To Stir a Fae's Passion

Love and Magic #3

by Nadine Mutas

Includes a hero who is as sweet as he is sexy, and may cause intense yearning and unintentional hugging of your reading device. Maybe even licking.

Love is the lure that could break her curse—or her heart…

Growing up among witches as a rare and powerless male descendant hasn’t been easy for Basil Murray. When he learns his true identity, he’s all too eager to claim his own magic, but the tangle of lies that shaped his past might just kill him before he unlocks the secret to his powers.

And the beautiful fae whose life he saves may be at the center of it all.

Fae bounty hunter Isa’s days are numbered. The death curse she’s stalled will soon kill her, unless she ends the bloodline of the one who cursed her. And of course the last living descendant turns out to be the striking male to whom she now owes a life debt. Even worse, Basil has the nerve to unapologetically fall in love with her—and make her crave what she can never have...

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

246 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2017

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

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically the same as the last book. A little too insta love and I was bored a lot and just trudging through it. The only parts I really liked were Merle and Rhun parts which isn't surprising since book one's couple has been the only one I've actually liked. I was also hoping that we would get some deets or mentions about the age difference between the two of these MCs especially since their heroine being older than the hero (at least 26 years here) is rare in romance and could have been interesting if it was a bigger part of the story, so that sucked. Hoping the next book is good though.


Safety: Safe

No ow/om drama

No virgins or manhos (slight details of heros sex past)

No cheating

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

Original read: 2018
First reread: 2023

So I also skipped this book in my 2020 re-read of this series because I was too desperate to read Arwan and Maeve's book (book 4), but this book is definitely a necessary re-read to prepare for the newly released book 5, Hazel and Tallak's book, because this is when they first meet and lays the foundation for their relationship. Also I forgot how much groundwork was laid for Maeve and Arwan in this book because we get POVs from Merle and Rhun on a totally different storyline which involves Maeve so I loved that even though switching storylines like that isn't my favorite.

This book was better than I remembered and I don't think I would've skipped it 3 years ago if I remembered how much I liked it, I stand by my 4 stars especially since I read this in a day which is rare for me these days, felt nice😌. I liked that this book diverged from straight witch and demon business to the land of Faerie. Basil's mysterious parentage and backstory was interesting and I wish there was a bit more of it, honestly. Turns out his love interest Isa is intimately wrapped up in his tragic life story and I feel like that wasn't explored well enough. Basically Isa captured Basil's mom and turned her over to the royal court where she then died giving birth to Basil 26 years ago while his dad rotted in a prison cell. So obviously if Isa was already a badass bounty hunter when Basil was BORN, how old is she? That was seriously glossed over lol I love weird PNR age gaps so I don't have an issue with it, but like touching on it in a concrete way would be nice. I really liked Isa, she had a super hard life and was a truly morally grey character. She had no problem bringing in a pregnant woman to be 'punished' by the royal court whom she knows is corrupt. Her only drive in life is to survive by any means as she's had to do that on her own since she was 5 years old. This also allowed her to contemplate killing an innocent man (Basil) to break a curse that was killing her. Obviously, that didn't go to plan because ~romance~. I do feel that Basil and Isa's love could've been built up a bit better, definitely felt a bit too instalove, but I was into it. What I really needed more of was some father/son bonding because Tallak was just reunited with his long lost son he thought was dead and that never happened. Not only that but his long lost son is now mated to the woman responsible for capturing his lover/mother of his child and turning her in therefore responsible for her death and while his displeasure was made known I NEED MORE. I'm thinking book 5 is going to fill in all the backstory and bonding needs I didn't get from this book 🤞 Oh and also the reason Basil even journeyed into Faerie was to find Rose, Lily's twin/Hazel's daughter and the baby he was changeling-swapped with. I know it's a lot. Anyway I WANT MORE OF ROSE. She's had a hard ass life in Faerie...again, I'm hoping book 5 will provide some Hazel/Rose bonding and eventually Rose will probably get her own book.

Like I mentioned above I don't love flip flopping between storylines, it takes me out of the book too much and is distracting (a me problem, for sure), but I did find the Maeve/Merle/Rhun storyline compelling and important for the next book. SO excited for Merle and Rhun, but obviously their situation complicates their deal with Arwan (being as vague as I can in case you want to read this withouth spoilers lol sorry). As much as I wanted Maeve and Arwan to get together this storyline kinda broke my heart because Maeve was really just coming into herself again and everything was coming together so nicely 🥲 I'll leave it at that.

Overall book 3 was better than I remembered and I can't wait to re-read book 4 and finally get to read book 5 after waiting five whole ass years🥲

[ALEXISAMAILIBRI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giusto ad una settimana fa che lo iniziai questo libro, quest’oggi l’ho terminato e devo dire che è stato come sempre tanto bello e scorrevole quanto rilassante e in alcuni tratti divertenti, peró rispetto ai primi due mi ha coinvolto di meno, certo ci sono state parti che cercavo di capire chi fosse Tallak e Câlar e quali erano i loro scopi, oltre a conoscere più a fondo Merle e Rhun e di ció che hanno scoperto in questo libro e dovuto subìre per via del patto con Arawn.
Basil ha avuto una grande battosta nel scoprire realmente chi fosse e come si sia recaro senza alcuno aiuto a Faerie per riportare indietro Rose, i due da neonati sono stati scambiati... le fate su questo non cambieranno mai, amano scambiare bambini che “per loro sono malaticci” con bambini umani forti facendoli crescere come bambini fatati... ma non è ció che avvenuto tra Rose e Basil, loro sono stati mezzi di scambio per il potere nascosto del ragazzo... una vera crudeltà da fare per una madre, eppure Hazel lo ha sempre e ama ancora il suo bambino. Da Basil ho capito che farebbe qualsiasi cosa per la sua famiglia, nonostante ció che ha scoperto, poi è stato divertente quando ha incontrato Isa e le nominava spiegando Star Wars, il tipico nerd che si ama e da cui ci si sorprende.
Isa da canto suo è sempre stata restia ad innamorarsi per ció che ha avuto in passato, ma ogni fascino ha una conseguenza e ció vale anche quando incontra Basil; il loro incontro è stato piuttosto divertente e hanno incominciato a collaborare insieme scoprendo le cose dell’uno dell’altra anche se un po’ di meno fino a quando non vengono raggiunti da Câlar e si intravede quale sia il suo scopo
Verso i capitoli finali sono stata in ansia e sotto shock, con Basil che non poteva far nulla nel contrastare il potere di Câlar e con Isa che stava inerme a terra e in tutto ció pensavo:”Qualcuno lo fermi, dannazione!” Non vi dico altro, solo tutto è bene quel che finisce bene
4,5⭐️
Recensione di Alessandra

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

" …che tu sia maledetta, Isa della Pietra, a trovare la morte in una lenta agonia…"
.
Salve Fenici, oggi torno a parlarvi della saga Love and Magic di Nadin Mutas, che con il suo terzo volume intitolato Tentazione demoniaca, ci narra la storia di Basil Murray e Isa della Pietra.

Basil, gemello di Lily, sembra essere la rara eccezione della potente famiglia di streghe Murray. Nato privo di poteri e con un aspetto diverso dalla gemella, scoprirà di essere in realtà “qualcosa” di diverso. Scambiato alla nascita perché frutto di una relazione tra un demone Haemingr e una fatata, Baz scopre di avere in realtà grandi poteri di cui è intenzionato a entrare in possesso.

Si reca quindi a Faerie, dimora dei fatati, e qui si ritrova a salvare la vita di Isa. Ma le Potenze, sappiamo, sanno essere crudeli… La splendida fatata è infatti vittima di una potente maledizione, che è stata lanciata proprio dalla vera madre di Basil. L’unico modo per spezzarla e salvare la propria vita è quello di uccidere il suo ultimo discendente.

Le regole che governano Faerie impongono però a Isa di proteggere Basil e salvargli a sua volta la vita per ripagare il proprio debito, pena la morte istantanea. Solo allora potrà attuare il suo proposito… Ma le cose non andranno come pianificato e la fatata non potrà fare a meno di sottomettersi al volere del suo cuore.

«Non mi è mai accaduto tanto rapidamente, ma non mi dispiace. Potrei dirti che mi ci è voluto del tempo per innamorarmi di te, ma sarebbe una menzogna. E perché mai dovrei mentire riguardo ad una cosa che per me è così vera da essere dolore purissimo avvolto nel piacere?». Il fiato di Basil le accarezzò le labbra. «Mi sono innamorato subito. Perdutamente. E ti amo con tutto me stesso».

Con questo terzo volume la Mutas conferma, innanzitutto, la sua capacità di creare personaggi interessanti. Conosciamo meglio Basil, personaggio che nei precedenti libri resta sempre sullo sfondo e al quale non avrei mai immaginato l’autrice decidesse di dedicare un intero volume. Dolce e affettuoso, sempre protettivo nei confronti di tutte le streghe, Baz si rivela essere il personaggio più ardente tra le lenzuola, fra quelli finora descritti dalla Mutas.

Bellissimo anche il personaggio di Isa della Pietra. Una donna forte, che è stata costretta a crescere da sola, che non è abituata ad essere legata a qualcuno, nonostante il naturale bisogno di essere amata.

La scrittrice sancisce poi l’abilità di dar vita a storie intricate e accattivanti, prive di qualsivoglia cliché. Oltre a raccontare la storia dei protagonisti del libro, è in grado di portare avanti anche le vicende degli altri personaggi, creando le basi per i futuri volumi.

In questo libro ritroviamo, infatti, non solo Rhun e Merle e Lily e Alek, ma anche Meave e Arawn, coppia quest’ultima alla quale sarà dedicato quello che, per ora, è l’ultimo volume della serie: Passione demoniaca.

Alla prossima!
.
Dada - per RFS

[Sara Emme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un altro bellissimo libro!!! Mi è piaciuta la storia di Basil ma sono anche felice che l’autrice continui a raccontare la vita di tutti gli altri personaggi.

Ho scoperto da pochissimo Nadine Mutas ma ogni suo libro mi sta piacendo! Non vedo l’ora di leggere il prossimo della serie!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got lucky enough to read this book without ever reading the description of the book so I really had no idea what I was in for. With Nadine's books they've proven to be fantastic so why go in knowing anything. In this book we get just the right amount of insight into characters we already know and love and some furthering of a larger ongoing world. The focus, of course, is Basil and Isa and we have the pleasure of having their story unfold in an entirely new world for this series. I can't talk about favorite scenes without them being spoilers; let's just say I certainly held my breath. Can't go wrong with this Kick-Ass heroine and charming-kind hero not afraid to show his unflinching sexiness.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Basil's story and we finally get to learn his origins. A fae changeling exchanged at birth. Isa a fae bounty hunter appears and ends up being his unlikely other half. What was funny was some of the pop culture references during their conversations. Basil is really a cute nerd LOL. So another world is now unfolded and more interesting characters are introduced (eyes Tallak). Some emotional scenes in here especially the ones that happened separately with Rose and Merle. I'm really excited for the next one!!!!! I've been waiting since book 1!

Narrators Lia Langola and Jack Callihan were again awesome.

[Rosalie Redd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the Love and Magic series! Basil and Isa’s tale of love and romance takes you on a journey as they discover themselves and each other, growing together despite the odds stacked against them.

The author has a wonderful way with words and the love scenes are vividly rich and deliciously yummy. A wonderful book for any paranormal romance reader. If you like demons, witches, fae, and other magical creatures, this series is for you! Join Nadine as she takes you on a ride of love and magic…you’ll be amazed!

[Raff Duk * The Goddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

hai capito il 'tranquillo' Basil... ù.ù

[Sonia Donelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.esmeraldaviaggielibri.it/t...

Recensione di Sara – Tentazione demoniaca di Nadine Mutas, terzo volume paranormal romance della serie Amore e magia, pubblicato il 17 Maggio 2018 Self Publishing.

La prima cosa che ho imparato ad amare di questa serie è il messaggio di avvertenza iniziale. Ogni volta che leggo un libro di Nadine Mutas mi soffermo su quelle poche righe perché riescono sempre a mettermi di buon umore e prepararmi a quello che troverò nella storia. E posso assicurarvi che vi sentirete assolutamente così.

Ho avuto voglia di abbracciare Basil parecchie volte, ho amato la sua dolcezza e il suo spirito d’attenzione, il suo essere attento ai dettagli e alle esigenze degli altri.

«Mi hai disfatta. E mi hai rimessa insieme.»

Basil Murray è cresciuto in mezzo alle streghe. Lui è un’anomalia: le streghe da generazioni possono avere solo figlie femmine, è così che vuole la natura, perché solo le femmine possiedono i poteri della famiglia in cui nascono.
Basil è così diverso da sua sorella gemella Lily. Se lei è testarda e impulsiva, Basil è più riflessivo, riesce spesso a calmare gli animi e a riportare la ragione durante le discussioni.

Ha passato tutta la vita ai margini di una società in cui la donna è potente e capace di difendersi, e in più di un’occasione è stato lasciato indietro perché senza poteri. Si è esercitato per anni nell’arte del combattimento corpo a corpo, nel tiro con l’arco e la spada. Ha amato e protetto ogni singola persona facente parte della sua famiglia, una famiglia che gli verrà strappata all’improvviso quando la verità sulla sua esistenza verrà finalmente svelata.

Basil prenderà una decisione che lo porterà dritto a Faerie, il regno degli esseri fatati, dove si imbatterà in una fata in difficoltà e, da cavaliere qual è, salverà la vita della fata, obbligandola così a dover fare lo stesso per sdebitarsi. Perché a Faerie non esiste la gentilezza, le fate vivono di favori e promesse, scambi e informazioni. Un mondo pericoloso che ha in serbo tantissime sorprese per Basil.

Isa della Pietra ha assistito a qualcosa di sconvolgente e pericoloso, ed ora si deve allontanare il più possibile dalla Corte Reale di Faerie, perché nessuno deve scoprire che lei era presente al momento del massacro.
Pensava di essere spacciata, di dover morire, ma esiste un modo per mettere fine alla maledizione che da più di due decenni la tormenta, una maledizione che diventa sempre più dolorosa da affrontare, che le causa delle crisi capaci di renderla inerme per minuti ed è a causa di una di queste crisi che si ritrova in pericolo, tra le fauci di un animale.

Non pensava di sopravvivere, e invece un ragazzo le ha salvato la vita ed ora lei è in debito con lui. Come se non bastasse, Isa scopre che questo ragazzo è l’ultimo discendente in vita della stirpe di Rowena, la fata che l’ha maledetta ventisei anni fa. Per vivere Isa deve uccidere Basil, ma ora è in debito con il ragazzo, un debito di vita, un debito che deve saldare prima di poter uccidere Basil.

Il ragazzo deve trovare una persona a Faerie, quale occasione migliore per sdebitarsi? Prima o poi riuscirà a salvare la vita di Basil e, in questo modo, mettere fine al suo tormento.

“Basil era la sua ancora, che la teneva a galla in un mare di tormento e le impediva di annegare.”

Durante questo viaggio a Faerie, Basil scoprirà tantissime cose sui fatati, tra cui il fatto che ogni fata è legata ad un elemento magico naturale e che questo diventa il suo cognome.
Inoltre, ogni fatato ha un nome segreto, il vero nome. Conoscere il vero nome di un fatato conferisce un grande potere, è pericoloso: se pronunciato, il vero nome di un fatato dà il potere di comandarlo, di muoverlo come una marionetta.

Ogni specie magica ha dei punti deboli, vulnerabili, che vanno assolutamente protetti.
Basil si ritroverà a voler proteggere Isa, a tenere al sicuro la cacciatrice di taglie perché sente un legame con lei, ne è attratto, ma non solo. Basil vuole costruire qualcosa con lei, vuole un futuro, ma non sa che questo è praticamente impossibile, perché se Basil vive, Isa è destinata a morire.

Durante la lettura di questo libro verranno svelate parecchie cose, Basil e Isa dovranno lottare per il loro amore, perché non sono disposti a lasciarlo andare. Ritroveremo anche Merle e Rhun, Lily e Alek, i protagonisti dei libri precedenti e i capitoli dedicati a loro saranno interessanti, perché spianeranno la strada ad una trama ancora più fitta e complessa che porta al prossimo libro della serie, quello su Maeve e il Signore dei Demoni.
Mi ci è voluto un po’ di tempo per amare Basil e Isa, ma una volta compresi i loro caratteri e visti i lati nascosti della loro personalità, non si può che fare il tifo per loro, per questa coppia alla Romeo e Giulietta che è spacciata dall’inizio, ma che forse il destino sceglierà di salvare.

[Lakshmi C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been hoping to get into Basil's head since book 1 and his POV was written well.
What you need to know about Basil?
“You’re a changeling . A fae changeling. Exchanged after birth.

We get an intriguing female lead - Isa, a fae bounty hunter.
Idiots. Complacent, that’s what the royal court had become.
The massacre at the royal court was inevitable...

No, no..no!!!! That can't be the key to breaking the curse!!!!

Basil and Isa are extreme opposites
“Who raised you?” She kept walking, face turned away from him. “I did.”

“Because asking yourself ‘what will this cost me’ is the smartest way to stay alive.”“And the fastest way to a life spent alone.”

It's Revelation time - Your secrets won't stay hidden for long...( She spoke onimously )
As the humans say— an entire graveyard in their closet.” Basil snorted, then caught himself. “Skeletons.”What?”“The idiom is ‘skeletons in the closet.’'

The fae seriously hate Iron....No place for Iron Man

This book surprised me on many levels even though I was familiar with the series and most of the supporting characters.

This book gets 4.2 stars because :

1 Challenges
Our leads are in a rough spot - Basil is a Changeling, Isa is cursed and both are in mortal danger. He is optimistic with an agile mind, she is analytical and reserved.

2 Conflict
Each couple in this series has opposite goals, some secrets and need the other person to make progress. Walking away is not an option, the tension is high and hormones are clouding their decisions.

3 Stellar supporting cast
We get to see everyone from the previous books - Rhun, Merle, Arawn, Maeve and others.
Arawn gets half a star because he's still mysterious and unpredictable, Maeve gets half becausd she's recovering beautifully and had one of the most moving scenes in the book.
Rhun and Merle get one star because they are my favorite couple in this series and too good to be true.

2 Brownie baskets & a Special mention :

1 The writer gets serious about worldbuilding in this one and you are riveted. I forgot the romance at times but was driven to know if there will be a coup, who will rule the Fae next, are we standing on the edge of a paranormal Civil War, what is Arawyn and the list of questions goes on & on.

2 The writer subtly weaves in myths and backstory with the narrative - you are not abruptly pulled out of the action bit and thrust into a mindnumbing history lecture.

Nadine Mutas delivers another fantastic novel, I can't get enough of her storyworld and am waiting impatiently for Arawn's book.

I received a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Barbara Ottani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vi è mai capitato di leggere un libro e trovare più interessante quello che succedeva ai personaggi secondari, piuttosto che ai protagonisti?

Ecco, in questo volume - che è, forse, quello che mi è piaciuto meno - è andata proprio così. Sapeva di filler, ancor più del secondo, sebbene vengano introdotti personaggi fondamentali e svolte di trama importanti. Il perché ve lo spiego tra poco.

Protagonista è Basil Murray, gemello di Lily, unico maschio privo di poteri all’interno di una famiglia di potenti streghe. La cosa lo ha sempre fatto sentire a disagio, ma gli indizi disseminati nei libri precedenti mi avevano già fatto presagire cosa sarebbe successo.

Il patto che costringe sua madre Hazel al silenzio s’infrange e lei è libera di raccontargli la verità: Basil non è il gemello di Lily, bensì un changeling, uno scambiato. La vera gemella, Rose, è stata portata a Faerie dalla fatata che l’ha vincolata al silenzio. L’unica cosa che possa aver spezzato il patto è la m0rt3 della fatata, ciò significa che Rose è in pericolo.

Di nascosto, Basil parte alla ricerca di Rose e si reca a Faerie, dove inciampa su Isa, cacciatrice di taglie fatata che convive con una grossa maledizione: per spezzarla deve uccid3r3 l’ultimo discendente della fatata che l’ha maledetta, e si dà il caso sia proprio Basil.

È tutto troppo affrettato, l’incontro tra Isa e Basil forzato, la parte interessante è relegata nei capitoli dedicati ai personaggi rimasti a Portland. La maledizione di Isa è fumosa, indefinita quanto il “vero potere” di Basil che, a meno di una grossa svolta nei prossimi volumi, non ha un grosso peso sulla macrotrama che prosegue in sottofondo.

Il villain di questo volume era debole, anche se ben giustificato.
Basil non mi ha fatta impazzire, ho preferito Isa, anche se i suoi capitoli erano un po’ ripetitivi. La parte che mi ha tenuta incollata al volume, come ho detto, era quella dedicata a ciò che succedeva a Portland, motivo per cui tra qualche giorno ci ritroveremo con la recensione del quarto volume!

Ultima nota sulle scene spicy: ci sono dei termini che proprio NO, terribilmente anti-3rotici, ma questo temo sia un problema di traduzione, non proprio eccelsa in nessun volume.

[A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently discovered Ms. Mutas and when I saw that To Stir a Fae's Passion was coming out soon, I couldn't wait to read it! It is the first book of hers that I have read and I can tell you right now that it will not be the last. I absolutely LOVED To Stir a Fae's Passion and I need to read the other books in the Love and Magic series like now!

I liked Isa from the moment I met her and I only liked her the more I saw of her. She's strong and tough and she just has this quiet, calm air about her for the most part, but she really comes alive the longer she's with Basil. Isa is kind and she has a good heart. I really felt for her and I was rooting for everything to work out for her. I really loved Isa - she's wonderful!

And how could I not fall for Basil?! He's funny and playful and a little goofy and silly, but in the best ways. Even when his world has been turned upside down, he still maintains his positivity and light and keeps a smile on his face. Basil is sweet and open and true - it was impossible not to love him. He is utterly delightful and I know he'll steal your heart just as easily as stole Isa's and mine!

To Stir a Fae's Passion is told from multiple points of view and whenever it would switch from Basil and Isa's POV to one of the other characters from the previous books, I wouldn't want it to at first, but then I would be sucked in and when it switched back, I would wish it hadn't until I was captured by Basil and Isa again and the cycle would just repeat. I loved that no matter whose turn it was talk, I was totally invested in what was happening to them and never got bored or confused. To Stir a Fae's Passion made me laugh, brought tears to my eyes, made my heart ache, and made it melt. It was a beautiful, magical passionate ride that I'm so glad I got to be a part of I can't wait for more to come from this series and from Ms. Mutas in general!

To Stir a Fae's Passion can be read as a standalone, Basil and Isa get their happily-ever-after and I'm SO excited for the next book!

~ Sonja, 5 Stars

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I glad we got Basil’s story. He has seemed kind of out of place in the Murray family and the witches community as a whole and we finally find out why that is.

Hazel raised Basil right. He is protector at heart and he is caring and kind. I will be honest I saw Basil as kind of nerdy and a marshmallow type of guy even considering he knew how to use a variety of weapons. He’s a nerdy ray of sunshine and I enjoyed every second of his nerdiness. All those nerdy books and movie references killed me. I loved it.

Isa is a fighter and survivor and a bounty hunter to boot. She raised herself from a very young age and despite all her badassness she is still a woman with some soft touches that seemed a little out of place with her badassness at times.

There was no great romance just two people getting to know each other along the way and falling for each other in the process. It was funny and sweet all at the same time.

I enjoyed the pace of this story and how drama free it was. We got right to the meat of the story without the characters ridiculous reactions and the drama that they bring. It was a nice change of pace.

Mutas’ unpredictability with her plot twists were welcoming. I don’t think there was a time when I figured out the solution before it unfolded as I was reading which was refreshing. Mutas puts quite a few of her characters in conundrums during this story…some were fun others were not. I warn you now you will need something stronger than water to drink to get through chapter 10.

During the story the topic of the abuse Hazel suffered at Robert’s hands came up and it was discussed. As it was discussed Hazel had various reactions to it from being hurt, angry, sad and even embarrassed. Hazel isn’t the same witch she was back when Robert was still alive and I think it’s important for female readers to see abused women make comes back after being abused. It’s empowering to see someone over coming something so horrible and I am glad that Mutas included it in this story.

I totally enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the next one.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like Basil was super boring, and while the premise was interesting, I found myself struggling to care.

Plot:
- h is actually a bounty hunter who is cursed by H's mom bc she was the one who brought her in to the royals to her death. In fact, while she's in the castle delivering another bounty, she sees a demon arrive and kill every royal except one. She reveals that his son is still alive, and she swapped him out with a witch family. After the demon leaves, one of the royals is actually alive, and he tortured info about of her before killing her
- H finds out that he is actually a fae changeling, and was swapped out with his mom's real daughter, who is kept in the fae world
- he goes by himself to find his sister, and saves h as soon as he gets there from a beast
- h now owes him a life debt (she has to save his life), and is bitter about it bc she can only get rid of her curse by killing him
- she also decides to help H with his mission of finding his sister
- they grow closer, but despite her attraction to him, she won't let her grow closer bc of her guilt
- the royal who tortured the info comes and claims that he's here to help H, but h knows who he is. She just can't say anything bc then it would reveal what she had done. He wants H to go to a place to find out his real fae name.
- H is half demon which is why his existence is a crime, it also makes him extremely powerful
- when h saves H, she decides that she would rather die than kill H
- the guy reveals what h knows, but then she starts her seizure, and he threatens to kill her if H doesn't comply
- H is mind controlled to start the incantation, but before its complete, his dad arrives and rescues him
- h is dead, but he someone brings her back by calling her real fae name
- H realizes he can sort of see all of the fae lives, and he is able to find his sister who has been chained up for most of her life

[Zoey River · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was also a bust. Gah, I'm frustrated because this author is clearly talented and I liked the first two books in the series, yet this book and the previous one ended up disappointing me.

It's even more frustrating because: I liked everything about this book except for the main couple.

Seriously though, the writing was as addictive as ever, the plot was great, I LOVED seeing more of Rhun & Merle (GAH, AND THEIR BABY), I loved seeing Meave and Hazel. Heck, I even loved Basil’s father (well until he did that thing at the end, but there is still hope for him) and kind of shipped him with Hazel LOL.

Yet for all of my like for everything else in this book, if I cannot feel for the main characters… it’s all for naught. It’s not that I didn’t like them individually, I think they’re okay as individual characters, but together…? I felt no chemistry. It honestly bored me reading about them for the majority of the time and I was craving more Rhun & Merle, more Meave, more Hazel & Basil’s father. Heck, even Rose, who wasn't even in the book until the very end, was more interesting than our main couple.

So despite liking all of the side characters, I couldn’t rate this book any higher because the main romance kind of ruined it for me. Welp.

[Lost.infantasyworlds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tentazione Demoniaca è il terzo libro della saga "Un Romanzo d'amore e magia" di Nadine Mutas.
Se avete letto i libri precedenti conoscete ormai lo stile di scrittura dell'autrice che é scorrevole e dinamico.
Il protagonista é Baz il fratello di Lily che é stata la protagonista del libro 2.
Ovviamente la storia d'amore é molto presente ma in questo terzo libro la trama si é evoluta, l'ho trovata più complessa e ricca di misteri da svelare e ciò contribuisce a tenerti incollato alle pagine. Nadine Mutas riesce a creare una rete complicata di avvenimenti presenti e passati che man mano si scioglieranno rivelando segreti da tempo sepolti.
La parte romance ha sempre un ruolo cardine in questi romanzi e l'innamoramento avviene sempre molto velocemente ma ormai, essendo arrivata al quarto libro ci ho fatto l'abitudine anche se come mio gusto personale prediligo lo slow burn, ma ciò non toglie che mi affeziono sempre a questi personaggi e le loro scene sono sempre ben scritte, comprese quelle erotiche.
In poche parole questo romanzo mi é piaciuto molto e ho apprezzato il fatto che si sia dato più spessore alla trama rendendola parte integrante nella trama. Mentre nei libri precedenti faceva da contorno alla storia d'amore.
Per questo ho dato 5 stelle, l'autrice ha fatto un salto di qualità rendendo più ricco il libro.
Consigliato! Ma leggete prima gli altri libri

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So diese Fortsetzung hat mir wieder sehr gut gefallen und überlest auf jeden Fall den Warnhinweis nicht. Mein eReader hat es gerade noch so über den Berg geschafft, konnte mich aber leider nicht vor extremen Schmachten und sponanem Umarmen retten.
Basil ist einfach zum Knuddeln und kann es sehr gut mit den anderen männlichen Hauptcharakteren aus den vorherigen Bänden aufnehmen. Auch Isa war eine wundervolle Hauptfigur mit der ich lachen, weinen und mitfiebern konnte.
Die Anspielungen auf Star Wars, der Hobbit und Herr der Ringe fand ich sehr toll gestaltet und habe mich einfach schlapp gelacht.
Die Perspektivenwechsel zu Merle, Rhun, Alek, Lily und so weiter, fand ich sehr schön und ich konnte mich wieder sehr gut in die Geschichte fallen lassen.
Ich mochte wieder sehr das Setting der geheimen Welt und ganz besonders die Handlung, die sehr abwechslungsreich und toll gestaltet war.
Ich kann das Buch wieder jedem nur empfehlen!!! Lest es!!!

[Shedevilreads Bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Stir A Fae's Passion by Nadine Mutas is a paranormal romance that I listened to on audio narrated by Lia Langola and Jack Calihan. This is the third book in the Love and Magic series.

I am really enjoying this series. I like that each book is connected, and we get more of each couple's story as the series progresses. This book was centered around Basil and Isa's story. I really enjoyed the relationship that bloomed between them. It's a bit messy but you couldn't help but root for them.

I can't wait to dive into the next book in the series To Enthrall The Demon Lord to get Maeve and Arawn's story.

Lia and Jack did a great job on the narration. I can't wait to listen to more of their work in the future.

I would recommend this book if you like paranormal romances.


The Flock Team

[Dorothea Müller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basil Murray ist einen männlicheren Nachkommen und hat keine eigenen Kräfte. Doch dann erfährt er einiges über seine wahre Herkunft und es ändert sich einiges. Er kann eine Fae helfen oder retten. Doch Isa ist nicht gerade erfreut, dass Basil sie gerettet hat.
Man hat schon Basil kennen gelernt und lieben gelernt. Schnell wird einem klar, dass er nicht gerade einen leichten Tag hat. Als erstes lernt man Isa kennen und auch die Welt der Fae. Beides wurde kaum in den letzten Bändern erwähnt. Das hat mich schon etwas neugierig gemacht auf diese Geschichte. Ich wurde auch nicht enttäuscht, ich konnte nicht genug bekommen von dem Humor, Magie und Charakteren. Die verschiedenen Ereignisse und Wendungen haben mich ihn ihren Bann gezogen und hat mich nicht wieder losgelassen.

[Irena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC for an honest review.
I enjoyed the previous books in the Love & Magic series and was not disappointed with Basil's story. I loved his journey of discovery. Nadine fleshes out her characters nicely without overdramatising things, there isn't an overabundance of angst or misunderstanding between the lead characters. We got to see Basil's strength in his journey of discovery without him losing his sweetness and charm. Isa was a strong character without being a ball buster and they made a great pairing. I enjoyed seeing the continuation of the storyline of characters from previous books and as always loved Rhun's cheeky snarkiness.
I look forward to the next book.

[Anastasia Padoan · Rating 3 out of 5]

* QUANTO FORTE?*

Che Basil fosse un personaggio che aspettavo di veder approfondito mi era chiaro da quando è stato introdotto nel primo libro; che fosse anche quello più forte caratterialmente parlando, mi sembrava palese dalla sua prima interazione con Rhun.
Detto questo mi aspettavo qualcosa in più, proprio perché avevo posto un'asticella parecchio alta nei suoi confronti.
La trama mi è parsa più rapida rispetto ai primi due volumi e avrei preferito una direzione finale diversa dato l'inserimento di un oggetto in particolare che speravo fosse quello che avrebbe portato alla conclusione evidente. Invece è stato inserito un'espediente non del tutto chiaro, un po' fumoso.
Nel complesso lettura piacevole

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series

It was so exciting going into Faerie, right from the start some bloody good action and it only kept getting better. Basil is so cute, I always knew there was something different about him. There was a really HOT scene that made me feel things😉 ,damn was it good. I'm glad we are still getting to read about Merle and Rhun and what's be going on with them. I really liked Baz's story but I can't WAIT for the next one.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part about this book were the scenes with Merle and Ruhn setting up Maeve and Arawn's story. While Basil and Isa's story started off strong, it just kind of fizzled and I skipped through most of their story to get to the Merle and Ruhn sections. Basil just wasn't a very clear character in the previous books, which failed to forge a connection to him, then my suspension of disbelief was taxed a little too much. Read for the set up for the next book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously one of the best new authors and best series I’ve read in a long while. I’ve read all the commonly recommended PNR, Fantasy, Sci-Fi books and this series is definitely in my top 5 among authors like Nalini Singh, Larissa Ione and others with amazing writing and addictive books :)

If you’ve also run out of recommendations for new PNR books to read, STOP WHAT YOURE DOING AND GET YOUR HANDS ON THESE BOOKS!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was anxiously awaiting and super excited for Basil’s story! I was hoping he would get one but Was surprised at the way this one went. This one kept me guessing and wondering while listening. We get to see a lot of the previous characters as well as additions to their storylines. This one was throughly enjoyable and I can not wait for the next in the series!

I did listen to this on audio. Jack Calihan and Lia Langola both do a wonderful job narrating.

[Brenda Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEA for Basil – Audiobook Review
The 3rd installment in this series is about Basil Murray finding out that he is a Fae and his trek into Faerie. He meets Isa and their story begins. There is a lot going on in this book and a lot of plotagain from Hazel and the Murray family and Merle and Rhun. This is another must list with 2 great narrators. Looking forward to the last installment of this series!

[Jocelyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Love and Magic series, a Paranormal Romance. Isa and Basil's story is entertaining, steamy, and hilarious. Isa, a Fae bounty hunter, is smart, and capable. Basil is handsome, and protective. Lia Langola and Jack Calihan did a fantastic job with the narration. This is a great enemies-to-lovers Paranormal Romance. I enjoyed it. Looking forward for To Enthrall the Demon Lord, the next book in the series. #TheFlock

[Jewels · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many twists in this book!! I'm loving this world that Nadine Mutas has written here. This book is about Basil and his finding out about his life and finding love. I won't write any spoilers, but the world grows a lot in this book. Again, what is so good about these books is that it doesn't just focus on the main couple but follows the other couples and keeps the whole world going.

I LOVE Merle and Rhun. They are so hot, funny, and I love their love.

I can't wait for the next book.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read

Took me a little longer to get into this book where as he other books sucked me right in. But it brought in some new elements and makes me wonder where she's going to go with the other charaters.