In Darkness Bound

The Society #1

by Christine Price, Jack LeFleur (Narrator)

8 hrs 18 mins

Data Collection by Dalhousie, Dr. Donna L.
Patient 331
New, confused. His powers unknown.

Patient 289
No longer viable in the test pool, he remains in isolation.

Patient 77
Reclassified to staff status. Useful, malleable.

Confined in a sterile research facility and treated like a lab rat, Chris is alone and terrified. His special powers are his only escape, allowing him to psychically connect with other patients.

Alone in his cell for longer than he can remember, Vance is hungry. When newcomer Chris makes a mental connection, Vance is intrigued and soon wants more than just conversation.

Chris and Vance seek comfort with each other, and with Simon - the only staff member who's shown them a hint of compassion. Their relationships develop during stolen moments, and they turn their thoughts to escape. But as Dr. Dalhousie's madness spirals, more than cell walls threaten to keep them apart....

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Vampires, Menage, Romance, Fantasy, Audiobook

9 pages, Audible Audio

First published September 13, 2010

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Christine Price lives with her husband, two psychotic cats and a dumb Anatolian shepherd in Edmonton, AB. Her fascination with the written word began at a young age with a one-page story titled “My Mother is a Werewolf” and took off from there. In her spare time, she enjoys reading good books, drinking good wine and fine-tuning her mental filters.

Reviews

[Bookwatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overwhelming… this book made me bite my nails… and If was not totally gross I would eat everyone near my nails!
I couldn’t take my eyes of this book!
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It’s a suspense, comedy, erotic, paranormal-romance, horror… depends on the part you read - you will say one of the above.

About the story (without spoilers)
The story starts scaring the hell of you! And that’s amazing! I love when the writer go right to the point without useless information. Chris, a paranormal, is kidnapped by someone (I can tell anything about that or will spoil the suspense) and his “life-in-hell” starts. One fact will help him to don’t go crazy, the sexy Vance, a mysterious prisoner (but pretty easy to get what he is reading with care some particulars)…. And that’s it… sorry, I can tell anything! I reeeaallly sorry! I loved the mystery and all the suspense discovering who kidnapped Chris, why, where they are, who their ally is, and much more questions will pop in your mind reading this book! If I tell more about this story half of the fun of your reading will be lost!

About the writing
I’m not a fan of multiple narrators, but this book pleased me so much! A bunch of characters will tell their point of view,

and that will make you read more quickly! Why? Imagine a huge breakthrough discover [image error], your heart at the maximum velocity, and the narration change to another character drinking coffee! Is sooooo good! I know you could get annoyed by the interruption, but is an incredible way to make you read more!!! Addicting! That’s my opinion of the way the writer proposes this story! You can’t stop!!!

About the characters
Vance, Chris, Simon, Tate, Matt, Dr. Dalhousie… how can I say few words about so many?
Vance: hot as hell… my favorite, and if he was not gay I would jump in his arms and kiss him!
Chris: sweet and he was the best narrator… love his tormented past, and his humor.
Simon: the enemy? A good guy? A martyr? Hard to tell… read the book to discover.
Matt: funniest person in this book, and the most brave!
Tate: I loved her… she is really a perfect partner to Matt in the search of the missing paranormals
Dr Dalhousie: paraphrasing Chris "a sadistic bitch with a God complex"

Did I recommend this book?
For Peter’s sake, go, buy it and read it! If you never read a male/male book you will love the mystery! If you hate suspense, there are lots of great humor scenes! If you are not a huge fan of horror, there is also angels, demons, vampires (can’t tell which one, or if is plural or not) so the paranormal aspect is amazing! If you want a romance I guarantee that the love between Vance and Chris will break your heart!
Yeah! There are aspects for everyone! Read it and then tell me if is not true!
There is an end, but something is left as possible hook to another book… I hope so… one book is not enough!

It’s a perfect book?
I’m still trying to understand how prisoners could be in a cell all time without going to the bathroom or shaving. But hey, the writer is not obligate to explain everything!
BUT, to be honest, I must tell something: there is a HOT shower scene… after that my brain shutdown and was happy reading... all questions vanished (yeah… my brain is easy to distract if two hot guys is taking a shower together! [image error])

5 stars!

[Ayanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

...what. the fuck.

Just when I think I figure things out...

Apparently, I missed the memo on the vampies.

I really wanted them to come up with some kind of pretentious governmental mumbo-jumbo name for vamps and THEN have everyone ignore it and call 'em vamps instead. That would have helped cinch the whole thing a loooot better.

It could also have benefitted from more overt hints/clues before the whole vampy thing came out. Little things that you wouldn't really startle at but once the vampy thing came out, you'd be like "Oh, yeah. There was that part. And that part. And damn, I should have seen that coming."

Uhh...

Idk. There were a couple dangly bits, but overall, it wasn't too frayed.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was not a fluffy read!!! 🥺It was about paranormal, torture, survival, companionship and the love between three souls/men. It took a chapter for me to get into and understand the book but once I got it, LOOK OUT I couldn’t get enough!!!! 😚 I listened to this on audio and the narrator Jack LeFleur did an excellent job!! Looking to download the next book 😍

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Review:
I've read this book twice, first the normal way some years ago, and I loved it, now the audiobook some years later, and I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel all the emotions I felt the first time. But the difference in opinion could've been because I've gotten pickier, because of my mood, because I knew what to expect, or just because I didn't love the narrator, so I'm struggling to decide how to rate and review this.

*Warning, if you really want absolutely nothing that could be considered a spoiler, don't read this review, It mentions a couple things you don't immediately find out (what type of supernatural one of the characters is, how the romance plays out). But I don't consider them spoilers, and they're things I was glad to know because they made me more interested.*

I didn't review books back when I read this the first time, but I did keep personal notes, so here are some of those, verbatim from past me:

"This book was so good! It was dark, intense, and emotional. The relationships between the characters, especially between Vance and Simon, were heart-wrenching. I loved it. AND THEN THAT SCENE WITH THE BOOKS. The characters were great---all different from each other, likeable. The plot wasn't a major thing until late in the book, but I knew what the end goal was, and I wasn't concerned with the general lack of plot because the book was VERY character-driven and focused on their emotions and relationships. The writing sucked me in and set the mood. The whole thing sucked me in.

"The one issue I had was the way the romance played out. It was enjoyable and tingly when Chris and Vance were getting to know each other and falling in love. It was heart-wrenching when I realized Vance and Simon both still loved each other. It was unbelievable though when suddenly Simon and Chris were also in love, and Simon and Vance were back in love, and everyone was in love. It was too sudden and too easy. It didn't make any sense WHY Simon and Chris had these feelings for each other all the sudden."

This second time around, I felt that, despite the bleak setting and situation the characters were in, this was a sweet, surprisingly not-dark, low-angst, polyamorous romance. (Really goes to show how the way you view things can change!) The characters had some minor hiccups in their relationship, but they found their way to love pretty easily. Some of Chris's psychic powers were cool. There was a vampire, and I always like those! I had two real issues though. One, again, I didn't fully feel the feelings between the men; it felt rushed and like they just ended up together because they were all each other had in that hell hole. And two, I felt like they could've escaped a lot sooner and easier had they just communicated better and made better decisions.

As for the audiobook, I can't say I loved it (but do keep in mind I'm a very picky listener). I didn't love the voices the narrator (Jack LeFleur) did for the characters, but it was easy to tell characters apart, and the non-dialogue narration parts were good.

Overall though, what past and present me seem to agree on is that the book had likeable characters, a nice M/M/M romance, and a good story!

*Although this is part of a series, it works perfectly well as a standalone, but I do recommend continuing (especially if you like Matt as much as I did) as I liked the second book even more and it ties up some loose ends.*

*I've read this book multiple times. This review was written after my 2nd read.*

Reread Ratings:
4.5 Stars (1st read - 2016)
4 Stars (2nd read - 2020)

Recommended For:
Anyone who likes M/M/M relationships, paranormal romance, and slow, character-driven books.

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very good m/m/m paranormal romantic suspense that I had to read after reading The Usual Apocalypse . And maybe I was more forgiving of its faults than I might've been if I'd read it first, but it totally sucked me in and worked for me.

[Ronie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know when was my last harlequin novel. Might of been when I found out Nora Robert's started her career writing for them. So I found two of her books. They were a nice read. Yes! I had a coworker that loved harlequin books. I don't like stand-alone books that don't have other stories written in the same world.

I think this is my first audiobook from harlequin. This one has another book written into this world. So Progressive!

This one here was a nail biter!

[Kassa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Darkness Bound succeeds as a thrilling urban fantasy story but fails at the romance. Urban fantasy fans will likely enjoy the familiar plot that has all the hallmarks of government conspiracies, torturous research, and love under duress. In many ways this plot is simply a re-tread of numerous other urban fantasy stories. It offers nothing particularly inventive or new in any way yet the fresh writing keeps the plot interesting even if well worn. The UF genre is littered with books rehashing the same plot, but this one stands out for the thrilling details and well crafted evil characters. In fact the dark side is so well done the heroes and their romance suffer. Yet for UF fans, this won’t matter so indulge.

The story begins with Chris who accidentally kills his brother when they’re kids. A typical bickering argument brings out Chris’ psychic powers to devastating results. 16 years later Chris is abducted by a secret agency bent on horrifying research. Chris soon discovers two other patients, Simon and Vance, and their tenuous connection to each other may be the only thing keeping them all sane. As the experiments grow more erratic, all three men are convinced they must escape. At the same time, other agents of the secret society are working to find the missing young men.

Like I said the plot is nothing especially unique or inventive but the world building is very clever. It uses familiar elements such as the secret agency, evil doctors, and unique paranormal abilities and blends them all in such a way that creates a compelling, interesting story. The side plot of the other agents could have been taken out entirely since, while amusing to read, they offer nothing substantial to the outcome or the plot in general. The majority of the action takes place in the underground facility in very small, closed, empty cells. There is no decoration, no warmth, no comfort and that stark isolation is a key to contrasting the emotions of the patients and the control of the agency doctor. This cold atmosphere is truly what I enjoyed the most about the book. The absence of distraction and an environment when raw emotions of despair, hope, love, need, and fear all become the focus. The range of emotions the men experience is what makes the story so compelling.

Thankfully the actual experiments shown on page are pretty benign. There are references to horrifying and torturous experiments in the past and threats of same for the future but most of this is off page and not seen. I’ve no interest in reading about a bunch of horrific experiments on people so I applaud the writing that can keep this threat real, imminent and alive without showing the actual events. The evil characters of the doctor, patient 66, and even the agency as a whole are nicely nuanced. Patient 66 is one of the best “shadows in the dark” fears that I’ve read in an urban fantasy book and he’s used incredibly well. Sparing enough that he’s still incredibly freaky and thrilling but with enough subtly that he’s not overdone and laughable. He’s scary in all the best ways.

Similarly the head doctor is not simply wooden and one dimensional but evokes some complexity. Less so since the dialogue and situations tend to dehumanize her but there are moments where she shows her reasons and becomes more than simply the evil stereotype. Unfortunately the heroes of the story falter more than the bad guys. Chris opens the story with great potential and bursts onto the pages so alive and brimming with personality. Sadly once Chris’ main storyline, the death of his brother, is resolved halfway through, he becomes bland and a place maker. He is the essential glue in the romantic threesome but his personality slowly drifts away from the vibrant and wonderful start to something more homogeneous and less interesting.

Vance has a clever twist that I appreciated and liked his range of emotion the most. He shows an entire spectrum from love to despair as he struggles with his captivity. He’s not given in, but he has real moments of highs and los, more so than any other character. He doesn’t necessarily grow or change in the course of the story but his complexity really drew me in. If only Simon had the same qualities. Simon is supposed to be the martyr of the trio; the one that sacrifices himself for the good of the other two. Instead he comes across as weak and cowardly, without any strength that’s later attributed to him. I failed to understand why the trio would work or want to work as such – they come together well as individual couples but never quite gel as a threesome. This is compounded by Simon’s weak character and personality. There is a later scene when Simon supposedly gains strength and control of his life but I didn’t believe that scene at all. It felt too cliché and pat without any basis that Simon could actually accomplish that feat.

As a romance, In Darkness Bound pretty much fails completely. I could appreciate the emotion the various characters felt in couples – especially Chris/Vance or Simon/Vance and to a lesser degree maybe Simon/Chris – but as a trio it never materializes. Instead the real strength and focus is on the urban fantasy plot which shines and should please those fans.

[Smokinhotbooks K.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This blurb had me hook, line, and sinker and I was extremely excited to read In Darkness Bound. Most of the book takes place in a sterile research facility run by the vicious Dr. Dalhousie. Chris has been kidnapped and taken due to his psychic ability.

This story is full of tense moments and gasp out loud moments, which disrupted Mr. Smokin’ xbox concentration (sorry hubs xoxo). Although this isn’t a m/m romance I thought the action and suspense took center stage you didn’t really notice or mind all that much.

There were a few things that had me furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. First off, was Vance. For about 2/3 of the book I thought he was just another male with special powers when in fact he was a vampire. Now, either I had a total blond moment and didn’t notice but I felt that was confusing later on when Chris seemed to already know this about him. The second was the m/m/m aspect of the relationship. Don’t’ get me wrong my manlove motto is the more the merrier, but it just didn’t seem to fit. Chris first desired Vance and when Vance shunned Chris to protect him, he turned to Simon, the misunderstood assistant to Dr. Dalhousie. Only to find out that Vance and Simon were lovers before, and due to a misunderstanding Vance has despised Simon ever since (KC pauses to take a breather). The threesome aspect just didn’t work for me, especially since Simon was not brought in until almost a third of the book.

Final Verdict: In Darkness Bound is just the kind of book I like – full of suspense with a dash of manlove. Although I had some issues with the m/m/m aspect I still highly recommend this one for those you looking for something a little darkner and might have you jumping at things that go bump in the night.



PS There is a creepy patient called 666 that eats people’s souls--> Oh. Em. Gee!

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to say I loved it - and I did enjoy pieces but this felt choppy and uneven to me. Not enough explanation in places for the reader to really understand. What was supposed to be a labyrinth I guess felt more like confusion - and it's hard for me to stay engaged. I listened to half of this - and then just read the rest on the kindle. It felt like the book was 500+ pages and it seemed to take forever to read. I cannot believe this book is only 220 pages - I'm telling you it easily felt twice the size. That's good because the good parts were really good (and creepy!!! 66!!!) but that's bad because keeping invested was a challenge at times. Overall I'm going to read #2 because I need the letter for spell and because I hope to see what has happened to Chris, Vance, and Simon!

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Started off slow, seemed to wind and wend it's way nowhere for a bit...but once the story seemed to develop (with the personal relationships) it went a lot more smoothly. The narration helped (Jack LaFleur's voice is very authoritative).

I'd definitely be interested in the next one because what I thought was a PVS (if not death) for Brennan when he was a kid seems not to be the case at all...

[Daniel Kaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

You’re probably looking at the cover and thinking you already know what this book is about… and you’d be about half right.

Chris Kincaid is studying veterniary medicine, but not because he wants to be a vet. No, it’s what his brother wanted… his brother he accidentally killed when his psychic powers lashed out. Now he’s ‘cheating’ his way through classes, picking the answers out of the professor’s mind, trying to live the life his brother would have lived.

But things change when Chris finds himself in a tiny cell deep underground, at the mercy of Doctor Dalhousie, where he is forced to undergo rigorous experimentation. His only reprise comes in the form of a mental connection with Patient 289, Vance Damascus.

Chris and Vance find comfort in each other, and in Simon, Patient 77 and Dalhousie’s assistant — the only staff member who has shown them any form of compassion. As their relationship develops, the three men turn their thoughts towards escape, and they soon realise that there is more than just cell walls threatening to keep them apart.

Looking at the book cover you would think the book to be cheesy slash erotica — at least, that’s what I thought. But truth is, the book focuses more on the romance than the sex, of which there are a few choice scenes. The plot is a basic rehash of the old clíches; human with supernatural ability gets abducted and experimented on, government conspiracies, evil doctors, love under extreme conditions… you get the idea. That’s not to say that I didn’t like the plot, because I did… a lot.

The setting of Dalhousie’s research facility is dark and unsettling. While reference is made to sadistic tortures, what is shown on page is quite tame. However, the threat and memory of the experiments is still there, particularly with Vance. And then there’s Patient 66, or 666 as the door to his cell says. This guy is creepy, to say the least, and he is used sparingly enough that he stays that way… a constant threat that skirts about the periphery. As for Dalhousie, she’s cold, calculating and sadistic, but there’s also a faint glimmer of humanity about her that sets her apart from the clíche mad scientist.

So, how about the three main characters? Well, Chris in my mind started out quite bland. From the start it’s obvious he’s not happy in his life and isn’t going to make any move to change. It’s only once he is abducted and meets Vance that we see his character start to develop. Vance probably has the least character development of the lot; but that’s fine by me, especially if I can pretend he has an Irish accent (I love Irish accents). He’s mysterious, sexy and… sexy. What? One sexy just wasn’t enough. What he lacks in development, Vance makes up for in action and emotions. Simon, on the other hand, wasn’t one of my top characters. Price tries to depict him as the martyr-type, but to me he came off as weak and a bit of a coward. It does improve towards the end somewhat, but I feel Simon’s character could have been far better if he’d actually had a backbone earlier on.

Now onto the sex scenes. For me, when it comes to sex scenes, ‘less is More’. Price, however, went for the fanfiction-style sex scene with some rather cringe-worthy phrases such as “tight pucker”. Not only that, but there was an instance of conditioner being used as lube, to which I can only say this… NO! Have you ever tried using that stuff as lube? I hope not, because it wouldn’t be particularly nice. Ranting aside, because I know I could go on forever about sex scenes once I get on a roll, despite the rocky start to the sex scenes they did improve, but never to the point where it really got me going. In fact, I’d say the hottest part of the book was a small section of dirty-talking by Vance, rather than any of the three sex scenes.

As for the romance itself, it’s warm and comforting… a stark contrast to the cold, bleak facility in which the ‘patients’ are trapped. It’s their hope, their light at the end of the tunnel… and also a weapon to be used against them. I’m not sure I would entirely agree with the way things end up, and this goes back to how I feel about Simon (he just feels a little out of place to me).

And finally, on the subject of how things end, there were a few minor loose ends that were left open. This bugged me, but also made me wonder if there might be a sequel in the works. I hope there is, because I’d be interested to see how the character’s relationships develop further, and I really want to find out the answers to several questions I have.

Overall, an interesting read. If urban fantasy is your thing, and you’re not adverse to some mildly-cheesy M/M erotica, then I would recommend this book. Would have scored higher, if not for the fact that the sex scenes were a little lackluster in my opinion.

[Mich · Rating 3 out of 5]

So...An Angel, a Psychic and a Vampire walk into a bar...no that isn't right.

An Angel, a Psychic and a Vampire get abducted, drugged and jailed in a "research facility" for magical persons... ok- well, that is a little closer to the underlying storyline.

(unfortunately- the first one would have been way more amusing)

'In Darkness Bound' was what I like to call m/m "light." In my opinion, it was also very close to a YA type read. Suspenseful however, it was not.

That being said... This book isn't bad. It is a bit disjointed in parts. The author seemed to take every piece of current pop culture and smoosh it all into a couple hundred pages.

In short, A college student with psychic ability gets kidnapped and jailed in a research facility by a looney Doctor who wants to understand more about his powers (i think...?)

While in said jail, Chris falls for a Vampire (Vance) and an Orderly who works at the facility, and was once a patient there (oh, he has an angel stuck in him...i think?)

There is some back-story about an existing society of people with super powers, but that is as much info as I can really tell you.

'In Darkness Bound' was not really that well written. But, I did like most of the characters. I think I could be convinced to read Christine Price's next book in the series if 2 things happen. The m/m scenes are hotter, and the storyline is actually original.

2 1/2 stars.

[Mtsnow13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. Just creepy enough to keep me on edge, and wondering what was going to happen to who!

The narrator did an excellent job, and I am hoping he is kept for the rest of the series. Great mood,intonation, pacing, and I think he does a great job at the different character's voices.

Reminded me a little bit of another sci fi/fantasy I recently read..not the historical one, but the other contemporary one that is setting up for a series.. 'Seven', it was called...

Anyway,seeing a theme here that I am enjoying with these strange, paranormal, experimenting 'Society' books. Guess I'll be keeping my eye out for the next in this series!

Some really cool twists and turns, and surprises throughout the story. And gotta LOVE to hate the wicked scientist...gotta be careful of those quiet ones!

Would recommend to anyone that likes a little creepy in their paranormal psychic, sci fi fantasies ;)

Note: For those of you leery of the 'ménage' aspect, well, it doesn't come into play until close to the end....The sex scenes are few and far between, as this story plays more on the suspense and relationship between each character than the smexin' . But, what there was of it was pretty 'hot'.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly I was bored, I didn't find the plot to be that interesting though Simon's "superpower" threw me for a loop. Yet I think back and realized I should have been able to guess that.

I don't really have anything to say about this one. Chris was the only characters I liked, cliffhangers bug me, I had no idea what was going on with Matt and Tate 3/4s of the times, how the heck Donna was able to reach for her phone without anyone stopping her all the time annoyed me, Simon had no backbone and Vance well he liked poetry.

[Heidi Belleau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic suspense and the cliffhanger ending killed me! I just wish there were more scenes to understand their dynamic as a threesome. I understood their relationships with each other on a one-on-one basis, but I was left unsure of how they fit together as a menage, sexually and emotionally.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, I'm going to warn readers that the pairings in this book are M/M & M/M/M. If you don't care for pairings of this nature then this will probably not be the book for you. That said, on with the show!

Chris has always been different. He's been all too aware of that ever since his brother died when they were very young- a death that Chris feels that his strange abilities were responsible for. When Chris is suddenly abducted & forced to take part in sadistic tests given by a doctor gone mad, his only saving grace will be found in two men. One is a patient with a strange craving. The other is a patient turned orderly, the only worker there with any portion of sanity & mercy. As the confines of the cramped prison as well as the influence of the doctor & a strange, evil patient begin to hammer away at Chris's sanity, it becomes all too apparent that the only way to survive will be to escape.

Believe me; I'm not giving the story premise justice. This book really does seem to have just about everything: mystery, suspense, sex, love, evil... it's all in here. There's a lot in this book that's enjoyable. Price does a fine job of making the reader guess as to what is going on & what will happen next. I have to admit that there were several parts to the story that I really couldn't predict, which I love. I love being surprised. Readers will also love that the interactions between the men flows so naturally between the two & the erotic scenes (which are short but explicit) do seem to fit with the surrounding story.

The only downfall with the story is that towards the end it just seemed to unravel a bit & as a result, lacked the punch I was expecting from it. I can't go into a huge amount of detail without spoiling it, but I was kind of expecting a little more of a confrontation between some of the characters & I was slightly disappointed that it never came. (I say slightly because the ending hints that there could easily be a sequel- lots of unfinished business at the end of this book!)

Overall though, this was an incredibly fun read that I gobbled down in a day & if Price does decide to return to this universe (oh please oh please oh please!), I'm definitely planning on tracking it down. I'm just curious to know more about this universe, the characters, & how the unfinished plot elements will be resolved in the future.


(ARC provided by Netgalley)

[Trix · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story. Towards the end, the rating dropped towards 2 but in the end I'll give this a 3 star rating.

I was drawn to Chris from the beginning, after he lost his brother (or thought he did) and spent the next years trying to live up to his expectations. I was glad he found someone to trust and support him while being imprisoned by Dalhousie. The methods she used to torture/blackmail/isolate the 3 men seemed a bit off, as I didn't understand very well how the compound was displayed and what kind of forces she had with her. I mean, most of those means of keeping the men locked away were useless since she had that pain-inducing device inserted in their spine.

Vance was interesting through his menacing personality and vampire characteristics. Simon was mostly mysterious as the angel trapped within him wasn't revealed until towards the end of the story. I read half the book thinking patient 66 was actually the evil manifestation of Simon, spawn from within him, somehow.

They all had flaws and insecurities in regards to their paranormal abilities and it took their combined efforts to not perceive them as lessening and evil. Of course, their perfect coming together, without any jealousy or any other problems, seemed a bit forced. But in the end, I was glad they survived the horror of the imprisonment (albeit needing years of therapy) and had their happily ever after.

[Gavin Stephenson-Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who normally steers away from novels involving the paranormal I actually enjoyed this book. This is the second novel that I've read recently that has involved 'out of body' experiences and I found this one a little more believable. Chris uses his ability to make connections with other patients in the research facility that he's been abducted to. I think that I enjoyed this because it was not the central focus of the novel. The plot focused on the patients finding a way to escape the twisted research of a rather mad scientist. The paranormal was there, but was not the driving force behind behind the narrative.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I mainly found this one boring and frustrating. It's a repetitive movement of frustrating imprisonment, experiments, and mental visits. It's confusing on going from the intent of the "doctor" - who is cruelly sadistic, having a lot of it not make much sense if you dig deeper into it, and the bond between the three didn't seem wholly convincing to me. Randomly it jumps to the points of view of two other characters, Matt and Tate, that I didn't feel like reading or investing in much. The main downfall to not getting interested enough is probably because I couldn't connect with the characters having convincing relationship ties to each other.

[Diane Dannenfeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good menage paranormal read, even though the only time we actually have the menage is at the very end of the story. Boy was Dr. Dalhousie a total evil bitch. What she put all the boys through was just horrible. We have a slow burn of feelings for Chris, Simon & Vance. Jack LeFleur did a great job narrating this story. Loved Matt & Tate, they were perfect partners. Can't wait to listen to the next book in the series.

[Cait Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear lord what a journey this book was. It was dark and emotionally painful. I felt at times I was being tortured along with the characters and feared I would end it all when the story ended. BUT... the ending was happy enough to save us all. True, I wished the evil bitch had suffered more but I was happy. I hear that the next book is completed and has been submitted, I can't wait to read it.

[Maygirl7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Aftertaste: good but not as good as I expected.

[Tamarrion Lash · Rating 3 out of 5]

С обоснуем в книге все плохо-плохо-плохо, но зато все остальное в ней очень хорошо :) Вторая книга серии вышла пободрее, автор раскачалась, но и тут видно, что ей есть что рассказать.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of In Darkness Bound , by Christine Price

4 stars

I enjoyed this combination psychological thriller / paranormal romance. It is written in third person shifting POV which the author handles adroitly. Many times this voice might be awkward but it works well in this story, allowing the reader to get into the heads of all the main characters.

It starts out with a young college student named Chris who has some psychic power which seems to have caused the death of his older brother when he was only six. At first it seems to be only a paranormal thriller with an evil scientist and a secret Society but eventually there are also demons, angels, and vampires in the mix. Ok, just one of each but that changes the genre a little.

No build up to the story, other than the prologue where Chris kills his older brother (or at least Chris believes he did; we don’t know if it is true at the beginning of the book) with his psychic powers. We don’t really get to know Chris before he is kidnapped by an evil scientist, Dr. Donna Dalhousie.

Most of the book takes place in an underground bunker that is like a metal hospital from hell and is therefore a little claustrophobic. Most of the drama is psychological and there isn’t much action until about the 75% mark of the book. It sort of drags a bit from about 40-60% and could have used a little more development or action, tough to do when they are all literally locked up.

It is at heart a romance and the strong part of the book is the well written development of the relationship between Chris and fellow patient/prisoner Vance. The relationship between Vance and Simon is also really well developed. The writing is good, the sex scenes nicely sexy and late enough in the book that the emotions are there and they are well earned.

There is a B plot of agents Matt and Tate who work for the Society and are involved in solving a mystery of multiple disappearances.
I recommend this book if you are into M/M romance and paranormal fantasy and don’t mind a poly relationship. I don’t think that is a spoiler given the cover art!


Recap - don't read unless you want the entire plot!


Chapter 1-2
No build up to the story, other than the prologue where Chris kills his older brother (or at least Chris believes he did; we don’t know if it is true at the beginning of the book) with his psychic powers we don’t really get to know Chris before he is kidnapped by an evil scientist, Dr. Donna Dalhousie.
We do know that he is in college, gay, racked with guilt over his brother, and has a best friend. Somehow he draws the interest of some mysterious scientist or group and is kidnapped in the second chapter.
Chapter 3-4
Chris wakes up and discovers that he is patient 331. He quickly discovers that ‘they’ have inhibitors for his telekinesis built into the walls, but he finds a crack in the wall and is able to astral project his way around. After wandering through empty corridors and passing empty rooms he finds another subject/prisoner.
The man introduces himself as Vance Damascus aka patient 289 after startling Chris with his ability to perceive Chris in astral projection form. Unfortunately, he only has bad news as he describes the horrific treatment and the death of other subjects. The author does an amazing job of describing the Chris’ horrific treatments in excruciating detail. Most of the horror is mental but still nail biting.
Chapter 5
With Chris on mental lock down with some sort of psychic dampening bracelets, Vance begs Simon to take them off. Simon is a mystery at this point; he appears to be in Dr. Dalhousie’s employ but he also has some sort of psychic gifts. Former subject with Stockholm syndrome? It isn’t clear.
Chris appears in Vance’s room and now for some reason, he can not only perceive Chris but actually see him.
Chapter 6
We meet two new characters – Matt and Tate. They work for a mysterious ‘Society’ and Matt is following up on Chris’ disappearance. They are aware of his psychic ability and have been keeping track of him since his brother’s death. Matt suspects something is fishy about the disappearance of a number of paranormals that they have been tracking.
Chapter 7
Chris uses his very handy astral projection to explore. Eventually finding another subject. The subject is dark and creepy and plays mind games with Chris. Very scary. He is known as Patient 66 and he scares Chris half to death. Also, Simon can see Chris.

Chapter 8
Vance and Chris intensify their bond and practice long distance communication. Chris uses his ability to spy on the Doctor and Simon and finds out for some unknown reason that Simon is covering for him – keeping Dr. Donna Dalhousie from finding out the extent of his abilities.

Chapter 9
The doctor drugs Chris and tests his telekinesis. To her ire, the drugs don’t seem to affect him at all. He finds out the hard way that she has implanted a device in his body for ‘disciplinary measures’ when he refuses to cooperate at one point.
Chapter 10
Dr. Dalhousie decides that Chris is useless and is about to dispose of him. Simon asks for an assistant. From Simon’s POV, we discover that Vance and Simon were romantically involved once. We also discover that Dr. Dalhousie took over from Dr. Parks and there may have been something nefarious about her takeover. Before her tenure the patients (including Simon) were there voluntarily and apparently the place was run by the Society. We get a little back story as well on how Simon came to work for the evil doctor. Apparently he was protecting Vance.
Chapter 11
Still unable to touch, Chris and Vance have some sexy time via dirty talk and eventually perfect astral touching.
Chapter 12
Matt and Tate follow up on missing persons and check out Vance’s apartment. They find some clues and Matt admits to Tate that he feels that someone powerful is messing with his mind to throw him off the investigation.
Chapter 13
More development between Chris and Vance. Having learned to touch remotely, they make out.
Chapter 14
We find out that Vance is a vampire with only the slightest foreshadowing. He has a fight with the orderlies and the doctor threatens Simon.
Chapter 15
Simon and the doctor argue over Vance’s fate. Vance is locked up in a coffin but takes over Chris’ body to confront Simon.
Chapter 16
Chris begins working with Simon. They start bonding and we find out more about Simon’s history including his relationship with Vance.
Chapter 17
Vance is still in the coffin and we find out he has been faking some of his weakness in order to plan for an escape. He only needs the codes to the elevator to get out. When he is let out, Chris and Vance have a hot sexy encounter in the shower. The sex scene is suitably hot because of the buildup between these two characters. Without that emotion, it is a pretty run of the mill sex scene. I was rooting for these two so much that the unlikely sex encounter was a welcome relief to all the sexual tension that had been building through the first half of the book. Chris begs Vance to bite him and Vance drives him away because he is too afraid that he will lose control.
Chapter 18
Chris wallows in self-pity thinking that Vance has rejected him – even though he is an empath and a telepath and has a deep mental connection with Vance; he doesn’t seem to notice why the vampire pushed him away! His despair sends him into the clutches of patient 66 who seems to be some sort of soul eating malevolent force. Simon rescues him just in time. Simon tries to reason with Chris about Vance and at this point it becomes clear that he has been orchestrating their relationship.
Chapter 19
Matt and Tate continue the investigation as Matt interviews the evil Doctor Dalhousie. She claims that facility has been shut down after the death of the previous doctor and that she is just a paper pusher storing archives. Matt is suspicious but leaves and continues is search.
Chapter 20
Meanwhile, Simon figures out that Chis’ dead brother is actually alive and was a previous patient at the facility. He gives Chris Brennon’s file which indicates that Brennon was brought in comatose and eventually released into foster care.
Chapter 21
Simon visits Vance to plead the case for his relationship with Chris. They have a little make out session and relive old times. Vance finally figures out that Simon has been protecting him and still loves him. Chris and Vance make up and Vance admits to Chris that he is still in love with Simon as well.
Vance and Chris agree very quickly and without drama to become a threesome with Simon. Reading it I thought well that escalated quickly!
Chapter 22
We return to Chis’ best friend Caris. Chris has been missing for a month and she is frantic for his safety. The police have not been interested until Professor Peterson’s body turns up. Now the police suspect that Chris killed him and fled. Of course evil Doctor Dalhousie killed him – why I never really understood. In the middle of a frustrating interview with a detective, Matt shows up starts clueing Caris in on the paranormal situation and asking questions about Chris’ disappearance.
Chapter 23
Simon is in a vulnerable state having convinced himself that Vance and Chris belong together and that everyone he loves is better off without him. Doctor Dalhousie starts her creepy sexual advances on him which he rebuffs. It isn’t clear if he has been servicing her previously or just working as her assistant. Either way, she is frustrated and angry. She fires him as her assistant and returns him to patient status.
While warning Chris of this turn of events, things get physical between them. The author did a fantastic job of building the relationship between Chris and Vance and also revealing Vance’s previous relationship with Simon but the Simon/Chris dynamic just doesn’t feel as organic. It isn’t totally out of nowhere as Chris has consistently appreciated how sexy Simon is and how empathetic he is. Still this development feels forced.
Chapter 24
Doctor Dalhousie plays mind games with Vance offering him freedom while making it clear that she will never let Simon go. Vance refuses.
Chapter 25
Chris studies Brennon’s file and discovers that somehow Simon brought him out of his coma. Doctor Dalhousie interrupts and drags him to the lab.
Chapter 26
In a fit of anger, Doctor Dalhousie sends her orderlies / goons to destroy Simon’s books. They cruelly point out that patients don’t get books. He starts to realize how far into madness that she has descended and starts to understand that he is her prisoner now.
Chapter 27
Doctor Dalhousie having found valuable information on Simon uses it to control him as she does a cruel experiment on Chris. Apparently, Simon is possessed by a being (who seems to be an angel) and calling its true name gives her complete control over him. There is nothing he can do as Doctor Dalhousie places Chis in the room with patient 66 almost leading to his death.
Chapter 28
The horrific control Doctor Dalhousie exerts over Simon turns out to be a blessing in disguise. She doesn’t realize that her control only works when he is in her sight and she leaves him alone with her unlocked computer. He seizes the chance to get the code to the elevator and for the first time it looks like our trio may make an escape.
Chapter 29
Matt figures out that the mental attacks that he has been suffering means that someone high up in the Society is behind the disappearances that he is investigating.
Chapter 30
Simon rescues Chris from the infirmary where he is still suffering the effects of his encounter with patient 66. Simon intends for Vance and Chris to escape while he stays behind but Chris convinces him to go with them.
Chapter 31
Matt and Tate figure out Doctor Dalhousie is involved and plan to break into the facility she runs.
Chapter 32
Simon recues Vance who is again in his coffin and updates him on their escape plan.
Chapter 33
While waiting for their window of opportunity to escape, Chris and Simon have some hot sex. YUM.
Chapter 34
At the same time our trio is trying to escape, matt is above ground breaking in. Unfortunately for them things don’t go as planned. Instead of slipping away while the doctor is asleep she catches them and an all-out fight ensues. After defeating the orderlies and taking the doctor’s remote (which controls the implants of pain) from her, Vance and Chris flee. They stop for a snack when Chris convinces Vance that it is in their best interest for him to feed on Chris to increase his strength. Vance bites him and of course sexy times accompany the biting.
Unfortunately, the weak link in the escape plan is that Chris is human and when Doctor Dalhousie threatens to shoot him they are captured again. Simon knocks her out in the nick of time and they make a run for it.
Chapter 35
The escape climaxes as Doctor Dalhousie gasses them and Chris is nearly killed as Simon fights for his life again with one of the orderlies in the control room. Matt arrives just as Chris and Vance make it to the elevator.
Chapter 36
Matt is in the hospital with Vance and Simon is missing. Matt managed to rescue them but a search of the now defunct facility turns up neither Simon nor Doctor Donna Dalhousie. Vance meets a spunky Caris and they have a bit of a verbal fight over Chris. Chris reassures her that Vance is a good guy and is now his boyfriend.
Chapter 37
Matt tells Vance and Chris that they can’t find Doctor Dalhousie or Simon. Then Simon under Doctor Dalhousie’s control shows up and a fight ensues. Simon nearly kills Chris then somehow Chris manages to help Simon evict the angel possessing him. Doctor Dalhousie is captured and led in cuffs to Matt’s car. In a surprising plot twist, patient 66 takes her captive and drives away with her.
Chapter 38
Simon, Chris, and Vance engage in some well-earned sexy times in a very nicely written three-way.
Epilogue
There is some debriefing and set-up for a sequel.

[Byron · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, aside from of the timing of the sex scenes which I really feel didn't enhance the story here, this is a bloody good story. I'm really looking forward to book two.

There was some confusion a couple of time for me when I didn't know where the POV was but, and this is a problem with audio books for me not because it's an audio book, I don't know if was distracted briefly or the story line just jumped.

The narrator was really good and made it clear when it was changing to a different POV for the most part and was quite relaxing to listen to as well.

Overall I nearly removed a star from this because of the aforementioned sex scenes which just felt like they were put there to make sure we knew there was gay guys in the role. I believe this author has the skill and talent to write a scene that would have convinced us of exactly the same thing without devolving to stupid sex scenes.

I left the 5th star there because this is actually a great story line in the genre of m/m and in that semi - spy/paranormal genre which isn't written often well if at all.

[Ashley D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris has special powers that allow him to psychically connect with other patients in the place he is being held captive. Vance has been alone for longer than he can remember until a newcomer makes a mental connections. Vance is starved for any time of interaction and intrigued by Chris and wants a conversation. Simon used to be a patient also but made a choice that while he doesn't regret it, it took him away from the one person he cared about. As Simon, Chris and Vance get closer and try to find away to escape, they must also hide their connection from Dr. Dalhousie.

This was a twist and turn book, each of the guys have secrets that they are hiding and as each of them come out in the air the guys have to find a way to stay together and not get torn apart.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don't know why this book is rated so low. It's fantastic. The entire book keeps the tension, there are only a couple awkward conversations, but the supernatural is fantastical-it's not campy. Who wouldn't want to be able to converse telepathically? Or fall in love with a vampire? And I like that they didn't make the angel vengeful like SOME authors ohmygod. And the demon gave me CHILLS. The romance was great-well paced, taken seriously, a natural relaxed development. Did I mention the demon is creepy? WOAH BOY. Way creepier than the antagonist who's just bum f**k crazy. LOVE. Love the decisions, love the pacing, the love characters, love the trio!

[Skye Blue ☆*~ﾟლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lot more interesting than I was expecting.
Menage is hit or miss for me.
This time around...I was about middle ground.
I love paranormal, when it's done right.

This one had me interested in the world. I'm mostly sold on it. I'd like to read more.
I really liked Matt, and hope he is in the next book.

I liked Chris. I would have liked to have gotten more of him outside of the institute. Maybe he'll be in future books.
Simon was okay.
Vance was okay.
Patient 66? Hmmm...intrigued. More please.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting sci-fi, secret lab book. Though there isn’t much detail in the “experiments” first hand, this makes for a more character book. I really got a good grasp on who these characters were and where they were coming from.

There is definitely more to explore in book two and I’m looking forward to Matt’s story.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queer urban fantasy. Interesting but sparse world building due to the limited perspectives of the primary protagonists. The relationship chemistry was a little quick and less compelling than the overarching plot.