BEWITCHED & BETRAYED by Lisa Shearin

A Raine Benares Novel, Book 4 in series
Publisher: ACE/Penguin Books
Date published: April 2010
ISBN: 978-0-441-01872-7
Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Self-Purchase


Raine Benares was an excellent seeker-someone who can find things and missing people. What she never expected was to be bonded to a soul sucking rock called the Saghred. Now she has to hunt the six escaped specters, one that is also hunting Raine. This dark mage is killing people, taking their magic, memories and knowledge. Now before he becomes even more powerful, Raine has to race against the clock to stop him because if she doesn’t, life as she knew will disappear.

BEWITCHED & BETRAYED begins a few weeks after book three ends, THE TROUBLE WITH DEMONS and finds Raine knee deep in trouble. Six power mad Saghred escapees are on the loose and one is so power mad, he is hunting Raine, tormenting her with doubt, deaths and more as he builds up his power and jumps from body to body. Ms. Shearin delivers an action packed, wild ride within the pages of her latest Raine Benares story. I fell in love with Raine from the beginning and with the added flavor of a love triangle keeping me glued to the books; I was thrilled to read in this latest book the outcome to it. Fast pace storyline kept me glued to the edge of my seat and I had a few moments where I was laughing hysterically at some of the lighter moments that were sprinkled throughout the story.

Raine Benares is a seeker and a darn good one in her opinion. Able to find lost items and people, she never, in her wildest imagination, thought one easy seeker job would have her bonded to a rock-a rock that is so powerful many nations/people want it and by extension, Raine. She is up to eyeballs in trouble as she tries to find the six escaped specters from the Saghred and tries to stop all hell being unleashed by a power mad dark mage. Magic, romance and a love triangle to keep you guessing who Raine ends up with are all wrapped up in this next installment. Some of the many characters that were in the past three books are back and I was tickled pink by their antics, especially as I tried to figure out what would happen next for them all. The characters are well rounded and very life like. I felt like I could drop in on any of them and be fast friends with them all. This is an author who really knows her world and the characters that inhabit it. I really loved the dynamics Raine had with Tam and Mychael-two deliciously yummy men she is bonded to and yet only one makes her heart melt into a puddle. The twists in this triangle had me gasping and then shouting “Hell yeah!” in an excited voice I flipped the pages of BEWITCHED & BETRAYED.

BEWITCHED & BETRAYED is one rousing good time from start to finish. I do recommend you read the books in order (MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND, ARMED & MAGICAL, THE TROUBLE WITH DEMONS) to get the full Raine experience as each book capitalizes on the last one. If you enjoy a kick butt heroine who fights bad guys with more than her magic but also with her brain, has friends that will have you giggling and action that will leave you breathless, then grab the Raine Benares series and settle in for one pulse pounding time of your life.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.