Spellbound Audiobook By Allie Therin cover art

Spellbound

Magic in Manhattan Series, Book 1

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Spellbound

By: Allie Therin
Narrated by: Erik Bloomquist
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About this listen

To save Manhattan, they'll have to save each other first....

1925 New York

Arthur Kenzie's life's work is protecting the world from the supernatural relics that could destroy it. When an amulet with the power to control the tides is shipped to New York, he must intercept it before it can be used to devastating effects. This time, in order to succeed, he needs a powerful psychometric...and the only one available has sworn off his abilities altogether.

Rory Brodigan's gift comes with great risk. To protect himself, he's become a recluse, redirecting his magic to find counterfeit antiques. But with the city's fate hanging in the balance, he can't force himself to say no.

Being with Arthur is dangerous, but Rory's ever-growing attraction to him begins to make him brave. And as Arthur coaxes him out of seclusion, a magical and emotional bond begins to form. One that proves impossible to break - even when Arthur sacrifices himself to keep Rory safe and Rory must risk everything to save him.

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Allie Therin (P)2019 Tantor
20th Century Fiction Historical Fiction Romance New York Feel-Good Heartfelt

What listeners say about Spellbound

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Intriguing Story Charming Romance Improved Narration Immersive World-building Engaging Mystery
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

The story was good. Nice character development. That said, the narrator not so much. You couldn't tell the two main characters apart about 50% of the time. He probably should stick to narrating physics text books.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly fantastic - an absolute must "listen"

Have mercy. It’s official, y’all. I have found my new favorite book. Hands down best read of the year. I can’t say enough how much I absolutely loved and adored Spellbound by Allie Therin. In fact, if I sat here and spewed all the fan-girling nonsense my fingers keep trying to type, y’all wouldn’t keep reading. Which would be a disservice to you, me, and this phenomenal book.

So, what was it exactly that had me swooning from page one? I can’t honestly nail it down to one single thing. It was kind of everything. I’m not sure about you, but as a reader who is also a writer, there’s always a thing or two that rubs me the wrong way—after all, not everything is for everyone, and that’s perfectly okay! But with Therin, I couldn’t find anything to fault. Everything from her writing style to her characterization to her plot had me all heart-eyed and happy, heavy sighing.

If you know me at all, you’re aware I’m generally not a fan of historical or paranormal. Both genres truly have to be written at the top of their game for me to enjoy them. So what does that say when I’m proclaiming this historical paranormal as my new fav??

The setting of this book was absolutely superb. Therin captured all the literal and figurative magic in her fictional depiction of 1920s Manhattan. She included just enough nods to history that it felt accurate and genuine, yet didn’t overburden her scenes with excessive details that overshadowed the story. And her characters—every dang one of them, from the MCs to the supporting cast—were woven with intricate and heartfelt brilliance. I fell hard and fast and didn’t want to let go. Then there was the plot and the awe-inspiring twist on the paranormal that had my eyes wide and my readerly heart beating staccato the entire read. Both times. (Because, yes, I’ve already read this bad boy twice and have no doubts it’ll be a frequently repeated go-to feel-good part of my life.)

The love scenes are all fade-to-black yet so insanely emotional and steamy, they will undoubtedly satisfy all levels of romance readers—including those on both ends of the sweet romance/erotica spectrum. It’s magic, I tell ya. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that shows so little yet provides such a solid sexy punch.

I would recommend this book to ANY romance reader. Period. I don’t care if you aren’t a proclaimed historical fan, or if paranormal isn’t your gig. Heck, even if you haven’t ventured into the MM romance world, this would be a sensational introductory read in any of those genres. This book is so full of heart and passion and jaw-dropping intrigue, it’ll have at least something for everyone.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I didn’t want it to end.

A love story of two unlikely characters, interwoven with magic and beautiful imagery of New York City in the 1920s.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Audiobook Review

This is a review of the actual AUDIOBOOK, because way too many of the existing reviews only talk about the printed book, which I found completely useless when trying to decide whether or not to spend a credit on it. Yes, yes, the book is a five stars if you like paranormal gay romance at all. But we've all read books we love, then go to buy the audiobook so we can enjoy it again hands-free, only to find it ruined by a dreadful narrator.

In this case, the review of the narrator is especially important because the sample is NOT impressive. The guy sounds like he's never been so bored in his life. I am relieved to say that the full reading is better than that. Kudos to the reviewer who said that the reading is greatly improved by boosting the speed. This is, I think, critical to enjoying it. I liked it at x1.25, and that was still a pretty relaxed read.

The narrator doesn't have a wide range of voices, and Mrs. Brannigan sounds like something out of a British 70s sitcom, but it's amusing rather than annoying. (Really. She's very likable and she's read that way.) Even though the range of voices was less diverse than I like, I never struggled to tell which character was speaking. After a minute or two of listening, as another reviewer mentioned (see how important it is to talk about the narrator in an audiobook review??) my initial misgivings about the narrator faded, and I forgot about him and enjoyed the story. Is that a glowing review? No, that's why I gave the book 5 stars and the audiobook 4 stars.

Authors don't always have control over who reads their book, and new authors don't always get a Joel Leslie or Michael Farraiuolo. This guy is OK, like, "I can live with this" OK. No more, no less. I realized after I looked him up that he read another series for which I own all four books. I felt similarly about his work in that series, too. He'll probably read the next in this series, and I'm happy enough with the work to know I'll buy it, too, because he does OK with a great story. I will almost certainly listen to this one again as the next in the series are released.

Short version: 3 stars performance, 5 stars story, up the speed for better enjoyment.

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39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Pretty good from chapter 5

“You’re not that short.”
“You’re not that funny.”
You might consider starting an hour in, at chapter 5, where Rory and Archie have their meet-cute after Rory made the mistake of snooping into a relic locked in a box. Before then, it’s pretty dull.

“It’s not your business.”
From chapter 5, with the speed at 1.5x, the narrator and the story settle in, and this delivers a mostly cozy, slightly immature oil-n-vinegar MM romance with a magical mystery as merely a backdrop.
I’d almost consider this magical realism for the measly screen time given to paranormal effects.
I would have enjoyed a lot more descriptions of how the magic works, 1920s world building, and backstories/features for the supporting cast. Jade, for instance, is black, but is she tall and thin or short and stocky? Zang I’m assuming is Asian, but if he was described, it was blink and I missed it.

“Still not your business.”
The romance was sweet, even if a bit of a stretch. Archie behaved like he was a 40 year old debauching a kid instead of him at 28 navigating differences with 20 year old, streetwise Rory. They both behaved like teens with their inner doubts as to whether the other guy liked him. However, their push-pull chemistry was great and there was great smolder heading into the fade to black bedroom scene.
Although the mystery was weak, the overall story was charming, once I got to chapter 5.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

just dive in! worth it!

so, this book is really amazing. the narrator is amazing although a bit slow for me but speeding it up at ranges from 1.05x to 1.20x feels comfortable and doesn't effect the sound quality either. the voices are all clear a distinguished i had no problem telling who is who.
I don't want to give any spoilers but I will say that some parts are unexpected with the flow of the story. It's a good listen and I don't regret this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I love this series so much

I have listened to this book for like the 5th or 6th time today and I just adore it. The whole series is brilliant. Both Arthur and Rory are great characters with feelings and motivations I can empathize with. The plot is intriguing, but for me it is the beautiful romance where the real magic is.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great World Building

This has great world building for an urban fantasy. The magic and history of the relics, the meaning and motivation of people and items, and the overall idea that magical people are living amongst us without the plot focusing on the danger of humans all kept me interested and invested. The characters are likable, the snark is not over the top, and the romance is sweet.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story and world development.

Really good love story, but zero steam. Everything was great. But if you’re looking for a spicy MM romance, this is not it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great love story

It was a great story but a robotic narration. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

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