Rhapsodic (The Bargainer Book 1) Kindle Edition

DNF - made it to 31% (end of chapter 9) before throwing in the towel.I don’t know how to review this. I really wanted to like this, the cover art was awesome & lured me in, to even skip it to the top of my TBR list, when I bought this (for free on Amazon). There was potential, but somehow, it was lost. To start, the editing/proof work is horrible, it can ruin even a good story, but in a mediocre story, it just becomes un-readable. Too many pauses spent backtracking to make sense of a sentence, & disrupting the flow. Then the flipping back & forth from past to present every chapter is a huge turn off. That jump to the past in chapter 10 was where I said enough is enough, I’d end up destroying my iPad if I have to do one more jump to the past (even if it does give insight into what happened to bring the story to the point it’s at in the present). There has to be a better way than chapter surfing from past to present. Then there’s Callypso, she’s too stupid to be a a good heroine character. I hated her. The only thing I did like about her, was her using her Siren powers for good instead of evil. Then the “Bargainer”, aka Desmond Flynn. A contradiction in itself wrapped up in an enigma, a fae that does very much remind me of Rhys from “A Court of Mist and Fury”, a little too much for my tastes. Callypso keeps saying he’s a bad guy, does horrible things, well at 31%, I didn’t see it. He seemed like a pretty nice guy with Callypso. I didn’t see anything bad, other than the naughty innuendos he flirted with Callypso & Callypso saying he’s bad. So no, I won’t continue with the series.

Completely baffled by all the five-star reviews of this book. I made it to four chapters and could not go on, and I have plowed through some terrible internet fan fiction in my day. This story obviously began as a fanfic of ACOMAF, but boy does it fall short of capturing even a fraction of the magic of that book. There is no way Desmond was not originally a version of Rhysand (King of Night, smirky bad boy, comes to collect bargain THAT IS MARKED ON HER ARM), and I cringed to see that the author even rips off at least one of Rhysand's memorable lines -- "You dare glamour me?"Oh, but Desmond is blond, so, clearly a different character.Now, as I said, I'm not above fan fiction and I wouldn't have minded all that, except the writing here is juvenile and painful to read, and no time is given to build the relationship. Desmond comes on immediately too strong without the charm to balance it, and Callie is just a flustered mess. Maybe the story improves at it goes on, but by the fourth chapter I didn't care to stick around to find out. Lesson learned to try a sample before buying next time.

4.5 Stars!Be still my heart... this was an incredible read. Thalassa weaves a story of intimacy, vulnerability, betrayal, and forgiveness between two very flawed souls--Callie, a 23 year old siren and Desmond, the King of Night. We see Callie evolve, leveraging a past of abuse and horror to become the woman we meet at age 23. The flashbacks were very well developed, bringing the reader along in an engaging narrative that had me feeling her pain and routing for her happiness..And then there's Desmond...oh my. This stud of a guy is immune to Callie's siren gift and takes charge as Callie's protector after deserting her seven years prior (causing all manner of heartbreak). He's a bad boy, that despite the pain he's caused Callie, is someone she still deeply loves. How many times do we do that to ourselves...but we can't help it. At times Des had me thinking "Shade" in Rosamund Hodge's Cruel Beauty.While this relationship takes center stage, the action moves forward as Des allows Callie to help him solve a mystery, why female fae warriors in the Otherworld (where Des is king) are turning up in comas with live infant children.****SPOILER****My absolute favorite quote: "A fairy doesn't show his wings to his betrothed...A fairy shows them to his soulmate."Oh, be still my heart...I'll definitely be reading the next installment in The Bargainer series.

I wasn't expecting much from this book, I won't lie. I've read so many just like it and most of them are complete trash. With Rhapsodic I was pleasantly surprised. My biggest pet peeve in any book is when a sexy male enters the picture and all of a sudden the female protagonist turns into a useless, simpering idiot. Not in this book, the two main characters were actually great together, and I didn't find myself constantly rolling my eyes at everything they said to each other. In so many books I read there's loads of talk about lust and heart rates jumping when they see the sexy yet annoyingly cryptic and controlling guy but I always want to yell ARE YOU EVEN FRIENDS THOUGH? DO YOU EVEN LIKE EACH OTHER? I actually loved how the relationship between Des and Callie progressed, it felt totally believable and not like they clapped eyes on each other and instantly decided, there and then, that they had to be with each other. Des managed to be sexy and powerful without coming across as controlling and creepy (like seriously, why is that so often a thing? Nothing annoys me more than when the love interest is just a massive jerk but because he's so handsome the female protagonist ignores him bossing her about).The only reason this loses a star is because I wasn't totally into the ending, I know it sets the next book up nicely but it felt a little bit rushed. The plot overall was actually pretty decent, nothing totally award winning but it was still engaging and enjoyable. It's the kind of book that's an easy read but still has some good dialogue, and a few plot twists.Overall I would recommend giving it a read. I think it was worth what I paid for it and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

This book was recommended to me by my cousin on the basis that it was a quick easy read and similar to Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, which the both of us loved.Well, first of all, she wasn’t kidding; the similarities between Rhapsodic and ACOTAR, specifically A Court of Mist and Fury, are stark. Uncomfortably so, if I’m honest. However, this self-published book was released in the same year as ACOMAF (2016) and had apparently been brewing since 2014, which is a full year before even the first book in the ACOTAR series was released. Thus, either Laura Thalassa writes, edits and pubs extremely fast, or she and SJM were reading the same thing that inspired each of their books and characters. For me, it was impossible not to compare the two (however much I tried to give Thalassa the benefit of the doubt), and I think that’s largely why this book bothered me; it’s nowhere near as good.The story follows Callie, a siren, who when she was a teenager, made an ill-advised bargain (or 322) with a fairy known as the Bargainer (aka. the King of the Night aka. Desmond Flynn — yes, really, there’s a fairy called Des) to conceal the murder of her abusive stepfather. The Bargainer is renowned for demanding steep payments for his favours, but with Callie, he never does... until 7 years later when he crops up out of nowhere and demands she fulfil payment.This could have been really twisted. Honestly, I’d have been far more on board with the idea of the Bargainer forcing Callie to fulfil openly sadistic favours with him whilst she tries to break free, than what we actually got which was a deeply problematic romance peppered with flashbacks that had me cringing every few pages. As I mentioned earlier, it was hard not to compare the Bargainer‘s actions with that of Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas’s books: Des conceals information, Rhysand does not; Des controls Callie; Rhysand does not; Des is constantly having to save Callie, Rhysand is not. In fact Des is decidedly so unappealing as a romantic male lead that I actively hated him. Callie too is so passive, so useless at getting herself out of trouble. I just hated the pair of them together, and the inevitable intimate scenes just made me cringe (even these felt ripped off).The stuff about the sleeping warriors and creepy children though was super interesting and kept me compulsively reading. The plot point surrounding the Thief of Souls obviously still hasn’t been fully resolved either, so of course I’m going to have to read the next book to find out what happens next, even though the action was super rushed and there were so many unanswered questions.Overall... Not recommended. I rated this book 2 stars rather than 1 on the basis that I didn’t hate it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫🌶🌶🌶A 16 year old Callie finally defends herself against her abusive step father leaving her with no option but to call on The Bargainer. The Bargainer is more than he seems and Callie has her own secrets.I had forgotten how young Callie was when I first read Rhapsodic. When I originally read this book it left me a little uncomfortable - until I realised that there would be a slight twist of events. So I enjoyed this re-read much more than the first time around.Callie develops from a naive teenager to a sassy adult Siren. However, her insecurities still portray her as immature and a little annoying if I'm honest.I know that she develops further in the other books - but, in this one she is so frustrating.The Bargainer is your typical swoon worthy love interest. Dark, mysterious and has that protective streak. He counterbalances Callie's innocence perfectly.During my first read - this book helped with my serious ACOTAR book hangover. As the series went on, the similarities were very evident. However, after research - this is simply coincidental.This re-read was so much fun, I couldn't wait to get to certain revelations. Even knowing what was happening, the tension and build up to climatic scenes still had my heart pounding. I can't wait to dive back in the rest of the series as I've missed Callie and Des more than I realised!Wish list:I can't decide what I think of Temper - it would have been nice to see more of her - where she isn't constantly calling Callie 'B****'I only say this for this installment (as I have previously read the whole series)As much as I love Callie and Des, they were a little two dimensional. There doesn't feel like there is enough depth with their characters, or any of the other side characters for that matter.Favourite quotes:“And mountains may rise and fall, and the sun might wither away, and the sea claim the land and swallow the sky. But you will always be mine.” He runs his knuckles over my cheekbone. “And the stars might fall from the heavens, and night might cloak the earth, but until darkness dies, I will always be yours.”“Cherub, people like us are not victims. We’re someone’s nightmare.”“Teach me again how to be someone’s nightmare.”Would I recommend?Yes, I love this series! There are potentially triggering scenes but they are handled very well. This story hooks you in and sets you up for the rest of the series, which in my opinion gets better and better.

Rounded up to 3 starsHeadlines:Dark faerie king meets SirenCouple banterPredictable PNRRhapsodic had me all excited at the beginning because I felt like I got a whisper of Kate Daniels vibes. Alas it was just a whisper, and this PNR didn't overly grab me both in context of beings and creatures and the storyline. This was a fae/siren type pairing and I was interested in it but there wasn't as much delve into the mythology/folklore as I'd have liked.I struggled a little with the romanticisms (is that a word) between these two. They were a little twee with one another after a while. They weren't a ride or die couple for meThe lasting impression is that I will probably read the rest of the series at some point because I own them but I'm not rushing.

Rhapsodic is an amazing start to what has proved to be truly epic series. The main character Callie is a siren and she is so wonderfully written, sassy and strong, vulnerable and unique, she capture my heart from the very beginning.We follow Callie as The Bargainer enters her life after disappearing for 7 years. There is a shattered timeline following current events, and the events of seven years before, when Callie and Des first meet and as their friendship (and the number of beads Callie owes Des) grows. It’s wonderfully constructed and strikes the perfect balance between plot, world-building and character development.The characters are all so well written and unique, they seem almost real. As well as Callie, I love Desmond Flynn (how could I resist!) and Temper. There are a range of Supernatural characters, including, sirens, Fae, a sorceress and even a werewolf. There is a richness to the worlds of The Bargainer Series – the ‘real world’ in which magical beings coexist with normal humans (who are blissfully unaware of the magic around them) as well as the Fae Otherworld. The world-building is truly incredible (and really comes in to it’s own in later books when we get to spend more time in the Otherworld.)The relationship between Callie and Des is so enjoyable to read, they are such strong personalities. I love that the clash so much, I have yet to find an author who writes banter as well as Laura Thalassa. There is such fire in their relationship it is impossible not to be swept up in it – but there is also a tenderness between them too. As Callie struggles with the return of Des, she realises “he stuck around when I was least loveable.” and this is how she knows she is making the right decision.Des is just as unique and vivid as Callie – I must confess I love everything about him. From the way he is with Callie, (I adore that he calls her ‘cherub’) to the fact that he is so inherently Fae. There is a darkness to him which he embraces, and he sees that same darkness in Callie and loves her all the more for it. There are so many incredible quotes from both Callie and Des to each other woven throughout the book. “And the mountains may rise and fall, and the sun might wither away, and the sea may claim the land and swallow the sky. But you will always be mine. And the stars might fall from the heavens, and night might cloak the earth, but until darkness dies, I will always be yours.” as well as these gorgeous declarations, the banter between Callie and Des is truly incredible. Laura Thalassa writes to most incredibly sarky characters and with Callie and Des she has created a wonderful meeting of equals.As well as such a wonderful example of a pairing of equals, Laura Thalassa also gives us a rather thought-provoking example of a toxic masculinity and a relationship tainted by it – Callie’s relationship with Eli, which she breaks off early in the book. We are there as Callie realises that her relationship with Eli is not what she needs it, or wants it to be. “I blink through the haze of dominance he’s been throwing around since he swept me up in his arms , I just hadn’t noticed it then.” and even our bold and strong siren struggles to end thing with Eli “Wait. What am I saying? This isn’t a negotiation. There’s nothing to talk about. When you end a relationship, you don’t owe the other person an explanation, crappy though that may be.” There is such stark contrast between Eli’s Callie and Des’s Callie – and only after Callie is free to be herself do we really see her.Callie’s character is so complex, as well as her innate strength and her siren’s darkness, we also get to witness her vulnerability – not just in those flashbacks to when she was a teenager but also in the present. Callie is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and I think that her struggle with those memories and feelings is written really well, and sensitively dealt with… “I’m forever banished to watch people live out their lives, while I wait for mine to begin”. We watch as Des helps Callie to piece herself back together “People like us are not victims. We’re someone’s nightmare.” is what Des tells Callie, something which I think it very much shown to be true over the course of this series.Rhapsodic is an incredible start to a wonderfully dark and enchanting series and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy. I do not say this lightly but it is one of my all time favourite books – and now that I have read the finally book in the series, I can honestly say that The Bargainer is one of my favourite series of books.