Harley Merlin and the First Ritual

Harley Merlin #4

by Bella Forrest

Five rituals to control Chaos. That’s all it takes.

Now that Harley knows her enemy’s grand plan—to become a godlike Child of Chaos and punish those deemed “unworthy”—she’s got to figure out what the heck to do about it. Many of the missing magicals are still out there, and Katherine has vowed to kill everyone Harley cares about and make her watch.

So that’s fun.

Just when it seems like things can’t get much worse, one of the most precious monsters of the Bestiary escapes, and Harley is sure that Katherine has her dirty hands involved. But that crazy witch had better be ready because Harley has finally figured out a way to unleash her powers—although the cost might not be worth it.

Astrid, a human living amongst magicals, is just as determined to thwart Katherine’s schemes. At the same time, her budding romance with the Coven’s trademark bad boy has earned her father’s disapproval, and it seems like betrayal is lurking around the corner…

Continue the journey. Buy now!

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Audiobook

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2018

About the author

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2024:

BELLA IS BACK!

*** New, updated online store at https://BellaForrest.com

*** New books coming soon

*** Possible Film/TV series coming soon

*** Stay up to date by joining our e-mail list at https://BellaForrest.com/join

###

Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012.

Check out her website for a full list of her books: https://BellaForrest.com

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellaForrest...

Here's a list of some of Bella's books:

DARKLIGHT

Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
Darkfall (Book 7)
Darkwilds (Book 8)
Darkhunt (Book 9)

A LOVE THAT ENDURES (Trilogy)
A Love that Endures 1
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3

HARLEY MERLIN AND THE SECRET COVEN

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn's Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary
Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift (Book 18)
Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere (Book 19)
Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters (Book 20)
Persie Merlin and the Dying Song (Book 21)

THE CHILD THIEF

The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)

HOTBLOODS

Hotbloods (Book 1)
Hotbloods (Book 2): Coldbloods
Hotbloods (Book 3): Renegades
Hotbloods (Book 4): Venturers
Hotbloods (Book 5): Traitors
Hotbloods (Book 6): Allies
Hotbloods (Book 7): Invaders
Hotbloods (Book 8): Stargazers

THE GENDER GAME

The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)

THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE

Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

Books 1 to 7

Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

Books 8 to 16

Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero...

Books 17 to 24

Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

Books 25 to 32

Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

Books 33 to 41

Season 6: A Gift of Three

Books 42 to 50

Season 7: A Call of Vampires

Books 51 to 59

Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

Books 60 to 68

Season 9: A Birth of Fire

Books 69 to 77

Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)

Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
An Isle of Mirrors (Book 88)
A Sanctuary of Foes (Book 89)
A Ruler of Clones (Book 90)
A Gate of Light (Book 91)
A Dawn of Worlds (Book 92) ➜ Coming soon!

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series, its a cross between Harry Potter and The mortal Instruments and is absolutely fabulous.
I only have one complaint and that is it needs to be picked up by a major publisher to I can sell it to my customers at the bookstore where I work.

[Betsy Shaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first book of this series because it was recommended for readers who liked the Harry Potter series. The first book was fresh, original and intriguing. So I read the second book which seemed a bit slower in following the plot but I liked it enough to read book three. Book three was really slow and only picked up an interesting pace at the end of the book. I started book four but never finished it. The characters are interesting and I liked the exploration of the sub characters in each book. However it was a bit too Yound Adult in places with the long passages that dwelled on teen angst and frustrated romance which never progressed from book to book. I appreciate that this is aimed at Young Adult readers and that’s fine but it didn’t fascinate this Older Adult reader. I contrast this with the teenage angst and romance of the Harry Potter series (to which the Harley Merlin books are specifically compared) and found that in the HP series the angst and romance grew space with the series and contributed to the character and plot development in an essential way. Unfortunately, for me, the Harley Merlin series seemed to be repetitive and formulaic and lost my interest.

[Pam Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gang is back, but I feel like this book is more about plot then the characters and that is ok but the the characters kinda make the plot so we need a bit more focus on them I think.

We got Harley and Astrid’s POV this time and thought I do like 2 POV’s for this series. We really needed another narrator for Astrid because there wasn’t enough difference in voices to know we were getting another POV. It was very confusing.

It was very fast paced at the end and it leaves us with more questions. Like what's going to happen now to Harley and to Astrid who both are not themselves and can we fix them? Is Wade and Harley finally going to stay a thing? Will Garret and Astrid come together?

I guess only more listening will tell.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Okay, where do I start? All together it was a relatively good read. I am finding myself with mixed feelings. There's a good dose of humor. But there is also a lack of character development. Not only is Harley still as impulsive but so is Jacob. Which is leading to more trouble and problems when honestly, it could have all been solved by now. This is book 4 with still no progress concerning Wade and Harley. Like, it was clear from book 1 that they had more than friendly feelings for each other. Its dragging on when things could have progressed earlier in this book or the books before. I'm going to read the next book but I gotta take a break from this series before I quit it.

[♦♣ queen of faerie ♠♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The romance heats up in the this one. Sometimes I can get frustrated with romances that take forever, but the romance between Harley and Wade is already 4 books in and nothing that major has happened but I'm still sitting at the edge of my seat so excited.

The whole plot and the seven book series reminds of Harry Potter a bit.

Really good writing.

[Keira Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. I really love this series. I want to finish the whole series.

[Rosemary Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harley has her hands full! Between suppressors not working properly and Auntie Katherine acting out, Harley and the Rag Team have lots of things keeping them occupied while trying to save the magic world.

[Alex(Books-In-A-Storm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://books-in-a-storm.tumblr.com/p...

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book! The end was very dramatic Harley's suppressor is damaged, she and Wade admitted their feelings for each other, Astrid is essentially a zombie and I am so excited for the next one. I'm not sure if it is the last one or not. 4.5 stars. I can't wait until the 21st!

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I love this series! I'm hooked. Love 💘 the action and mystery. Very well written and I highly recommend it.

[The Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still loving the HARLEY Merlin saga!
And finally in this book Harley and Wade decide to be straightforward about their feelings!!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason, Bella Forrest got me to actually like Astrid in this one... so, uh, good job.



Honestly though, in all the other books I could care less about Astrid. Her story never seemed interesting to me, maybe because she was the only human? Or there was a lack of romance. But being in her POV was really interesting. Also, it doesn't hurt that there is romance now...

SPOILERS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What a sad ending! I mean come on! Obviously I think that things are going to right themselves somehow, but the fact that Astrid has lost so many of her emotions. It was heartbreaking to think of Alton knowing that she didn't come back right. But like I said I think this is the type of series where everything is going to end up working out, so I think things will be fixed. At this point things are convoluted in my brain about what happened in which books so I really got nothing else to say. Interesting, but things are feeling a little to elongated at this point. Not sure this needed to be 9 books. But I will finish them!

[Chris Knight-waechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a Merlin, and Merlins didn’t back down from a challenge.

The title of this review says it all. The strength of the characters Bella Forrest puts out is amazing. This was another great installment of a awesome series. Again, I’m stuck waiting on the next book and will mark my calendar so I get it as soon as it becomes available. My praises for Bella Forrest’s books continue!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the previous books in the series, but this one was just “meh” for me. I really do not see any chemistry between Harley and Wade... all the mash ups seem really forced. I was always suspicious of Alton, so none of what happened really surprised me.

I am eager to see if they are able to retrieve the missing part of Astrid’s soul. For me, that was the most interesting part of the story.

[Jamie’s Two Cents · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great twists and turns!

Book 4 in the series is normally where I get bored and start just trudging through a series, but this was just as good, if not better than earlier books in the series. The characters are well developed and it’s nice to switch between Astrid and Harley to learn more about Astrid. I really wish book 5 was already out! Happy reading y’all!

[Greta Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

You just don't see it coming.

Amazing once again thrown into a fantastic world of mysteries and magic full of humour and young love. This book takes you on a roller-coaster ride of secrets and emotions.

[Jeanine Thurow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Bella's adventures. I read through the book in record time and the will patiently wait until Jan 31 for the next edition. I wish I could find a job that paid me to read these books. wonderful series

[Bethayn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the series. It was an easy read and fun. Nothing too surprising or unusual. Just a good, supernatural, teen drama.

[Lainey · Rating 3 out of 5]

how can you literally feel other peoples emotions and still not get the hint that he’s been into you for 4 books

[Kmart Kyky]

DNF

[Kathy Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book in the series so far. It's got all the teenage angst the other books do, which gets a bit tedious after a while, but it's rather compelling anyway. One of the minor, but delightful characters dies, and the author does an amazing job of conveying the grief the rest of the characters feel over their loss. Great book!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is heating up as Harley and the gang confront her aunt who is completing rite 1 of 5 rituals to transform herself into something that sounds rather godlike. Some of the missing children are located. Harley is also having a crisis with the device inside her which is moderating her power, and we learn more about Astrid and Alton. Once again it ends with a cliffhanger leading us on to the next in the series. 3.5 stars

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much talk

I really liked the first three books but this one was boring. Too much talking and rambling in places where tighter writing would have been a blessing. Not sure I will continue the series. Which is too bad as it had a promising start..

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

These books are fine for what they are, a light, easy read. However, the further I get into the series, I am encountering some issues.

Firstly, the point-of-view switches. I don't mind changes in POV, but the problem here is that none of the characters have a distinct voice. If it weren't for the names at the top of each chapter, I wouldn't be able to tell a difference when the POV changes from one chapter to the next. The exception is the Latina character, but that's only because she throws around random Spanish words that feel pretty inauthentic.

Secondly, each book often leaves a lot of unanswered questions that are miraculously "fixed" by the start of the next book, but with no real explanation of how. I mean, sure, MAGIC, but life doesn't generally tie itself up in neat little bows without SOME idea of how it got there.

[Christine Arvinth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was book was a blast. I cant wait for the next one, which is coming out Jan 21st, where they are going to new Orleans. This book had so much information.
**** SPOILER ALERT****
Alton is Astrid's REAL FATHER. Harley and Wade are ........ well I will leave that up to you to find. Garrett is movng to LA. Quetzi is dead. ALTON IS RESIGNING!!!!! OMG. The coven is getting a new director(another reason I am hyped for the next book). Am I the only one who wants Alton back as the director? Well overall I enjoyed the book, sad that we have to wait for 2 months till the next book, and screaming that Harley and Wade..... not going to say it, read the book to find out. Would definitely recommend this book to any one who would listen.

[Scott Sammons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weak adults, foolish choices.

Excellent world-building , some great characters (some pathetic) overall fun story three degrees below Harry Potter, but this feeds a magical world addiction.

Spoiler alert?
.............................................

Alton's bad choices and weakness in dealing with teen characters, combined with a lack of other strong adult decision makers sours this otherwise great story. There is so much depth to explore in relationships, the foster care system, depression, etc. but the exploration is hindered by the superficial treatment of the leading adult characters. I can only imagine that this is intended to show strong youth by comparison. For me it only cheapens what could have been a fantastic story into a pretty good one.

[Chris Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This installment was pretty solid overall. I would have liked more distinction between Astrid's and Harley's voices, though. They were too similar, which is surprising given that Tatyana and Santana were so distinct in their respective books. It probably didn't help that I toggled between the kindle and audible versions and the narrator had a different voice for literally every other character but Astrid. It was an odd production choice that solidified what I was already feeling (and maybe even exacerbated it).

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is not to love about this series? I wish I could curl up with these characters and never leave. They each have such tremendous gifts and complexities that come out when you least expect it. It's really no surprise considering it's from Bella Forrest but you just can't help but be amazed with each new book. I definitely felt even more entwined with each struggle and triumph. You won't be able to put it down, that's for sure!!!

[Tracy Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the whole book in one sitting and now I want more!
The Harley Merlin series is my current favorite & this instalment is the best yet. Harley as a character is very believable & complex and I enjoyed learning more about Astrid, as a non-magical in this book. As always, there are a few surprises courtesy of Bella Forrest which I wont spoil for the next reader...

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical Chaos

Awesome read fast paced and lots of action and snarky humor between the characters and more dangers on the way. Finally Wade and Harley admit to liking each other and poor Astrid brought back one too many times, who can make her whole again. Love the storyline and the characters, can't wait for the next book.