Lisa Shearin – Bewitched & Betrayed

The fourth book in the Raine Benares series, published April 27, 2010.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: strong



My name is Raine Benares. I am a seeker. I find lost things and missing people – usually alive. Finding the specters of six evil mages who escaped the Saghred, a soul stealing stone of unlimited power, was easy. Stopping them before they unleash Hell on earth just may be the death of me.
Being bonded to the Saghred wasn’t my idea – neither is hunting down its escapees. Especially not when one of them is also hunting me. He’s regenerating his body by taking the lives of powerful victims, along with their memories, knowledge and most important of all, their magic. The dark mage wants control of the Saghred, and if he gets it, he’ll become an evil demigod whom no one can stop. The only thing in his way is me.
One of us doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.


In the previous book, 7 souls managed to escape the Saghred when the Goblin Queen tried to rescue her King. Sarad Nukpana was one of them, 5 others were his accomplices, some of the blackest mages of all times. The seventh is Raines’ father, who took over the recently killed body of a young Guardian. Only a few people know it, but Raine is very happy to finally get to know her father, even though he looks younger than she is herself.
The other escaped souls have other plans though, than inhabiting a dead body. They are taking over the living bodies of very powerful mages. To find them and evict them from those bodies is not easy, but Mychael has brought in the most powerful elven nachtmagus in Mid. As he is one of the good guys, he has agreed to help out as much as he can and he will keep everything he learns about Raine and her bonded mates a secret.
Sarad Nukpana is using the darkest black magic he knows to do even more evil. He sucks out the live, memories knowledge and magic power out of his victims, and absorbs it into himself, and is regenerating his own body. He only needs a few more victims to become alive again, and a demigod in the process, unbeatable. Sarad has sworn vengeance on Raine, he will make her suffer by taking her loved ones first, and Raine will do whatever she has to do to keep them safe, and make sure Sarad Nukpana never executes his threats.
For now, he has taken out another enemy of Raine though, Rudra Muralin is no longer a threat to her, as Sarad has consumed him.

Taltek Balmorlan and Carnades Silvanus are still trying to get Raine in elven custody, and Tam and Mychael in prison. They have set Tam up to take the blame for a murdered elven general, the first important victim from Sarad Nukpana. Together, Mychael and Raine have to prove that Tam is innocent, and they embark on a nightly quest to get the real abductor to confess who is behind it all. In their disguises, they are hired to kidnap the next planned victim: Duke Markus himself, the highest boss of elven intelligence, and someone Raine used to work for from time to time …


I so love this series, I will be very sad if it ends with book 6. Raine’s enemies get stronger every day, but her friends and allies multiply as well. At the end of the book, Tam has gotten diplomatic immunity so Carnades Silvanus can no longer touch him, or have him put in jail. I really hope that stupid arrogant elf gets killed soon. The truth is revealed about Taltek Balmorlan, and why Duke Markus has come to Mid. I was happy with that explanation.

On the personal front, Mychael and Raine finally give in to their attraction, Raine has just dodged death one time to often, and she doesn’t want to waste another moment. I really liked that, they are such a great couple together. Mychael is the most powerful white mage in town, but if the law does not serve justice, he will see it done some other way. He has a history before he became the Paladin too …

Cousin Phaelan does not really have a part in this book, but there are some scenes aboard ship with Raines uncle as well. And I like Vegard more and more, Raine’s bodyguard and protector, well, he tries as hard as he can. I would not mind having him at my side.

Piaras and Talon, the two young and powerful spellsingers have their own adventure, thanks to Talon’s stubborn belief in himself, but it puts his father and everyone else in deadly danger. I do wonder if he will learn from the experience or not. I enjoy they parts though, they bring some humor and I love watching them grow up.

The plot thickens when more secrets are revealed and more powerful players come to town. I long for the next book, but on the other hand, I want to savour the last two … What to do, read or wait and keep them for a gloomy mood to cheer myself up?

I really enjoy Lisa Shearin’s writing style. It is so easy to read and get lost in the story, for me it is never predictable. It is not too light or too heavy, there is a lot of danger, adventure, magic, humor and great characters. It is fast paced, but there is time for some personal things for Raine and her friends and family as well. I love how loyal this family is, and I look forward to meeting Phaelan’s brother. And the love scene between Raine and Mychael is certainly not hurried and very well written.

I would love to step foot on a ship and sail for Mid and meet them all. Of course I would be a very powerful mage myself …

9 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian