"At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, 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—at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.

Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape 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."

I really enjoyed this book, I found it such a quick read and finished it in a couple of days- Laura Thalassa's writing is so beautiful and I need more of this series now. Thank you to Laura Thalassa for the chapter lengths they were perfect if your brain is set on constant one more chapter mode.

This is straight up enemies to lovers and I loved the FMC (for the most) and the MMC the banter was top tier! I say for the most I loved the FMC as they did seem to lose all ability to be a strong female when connected with the MMC which I didn't feel entirely fitted with the character.

There's lots of world building in this book but honestly that's what I expect from the first in a fantasy series, the way that Laura Thalassa writes makes the book almost cinematic at times especially during some of the "What the actual..." moments. The magic in this book is fantastic and explained so well! Love the nods to The Mummy.

I did feel that we don't get enough of the back story as to why certain things are as they are and how - but maybe I am jumping ahead and I need to wait for this a little longer but this is also why I marked the book down slightly.

There are :
Witches
Quests
Mystery
Enemies to Lovers
Spice
Romance
Top tier banter
and of course Magic

Really looking forward to book two now!

I have so many questions and I need book two NOW!

Selene is desperate to join a coven that she has been denied acceptance to twice, so she embarks on a quest and her life is forever changed.

Selene is a likable character, but it’s also incredibly difficult to really “know” her because of her memory loss. There were so many times I had to go back and read something because I couldn’t figure out if I had forgotten or if Selene had. It would have been nice to have more details about her parents and why she was so desperate to get into this specific coven. However, since we’re getting her perspective, it makes sense we didn’t get those details because she likely doesn’t remember many of the specifics.

Memnon…let me just fan myself for a second. Many people probably won’t agree, but I love him & hope they can figure their stuff out. I also love a well written morally gray character, so maybe I’m not the best person to ask. I do wish that we had a couple chapters of his perspective, and I really really hope that Laura can add this into the future books. I want to know what he’s thinking, what he’s up to when he’s not with Selene, where in the world was he when she was attacked & he was pushing her to use his magic?

Kane…I wish we had a little more of him in the beginning before Menmon was introduced because I kinda like him too. *sigh*

I will definitely be rereading this book, especially as we get closer to a book 2 being released.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book, courtesy of the publisher, via NetGalley. My review is my own opinion.

An intriguing, magic-laced world, with smoldering romance, and layered supernatural characters; this story will have your imagination running wild, begging for more!

Betwitched throws you into a supernatural universe of passionate, violent delights and gives us a true glimpse at the power of both love and vengeance.

I am so happy to hear this will be a series, and I can’t to see what happens next!

Fantasy Readers: Add this to your list ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom books for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available for purchase April 18,2023

Holy mother of Pearl but YESSSS. Cursed witches, familiars, murder mystery, a schmexy warlord sorcerer who was entombed and fated mates? Yes yes yes checks all the boxes. Very quick paced and very well written. Little bit of spice in there too but Selene and Memmnon are fun to read. Totes buying this book and the rest of the books when they come out

| Book Review 📖

Bewitched by @laurathalassa

Firstly thanks to Laura and NetGalley for the ARC!

Yet again it’s been awhile since a review, sorry about that!

I am now obsessed with this book and what I know is going to be an amazing series!

Both Selene and Memnon had me laughing out loud, their banter and pure enemies to lovers journey is so chaotic and genuine it had me completely enthralled.

We had enemies to lovers to enemies, familiars, witches, demons, wolves, magic, lore, spice, fated mates and more.

Think The Mummy plus spice and witches and all of the above.

The plot was fast paced and really capturing. The chapters were nice and short which made it so easy to just say ‘one more chapter’.

10/10 definitely recommend. Bewitched is out on April 18th!

Entertainment:🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿/5
V*olence: 🗡️🗡/5
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶/5
K*nk: 🪢🪢/5
Feels: 🎭🎭🎭🎭/5
MMC: 😈😈😈😈/5

I was so incredibly excited to find out I was approved to read this book from Netgalley. This is my unbiased review of the book in exchange. I love Laura's work and both her bargainer series and the four horsemen have been favorites of mine. So to see her dive back into the world of the Bargainer I was excited to see what she had in store for us.

Selene is a witch who's powers take her memories when she uses them. But that doesn't stop her from trying again and again to be accepted into the magical Henbane Coven. But in order to be accepted she must first find herself a familiar, and go on a magical quest. This task has her crash landing in the rainforest of South America and awakening an ancient evil. Only everything isn't as it seems. Memnon, known as Memnon the cursed, thinks Selene is his long lost wife. The same wife who betrayed him and left him bound for two millennia.

On top of that Selene must battle her own inability to remember as witches start showing up as murdered at the school. And with Selene's memories not intact, she is now involved in a dangerous plot that could end up with her being framed for murders she didn't commit. Or did she?

Love, love, loved this book. I can't say enough about how great it was to read and I couldn't put it down. I loved Selene's determination to be great on her own terms without her disability holding her back. If you love Laura's work you will love this one too.

Bewitched is the first book - and the only one published as of yet - in a fantasy series, and is about 20-year old Selene Bowers, who hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene's magic awakens to save her life―at a cost. Using her powers makes her loose her memories. When Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for the long-dead wife, who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape 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.

So I liked this book, and it really made me realize how lucky I am to have such amazing memories of a life well lived, as a reader, you feel really bad for Selene. However, the bad guy Memnon really bothered me. His way is just one step too psychotic to be charming on any level. So I have a hard time understanding Selene’s low level of resistance to his woes and charms. Of course she does speak up but it just feels a bit too bland. So this made me have a hard time getting into what, in parts, ultimately is a love story. But it is entertaining and I do love a witch themed story!

Laura Thalassa does it again by enticing her readers into beautiful prose writing and emotionally driven characters that you feel for. Such a swoon worthy read for lovers of romantasy!

thanks Netgalley for the ARC!
i did not think I would enjoy this book - so i put off starting it. however, overall, i did enjoy.

i think it had a lot of the same issues i've had with some of the other books of the author (4 horseman series specifically) - not a fan of the lack of character development. side characters did not feel flushed out/felt very 2-dimensional. romance between the main characters wasn't making sense to me - not sure what they have between them besides lust/physical chemistry etc. i'm not really rooting for them?

BUT the premise of this new series is really interesting! hoping for more world building in future books. i'm definitely invested enough to continue with this series.

overall, not my favorite, but still solid.

Selene is a witch, but every time she uses her magic her memories disappear. However, that becomes the least of her problems when she accidentally wakes a cursed Warlord-Sorcerer who is convinced they are in love ...

This is such a excellent read! I was completely gripped from the first page and devoured the whole book in a day. Can't recommend it enough for any lovers of romance and fantasy - and can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me receive this Arc! Bewitched was such a fun read and concept. Selene having magic that eats her memories, a curse, an awoken ancient sorcerer, and soul mates who could ask for more? The twists at the end your amazing and I look forward to book 2!!

Bewitched was the start of something really special from Laura Thalassa. I loved the magic, the anti hero, the world.. everything except for the cliffhanger! I need more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book had a lot of tropes I love, and the plot was so good!

- Witches
- Enemies to lovers
- Romance
- Magic
- Mystery
- Past Life

The MC has memory issues from using her magic, and whether intentional or not, I felt there was a lack of backstory that would help with the world-building and character development.

Despite that, that was a fun read! Thank you so much to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the eARC.

I love the Bargainer series so much, that I reread Rhapsodic EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR. I just love Callie and Des so much especially in the first book. Their tension was just so captivating. I also devoured the Four Horsemen series. I read Pestilence in one night because it was so captivating and emotional, that I just couldn’t stop reading. Considering this, I would call myself a huge fan of Laura’s books.

And now I really have to ask, was this book written by the same author? It never felt like the prior mentioned series.

There is basically no world building. I read Bargainer, so I felt pretty solid in my knowledge of the world but what about new readers who haven’t ever heard of Peel Academy? Politia?
Why was the Henbane coven so important for Selene? Are there more covens? What makes the difference between this one and any other? The reader is just supposed to understand and accept her determination to be selected for Henbane without any real explanation.

Throughout the whole book I just wasn’t interested in Selena’s arc, why should I root for her? Her characterization is just so shallow to be interesting. She is also super naive and annoying. She has no backbone at all. She gets treated so badly by Memnon but because he is hot and she feels drawn to him, she excuses all of his shitty moves. I was eye rolling so much. She felt like a doormat. I mean the girls from the Four Horsemen series were all so strong and active in their roles, Selene however just let’s anyone walk on her. I am really baffled how unlikeable she was.

The same can be said about Memnon. I mean the premise sounded interesting but he was mostly a douche, who didn’t grovel at all. I was also super annoyed by the repetitions of „empress“, „my queen“ etc.

The plot if you truly can call it that, felt rushed and the development of their relationship was just not organic. For most of the book they are in disagreement but suddenly they are ripping each other’s clothes off. I was so annoyed by Selene‘s constant lack of a backbone because he is soooo hot. Girl please wake up! The love story felt flat and shallow. I love villainous characters but Memnon wasn’t someone I would add to my bookboyfriend list.

Best part was Nero.

It’s really hard to write this review because so far I have loved all of Laura’s books but Bewitched was a huge letdown. Not sure if I will continue with this series.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC. I can not tell you how amazing this book was done. It was so well written. I was half way done and already telling people they needed to read it. The characters, the love hate relationship, the way Laura had me thinking the book was going one way then was like nope just kidding. I NEED the second book. I fan wait to see where she takes us with this series.

This book had everything: enemies to lovers, betrayal, magic, murder, intrigue, spice, and so much more. I definitely have to read the Bargainer series now!! Laura Thalassa, you and your books rock!

As with every Laura Thalassa book I've read, I flew through this in a matter of days. It would have been faster, but hey, a girl has to work. While I did enjoy it, because Thalassa's writing style is one of my favorites, I found myself feeling a little let-down by the ending. It is a cliffhanger, which I knew going in, but the book descended into chaos so fast that I felt a little whiplash. The first half was strong, introducing the setting, building the world, introducing all the characters that would be important in this story...but then the romance actually got in the way of plot development. Which is odd, because I so rarely say that in romance novels. The romance IS the plot, typically. However, in this case, things felt forced in order to further the romance, and eventually the FMC started to act in a manner I would have expected in a YA novel. Granted, she is young, but this felt a bit like Twilight deja vu. Right down to the werewolf love interest who would have been a much better option. #TeamJacob

Some things I liked...

- The worldbuilding - Laura Thalassa is a master at this, and it's absolutely no surprise to me that this was strong here. It also helped that the setting is the San Francisco Bay Area, where I grew up. I could easily picture the surroundings, the society instilled with magic, and the rules by which that society lived. It made sense.
- The magic - I loved the entire magic quest sequence. It was brilliant. The way the FMC meets her familiar was so cute, and then the whole "horror movie" style scene where she descends into a dark crypt (hello - never do this!) and awakens something that may or may not be evil. This just was the highlight of the book, really. I also loved the heroine's memory loss issue, it was fascinating, and I thought her way of managing through it was well thought out.

What I didn't like...

- The FMC's character deterioration - she essentially lost all her wits upon seeing the MMC's abs, and folks, I just can't with this entire thing. The MMC has choked her, keeps going hot and cold acting like he wants to kill her and f*ck her. It makes little sense, since it takes a long time for context to build around the why. And we actually still don't have a solid understanding of the why by the end of the book. He actually does something absolutely heinous about 2/3 of the way through, making my blood boil, and the FMC still can't help but be attracted to him and have a hate makeout session with him. He threatens to kill people, physically injures many, and even then...she is still commenting on how hot he is. I expect this in dark romance - people fall in love with sadistic killers all the time in this things. But this guy? His only redeeming qualities are his muscles and tattoos, and I gotta tell you - I still prefer the squeaky clean werewolf. And I like muscular tatted guys.
- The mystery - there is a lot of chaos around multiple murders in the book. That's fine, I love a good murder mystery. But the author kept us in the dark for way too long, and it became very jumbled in the telling. I felt like she was trying to add too many elements in book one, when things could have been paced better. It's like she needed to get to book two faster, so she shoved in more in book one than she really needed to.

All I can say right now is that the author better pull a Sarah J. Maas and give us the werewolf guy as the real love interest. Or really anyone but this psychotic irredeemable MMC who treats the heroine like a yo-yo and has a very unhealthy obsession with her. It's creepy. It was hot at first but it wasn't by the end, and I think if he is endgame, it's not going to work for me unless his personality undergoes serious transformation.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. The main character felt very lack luster and was not likeable. She had very little personality so there was little for the reader to connect with her on. Regarding characters, it felt like there was no attention to creating dynamic characters at all. The love interest was boring and kept repeating the same sentence a million times throughout the book. All other side characters were completely irrelevant to the plot.

For the plot, it was not interesting or constructed to the point where it felt like there was any build up. One of the primary obstacles the main characters names is that by using her magic, she loses memories. You’d think this would be a great plot point that gets her into trouble and wrecks havoc on the story. But no, there are never actually any real consequences to the plot because of her memory loss. I was shocked that the opportunity to create some real conflict was just dropped. Yhy not make her secretly a villain, but she doesn’t even know it or something? Overall the writing wasn't the strongest and I wish there was more attention paid to quality over trying to create a relationship based on pure sexual tension and nothing in common with the characters.

Wow. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but that turn of events was definitely a surprise. I was scared of Menmon, loved him, and hated him all in this book. I am really curious to know who is responsible for all the stuff happening around the coven. And there is some spice that I wasn’t expecting. Great job! Loved this book!

Sometimes I regret getting ARCs because it means I just have to wait longer for the next book and I don’t have anyone to gush about the book with yet and this is one of those books for me. This book is a combo of Ninth House, some Buffy the vamp slayer, and a heavy dose of the mummy. (Shoutout to Janessa for putting a name to the buffy and mummy vibes for me) It is the perfect mix of spice, murder mystery, magic, stalkers, villians and so much more.

One of the wonderfully unique parts of this book is out FMC’s magic. All magic comes at a cost, but hers takes more than most magic and steals a piece of her memory every time she uses it. This creates such an interesting backdrop for our FMC as she is

a) an unreliable narrator

b) trying to not only live her life with that but also unravel the mystery of the witches turning up dead on her campus

c) deal with the psychotic mummy stalker she awoke that is convinced she is his wife who betrayed him.