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Lightning Bound
Trust the lightning.
It’s all Blair can do when she’s on the run for over a year, hoping to escape a deadly fate. Her psychic best friend’s vision comes with a harrowing warning, and lightning seems to be her only hope. Horrific creatures plague her nightmares, and being a chaos witch has brought more than its fair share of troubles.
Blair tentatively puts her fate in Dean’s hands, an alpha werewolf hell-bent on keeping her safe, and she is thrown into a world she has been working so hard to keep herself out of—one full of supernatural creatures and magic.
But that safety is short-lived, her enemies stopping at nothing to have her in their grasp. Soon, she is faced with darkness, otherworldly prophecies, and trials unimaginable. Hidden truths are revealed, and the destiny entwined with her birth catch the attention of the gods. Before she knows it, she is thrust into an ancient game of power and deception.
Will Blair play into the hands of the arrogant gods? Or will she forge her own path and unleash chaos upon the realms?
It’s all Blair can do when she’s on the run for over a year, hoping to escape a deadly fate. Her psychic best friend’s vision comes with a harrowing warning, and lightning seems to be her only hope. Horrific creatures plague her nightmares, and being a chaos witch has brought more than its fair share of troubles.
Blair tentatively puts her fate in Dean’s hands, an alpha werewolf hell-bent on keeping her safe, and she is thrown into a world she has been working so hard to keep herself out of—one full of supernatural creatures and magic.
But that safety is short-lived, her enemies stopping at nothing to have her in their grasp. Soon, she is faced with darkness, otherworldly prophecies, and trials unimaginable. Hidden truths are revealed, and the destiny entwined with her birth catch the attention of the gods. Before she knows it, she is thrust into an ancient game of power and deception.
Will Blair play into the hands of the arrogant gods? Or will she forge her own path and unleash chaos upon the realms?
444 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2023
5 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 27, 2023
ARC Review:
Thank you to Samantha Vance for allowing me to be an ARC reader!
Oh my gosh!! This book was so freaking good! I am so thrilled to have taken a chance on this book because it’s an absolute banger! Now onto the goodies!
After being on the run for a year Blair gets taken. Before the kidnappers get Blair into the car a mysterious male comes out from the shadows. The Fates themselves had told the mysterious stranger to help Blair out. Dean, the stranger who happens to be a werewolf, takes Blair to his pack’s land, New Haven.
We follow Blair and Dean for a while until Blair is truly kidnapped.
Blair is an actual badass, and her powers, oh my god, insane!!! From lightning to necromancy, she is so cool. But while Blair is a very cool character she also has her flaws, her walls, and most of all her trauma. Dean chose her every step of the way, throughout all the pain. Dean is absolute green flags all the way around. He had me giddy and blushing the entire time!! I loved this book, it was incredible. CANNOT wait for book 2, I need it ASAP!
Thank you to Samantha Vance for allowing me to be an ARC reader!
Oh my gosh!! This book was so freaking good! I am so thrilled to have taken a chance on this book because it’s an absolute banger! Now onto the goodies!
After being on the run for a year Blair gets taken. Before the kidnappers get Blair into the car a mysterious male comes out from the shadows. The Fates themselves had told the mysterious stranger to help Blair out. Dean, the stranger who happens to be a werewolf, takes Blair to his pack’s land, New Haven.
We follow Blair and Dean for a while until Blair is truly kidnapped.
Blair is an actual badass, and her powers, oh my god, insane!!! From lightning to necromancy, she is so cool. But while Blair is a very cool character she also has her flaws, her walls, and most of all her trauma. Dean chose her every step of the way, throughout all the pain. Dean is absolute green flags all the way around. He had me giddy and blushing the entire time!! I loved this book, it was incredible. CANNOT wait for book 2, I need it ASAP!
November 6, 2023
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
This book will cause you emotional trauma at the hands of fictional characters and I highly recommend it.
First thing, check the trigger warnings. It’s not a dark fantasy romance, but there’s a particularly brutal chapter that may trigger people. I forgot about the warnings and then halfway through the book, it popped up and shook me a little.
Tropes:
⚡️Found family
⚡️Possessive shifter
⚡️Soul bonds
⚡️Elemental magic
⚡️He falls first
⚡️Ancient prophecies
This book is about a powerful witch called Blair who goes into hiding in a convent because she's being hunted by a vampire. Just when her location is found out, she's saved by Dean, the Alpha of a werewolf pack located in a fictional town in Arizona called New Haven. This town is home only to supernatural creatures and a few humans are mated to supernatural residents. Dean convinces her to take shelter in New Haven while they find out more about the creatures who are after her. Blair is an orphan who only knows that her mother was also a powerful witch, that she inherited her unique powers from, but she has no idea who her father is. Throughout the book, we find out who is after her and why, we find out about her family lineage and her destiny. We see a connection growing between her and Dean. And we also find out about some interesting things about Dean’s lineage. The book is told from Blair’s point of view.
Now let’s get into why I love this book. This book has me laughing, crying, biting my nails, kicking my feet, and my brain even exploded a couple of times. This book has so many twists and turns, so many shocking revelations, even betrayal. Blair is so much more than she thinks she is, and so is Dean. We meet a wide array of supernatural creatures; not just earthly creatures, gods and the Fates get involved. The plot really thickens in this book. By the end of the book, I was thinking, “this is not where I thought this was going to go.”
I love the character development in this book. Blair starts out quite brave and independent, but as she discovers more about who she really is and where she came from, she grows stronger and more badass. She goes through some really horrible things and comes out stronger, with the help of her new found family.
Now we can’t talk about a fantasy romance without talking about the romance. There is an obvious attraction when Blair and Dean first meet. Literally, anytime they touch, she feels lightning. In fact, she’s actually fighting off vampires when she first sees him, and she can’t help noticing how attractive he is. It’s not instalove, though. It’s actually quite a slow burn, where he falls first. I wish we could get Dean’s POV with regards to their love story. (Hint, hint, Samantha Vance. Maybe some bonus chapters…?). He talks about how he feels about her, but it’s not the same as actually experiencing it through him. And in saying that, I want to point out that this isn’t a particularly spicy book, but there are 2 explicit chapters. The first half of chapter 30 and the second half of chapter 45. They’re both powerful being who don’t know the extent of their true power, and they both have trauma that makes wielding that power dangerous at times. But they’re well matched for each other. They’re the only one who can withstand the other’s power and get them to reel it in, when it’s getting out of control.
I love Dean. He’s a possessive alpha male, which I really seem to like in books. From the very beginning, he gives off “touch her and you die vibes.” In his wolf form, he rubs his scent on her, to claim her. He even growls when his best friends hug her for too long. He shows no mercy to anyone who threatens her. But he’s kind and gentle towards her. There’s a point where despite him being an Alpha he plays the submissive and let’s her be the dominant because he knows she needs to take back her control. He listens to what she wants. He allows her to hold her own, rather than treating her like a fragile flower. He gives her space to work through her trauma, while letting her know he’s there for her when she’s ready, despite the fact that it pains him to be away from her.
I love Dean as an Alpha. He cares not only about his pack, but all the supernaturals in New Haven. Family is important to him and he puts himself in harm’s way to protect Blair’s adopted mum and best friend from the creatures that are coming after her, because he knows how important they are to her.
As much as I love this book, I gave it 4.5 stars because I didn’t love the pace. It started out really strong, with Blair being chased by a vampire ,in what turned out to be a dream. And then it slowed down into a narrative about the backstory and how Blair came to be where she currently was. There were a few high points in the first half, but the story didn’t really pick up until about halfway through. And then the last 25 percent was really action packed. I guess the intention of the first half was to lay the foundation of the story, especially since this is going to be a trilogy, but after the book started off with a bang, I was expecting it to be fast-paced and was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t.
All that being said, I totally loved this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves magic, multiple realms, plot twists, steamy romance, Badass FMCs. It’s also good for people who are just getting into fantasy because there isn’t really any world-building, since much of the story takes place in our human realm. I would definitely read this again and I can’t wait for the next book to come out.
4.5 stars
This book will cause you emotional trauma at the hands of fictional characters and I highly recommend it.
First thing, check the trigger warnings. It’s not a dark fantasy romance, but there’s a particularly brutal chapter that may trigger people. I forgot about the warnings and then halfway through the book, it popped up and shook me a little.
Tropes:
⚡️Found family
⚡️Possessive shifter
⚡️Soul bonds
⚡️Elemental magic
⚡️He falls first
⚡️Ancient prophecies
This book is about a powerful witch called Blair who goes into hiding in a convent because she's being hunted by a vampire. Just when her location is found out, she's saved by Dean, the Alpha of a werewolf pack located in a fictional town in Arizona called New Haven. This town is home only to supernatural creatures and a few humans are mated to supernatural residents. Dean convinces her to take shelter in New Haven while they find out more about the creatures who are after her. Blair is an orphan who only knows that her mother was also a powerful witch, that she inherited her unique powers from, but she has no idea who her father is. Throughout the book, we find out who is after her and why, we find out about her family lineage and her destiny. We see a connection growing between her and Dean. And we also find out about some interesting things about Dean’s lineage. The book is told from Blair’s point of view.
Now let’s get into why I love this book. This book has me laughing, crying, biting my nails, kicking my feet, and my brain even exploded a couple of times. This book has so many twists and turns, so many shocking revelations, even betrayal. Blair is so much more than she thinks she is, and so is Dean. We meet a wide array of supernatural creatures; not just earthly creatures, gods and the Fates get involved. The plot really thickens in this book. By the end of the book, I was thinking, “this is not where I thought this was going to go.”
I love the character development in this book. Blair starts out quite brave and independent, but as she discovers more about who she really is and where she came from, she grows stronger and more badass. She goes through some really horrible things and comes out stronger, with the help of her new found family.
Now we can’t talk about a fantasy romance without talking about the romance. There is an obvious attraction when Blair and Dean first meet. Literally, anytime they touch, she feels lightning. In fact, she’s actually fighting off vampires when she first sees him, and she can’t help noticing how attractive he is. It’s not instalove, though. It’s actually quite a slow burn, where he falls first. I wish we could get Dean’s POV with regards to their love story. (Hint, hint, Samantha Vance. Maybe some bonus chapters…?). He talks about how he feels about her, but it’s not the same as actually experiencing it through him. And in saying that, I want to point out that this isn’t a particularly spicy book, but there are 2 explicit chapters. The first half of chapter 30 and the second half of chapter 45. They’re both powerful being who don’t know the extent of their true power, and they both have trauma that makes wielding that power dangerous at times. But they’re well matched for each other. They’re the only one who can withstand the other’s power and get them to reel it in, when it’s getting out of control.
I love Dean. He’s a possessive alpha male, which I really seem to like in books. From the very beginning, he gives off “touch her and you die vibes.” In his wolf form, he rubs his scent on her, to claim her. He even growls when his best friends hug her for too long. He shows no mercy to anyone who threatens her. But he’s kind and gentle towards her. There’s a point where despite him being an Alpha he plays the submissive and let’s her be the dominant because he knows she needs to take back her control. He listens to what she wants. He allows her to hold her own, rather than treating her like a fragile flower. He gives her space to work through her trauma, while letting her know he’s there for her when she’s ready, despite the fact that it pains him to be away from her.
I love Dean as an Alpha. He cares not only about his pack, but all the supernaturals in New Haven. Family is important to him and he puts himself in harm’s way to protect Blair’s adopted mum and best friend from the creatures that are coming after her, because he knows how important they are to her.
As much as I love this book, I gave it 4.5 stars because I didn’t love the pace. It started out really strong, with Blair being chased by a vampire ,in what turned out to be a dream. And then it slowed down into a narrative about the backstory and how Blair came to be where she currently was. There were a few high points in the first half, but the story didn’t really pick up until about halfway through. And then the last 25 percent was really action packed. I guess the intention of the first half was to lay the foundation of the story, especially since this is going to be a trilogy, but after the book started off with a bang, I was expecting it to be fast-paced and was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t.
All that being said, I totally loved this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves magic, multiple realms, plot twists, steamy romance, Badass FMCs. It’s also good for people who are just getting into fantasy because there isn’t really any world-building, since much of the story takes place in our human realm. I would definitely read this again and I can’t wait for the next book to come out.
August 11, 2025
I am obsessed with this book! I was sent a copy from the author as a gift and it was so much better than I could have imagined. 💓
The characters were well thought out and still have room for growth. Blair went through so much in this first book in the series, and I hope we get more of Dean and his story and journey in the second book (which I am told is coming!)
I LOVE DEAN and I need more 😭
I am a big fantasy lover and enjoy reading books with mythology. I wasn’t expecting there to be so much mythology in this book but it really elevated it and made it so much more than a shifter/vampire book. I can see the volume of different creatures and elements being too much, but I felt the author did a good job tying the creatures, gods, and worlds all together.
I devoured this book SO FAST. If you are looking for a fantasy book, I HIGHLY recommend this one!
✨found family
✨gods, myths, and creatures
✨soul ties
✨magic
The characters were well thought out and still have room for growth. Blair went through so much in this first book in the series, and I hope we get more of Dean and his story and journey in the second book (which I am told is coming!)
I LOVE DEAN and I need more 😭
I am a big fantasy lover and enjoy reading books with mythology. I wasn’t expecting there to be so much mythology in this book but it really elevated it and made it so much more than a shifter/vampire book. I can see the volume of different creatures and elements being too much, but I felt the author did a good job tying the creatures, gods, and worlds all together.
I devoured this book SO FAST. If you are looking for a fantasy book, I HIGHLY recommend this one!
✨found family
✨gods, myths, and creatures
✨soul ties
✨magic
November 9, 2023
First, thank you to Samantha (author) for giving me this opportunity to be an arc reader for Lightning Bound!
I am absolutely obsessed with this book! It has literally every fictional character you could possibly think of and the storyline is absolutely amazing. There are a few trigger warnings so make sure you read over them before starting. But I could not get enough of this book, I finished it in two days, with working a full time job 😂 The ending definitely leaves you wanting for more. I can not wait for book 2!!
I am absolutely obsessed with this book! It has literally every fictional character you could possibly think of and the storyline is absolutely amazing. There are a few trigger warnings so make sure you read over them before starting. But I could not get enough of this book, I finished it in two days, with working a full time job 😂 The ending definitely leaves you wanting for more. I can not wait for book 2!!
May 23, 2025
Lightning Bound pulled me in right away with its strong storyline and intriguing supernatural elements. I really enjoyed the mix of magic, dangerous secrets, and slow-burn romance. The story kept a good pace, and the ending left me genuinely excited for book two!
It's a great pick if you're into dark fantasy with emotional depth and just the right amount of mystery. Definitely worth the read.
It's a great pick if you're into dark fantasy with emotional depth and just the right amount of mystery. Definitely worth the read.
January 31, 2024
This was such an amazing book! The writing encapsulates you in with the story and I could really feel the emotions the author describes with each character. This definitely left me with a book hangover and I cannot wait for book 2!
November 7, 2023
Loved it! I love strong female characters and Blair does not disappoint. There are lots of great supernatural characters and the story keeps you wanting more. Can’t wait for the next book!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews