Ready or Not meets Throne of the Fallen in a spicy, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, where an Italian getaway turns deadly after a young woman is trapped in her host family's cursed game.
Ready or not, the game has begun.
Genevieve Grimm has felt adrift ever since her sister became the head of the family. So when a mysterious friend of their mother's invites her to Italy, she accepts. She arrives at his grand palace, expecting passion and magic, decadence and luxury... perhaps even a midnight ball.
She doesn't expect the owner's ruthlessly handsome son to slam the door in her face. Rowin Silver is tall, dark, and exceptionally rude, and invitation or not, he demands Genevieve leave and never come back. But Genevieve follows nobody's orders, especially those of arrogant rich boys. She slips inside—and immediately discovers her mistake.
Rowin and his family are caught in an insidious game of hide and seek, where only one can win. The rest will be trapped in Hell... until the competition begins again.
Genevieve must either join the hunt or forfeit any hope of escaping. But to her dismay, her best chance of survival lies with Rowin. Since lovers may play as a pair, Rowin and Genevieve agree to form an alliance under the guise of a fake courtship. However, as they race through the game's elaborate labyrinth, trapped among gleaming gold and shining marble, their loathing gives way to irresistible attraction. Only Rowin is keeping secrets, especially when it comes to his ruthless family, and Genevieve can't help but wonder if she's trapped in two treacherous games: Enchantra and the one Rowin is playing with her heart.
Title: Enchantra (Wicked Games #2)
Author: Kaylie Smith
Publisher: Forever
Expected Publication Date; April 8, 2025
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an egalley of this title to review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I am totally enamored with this world and this author's writing. When I picked up Phantasma, I wasn't sure I'd like it. There was so much hype over it and often times I am disappointed with the books that get such publicity. But it was a great story that sucked me right in and made me fall in love with all the characters. I was truly excited to pick up this second installment and see where Smith would take it.
This book takes us across the ocean to Italy, far from the world of New Orleans we encountered in the first book. But the country where the book doesn't matter so much as the place. As with the first book, this book takes place on the grounds of an estate. This time one hidden away in the hills. We encounter Ophelia's sister, Genevieve, who is searching for others like her. She stumbles across a letter her mother received from an old friend, Barrington Silver, and decides to the write up on their offer to come for a stay. But her timing could not be worse as she enters and ends up being trapped for the duration of a deadly game the estate's residents are forced to play every year.
In all honesty, I was expecting a bit more from the setting of this book. After all, it takes place in Italy. I wanted to see the hills of Tuscany and how they might play into the story. But the country really didn't matter. The story could have taken place at an estate anywhere in the world and still been a fabulous read. I do understand the need for the author to move the location given that Phantasma moves around and we'd already experienced it in New Orleans. What I did love was the sprawling estate with rooms upon rooms and secret passages in all the nooks and crannies. Oh, and there's a hedge maze, to boot! So much potential for all the things that happened in the story.
If you're looking for an anti-damsel in a story, you must read this. Genevieve Grimm is truly a strong and determined woman who knows what she wants. She does have fears that bleed into her life but she doesn't let them stop her from going after what she wants. I adored her and her character development. She smarts, sassy, curvy, stubborn, and confident. If she were real, I would pursue her as a best girlfriend. She loves fiercely and with her whole self. And she doesn't sugar coat who she is, which was my favorite part about her.
Rowinington "Rowin" Silver, on the other hand, is an enigma. He's definitely grumpy, closed off, and does not give off any information about himself. From the start, he doesn't like Genevieve, though you cannot truly tell why since he has never met her before she shows up on his doorstep. Try as he might, he cannot chase her away. But what he is is smart and sees an opportunity when it's placed in front of him. Genevieve could be the key to ending his family's curse and setting them all free. Trust me, you will grow to love his grumpy, to understand it, and then to love him just as he is.
What I truly loved about this book more than anything were the relationships between Rowin and his siblings. He has created a bit of a rift having been the winner of their odd family game for the last 15 years. At the same time, the dynamics that exist from whatever sibling foundation was create prior to the family game still exists. You can see it in how the siblings talk and interact with one another. Smith created some of the best side characters I've read about in a while. Often times these small characters lend very little to the story line of a book but here, we had an entire family who had truly nuanced relationships. I would love more of a back story on Rowin and his brother Remington, though. And several times the characters mentioned something about a previous marriage or perhaps engagement of one of the siblings but that story isn't given freely in the book. I would love some side stories about all these siblings.
I also enjoyed the deeper look into the devils. In the first book we met several. This book happens to have just one but we get an even deeper understanding of just how sinister they are and jsut what they will do in order to get what they want.
As with the first book, this one is fast paced as Smith takes us on a ride through Enchantra and the games the siblings play to try and earn their freedom from being bound in Hell for a year. This story, like the first, definitely gives off The Hunger Games vibes. I love the idea of everything taking place in the different rooms in the house. And I love Smith's writing. She has a knack to take the darkness and still make it light. This book has tense moments but also the humor we saw in the first, plus a good amount of delicious spice!
I have to admit, I've not read much dark romantic fantasy, though I would say I love dark academia and that gives off a very similar vibe. What I can say is that I am now all about this genre and where it will take me. I can see so many different stories stemming from this one and I really hope the introduction of a character we knew from the first book means she is going to get her own book next. I would also love to see more back story on Tessa Grimm, Barrington Silver, and Gabriel. We also get to see some of the characters we me in the first book. And the ending Smith gives us definitely leaves room for more books in this world.
This book has just as many addictive qualities as it's predecessor. While the theme is similar, it is not the same. It's fresh and new and shows us a different side to the paranormal world we encountered in the first book. I haven't rated many books 5 stars so far this year, but this one deserves it. I loved it even more than the first one, mostly because Vivi is my new book girlfriends but also because it was just twisty enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and panting for more. I cannot wait to see what Smith writes next.
Author:
Kaylie Smith is a writer and lover of all things magical and fantasy. She grew up in Louisiana where she frequently haunted bookstores and practiced her writing craft. After getting her BFA, she decided to fully pursue her dream of being an author and writing books in the romantasy genre. Her first series, the HEARTLESS FATES trilogy published from Disney Hyperion and her adult romance debut, PHANTASMA, is out September 2024. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found at home with her Australian Shepherds, talking to ghosts, or dusting her growing collection of knitted frogs.
