Dire Bound (Wolves of Ruin #1)

Welcome home, my queen.

Available at Amazon.com

Dire Bound
Sable Sorensen
Wolves of Ruin, book one
Kindle Edition, 682 pages
First published February 26, 2025
ISBN 9780316601405

Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them.

Meryn Cooper has always hated the Bonded, elite warriors who form mental links with the massive, vicious direwolves they ride. While they live in luxury, Meryn struggles to keep her family out of poverty. When her little sister, Saela, is kidnapped—stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting—Meryn’s world falls apart.

Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army and is thrown into the deadly Bonding Trials, where any mistake will cost her life.

Now Meryn must survive four months of training at the castle. She is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her cold and beautiful instructor, Stark Therion, is eager to punish any weakness.

Everything is a competition, and everyone is out to get her—everyone except the dangerously handsome crown prince, whose attention adds another target to her back. In the castle, every smile hides a knife…and the halls hide dark secrets.

It’s bond or bleed. Duel or die. Failure is ruin.

Hunger Games meets Fourth Wing. That's what I was told. And they did not disappoint.

This will contain spoilers. You’ve been warned.

Meryn Cooper lives in a war torn world where the army and the Bonded, the king's elite warriors, face off against the Siphons, a vampire like enemy that has allegedly been abducting children for as long as Meryn can remember. Few have survived a Nabber's encounter, and those that are taken are never seen again.

Meryn is a fighter. Literally. It started ten years ago when her father was killed in the war and Meryn was left at twelve years old to care for her mentally ill mother and raise her newborn sister, Saela. She began picking fights with older boys in the alleys on a self destructive path that would have led to her death had Igor not taken her in under his tutelage and trained her properly. When her inherited job at the Laundry barely paid the bills, afforded her sister's tuition, or covered her mother's very necessary medication, Meryn turn to fighting professionally for the extra coin. She gained herself confidence, survival skills, and even a romantic partner that stood ready to patch her up once the fight was over.

That would be Lee. He works in the castle as a Messenger. He's a good guy. He supports her. He helps her take care of her family. He has zero apparent red flags. Which caused me to side eye the hell out of him because this is a fantasy romance so, obviously, he needed to go away.

With her mother's delusions worsening and the Nabber's strike closer than ever before, Meryn begins to train her sister and the local children in self defense, weighing the option of selling her skills to those of wealth and privilege in the Northern Quarter so that she may finally have the funds to get her family further out of harm's reach.

But then Saela is gone; taken in a moment of distraction. And when Meryn finally pulls herself out her depression and seclusion, she takes the only path left to her: she enlists in the army. Her goal is the front lines and a chance to make it past the border and recover her sister. 

Her timing is impeccable. For she enlists, unbeknownst to her, on the eve of the Bonding Trials. 

Bonding a Dire Wolf? Not the plan. Despite the magic she could tap into by doing so. She survives the Ascent, makes a few allies, and gets herself claimed by Anassa, a she-wolf far older than any of the other direwolves. It's the first time Anassa has ever bonded to a human and Meryn's ungrateful ass likely convinces Anassa to make it her last as well. 

Within this army are four packs that are separated based on their designations. The Phylax are the guardians. The Kryptos are the spies. The Strategos are the leaders and tacticians. And the Daemos are the warriors. Wolf determines pack. Anassa is Strategos so Meryn goes with the leaders.

And here we are offically introduced to the alpha of the Daemos: Stark Therion, and his dire wolf, Cratos. To which I respond: No.

No… no no. Nononono. Not this guy. This guy? This is the potential love interest? The guy who disemboweled a deserter in the middle of the street and, before the heart even stopped beating, threw the body to his direwolf as a snack? This guy.

But okay... Trust the process. 

And then there it was—the red flag.

I have never slammed my kindle shut so fast.

His name is Killian.

Crown. Prince. Killian.

And he would not be going away.

The absolute savagery. And it’s not just the wolves. Although… oof. But don’t fuck with Meryn. Unless you want your offending hand severed and shoved down your throat.

Oh, well. Earned herself a tat at least.

He leans down, his breath now hot against my neck. And his tongue streaks over my skin.

The alpha warrior, or the prince? The one that shoves you into battle, or the one that patches up the wounds when you return?

The man that delivers an all out attack the first time you’re alone together, or the man that watches over your ill mother and sees to the repairs of your dilapidated home?

Two very strong contenders. Both with their charms and their faults.

Stark, or Killian?

His Princess, or his Kitten?

Anassa certainly had an opinion.

I wasn’t feeling Stark at first. Not that he gave me much to work with. He’s basically skirting the light for half of the book, every so often serving as Meryn’s tattoo artist. But then Sorensen gives him a library.

And there I go slamming shut my kindle again. Because how am I anywhere but in Stark's corner after that?

But next I'm fighting the urge to throw the book across the room. And by the end, I had dropped it twice because: Mind. Blown.

Sure, any reader would have suspected the call was coming from inside the house. But the depth and breadth and length that these two men had traversed… The horse. The deserter. That dress. The dress that made her heart sing. The room, of all the rooms. You fucked up, Stark! And well played, Killian.

Well done, Annie and Eliza.

Make me your instrument of vengeance.
Let my hands act out your every savage, depraved thought.
Use me. I’m yours.

Hands up. Knees down. I submit.

5 out of 5 stars. This is the kind of book you want to flip back to the beginning and experience again.

Available in ebook | paperback | hardcover 

2025/07

My Protector (Bewitched and Bewildered #2)

Please send me my mate. I just want someone to hold.

Available at Amazon.com

My Protector
Alanea Alder
Bewitched & Bewildered, book two
Kindle Edition, 236 pages
Published December 22nd 2014 by Sacred Forest Publishing
ASIN B00Q6UAE2C

Gavriel Ambrosios has been dreaming of his accident prone mate for weeks. Now that he is nearing the apex of his vampiric transition, she has made her way to Lycaonia, just when he is at his most dangerous.

Elizabeth Monroe was planning on staying in Lycaonia while humans forgot about the swan dive she took out of her boss’s office window. Little did she know that this short side trip was about to become permanent. Gavriel is the mate she has always dreamed of. Even as he sweeps her off her feet his need to protect her has him pushing her away. She’s both concerned with and drawn to his darker nature, but is determined to see him through his transition.

In the shadows their enemy has targeted Gavriel when they know he is at his most vulnerable. They creep ever closer to the Alpha estate putting the men on high alert.

But as the days get shorter and the nights get longer Elizabeth begins to wonder, which is the bigger threat? The enemy or her mate?

If you like a sappy romance, Gavriel is the man you want! Need a laugh? Meryn is just as feisty as ever. And this time around, she's blowing up Aiden's car. And it's no accident.

"Ryuu is Coffee God. Ryuu can do whatever the fuck he wants."

With the threat of ferals still looming about the estate, Gavriel, second in charge among the Alpha Unit and oldest living vampire, has more to worry about than just his forthcoming transition... He also has the most clumsy female that ever existed as a mate.

Bunny shifter, Elizabeth Monroe arrives on scene and is quickly accept by Gavriel, the Alpha Team, and the ever chaotic, Meryn, as My Protector continues the Bewitched & Bewildered saga with just as much focus on Meryn and Aiden as it gives to Elizabeth and Gavriel. You'll either love it or hate it because without a grand adventure or epic battle, it's rather simplistic. They meet, they love.. life goes on.

3 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

Blood Hunt (Sentinel Wars #5)

When you look at me like that, I forget who I am.

Available at Amazon.com

Blood Hunt
Shannon K Butcher
Sentinel Wars, book five
ebook, 303 pages
Published August 1st 2011 by Signet Book
ISBN 9781101517190

Hope appeared out of nowhere, naked and alone, a woman without a past. The only thing she knows is that she is imbued with a strange power. It's in her blood. And two men want to posses it. One is Logan, a Sanguiner demon-fighter who needs Hope's essence to survive. The other is Krag, a Synestryn lord whose desire is to enslave Hope, and drain her of the lifeforce.

When Hope and Logan both fall prey to Krag, a powerful desire grows between them. But is it enough to thwart their captor's diabolical plan and his demon warriors, and survive a vampire's destiny written in blood?

Ah, Logan. Loved and loathed alike, Logan, with his unnatural beauty, has never failed to capture a woman's notice. Any woman. Every woman. But not one, in a very long time, has ever made him feel anything in return. Until Hope.

On the hunt to uncover the mystery of an address left in blood on a mirror in book four, Logan finds himself at an abandoned building where one of the couples brought together through Project Lullaby is under attack by a demon. The battle leaves Logan poisoned, weak, and near death.

Selfless to a fault, Hope is on a hunt of her own. For answers as to who she is, and what she is. And where the homeless people she helps at the local shelter are disappearing to. Over a decade ago, Hope awoke, naked and alone in the same building in which Logan fights to survive, with no memory of who she was or where she came from. Taken in by a nun, Hope has made a small success of herself as a photographer and volunteers faithfully to those in need. On her ritual walk through the streets, packed with sandwiches and blankets, she's drawn to the battle. And ends up saving Logan with light, a pipe, and eventually, her blood.

Blood that empowers Logan in a way he's never known. For the first time in centuries, his hunger is sated. His body feels warmth. And he's aroused. A gift and curse he can't do away with whenever Hope is near. Alas, there's nothing to be done about it. If Hope is a Theronai, as the power of her blood suggests, she's off limits. If she's human, she's a prime specimen for Project Lullaby wherein Logan and his fellow Sanguiner match-up humans to mate and bear children that will one day feed the blood dependent Sanguiner race.

A race currently dying of starvation.

Meanwhile... Yay! Joseph, leader of the Theronai, meets his destined, Lyka. Sister of the Slayer's leader (Andreas), Lyka is a force all her own as her brother strips her naked, bags her in a sheet, and drags her to the Theronai stronghold as a means to initiate a truce between the Theronai and the Slayers. Long explanation made short: It's custom to arrive naked to show proof of being unarmed and Andreas offers Lyka as a hostage to further endear Joseph to his honest plight. His sister may be a thorn in his ass, but he loves her more than anything else in this world. She and Joseph's story comes in book nine, due out in March.

The rescued Theronai, Jackie, continues to lengthen her list of compatible partners as, with Joseph's response to her touch, it appears any of the Sentinels could be saved by mating her. Having lived far too long as a prisoner, whose blood sustained the demons that feasted on her, Jackie is haunted by the looks of hunger and need on the faces of her captors. Seeing the same mirrored by the Theranai men sends her running. Her destined match? Iain, who has lost the last of his leaves and merely pretends that his soul remains. He feels very little. And his apathy is growing.

The search for a mate for Hope begins. So far no luck with the Theronai. And then, Alexander brings in the Slayer, Eric Phelan, brother of Andreas and Lyka. And much to Logan's regret, he finds his blood to be a perfect match for Hope. Their children would powerful. But let me tell you, this guy's no prince. Despite being willing to bed and mate Hope, with his brother's permission of course, he doesn't give a damn whether he cares for her or her for him. His sense of duty is strong. His grip on the heart not so much.

As it turns out, Hope isn't Theronai. Nor is she human. She's like Logan. But from another planet.

Logan and Hope go through a few levels of hell before they find a peaceful end. An end that was far too abrupt. It wasn't a cliffhanger, but sure felt like one. One more scene, is it too much to ask?

4 out of 5 stars.


Previously in the series:

Finding the Lost (Sentinel Wars #2)

Can't you feel me shaking?

Available at Amazon.com

Finding the Lost
Shannon K Butcher
Sentinel Wars, book two
ebook, 276 pages
Published November 3rd 2009 by Penguin Group
ISBN 9781101155790

They are the Sentinels: three races descended from ancient guardians of mankind, each possessing unique abilities in their battle to protect humanity against their eternal foes–the Synestryn. Now a young woman must put faith in a warrior whose power frightens her even as it draws her in.

Andra Madison knows that monsters are real. She’s been fighting them ever since her family was victimized by the Synestryn eight years ago. Now she’s devoted to finding children who’ve been abducted by the Synestryn. When she gets a call about a lost little boy, she tracks him to a warehouse on the outskirts of town, where she’s aided by a trio of human men…or so she thinks.

Paul has been searching for centuries for a woman like Andra. To find her, he strikes a bargain with a bloodhunter that could cost him his life. Now his desire for Andra threatens to destroy his much-needed control. Against her wishes, Andra agrees to join Paul on a journey fraught with danger–one that leads directly to the Synestryn.

Almost instantly, I was bespelled by this vivid, danger driven world of Butcher's. Moreso here than even the last book. From the moment, Paul, ...the loner and photographic memory gifted, Madoc, ...and the much loved and equally loathed, Logan, stepped into the scene, my heart went pounding. Logan charmed me from the first time he ever spoke and while Paul was a curve ball no one saw coming into the picture, much less expected to stick around, he made an impression strong enough to make me sit back and.. well, drool.

________________________________________

Excerpt from Burning Alive review: As a Theronai, Drake, along with Thomas and Zach, have lived centuries fighting against Synestryns (demons and monsters) in a never ending effort to protect humankind. Earth is but a gateway to the world Athanasia, and the Synestryns want in. The Theronai bear a "lifemark" which resembles a tattoo of a tree that covers their torso that was but a seed at their birth and grows as they age. Until, ultimately, it withers. And as the leaves fall, they know their soul will wither and fade as well.

Their only hope is to find a Theronai female that can channel the power that they spend their entire life harvesting and storing. They themselves cannot use the power, only their bonded mate. Who can also ease the pain of their long lived existence and the battles and loss that have come with it.

________________________________________

Paul, with but a few leaves left, is in desperate search for the Therani female that could save him, having lost the chance with Helen when she chose Drake. Thank your lucky stars, Paul. Andra is sooooo much the better option. And yet, ..hold that thought.

The trio find Andra at the beginning of a battle with Synestrians who've managed to take captive a little boy named Sammy. The fight is quickly over, but in the aftermath they soon lose sight of Andra as she rushes the lad to the hospital and to his parents. When she arrives home, it's to find a semi-rested Paul sitting on her couch. He tries talking. She's not in the mood. So he's forced to plan B. And with one touch, expecting God knows what and finding nothing, Paul is left baffled. She's not his One. Andra, on the other hand, has a completely different response and, in a blink, goes from sleep deprived to a lust driven seductress that can't get close enough to her sword-wielding hero.

And a shell shocked Paul is left wondering what the hell just happened. Was happening. Was about to happen.

Logan is adamant that Andra belongs to Paul. And as much as Paul doubts, he finds hope in Logan's insistence. Soon enough, the rush he was waiting for slams into him at a casual but stressful meeting of Andra's skin. Delayed much?!

Meanhwile, Madoc has his own problems. He lost the last of his leaves some time ago. Living on borrowed time and waiting for a death that he feels quick in coming, Madoc succumbs to hiring out prostitutes in order to find a release of... everything. Even as Logan lies passed out on the couch with Paul guarding over a sleeping Andra in the bedroom. Needless to say, I was so not expecting that scene. Nor was I expecting Madoc to actually carry the backstory with none other than Andra's sister, Nika, who's been in and out of the psychiatric hospital for the past eight years and is currently on death's door for fear of demons and people forcing her to eat blood. Needless to say, Madoc has one wacky trip ahead of him.

What if it's now or never. What if I don't let you go?

Paul has *the worst* luck when it comes to getting a woman's commitment. First Kate, who walked away from him and chose someone else. Now Andra, who takes his luceria (with little else but gut instinct and Logan's cryptic coercion to guide her), which leads to Paul swearing his life to her. To live for her. To kill for her. To die for her. To share the rest of his existence with her. And what does she give him? Three days. She swears THREE DAYS.

I didn't need the author's descriptive detail of the look on Paul's face. I only needed a mirror. The man finds his soulmate after centuries of waiting, searching, hunting, and the bitch promises him three fucking days. Can't even give the guy a whole week! Oh wait,... three days and an hour!!

And the man doesn't learn. He's off proposing to a woman that hasn't even told him she loved him yet.

Are we still holding that thought?

Back when I read book one, I was freaking out over Zach and Lexi's story. That which won't come until book three. Here, I was dying to dive into Madoc and Nika's--which won't come until book four. And now there's Torr and Grace, which begins here but doesn't conclude till book eight? Hey, but Logan gets book five! How did I get so addicted to this hopscotch series??

So much love. So much anxiety. 5 out of 5 stars.


Previously in the series:

Chained by Night (MoonBound Clan Vampire #2)

If you touch me, I'm lost.

Available at Amazon.com

Chained by Night
Larissa Ione
Moonbound Clan Vampires, book two
ebook, 400 pages
Published September 30th 2014 by Pocket Books
ISBN 9781476700205

THE FUTURE OF HIS TRIBE
Leader of the vampire clan MoonBound, Hunter will do what he must to save his people from extinction—or worse, a torturous eternity as vampire slaves and subjects of human experimentation.To keep his enemies at bay, he has agreed to mate a rival clan leader’s daughter in return for peace between the clans and an ally in the looming war with the humans.

THE LOVER OF HIS SOUL
But survival comes at a price. First, Hunter must break an ancient curse by successfully negotiating three deadly tests. Then he must resist the searing passions of the gorgeous vampire warrior he despises but is bound to mate. Will Hunter stay true to his word? Or will he risk everything for the woman he really loves: the vampire seductress’s identical twin sister?

When we were last with Hunter, he was willing to tongue another man's cock in order to save his people. I remember well the hilarity, and how I could *not* wait to read the story of a man (er, vampire) who was so selflessly willing to traumatize himself for such a noble cause. What is asked of him instead, is to wed the man's daughter, thus ensuring peace between their tribes and an ally in the coming war. Too bad she's a bitch. Her twin sister, however, deemed too flawed to ever be worth a proper mating, is the one who must accompany his quest to remove the curse haunting him and any offspring his marriage would produce.

Alas, Ailyn has her own arranged mating to deal with. Just another pawn in their father's game of foolhardy alliances. But for Ailyn, her suitor is a monster of a male with a throng of too young females in his bed. She envies her sister's betrothal. Hunter may be their enemy, but the guy's hot. And noble.

Their first meeting is in the aftermath of an attack, in which both sisters are being held hostage. With Ailyn's play at decoy for her sister's benefit and Riker's military talk, they each suffer a case of mistaken identity. Hunter believes Ailyn is Rasha, and finds himself hopeful of their future given the reaction both his mind and body give to her. Meanwhile, Ailyn believes his name is Roger. Yeah, not her shining moment.

After a heated feeding to assist Ailyn's healing, the truth is out and a game of Super Mario Brothers is on. Gotta love Hunter! Even after the return to the MoonBound Clan's home, he shuns Rasha at every turn, respectfully, and yet, opens to Ailyn with every chance encounter. All the while, trusting neither of them. When the time comes to reveal the mission of their quest that will free his and Rasha's future child from the debt of a demon, only one sister is willing to accompany him. Surprisingly, Rasha's decline isn't a wholly selfish act. Although she doesn't fancy the idea of losing her child, it's not physically possible for her to travel through portals without courting death. But don't be mistaken, the bitch expects Hunter to die. She just hopes she's pregnant when it happens. A true dilemma since Hunter swears he won't even touch her with the threat of the curse in play.

I dove into this book the moment it arrived and finished it the same day. Being a four hundred page story, I can't tell you how long it's been since that has happened! But nine months is a long time to wait for a sequel, and damn, was it worth it! And over way too soon at that.

While I'm not the biggest fan of the whole jealousy rage being the final straw that brings on a mate claiming, it worked for Hunter. Certainly didn't expect this man who would give anything for his people to actually surrender everything for the woman he loved. He would've walked away. Hell, he would have run away. With her. For her. Making it a truly amazing and romantic story.

Just another work of art from Larissa Ione. 5 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

Earth Warden

"Step aside, Hawk. Let the dog see the rabbit."

Available at Amazon.com

Earth Warden
Mina Carter
ebook, 68 pages
Published August 5th 2014 by Blue Hedgehog Press
First published 2009

What do you do when you’re magically inept in a world where your worth rests on your magical ability?

This is the question that has haunted magic-less Warden Lyssa all her life. So when injured Warrior Hawk mistakes her for a full Warden and claims sanctuary she agrees, thinking she can hide the truth for just one night.

Unfortunately it’s not so easy with a Warden execution squad on her tail and then a steamy encounter with her handsome warrior challenges everything Lyssa thought she knew about herself.

Although the daughter of Wardens, Lyssa was declared a null, having no magical powers herself. So she spent her life studying spells, wards, and so on while being shunned be her community. Now grown, she makes a living as a waitress at a diner where Hawk, a Warrior, happens upon after being nearly mauled to death by demons.

Hawk can be quite the top notch ass when the mood hits. Bleeding and weak, he and Lyssa don't share the greatest first meeting. She does her best to appear the ideal servant while his sentences are clipped and rude. The humor lies in the fact that he can read her mind.

When Hawk catches a glimpse of Lyssa's tattoo, the mark of the Wardens, he considers the idea that the fates might have finally smiled upon him after all these years. Wardens are a magical race sworn to aid the Warriors as necessary, although they consider them worse than vampires and pass on many a horror story about their kind.

She offers him a night of sanctuary and makes no further promises. Soon enough, they're being attacked by an execution training squad and Hawk is left reeling with questions he can't find the answers to. He senses the witching surrounding Lyssa but she makes no move to cast a spell. She's as stupid as they come when it comes to protecting herself, and he's left to scramble to get them to safety.

I had some problems with Lyssa and although the story is quick, she does find time to redeem herself. Hawk, despite the ass he portrays in the beginning, also redeems himself with his talent in the bedroom. The two come together in their time of need, his of healing and hers of finally releasing the power she doesn't even know she possesses. It's a happy ever after without any groundless pledges of love which is a winner in my book.

4 out of 5 stars.

Hunter By Night (Chronicles of Yavn #3)

Available at Amazon.com

Hunter By Night
Elisabeth Staab
Chronicles of Yavn, book three
ebook, 352 pages
Published June 3rd 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN 9781402263224

She wants out
Party girl Alexia Blackburn is only hanging around the vampire compound until her best friend—the queen—has her baby. After that, nothing is going to stop Alexia from getting back to daylight, safety, and feeling like a normal human being. But leaving the vampire world has one big catch...


He needs her to stay
Head of vampire security Lee Goram has hated and distrusted humans for centuries. Feeding on vampire blood has kept him strong...but now it's killing him—and he's horrified to discover that Alexia may hold the key to his cure. He'd rather die defending his king than admit his weakness, but time is running out for the great vampire warrior.

I was reading another book on the day this one released. And since it was doing nothing for me... The main characters had not even met yet and I was already thirty something percent in... I dropped it when I was able to snatch up this sequel to one the most entertaining vampire clans I've come across in my literary journey.

I never did read book one which I quickly came to regret when I began book two, and even now I am sincerely considering going back to it. What all have I missed?!

In Hunter By Night, we follow three potential love stories. Two of which began in the last book. Lee and Alexia. Xander and Theresa. Now adding Siddoh and Ivy. Unfortunately, this installment had a weird feel to me. Just when a scene was getting interesting, we jumped to the next set of characters. Meanwhile, there were times, and many of them, when I felt that the characters knew more about what was happening than I did. Were doing more than I was being told about. And just plainly progressing in their own story while I was elsewhere with other supporting characters. Madness was settling in big time.

I always imagine vampires with eloquent mannerisms. Not these guys. They're more like video game soldiers. Smart ass, cursing fools high on way too much testosterone and toting guns. Oh, and magical powers that vary from one to another.

Lee and Alexia have a back and forth, two steps forward-three steps back relationship. Xander and Theresa *finally* manage to get their crap together and quit tiptoeing around one another. And then, Siddoh, who was once the lover of Tyra, Thad's (the vampire King) sister and Anton's (exiled wizard) mate, takes an interest in Ivy, a vampire female who was raised in the traditional ways of their kind. Her father is dying, and he wants her to have an arranged marriage before he goes. Despite Siddoh's respect of the old ways, he believes in love and thinks the idea is preposterous. Doesn't stop the guy from stepping up when her intended groom rejects the arrangement though.

3 out of 5 stars.


Previously in this series:

Scent of Salvation (Chronicles of Eorthe #1)

If he took his time maybe he'd remember how to do this right.

Available at Amazon.com

Scent of Salvation
Annie Nicholas
Chronicles of Eorthe, book one
ebook, 391 pages
Published July 30th 2013 by Samhain Publishing
ISBN 9781619217485

Love blooms across species, culture, and time.

Stranded in another dimension, on a primitive version of Earth, Dr. Susan Barlow needs to find a way to survive. There’s no electricity, no cities, and to her shock, no humans. Instead, she faces a population of werewolves, vampires and incubi. The people are vicious but she must find her place among them. And live.

An illness is killing Sorin’s pack. As alpha it’s his responsibility to save them, but it’s a battle this warrior doesn’t know how to fight. Then a blue light in the sky brings a creature he’s never seen. She calls herself human, but to him she smells like hope.

Sorin offers Susan a safe haven in return for a cure, but she’s not that kind of a doctor. She’s a doctor of physics, not a physician. Yet as they search for a cure to save a dying people, they find something special—each other.

But even with Sorin’s protection, Susan can’t help but wonder how long she can survive in a world without humans…

Warning: Feral shifters, power-hungry vampires, and a sole human female suffering culture shock.

"Today seemed like the perfect day to burn bridges."

All Susan needed was the funding to see if her dream could actually become reality. All Technocon needed was a tax write off. They didn't expect her to actually be capable of creating a door to other dimensions. But she proved herself. And now, her biggest fear, seeing the military take control of her life's work, is staring back at her.

What's a girl to do but blow it all up?...And inadvertently get sucked into its portal.. wherein getting dropped into a world raging with shifters, vampires, and an incubi or two.

There, Susan is met by Sorin, an alpha wolf shifter of the Apisi pack, and one of his omegas. He believes she was sent from his goddess, convinced her sudden appearance and his great need for a miracle to save his people is no coincidence. 

She flees him and ends up crossing into the neighboring pack’s territory where she is met by Kele, a female shifter, daughter of her pack alphas, and her guards. Susan is human and bears no scent marking her. When Sorin attempts to take her back, taking him across boundaries, Kele’s guardians attack and the fight leaves Sorin unconscious.

Kele makes the decision to bring both Susan and Sorin back to her parents, and urges Ahote, the leader of her guard, to mark Susan to keep the other males away. A mark given by rubbing her wrist against his cheek. That doesn't prevent Kele's mother from bitch slappin' Susan, though. As much as the woman tries to emulate the others and follow pack protocol, she can't help but screw it up.

When Sorin escapes the Payami pack, he takes Susan with him. And it's not entirely against her will. She could have gone with Benic, a nefarious vampire with one too many plots at work in his favor, but Sorin took that choice away from her. Honestly, each and every character has their own villainous moment.

Sorin forces Kele to stay with him, preventing any chance she has at going back through the shaky, here-again-gone-again portal. Hey, the guy's desperate. His pack is dying from a viral infection, one by one. Without her science, he'll lose everything.

Benic becomes convinced that humans, which don't exist in this world, are the ancestors of their kinds. And, in an attempt to prove his theory, infects Susan with his blood. Unfortunately, by then, Susan and Sorin have fallen in love and, unbeknownst to Benic, Susan has taken Sorin's mating bite. So, she'd already been infected with the shifter virus by the time he put his potions to work. If she would have changed without Benic's involvement is anybody's guess.

Kele was probably my favorite of the cast. As the daughter of the alpha pair, she was expected to be an alpha herself. But she lacks the ability to shift, leaving her somewhere in the hierarchy between hunter and omega. Meanwhile, Sorin's omega, Peder, is a true hunter, but he's been too badly broken by his former alpha, Sorin's father, that he's borderline submissive in every damn situation he meets. Sorin isn't much better though. The strongest of the weak that one.

Book two, Scent of Valor, has en expected publication in November, 2014. Possibly Kele and Peder's story? Hoping so...

3 out of 5 stars.

Bound by Night: MoonBound Clan Vampires #1

Available on Amazon.com

Bound by Night
Larissa Ione
MoonBound Clan Vampires, book one
ebook, 400 pages
Published September 24th 2013 by Pocket Books
ISBN 9781476700199

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD

Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most...

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE

A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch... or bury him forever.

Eighty years ago, the existence of vampires was revealed.

Sixty years ago, the enslavement of the vampire race began.

Twenty years ago, the rebellion started.

When the midwife of the ShadowSpawn clan gets herself captured by humans while returning from the MoonBound clan's land, the ShadowSpawn hold MoonBound responsible, promising all out war if she is not returned to them. Riker, second in command to Hunter, knows they haven't the numbers to win. He offers up a plan: Capture and force Nicole Martin, CEO of Daedalus (the very company responsible for the continued enslavement of vampires) to release her.

But Nicole and Riker have a shared past of their own. One obscured by illusions and lies. Twenty years ago, Nicole watched as Riker held a knife to the throat of his mate, Terese, who served as a nanny to Nicole's family. Watched as Terese's life ended and everything Riker had was torn away from him. Riker blames Nicole and her entire family for the enslavement of his people and the death of his mate and their unborn son while Nicole lives in hatred towards Riker for taking away the only person that ever truly loved her.

It is only when the two become one another's sole chance of survival that the truth of that night is revealed and both begin to realize that neither of them are the monsters they once believed each other to be. Nicole sets out to make things right, confronted by the horrible actions of the company she is responsible for, and earns the trust of many of the MoonBound clan members. Such includes Grant, their clan scientist and necessary doctor who's not all there in the head; Lucy, a childlike female vampire with a love of chocolate; and Myne, Riker's closest friend save for Hunter, the clan's fearless, video game addicted leader. (Fuck you, Spyro!)

Hunter and Myne are all that's left of the true born vampires.

Riker was turned by his own military as an experiment to produce the perfect soldier. He was mated to Terese, a mild mannered, fragile female vamp as a strategic move among the clans by Hunter. He grew to love her and blames himself terribly for failing her. Since her death, he has never taken another female to his bed.

Cat-like vampires do nothing for me. Thankfully, these sexy bitches are nothing but wolf! There's no bat references. No hissing like crack addicted cats. They don't fly. They don't leap buildings. But what they do... is kick some serious ass, rip out fuck tons of throats, and spill enemy blood like nobody's business.

They also don't feed like newborn babes.

They can mate without feeding. That alone has some serious anti-stereotype factor. And I ate up every single bit of it! I can't remember the last time I had to have my husband physically take a book out of my hand to enable me to stop reading but at two a.m. it had to happen with this one. Oh yes, Ione's worlds have a gravitational pull all their own.

::SPOILERS BELOW::

When failure once more falls upon Riker, he surrenders himself to the -- clan, leaving behind his newly discovered, very much alive son (though not his by blood) and also Nicole, who is finally succumbing to the vampire virus.

Nicole survived a vampire attack when the slave's rebelled, and although she was injected with what should have been a vaccine to vampirism, she was forced to let Riker attempt to turn her when her half-brother, Chuck, held them both hostage and demanded Riker turn her as what amounted to a science experiment.

During Riker's imprisonment, he is shown mercy only by Ailyn, the youngest of the twin daughters of the ShadowSpawn's chief, Kars. She's been deemed unfit for mating, and fighting, while her vicious elder sister, Rasha, is considered a prize of a female.  In the end, to save Nicole, Riker, and their unborn child, Hunter vows to give Kars what he's wanted for years-Hunter agrees to mate his daughter. Obviously, Rasha. 

But Hunter is cursed. And so, he summons the demon whom his grandfather bargained with to be released from the curse of having to give over the firstborn child of he and his mate. The Demon, Sam -yes, Sam- gives him an out although warns him that he'll die in the end. Hunter must take one of the twins with him on a quest. Obviously, he should, and will, choose Ailyn. 

Loved it! Loved every damn minute of it... even though I have to wait nine freaking months to continue it!! 5 out of 5 stars.

Chained by Night, book two, is due out August 2014.