Name: Bespelled
Series: Bewitched #2
Author: Laura Thalassa
Publisher: Self Published
Format: Kindle (through KU)
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Magic, Adult
Noted Tropes: Fated Mates, Witches, Werewolves, Magical Academy, Enemies to Lovers
Steam or Spice: Spice
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
“Neither magic, nor time, can keep us apart. We are like the stars. Eternal.”
No one told witch Selene Bowers having a soul mate would be so difficult. Nor did they warn her that he might be a vengeful, ancient sorcerer who would frame her for murder, force her to remember a past life he swears she lived, and then coerce her into an unbreakable marriage pact. But that’s exactly what happens the night of the Samhain Ball, when Selene finds herself in a jail cell.
After waking from enchanted sleep, Memnon swore to discover why Selene betrayed him long ago. But when his soul mate’s memories return, the truth reveals something else entirely. Horrified by his own actions and desperate to make amends, Memnon offers Selene the unthinkable: a magic bond that will give her full control over his will. And Selene is desperate enough to accept it.
But other enemies still haunt Henbane Coven, Selene’s magical academy, and they’ve taken a keen interest in her. If she wants to stop them, she’ll need Memnon’s help. But partnering with the sorcerer is a tricky business, especially when he’s dead set on winning her heart. And that can’t happen…because the bond controlling him will break the moment she falls in love with him.
Review:
Bespelled is book two in the Bewitched trilogy, there may be spoilers for Bewitched in the below review.
I enjoyed Bewitched – I didn’t love it though. Bespelled was better, for me. I enjoyed it a lot more than Bewitched. I liked Memnon’s character a lot more in the sequel, and not because he changed all that much – he is still quick to violence, inapproriate and possessive but in the sequel we see a lot more of the Memnon that care’s for Selene and worships Roxi (Selene’s past life-self).
Liking the love interest, even in an Enemies to Lovers situation, helps enjoy the book a lot more. If you don’t care for them, then it’s hard to cheer for them. So perhaps that was what made Bespelled more enjoyable for me.
I spent the majority of the book thinking that Bespelled was the ending to a complete duology, so I did start getting frustrated when more plot hooks were being introduced towards the end of the book. Thankfully, Thalassa includes a ‘book 3 coming’ at the end of the book – as Goodreads doesn’t have it listed in the series page! But ultimately, I didn’t let that frustration drop the rating of Bespelled as that would be totally unfair.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the cliffhanger ending that Thalassa chose to go with in Bespelled. The ending of Bewitched had me itching for book 2, I wanted answers! But I just feel as though this ending is kind of like a ‘so what?’ kind of ending. At the end of the day, I will still read book 3 as I’m a sucker and I want to know how it ends. But for me, this was the main reason why I couldn’t bump this up to a 5, even though I enjoyed it a whole lot more than Bewitched.
The other reason I couldn’t bump the rating is simply because I can’t see myself wanting to reread these books or even recommend them to my friends (given that I’ve got some many more amazing books that I’m trying to get them to read) – this series just don’t trump any of them. I like the characters, I like the magic systems (even though I still think that the whole ‘magic comes with a price’ idea has been almost abandoned given Selene’s reveal) and I do really enjoy Thalassa’s writing style (I fully intend to read her four horseman series!) but it just isn’t a perfect read for me. And that’s okay! You’re allowed to enjoy the book and still not rate it perfectly.
“Call me a monster, call me a devil, but you and I both know I will fucking shatter the rules for you.”
Reading With Tyler 
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