Review: Rhapsodic (The Bargainer #1)

Rhapsodic (The Bargainer #1)
By Laura Thalassa

Published By: LavaBrook Publishing
Publication Date: November 15, 2016
Date Read: January 22, 2021
Genre: NA – Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 326

From Goodreads:
Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she’s been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she’s received. Only death or repayment will fulfill the obligations. Only then will the beads disappear.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He’s a man who can get you anything you want… at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects.

But for one of his clients, he’s never asked for repayment. Not until now. When Callie finds the fae king of the night in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows things are about to change. At first it’s just a chaste kiss—a single bead’s worth—and a promise for more.

For the Bargainer, it’s more than just a matter of rekindling an old romance. Something is happening in the Otherworld. Fae warriors are going missing one by one. Only the women are returned, each in a glass casket, a child clutched to their breast. And then there are the whispers among the slaves, whispers of an evil that’s been awoken.

If the Bargainer has any hope to save his people, he’ll need the help of the siren he spurned long ago. Only, his foe has a taste for exotic creatures, and Callie just happens to be one.

“You want to know a real secret? I want to wake up to you every single morning.”

The Bargainer Series is one that I’ve seen around the online book community for a while. I didn’t really know much about it until I saw people recommend JLA’s Blood and Ash series for fans of Laura Thalassa. After seeing that comparison I definitely thought it was about time that I finally gave it a go. Rhapsodic was very different to what I was expecting. I came into this book expecting it to be a high fantasy book. In my opinion, it’s not. It’s a paranormal romance or an urban fantasy at best. That’s not to say this book is not great… it is. I really enjoyed it. It was just very different to what I was expecting.

Rhapsodic follows the story of Callie. Callie is a siren who works alongside her best friend as part of their paranormal investigator duo. Callie never talks of her past, the fact that she owes hundreds of favours to The Bargainer, the notorious paranormal being that tops all of the Most Wanted lists. She knows he will turn up one day to cash in those favours… but should she dread that day… or look forward to it.

I really enjoyed Rhapsodic. It’s a very easy book to get into. Laura has a fantastic writing style that drags you in straight away. Right from the start I was intrigued by this tale of all of these different paranormal beings living in the real world. This was a very fast paced book and I found it very difficult to put down. One of the things I really loved the most was the fact that we have two stories going on at the same time. We have the present day, Callie waiting for The Bargainer to show up and then when he does helping him to solve the mysterious disappearances of his people, but while this is going on you experience Callie and Des’ past. What happened all those years ago for Callie to make so many bargains.

Rhapsodic was action packed, fast paced and filled with a slow burn romance and a bit of a mystery. I really loved every single second of this book. It was fantastic and has definitely turned me into a Laura Thalassa fan. I definitely enjoyed reading Rhapsodic and it has left me reeling, dying to read more. I very rarely binge read a series so the fact that I will be jumping into book 2 straight away is definitely a big deal. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.

“Callie, I love you. I’ve loved you from the beginning. And I will love you long after the last star dies. I will love you until the end of darkness itself.”

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