Author Universes · Cece Rants
The Laura Thalassa Universe
Come for the fantasy. Stay for the men.
Laura Thalassa writes the kind of romance that makes me question my standards, my judgment, and whether fictional men have permanently ruined real-life expectations.
Ancient magic. Dangerous power. Obsession. Men who are absolutely not here to behave. And every time I think I’ve found my favorite, this woman gives me another reason to lose my mind.
Welcome to my Laura Thalassa universe. Let’s discuss the men.
Organised by obsession
The Men Who Ruined My Standards
I could organise this page by publication date. I could give you a tidy list of series and books. But where is the fun in that?
We’re organising by the men who made me feel things. The ones who made me root for questionable decisions, defend fictional behaviour, and immediately need to talk to someone about what I just read. And if Laura Thalassa keeps making them better and better, we’re going to need more room.
- Featured obsession
- The Bewitched series
- Met him in 2024
Memnon
Ancient sorcerer king of the Sarmatians. Villain. Devoted soulmate.
An ancient warlord is cursed, wakes up in the modern world, and chooses violence. But he loves his girl. YOU KNOW THIS IS MY KIND OF PLOT.
I understood his fear long before I had the full history: fear of her getting hurt, fear of being the only one who remembered what they had been to each other. And I LOVE that he is a villain. His selfishness for her keeps becoming the very thing that helps Selene get what she wants. Gurl, if he’s helping you reach your goals AND you enjoy spending time with him, what are we actually arguing about here?
My verdictKEEP IT COMING. Memnon, sir, you are a PROBLEM. I regret absolutely nothing.
- The Bargainer
- Met him in 2016
Des, the Bargainer
Desmond Flynn. King of the Night. Collector of debts.
Fey predator with Rhysand vibes, sarcastic thief with Kaz vibes. He’s seen Callie as a victim, a killer, a broken girl, a detective and a general badass, and he keeps coming back for her. I would actually KILL for these books from his perspective.
My verdictMy Des. Rhapsodic is a ten-times re-read on my Goodreads.
- The Fallen World
- Met him in 2019
King Montes Lazuli
The Undying King. Conquered the whole world. Control issues.
By far my favourite character, because of how perfectly developed he is: sinister, ruthless, arrogant, with carefully calculated plans that get thrown into a wreck when he meets another beautiful monster. Worn down by centuries of war, he still scares me in the most wickedly delicious way.
My verdictSICK and TWISTED and brilliant, exactly how I like my morally grey men.
More men will earn their place here as I rant about them. The Four Horsemen are read and waiting for their turn.
Explore the series
Enter the Universes
Different worlds. Different kinds of trouble. The same author making me think, well, now I have another fictional man to obsess over. Pick a world, start with the books I’ve reviewed, and follow the obsession wherever it leads.
Witchy gothic romantasy
The Bewitched Series
Gothic mystery, a witch academy where witches keep dying, a dangerous ancient king, and a relationship that becomes so much more than its first impressions. It’s set in the same world as The Bargainer.
- Bewitched★★★★★
- Bespelled★★★★★
- The Curse That Binds★★★★★The prequel: Memnon and Roxilana, two thousand years earlier. Published third.
- Bedeviled★★★★★The finale.
Where should I start?
Start with Bewitched and read in publication order. The prequel lands hardest once you know what Memnon has been carrying.
Fey dark fantasy romance
The Bargainer
A siren with a bracelet of debts up her arm, and the fey king who’s been waiting seven years to collect. Morally grey characters, a fiercely savage duo, and magic woven through all of it.
- Rhapsodic★★★★★
- A Strange Hymn★★★★★
- The Emperor of Evening Stars★★★★★Des before he was the Bargainer. Rant to come.
- Dark HarmonyThe finale. Rant to come.
Apocalyptic dark romance
The Fallen World
A control-issues king who took over the world and a rebel who picks fights with the most powerful man alive. One of my favourite re-read series, purely for the morally grey characters. Expect to be disturbed, and to totally enjoy it.
Apocalyptic enemies to lovers
The Four Horsemen
Pestilence, War, Famine and Death ride out to end humanity. I’ve read all four; the full rants (and which horseman earns a spot with the men) are coming.
- Pestilence★★★★★
- War★★★★★
- Famine
- Death★★★★★
Stars are from my Goodreads shelf.
The Bewitched reading experience
Curious, Ruined, Gone
Book one made me curious. Book two made me fall so damn hard. And by the end I was writing letters to the queen. Here’s the whole journey, in reading order.
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Book 1 · the hook
Bewitched
★★★★★Witches dying at an academy, secrets in the shadows, and a mysterious voice OB.SESS.ED. with our girl. The mystery got me. Then there was Memnon.
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Book 2 · the fall
Bespelled
★★★★★This is where the relationship really develops, and I’m not okay. I LOVE MEMNON. The chemistry, the tension, the way he looks at her? Ruined.
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The prequel · the history
The Curse That Binds
★★★★★Two thousand years before Selene, there was Roxilana. My review for this one is a love letter to the queen, straight from her loyal subjects.
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Book 3 · the finale
Bedeviled
★★★★★The history and the mystery finally come together, and we get to scream at the scheming evil fairy. MA’AM. We have QUESTIONS.
The letter at the end of my Bedeviled review is my own writing, inspired by Selene and Roxilana’s journey. Not a quote from the book.
The Cece Rants review shelf
Read My Rants
Every Laura Thalassa book I’ve reviewed on the site, favourites first. Filter by series or stars, and click through for the full rant.
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Bespelled
Bewitched #2★★★★★ -
Bedeviled
Bewitched #3★★★★★ -
Bewitched
Bewitched #1★★★★★ -
The Curse That Binds
Bewitched prequel★★★★★ -
Rhapsodic
The Bargainer #1★★★★★ -
The Queen of All that Lives
The Fallen World #3★★★★★ -
The Queen of All that Dies
The Fallen World #1★★★★★ -
The Queen of Traitors
The Fallen World #2★★★★★ -
A Strange Hymn
The Bargainer #2★★★★★
The reader’s next obsession
Finished the trilogy? I have questions.
You’ve met Memnon. You’ve survived the mystery. You’ve reached the end and possibly developed a completely unreasonable attachment to a fictional king. So where do we go next?
- Another Thalassa worldDes, Montes, and the Horsemen are waiting.
- Your Kink, Your KindleMy 18+ shelves, sorted by mood.
- Fae Alphaholes & Shadow DaddiesMore dangerous men with magic.
- Dark RomanceFor when morally grey isn’t grey enough.
- Sarah J. MaasAnother favourite author, every series ranked.
- All book reviewsEvery rant on the site.
Come for the books. Stay for the men. Lose your mind somewhere in the middle. 🖤