Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Bewitched by Darynda Jones Narrator: Traci Odom
Series: Betwixt & Between #2
Published by Tantor Audio on March 30, 2021
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Length: 7 hours, 39 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm
Forty-something Defiance Dayne only recently discovered she comes from a long line of powerful witches. Added to that was the teensy, infinitesimal fact that she is what’s called a charmling. One of three on the entire planet. And there are other witches who will stop at nothing to steal her immense power, which would basically involve her unfortunate and untimely death.
No one told her life after forty would mean having to learn new lifeskills—such as how to dodge supernatural assassins while casting from a moving vehicle—or that the sexiest man alive would be living in her basement.
Whoever said life begins at forty was clearly a master of the underappreciated and oft maligned understatement.
Bewitched is the second book of the series Betwixt and Between series, which follows a middle-aged woman who recently found out she has magic when her grandmother died and left her a house possessed by the spirit of her dead father. It picks up about six months after the end to the Betwixt, after Defiance does some pretty heavy duty magic that knocks her out for awhile.
Defiance and I aren’t clicking really well yet. Sometimes I really like her and all the funny witty stuff that comes out of her mouth. But, mostly I’m really frustrated by her well defiant nature. She is so busy trying to get out of being magical and wanting to run away from her new life that I struggle with the woman who just found out she has some very awesome magic and is more powerful that most witches.
A few things this series really has going for it are the plucky best friend, Annette and the love interest, Roane. Annette is so funny and free spirited that she is just so much fun to see on page with Defiance as they girl banter and play off each other. Roane, well he is just hot. I love a good Alpha man that is patient and doesn’t take and bullshit from the heroine, especially as Defiance is trying to convince everyone her magic is gone.
Thrown into more danger and getting a better feel for the powers she is trying to deny, Defiance is really coming into her own. Between finding some lost things, helping those in danger, fighting a malevolent spirit and being kidnapped she is having a heck of a week. A little more of the magic is fleshed out in Bewitched and the romance is progressing along nicely.
I really want to like this series, so I’m hoping as Defiance comes into her own and embraces the magic a little more, she and I will bond a little better. The side characters have been fun so far, so there is a lot of potential to the series.
Narration:
Traci Odom is a good pick for the series. She again brings a fun interpretation of Defiance that seems to fit well. I do like her voice and feel like she transitions into the other characters well too. I was able to listen to this at my normal 1.5x speed.
Listen to the clip: HERE
About Darynda Jones
NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
|
| Writing |
|
| Characters |
|
| Dialogue |
|
| Narration (Audio) |
|
| Overall: | |
Friend me at Goodreads.
- 🎧 Hell Bent by Devon Monk @devonmonk.com @PaulJBellantoni @tantoraudio.bsky.social @RobinBridgeFour #LoveAudiobooks @TantorAudio - April 18, 2025
- Last Chance to Save the World by Beth Revis @bethrevis.bsky.social @dawbooks.bsky.social @berkleypub.bsky.social @RobinBridgeFour @bethrevis @dawbooks @BerkleyPub - April 14, 2025
- 🎧 Firebird by Juliette Cross @Juliette__Cross #BlairDade #KaleWilliams @macmillanaudio.bsky.social #LoveAudiobooks #KindleUnlimited @RobinBridgeFour - April 7, 2025
Nice review, Robin. I wasn’t sure about the series after the first book, but I really enjoyed this one. I liked that Defiance was leery of her powers because it would be very overwhelming. She did seem to embrace being a witch as this title progressed, so I’m hoping in book 3, she’ll be ready to go! I’m looking forward to finding out.
I also hope she is ready to jump in with both feet come the next book.
I like some of these #PWF titles and I do like this author but I have not read more #PWF right now. I’m moody and I want something more, edgy?
I totally get that. Sometimes it has to be the right book at the right time. If I’m in the mood for something specific it is hard to read anything else.
I’ve got this one to listen to soon.
I hope you enjoy it Sophia. 🙂
Hopefully you’ll start clicking better with Defiance soon. The side characters do sound like fun though.
The haunted house is one of my favorite characters in the book and I’m loving her best friend. Also, the love interest is pretty hot so there is a lot of potential. I’m hoping to like the next one even more.
I’m a bit late but I need to read them!
They aren’t very long and she is pumping a book out every few months at the moment. Shouldn’t take you long to catch up once you jump in.
I agree! This series is fun and quirky but also frustrating. I’m hoping it picks up and Deph settles down a bit. lol