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Heather Hayden has everything a young witch could desire: beauty, money, popularity, and exceptionally strong magical powers. Too bad she’s also got a dysfunctional family that couldn’t care less about her and a Head Witch who’s watching her every move. Heather has no idea what she wants. But she’s pretty sure it’s not some low-rent cat shifter boy from goddess-knows-where, despite the fact that their paths keep crossing again and again…and again.

Owen Liddell is in big trouble. A hundred years ago, a descendant of Arachne tricked him into staring into the eyes of the Great Sphinx, leaving him bespelled into the form a cat. Now Arachne’s sisters have found him again and placed one of their own as a substitute teacher at Harmswood. And if that weren’t bad enough, destiny got involved, tangling his heart up with the most popular witch in school: his best friend Kai’s sworn enemy.

Can Owen escape the evil spider sisters, thwart the spell, rescue the girl, save his friendship and pass his finals all before Zombie Prom? It seems unlikely. But unlikely things are known to happen in Nocturne Falls…

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2018

105 people are currently reading
296 people want to read

About the author

Alethea Kontis

151 books1,487 followers
"A veritable badass fairy princess." --Jim Butcher

"The faerie princess of the worlds of weird." --Jonathan Maberry

"Alethea Kontis IS fairy tales." --Jim C. Hines, author of Libriomancer

"Alethea Kontis: Awesome, racks up award nominations, wears tiaras." --SF author Ferrett Steinmetz

"I want to live in [Alethea's] head because I think that might be the most interesting place in the world!!!!" --Ellen Oh, author of Prophecy

"Alethea Kontis, the woman who writes like Shakespeare would if he were alive today." --Aaron Pound

"The beauty of a princess, the confidence of a queen, the brilliance of a writer, and the demeanor of a cheerful fairy comedian!" --Cheyenne Z.

"This was the story before all of the other stories, and it was the other tales that were changed over time." --Nerdophiles, on ENCHANTED

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5 stars
175 (58%)
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81 (27%)
3 stars
39 (13%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Madison Warner Fairbanks.
3,397 reviews495 followers
February 13, 2018
Besphinxed by Alethea Kontis

From the kindle universe of Nocturne Falls, a town of paranormals where every day is Halloween. Young adult novella.

Heather: Um, she used her Daddy’s credit card without permission and felt totally justified in doing it.
Deep down, she just as insecure as the average teen. Deep, deep, down.
Once you get past the Heather factor, it’s quite humorous and touching. Two teens that need a supportive hand learn to rely on each other.
If you read the previous book by this author, don’t worry. You WILL like and appreciate Heather in the end.

Excerpt:
“Owen started sorting through the ingredients and taking inventory while Heather looked up recipes on her phone. She sat on top of the counter, legs swinging like a schoolgirl. He snuck peeks at her while she was distracted. If he’d never met her before this moment, he’d think she was just a sweet, fun, enthusiastic and helpful girl. A girl who liked him. And he liked her. Later tonight, they could go back to being an attack witch and a scaredy cat. Right now, he just wanted to exist in the moment. Enjoy it. Flirt, even.
Great Scott, did he even remember how to flirt?
His stomach did a backflip”
Excerpt From Besphinxed: A Nocturne Falls Universe Book by Alethea Kontis
This material may be protected by copyright.

Profile Image for Gwessie Tee.
451 reviews13 followers
January 29, 2018
Absolutely amazing story, every single book I've read by this lady has utterly blown me away, and I can't wait to read more by her.

I won't give spoilers but what I will say is that any who want to try genre of supernatural romance, already love the genre, the author, romance, magic, suspense adventure and humour including more will utterly adore this book as much as I do.

I may have had the honour of reading this arc thank you so much Alethea for writing it, it's awesome
XxxxX
Profile Image for Kristine .
1,801 reviews12 followers
February 12, 2018
This is a cute, fast-paced story in the Nocturne Falls Universe. The characters were interesting, I enjoyed getting to know them. The story would appeal to wide range of readers. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, my review has been voluntarily submitted.
Profile Image for Michelle Kaye.
61 reviews4 followers
February 16, 2018
Loved this story.

It’s a great continuation of Alethea’s stories in the Nocturne Falls Universe.

If you haven’t yet read The Truth about Cats and Wolves, you really need to read or re-read that first, as we are learning more about two characters (Heather and Kai) we meet there.

I’m not giving anything away, you’re going to have to read the story.
I loved it and had no choice but to read it straight through.
Profile Image for Niken Widyastuti.
380 reviews1 follower
February 10, 2018
Hmm, a bit conflicted about this book. Overall, the book was good. Interesting story. A bit immature for my taste, but enjoyable nonetheless. However, my bump came from the heroine, Heather. She was not a likable character in the previous book, if you’ve read Alethea’s book before this one. So, when she was pictured in this book as the heroine, I had difficulties in wrapping my head on it. Well, you’re safe if you haven’t read previous book. No judgement there.

Anyway, for me, this book still was a solid 4. Interesting and enjoyable story. I also appreciate Alethea’s effort in explaining Heather’s character and change it to likable.

I was provided a complementary copy by the author / publisher, but this in no way influenced my thoughts or opinions.
Profile Image for Michelle.
Author 12 books11 followers
January 30, 2018
Besphinxed is my favorite book in the Nocturne Falls Universe so far. I have enjoyed reading all of Alethea Kontis' books in the Nocturne Falls Universe--they are all fun urban fantasy / paranormal romance with young protagonists and great heroines. Kontis' books fit well together by focusing on different characters whose stories intersect while maintaining their own stand-alone integrity. So while you can read any of the books on their own, you'll get a bigger kick out of reading them all. And unlike some romance stories which lean too heavily on a formula, Kontis' Nocturne Falls books weave unique, interesting plots, focusing on characters with differing life challenges and differing world views.

Now, the reason Besphinxed is my favorite (so far!): Heather, the protagonist in this book, first appears in The Truth About Cats and Wolves as a bad gal. Think selfish and cliquish, and add in magic powers you wouldn't trust someone like that to have. In Besphinxed we meet Heather and follow along as her life snowballs into an opportunity for personal growth. As we learn more about Heather, Alethea Kontis portrays Heather's dysfunctional family in a succinctly accurate way alongside more positive relationships surrounding Heather.

Besphinxed has real depth without losing the fun; We also get to learn more about Owen, the cat-shifter that's supposed to be the best friend of Heather's sworn enemy, but who finds himself inexplicably attracted to her. And let's not forget the Zombie Prom and a deadly magic confrontation at the end.

Pick up Besphinxed for a touching paranormal romance. I cried at the end!
Profile Image for Denise.
150 reviews
February 15, 2018
Every character has more than one dimension

I love the fact that all of the characters are a mixture of good and bad. Every human is flawed, and every "lost soul" has some redeeming qualities. It makes me so happy that this comes shining through in all of Alethea's writing. I always want to be a part of the world's she creates!
Profile Image for Heidi .
184 reviews
February 6, 2018
Another good book in the Nocturne Falls Universe. Another book where I felt that it just didn't quite live up to what I expected.

The story is cute, the characters get more background and rounding. I don't know if the Mean Girls vibe helped or hindered the book. After several stories of Heather being the Mean Girl, trying to connect with her as someone we want to like was difficult. While the story was entertaining and easy to read, I didn't love it.

While Owen and Heather make a fantastic couple overall, balancing each other, I hope their relationship survives high school and what comes after.

I give the book 4.5 stars (rounding to 5) because I didn't love it.
1,579 reviews11 followers
February 12, 2018
Really enjoyed this book! Wasn't sure at first when I seen who the pairing was to be but Owen and Heather are a great match. I like that we got to see the real Heather and I loved how her character had grown and changed at the end!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
813 reviews15 followers
February 14, 2018
This book was a lot of fun to read! Nice and fast, plenty of action and lots of supernatural character diversity!! Was a nice way to spend some time getting lost in this world.
Profile Image for Eden.
2,218 reviews
November 19, 2019
2019 bk 367. The third of Alethea Kontis' books in the Nocturne Falls Universe and oh, I do hope there are more. I feel that her 3 books do the best job of fitting in the Nocturne Falls Universe.
Profile Image for Sarah.
141 reviews9 followers
January 30, 2018
My only complaint with this book is this, I WANT MORE. Alethea's fast-paced story and endearing characters make you want to see them get their HEA. Quick wit and a little comedy relief make this a fun, fast read that should be on every booklover's TBR list. I've loved every single one of her Nocturne Falls Universe novels thus far, and see no reason why you shouldn't pick up all three books and devour them in one sitting.
Profile Image for Natalie Bechaver.
60 reviews2 followers
June 20, 2018
At first I was a bit confused that there are multiple books about Nocturne Falls, by different authors. This book was a quick and exciting read!
I don’t know what it is about witches and magical creatures but they are fascinating to read about!
I enjoyed learning about all the characters!
Profile Image for Myriam.
645 reviews26 followers
February 17, 2018
I highly anticipated the next book from this author as she is one of my favourites. After reading The Truth About Cats And Wolves, When Tinker Met Bell, The Were Four (the short story companion relating to some of the side characters, and The Meddlesome Misadventures of Merri and Bright from Merry & Bright: A Christmas Anthology (Nocturne Falls Universe), which I enjoyed greatly, I wanted more. And it is quite possible that she wrote the best story so far.
Main characters are Owen, the cursed cat shifter we met in the first and second story, and Heather, the gothwitch and the villain from the first story, who was also featured in the other stories. This was an unlikely match, but it turned out to be a great one as they overcome their challenges one by one. Nothing is as it seems when it comes to Owen and Heather, especially Heather, who managed to hide a kind and caring heart underneath her cold and arrogant exterior.
There was a surprising character Efthimia, inspired by the author’s family history, and I will say no more, as it’s best you discover her yourself. As in the first book, there is an element of Greek and Egyptian mythology, which was quite interesting. At the end of the book, the author wrote a few words about her inspirations for this story and some of her family history. I found that part very enlightening and it adds to the mythological part of the story.
This was a great story and one of the few that does not require complete Nocturne Falls, but it does require the previous four stories for character development and the world building.
The Nocturne Falls reading order is: The Vampire's Mail Order Bride (Nocturne Falls #1), The Werewolf Meets His Match (Nocturne Falls #2), The Gargoyle Gets His Girl (Nocturne Falls, #3), The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls, #4), and The Witch’s Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls #4.5) in Spell of the Ball Anthology, The Werewolf's Christmas Wish (Nocturne Falls #4.6) in Hex the Halls Anthology, The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls #5), A Vampire's Valentine Surprise (Nocturne Falls #5.5), Miss Frost Solves A Cold Case : A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost #1), The Shifter Romances The Writer (Nocturne Falls #6), Miss Frost Ices The Imp : A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost #2), The Vampire’s True Love Trials (Nocturne Falls #6.5) in Taming the Vampire collection, Miss Frost Saves The Sandman : A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost #3), The Dragon Finds Forever (Nocturne Falls #7), The Vampire's Accidental Wife (Nocturne Falls #8), Miss Frost Cracks A Caper (Jayne Frost #4), When Birdie Babysat Spider: A Jayne Frost Short (Jayne Frost #4.5), Miss Frost Braves the Blizzard (Jayne Frost #5), and ever growing series of Nocturne Universe Novels, which surpassed 30 by now. Great world to get yourself immersed in.
Profile Image for Laura.
2,557 reviews
February 15, 2018
This is a great book; this book is part of the Nocturne Falls Universe and is written by Kira Nyte. The Nocturne Falls series is written by Kristen Painter and I was so happy that these new books by new authors were asked to write a story in the town. Nocturne Falls is a town that celebrates Halloween every day of the year and also a place that paranormal’s can live and not have to hide what they really are. Heather Hayden has everything a young witch could desire: beauty, money, popularity, and exceptionally strong magical powers. Too bad she’s also got a dysfunctional family that couldn’t care less about her and a Head Witch who’s watching her every move. Owen Liddell is in big trouble. A hundred years ago, a descendant of Arachne tricked him into staring into the eyes of the Great Sphinx, leaving him bespelled into the form a cat. Now Arachne’s sisters have found him again and placed one of their own as a substitute teacher at Harmswood. And if that weren’t bad enough, destiny got involved, tangling his heart up with the most popular witch in school: his best friend Kai’s sworn enemy. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author.
Profile Image for Deanna Massengale.
35 reviews5 followers
April 1, 2018
From Egypt to Nocturne Falls via Greece

I really liked Besphinxed! Having never read any of Alethea Kondis' books I had no preconceived notions as to how the story line would go. But having read quite a number of the Nocturne Falls books both by Kristen Painter and her author friends, I knew the general gist of the town and its citizens. That being said, I thought adding another book into the NFU (Nocturne Falls Universe) with a nod to Ancient Egypt and some Greek aspects would be an interesting twist. I was not disappointed. Alethea spun a creative story in such a way that the reader knows but doesn't really know how the outcome would be. I can't wait to read more of Alethea"s books and hope that everyone who picks this one up enjoys it as much as I did!
Profile Image for H. Scott.
Author 5 books182 followers
February 18, 2018
I think I must have lost it laughing for something like 10 minutes over the "like cold honey" description because the meaning behind the name "Deborah" is Bee. I'm a dork and appreciate word-play (even if I, myself, am kind of terrible at it).

I liked this story quite a bit. Despite the fact that I haven't read any other Nocturne Falls stories, this one filled me in pretty well (I think), so I wasn't lost as I was reading. it also turns some troupes on their ears, which is always appreciated. :)
Profile Image for Gabby.
2,523 reviews26 followers
May 18, 2022
Initially I found Heather a very unlikeable character. Yet between the standoffish but loving cat nature of Owen and the lost and almost bullying nature of Heather it was amazing to see the two of them growing as well as seeing some internal truths that really shows the nature of how much your environment had on someone’s development. I found it frustrating and somewhat sweet yet I was happy to see the growth and willingness to find truce (eventually). A nice closure to what started in the first book.
Profile Image for Denise Snider.
114 reviews1 follower
February 8, 2018
This book is a part of the Nocturne Falls Universe series. The book stars Heather, who is a witch, and Owen, a cat shifter. Heather and Owen are made from 2 different molds and hardly speak to each other until one day their teacher pairs them up to do a class project. From there their romance unfolds. I liked this book, however, I felt that it was slow in a lot of places. The ending was fast paced, but seemed rushed.
Profile Image for Miranda Beazley.
667 reviews6 followers
February 21, 2018
Heather is popular, spoilt and rich, but she’s lonely. Owen has lived a long life, cursed by the great Sphinx. An unlikely attraction forms between these two people who should be enemies according to social standards.

I have really enjoyed these young adult stories in the Nocturne Falls Universe. They have a certain maturity about them without being adult. This story did contain a little more angst than the previous ones, however it all tied in well with the storyline and characters.
Profile Image for Alexandra.
Author 4 books7 followers
February 15, 2018
that was the perfect read for Valentine's Day. But I can recommend it for any other day too. Heartwarming, full of hope and joy, with a creepy villain trying to destroy everything but two brave souls finding their place in this world and proudly shining their light against the darkness... Lots of cuteness and funny scenes and exactely what I needed to brighten my day.
Profile Image for Heather.
129 reviews
February 22, 2018
Love this author in the NFU!!

I loved this story! I was hoping I’d get a story for Owen and I did! I’m glad that Heather was redeemed as well! The characters are so detailed and the story flows nicely! It was hard putting it down to fix dinner for my family!

I can’t wait to see more from this author in the NFU!!!
Profile Image for Hsu Lee.
1,743 reviews9 followers
February 28, 2018
ARC - I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are hones
Heather is the mean girl, but she is mostly using her "meaness" as a shield.
Owen was cursed to be a cat.
Now he needs Heather's help to reverse the curse.
I loved the storytelling + the characters
The storytelling + the character's build were awesome!
327 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2021
Teenaged Witch

This is not by the usual author. She was allowed to set the book in Nocturnal Falls. Good story but not like the usual books in the series. It was a bit disconcerting but I read the whole book. The teenage clicks and such were not my thing but the story got better though it wasn't very long. Had a good ending. Great story for teenage readers.
Profile Image for Tammy Nitschke Sokol.
776 reviews3 followers
February 17, 2018
Loved it!!!!

Another winner in the Nocturne Falls Universe!!!! Alethea Kontis does it yet again with another seamless book. I couldn't not live it, and the endearing characters!!! I couldn't put it down!!!! In this one you get more about Heather, Owen and the Harmswood bunch.
Profile Image for Pilar Seacord.
542 reviews3 followers
June 23, 2018
Very much enjoyed this story. You see Heather the snotty witch come into her own and Owen the cursed cat shifter has his past catch up to him. Well written, fun to read story set in the fabulous Nocturne Falls High School.
Profile Image for Lesley.
Author 37 books33 followers
May 2, 2019
Heather is redeemed!

Another quick, fun read from the lovely Alethea Kontis. These stories make me happy, and I love that Alethea gave us a story for Owen. When I heard that his romantic interest was Heather, I was skeptical, but it works! Simply charming!
422 reviews3 followers
July 2, 2024
Really liked this one

Super cute to see some of the battle lines of high school blurred to allow some crossover mingling of established groups. Would be interesting to hear Ace and the ghost s story next.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
281 reviews2 followers
February 16, 2018
This is a young adult book, but I really enjoyed it. The main female character is a "bad girl" from a previous book. It is always fun to see the other side of the coin.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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