Laura Thalassa's Blog
December 8, 2023
Bespelled Cover Reveal + Description + Release Date + Pre-Order Links + Teaser
I’m so thrilled to share the cover and description of Bespelled, which releases on May 28,2024! You can pre-order it here! Seriously, I have butterflies writing that! I’ve been sitting on this coverfor literal years, and I’ve known the details about Bespelled for so long that it feels surreal to finally get to shareit with you all!
Without further ado, here it is!
“Neither magic, nor time, can keep us apart. We are like the stars. Eternal.”
No one told witch Selene Bowers having a soul mate would be so difficult. Nor did they warn her that he might be a vengeful, ancient sorcerer who would frame her for murder, force her to remember a past life he swears she lived, and then coerce her into an unbreakable marriage pact. But that’s exactly what happens the night of the Samhain Ball, when Selene finds herself in a jail cell.
After waking from enchanted sleep, Memnon swore to discover why Selene betrayed him long ago. But when his soul mate’s memories return, the truth reveals something else entirely. Horrified by his own actions and desperate to make amends, Memnon offers Selene the unthinkable: a magic bond that will give her full control over his will. And Selene is desperate enough to accept it.
But other enemies still haunt Henbane Coven, Selene’s magical academy, and they’ve taken a keen interest in her. If she wants to stop them, she’ll need Memnon’s help. But partnering with the sorcerer is a tricky business, especially when he’s dead set on winning her heart. And that can’t happen…because the bond controlling him will break the moment she falls in love with him.
* * *
I’m also so excited to announce I’ve partnered with Meet Cute Bookshop for a signed pre-order campaign of Bespelled. If you pre-order through them, you'll get a signed copyof Bespelled and two adorable matching coasters.
Did I mention there’s a teaser? This one’s a juicy one too! Culturesswill be sharing the teaser for Bespelled, along with a little Q&A!
Here are of the links to the items mentioned above:
Signed Pre-Order Copy of Bespelled + Coasters
Paperback Pre-Order of Bespelled
April 18, 2023
Bewitched is Now Out!
Bewitched, the first book in my new paranormal romance series, is out now! You can find it here!
For someone who is supposedly good with words, I don’t really have any to adequately describe how I feel right now. It’s been five years since I started a new series, so this feels oddly momentous. I began writing Bewitched as a sort of palate cleanser between my Four Horsemen books, which were dark, heavy, and—many times—bleak. My first love has always been paranormal romances, so writing this book was like returning to the heart of what I loved about reading and writing—falling into a world of magic and ancient curses and, most of all, love. As soon as my Four Horsemen series finished, I was drawn right back into the story of Selene, a witch who suffers from magical memory loss, and Memnon, the ancient warlord Selene accidentally awoke from deathless sleep.
Bewitched is the first book of a planned trilogy. There will also be two additional novellas (books that are about half the length of my regular titles). This series takes place in the same shared universe as my Bargainer series, though there are no character cross-overs and you do not need to have read any of my previous books to fully fall into this one, I promise. Essentially, I just use the same magical rules and places as in my other series.
Paperback versions of Bewitched are also out now. The audiobook, which is being narrated by the incredibly talented Susannah Jones (under the pseudonym Stella Bloom), is live as well! Other than that, a few of you have asked whether Bewitched will be out in hardback, and right now there are no plans for a hardback version.
Also, I'll be on Instagram Live tonight at 7 PM PST to chat with the super awesome CN Crawford about all things supernatural! I'm sure Bewitched will be discussed, but it will be a spoiler-free conversation, so don't worry about that! Later this week, I'll share more goodies and information about this release, so I hope you'll stick around for that!
As always, thank you all for taking a chance on my books. I’m forever grateful that I get to do this for a living. I hope you enjoy this new series!
Hugs and happy reading!
Laura
At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches. Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America. When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene's magic awakens to save her life―at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.
Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-dead wife. The wife who betrayed him. Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found dead across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot. Accused of the murders on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon's help for answers―and his plans for her will change everything.
November 21, 2022
Bewitched Pre-Order, Release Date, and Teaser
I’m so excited to announce that Bewitched , the first book in my upcoming paranormal romance series, will be coming April 18, 2023! Even more exciting, you can pre-order it here ! Below is the new and improved description (I had help) as well as a teaser!
***
***
For months I’ve been saying that Bewitched would release winter of this year, and when I made those announcements, I was slated to have it out around the holiday season. However, since then I signed over the series’ print rights to Bloom Publishing, a decision I’m SO thrilled about. My being with Bloom means that you’ll be able to find Bewitched in more bookstores, and it also means the book will be more polished than it might otherwise have been, and the physical copies will have professional touches that some of my previous indie books might’ve lacked. It also means—and this is a big one for me—that my schedule will be more reliable. I’m a hot mess of a human. I don’t say that to be cute—I really will accidently let all sorts of things slip. Having a publisher means things on my end don’t fall through the cracks. It’s honestly been the most amazing experience, working with Bloom, and I hope you all will forgive me that the drawback to this is that it adds several months to the timeline.
Now, more info about the various formats: Bewitched will be included in Kindle Unlimited for those of you who are members. Susannah Jones has agreed to narrate the audiobook, which I’m over the moon about. She’s narrated both my Bargainer series and my Four Horsemen series, and I’m obsessed with her voice work. I don’t know if there will be hardback versions or special editions of the book, at this point, so please check back in closer to release day if you’re interested in that!
As for the book itself, gah, I cannot wait to share more about the characters and the story! If I had to give one word to describe the experience of writing this novel, I’d say “fun.” The story itself is plenty dark and spicy, but the actual process of creating it was just a joy. I’ve loved exploring the world of witches and getting to know both Selene and Memnon and their backstories. I’ve caught myself day dreaming about these characters and their world more times than I can count, and for me, that is always a litmus test of how good I think a book of mine is.
I’ll have more teasers to share with you all in the future, but I’m trying to be careful with how many I share since we still have about five months until the book’s release. If you’re excited about Bewitched, please consider preordering the book here, joining my newsletter here, or adding the book on Goodreads here.
As always, thank you all for your love and support. I can’t wait to share this latest series with you all!
November 18, 2022
Famine's Homecoming is Available to Read for Free
Okay, here's the long version. At the beginning of the year I wrote a short story from my Four Horsemen world for The Nightingale Anthology for Ukraine. The anthology has since dissolved, and ever since I've been sitting on that story. Or at least I have until now. I'm going to be sending out "Famine's Homecoming" in my next newsletter, so if you're interested in reading it, but are not a subscriber, you can join here. If you see this after I've sent out the newsletter, never fear! I will add the link to it to my newsletter's confirmation email, so you'll be able to access it there!
If you want a sneak peek of the story itself, I've added a small portion of it below. Oh, and just a heads up--the events in this short story take place following the end of the final book in the series, so please don't read it unless you have finished the series. Otherwise, you're going to hit all sorts of spoilers. That's it for now, though I have a lot of exciting news I'll be announcing in the next week or so!
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaOctober, Year 27 of the Horsemen
Ana da Silva
My eyes must be deceiving me.
I stand near the grill where Sara is cooking, my back to her and Victor’s massive house. My eyes are glued to the far edge of the property, where several riders are ambling in on horseback. My breath catches when I first notice War.
They’ve come back.
I can feel hope blossoming in my chest, but I don’t want to believe it—not right away. The world has been a mess for far too long. It feels too impossible to believe that a few determined people might be able to change that.
But then I notice a pair of people on horseback who I don’t recognize. Could this be Lazarus and Death?
If they’re riding in here, next to War, and no one is killing each other, then perhaps—
Fuck, we might all actually be okay.
Next to me, Sara shouts something about pussies and winning, but I don’t care because—
Famine.
He’s finally back.
My feet are moving, and then I’m sprinting towards Famine, nearly tripping over my own feet in the process.
The Reaper swings a leg over his saddle, and then he’s running towards me.
I crash into him, and he swings me in his arms, my skirt swishing around us. I crush him to me, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck, my face nestled against his. I breathe him in, letting his hair tickle my face. I can hear him laughing, even as I fight back my tears.
“I missedyou.” I say it with more emotion than I intend. It’s been a long few months. A long few years, actually, if I’m being honest.
“Not as much as I missed you, my flower,” he whispers in my ear, smoothing a hand over my hair. “I’m still not sure I like humans,” he admits. “They’re mostly annoying—though maybe that’s just my brothers.”
I laugh softly against him. “Be nice. They’re family.”
“If you insist.” He turns his head and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Let me see you,” he says, pulling away a little so that he can take me in.
Our eyes meet, and I hear his ragged exhale. “Fuck, I missed your face.”
I reach a hand up and cup his cheek, my thumb stroking his skin. “You’re mortal.” It’s half a question, half a statement.
He hesitates, then gives me a sharp nod.
“I’m sorry.” I know it’s a good thing—it’s something Famine himself wanted. But my horseman had told me long ago that it was an uncomfortable, claustrophobic experience for him to exist as a human. Before he had this form, he’d been this expansive thing that was connected to the earth and the sky.
How much worse must it be for him now that his vast powers are gone?
“Do not apologize to me, Ana,” he says. “I would do it all again in an instant to have this with you.”
I swallow and try to accept that. My eyes dip to the T-shirt and jeans he wears. It’s such a small detail, and yet he looks so utterly different without his armor and black attire.
“Is your armor gone too?” I ask.
He gives a nod.
“And your scythe and scales?”
“It’s all fucking gone,” he says, reeling me back into him. “It doesn’t matter. I get to live and die alongside you, and that’s all I ever wanted.”
***If you enjoyed that teaser and are interested in reading the rest, make sure to join my newsletter, here to gain access to it!Thank you all for your continued support!
Hugs and happy reading,
Laura
June 30, 2022
Bewitched (Bewitched #1) Cover Reveal and Teaser
So, since The Four Horsemen series ended, I've been hard at work on my next project, a three book series (plus two novellas) that takes place back in the same world as my Bargainer series and my Unearthly series. (An entirely new set of characters, but they exist in the same shared universe.)
Bewitched is the first book in this new series, and I'm so excited to share the cover of it with you all! I've been sitting on this one for over a year, and when I tell you it's been hard not to share this one early ... I really mean it!
Included below is the cover, the book's description and an (unedited!) teaser taken from the book. I'm tentatively planning on releasing this book around November/December 2022. (But I'm leaning more towards November!) It will be up for pre-order closer to its release date, but until then, you can add the book to your "To Read" list on Goodreads by clicking here. I will also be sending out emails with updates on this book and series, so if you want to stay up to date on it, please consider joining my mailing list (link to it on the top right); I only send out emails for pre-orders, cover reveals, and releases, so I promise there's no spamming involved!
Now, are you all ready for a cover reveal?
Alright.
Here it is in 3 ... 2 ... 1...
The cover is designed by the incredible K.D. Ritchie of Story Wrappers. I think I might've gasped when she sent this to me.
Now, read on for the book's description and a teaser!
Bewitched Description
Come to me, Empress …
It was supposed to be a simple magic quest, one that would get a witch like me accepted into Henbane Coven. I was never supposed to survive a plane crash, nor was I supposed to discover an ancient tomb and the beautiful, sleeping man trapped inside it.
I knew you would come, my queen. I knew it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. A love like ours defies everything. I am yours forever …
I definitely wasn’t supposed to wake Memnon the Cursed.
I probably shouldn’t have kissed him either.
You were my everything, and you betrayed me …
Now I fear I’ve unleashed an ancient evil on the world, one who has set his wicked sights on me. And despite his good looks and the beguiling pull of his magic, this terrifying supernatural thinks I’m some long-dead wife who betrayed him, and as payback, he’s determined to take every last thing I care about from me—my heart included.
Unless I stop him first.
Bewitched is the first book in the NA Paranormal Romance trilogy by Laura Thalassa.
Teaser 1 from Bewitched
Resting inside the sarcophagus is a man—a stunning, flawless man. His eyes are closed and his chest is still, and yet his olive skin has a ruddy, sun-kissed appearance as though he were out in the sun merely hours ago instead of Goddess knows when.
At the sight of him, I feel my magic gather over my heart. The sensation is sharp, and it takes my breath away even as my cheeks flush and my heart races.
The voices begin to murmur again.
Release him …
My pulse is picking up and my breath is coming faster and faster. I’d like to say it’s fear I feel, but the truth is that whatever force drove me here now craves to touch this man. Memnon the Cursed.
Wake him …
I stare at his thick, dark lashes and his high cheekbones. My gaze moves to his nose, which is ever so subtly hooked. His coarse brown hair curls around his ears, and his lips … I can already tell those full, curving lips were made for wetting panties and ruining girls’ hearts.
A wicked scar cuts from the corner of his left eye towards his ear before sharply plunging down towards the edge of his jaw. It screams violence—as does the dagger near his hip and the tarnished scale armor he wears.
Memnon seems like he was a badass.
My gaze returns to his face. I’m filled with the strangest sort of longing, like my heart is shattering and reforming, and I feel the most unnerving tug on my chest.
Touch him … free him … Rouse him from his deathless sleep …
After a moment’s hesitation, I tentatively reach out and press my fingertip to the edge of that scar, near his eye.
I nearly pull my hand back when the skin gives beneath my fingers. It has the icy chill of death clinging to it, but it’s—it’s supple the way living skin is.
Help him … only you … only you …
Slowly I trace the scar, following the line of it to his ear, then down, down to the edge of his jaw. My hand brushes against his hair, and there is an ache in me so deep. So, so deep.
Free me … little witch … please …
The whispers have coalesced back into that single male voice, the same one that called me here.
How long I have waited … for you … only you …
I place my hand against the man’s cheek, ignoring the growing warmth I feel beneath my palm and that little voice inside me screaming at me to run from this place.
Instead, I draw in a sharp inhale, then breathe out a single command. “Obut’iweyk.”
Wake.
***
Click here to add Bewitched on Goodreads!
Happy reading,
Laura
June 24, 2022
Bewitched (Bewitched #1) Updates
So, it has come to my attention that I have a lot of updates to tell you all about, and I haven't mentioned a peep about any of them. Well, maybe a peep, but not much more.
In general this year I’ve had so much less time to do all the writing things, so I’ve committed myself to doing them and sacrificing a lot of my social media presence (which is where I place all my updates). Getting off of social media has done amazing things for me, but I also love chatting with you all and getting excited about all my upcoming projects. The biggest one is the first book in my upcoming series, Bewitched.
Bewitched is takes place in the same shared world as my Bargainer series and my Unearthly series, though it has totally new characters! It has witches, curses, ancient evil, romance, spice, and murder! I’m in love with this book. I’m just about to finish the first draft, and then I will go back and do edits … or work on the novella that will follow it. Did I mention there are going to be three books and two novellas in this series? And all of them are about Selene Bowers and Memnon the Cursed (versus a new character in each book).
In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing teasers with you, but for now … who wants a cover reveal?
(Psst, it’s a rhetorical question—it’s going to happen sometime next week. I cannot fricking wait! Hope you’re half as excited about it as I am. I’ve been sitting on this cover for a year and the secrecy has practically killed me.)
Hugs!
March 16, 2022
Four Horsemen Bonus Story Now Available for Pre-Order
Hey all!
Okay, I'm squealing now that I finally get to share this news I've been sitting on for the last couple weeks. I'm so excited to announce that I'm releasing a story in
Nightingale
, a charity Anthology, which releases on April 5! It will be available in ebook and paperback formats, though the paperback version won't be available until April 5, most likely.My story will be bonus content from my Four Horsemen series. It will follow one of the horsemen couples, though I won't say which! The story takes place after the end of Death (The Four Horsemen #4), so just be aware of that before diving in, since there will be spoilers. Did I mention that 100% of the royalties will be going directly to organizations giving humanitarian aid to Ukraine? For more
details please read on!
NIGHTINGALE is a romance anthology with over FIFTY original, never-before-seen stories from bestselling authors. 100% of the royalties will be donated to relief and human rights organizations working in Ukraine. NIGHTINGALE is only available for a limited time, so one-click your copy before it's gone.
AUTHORS INCLUDE: Katee Robert, Siobhan Davis, Robin Covington, Xio Axelrod, Vanessa Vale & Renee Rose, Terri E. Laine, Lucy Lennox, C Hallman & J.L. Beck, Sara Ney, Willow Winters, Rebecca Yarros, Sienna Snow, Ana Huang, Willow Aster, Pepper Winters, Piper Rayne, Rebecca Zanetti, Honey Meyer, Alta Hensley & Livia Grant, Samantha Chase, Parker S. Huntington, T.K. Leigh, Kate Canterbary, Laura Thalassa, Carian Cole, Natasha Knight & Ashleigh Zavarelli, Rina Kent, Jennifer Probst, Lauren Rowe, Rachel Van Dyken, Karla Sorenson, Claudia Burgoa, Kelsey Clayton, Helena Hunting, Aleatha Romig, K.A. Linde, Carly Phillips, Meredith Wild & Chelle Bliss, Kelly Elliott, Brenda Rothert, A.L. Jackson, Jenika Snow, Katie Ashley, Amo Jones, Susan Stoker, Harloe Rae, L.B. Dunbar, Gina Maxwell, Tijan, Amelia Wilde, Skye Warren, Penny Reid, Susannah Nix, Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti, Ilsa Madden Mills, Dylan Allen, Kandi Steiner, Raine Miller, Toni Aleo, Natalie Wrye, Debra Anastasia, Brittney Sahin, Heidi McLaughlin, Melanie Moreland, Jay Crownover, Catherine Cowles, Roni Loren, Shantel Tessier, Aly Martinez, Julia Kent, Rebecca Yarros, Jennifer Probst
All royalties from this project will be donated to relief and human rights organizations working in Ukraine. We aren't affiliated or endorsed by these charities. We are simply authors who want to help.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ibVL2Q
Amazon INTL: https://getbook.at/bJbt
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3KOft0O
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3MTFwFF
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3KMoAPQ
Google Play: https://bit.ly/34OmhMO
Hugs and happy reading!
Laura
November 9, 2021
Death (The Four Horsemen #4) is NOW OUT!
I am so excited to finally get to announce that
Death (The Four Horsemen #4)
is out now! You can order it
here
! This is kind of an unbelievable day for me. I mean, this isn’t the first time I’ve closed out a series, but this has essentially been the only series I’ve worked on for the last four years, so it feels like a graduation of sorts. So bittersweet. The Four Horsemen series has walked with me during some really intense seasons of my life—deaths and births and all of the beautiful messy days in between.
At the end of it all, I want to thank you, the reader. This is the fourth book in my series, so if you’ve stuck around to read it, it means you’ve invested in these characters as well. They might’ve even gotten you through some high and low times in your life (which is so wild to me, and I am honored to share a tiny space in your life). It was and is your enthusiasm that has allowed me to even make these books. I don’t do much to market my novels (with the exception of my social media posts), so this series’ success is almost entirely due to readers like you who read my books and tell your friends about them.
Alright, I’m going to try to stop being sappy. Important info that you might like to know: One, the paperback book should be up for sale sometime this week! My cover designer is just tweaking the cover at the moment; once she’s done, the book will go up! I’ll post a brief message on here when it does go live. Two, the audiobook won’t be ready until March of next year (2022). I’m so sorry if this is a big disappointment! The narrator I use is a popular one, and she’s booked out quite a ways! Again, I’ll put up another post on here when the audiobook is up for sale!
I cannot wait for you all to dive in and read the final book in my Four Horsemen series! I hope you all love Death and Lazarus as much as I do! In another week or so I will try to do a Q&A full of spoilers in my Death Spoiler Group (which you can find if you join my Facebook reader group, Thalassalites).
As far as what comes next, I’m already in the middle of two different series (which I’m still keeping a secret for now), but I will have more information about them in my next posts! Sending you all so much love!
Happy reading,
Laura
October 1, 2021
Death (The Four Horsemen #4) is Available for Pre-Order
Hi all!
I wanted to take a pause from the last of my edits (currently editing some lines in Angelic!) to announce that Death (The Four Horsemen #4) is available for pre-order here on Amazon!
I’m giddy just being able to finally announce that! The release date is November 9! Okay, now for the nitty gritty: I’m still editing the book, so I’m not yet ready to send out any Advance Review Copies (ARCs). For those of you interested in ARCs, I only offer early copies in my Facebook group, Thalassalites. But just a heads up, not everyone who applies gets an early copy! In the next couple weeks I’ll be posting the first chapters in my newsletter! If you haven't signed up for my newsletter, be sure to do so (link on the top right of this page). I'm still finishing up edits, so I won't be sharing those chapters just yet, so just be on the lookout!
Additionally, I’ll be sharing another teaser or two before release, and I usually do this on my social media pages!
Lastly, for those of you curious about where the pre-order links are for the paperback and audio versions of the book, here's the 411: Paperback copies should be available for pre-order in a few weeks, once the book is edited and formatted. The audiobook won’t be out for at least another few months, unfortunately!
Did I get everything? Edits have scrambled my mind and I feel like I’m leaving a lot out …
On that note, thank you all for being patient with me! I know it’s been a long wait, and I haven’t said much—you all are just the bee’s knees.
Also, can I say that I’m just so excited for you to meet this final horseman? He might be my favorite …
Hugs and happy reading!
Laura
July 13, 2021
Death (The Four Horsemen #4) Cover Reveal
Cover reveal for Death (The Four Horsemen #4)Ahhhh! So excited to finally reveal Death's cover to you all! A huge thank you goes to Regina Wamba for the absolutely stunning work bringing this final horseman to life! He's exactly how I envisioned him to be!
For those of you wondering about Death's release date, I don't know yet. I'm just beginning edits (and omg, they are so much fun!) Once I'm finished with this round of edits (should be another couple months), I'll post a release date, but it's looking like fall of this year!
***
He’s known by many names: Thanatos. Horseman. God’s last angel. And then, of course, there's the one I’m all too familiar with—
Death.
The day Death comes to Lazarus Gaumond’s town and kills everyone in one fell swoop, the last thing he expects to see is a woman left alive and standing. But Lazarus has her own extraordinary gift: she cannot be killed—not by humans, not by the elements, not by Death himself.
She is the one soul Death doesn’t recognize. The one soul he cannot pry free from her flesh. Nor can he ignore the unsettling desire he has for her. Take her. He wants to, desperately. And the longer she tries to stop him from his killing spree, the stronger the desire becomes.
When Lazarus crosses paths with the three other horsemen, an unthinkable situation leads to a terrible deal: seduce Death, save the world. A hopeless task, made all the worse by the bad blood between her and Thanatos. But Death’s attraction to her is undeniable, and try though she might, Lazarus cannot stay away from that ancient, beautiful being and his dark embrace.
The end is here. Humankind is set to perish, and not even the horsemen can stop Death from fulfilling his final task.
Only Lazarus can.
***Add Death to your "To Read" list here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49491650-death
More information to come! Until then—
Hugs and happy reading,Laura
