Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell

Harley Merlin #5

by Bella Forrest

Magic always comes at a price.

Harley is a ticking time bomb, ready to detonate with uncontrollable magic. The only solution? Find the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, make some risky deals, and balance the Light and Darkness within her—before she’s torn apart, atom by atom.

If only she didn’t have a million other problems standing in her way.

The new Director of the San Diego Coven isn’t exactly friendly, and Katherine has already gained untold power. More than ever, Harley needs answers about the rituals Katherine plans to perform to become like Eris, goddess of discord and destruction.

Wade knows that Harley is strong enough to win this battle—not to mention stubborn, overconfident, and wildly reckless. True to his proud family lineage, he’s always played by the rules. But for one girl, he’s willing to bend those rules, to lie, to give his life. Because love can make a person do crazy things…

Continue the journey. Buy now!

*Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts.*

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Audiobook, Fiction

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2019

About the author

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2024:

BELLA IS BACK!

*** New, updated online store at https://BellaForrest.com

*** New books coming soon

*** Possible Film/TV series coming soon

*** Stay up to date by joining our e-mail list at https://BellaForrest.com/join

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Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012.

Check out her website for a full list of her books: https://BellaForrest.com

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellaForrest...

Here's a list of some of Bella's books:

DARKLIGHT

Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
Darkfall (Book 7)
Darkwilds (Book 8)
Darkhunt (Book 9)

A LOVE THAT ENDURES (Trilogy)
A Love that Endures 1
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3

HARLEY MERLIN AND THE SECRET COVEN

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn's Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary
Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift (Book 18)
Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere (Book 19)
Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters (Book 20)
Persie Merlin and the Dying Song (Book 21)

THE CHILD THIEF

The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)

HOTBLOODS

Hotbloods (Book 1)
Hotbloods (Book 2): Coldbloods
Hotbloods (Book 3): Renegades
Hotbloods (Book 4): Venturers
Hotbloods (Book 5): Traitors
Hotbloods (Book 6): Allies
Hotbloods (Book 7): Invaders
Hotbloods (Book 8): Stargazers

THE GENDER GAME

The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)

THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE

Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

Books 1 to 7

Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

Books 8 to 16

Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero...

Books 17 to 24

Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

Books 25 to 32

Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

Books 33 to 41

Season 6: A Gift of Three

Books 42 to 50

Season 7: A Call of Vampires

Books 51 to 59

Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

Books 60 to 68

Season 9: A Birth of Fire

Books 69 to 77

Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)

Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
An Isle of Mirrors (Book 88)
A Sanctuary of Foes (Book 89)
A Ruler of Clones (Book 90)
A Gate of Light (Book 91)
A Dawn of Worlds (Book 92) ➜ Coming soon!

Reviews

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!!!

I recommend this to fans of Harry Potter and similar books. But the characters are young adults so great for most ages. I really enjoy the series so far. I love Harley and Wade, they are awesome characters. A must read!

[The Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

This saga is still 🔥
Btw I wish I had a Wade in my life too 🤣

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took 5 books to get some real love! I have the last couple of books confused in my mind so they might have kissed in the last one, but in this one things are finally happening! I couldn't handle the will they won't they anymore. JUST MOVE PAST IT! Thank heavens for that. There better not be any more complications!

Also I am really glad Finch is getting more into the action. I don't know why, but I do like him. I am hoping him and Harley can have some sort of relationship. I also saw that he has a series right after this one, so I assume he goes to the good side. Lets hope things actually start moving forward in the next one!

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Suppressor is finally, finally broken! Whoo hoo! (And yes, it does require this level of pep). We also learned what the rituals are, had another showdown with fricking Katie, saw someone who I liked die, had some temporary soul losing, and met Marie Laveau (who was very, very cool). Oh, and there were some developments on the romantic front! I loved (you don't understand how much) being inside Wade's head. It was so great to see his perspective, and fully know how he feels about Harley, and just see how he works. I love Wade. Oh, and this book had just a smidge of betrayal from someone we like, as well. Get excited, people.

Overall, this book continued the series in an excellent fashion, and I look forward to the end of February (the 23rd, maybe?) when book 6 releases. I'm not sure how many books will be in this series. I'm guessing seven or eight? Anyway, book 6 definitely deserves 5 stars!

[Desiree Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh... finally. The most important stepping stone in Harley’s story. Her suppressor! Her love interest! There’s progress at last. A climax to read over and over again.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series, its a cross between Harry Potter and The mortal Instruments and is absolutely fabulous.
I only have one complaint and that is it needs to be picked up by a major publisher to I can sell it to my customers at the bookstore where I work.

[Meredith Stoever · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of mistakes and dragging plot devices

This series has become formulaic, easy to decipher, and full of misinformation. What ever happened to doing research when you write a novel? Or fact checking? The French used in this novel is elementary at best and full of formal and informal mistakes. As someone married to a native French speaker, it made my skin crawl to see the disrespectful manner with which that beautiful and complex language was treated in this book.

The part where they go to Paris, the author erroneously states that they go backwards to the night BEFORE when Paris is ahead in time zones from San Diego. Among other false or wishful stereotypes, such as all the people in the Parisian coven being draped in couture, setting the scene lazily and sloppily since most people in Paris don’t drape themselves in couture, just like most people don’t. It’s almost as if Forrest wrote this from a wishful-thinking perspective in what she always believed Paris to be, but has clearly never actually been there.

The story is replaying a formula and the writing is going downhill with every novel. I’m incredibly disappointed in the way this played out, using plot devices and tropes to move the story forward in the most obvious ways possible. As others have pointed out, the Wade-Harley love story is forced and with little emotional ties for either character being built, I just don’t care.

I read these novels purely as entertainment, but with the mistakes, formulaic writing, and sloppy research, I’m losing interest fast. It is still somewhat entertaining, so I’ll try the next book, but I’m getting pretty close to moving on.

[gerardine georges · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good but Bella Forrest is LAZY

I have been a fan of Bella Forrest from the moment I discovered her shade of vampire series ! And this Harley Merlin series is one of my faves, However as an author she doesn’t fact check her stuff ! In this book Harley Speaks to people who are Haitian and French and the rendition that the author gives is Horrendous she misspells things and her translation of Haitian Creole words is totally off , further more the dialogue between French speakers and Americans is downright comical , French people do not speak informally to strangers ( on ne se tutoie pas ) , the familiar tone she uses was out of place ! Also her knowledge of Haitian voodoo was way off as well ! I wish she would do more research before exposing her readers to this painful parts she must know that some of us speak other languages ! A part from that Harley and the gang did not disappoint !

[Jamie’s Two Cents · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t put it down!

Another great book in the series. SPOILERS AHEAD! Harley gets her suppressor broken and becomes super powerful and meets Gaia. She doesn’t stop Katherine yet, but hopefully she’s getting closer. We finally know what all the rituals are and...best of all...Harley and Wade finally get together! Yay! Why only 4 stars, you ask? Because I get really tired of all the imagery. A little less of that and the characters droning on and on. Then it’ll be a 5 star book. The plot is good and the characters are solid. I loved Santana in this book. She’s great.

[Tracy Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harley Merlin just wont give up... Battling against her cracked suppressor & still doing all she can to stop her Evil Aunt from completing the rituals that will make her more dangerous than ever, Harley Merlin is yet again joined by her friends in Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell.

Yet again i admire Harley as a character and find myself devouring the book quickly in an effort to.learn more about the magical world, her friends & the unique foe they face.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Addictive series

[Kate McMurry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent audiobook, Harley and Wade are dual protagonists

Book 5 begins immediately after the events of Book 4 in this series. Harley and her friends, the Rag Team, failed to stop Harley’s evil aunt, Katherine Shipton, from performing the first of five powerful, esoteric magical rituals. If they are all completed, she will become an essentially unstoppable demigod who threatens everyone on the planet, human as well as magicals.

Holly continues to grow in friendship and loyalty to the members of the Rag Team, including Tatyana Vasilisa, Santana Catemaco, Raffe Levi, Astrid Hepler, Dylan Blight, and Wade Crowley. Garrett Kyteler continues to show up in this novel, and his motivations continue to be suspect. Another important character throughout this series is the young teenager, Jacob, who can open portals between locations on Earth and between Earth and alternate dimensions.

First on Holly's agenda now, before taking on Katherine in their next battle, is figuring out how to get the Suppressor out of Harley before it kills her. In order to find a solution, Harley and the team seek out the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. This involves making some very risky deals with powerful magical beings, but it is essential in order to balance the forces of Light and Darkness within Harley.

Everything is more difficult for the team now, because a corrupt magical named Leonidas Levi (who is Raffe Levi’s father) has taken over leadership of the San Diego Coven. He is running the SDC as if it is a military installation. He views Harley with enormous distrust and is doing everything in his power to stand in her way. He forbids her and the Rag Team to do anything else whatsoever to combat Katherine.

In the midst of all Harley’s trials by fire, Wade, who is Harley’s romantic interest throughout this series, continues to stand by her side and support her in every way possible.

Similar to Books 2-4, this book is also narrated in the alternating first-person points of view of both Harley and one of her teammates, in this case, Wade. It is terrific to finally have the chance to get to know Wade better.

Given that there are nine books in this series in which Harley is the main character, and given the fact that this book is urban fantasy and not paranormal romance, it is not surprising to me that the author continues to move the romance between Harley and Wade quite slowly until the very end of this book when they, at long last, openly admit to each other they are emotionally and sexually attracted and officially become boyfriend and girlfriend.

Similar to Books 1-4, the pace of this story moves quickly. The author avoids extended, boring exposition, instead telling the story through dialogue and plenty of brisk action. The central mission, stopping Katherine Shipton before she destroys the world, continues to be the main focus of this novel.

I experienced this book both in Kindle and audiobook format. The narrator is Amanda Ronconi, who does an excellent job acting out the dialogue for all the various characters, portraying with equal skill male and female voices and various national accents.

These are all the Harley Merlin books in this extensive series in which Harley is the main protagonist:

Book 1: Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven, 2018 (from Harley’s POV)
Book 2: Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins, 2018 (from Harley and Tatyana’s POV)
Book 3: Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals, 2018 (from Harley and Santana’s POV)
Book 4: Harley Merlin and the First Ritual, 2018 (from Harley and Astrid’s POV)
Book 5: Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell, 2018 (from Harley and Wade’s POV)
Book 6: Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris, 2018 (from Harley and Finch’s POV)
Book 7: Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix, 2019 (from Harley and Jacob’s POV)
Book 8: Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos, 2019 (from Harley and Katherine’s POV)
Book 9: Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact, 2019 from Harley, Finch and Katherine’s POV)

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 4 stars
Romantic Interest: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Action Plot: 4 stars
Harley Romantic Subplot: 4 stars
World-building: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Audiobook Narration: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so incredibly intense! The visuals and emotions kept me gripping my kindle. I was so afraid it would end that I kept checking to make sure I still had more to read, just in case. Bella Forrest did not disappoint!!! I so desperately wished I could jump right inside this book to see what they see and experience everything with them. You aren't going to be able to put this down once you start!

[M.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one! A few character introductions a page before said characters were then killed, and several character cliches but the plot is good and the magical lore deepens. Already moved on to the next book in the series!

(P.S. It’s STILL not Arthurian.)

[Keira Cook]

This book was really good. I really love this series. I want to finish the whole series.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have did with out the Wade chapters. He was dull, boring and slightly obsessive over Harley. I went through those fast. I would have preferred him to have a more mysterious nature of never knowing exactly what he was going through his head. He was my favorite character until now. I found it funny that his Irish accent slipped, his parents work in Texas but his mom has a bit of a southern accent.??? That bit bothered me, Among other things.
There's a lot of smirking and "I gasped at bla bla bla...".
I don't mind Harley being rediculiously over powered because it means nothing if she can't control her power and Katherine gets stronger than Harley trains get strong. Building up to the final battle. Ok I'm good with that.
But the fight scenes... some are written well but others.... "ehh". Too much telling not enough showing.
Three stars because I enjoyed the story. I enjoy the world. I like most characters. It's not the greatest story ever. But I want to see this story finished through. I looking forward to it.

[KatiEllen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Fear isn’t as potent a motivator as you might think. It only breeds rebellion and resentment.”

Finally!! This book!! I've been waiting for this series to be more and 5 books in this is the one.

Everytime I thought it was winding down and coming to the end it kept going, so much was happening. Since this series began I've been second guessing characters and wondering if they'll betray everyone and go to the dark side. And that hasn't stopped.

We travel to New Orleans and see a whole other side of magic. I've said it once and I'll say it again, the world building in this series is amazing and one of my favourite things. I look forward to meeting new characters of having a new POV as we learn about another cultures magic.

I'm loving where this series is going and I'm hoping that this book is the turning point for me and I see why it's so highly rated.

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[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love the stories she tells, but I've gotta say, she needs to up her research game if she's going to be dipping into other cultures. Two examples: A) Santana would never say "cajones," because that's a common way English speakers misspell "cojones." B) A practitioner of Santería is not a Santería-- that's like calling someone a "witchcraft" instead of a witch. One is called a Santera (female) or Santero (male).

And don't even get me started on how warlock actually means oath breaker. Even dipping her toe into occult research would have made that one obvious.

[diana romano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harley Merlin book 5

This is another winner. This author writes wonderful characters that I am routing for. And great storylines. She has a wonderful imagination also. I highly recommend all her books and series. Diana Romano

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, Wade Crowley! <3 Had I known we’d finally get into Wade’s head, I wouldn’t have taken a break from the series right after book 4 (my least favorite so far). Now, this isn’t a perfect book by any means but it certainly had so many things making my fangirl heart so happy! XD

Harley’s suppressor has cracked, leaking poison into her system, throwing her body into painful episodes, and leaving her little time to fix it. Wade and the rest of the rag team do their best to help her get what she needs to fix it, bringing the team closer than ever. I really like how the bonds between the characters have strengthened, and it actually does get pretty emotional here. When Harley’s on the brink of death, they all rally around her and the love and support is just beautiful. They really have become a family. On a side note, I missed the Smiths in this one. Either thoughts, memories, or actual interactions with them would’ve been nice to remind us that Harley is supposed to be close to them.

Harley’s magic is once again a bit out of control. To be fair, the amount of magic at her fingertips has increased immensely so it makes sense that she needs some time and practice to adjust to it again. Oh, and Gaia! What a nice surprise! Not what I’d expect of a Child of Chaos. I’ll admit now it’s starting to feel a little like Harley’s too much of a magical unicorn but I don’t even mind. Too bad that that meeting was the result of Nomura’s betrayal. His motives were understandable but still sad.

Harley and Wade have had a slow burn since book one, and we finally get to see them come together! I LOVE IT! Yes, there’s a lot of corn here BUT IT’S THE BEST KIND OF CORN! Wade can’t hide his feelings anymore (initially due to the cracked suppressor’s influence), and often moves protectively over Harley. A few people call him out on it, and their shy blushes was so cute. It’s nice to know his side of things where Harley is concerned (thinking on their first meeting, his responses to her, and how he couldn’t stay away even if he tried), and to understand why he seemed a bit hot and cold in previous book. It’s nice to see a hero really put some thought into a relationship instead of just jumping in casually (which is why I looove slow burn romances). We’ve know Harley’s feelings and caught hints at Wade’s, but to get his POV is sweet. The moment he finally faces his feelings is nice too because from there it’s all or nothing. Or no, not even that. It’s just all in. Yay, Wade! I’ve been rooting for you! XD I’m looking forward to how their relationship develops through the rest of their ordeals.

And Felicity Crowley? She’s pretty cool. Not as hoity-toity as I initially expected, and actually pretty snarky like Harley. =P She was a tad cold to Harley, but given the circumstances I’m not gonna hold it against her. In fact, I love that she’s pretty understanding. Wade talks about dysfunctional families and how they don’t get along, but once she realized Wade was in love with Harley she was open to getting to know her better. What a nice mom.

Leonidas Levi is NOT a good director, and quite immature and small-minded too. I was hoping to find some hidden depths to him (instead of just a silly man) but that doesn’t really come through. I’m hoping he gets better. As it is, he sucks. I feel bad that Mrs. Crowley berated him in front of Harley and Wade, but what she was saying was not untrue.

I honestly am whatever about the Katherine Shipton plot. I don’t know what it is, but whenever we actually face her I feel like she’s kind of goofy. An evil goofy, but still goofy. The actual plot with the second ritual was really quick and over almost as soon as it began. President Price was a good guy. Too bad we didn’t get to know him better.

Overall, a fantastic read! Definitely got major points for upping the romance factor for Harley and Wade while still keeping up with the action and adventure!

[Melissa Dinwiddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ride Continues... (But could have done without the Wade chapters)

Harley Merlin and her band of magical buddies—the Rag Team—from the San Diego Coven are desperate to stop the evil Katherine from completing the second ritual, which will land her that much closer to her goal of becoming a Child of Chaos, an unstoppable, all-powerful being.

Harley seems to be a key to stopping Katherine, but there are so many obstacles in the way.

For one thing, Harley’s full powers are hindered by the Suppressor, which her parents installed when she was a baby, but which had cracked, and is slowly killing her. And the interim director of the SDC is making it impossible for her to take the necessary steps to complete the process of getting the Suppressor out of her system for good.

And even if the director weren’t standing in her way, the steps involved in ridding herself if the leaky Suppressor are many and dangerous. Meanwhile, Katherine’s minions keep striking, making life even more difficult!

Will Harley survive to get the Suppressor out?

Will Harley and the Rag Team be able to stop Katherine from performing the second ritual?

And will Harley and Wade take the next step and acknowledge their growing attraction for each other?

These are the big questions in this latest installment of Harley’s story. It’s a fun read, though I could have done without the chapters written from Wade’s point of view. His voice was so bland, it didn’t add anything to his character, or the story, and in fact, I felt it detracted from both. Wade described by Harley has much edgier and more interesting personality than the first-person narrator Wade in this novel. A pity.

I also wish the author had invested in a good proofreader, but that goes for most self-published books I read. Few authors seem to bother with that essential step, so the grammar and punctuation can be spotty. The Harley Merlin series is not the worst I’ve seen, but it would benefit from a good comb-through.

Still, the premise is fun, and despite the outcome being somewhat predictable, I enjoy the characters, so I plan to keep reading.

[La G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firing full speed ahead!

The book and it's characters are indeed improving and making great progress! They're still moments will Harley and the Rag team stress me out and upset me. It's funny how they're still mad at Alton and Nomura for what they did, when they pretty much did the same thing (granted it wasn't a betrayal) to Garrett and Remington, using their love or affection for someone against them to do with they wanted them to do. Auntie Echidna (what Harley should call her IJS) really had it right when she asked the question if they taught Harley anything in the school! They're still so much she doesn't know or realize, like the power of names or that Spell isn't a fix all for your problems among other things. Harley really does need to learn to think and plan before she chargers full speed ahead. Granted she's not always given the chance to plan but she also needs to think outside of herself and what she wants in that moment and of the bigger picture to accomplish with needs to be done. She keeps forgetting that she's new to the game And that sometimes unfortunately sacrifices need to be made to reach your and point order ultimate goal, although it really shouldn't be too different from her time in foster care! I was happy to see her get a much desired and values memory, as well as getting to reach out to Gaia, and her and Wade moving ahead! It's funny that in trying to keep Jacob secret, they didn't think to make some kind of ephemera (real or fake) from Isadora to cover the fact that he's a Portal Opener!! I'm now super and officially curious about this change that Harley mae have to make to defeat Katherine, and whether or not it goes back to the vision Marjorie had about Harley! Looking forward to the next book where hopefully they will use more common sense and finesse over brute strength which has failed them thus far!

[books are love · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the shockers from the last book I thought now we are cooking. And in some aspects the plot and book did cook right up. I am still loving Wade the most. Astrid you are just feeling for. She has so much going on and is dealing with more than she should have to. But Wade man he is trying to juggle who he is, what he believes and what he know is right and at the same time going against rules while believing, supporting and falling in love with a strong stubborn reckless girl. Harley at times I don’t really think she has a clue of what others are going through. That or she doesn’t care. I haven’t figured out that part yet. She does get on others for not understanding things and yet she has blinders at times to this. I know that there is a focus but sometimes hers is too singular in nature.

And Katherine that lady really is out there. I love how she keeps everyone guessing and on their toes but man is she truly evil. Maleficient evil.

In this book, I love the new obstacles that must be worked around. In particular the power hungry controlling new coven leader. One that really gets everyone up in a gander and watching rules be bent and broken while trying to stop Katherine and working around this guy and showing him up is truly what makes this book fun. Seeing everyone come together to thwart him while trying to stop Katherine, having Harley start to come more and more into her power and find out more about her family and deal with it, watching Wade battle things and seeing the relationships mature and deepen is great. I only wish it didn’t feel like we go one step forward two steps back at the end of each book. It’s like we get so close and yet so far despite this it was a fun book full of twists and turns and just enjoyable.

[Dana Linde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite book of the series so far. In this installment, Harley is dealing with her Suppressor, which is cracked. The need to balance the forces of Chaos takes members of the team to New Orleans (great characters there!). Additionally, Harley has to gather blood from two powerful forces- one light and one dark. Finally, the team is dealing with Alton's replacement at the SDC and finding Katherine before she completes the next step in becoming a child of chaos. While I was disappointed how this confrontation with Katherine works out (obviously the author wanted to have more books in the series), I think it allows the reader to understand the meaning of sacrifice. These plot points allowed for a smooth story line with just the right amount of tension and suspense. Lastly, the relationship between Harley and Wade finally works itself out. But what I appreciated most was how this book reinforces what it means to be a good leader. Even though the book was written some time ago, reading it in 2020 makes this message stand out all the more.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another installment in Harley's adventure that I could not put down! The book grabbed you and kept you enticed from beginning to end. It was intriguing the entire time. I loved the story and how it unfolded. I loved the continued character development. The characters are all like onions, more is revealed to you layer by layer. It was interesting getting to see things from Wade's side of things in this part of the story. The only thing I disliked, was the portrayal of Papa Legba. I won't go into details of who he really is in comparison to how this book portrayed him, but I did find it to be distasteful and disrespectful. That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as always, and cannot wait for the next one! Thank goodness Bella has other series to read in the meantime while waiting for the next adventure. I am so interested to see how Harley handles her new power and where it takes her! You won't be disappointed in this book!

[James Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harvey's on overload like Mount Vesuvius she 's about to blow her load

Harley's cracked Suppressor is leaking more and more of the pent-up Chaos into her every single day, flooding her with uncontrollable energy. She hasn't forgotten the kiss she'd shared with Wade , they'd both agreed to wait to talk about “us” until after dealing with the Suppressor.

Alton has resigned, Leonidas Levi is the new interim director of the San Diego Coven. Director Levi blames Harley for Quetzi’s death, and Katherine completing the first ritual—everything. I could hear it in his bitter tone. His plan is to keep Harley locked up, stating talk of poisoning is nonsense; and merely an excuse to get away from the coven.

Harley is growing more and more desperate to get to Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans for her expertise in Sanguine spells. She could help Harley perform the spell to give Harley the balance between Light and Darkness.

[Mary A. Muchowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fate of the magical world is at stake since no one has been able to stop the Cult of Eris

Katherine Shipton always seems to be a step ahead with spies everywhere and with her powers growing continually. Quetzacoatl has been lost when she steals him to kill in the 1st ritual and gain his power. Harley and the Rag Team fought hard to try and save him, but Kayherine's power was too much and in the battle Astrid lost her life. Although her father brought her back, it seems that part of her soul is missing. Alton resigns as Coven leader because of his involvement in Quetzi's death. Race'sfather takes over and he hates the Rag Team and seems determined to destroy the SDC. Katherine is preparing for the next ritual and Harley is going to die unless some drastic measures are taken.

[Emily Skermer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favourite book in the series so far. Loved hearing from Wade's perspective as he was very interesting and loved the progression in Harley and Wade's relationship.

The plot was very exciting with deadly stakes for Harley and I really enjoyed the part of the story set in New Orleans as it was cool to see some new magical abilities.

Only bad thing about this book was that the ending felt a little rushed as Katherine suddenly appeared at the very end and succeeded very easily.

Was worried that Harley would be too overpowered after breaking the suppressor however this doesn't seem to be the case as she is still struggling with controlling her powers.

The betrayal in this books shocked me and I am also excited to hopefully see Finch more involved in the next book.

Best book in the series so far and would rate them.
Broken Spell
Secret Coven
First Ritual
Stolen Magicals
Mystery Twins

[Nereid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic, mystery and mayhem

There is so much going on in this book. The Rag team are trying to outwit Katherine which is proving to be a mammoth task. Running parallel to that thread are the blossoming relationships between the four couples. There is a lot of teenage angst, self discovery and support within this group of magical. Levi the dictator is doing his best to hinder any progress they try to make and his hatred of Harley has blinded him to her potential of being able to take on Katherine as she is the only one who has the power to do it. This series is a entertaining and their are nuances of Harry Potter in these chapters. The quest to seek retribution and save the world may be Harley's undoing, only time will tell.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The suspense is growing as the series continues. Harley's still working on taking care of her suppressor, which is leaking badly now and causing her all sorts of issues. The coven has a new temporary director who is making life difficult, and Wade and Harley's relationship is finally coming out in the opening. In the process of dealing with the suppressor and learning more about the spells her aunt is attempting, Harley and company go to New Orleans to meet with the spirit of Marie Laveau which leads to still more problems. Once again we are left hanging, but luckily the next book in the series is out. I have to agree with other reviewers who have pointed out the author's lack of research on santeria, and the use of the French vs. Cajun languages. 3.5 stars