Beholder Box Set: Books 1-2

Beholder #1-5

by Christina Bauer

Medieval mages … Slow-burn love … And heart-pounding action! All five books of the best-selling series are now in one ebook collection!

CURSED (Book 1)
Elea doesn’t want to be a witch, but she’s been struck by a curse. The only way our heroine can survive is if she embraces her hated Necromancer powers. Elea works hard. Still, success seems just about impossible until a handsome warlock named Rowan offers to help.

CONCEALED (Book 2) 
Elea is now a Grand Mistress Necromancer. Good thing, too. She’ll need all her new powers in order to save her friends from the evil Viscount Gaspard. And her heart? That might belong to Rowan, unless he breaks it forever.

CHERISHED (Book 3)
Elea is done being a witch. Forget casting spells. Forget saving the realm. Especially, forget how Rowan shattered her trust. Now, Elea wants to go back to life on the farm. Trouble is, someone’s trying to kill her. The only man she doesn’t want to ever see again? That’s the only one who can help her. It’s time to see Rowan. 

CROWNED (Book 4)
Elea’s true identity will be revealed… as well as who is the best man to share her future. 

CRADLED (Book 5)
At last, Elea and Rowan are settling in to their new lives. Trouble is, Rowan is spending a lot of time cleaning up messes from his childhood. And considering the nightmare that was his mother, those are some ugly messes indeed. In fact, the experience is enough to make Rowan vow that he never wants children of his own. Oops.

"Beholder will take you on an adventure of a lifetime!"  - The Avid Reader

641 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2019

About the author

Christina 'CEE BEE' Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes young adult romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. Christina lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby. She loves to connect with her fans at ChristinaBauerAuthor.com.

ANGELBOUND ORIGINS
About a quasi (part demon and part human) girl who loves kicking butt in Purgatory's Arena
1. Angel bound
2. Scala
3. Acca
4. Thrax
5. The Dark Lands
6. The Brutal Time
7. Armageddon
8. Quasi Redux
9. Clockwork Igni
10. Lady Reaper
11. Reaper Games
12. Angry Gods

ANGELBOUND OFFSPRING
The next generation takes on Heaven, Hell, and everything in between
1. Maxon
2. Portia
3. Zinnia
4. Rhodes
5. Kaps
6. Mack
7. Huntress
8. Gage
*This is a finished series

ANGELBOUND LINCOLN
Events of Angelbound from Lincoln's POV
1. Duty Bound
2. Lincoln
3. Trickster
4. Baculum
5. Angelfire

ANGELBOUND XAVIER TRILOGY
The story of the Archangel Xavier
1. Archenemy
2. Archnemesis
3. Archangel

FAIRY TALES OF THE MAGICORUM
Modern fairy tales with sass, action, and romance
1. Wolves And Roses

2. Moonlight And Midtown

3. Slippers And Thieves

4. Shifters And Glyphs

5. Bandits And Ball Gowns

6. Fire And Cinder

7. Fairies And Frosting

8. Towers And Tithes
9. Mirrors And Mysteries
10. Rapunzels And Powers

DIMENSION DRIFT
Dystopian adventures with science, snark, and hot aliens
1. Scythe
2. Umbra
3. Alien Minds
4. ECHO Academy
*This is a completed series

PIXIELAND DIARIES
The story of sassy pixie, Calla, and her elf crush, Dare
1. Pixieland Diaries
2. Calla
3. Dare
*This is a completed series

BEHOLDER
Where a medieval farm girl discovers necromancy and true love
1. Cursed
2. Concealed
3. Cherished
4. Crowned
5. Cradled
*This is a completed series

VAMPIRES OF THE DAEMONVERSE
Adult fantasy written under my pen name, CEE BEE
1. Violins and Vampires
2. Veils and Vampires
3. Vixens and Vampires
4. Valor and Vampires

Reviews

[Bayli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review these books. Overall, this series was an easy read - a lot of twists and turns to keep the reader focused as well as a romance. I appreciated the world building and details put in to explaining the different magical and supernatural beings. There were some grammatical/typo mistakes within this series, some very minor, some enough to really make me stop reading and only focus on that error, but for the most part, I can get past that.. Unfortunately this box set did not include Crowned, which I feel like took away from the enjoyment of the series a bit and that was really hard to get past. Ultimately I did enjoy this series as a whole.

*Edit 9/13/22: editing this review to update that the author, Christina Bauer, was very generous and kind to resend me the file that included Crowned as I downloaded the file prior to the update. I am eager to read it this weekend and I know it will seal up any missing details/thoughts from the storyline I had previously. I am also going to bump my rating from 3 stars to 4, as I deducted one star due to the missing book alone. Thank you so much, Christina, you are awesome!

[Monster House Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like GAME OF THRONES, then you'll love the BEHOLDER series. This boxed set gives you books 1 and 2 to binge read. Woot woot!

***SPOILER ALERT***

Elea is a super-powerful necromancer chick who kicks medieval-style ass, falls in love with a total hottie, and yet somehow manages not to go insane and kill everyone. Go her! That said, she does have some amazing adventures. Don't miss them!!!

[Irishbookmammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Necromancer Romance is a great binge read if you like slow-burn medieval fantasy mixed with romance. Having all five books in one collection makes it easy to get swept up in Elea’s journey from farm girl to powerful necromancer, and I loved watching her grow into her magic and her strength. Rowan makes for a swoony yet complicated love interest, and their relationship develops in a way that feels both heartfelt and earned.

The series is full of action, dark magic, and plenty of twists, so it never feels dull. Admittedly, some of the pacing is uneven, and a few plot points felt a little stretched, but that’s easy to forgive when you’ve got five instalments in one box set to sink into. The world-building is rich, the romance has genuine tension, and there’s a nice balance between battles, betrayals, and softer emotional beats.

A solid 4 stars from me, engaging, dramatic, and addictive. Perfect for fans of magical quests with a strong romantic core.

[Rachel Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was shocked by how dark this book is. While not outright, horror there is a disturbing quality that I couldn’t quite shake. The theme of eternal suffering is heavy and not for everyone.

There is a raw aspect to Cursed that speaks of less editing than needed, but despite that, I am extremely impressed by Bauer’s world building. If you compare this series to her other works this is even more evident. The tones of her books very drastically, speaking to a truly impressive creativity.

The characters feel like a first draft. They are starting to form, but are yet to be fleshed our complete-especially the side characters. I am hoping that the rest of the series provides stronger development and character arcs.

Overall I am anxious to read more from
Bauer. There is an underlying skill for storytelling here that I am excited to see more of as her career progresses.

Thank you Net Galley, and Christina Bauer for my advanced copy! My opinions are my own.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 3
Personal Bias - 3
Final Score - 3

[Kookie9200 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This is the complete series of books, but the fourth book wasn't included. I read 1-3 then 5, as that was what was included in this box set. I felt that overall, I enjoyed the story and the characters. It was a good, easy read that kept me invested in the story. I did feel the 5th book was unnecessary. My biggest issue was all the grammatical and spelling errors in the books. Usually, I can overlook it because, hey, it happens, but there were quite a few obvious mistakes that pulled me out of the narrative and made me focus on the mistake instead.

[Hollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so happy that I discovered The Beholder Series by Christina Bauer. Phenomenal world-building, a strong and provocative heroine, and a unique magic system. This series has a little bit of everything - adventure, romance, fantasy. It didn't take long for me to find myself fully engrossed in the first book of the series, Cursed. The plot is action-packed and kept me thoroughly engaged and invested in the outcomes of her complex characters.

[Kelsey Tewell]

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the ARC of this boxset. Unfortunately I was unable to really dig deep and get into this book series. There was a lot to understand at the beginning without a lot of explanation and I found myself lost and rereading to understand. Hopefully I will be able to give it another try in the future,