Better Than Hex

Spellbound Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series, Book 5

By: Annabel Chase

Narrated by: Emily Lawrence

Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.

Struggling to make sense of recent changes in her life, witch-in-training Emma Hart decides to pursue therapy as well as a budding friendship with Markos, the town's most eligible minotaur and a talented architect. When the building inspector turns up dead in Markos' latest design, Emma quickly finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation. To top it off, she's defending a young werelion whose possession of a deadly substance has everyone wondering whether his intentions were equally deadly. Despite these distractions, Emma can't stop thinking about fallen angel Daniel and his heartbreaking decision.

But if Emma doesn't manage to clear her head of all these distractions soon, she might just become the killer's next victim.

Contains mature themes.

©2017 Red Palm Press LLC (P)2020 Tantor

better than hex

Again, I really like this series and can't wait to start next story! Fun & easy listening!!

Fun

This series is fun, entertaining and light hearted. The characters are interesting and the narrator changes the characters tones easily.

SPELLBOUND IS A FITTING NAME FOR THIS SERIES

I AM HOOKED ON THIS SERIES, AND THIS BOOK DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. I FEEL EMMA'S ANGUISH, GARTH'S FRUSTRATION, MARCO'S WARMTH, AND I FIND THE SCAREY GRAY SISTERS BOTH REPULSIVE AND HILARIOUS. SO MUCH MORE, BUT READ IT FOR YOURSELF (AND START WITH BOOK 1, IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE SERIES, TO DATE.)

So interesting

I just love this series. It’s so entertaining. I can’t wait for what is next for the town.

Emma Goes to Therapy Wedding Bell Weirdness

It is so interesting that the events in this books are occurring within the same month often beginning only days after the last volume left off. It makes me realize I have no real sense of the size of Spellbound, which feels increasingly important as all the inhabitants are stuck here often as immortals forever. The dynamics of this in what may be quite a small town are intense (for instance so many back to back murders and political change), but perhaps this is a larger metropolis, it's hard to say.

Mental health has been a theme the author has brought up for several volumes now in discussing the use of anxiety potions for her chronic anxiety, as well as how Spellbound inhabitants just like regular humans often dismiss or do not discuss mental health issues such as depression but instead ignore or deny them. So was a littler surprising when Emma decides to go to "therapy" and is seeing a vampire that insists they day drink during session while the therapist tries to one up Emma in who has it worse. It seems to be used as comedic flare but felt weird after the author has seemed to want to address the importance of mental health and getting support.

Even weirder is Emma's theories about Daniel's upcoming marriage. Even Emma's friends start to point out their concerns about her fixation on this. And I will admit the more volumes the author keeps trying to convince me of Emma's love for Daniel and their special connection the stranger it feels. For instance if a male character was behaving and professing the same things towards Emma after such limited interactions (again we are only a month or two into Emma being in Spellbound) it would clearly come off as creepy. A lot of the story for me was lost in this one around Emma's behavior but overall I still really enjoy the narration, world, and cast of characters and wish to continue. But this was in my opinion not as good as the last few volumes. I am curious about how things will wrap up around the Emma/Daniel angle and hope the story will move on from it.

Love this series!!!

This series is amazing. I love the main character and all the secondary characters. I love how they go into details of the town and all the different supernatural beings that live there.