Alpha's Spell

by Julie Ranseth

Some spells last forever

Aiden Green needs a mate if he wants to keep his pack. Just as he resigns himself to a chosen bond, he encounters his fated mate. But the magnetic pull between them isn’t entirely of the Moon Goddess’s making.

Bethany Randall, a witch haunted by a spell gone wrong from her past, craves an acceptance she fears will be eternally elusive. As she and Aiden succumb to the power of their connection, the consequences of her spell threaten to unravel the fragile threads of love weaving between them.

Secrets revealed will test their tenuous bond, with no escape from the war that is coming between witches and werewolves. A war in which the two mates find themselves in the middle.

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2024

About the author

Julie Ranseth has been writing stories in her head all her life. Her stories contain elements of fantasy, the paranormal, and romance. She loves happy endings and likes nothing better than escaping to worlds of make-believe, whether of her own or others’ creations. Her writing is overseen by her ever-present furry companions (one of whom believes he’s in charge).

Reviews

[Aspen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another super repetitive book, but this one really takes the cake because we have been hearing about Aiden and Sebastian's father cheating on his fated mate in the previous two books and now, at the very beginning of this one it's mentioned a whole lot. I'm already cringing at what the rest of the book will be like.

I feel like I'm a broken record at this point, but it's definitely true. Every new book, the author finds more ways to make the whole fated mates a thing of the past. Yes, they end up together but it's the whole process, and in this one it was more than sterile when Aiden was thinking about taking Sarah as a chosen mate. She literally hands him a resume and tells him what qualifies her to be his mate. I just don't get the whole shitting on fated mates, like, just don't write it then if you don't care about it. Just have them be mates or attracted to each other or something instead of this.

Bethany's reasons for basically not wanting to be with Aiden are stupid. The whole "oh no, I'm so sorry I cast this stupid spell on you and ruined everything when I was younger" was just... *sigh*. The author really likes making a mountain out of a mole hill, you know? And the fact that Bethany never grows out of all her blundering spell casting is another plot point that is just stupid. No one seems to grow as characters in any of the books, at least not fully.

And this book is just another copy paste scenario. Bethany doubts her ability to be Luna, much like Emma did, but also created a block with her shitty spell. Aiden is torn between her and Sarah, as well as doing what his overbearing, power hungry mother wants, etc. So now they both push against each other and like usual, it will take some friends or family (or in this case, a witches coven to help unblock her BS) to set them straight and we'll get the same contrive argument about how fated mates have a strong bond, but it takes a lot of work to make the relationship work, blah, blah, blah. Worst plot point in this book? The fact that marking doesn't mean permanent in this book all of a sudden. All because the author wants her characters to still have a way out and a reason to question each other.

I'm glad this is the last book because I don't think I could handle another one. These two had the least amount of chemistry, and everything just felt too sterile. Where was the love? The romance? I mean, ok the other 3 books had no romance really but at least they were attracted to one another. These two felt like business partners rather than fated mates. Bethany was beyond annoying to boot. She's the one who wanted a damn mate and then she's the one fighting it, even before she met him.

This book could've been so much shorter with how repetitive it was. Aside from being told the same thing multiple times in all the books, in this one the same conversations are being had as well multiple times from different characters but all saying the same things. The author even went so far as to include the same lines from previous books (like the repeat scene with the safe room but instead of Kylie saying to stay back, it's now Bethany). I don't know what happened to this author. I really did enjoy the first book but this one was just... It felt like a real chore to read and I kept focusing on the page number rather than enjoying the story. By far the worst one from the series and it wasn't even entertaining.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany Randall is a witch. She cast a poorly constructed spell when she was 12 and the results of that have been hard on her and probably her mate as well. But as she's reading her tea leaves she finds what she's found for days that a turning point was coming. As she's preparing for her day her roommate and her fated mate come along. When she asks to read her leaves her mate tells there;s no time. She's needed at the council. Probably more info on what she she revealed about her witch's council. War is coming.
Aiden Green is a wolf and heir to Blackwood Pack. He's being pressured in taking a mate which he doesn't want to do. To be accepted as alpha he needs a mate. Going to dinner at his brother's place he is surprised when a female walks in and he smells her scent. Mate!
This is the day Bethany has dreaded. She's met her fated mate but doesn't feel she'd make a good luna. She's a weak witch who at 20 is still an apprentice. She has a coven that is helping her explore her powers but that mate bond is blocking a lot. It's also why she has issues casting spells. Will she be able to unblock the mate bond in time to use her given gift to either prevent a war between the witches and wolves? Or will the bond fail because she lets it?
A fascinating story of love and maybe loss.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hart's Reader Group · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read. I enjoyed the overall plot, but I was annoyed by Bethany and her ridiculousness. She caused most of her own troubles because of her insecurities. Poor Aiden, he needed a stronger mate. It was interesting enough to finish.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[ajscenic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows Bethany and Aiden navigating their relationship.
Both characters were likeable people. Both focused on doing the right thing even it was detrimental to their relationship. It was fun reading how their mindset changed throughout the book
I enjoyed this book, the dialogue, the action and the steam. 5 stars!

[Seems · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this as much as the last one. I liked both mc's individually, but the fmc took too long taking her head out of her ass. Aiden was all in from the moment he realized she was his fated mate. He was patient with her, accepted her as she was, and she kept pushing him away. It was almost towards the end when she accepted their bond.

[Cyndi Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the mains in this. Their story was wonderful. I love that he was so sure about her.
This is a stand alone but, if you have read the whole series, there are characters from the rest that join in. I haven't read the rest of the series, and I wasn't confused.
The twist and climax of the story were well thought out and were written beautifully.
Spice level was maybe a 2/5. I loved that it wasn't the major part of the story. The plot and character development didn't need it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.