The first book in Laura Thalassa's The Bargainer series, Rhapsodic has been very popular on TikTok. It's a gritty romantasy novel that really doesn't hold back, dealing with an adult/minor relationship, violence, child abuse, murder, slavery, pregnancy, sexual assault, pedophilia, and death. This is a review for Rhapsodic, if you are looking for a summary of The Bargainer series, click here.
When Callie murders her abusive step-father, she has no one left in the world who cares about what happens to her and therefore, no one to call that will help her. But she remembers an associate of her step-father who may be able to get her out of this pickle, the Bargainer. He goes above and beyond for Callie, helping her pro bono and getting her into a supernatural boarding school. But Callie continues to call him, and he continues to allow her to rack up bargains, eventually collecting over three-hundred deals that she has yet to pay. Until one day he leaves and he does not come back. Callie does not see him for seven years. Now Callie is an adult who has her own business with her best friend Temper, and the Bargainer has returned to collect the debts owed to him.
So first, the Bargainer's real name is Desmond, which happens to be one of my favorites. And despite telling Callie repeatedly that he is not a good person, he seems pretty alright. Let's look past the fact that Callie is only fifteen when Desmond meets her, she's only two weeks shy of sixteen which is an adult in the supernatural world, which Callie falls into since she is a siren. I don't have too much of a problem with that since Desmond is respectful and doesn't get creepy with her, although I do feel weird about an ancient fairy hanging out with a fifteen year old. Getting past that, I actually liked this book. Callie has a temper I can relate to and a tendency to be short sighted, plus Desmond is really quite sweet once Callie is in her twenties. He even takes her to get her favorite macarons, although I guess that is not that hard when you can travel magically, which is quick and free. The characters were likable, the story is very intriguing and not something I've read before so I'm quite excited about that, and this author really doesn't shy away from tough stuff, which makes the story feel more authentic.
I'm giving Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa 4 stars out of 5. Spice level is an easy 1 out of 5. The writing was good, the story is new, captivating, and a little weird, the characters are likable, although parts of the story seemed a little bit rushed. I'm excited to read the second novel, A Strange Hymn, and see were this story goes. If you're looking for a refresher on the first book, check out our summary of the Bargainer books.
For more information about Laura Thalassa, visit https://laurathalassa.com/books/
Pairs well with pink macarons and a self-defense class.
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