Rating: 4.5⭐️
What initially appeared to be a duology, Wicked Games is clearly expanding into a full series with this novel and the addition of the paranormal Silver family to a universe that had focused solely on the Grimm sisters, Ophelia and Genevieve Grimm, and Ophelia’s love Salem.
Enchantra picks up from the events in Phantasma, a novel where Ophelia Grimm , recipient of the Grimm matriarchal necromancer powers, enters a gothic mansion looking for her sister, Genevieve Grimm , and ends up having to play a sinister deadly game, Phantasma.
It’s a fantastic story and horrifying game , which ends with Ophelia leaving with a romantic demon love, Salem, and her sister safely out of the mansion. This couple and Salem himself have a great impact on Genevieve’s reasons for her trip.
Enchantra is a new devilish game, a location, as well as being Genevieve Grimm’s story, all taking place in Italy. Genevieve or Vivi is a complex, layered character. The younger sister born into a matriarchal family of necromancers, Genevieve always felt like an outsider in her world of magical women. The one left to her own devices, the one not given any real affection or sense of belonging.
Smith builds into her character all the emotional aspects of a person wounded by her childhood and events in her adolescence. When a reader gets frustrated ,as i did, by her impulsive actions, it’s easy to think about the situation and reason behind her reactions.
This is also a marriage of convenience, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, dark fantasy romance. With deadly games and demonic monsters.
The Silver family, starting with Rowen Silver the person who greets her at the door and immediately tells her to go, are an intriguing bunch. With each new stage of the game, both the reader and Genevieve will have a better understanding of each of them.
The world building and supernatural elements are frightening, violent and full of twists. The Silver family, all the many siblings and familiars are violent, terrifying and magical.
The only member who didn’t have much of a role or well defined character is the father, a surprising aspect of the story. This factor and one other thing makes me think that the author is waiting for another book to bring him back into this series.
The ending is fantastic. Emotionally powerful and extremely satisfying. But it also has one strange twist, a element that is a pivotal part of book one and is mentioned a couple of times at the start here, and that’s the fact that Salem’s true name was forgotten by all by terms of agreement.
And yet there’s this ending. I can’t imagine that the author doesn’t keep track of her own notes on important series elements or aspects of characters . So it would seem this too is a big part of the series going forward.
Either way, it makes for delicious suspense and fun for the next novel in Wicked Games.
Highly recommended.
Great covers.
Cover design Alexandra Purtan/ Fenix Cover Designs
Wicked Games series:
Phantasma # 1
Enchantra #2
Buy link
Enchantra: A spicy fantasy romance (Wicked Games Book 2)
Blurb
Welcome to Enchantra. There’s only one rule: Never, ever trust your heart.
When Genevieve Grimm’s mother is killed, Genevieve wants answers nobody can give… until she receives an invitation to Enchantra, a cursed palace filled with temptations and illusions.
Arrogant and dangerously handsome, Rowin Silver meets her at the door and refuses to let her inside. But Genevieve finds her own way in… And soon realizes her mistake.
Enchantra is a twisted labyrinth of marble and thorns, where Rowin’s family are trapped forever in a deadly game. Now, Genevieve must win or die.
Rowin offers her a deal. They can compete together… if they convince everyone watching that they’re desperately in love.
Genevieve knows she can’t trust Rowin, but she’ll do whatever it takes to survive. As they hunt and hide together, Genevieve tries to ignore the desire burning between them. She absolutely cannot fall for this man. Cannot forget that she’s only pretending to be in love.
After all, it was Rowin who taught her Enchantra’s first rule… Never, ever trust your heart.
Packed with deadly intrigue and spicy romance, Enchantra will transport you to a world of feisty heroines and morally gray love interests, fake dating, forbidden desire and family secrets. If you love books by Kerri Maniscalco, Carissa Broadbent and Lauren Roberts, prepare to discover your new romantasy obsession.
- Publisher: Second Sky (April 8, 2025)
- Publication date: April 8, 2025
- Language: English
- Print length: 443 pages
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 