just runs and hopes her problems go away. But that problem follows her right home!

He spends day and night trying to convince her of who she is and when she thinks she makes headway, it backfires.

She feels this connection to this man but with her memories being taken she just doesn’t trust it or herself around him.

The beginning of the hook was slow for me but then it picked up nicely. It kept me on my toes, guessing what would happen, to knowing it would, to second guessing it. I love the writing style of this author and the world building. Highly recommend for that easy read with a little bit of spice. I’d rate it 2 peppers out of 5 with the potential of book 2 being a 5! At least I’m hoping.

I absolutely adore Laura Thalassa and everything she puts out. Her writing style is so easy to follow and super enjoyable. I'm a sucker for witchy vibes, so I was dying to read this as soon as I saw Laura was releasing it.

Some of my favorite things included Selene and her BFF; their scenes were always fun to read. Nero enough said. And who doesn't love a hot hunky bad boy that gives off touch her and you die vibes? Sign me up every day.

Laura packs a powerful punch with this story and all that happens to poor Selene with her terrible memory-eating magic. Now I sit and patiently wait for the second book.

Thank you NetGalley, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, for providing an eARC of Bewitched. This review is being left voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc for an honest opinion.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

I love Laura’s book and this one was just as amazing as her other books. I loved the whole mystery vibe and the plot twists. I cant wait for the second book, am curious to see how that one will play out.

A Magical start to the series!

I am new to the world of Laura Thalassa but I have many of her books on my TBR and on my physical bookshelf, thanks to the Arcane Society. I will admit that it took me a little while to become engrossed in the story but it did happen and I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see what happens between Selene and Memnon.

At the beginning of the book we meet Selene, a young witch that is trying her hardest to get into Henbane Coven, a school for young witches. Upon her last interview with them she is once again denied entrance but given a chance if she can connect with her familiar (spirit animal) and her powers through a quest. Well, this quest takes her on a trip where she awakens Memnon the Cursed, who believes that she is his wife...the one that cursed him.

If you think that's bad, that's nothing compared to the madness happening at Henbane Coven. Selene cannot begin to fathom what she has gotten her self into, and you won't either because it's non-stop and you don't know who to trust or if you can trust anyone at all.

If you enjoy Paranormal Romances, Fantasy Romances, New Adult Romances, or Second Chance Romances I recommend this book to you.

Happy Reading!!!

“You are my weakness, Empress,” he confesses, his voice gentling.
“You always have been.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐|5
🌶️.5|5


heads up - this review may contain spoilers!!


GENRE: paranormal romance
TROPES&TAGS: witches // magic // lovers to enemies to lovers // SLOW burn // a little bit of of insta lust-love
POV: heroine
TW&SAFETY: death// blood // violence // more dark themes
CLIFFHANGER: YES
HEA: we'll see!


LAURA 👏 THALASSA 👏

Selene, our lil' witch and Memnon, our big bad sorcerer. YES. That man is so insane, but also just absolutely crazy about our girl. It's everything we could hope for. right? RIGHT!


Selene has amnesia! When she uses her magic it eats away her memories, but she makes due by writing in a millions notebooks to keep track of everything. She's resilient and WE LOVE TO SEE IT!

Memnon was cursed 2000 years ago and uses his magic to lure Selene to the tomb he's kept in to set him free. Turns out, he thinks Selene is his beloved, HIS QUEEN, Roxilana. Who.... also happened to be the one to curse him all those years ago-
HOT


This story definitely kept me engaged and interested, but I needed MORE. There were a lot of things that weren't explained as well as I would have liked! I also think that's because it's book one and there's way more to the story to come. I'm excited for what's to come for Selene and Menny!


some of my favorite moments-
“You are the only goddess I pray to,”
Memnon murmurs, pressing a kiss to my inner thigh.
“You’re a fucking vengeful one too.”
“Let me show you how I pray to you, my wrathful goddess.”


“Let me see your face,” he demands. I turn to look at him. “Why?” His eyes gaze at me intensely. “Because you are the only thing worth looking at, and my eyes have missed you.”


“Little witch,” he says against my lips, “you cannot look at me like that and expect me to keep my mouth to myself.”


“You made a mistake crossing me.” The words come from deep within me, my power swirling out of me as I speak. The look Memnon gives me blazes with satisfaction. “There’s my queen.”


“You have never needed magic, est amage,” he murmurs, his roughened voice drawing out goose bumps on my arms. “You are entirely bewitching even without it.”


He burned your notebooks— your memories. Do not climb the man like a tree. Make him pay.

_________

I am absolutely obsessed. Desperate and confused heroine, an alpha hero that hates that he loves her, and a giant game of cat and mouse. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that the next one isn't already out!

I wasn't a big fan of some of Laura Thalassa's other books but this sounded interesting so I was hoping that I could get into this based on the story line but it was a DNF for me.

"Friendship, belonging, education, and a life that revolves around magic. I've yearned for it for as long as I can remember."⠀
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Laura Thalassa, Bewitched⠀
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Bewitched by Laura Thalassa is a paranormal romance with a witchy MC, a cursed antagonist, and an amazing feline familiar. The story follows Selene, a young witch who has made it her mission to join Henbane Coven, but has to go on a magical quest to get acceptance. She travels to South America where so finds her familiar, Nero, a giant panther and also accidentally releases a cursed sorcerer, Memnon. The result is a book long cat and mouse game where Selene finds out that her lost memories hold more secrets than she ever realized.⠀
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I absolutely loved the settings in this story! The Henbane Coven was magical and mysterious and reminded me of Brakebills Academy from The Magicians. The Medusa imagery and sisterhood among the coven was all about solidarity and girl power and I ate it up! The description of the ruins where Memnon was held and the jungle that Selene discovered Nero in was also so lush and beautiful that I felt like I was there. ⠀
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Unfortunately I didn't feel very connected with the characters and they were a bit repetitive and flat in their dialogue. I'm also not a huge fan of enemies to lovers or revenge plots so I don't think I am the target Audience for this story. It did end on a cliffhanger so I imagine the author has much more in store for readers that may flesh out the character arcs and plot a bit more so that's something to look forward to.

Such a great read - great world building, I really loved the push and pull of Selene and Memnon's relationship. The ending has me desperately wanting the next book!

While I own but haven’t read the Bargainer series from the world this book is set in, I have read and mostly enjoyed Laura Thalassa’s Four Horsemen series and when I saw this book was about witches I needed to read it immediately.

The plot jumped off quicker than I was expecting but then slowed back down a bit. The way that Selene’s magic works was interesting but some of the slower parts kept me not entirely motivated to finish. When there was action, though, boy did I not want to put it down.

As far as the romance goes, Memnon is definitely territorial asshole incarnate and part of that was compelling and enjoyable but part of it was hard to get into. I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between them for quite a while. The enjoyment I got from reading this definitely had to do more with the witchy magic than the intended couple.

Memnon is not only abrasive but mentally abusive whenever he doesn’t get his way and it was definitely rubbing at me. And I hope the author meant it to.

While I will continue the series because I really like Selene and want to find out what happens to her, my investment doesn’t have anything to do with her relationship with Memnon.

3.5 Stars

Thank you for this ARC of Bewitched.

The plot was engaging, but I felt there was a lot left to be desired as far as consistency. There were a lot of gaps in information and unanswered questions. The concept had SO much potential to be great, but did not feel fully fleshed out.

Having read the bargainer series by thalassa .. sadly this book wasn’t something I could give justice to and I m disappointed by it.
Maybe I m comparing and being biased here but having read any other fellow reader’s reviews as well, I can honestly say this book hasn’t hit the Laura thalassa standards.
The plot was very flat…with our MMC disappeared almost 50% of the plot, although the background building and concept was great and you can see and experience it unfold… the overall narrative and storyline were not relatable enough.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to share my honest review in exchange of the ARC copy.