Charmed Souls by Abbi Glines is available from all major retailers, as of January 6th! This novel is a Witchy, paranormal romance with lots of charm, and even more steamy encounters! Thank you to The Next Step PR for an ARC of this story!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Every Kamlock witch is cursed- not that any of them would complain. Cursed with powerful beauty and allure, their siren abilities lead rich men to their deaths. Cat just wants a normal life, and refuses to fall in line with her hateful family. With a nifty repelling charm and a few close friends by her side, Cat is nearly as human as the rest of us.
Until Rathe Scott enters the picture. For some reason, he can see through Cat’s magic to the girl who truly lies beneath. He wants to know Cat, to understand her, to get past her shield and explore the deeper connection between them. And despite her history, Cat wants to let Rathe in more than she wants anything.
But how far will Cat go to protect Rathe when a dangerous Warlock starts following her, testing her, questioning her true power? What can Cat do when faced with saving Rathe, or saving herself?
I have mixed feelings on this one. First, I love every Abbi Glines romance, and when I heard this was a fantasy romance, I was immediately hyped. Her trademark forbidden romance? Check. The conflict of families leading to crazy, heartbreaking drama? Check. A huge plot twist in the last few chapters that leads to the crash and burn of our leading characters, that we can only hope they will recover from? That’s right, mix all these contemporary themes together, plus a little Witchy magic, and add an unfinished ending. There you have it, Charmed Souls.
Not that there is anything wrong with this- I love all of Abbi’s work, and her novels are always a comfort read for me. But I felt the romance was the biggest component of this story, the magic being sidelined, with very few moments to shine, until closer to the end. I feel like my expectations is what disappointed me the most, but looking back, I enjoyed nearly every other part of this story.
I really enjoyed “love triangle”, which was hardly a triangle as Cat only had eyes for one guy. I, personally, thought that was super refreshing and I enjoyed the slow burn of Rathe and Cat’s relationship. I thought that the idea of Cat being “cursed” but “unique” was a nice twist to her magic, but it did get slightly irritating that it was constantly brought up every time her magic was used (which I said before, was very little). I also loved the slight hints and clues that were being thrown around about the ending, but I still did not expect the twist, or the promise of a sequel (thank the lord there will be a second book!).
Overall, I enjoyed Charmed Souls. I was drawn in right from the beginning, and read this in nearly one sitting. Abbi Glines’ take on adult fantasy was dark and sexy (two of my favorite themes!), and let me wanting to know what happens next. I would just point this out for readers who enjoy light fantasy and prefer the suspense of romance, rather than the suspense of action. Anyone who likes Abbi’s other novels will undoubtedly fall in love with Rathe and Cat, much like I did!
Bookish Bex 