Fantasy romance with dashed of spice sprinkled throughout and I’m a happy girl 😉
I really like our FMC, Selene, who is a practicing witch looking to continue her craft… if only the use of her magic didn’t erase her memories! In the most organized and sparing way possible, Selene navigates her life with precision to make sure she doesn’t forget things.
Although, why is she being called on a quest? And being called into a jungle? And this new mystery man calling her another name?

Bewitched is a fun, mystery tale that keeps you wanting to know how the story ends. With all the fun of paranormals, witches, werewolves, and sorcerers, our author writes an adventure tale about what can come of a girl just trying to go to college. 😅

You know this just ate. What I mean to say is, I ate this up. Laura Thalassa made me a believer in dark romance, and I’m convinced that I will love everything that she writes.

This story follows Selene, who is a witch that needs to go on a magical quest to gain entry into the coven of her dreams. Side note, her magic eats away at her memories. On the way to this quest, a supernatural force (in the form of a man cursed like sleeping beauty) takes down the plane. Selene finds this man, and awakens him from his slumber. Unfortunately, instead of being grateful, he believes she is his wife who cursed him… and wants revenge. The story catapults on from there, and ends in a way that has me upset that the sequel isn’t out yet.

Has the tropes “touch her and you’ll die,” enemies to lovers, animal side sick (a familiar), and fated mates.

There are powerful witches, werewolves, familiars, strong friendships, tie ins from ancient history, and a magical school setting all bundled into a modern urban fantasy setting.

If you’ve liked Laura Thalassa’s other series, I’m sure that you’ll enjoy this as well.

It was much more than I expected!! Im amazed more people aren’t talking about this book. I loved it! Just good old high stakes fantasy romance with an innovative and different plot imo which made it complicated and deep and it was just a delicious read I couldn’t wait to pick the sequel immediately after. My only kinda pet peeve was the use of modern slang which kinda threw me off at times but that wasn’t enough for me to rate it any lower than 5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for my ARC in exchange of an honest review 🫶🏼

Loved it!! This author just keeps giving me 5 star reads. Thalassa has a knack for creating morally grey men that are “i’ll kill you” to “i love you” and are infuriating, but also gentle in a way that you can’t help but love them. I am incredibly upset with Memnon for his actions towards the end of the book, but I feel like some redemption is in store. Really he’s doing it because he loves her so much and just wants her to remember them but GOOD GOD man there is a way to do things and this is not it. But you bet I’m going to keep on reading because I am just eating this up!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the copy for review!

I absolutely loved Bewitched by Laura Thalassa - definitely my favorite book of hers that I have read so far! This was a quick read with an interesting cast of characters and some of her better worldbuilding! I really liked that it held my attention all the way through the end and I will definitely be reading book 2!

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.

Bewitched is the first book in the Bewitched Series by Laura Thalassa. I haven't read such an entertaining book in a long time. Enemies-to-lovers? Count me in.
I was really intrigued by the story, especially about the reason behind Selene's memory loss and the secret surrounding Memnon. Why did he act the way he acted? The mystery behind all of this isn't fully revealed at the end of this book, so I can't wait to find out more about it and connect their past and the present. While I was working, I kept thinking about when I could finally continue reading again. And then it even ends with a nasty cliffhanger! Fortunately, the second book has already been published.
It was definitely a highlight of the year for me and I hope the following books will be just as good. Happy reading!

3.5 rounded to 4!

This was such a quick and intense yet fun read. Selene is an extremely unique FMC, I did question her decisions & dialogue at times. I haven’t read many books with the “memory loss” trope, but this one had me hooked and was super relatable to my memory issues with my chronic illness. I loved her post-it notes and her constant reminders to herself.

I did feel like the beginning was a little slow, but definitely picked up once she returned with her familiar. I loved the magical world - the different supernaturals and powers were described relatively well. I did still have a lot of questions about this world, how she got Nero realistically home, Nero’s actions as a familiar, the significance of the range of colors that witches powers manifest as, how they share power, and more about Memnon/Selene’s history - but I’m hoping that book 2 dives more into these as well as the million other questions stored in my brain.

I didn’t love Memnon from the beginning. He did grow on me, but I’m still on the fence with how I feel about him. I do feel like the “soul mate” aspect was used to justify a lot of crappy things that Memnon said or did & sometimes felt like we were going in circles with their arguments/actions. Though I will note also that Memnon never pretends to be anything other than what he is - a warrior/villain in love. I truly hope we get more backstory in the next book because that cliffhanger was more like a full stop or pause of action.

All of that being said, this was an easy read - it flows well there’s a lot of humor & modern dialogue (at one point Sybil references Tiger King), phones, etc. If you like magical systems, witches, wolves, mystery, enemies-to-lovers & a large sprinkle of amnesia, this is a great option for your next read.

WOW. A true enemies to lovers to enemies to maybe lovers? No they're definitely enemies. I didn't love the way it started off, it felt a little rushed, but man what a roller coaster of a plot and subplot. And the ENDING. Phew! Is it the best writing ever? No. Could I put this book down? Also no. The story and characters are compelling and keep you hooked.

This book was my life while I was reading it. I wasted so long sleeping on this book, I now regret not diving in a long time ago. I could not and did not want to put it down. Laura Thalassa did some magic with this book, the writing style, the characters, the action ... ohhhh my. I loved all of it. I am ready to read the rest of the series and hoping it lives up to the expectations of this first book.

✨Bewitched (#1) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 / 🌶️.5 (out of 5)
✨Bespelled (#2) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 / 🌶️🌶️.5 (out of 5)

👑 “I knew you would come, my queen.” 👑

Laura Thalassa knows how to write romantasy because the Bewitched series made me GIDDY ya’ll — I threw away plans and priorities to devour this series in 2 days. Although the Bargainer will always have my heart as my favorite MMC from Laura Thalassa, Memnon can GET IT 👀🌶️

One of the reasons I couldn’t put these books down was because of how interesting the premise was. Selene is a witch, but every time she uses her magic, she loses her memory. In order to join a coven and finally find a place where she feels like herself, she must go on a magical quest. While on this quest, she accidentally unleashes a supernatural force—Memnon—who believes Selene is his ancient wife Roxilana who betrayed him. Of course, chaos ensues from there 🤯🤯🤯

That alone hooked me and made me sprint through Bewitched AND Bespelled. I love love LOVE romantasy stories that have both an intriguing plot and a romance that gives me all the feels. Enemies to lovers is my FAVORITE romance trope, but Laura Thalassa made me discover I actually love enemies to lovers BACK to enemies. There’s something about the pining and the anger that just works 👏🏻

Memnon and Selene’s energy and banter is addictive. There are so many plot twists and moments where I gasped, and I enjoyed seeing Selene come into her power and confidence. The mystery-elements were a nice touch too, and based on the reveal at the end of book 2, I know the next book is going to be just as good. I also need Memnon and Roxilana’s love story. I can’t wait to see where this series goes!

WOW! I slept on this book for way too long. I inhaled this world and cannot wait to dive back into it. Witches, Fated Mates, badass Familiars, and and very different take on the price one might pay for power? I am all in. I loved the Bargainer Series by Laura Thalassa, but I think I love this one even more (at least so far). 5 Stars! Thanks to NetGalley who provided an ARC for an honest review.

OMG! ABSOLUTELY in love!!

My first Laura Thalassa book and definitely won’t be my last. What a ride and what a plot!! Everything I crave for in a romantasy is here. The enemies to lovers, touch her and die, soul mates, morally grey MMC tropes make this unforgettable. And Memnon, oh my! He can trigger my feminist but who can say no to this ancient yet breathtaking man? Selene struggles with her feelings and honestly my girl Selene, I understand 🫠.

I have nothing but praise for this book. Well written with wonderful characters, plot twists, character arcs, premises and spark. Definitely continuing with the series and can’t wait to see how their eternal love challenges time and space itself.

Thank you Bloom Books for my ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I really like Laura Thalassa’s writing and books and am happy to say I really liked this one as well! More than her Four Horsemen series, but not as much as The Bargainer.

This book was super bingeable and I loved the bread crumbs it left through the book! I have so many questions(in a good way)!! And the ending left me DYING for the next book.

I LOVED Memnon, but had a harder time with Selene. He fell first and was all about Selene, trying to convince her they were destined and that he loved her. She always seemed bothered and didn’t want anything to do with him!!! It drove me nuts how hard she was fighting it.

Solid 4⭐️ read and can’t wait for Bespelled!!

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

Are you looking for a book that is pure escapism? Check this one out.

A 20-year-old witch discovers there’s a fine line between love and hate in Laura Thalassa’s Bewitched.

Pick up this new adult paranormal fantasy romance for its mysteries, flashes of forbidden magic, main character’s unconventional familiar, palpable tension and—pauses to fan self—chemistry.

There’s a young witch who loses her memories each and every time she performs magic.

There’s a protective panther familiar.

And there’s a growly, ancient—but shockingly well-preserved hero/anti-hero. If you like love interests who can switch from protective and soothing to vengeful and full of wrath at the flip of a switch, this man’s for you.

(This is the first book in a series.)

I received copies of the book from Bloom Books. All review opinions are my own.

I am obsessed with this book so much!

This paranormal romance is one to die over! I loved every second. The drama, the shade, the anger, the mystery, the smut. All freaking perfection. I wish I had a coherent thought to get out about this book, but honestly my head is just full of internal and eternal screaming over how much I loved this.

LIKE GIIIRLLLLLLLLLL. If you want lovers to enemies to lovers, soulmates, ancient curse, and a wholeeee lot of angst, check this one out.

This is a fun book about a witch with a massive memory problem, literally her magic eats her memories. When she is finally given the opportunity to apply to Henbane Coven, she must complete a quest that opens a whole can of worms that may take all of her magic and memories to get under control.

I enjoyed reading this book - it's a fast read with interesting characters, fun magic (pretty much anything goes), shifters, a massive walking red flag morally black male main character, a witches familiar, a dangerous curse, and fated mates.

If you enjoyed Harbringer and the Four Horsemen series, then you will also probably enjoy this story.

I mean I loved and hated Memnon throughout this book, how dare it toy with my emotions like that 😅 i nearly threw my kindle at one point…. In saying that I liked this book, it makes me want to read the next to see how the story pans out (which I will immediately). I think this is confirming that I really gel with Laura’s writing style. If you like fated mates, academia setting and a real bad villain, give it a go.

One-word review: Immersive
Emojis: 🧙🫠😟
Rating: 4 🌟s

My thoughts:

Bewitched by Laura Thalassa, the first installment in the Bewitched series, is a captivating journey into an immersive world that is as steamy as it is wondrous, inviting readers to delve deeper into its mysteries.

The world-building in Bewitched is a captivating journey that drew me in from the start. The author has meticulously crafted a world filled with magical creatures, enchanting landscapes, and a complex social structure. While the characters may not be fully developed, the main characters' growth throughout the story is a compelling aspect that kept me engaged.

The amnesia trope, a unique and exciting element in the story, is part of a mystery that I believe I've solved, but the truth awaits in book 2. This intriguing situation had me happily suspending my disbelief. The pacing is fast, as the story is full of thrills and peril. The steamy parts are very steamy, though I fast-forward through them, as I tend to do.

This is a great new fantasy world that I'm excited to get back into with book #2.

I apologised for the late review due I was busy working and later unexpected emergency events. This is a 4 stars read ✨️ I like the characters so far!

Selene is a witch whose powers eat away her memories every time she uses magic. She keeps track of her life by journal keeping, a calendar, and tons of post it notes. In order to join the coven of her dreams she must go on a trip to really discover and connect with her powers. This lands Selene in South America via plane crash from another beings powers. As Selene follows the magic trail she finds herself a bad ass familiar but also releases Memnon the Cursed. Memnon believes Selene is his wife and soul mate from over 2000 years ago. When Selene makes it back home she is accepted into the coven, attending classes, enjoying parties with shifters, and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. This story was really intriguing and funny at times. It did sort of leave off on a cliff hanger but I was lucky enough to get an eARC so I didn't have to wait!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Highly recommend! If you love witches, werewolves, and maybe a bit of dark academia Bewitched will be right up your alley. There was a little bit of spice in it but it was more of a slow burn and not hyper focus on spice.