Bewitched In Time

Spelled Portals & Cursed Mortals #1

by Rae Stapleton

She's an old soul in a toxic relationship. He's a German Graf in the past. They are destined for one another but are they destined for love or death?

On the cusp of Sophia Marcil's soul searching trip to the French Riviera, she's met by the strange and unusual. First, her friend's research involving a cursed relic sparks an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Next, a curious book of spells that she's only ever seen in her dreams, appears out of nowhere. And last but not least, a fortune teller's warning prompts a startling hallucination.


When her boyfriend drops her from a cliff, she falls headfirst into a spinning underwater cavern in the Mediterranean Sea, only to resurface in the arms of a handsome 19th Century man.

Kingdom of Sardinia, 1859. Loyal yet lost in love, Graf Conrad Alexander Ferdinand of Württemberg is in the area to thwart his parents' efforts to marry him off. He's helping a cousin near the Palace when the woman of his dreams washes ashore. He just so happens to be there for her but when she tries to tell him she's not the real Princess Sapphira and someone is out to get her, sparks fly.


As magic intervenes, forcing the unlikely pair together, they discover their love is bewitched, and it's only the beginning. Does she return to her life of modern convenience, or stay in the past for a chance at true love? And what of the plot of the charcoal society to force her hand in marriage and overthrow the Prince?

Can Sophia and Conrad overcome a madman hungry for power, and break the curse in order to meet their fate? Or will they die as the 21st history books suggest and just how many times have they tried before?


If you like your time-travel romance filled with echoes of reincarnation, love facing seemingly impossible obstacles, steamy love, and a dash of humor, fall headfirst for these fated lovebirds.

Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Historical Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal

458 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2020

About the author

Rae Stapleton lives in a spooky, old, Gothic house in Canada with her husband, children, and cats. She spends at least forty hours a week creating magical worlds from within the book-lined walls of her study. And yes, there is a secret passageway inside her house. Unfortunately, her kids know about it, so she can’t escape them. Rae loves to hear from her readers.

Reviews

[Natalie Mundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid three star read. Will probably pick this series back up at some point because I was intrigued by the plot line but I’m not in a rush to do so

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

⏳⏳ONE ENGAGING ADVENTURE⏳⏳
Outstanding! Rae delivers with this incredibly refreshing treat, unleashing the winds of the present colliding with the past, as sands through the hour so are the days of our lives, propelling this gem to a whole new level. Transported into rough terrain full of captivating drama, perilous intrigue, cruel actions, underlying currents, hidden agenda, hostile encounters, sinister intents, unfolding revelations, escalating danger, swirling suspense and intense situations ensue, melding this jewel together seamlessly. Obliterating boundaries and dissolved limitations are amplified and expanded, bracing the deadly twists and wicked turns our characters through their paces, bursting this baby to life brilliantly. The characters, banter, dialogue, interactions and charged atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits, blend and flow adding depth and diversity, transforming into outstanding personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and graphic descriptions creating an elaborate backdrop that feels as though you were transported to ground zero with them. Fantastic job Rae, thanks for sharing this amazing thrill with us.

[Mia Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rae Stapleton is a new author to me. I was immediately attracted to the book because of the time travel premise. While this one different then time travels I’ve read in the past it was quite enjoyable.

Sophia is traveling in the French Riviera when dropped from a cliff by her boyfriend she washes ashore in the 19th century and into the arms of Graf Conrad Alexander Ferdinand of Württemberg who believes her to be Princess Sapphira.

There’s a good cast of characters, a curious book of spells, a cursed relic, dreams, an overwhelming sense of déjà vu and a fortuneteller with a serious warning.

This is an interesting well written story to keep you engaged. Sophia is haunted by a dangerous and deadly curse for the possession of the Purple Delhi Sapphire. There’s adventure, danger and mystery to be solved before Sophia can find her happily ever after in this steamy romance.

Thank you Miss Stapleton for this interesting, well written time travel romance.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was totally sucked into this story! A curse tied to a jewel and “a past wrong” keep three souls travelling the same or similarly doomed path each reincarnation cycle. Sophia in present day tries to figure out what is going on after a near death experience. That along with haunting dreams, her great grandmother Gigi’s cryptic messages and story-rich past as well as history uncovered kept me reading late into the night. Who is this obsessed person, and why do they want to harm Sophia? What will it
take to break the curse? I am looking forward to reading the next book In the series to find more answers!

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

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaged In Time: Time Travel Romance (Spelled Portals & Cursed Mortals Book 1), my 12th read from author Rae Stapleton. Extremely well written, the characters, well developed. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make a reader get invested into the characters and thereby the book and this book has it all! No matter the genre you can always count on a good read, I will be reading more by prolific author Rae Stapleton, (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Tori Belflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Travel & True Love

How does one get the love of her life in every reincarnation, only to pass untimely? Curses of course. The Sapphire Witch Book 1 follows the lives of Sofia through time and present and intertwines the past and present seemingly into one world - Sofia's. This book is filled with savory characters and their adventures to uncover the truths but also filled with your anti-heroes on their quest to bring everything down.

Spoiler: Sofia has been wrong before in her previous lives, so how does she know Cullen is the one?

[Adrian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story seemed to have a great backbone but feel short in the long run. I think with the right editors, this could have been a really good read.

I finished it but wasn't really interested in what was going on. I didn't like the ending. It didn't feel like an ending. Like, I finished one chapter, ready to start the next only to see that the next was actually a teaser for the next book. I literally said "wait, that was it?....wtf "

2 stars because it has potential. I finished it. And it wasn't horrible.

[Barb Foerst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophia Marcil is an ordinary librarian who is vacationing in Europe with her soon to be ex-boyfriend. After an argument, Sophia is suddenly Sapphira Princess of Monaco in the mid 1850’s. She is puzzled and thinks it’s all a game until it becomes obvious it is not.

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book. There’s a little romance, a lot of mystery and a puzzling jewel. Enjoy!

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Librarian Sophia is on holiday in Europe with her rich boyfriend Nick, when she falls from a cliff she wakes up to find herself in 1857. Everybody believes she is Sapphira, Princess of Monaco and she cannot persuade them otherwise. Thus starts this exciting book with twists and turns you don’t always suspect. A fine time travel book by Rae Stapleton. Can’t wait to read the next book.

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

[Kimberly Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

New author to me. Currently reading, but will update my rating IF I can find the will to finish the book. I downloaded this book from the "stuff your kindle day" list because the synopsis sounded really unique, and right up my alley. So far it has mostly just annoyed me with the disjointed writing, and the sometimes strange yet repetitive phrasing. I can't seem to get more than a few minutes in before needing to stop, which was really disappointing since the story premise sounded so good.

[Deanna Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing redeeming about this book.

The characters weren’t well fleshed out, the storyline swung wildly all over the place, the main character wasn’t easy to relate to. Just not a well developed story or any cohesive plot. I kept reading hoping it would get better and then it just ends. No resolution to the book. I hate to give bad reviews.

[Deborah Marmont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic & Romance

I'm not great with words, like this great autho has been, , but so far, this book has everything a great Time traveling, magic, and Roman galore could want!! I, so far, have thoroughly enjoyed the adventures that Ms Rae Stapleton has included in her wonderful storyline!! Please read it for yourself, you won't regret it!! Looking forward to Book #2

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. This however was all over the place. It was so hard to follow. The author did an unfortunate job of trying to tell the story. I still couldn't quite understand what she was trying to do.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I will definitely read the next book in the series! Time traveling, magic and romance 💜

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very clumsy, not a writing style I enjoy. Couldn't get past the first few chapters. DNF and DNR

[Kendra Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repeating history

Not terrible interesting read but not style i feel like alot of build up just to have a book 2 nothing was answered.

[Nora . · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF