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Unbound #1
Unbound
Risk Leidolf was a hellhound — a legendary, otherworldly creature who was both man and beast. For centuries, he'd been bound to do the bidding of a cruel witch queen. But after being ordered to destroy novice witch Kara Shane, the man within him rebelled. And the beast within him was held at bay — for now.
Fiercely drawn to each other, Risk and Kara soon formed a passionate alliance as they set out to find her missing sibling—and the key to his salvation. For the power unleashed by the twin witches could free him from the witch queen's bondage. But that freedom came at a steep price. For the fierce battle would put more than one soul at stake…and two hearts on the line!
Fiercely drawn to each other, Risk and Kara soon formed a passionate alliance as they set out to find her missing sibling—and the key to his salvation. For the power unleashed by the twin witches could free him from the witch queen's bondage. But that freedom came at a steep price. For the fierce battle would put more than one soul at stake…and two hearts on the line!
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2007
206 people are currently reading
599 people want to read
About the author
Lori Devoti
51 books283 followersLori Devoti grew up in southern Missouri and attended college at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned a Bachelor of Journalism. She, however, made it clear to anyone who asked, she was not a writer; she worked for the dark sideadvertising. Now twenty years later, shes proud to declare herself a writer and visit her dark side occasionally by writing dark, sensual paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult novels.
Lori lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, son, Siberian husky and shepherd/puggle cross.
Lori lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, son, Siberian husky and shepherd/puggle cross.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 18, 2017
I picked this book up because the sixth book in the series (The Witch Thief) won the Romantic Times Book Review Harlequin Nocturne Reader's Choice Award 2012.
This was my first time picking up a book from Harlequin's Nocturne line - if you can believe it. :) ;)
This line is basically Harlequin's paranormal romance line, and the reason you probably have not heard of it is because Harlequin only publishes 2 Nocturne books a month - rather than the 4 or 6 for other lines.
I didn't have any idea what to expect.
We started out on the wrong foot.
It was the fear he smelled first, a pheromone-laden scent almost irresistible to the hellhound within him. She was here - somewhere.
OKAY. I am not on board with this "her-fear-turns-me-on" thing. If a hero's reaction to the heroine's fear is a hard-on, I quickly put the book into the "hell no" category. And it seemed I was in trouble.
Something flickered in her eyes - not her power - fear; the scent hit him squarely in the face. Damn. Gripping the edge of the table, he fought the need to press her against the wall; to bury his nose in her hair; to control, dominate and conquer.
Ew, really? *Carmen wrinkles her nose in disgust* Men who get sexually excited by frightened women = very scary. Do not want. Turn-off. HUGE turn-off.
"Cut this shit out, book," I said. And miracle of miracles, the book actually listened to me for once. I know. You're stunned. I was stunned, too. By about 13%, that whole "plot point" is abandoned, saints be praised.
...
So. The plot.
The hero, Risk Leidolf - *Carmen pauses for laughter* - is a hellhound. Which is basically a werehellhound. He can shift between his "dog" form and his human form. He's 508 years old. And Norweigen, by the way.
He is enslaved to an evil, beautiful, rich witch. Very Sherrilyn-Kenyonesque. ANYWAY. She is beautiful and owns a whole slew of hellhounds, whom she takes a great pleasure in torturing, starving, beating, whipping etc. etc. etc. He's been enslaved to her since age 8. (I told you this was very Sherrilyn Kenyon.) She forces Risk to bring her witches so she can drain them of their powers, gain their powers, and then kill them.
Tonight he's been sent after Kara Shane. She has no idea that she's a witch. She is very upset because her twin sister, Kelly, went missing a week ago.
When Risk follows Kara to the bar parking lot like a Creeper McCreeperson, another hellhound attacks her, and Risk saves her. Then, instead of turning her over to Lusse (his mistress), he takes her home with him.
...
THE GOOD:
- The characters are strong. And Kara was so good, innocent (of evil, not sexually - thank heavens), and caring. I love good-hearted and caring heroines.
- The plot is very interesting. Again, I was reminded of Sherrilyn Kenyon, and I like Sherrilyn Kenyon, so I was happy. Hellhounds, werewolves, witches, other dimensions, and gods were all in here. This works to keep the reader engaged.
- There's not a lot of humor in the book, but I did like the scene where Risk makes dinner for them, and it's just a whole bunch of platters of barely cooked meat. Kara's like, "Um... do you have anything green or yellow? You know, fruits or vegetables?" And he's like: Picking up a fork, he speared a slice of venison. "Prey eats plants." LOL :) I thought that was a tiny bit funny.
- Kara drinks whiskey. I just don't see many romance heroines who drink whiskey, and I really liked this little addition to the novel. She's a whiskey-drinker, for sure. She drinks it in multiple scenes.
She held her glass up to her nose and inhaled the soothing aroma of whiskey. Warm and familiar, just the scent calmed her. It was a constant in a world that suddenly seemed to shift with every step. She took a tiny sip, let it sit on her tongue.
Not only was her whiskey drinking a welcome surprise to me, but it also made her seem more real. Often romance authors forget to add these little touches that give a character more depth, or if they DO remember, they have the character do x-activity in ONE SCENE and then never again in the whole novel. Not the case here. Well done, Devoti.
...
THE BAD:
- The "her fear is an aphrodisiac" which I discussed earlier. Luckily, this disappears after 13%.
- There's one time where Risk starts kissing Kara while she's still asleep. I'm not okay with that.
- He starts calling her "temptation" as a nickname. o.O This just seems a bit silly to me. Heroes are forever giving heroines cutesy nicknames in romance books, it is such a staple of the genre. But "temptation" just seems... strange to me.
"Risk?" she asked, her head nestled against his chest, her hand clasping his arm that was draped about her waist.
"Temptation?" he replied.
Her lips curved. Temptation. She liked being someone's temptation.
*Carmen gives the author a skeptical look* I'm just not buying this. Does this sound natural to you? 'Cause it doesn't to me.
- She wakes up naked in his house. Weeks later (>.<) she FINALLY asks him why she was naked, and he's all like: "It was so you could sleep more comfortably" and I'm like "Violation! Violation!" Very bad form, Risk. In fact, just the other day I was giving a book extra points simply because the hero put a drunk woman to bed WITHOUT stripping her first - the right way. Sleeping or drunk woman - does NOT give you the right to be taking her clothes off willy-nilly. Major turn-off, do not want.
- He almost kills a hellhound whom he was having sex with 20 years ago while he was in hellhound-form.
He'd torn into the female, mounting her even as his teeth had sunk into her neck, ripping through fur and skin. The metallic tang of her blood only adding to his pleasure, he'd forgotten everything except the heady sensations of sex, blood and finally death. Or so he had thought. After, when he was calmed and was back in his human form, Bader had come in to drag the bitch's lifeless form from the room.
- Kara spends the whole book looking for her twin sister, Kelly, and then
...
How's the sex, Carmen?
*Carmen grins at you* I'm so happy you asked!
It's good! There is extensive kissing (yay!), and the sex is well-described, and nothing bad happens. I can't rate it "excellent" though, because one or two things that would have bumped it up to "excellent" are missing here. However, overall I was happy. It is NOT rapey or BDSM-flavored at all - and I was worried based on how things were going in the beginning of the book, but my fears were unfounded. Everything turned out fine.
And I liked this:
For the first time sex made her feel strong instead of vulnerable and exposed.
And later:
Sitting back on her heels, she let her mind drift back to the moment. Risk on top of her, his warmth seeping into her. Feeling appreciated - worshipped almost - safe, and most importantly strong.
Aw, I like this angle.
...
Tl;dr - I know that by looking at my "bad" column, you think this is not a good book. But it was a good book. I enjoyed it. I don't think it's a five-star romance, but it's definitely a solid entry and satisfying in it's own way. I don't know if it's due to it's length or the fact that it deals with subjects that are a bit darker, but this seemed more real to me than other Harlequins. Less like the mindless drivel often found in Harlequin and more like a romance published under a more independent publisher than the behemoth that is Harlequin. (Not that I'm saying Harlequin sucks - far from it, I read them all the time. Just that when you're putting out LITERALLY dozens and dozens of books every month, there's going to be a high "dud" ratio.)
FOUR ROMANCE STARS, THREE REAL STARS
This was my first time picking up a book from Harlequin's Nocturne line - if you can believe it. :) ;)
This line is basically Harlequin's paranormal romance line, and the reason you probably have not heard of it is because Harlequin only publishes 2 Nocturne books a month - rather than the 4 or 6 for other lines.
I didn't have any idea what to expect.
We started out on the wrong foot.
It was the fear he smelled first, a pheromone-laden scent almost irresistible to the hellhound within him. She was here - somewhere.
OKAY. I am not on board with this "her-fear-turns-me-on" thing. If a hero's reaction to the heroine's fear is a hard-on, I quickly put the book into the "hell no" category. And it seemed I was in trouble.
Something flickered in her eyes - not her power - fear; the scent hit him squarely in the face. Damn. Gripping the edge of the table, he fought the need to press her against the wall; to bury his nose in her hair; to control, dominate and conquer.
Ew, really? *Carmen wrinkles her nose in disgust* Men who get sexually excited by frightened women = very scary. Do not want. Turn-off. HUGE turn-off.
"Cut this shit out, book," I said. And miracle of miracles, the book actually listened to me for once. I know. You're stunned. I was stunned, too. By about 13%, that whole "plot point" is abandoned, saints be praised.
...
So. The plot.
The hero, Risk Leidolf - *Carmen pauses for laughter* - is a hellhound. Which is basically a werehellhound. He can shift between his "dog" form and his human form. He's 508 years old. And Norweigen, by the way.
He is enslaved to an evil, beautiful, rich witch. Very Sherrilyn-Kenyonesque. ANYWAY. She is beautiful and owns a whole slew of hellhounds, whom she takes a great pleasure in torturing, starving, beating, whipping etc. etc. etc. He's been enslaved to her since age 8. (I told you this was very Sherrilyn Kenyon.) She forces Risk to bring her witches so she can drain them of their powers, gain their powers, and then kill them.
Tonight he's been sent after Kara Shane. She has no idea that she's a witch. She is very upset because her twin sister, Kelly, went missing a week ago.
When Risk follows Kara to the bar parking lot like a Creeper McCreeperson, another hellhound attacks her, and Risk saves her. Then, instead of turning her over to Lusse (his mistress), he takes her home with him.
...
THE GOOD:
- The characters are strong. And Kara was so good, innocent (of evil, not sexually - thank heavens), and caring. I love good-hearted and caring heroines.
- The plot is very interesting. Again, I was reminded of Sherrilyn Kenyon, and I like Sherrilyn Kenyon, so I was happy. Hellhounds, werewolves, witches, other dimensions, and gods were all in here. This works to keep the reader engaged.
- There's not a lot of humor in the book, but I did like the scene where Risk makes dinner for them, and it's just a whole bunch of platters of barely cooked meat. Kara's like, "Um... do you have anything green or yellow? You know, fruits or vegetables?" And he's like: Picking up a fork, he speared a slice of venison. "Prey eats plants." LOL :) I thought that was a tiny bit funny.
- Kara drinks whiskey. I just don't see many romance heroines who drink whiskey, and I really liked this little addition to the novel. She's a whiskey-drinker, for sure. She drinks it in multiple scenes.
She held her glass up to her nose and inhaled the soothing aroma of whiskey. Warm and familiar, just the scent calmed her. It was a constant in a world that suddenly seemed to shift with every step. She took a tiny sip, let it sit on her tongue.
Not only was her whiskey drinking a welcome surprise to me, but it also made her seem more real. Often romance authors forget to add these little touches that give a character more depth, or if they DO remember, they have the character do x-activity in ONE SCENE and then never again in the whole novel. Not the case here. Well done, Devoti.
...
THE BAD:
- The "her fear is an aphrodisiac" which I discussed earlier. Luckily, this disappears after 13%.
- There's one time where Risk starts kissing Kara while she's still asleep. I'm not okay with that.
- He starts calling her "temptation" as a nickname. o.O This just seems a bit silly to me. Heroes are forever giving heroines cutesy nicknames in romance books, it is such a staple of the genre. But "temptation" just seems... strange to me.
"Risk?" she asked, her head nestled against his chest, her hand clasping his arm that was draped about her waist.
"Temptation?" he replied.
Her lips curved. Temptation. She liked being someone's temptation.
*Carmen gives the author a skeptical look* I'm just not buying this. Does this sound natural to you? 'Cause it doesn't to me.
- She wakes up naked in his house. Weeks later (>.<) she FINALLY asks him why she was naked, and he's all like: "It was so you could sleep more comfortably" and I'm like "Violation! Violation!" Very bad form, Risk. In fact, just the other day I was giving a book extra points simply because the hero put a drunk woman to bed WITHOUT stripping her first - the right way. Sleeping or drunk woman - does NOT give you the right to be taking her clothes off willy-nilly. Major turn-off, do not want.
- He almost kills a hellhound whom he was having sex with 20 years ago while he was in hellhound-form.
He'd torn into the female, mounting her even as his teeth had sunk into her neck, ripping through fur and skin. The metallic tang of her blood only adding to his pleasure, he'd forgotten everything except the heady sensations of sex, blood and finally death. Or so he had thought. After, when he was calmed and was back in his human form, Bader had come in to drag the bitch's lifeless form from the room.
- Kara spends the whole book looking for her twin sister, Kelly, and then
...
How's the sex, Carmen?
*Carmen grins at you* I'm so happy you asked!
It's good! There is extensive kissing (yay!), and the sex is well-described, and nothing bad happens. I can't rate it "excellent" though, because one or two things that would have bumped it up to "excellent" are missing here. However, overall I was happy. It is NOT rapey or BDSM-flavored at all - and I was worried based on how things were going in the beginning of the book, but my fears were unfounded. Everything turned out fine.
And I liked this:
For the first time sex made her feel strong instead of vulnerable and exposed.
And later:
Sitting back on her heels, she let her mind drift back to the moment. Risk on top of her, his warmth seeping into her. Feeling appreciated - worshipped almost - safe, and most importantly strong.
Aw, I like this angle.
...
Tl;dr - I know that by looking at my "bad" column, you think this is not a good book. But it was a good book. I enjoyed it. I don't think it's a five-star romance, but it's definitely a solid entry and satisfying in it's own way. I don't know if it's due to it's length or the fact that it deals with subjects that are a bit darker, but this seemed more real to me than other Harlequins. Less like the mindless drivel often found in Harlequin and more like a romance published under a more independent publisher than the behemoth that is Harlequin. (Not that I'm saying Harlequin sucks - far from it, I read them all the time. Just that when you're putting out LITERALLY dozens and dozens of books every month, there's going to be a high "dud" ratio.)
FOUR ROMANCE STARS, THREE REAL STARS
February 16, 2010
This was a book that I struggled to finish, but it turned out to be a decent read. Below is the bad and the good of Unbound:
The bad:
*The premise was somewhat interesting, and I loved the incorporation of Norse mythology. However, the execution was too sketchy for my tastes. There was just enough folklore there to tantalize me as a reader, but the story left me wanting more. There was a part near the end that just got kind of weird, with a science fiction vibe that seemed incongruous.
*The witch aspect was sort of weak. I'm no big fan of witch storylines, but I think this one could have been expanded to give this book more pizzazz. The villain was along the lines of the White Witch of the North from the Narnia books, mixed with the Snow Queen. Not bad, but could have been better with more characterization.
*There were parts where I was almost bored. I felt like my reading time really got me nowhere with this book, at times. I put it down several times to do other things out of boredom.
*I never really fell in love with the heroine. She was alright. I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her. I wasn't quite sure why Risk fell in love with her, and was willing to give up so much for her.
The good:
*I loved Risk, the hero. He was quite the man/hellhound. Very sexy and interesting. I wanted him to get his happy ending, and it if was Kara, so much the better. The poor guy was often between a rock and a hard place, forced to make very difficult decisions on the spur on the moment. He proved his mettle, his intelligence, and his worthiness, ten times over. I found him very admirable, and I fell in love with him.
*Interesting secondary characters. The hellhounds as a group intrigued me. I liked the sprinkling of characters from the Norse myths, such as Kol, the gorm (a wolf in human form who acts gatekeeper to the portals between the Nine Worlds--the gate being the bar Guardian's Keep), and Venge (a young hellhound who has a pivotal relationship with Risk--I want to see more of him).
*Good descriptions of action and fight scenes. Magical parts were interesting.
*Great chemistry and love scenes.
All in all, not a bad read, but it could have been better. On the good side, I am invested enough to continue this series. I hope Ms. Devoti expands her world-building in the next series to do such a good premise based on Norse Mythology justice. I will recommend this book to paranormal romance fans who want a quick read based on Norse myths, but with the above reservations. Also, I think it's worth reading for Risk.
The bad:
*The premise was somewhat interesting, and I loved the incorporation of Norse mythology. However, the execution was too sketchy for my tastes. There was just enough folklore there to tantalize me as a reader, but the story left me wanting more. There was a part near the end that just got kind of weird, with a science fiction vibe that seemed incongruous.
*The witch aspect was sort of weak. I'm no big fan of witch storylines, but I think this one could have been expanded to give this book more pizzazz. The villain was along the lines of the White Witch of the North from the Narnia books, mixed with the Snow Queen. Not bad, but could have been better with more characterization.
*There were parts where I was almost bored. I felt like my reading time really got me nowhere with this book, at times. I put it down several times to do other things out of boredom.
*I never really fell in love with the heroine. She was alright. I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her. I wasn't quite sure why Risk fell in love with her, and was willing to give up so much for her.
The good:
*I loved Risk, the hero. He was quite the man/hellhound. Very sexy and interesting. I wanted him to get his happy ending, and it if was Kara, so much the better. The poor guy was often between a rock and a hard place, forced to make very difficult decisions on the spur on the moment. He proved his mettle, his intelligence, and his worthiness, ten times over. I found him very admirable, and I fell in love with him.
*Interesting secondary characters. The hellhounds as a group intrigued me. I liked the sprinkling of characters from the Norse myths, such as Kol, the gorm (a wolf in human form who acts gatekeeper to the portals between the Nine Worlds--the gate being the bar Guardian's Keep), and Venge (a young hellhound who has a pivotal relationship with Risk--I want to see more of him).
*Good descriptions of action and fight scenes. Magical parts were interesting.
*Great chemistry and love scenes.
All in all, not a bad read, but it could have been better. On the good side, I am invested enough to continue this series. I hope Ms. Devoti expands her world-building in the next series to do such a good premise based on Norse Mythology justice. I will recommend this book to paranormal romance fans who want a quick read based on Norse myths, but with the above reservations. Also, I think it's worth reading for Risk.
January 30, 2018
So. I was interested. I was entertained. Until I started to get annoyed. The h, Kara, was a fool. And she was weak. And that got annoying. She thought of her twin sister Kelly as basically the strongest best most amazing sister who she’s so close to.... but didn’t take the time to consider that her sister literally lied to her for years, and didn’t give that first fuck about her, at all. So she goes on basically a suicide mission to save Kelly. And in the process she falls for the ‘bad guy’ Risk. I liked Risk. I liked Kara (except when it came to Kelly). I hated that Risk didn’t get to kill Lusse. He should have been able to rip that bitch to shreds.
And I wanted some closure, or SOMETHING about his son. But it was like, ‘I did my best for him, good luck fucker, the world is harsh for everyone.’ And that’s it?
I’ll keep reading the series, because I wanna know what’s gonna happen to Venge. And the hell hounds. And I really hope someone- anyone really- gets to kill Lusse.
And I wanted some closure, or SOMETHING about his son. But it was like, ‘I did my best for him, good luck fucker, the world is harsh for everyone.’ And that’s it?
I’ll keep reading the series, because I wanna know what’s gonna happen to Venge. And the hell hounds. And I really hope someone- anyone really- gets to kill Lusse.
May 18, 2012
plot started out good and then just dragged. also Risk and Kara were a really boring couple. the most interesting thing about the whole story was the truth about the minor villain Jormund. skip this one.
April 1, 2013
Ugh that took forever. weird and boring with a helter skelter plot that tosses around the paper thin charcters, who by the way are worst.so glad i'm done
April 9, 2011
Oh, my word... please pass me a hose to cool off. Risk is one sexy beast ;)!
Unbound was a tough one to put down... so I didn't. I devoured it in one sitting & wanted more. Devoti definitely knows how to bring the sizzle. HOT!
Devoti's romance is not the cavity inducing sugar infused rot that makes your stomach churn peppering the shelves of late. Devoti sparkles & shines as she unfolds the tender layers of what it is to be loved, feel loved & luxuriate in love's delicious sumptuousness. *Sigh*
Devoti's characters are intricate, three dimensional beings that leap from the page. The players are a delectable blend of rugged & vile ~ Devoti really can scribe an expansive array of characters w/o losing sight of the journey she wants them to travel.
Devoti's cast is simply vibrant. Risk Leidolf is a Hellhound ~ a shapeshifter who can change from man to menacing dog. At the tender age of eight, Risk was sold to Lusse, a malicious witch who has enslaved & forced Risk to do horrific things. Risk only knows suffering, bitterness & fury. Despite the torture thrust upon him, Risk has a kindness about him that truly radiates. Risk is absolutely breathless! Gotta love a hero w/a wounded soul. * Silly grin*
Risk & Kara = dynamite! Fourth of July has nothing on these two, spicy noodles!
Unbound kicks off the series w/ explosives... They definitely bring the sizzle!
Unbound was a tough one to put down... so I didn't. I devoured it in one sitting & wanted more. Devoti definitely knows how to bring the sizzle. HOT!
Devoti's romance is not the cavity inducing sugar infused rot that makes your stomach churn peppering the shelves of late. Devoti sparkles & shines as she unfolds the tender layers of what it is to be loved, feel loved & luxuriate in love's delicious sumptuousness. *Sigh*
Devoti's characters are intricate, three dimensional beings that leap from the page. The players are a delectable blend of rugged & vile ~ Devoti really can scribe an expansive array of characters w/o losing sight of the journey she wants them to travel.
Devoti's cast is simply vibrant. Risk Leidolf is a Hellhound ~ a shapeshifter who can change from man to menacing dog. At the tender age of eight, Risk was sold to Lusse, a malicious witch who has enslaved & forced Risk to do horrific things. Risk only knows suffering, bitterness & fury. Despite the torture thrust upon him, Risk has a kindness about him that truly radiates. Risk is absolutely breathless! Gotta love a hero w/a wounded soul. * Silly grin*
Risk & Kara = dynamite! Fourth of July has nothing on these two, spicy noodles!
Unbound kicks off the series w/ explosives... They definitely bring the sizzle!
June 21, 2010
I was able to find the first three books of Lori Devoti's Unbound series for Silhouette at my local Goodwill store. (Someone must have been cleaning off their bookshelves because there were many Nocturne Series to choose from). I settled on this particular series, because the premise sounded interesting and seemed to promise a good read. I then decided to read all three as if they were one big novel and found myself enjoying all the books thoroughly. The only reason the books did not get five stars was because all three heroines had a trait or two that I found annoying, but the heroes made up for that annoyance by being really solid characters.
July 26, 2010
Unbound by Lori Devoti sizzles from page one. It is completely different from Lori’s Amazon series—the sensuality is raw and completely entwined in the plot, and I loved every minute of it. Risk is one of those sexy, brooding heroes who takes what he wants instead of asking for it. In real life, I would not be able to stand him, but watching him overpower Kara’s life and help her become the strong woman she is meant to be is heady and exciting.
Full review available here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=23303#mor...
Full review available here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=23303#mor...
November 11, 2020
2+
This one had promise and a lot of ideas going on and too little room to develop them. That and Devoti doesn't seem interested in development--character or plot. Her prose and approach are big-picture bold strokes, let's get to the action and not fuss over details. She writes at breakneck speed, and that's not always to the book's/character's credit.
The Norse mythology inclusion, the white witch, packs of hellhounds, witches among us in the mortal realm ... that's a lot. So much so the book got top heavy and lost its balance about midway through.
Given this was a library sale snag, I didn't pay it much attention beyond 'sure I'll give that a try.' Knowing now it's the establishing book in a six-book series explains some of the world-building glut. But that doesn't mean it couldn't have been handled better.
I didn't like the heroine or her sister.
Kara was a flibbertigibbet, until suddenly she wasn't, and it seems what gave her confidence was getting dicked down by a hellhound. I mean, fine -- and why not -- but let her have more than that as character development and finding her powers. She doesn't need to be a fearless super soldier, but she also wasn't given breakthroughs in agency or ability, which is too bad and keeps her rather flat.
Her childhood trauma is upsetting but holds far too much sway over her adult self. And since it's given so much weight, it's another imbalance that suddenly she has powers and the confidence to use them while still being largely clueless about everything, meaning she continues to blunder around ineffectually.
"Hunting for her missing sister" meant she returned to one place and one place only, repeatedly, made the same mistakes there again and again, and only by the intervention and jam-packed exposition of secondary characters did she fulfill her mission. Kind of.
What about her phone or her car and was the inclusion of the dead witch even necessary (no)? Why didn't Kara say, investigate her sister's things or diary or contacts or do some research after she recognized she had power? Or, easiest! keep the hero around longer and grill him for some insights (but why stop for dialogue and interactions when another action scene can be cued up).
Kelly (sister) was brash and, based on the scant history described plus subtext, lied to Kara most of their lives. Not great! And in this book she's the cookie-cutter of a 'badass chick,' which is tiring [I can't see as I'll want to read the book about her].
Why wouldn't Kelly have wanted to explore their likely magic -together- once she discovered hers? It's incredibly strange to paint them as ultra devoted identical twins and then have one be afraid of her own shadow and clueless, and the other go loner warrior Sarah Conner. If they were raised separately? Awesome dynamic. BFFs who live in the same house? Yeah, it doesn't track.
Both are bossy and don't listen and won't trust in ways that made little sense within the moment, both emotionally and practically. And that leeches impact from so many things.
It would have been great for Kara to say to her 'stronger' sister Kelly, look, I know the hero and I trust him, trust and rely on ME for once. And have them both Learn Something from that. But nope, the hero has to make something happen during an action scene, and the would-be emotional payoff for all of them muted because there's so much going on.
The hero Risk is potentially most interesting, but he forces himself to be a blank slate, so we don't get a lot of conflict from him, internal or otherwise. But he did get the biggest 'win' for me emotionally--freedom from the big baddie witch.
And then the book abruptly ends.
That ending was not the least satisfactory for all that came fast & furious before, particularly as the love story style was 'immediate compulsion.' I definitely don't mind a "drawn to you inexplicably but I know it's right" dynamic, but you gotta have more than relief they made it through to the end, a quick quip, and big winks they're gonna go bang to hang your HEA hat on.
Devoti clearly has fun writing action and big ideas, and no patience for the small stuff. That's not a dunk on my part so much as recognizing her style isn't a match to my reading sensibilities. I like action and big ideas, but want details and small stuff in quiet moments, interactions, and plot/character arcs that develop with more nuance and motivation than huge-explosion-to-huge-explosion.
Many times in many scenes I lost spatial sense of everything; it gets more glaring given Devoti is an action-heavy writer, including sex scenes being more physical and less emotional or with much foreplay.
I was annoyed Verge (hero's son) was given important character build and then otherwise had his future dismissed by his own father. And that Risk didn't get more from it than motivation to save all of them from the bad witch's clutches and oh well, good luck son. But!, learning this is the first of six, ahh I see. Verge will have a book all to himself soon.
This is actually an aspect of the unending series / series titles so many authors do that peeve me. Once a secondary or tertiary character is introducted, round them out as much as needed within the establishing book--don't handwave them via the leads, as that so often makes the leads seem unnecessarily callous or shallow.
Peeking at the other six in the series, meh, I'm in no rush to get them. Maybe if they surface at another library sale.
This one had promise and a lot of ideas going on and too little room to develop them. That and Devoti doesn't seem interested in development--character or plot. Her prose and approach are big-picture bold strokes, let's get to the action and not fuss over details. She writes at breakneck speed, and that's not always to the book's/character's credit.
The Norse mythology inclusion, the white witch, packs of hellhounds, witches among us in the mortal realm ... that's a lot. So much so the book got top heavy and lost its balance about midway through.
Given this was a library sale snag, I didn't pay it much attention beyond 'sure I'll give that a try.' Knowing now it's the establishing book in a six-book series explains some of the world-building glut. But that doesn't mean it couldn't have been handled better.
I didn't like the heroine or her sister.
Kara was a flibbertigibbet, until suddenly she wasn't, and it seems what gave her confidence was getting dicked down by a hellhound. I mean, fine -- and why not -- but let her have more than that as character development and finding her powers. She doesn't need to be a fearless super soldier, but she also wasn't given breakthroughs in agency or ability, which is too bad and keeps her rather flat.
Her childhood trauma is upsetting but holds far too much sway over her adult self. And since it's given so much weight, it's another imbalance that suddenly she has powers and the confidence to use them while still being largely clueless about everything, meaning she continues to blunder around ineffectually.
"Hunting for her missing sister" meant she returned to one place and one place only, repeatedly, made the same mistakes there again and again, and only by the intervention and jam-packed exposition of secondary characters did she fulfill her mission. Kind of.
What about her phone or her car and was the inclusion of the dead witch even necessary (no)? Why didn't Kara say, investigate her sister's things or diary or contacts or do some research after she recognized she had power? Or, easiest! keep the hero around longer and grill him for some insights (but why stop for dialogue and interactions when another action scene can be cued up).
Kelly (sister) was brash and, based on the scant history described plus subtext, lied to Kara most of their lives. Not great! And in this book she's the cookie-cutter of a 'badass chick,' which is tiring [I can't see as I'll want to read the book about her].
Why wouldn't Kelly have wanted to explore their likely magic -together- once she discovered hers? It's incredibly strange to paint them as ultra devoted identical twins and then have one be afraid of her own shadow and clueless, and the other go loner warrior Sarah Conner. If they were raised separately? Awesome dynamic. BFFs who live in the same house? Yeah, it doesn't track.
Both are bossy and don't listen and won't trust in ways that made little sense within the moment, both emotionally and practically. And that leeches impact from so many things.
It would have been great for Kara to say to her 'stronger' sister Kelly, look, I know the hero and I trust him, trust and rely on ME for once. And have them both Learn Something from that. But nope, the hero has to make something happen during an action scene, and the would-be emotional payoff for all of them muted because there's so much going on.
The hero Risk is potentially most interesting, but he forces himself to be a blank slate, so we don't get a lot of conflict from him, internal or otherwise. But he did get the biggest 'win' for me emotionally--freedom from the big baddie witch.
And then the book abruptly ends.
That ending was not the least satisfactory for all that came fast & furious before, particularly as the love story style was 'immediate compulsion.' I definitely don't mind a "drawn to you inexplicably but I know it's right" dynamic, but you gotta have more than relief they made it through to the end, a quick quip, and big winks they're gonna go bang to hang your HEA hat on.
Devoti clearly has fun writing action and big ideas, and no patience for the small stuff. That's not a dunk on my part so much as recognizing her style isn't a match to my reading sensibilities. I like action and big ideas, but want details and small stuff in quiet moments, interactions, and plot/character arcs that develop with more nuance and motivation than huge-explosion-to-huge-explosion.
Many times in many scenes I lost spatial sense of everything; it gets more glaring given Devoti is an action-heavy writer, including sex scenes being more physical and less emotional or with much foreplay.
I was annoyed Verge (hero's son) was given important character build and then otherwise had his future dismissed by his own father. And that Risk didn't get more from it than motivation to save all of them from the bad witch's clutches and oh well, good luck son. But!, learning this is the first of six, ahh I see. Verge will have a book all to himself soon.
This is actually an aspect of the unending series / series titles so many authors do that peeve me. Once a secondary or tertiary character is introducted, round them out as much as needed within the establishing book--don't handwave them via the leads, as that so often makes the leads seem unnecessarily callous or shallow.
Peeking at the other six in the series, meh, I'm in no rush to get them. Maybe if they surface at another library sale.
October 5, 2007
I was hooked by the opening.
It got a little far-fetched in taht some of the scenarioes and details were a bit contrived. But I liked the main characters, Risk, a hellhound sent to capture a hapless soul who happens to be a powerful witch, Kara.
I would read another book by this author because there were a lot of moments of fun reading. I'm not a typical paranormal reader so that was partly my issue with the book ~ not the author.
It got a little far-fetched in taht some of the scenarioes and details were a bit contrived. But I liked the main characters, Risk, a hellhound sent to capture a hapless soul who happens to be a powerful witch, Kara.
I would read another book by this author because there were a lot of moments of fun reading. I'm not a typical paranormal reader so that was partly my issue with the book ~ not the author.
July 31, 2013
A surprisingly dark story about the torment of servitude and the power of love to break the chains of enslavement. I didn't think Harlequin let their authors run with such savage characterization and brutal imagery, but I'm glad they did. The villain was truly heinous, so cheering for the good guys came easy... even when I wasn't quite sure who the good guys were. (B+)
May 24, 2011
Loved this book. It was a good, light romance. perfect for summer reading at the beach with just enough paranormal suspense and conflict to keep it engaging. Enjoyed the characters and loved the ending. This was one of those books where I read the last page and then immediately went online to buy another story by this author who writes excellent prose.
Read
June 7, 2007This one was pretty good. It was a quick read and kept my interest. It was about a Hellhound that is captured by a powerful witch. He has to obey her and she is sending him out to capture other witches to steal their powers. He falls in love with a witch he sent to capture.
Read
August 30, 2010Mini Review: Many chains are unbound in this paranormal romance with classic tendencies. Over 100 pages, a quick entertaining read!
Visit Sweet Vernal Zephyr for my long winded reviews.
Visit Sweet Vernal Zephyr for my long winded reviews.
November 14, 2014
I read one chapter and I was hooked. Lori Devoti has delivered a novel that is worth every centimetre it takes up on my bookshelf. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this captivating, thrilling novel. Unbound deserves every star.
November 16, 2010
Great Book!
September 18, 2019
I'm not sure if I wasn't in a paranormal romance mood or what but I thought it was just okay.
May 11, 2017
This book was good it was a nice mix of romance and suspense to kept me going late at night. Love how you could never truly pin down Risk, but in the end, the hound has a heart of gold. He was more than willing to give his life for Kara, and how he would have done some nasty things to keep his son out of the fighting ring. Im truly looking forward to reading more about these magical creatures and see what else blooms out of hell!
May 6, 2017
An unusual approach, and an unusual cast of characters. Thoroughly enjoyable.
April 1, 2017
Great twist on the shifter genre!
I really liked Kara, and she had some amazing character development throughout the story. Her romance with Risk was real and believable, and they worked well together.
That being said, there were some glaring holes in the book, and more than a few editing errors. I won't spoil anything, but a lot of the motivations behind actions were missing. And there's still a lot unexplained, why didn't Kelly tell Kara the truth about them? What is with the rest of the hellhounds?
There's a lot of set up for more books in the series, hopefully with Kelly and maybe Venge. Hopefully the next books will explain things a little more, but all in all, this was a strong start.
I really liked Kara, and she had some amazing character development throughout the story. Her romance with Risk was real and believable, and they worked well together.
That being said, there were some glaring holes in the book, and more than a few editing errors. I won't spoil anything, but a lot of the motivations behind actions were missing. And there's still a lot unexplained, why didn't Kelly tell Kara the truth about them? What is with the rest of the hellhounds?
There's a lot of set up for more books in the series, hopefully with Kelly and maybe Venge. Hopefully the next books will explain things a little more, but all in all, this was a strong start.
January 4, 2019
Kara is searching for her missing identical twin Kelly. What Kara doesn't know is that they are witches, which her sister figured out when they were kids and she saved Kara from being killed by a mad dog that tore her friend to pieces in front of her. Risk is a hellhound working for the witch Lusse, who wants him to capture Kara, so she can be drained of power. Lusse and Risk did not know that she was one of Identical twins. During his capture of Kara, his humanity takes over and he falls in love with her and will try to help her find her sister, in hopes they can break the bond that keeps him in servitude to Lusse.
May 7, 2017
Five stars..
Five well earned stars. Plenty of action, romance and just enough descriptive naughty scenes to make it interesting. A hellhound that is bound to an evil witch and the witch he is sent to capture, fall in love while searching for her missing twin sister. That is pretty much the story in a nutshell. The book is very well written and flows unbelievably well. I was given a conclusion and a happy ending so I will definitely get book two.
Five well earned stars. Plenty of action, romance and just enough descriptive naughty scenes to make it interesting. A hellhound that is bound to an evil witch and the witch he is sent to capture, fall in love while searching for her missing twin sister. That is pretty much the story in a nutshell. The book is very well written and flows unbelievably well. I was given a conclusion and a happy ending so I will definitely get book two.
August 14, 2017
Twin witches and a hellhound
Risk would love to leave the witch his parent's sold him to 500 years ago. The witch is creepy mean and now has his son as a added power over him. Puss wants Risk to get her the twin witches so she can take their power. Risk finds Kara when she is trying to find her twin sister Kelly. Well developed storyline and characterization makes this a very entertaining book. Light sexual content and heavier on the violence.
Risk would love to leave the witch his parent's sold him to 500 years ago. The witch is creepy mean and now has his son as a added power over him. Puss wants Risk to get her the twin witches so she can take their power. Risk finds Kara when she is trying to find her twin sister Kelly. Well developed storyline and characterization makes this a very entertaining book. Light sexual content and heavier on the violence.
May 3, 2019
Witches and hellhounds
I truly enjoyed the journey of Risk and Kara. It is a very stimulating read . I can not wait to see how Kelly and Kara's powers progress, and what they will be capable of. Any story with mouthwatering sexy shifters is really gets my attention. Not only does Risk for the bill, but he has a sharp mind. Need I say more!
I truly enjoyed the journey of Risk and Kara. It is a very stimulating read . I can not wait to see how Kelly and Kara's powers progress, and what they will be capable of. Any story with mouthwatering sexy shifters is really gets my attention. Not only does Risk for the bill, but he has a sharp mind. Need I say more!
April 26, 2017
Great story
This is a very entertaining story. I would have liked to know how the other characters fared at the end, but I'm sure I'll find out more about them in other books of this series.
This is a very entertaining story. I would have liked to know how the other characters fared at the end, but I'm sure I'll find out more about them in other books of this series.
dnf
June 1, 2017The wimpering pathetic leading lady doesn't make for an interesting read, and it's just the beginning. The evil witch was so cliché to get up to par with the MC. not feeling the love for the book. Will skip.
May 19, 2016
It was an ok read
April 9, 2017
I like this author but for some reason struggled with the book. Characters felt immature and although I persevered until the end I couldn't rate it higher than a two. Sorry.
June 3, 2017
Enjoyed
This had potential and am sure this would be a good series and in some ways a complete novel x
This had potential and am sure this would be a good series and in some ways a complete novel x
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