Dämonische Sinnlichkeit

Love and Magic #5

by Nadine Mutas, Tatjana Becijos (Translator)

Dieses Buch enthält einen charmanten Dämonenhelden, herrlich bissiges Geplänkel, etliche F-Wörter, heiße Szenen und eine wohlerzogene Hexe, die lernt, sich zu entspannen.

Eine Nacht. Das ist alles, was sie benötigen, um einander aus dem Kopf zu bekommen.

Das behauptet zumindest der Dämon Tallak, als er der Hexe Hazel Murray eine Nacht mit hemmungslosem Matratzensport vorschlägt. Tallaks Ziele im Leben sind einfach – nach mehr als zwanzig Jahren in einem Fae-Kerker will er einfach nur seine Freiheit genießen und eine gesunde Beziehung zu Basil aufbauen, seinem einst totgeglaubten Sohn. Mit der Hexe was anzufangen, die Basil aufgezogen hat, ist hingegen keine gute Idee und das Gegenteil von einfach.

Als Ältestenhexe und Oberhaupt ihrer Familie hat Hazel genug damit zu tun, die Hexengemeinschaft nach dem Ende des Krieges vor der Zersplitterung zu bewahren. Dem biologischen Vater ihres Adoptivsohns nachzustellen, steht also ganz unten auf ihrer To-do-Liste. Zumal dieser ein kürzlich aus dem Gefängnis ausgebrochener Dämon mit einem fragwürdigen moralischen Kompass ist. Eine verantwortungsvolle Hexe und Mutter würde sich von ihm fernhalten. Aber Hazel war so lange so brav … und vielleicht ist es an der Zeit, ein kleines bisschen unartig zu sein.

Genres: Paranormal, Magic, Romance, Demons, Fantasy, Witches, Paranormal Romance

406 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2023

About the author

Nadine Mutas is the award-winning author of paranormal romances featuring demons and witches and lots of forbidden love. Her debut novel, To Seduce a Witch’s Heart, won the Golden Quill 2016 for Best Paranormal Romance as well as the Published Maggie Award 2016 for Paranormal/Fantasy, and the latest installment in her Love and Magic series, To Enthrall the Demon Lord, is a finalist in the prestigious RWA® RITA® Award 2018 for Paranormal Romance.
After obtaining a university degree in the subjects job counselors like to warn you about (“There’s no money in humanities!”), Nadine is now writing full-time and introvertedly thriving from her home office. You can usually lure her out of her socially awkward shell by striking up a conversation about languages (keywords: Indo-European family; relation of Sanskrit to Ancient Greek) and watch her geek out for the next hour.
She currently lives in California with her college sweetheart, beloved little demon spawn, and two black cats hellbent on cuddling her to death (Clarification: Both her husband and kid prefer her alive. The cats, she’s not so sure about.)
Nadine Mutas is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and the Silicon Valley Romance Writers of America (SVRWA), the Rose City Romance Writers (RCRW), as well as the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal chapter of the RWA (FF&PRW).

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
4½ stars.





➕ What I liked :

A heroine that is 45+.👍
(Rather unusual in paranormal romance and fantasy romance.)

A heroine that acts her age more or less.... and is Not written as a 20 something but as the 40 something heroine she is … and she is Not written in a stereotypical or cliché way either like some older/mature heroines are in the romance genre.... and the heroine does not obsess about her age at all either.👍👏

Older/mature couple.👍👏👏
(Heroine is 45+ and hero is at least 45+ their ages are never really mentioned but from how they talk about their past etc. and that both main characters have children that are 20+....along with some other info... that is a rough estimation of their ages.)

Some funny moments.

Some sweet moments.

Good chemistry and romantic build up.

Intriguing and interesting main characters.

Interesting side characters.

Good and interesting plot.

Good steam.

Rather good balance of mystery and “action” and romance.

A supernatural hero that is not wealthy or filthy rich… but a hero that has a “ordinary job” as a bartender… and does some demon hunting as “side hustle”.


No pregnancy or babies at the end of the book.
(But both the main characters have adult children from past relationships.)






➖ What I disliked:

Some parts dragged a little bit.
(Mostly how long it took the heroine to figure out the mystery with the murder/human sacrifice and the sigils.)

The character description/visual appearance of the heroine is a tiny bit on the vague side.
(There is some information/ description about the heroine…..like eye color/hair color and some information about her body type/shape and that she is attractive… but it is rather vague and sparse.)

Formulaic in the character description/visual appearance/character choice of the hero.
(Hero= tall, muscular, very handsome)

[Elle ♡ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I definitely read this a lot slower than usual mostly because when I finally get a long awaited book I want to savor it, ya know? If you read it too fast it's just gone. In this case I waited 5 years haha so I definitely tried to savor. I should clarify also that it's not like I was rabid for this particular book/couple, I just enjoyed this series and wanted to see it continue so it's exciting that it finally did. That said I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked Hazel and Tallak as a couple, but it didn't totally fulfill all of my pent up dreams and expectations of which there were a lot due to the whole five year wait thing. Honestly I can't even tell you if my rating is fair or not because this series is so nostalgic for me at this point and I have a lot of fondness towards it.

Things I did enjoy: Tallak and Rhun's bromance. That has been brewing for a while and in this book they finally became besties and it was cute. That said I could've done with a few less scenes of them if I'm being honest and more scenes featuring parent/kid bonding (I'll get into that below). I also loved seeing Tallak's growth and him simping for Hazel. Aided by Rhun's sage advice Tallak became exactly who Hazel needed and was mindful of her trauma/went at her pace and only took what she could give at the time all while making sure his actions made it so she'd hopelessly fall in love with him. I also liked that both Tallak and Hazel are older/more mature characters. Hazel is a mom to 26 year old twins, has been married before and seen some shit. Tallak is also now finally able to be a father to Basil, his estranged son of 26 years. I wouldn't have expected to get a book about Hazel or even want one when this series began, but the way the author built up the tension between Hazel and Tallak slowly over a few books I'm definitely glad we did.

That said there were unfortunately a lot of things in this book that annoyed me or I was expecting to get more of and didn't so I'm gonna rant a bit. My biggest issue with this book was that I really wanted more interaction with Rose, Hazel's long lost changeling daughter who was raised in Faerie and basically enslaved from the ages of 6 to 26. As in book 1 where Merle and Rhun were trying to find Maeve but honestly taking their sweet time about it and romancing each other I feel like this author really has an "out of sight, out of mind" problem with these side characters and Rose was largely ignored in this book. If I were Lily, Rose's identical twin, I would be wracked with 'survivors guilt' (undeserved to be sure) or something approximate that Rose was the twin who got swapped and not me and chomping at the bit to make up for 26 missed years of sisterly connection and ease her into life in the human world. If I were Basil, the fae/demon changeling that got swapped with Rose, I would feel immense amounts of guilt that I was the reason she got swapped and lived a horrible life in Faerie while I was raised by her loving mother Hazel (the guilt would also be undeserved) and try to establish a brother/sister relationship. If I were Hazel I'd be a literal mess (which she was honestly) and desperate to connect with the daughter that was stolen from me by any means necessary. However, what the author showed was a fuck ton of ambivalence towards Rose. Neither Basil or Lily made any real effort to get to know Rose, it was always "we asked her to have breakfast and she said no" like BITCH, maybe pour your heart out to her and try fucking harder? Where's the emotion? Where's the desperation? Same with Hazel, they were all being so "respectful" that Rose hadn't been able to make any decisions for herself and that she's an "adult" and they need to let her make her own decisions and do whatever she wants...even at extreme detriment to herself. They saw her coming back at all hours of the night, no idea where she'd been, sometimes with blood on herself...like?!?!? I get giving her space and agency, but at the same time like stage a fucking intervention. Show her you care. Have a heart-to-heart and get through to her. This girl was abused and tortured for decades, by all accounts not properly socialized, had no friends, no agency, I don't think she would be a real 'adult' after that 'upbringing' and I certainly wouldn't send her out into the human world, of which she has no real knowledge, unprepared (doesn't have real knowledge of her witch powers to defend herself) and vulnerable to demons and humans who would AND DID take advantage of her. Like wtf is wrong with these people. Rose was out all night every night getting black out drunk and going home with demons that might hurt or kill her and at the very least 1000000% taking advantage of her sexually probably further traumatizing her and everyone just let it happen...make it make sense. *slight spoilers* Eventually Tallak gets through to her and she immediately cleans up her act...like one conversation...that's all it took 🙄 *slight spoilers over*

Next, I wanted more Basil/Tallak bonding. I love a single parent romance so even though these kids are all grown up I really wanted more interactions between the kids and parents. We know Basil and Tallak hang out, it was often mentioned in the background, but we never got a full scene or interaction between them just a passing sentence or two. I think that would've been sweet and maybe she could have cut out one Rhun scene and given Basil some page time? On that same vein, Basil's mate Isa is the fae bounty hunter that turned in Basil's mom/Tallak's lover and is therefore partially responsible for her death so I would have LOVED to see Tallak and Isa have ANY sort of interaction at all, either a conversation about that where they make amends or just maybe they're already past that so a little bonding, but nope. Nothing. So that was really annoying to me because that's a huge fucking thing for your son to mate the woman who facilitated the death of your lover/mother of your child and we don't get to see Tallak's emotions about it or anything. It was glossed over in Basil's book so I thought now would be a great time to get Tallak's POV on it all, but nope.

The witch community. My god I hate them all. The way they're described it seems like there's only a few families, but every book a billion of them die, but there are still more so like ??? Idk, but they're just endlessly dumb and stubborn. The author had a real opportunity here to make witches badass and instead I just think they're all the worst. Even the "good" ones are pig headed and slow to see common fucking sense. Only women are capable of being witches, they were given powers by gods and their purpose is to defend humanity...like pretty cool opportunity to have women save the world and defend what's right, but instead it's just a bunch of hoity-toity, stick up there ass, sabotauging, power hungry, catty, discriminatory, evil bitches. I have no idea how those losers can ever be redeemed, but whatever.

Plot-wise I felt like who the 'big bad' in this book was glaringly obvious and took way too long to parse out. Also, since this is a romance book Tallak and Hazel inevitably have a falling out and I felt like they blew that waaaay out of proportion. What he said wasn't that bad at all and something they could easily overcome he obviously just said something mean in the heat of the moment, everyone was acting like he decapitated her cat and called her a cunt, like chill.

This is a random thing that pissed me off, but Tallak said "Despite not being biologically related, Lily and Baz displayed an impressively realistic sibling relationship, good-natured bickering and all.".... "Impressively realistic"....the fuck? That rubs me the wrong way so hard. Have you ever heard of adoption? Those two grew up believing themselves twins that shared a womb. Even if they knew that wasn't true and were raised knowing Basil was 'adopted' I don't think their bond would be less "realistic" like wtf does that even mean. I know this is just like a slip of the tongue/author probably didn't mean to word it that way, but it just makes me rage-y 🤷🏼‍♀️ what can I say.

*Slight spoilers for the next two paragraphs*
Maeve and Arwan were conveniently on a trip the entire book so when the witch community is in dire straits at the end of the book Deimos, Arwan's second in command, refuses to help because the witch community has still refused to pledge allegiance to Arwan and apparently that would make Arwan look weak. Nevermind the fact that this conflict puts Merle's unborn baby and Rhun in direct threat of DEATH. So obviously if Arwan or Maeve were there they wouldn't have let Arwan's brother in law and niece DIE, but conveniently the author has them out of the country and had Deimos be the go between/bad guy even though Maeve and Arwan were reachable...like bffr. That was weak as fuck.

Okay, last thing and this will be a thing I liked haha so I mentioned that Hazel and Tallak are more "mature" characters, but luckily Hazel popped out her now 26 year old twins when she was 17 or 18 years old so while she's in her early forties (her age was never explicitly stated) apparently the author thinks she's still at prime baby making age and heavily hinted that they'll have a baby😫 which I love. I just think that would be the cutest addition to their tangled family web and really solidify everyone's relationships with each other. And actually one more negative, I would have LOVED to see Lily and Basil's reaction to their parents getting together...another real missed opportunity.
*spoilers over*

Now it may seem like that long ass rant means I hated the book, I didn't, I just have a lot more to say about things that annoy me than things I like 🤷🏼‍♀️ dunno why that is, but it is haha Truly Tallak and Hazel were cute and this book was definitely Nadine's steamiest to date which I appreciated. Overall, a good addition to this series and here's to hoping the next book doesn't take quite as long to come out 😅

[Monesapula Nosizwe Manake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ARC PROVIDERED BY THE AUTHOR. I speed-read it the first time. Savored it the second time. Tallak with his language structure & filthy mouth. I'm still getting shivers thinking about it. HAF.
Hazel's fears gutted me. Rhun just slotting himself into Tallak's like nobody's business. I laughed louder when those two were together. The things that came out of their mouths, priceless & highly entertaining. The heat between Hazel & Tallak was jumping off the pages, smacked me in unmentionable places & left me shivering, dry- mouthed(is that even a word?) & absolutely drenched...

[Anastasia Padoan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diversamente dagli altri suoi titoli, la Mutas in questo volume approfondisce le tematiche sentimentali che legano la coppia mettendo invece la loro unione fisica su un piano già appurato e compatibile.
Tallak e Hazel sanno già di essere una coppia esplosiva, ma sono esplosivi non solo nell'intimità ma anche nei dialoghi perché non si sopportano. Entrambi hanno perso molti anni della loro vita imprigionati sia in senso letterale che figurato e trovare il loro posto nel mondo senza lasciarsi condizionare dal loro passato è quasi impossibile.
Adoro questa storia emotivamente più complessa dato che mi ha portata a sentirmi più affine ai vari sentimenti sviscerati e provati dai due.
La fine è come sempre dolce e appagante.
Aspetto con impazienza di sapere quando potrò apprezzare il prossimo volume della serie

[ALEXISAMAILIBRI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non mi aspettavo tutto ció, dei sospetti li avevo anch’io anche se non avevo pensato a chi Hazel pensa peró come lei ho avuto il sospetto.
Dinamici e divertenti ogni personaggio, sebbene parliamo in primis di Hazel e Tallak. Nonostante non mi ricordassi di loro, sapere ognuno la propria storia e’ stato fondamentale per tutto ció che avviene nel libro.
Il ritorno di una certa strega folle quanto la nipote, se non di più, la complicità anche della madre di quest’ultima, è stato abbastanza brutto da far scattare la rabbia, ben sapendo cosa siano avvenuti nei precedenti libri.
Ho amato tantissimo le interazioni tra Tallak e Rhun, come quest’ultimo gli dava dei consigli e lo facesse anche rinsanire su un determinato momento molto importante e fondamentale. Hazel del resto sa quando lottare, ma la rete del passato puó incidere nel presente e futuro, fino a quando tutto si stravolge da dover prendere delle decisioni drastiche e imminenti.
Pensavo che questo fosse l’ultimo libro di questa serie, invece ci sta un ultimo libro e sono ipercuriosa di sapere cosa succederà con Brahram con una certa fanciulla 😂. L’unica cosa certa è che ne vedremo delle belle
P. S. Si sono alternati momenti seri a momenti di pura gioia, nonostante i pericoli e le vicende che accadono, soprattutto se una communità è spaccata in due, ma che alla fine ritrova il senno della ragione

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like the characters acted like they were in their twenties. Why is Hazel besties with Merle and Tallak besties with Rhun? Merle is best friends with her daughters, why is she so close to her mom? Also, Lily was basically nonexistent and had no personality this whole book. Why is Rhun acting like some romance coach? It just adds nothing to the story and I hate that Tallak can’t just figure out these things on his own. Of all the relationships to spend time on, why did
it not have any between H and his son? Lastly, how could this end without getting to see the reactions of Basil and Lily about their relationship? It would have been so cute to have a moment of all of them together as a family. h also never found out that H is the one who helped her daughter with reaching out to her.

Plot:
- h is the mom and her fae changeling son’s dad is H
- H is a demon that absorbs the powers of whoever he kills
- H proposes they spend a night together to get it out of their system
- that makes it worse and they continue but with no strings
- h discovers that a witch is performing dark magic in a killing. H helps out
- h is also stressed out about her estranged daughter wanting nothing to do with her
- H feels the mating urge but decides to court her and then ask
- they start getting closer and H helps console her with life’s stresses
- while drunk, h reveals to H that she murdered her abusive ex husband
- H works at the bar and looks out for h’s estranged daughter and consoles her about not knowing how to reconcile with her mom
- h is hurt that they’re a secret bc in his precious relationship he was also a secret
- the witches refuse to switch alliances with the demon lord even though their gods r losing power
- H can’t control the mating urge and blurts it out asking h
- h freaks out, H is offended that he’s compared to the ex, lashes out, h banishes him from the house
- h gets a call that the witches r getting attacked but the demon lord wont help bc they haven’t pledged allegiance to him
- she also finds out that the ritual will create a ward killing all demons including her loved ones and rushes to stop it
- H goes after her to grovel and help but when she’s severely injured, he kills the witch responsible to use her powers to save h
- that leaves h no choice but to kill him to undo the ward that has begun
- h refuses and transfers the witches power and stops it
- they mate

[Anke Nürnberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endlich! Tallaks und Hazels Geschichte voller Humor und Leidenschaft!
Ich habe vor einigen Jahren den ersten Teil der Blut- und Magie Reihe entdeckt und war so begeistert, von dem Schreibstil und den Charakteren, dass ich sehnsüchtig auf jedes weitere Buch gewartet habe. Die Cover haben sich mittlerweile geändert und ich finde sie sooo hübsch, dass ich überlege mir die Reihe nochmal mit den neuen Covern zuzulegen!
So lange musste ich Hazels und Tallaks Geschichte warten und war begeistert, dass es nun endlich so weit war.
Hazel und Tallak sind aus den Vorgängerbänden bekannt. Hazel ist die Ältestenhexe und Oberhaupt ihrer Familie und versucht nach den geballten Ereignissen die Hexengemeinschaft zusammenzuhalten und ist einem neuen Verbrechen auf der Spur. Tallak will eigentlich nur seine Freiheit genießen und Zeit mit seinem Sohn verbringen, der auch Hazels Adoptivsohn ist. Das Knistern zwischen Tallak und Hazel war schon in den Vorgängerbänden zu spüren und es ist nur eine Frage der Zeit, bis die beiden übereinander herfallen.
Ich war sofort wieder in der Welt drin, durch die kleinen gestreuten Hinweise, kam die Erinnerung an die Geschehnisse auch wieder schnell zurück. Es war wie nach Hause kommen in die Blut und Magie Welt! Ich liebe es, dass wieder aus beiden Perspektiven geschrieben wurde, denn so hat man wieder den Überblick über die Gefühlswelt der beiden Protagonisten. Tallak ist düster und dunkel, trotzdem beschützt er das, was er liebt, und tut das richtige. Hazel versucht über alles die Kontrolle zu behalten, ist mutig und unabhängig, trotzdem sehnt auch sie sich nach jemandem mit dem sie die Last teilen kann. Ich fand es wunderbar, wie Tallak mit Hazel umgegangen und auf sie eingegangen ist.
Natürlich kommen auch wieder die Charaktere der Vorgängerbände vor und ich war begeistert! Ich liebe Rhun eigentlich, auch wenn die anderen männlichen Protagonisten umwerfend sind, kommt bei mir keiner an Rhun vorbei. Ich freue mich auf weitere Bände der Reihe, denn Rose und auch Bahram brauchen unbedingt eine eigene Geschichte!
Fazit: Ich liebe den Humor, die Charaktere und die Leidenschaft dieser Reihe!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one day. Less than a day, really. I could not put it down.

First, thank you to Nadine Mutas for the advanced reader copy!

Nadine Mutas has firmly cemented herself as my favorite adult paranormal romance writer. I always get exactly what I want from her books - morally grey male leads, strong female heroines, piping hot romance, and steamyyyyyy steamy scenes.

This entire series is easily one of my top 5 favorites, and when I tell you that I've been waiting literal YEARS for this book, I jumped at the opportunity to read an ARC.

okay, Hazel and Tallak. The premise of the story is very direct, so should know what you're getting into. Hazel and Tallak have the ultimate hots for each other and decide to spend a night together to "get it out of their systems." So, that's how the story starts. Yes, this is a very spicy story!

But, as life goes, it's not always that simple (don't we all know that FWB never work out? lol) Of course, feelings make things complicated. And remember, Hazel and Tallak essentially share a son - Hazel is Basil's adopted mother, and Tallak is his biological father. They're inextricably linked regardless.

Tallak continued the theme of snarky, dark and dangerous, sexy male leads that Mutas has perfected in all of her stories. His personality was the perfect juxtaposition to Hazel's more prim and proper demeanor. Together, they were explosive.

Please, if you love PNR and hot spicy books, read this series. In fact, I want to re-read it because I found myself forgetting some of the connections from the previous books - that's another thing to note, aside from being a great romance series, there is a whole entire complex world building element that stems multiple books and novellas. There is a web of characters and plot lines that all intersect and continue to drive the overall story forward for more books to come.

Loved it!!!! The problem with reading the book so fast is now I have to wait longer for the next book :(

[Dona DeSy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensualità demoniaca Nadine Mutas

Ancora una volta posso affermare che la Mutas è una garanzia .
In generale tutta la saga "Amore e magia" è una garanzia. Questo è il quinto capitolo; tutti i libri di questa saga possono tranquillamente essere letti da soli perché comunque i collegamenti vengono spiegati nello stesso libro, però consiglio sempre di iniziare dal primo, che tra l'altro è non solo il più bello, ma quello che introduce in maniera dettagliata tutto il mondo straordinario creato dalla Mutas . Ed è proprio questo il punto forte di tutte le storie, perché al di là del romance , la grande varietà di popolazione fantastica, la loro descrizione e la loro contestualizzazione è straordinaria. Inoltre seguiamo dal primo libro una storyline unica che viene ogni volta ricapitolata, ma che ovviamente viene maggiormente apprezzata se letta per ordine. Quindi insieme al decadimento delle "potenze" cioè le forze che danno poteri magici alle streghe, vendette, magia nera, c'è la storia di Tallak e Hazel . Tallak è un demone hæmingr , che per sopravvivere ha bisogno di assorbire la magia di una creatura soprannaturale, Hazel una strega capofamiglia.
Sono loro malgrado legati da un figlio in comune,Basil ( protagonista del terzo capitolo)che Tallak ha messo al mondo e Hazel ha cresciuto. Tra loro ci sarà un legame riconducibile al sottogenere hate-to -love , ben condotto a tratti bollente, piacevolissimo da leggere. Insieme a loro ritroviamo i protagonisti amatissimi del primo libro Merle e Rhun, ma anche Lily, Maeve e il potentissimo Arawn. Spiegare ogni piega della storia e ogni personaggio è impossibile in una sola recensione, posso solo dirvi che come lettrice affezionata ho aspettato questo capitolo per molto tempo e non ne sono rimasta delusa... anzi attendo con trepidazione l'annunciata sesta storia . Se cercate un Fantasy, divertente e sensuale questa saga fa per voi . ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Tempt a Witch to Sin: A Novel of Love and Magic - Nadine Mutas

This long awaited book proved beyond expectations. The tension that has been between Hazel and Tallak has only grown with time. Especially since both remember the episode in Fairy that they both agreed to never mention again.
Tallak is proving to be an attentive dad building a strong positive relationship with the son,Basil, he is finally able to get to know after 26 years. Tallak is a demon who was imprisoned in Fairy for 26 years. He has taken a job as a bartender in a bar hosting mostly supernatural and paranormal species. He also has his own apartment to not overstep Hazel’s hospitality but does spend a majority of time at their home.
Hazel pretended to be tolerating Tallak for her adoptive son’s sake but it was a mask for the unmistakable passion building between them. After some heart to heart talks and beatings with his new bromance with Rhun (from the first book) he is convinced that he has to find a way to win Hazel over. Tallak and Rhun are hysterical and their banter was one of the highlights of the book.
Tallak slowly chips away at Hazel’s cold demeanor despite his constant use of swear words especially the F word. The extra spicy romance was very epic, the back stories of friendship, family bonds and chaos in the witches society complete the fullness of the book. Character and world building were both awesome. Definitely read the five star series in order , and hopefullly there may be more in this series in the future!

[Barbara Ottani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo è il mio volume preferito di tutta la serie! 📖🌟

Chi ricorda Hazel, la mamma di Lily? Finalmente è il momento di scoprire tutti i segreti della sua affascinante storia.

Hazel è una donna forte, una vedova che ha ricominciato a vivere dopo un matrimonio tormentato con un narcisista manipolatore. I suoi figli sono ormai adulti e felicemente innamorati, ma due fattori complicano il suo presente...

Da un lato, c'è la sua figlia ritrovata, Rose, il cui comportamento tumultuoso mette alla prova il cuore di Hazel.

Dall'altro, c'è Tallak, un affascinante demone e padre biologico di Basil, il changeling che Hazel ha cresciuto come fosse suo figlio.

La passione tra Hazel e Tallak è scoppiata nel misterioso bosco di Faerie, ma avevano giurato che sarebbe stata l'unica volta. Peccato che nessuno dei due riesca a dimenticarsi dell'altro.

In questo volume, l'amore si intreccia con gli eventi della macrotrama, rendendo la storia ancora più avvincente. Hazel dovrà indagare su una serie di sacrifici sconvolgenti che colpiscono la comunità magica di Portland, mentre Tallak farà di tutto per conquistarla.

E finalmente, l'epico scontro finale ha il climax che stavamo aspettando! Questo è davvero il miglior volume della serie.

Ma la nostra avventura non finisce qui. Il sesto volume è in arrivo, non so quando, e non vedo l'ora di scoprire cosa ci riserva il futuro per i nostri amati personaggi.

[TenshiMari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never expected to love this series as much as I do. What started as a guilty pleasure turned out to be, well, an actual pleasure. This book is the longest, and also the spiciest in the series. 🌶️
I thought it was a tad too long at times, especially the entire mystery around the human sacrifices took Hazel way too long to connect the dots. I think they could've trimmed a lot of length from this book by actually progressing the entire mystery, instead Hazel made zero progress with deducing the purpose of the sigils for 80% of the book, only to rush into a massive grand finale the final 20%. Like yeah, I liked the stakes and the tension, and the climax was epic, but we could've spent way less time on Hazel chasing her own tail, going in circles. Aside from that, I loved this book, I loved the spice, the relationship, I didn't like Tallak at first, because he was being a dick, but when he genuinely starts trying to be a better person is when he grew on me. I appreciated them both being a bit older and their relationship feeling more mature as a result. They already have a family. I also am absolutely in love with this world the author has crafted, I love how all of the characters stay relevant and connected in each of the books, instead of dismissing them to focus on a new couple. The bromance between Tallak and Rhun was my favourite part of this book. I can't wait to read the 6th book coming out next year, though it'll be a long wait until then!

[Veevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice addition to the series... but it could have been better.

I would say that overall the writing, characters and plot flowed smoothly and were entertaining (I did give the book 4 stars after all!). So if you like the series I am sure you will like this one.

Some of the things that bothered me:

1) This book is supposed to be the spiciest of the series yet, and while it did have a good helping of spice, I just sort of found it falling a bit flat. I think the lust aspect of the relationship dominated everything else and basically every scene with the main characters ended up with sex. Which, you know, you do you (or them as it were), but I just ended up getting bored after the same sex scene happened for the fifth time. I was really hoping for some delicious tension before the explosive event, and what we got was like 4 chapters and then a sex marathon (literally).

2) Lily and Basil (+mates) were utterly flat in this book. I never read their books (sue me), because they never interested me and with the way they are presented in this book I weirdly get the feeling that they didn't interest the author either. Ruhn, Merle, Maeve and Arawan all have moments of being interesting, Basil and Lily basically don't exist in any meaningful way.

3) The plot felt a bit worn out, with basically the same witch conflicts repeated repeatedly (ha!). I am over racist witches, give me something else.

[Annalisa Silvestre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ho letto questo libro in un weekend e praticamente l'ho divorato, non riuscivo a metterlo giù.
Grazie a Nadine Mutas per la copia in anteprima, non vedevo l'ora di leggerla.
La storia di Tallak e Hazel mi ha fatto storcere il naso all'inizio forse perché li vedevo troppo "adulti" per poter apprezzare la loro storia ma mi sono piacevolmente ricreduta.
Tallak ha dimostrato una personalità sfaccettata e si è dimostrato un padre ideale per Basil sopperendo agli anni di prigionia che l'avevano allontanato. Il suo modo scurrile di parlare mi ha fatto ridere in più di un'occasione. *SPOILER* l'incantesimo che Hazel gli ha lanciato che cambiava la parola c***o con miao. *FINE SPOILER*
Hazel dal canto suo è finalmente fiorita. Ha avuto i gemelli quando era da poco adulta, 18 anni, e li ha cresciuti da sola poiché il suo compagno la maltrattava. Non è mai fiorita come donna e grazie a Tallak ci riesce.
È questa la parte della loro relazione che mi piace e che l'autrice afferma nei suoi libri ovvero che le relazioni per essere sane devono essere equilibrate anche con molte differenze come anche l'essere un demone e una strega.
Posso solo dire che l'attesa ne è valsa la pena Nadine Mutas si è affermata una penna e un'autrice valida come con i suoi precedenti libri.
Non vedo l'ora di scoprire la storia con Rose

[runofthemillwallflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This! This book right here gave me life and joy and excitement all while breaking my heart.

I have been waiting for Tallak and Hazel's story with bated breath. I just knew every interaction they had would be filled with so much damn heat! Never has snarky banter between two characters been such foreplay for me. This is the steamiest book in the Love and Magic series so far.

Tallak and Hazel have history, Hazel raised Tallak's son (Basil) and in To Stir a Fae's Passion we learn why and how these two go in to fae territory on a rescue mission where things take place. Fast forward and TTAWTS is born! These two are the poster children for "a thin line between love and hate."

Aside from the love story we also have some intrigue and continuation to not only the tensions brewing with the draconians but awakening GODS.

What I loved
Morally grey Tallak and his creative insults
The layered being that is Hazel
Enemies to FWB to mates
Public displays of sexy times
Tallak and Hazel centric
The failed attempt of "only one night to get this out of our system."
Character development

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

more like 3.75 stars!

i didn't expect to like hazel and tallak's story as much as i did but it was fun! i'm not sure if it's because this is a first time read compared to the other books where it was a second time read, but maybe this could be my favorite entry? to be honest, i didn't care too much about hazel just because she kind of seemed like in the background and was basil + lily's mom but reading her backstory and seeing how much she loves her children was so heartwarming. i really think that hazel and tallak's strength is that they both aspire to be good parents and that's really respectable. i like reading about tallak's carefree nature and how he tries to bring that out of hazel esp. after all that she went through with her ex-husband. and hearing that she killed him was so satisfying.

there were a little bit of frustrating parts, namely due to miscommunication (like yeah tallak why did you say those hateful words to hazel at the end that seemed a bit ooc) and distrust but overall the chemistry made the book fun.

[Marie Brown (Marie's Tempting Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH, HOLY HOTNESS ON A CRACKER, TO TEMPT A WITCH TO SIN IS ONE OF THE BEST, EXHILRATING, MOST AMAZING BOOK OF 2023 SO FAR!

I have waited so long for another Nadine Mutas story, and when the newest novel of Love and Magic was in the works, I got so excited I could hardly contain it! I have been so EAGER to get a hold of this book and read Tallak and Hazel's story that when I finally got my chance at an ARC, I RAN, not walked to get this book. The wit, the charm, the seduction, endless spice, laugh out loud banter, and heart pounding suspense was breath catching and simply put, INCREDIBLE! I didn't want this book to end.

There is just something special about Tallek and Hazel that sent wonderful tingles and warmth through my entire being that was in one word ADDICTING! This book in its entirety gets an EASY FIVE INCREDIBLE, MOUTH-WATERING STARS!! If I could, I would grab ALL the stars and put it down because this book was and is beyond AMAZING!

[Giada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro bellissimo che tiene incollati alle pagine fino alla fine. E' diventato il mio preferito della serie infatti ho fatto mattina perchè non riuscivo a smettere di leggere.
Sono rimasta affascinata dalla trama super avvincente che continua dalla precaria ripresa della comunità stregata dalla guerra tra le due fazioni con un nuovo terribile mistero di sottofondo. Ma soprattutto ho amato alla follia le interazioni tra i personaggi che, nonostante la tensione per il pericolo, rimangono comunque spensierate senza stonare e che mi hanno strappato ben più di qualche risata di cuore.
E' raro che nelle serie si intreccino così bene i personaggi dei libri precedenti ma qui sembra di entrare in famiglia con divertenti battibecchi e minacce che volano insieme ai batticarne.
Ho avuto la fortuna di poterlo leggere in anteprima perciò me lo sono goduto come un regalo inaspettato e bellissimo e non posso che consigliarne la lettura a tutte/i non appena uscirà.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every scene with this couple had me cheering on the deepening relationship. The ups and downs, the fights, the support, the banter, the endearing name calling. You just can't help but cheer Tallek & Rhun on. Also we get a lot of insight into what makes Hazel tick. But back to the important part... There is some truly creative name calling here. Like you might want to take notes. I may or may not have choked on my drink a couple of times. Several moments like the venom conversation had me literally laughing out loud.

If you like your paranormal romance books Hella sexy, extra spice, a heavy dose of humor and a finale to make you hold on tight, look no further.

[ajscenic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think the series could get better after Maeve’s story but I sooo happy to say that it does.
Hazel is surrounded by people but is lonely. She puts everyone’s happiness above her own and is desperate to forge a relationship with Rose.
She is also perturbed by Tallak. The man drives her mad but at the same time cannot get him out of her mind.
Tallak cannot forget Hazel. He cannot look away when she is in the same room. She is luminous.
Both Hazel and Tallak are like moths to a flame and when together the scenes are sizzling.
The story is complex, sharp and witty. The scenes are memorable. The romance is toe curling. This is an immersing read and well worth the wait.

[Tijei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da dove inizio? Come sempre Nadine Mutas è capace di farmi ridere fino alle lacrime e divertire come pochi sanno fare (che Rhun sia sempre coinvolto è un puro caso).
Ho avuto l'onore di leggere in anteprima l'ultimo capitolo della saga "Amore e magia" e che dire: ennesimo capolavoro.
Mix perfetto tra scrittura scorrevole, dialoghi dinamici, protagonisti da sogno e scene (soprattutto hot) ben descritte. BEN. DESCRITTE.
Anche in questo libro mi sono innamorata del protagonista maschile, il bello e tormentato Tallak, e ho riscoperto amori passati (adesso ho bisogno di rileggere la storia di Alek e Lily. Ottimo.)
Quindi che altro dire, ad Aprile correte in libreria ad acquistare questa meraviglia e lasciatevi incantare da questo mondo!

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final (I think?) instalment of this series!! I’ve loved reading these books and I enjoyed the how the author wrote the male leads for all the books! Ruhn is my all time favourite and I loved how he was more present in this novel but OMFG I am OBSESSED with Hazel and Tallak!! I wish they had another novel even if it’s just a short snippet on how Basil and Lily reacted to their relationship! (Was disappointed we didn’t see this in the book tbh) Tallak is on my list of “fictional dream husbands” followed / alongside Ruhn (gah! I honestlt can’t choose between them 😭😭) overall I loved this series and will be adding the author to my watch list!!

[Camillia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book! It hooks you in right from the get go. You learn a lot more about these characters you've seen in her previous books. Tallak and Hazel are two very strong beings in their own right and watching them duke it out (figuratively and sometimes sexily) is funny, amazing, and filled with anticipation. The plot will have you guessing and sleuthing through the whole thing. The world building and character development are spot on and I've never been disappointed after reading one of these books. I laughed out loud multiple times and at one point I even teared up a little bit.

[Natasha Bovee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so worth the wait! We’ve known Hazel since the beginning and have gotten to know her a bit better through Lily’s and Basil’s books, but in this one you get a true sense of what happened to her in the past and how it has affected her. We also get to see that Tallak has a lot more depth to him than just the snarky, swearing demon that he presents to the world. His main goal after escaping the fae is to get to know Basil and to be present in his son’s life. He’s so drawn to Hazel and it’s fun to see how his plan to “get her out of his system” completely fails.

[Kacie Dale McKinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was down right phenomenal loved it Hazel and Tallak were epic. It's full of love, friendship, and will have you laughing so hard you'll be crying and yeah there is going to be some drama but what can you do when your a Witch! And the guy you fall for is a smoking hot demon hehe, there are some sexy scenes, they do have some ups and downs. Really loved it that Tallak and Basil got to form a Father Son relationship, and the bromance between Tallak, Rhun, and Bahram are down right hilarious! Don't want to give anything away just so happy to read this series again but I will say this some scene's will have you guessing what's going to happen next. Ending was sweet and hilarious at the same time can't wait for more! *I received a ARC and leaving my review*!

[Karen Mastellaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intrigante, divertente, ingegnoso un libro che ti incatena alle pagine e quando lo hai finito ne vuoi ancora, Mrs Mutas ha creato un'altra meraviglia, Tallak è spassosissimo, sboccato, ironico e in coppia con Ruhnn è una meraviglia (mamma mia se mi era mancato Ruhnn). Le magliette e i cuscini di Tallak li voglio pure io! Adesso viene la parte dolente... devo aspettare per il prossimo e sto già friggendo.
Non vedo l'ora di leggere cosa farà un certo Dio caduto visto cosa ho letto nell'ultima pagina, prevedo che qualcuno sarà torturato per benino

[Alibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowzer. The anticipation for this book was next level for me, and Tallak and Hazel did not disappoint. Scorching passion...check.... shew no wonder Tallak melted Hazel's protests against falling for Mr. Demon.... especially when that unexpected sweet side came out. Laughter upon laughter...check. I devoured this story, loving Tallak and Hazel's story. You have a mystery that needs solving, hysterical banter, some suspense and a HEA to melt your heart!

[Lyric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spatchula *chef's kiss*

The wait was 1000% worth it! It seems like every new book in the series becomes my new favorite couple. The spice level was perfection, bromance was by far my favorite part everytime and the mystery was stupendous because it left me guessing! Beyond excited for what's next (was hoping for Arwan's second in command to be the next but still a happy camper) and demand more bromance interactions

[Hanot Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the chance to read the book in preview. The passion, the humour, the adventure, the magic is palpable throughout and makes us vibrate with the heroes. Tallak’s pungent humour is simply superb. The whole series of books takes us into a steamy an sensuel universe but with this volume the author has outdone herself, taking us once again into a beautiful world. I hope there will be many more.

[Nancy Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coup de coeur

J'ai adorée ce roman! Un gros coup de coeur.
C'est la première oeuvre que je lis de cette auteure et bon sens ça ne sera pas le dernier !

J'adore sa plume et ses personnages.
Les intrigues, l'action et les dialogues sont parfait
Le tout est fluide et addictif.

Roman pour public majeur car il y a plusieurs scènes torrides explicites