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Embers of Ghostbound Kings #0.5
Cursed Bonds
He thought I was dead—that's what he believed all these years.
He thought that because our families were at war, we were lost to each other forever.
But I ran away from that life for a reason.
Little did I know, he would find me. And he wasn’t going to let go.
Count Morin sold me to save his own skin, and now I’m trapped in Malik’s world. Torn between my past and my present, I have to survive the dangerous game between the Finis and the Penum Enclave.
Everyone wants to use me as a pawn. I assumed Malik was no different.
But Malik doesn’t want to control me—he just wants me. In a world where love is weakness, he selfishly craves what we once had.
He wants my love, and I want my freedom.
Caught between love and loyalty, I must decide where my true allegiance lies.
He thought that because our families were at war, we were lost to each other forever.
But I ran away from that life for a reason.
Little did I know, he would find me. And he wasn’t going to let go.
Count Morin sold me to save his own skin, and now I’m trapped in Malik’s world. Torn between my past and my present, I have to survive the dangerous game between the Finis and the Penum Enclave.
Everyone wants to use me as a pawn. I assumed Malik was no different.
But Malik doesn’t want to control me—he just wants me. In a world where love is weakness, he selfishly craves what we once had.
He wants my love, and I want my freedom.
Caught between love and loyalty, I must decide where my true allegiance lies.
146 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 12, 2024
About the author
Sophea Chan
15 books48 followersShadows and ink stained echoes. Whispers with monsters, dines with villains. Weaving twisted closed-door tales where light dares not linger.
I'm dedicated to bringing you amazing tales pulled from the depths of my wild imagination to take you on a trip you will never forget with a hint of fright.
My own reading interests include dark fantasy, horror, dystopian, romantic subgenres, YA, bizarro, splatterpunk and cozies. And yes, my mind is as eclectic as my moods sometimes!
Though in regards to writing, dark fantasy is my jam—my heart always seem to long for monstrous tales. You may just find both in all my stories!
I'm dedicated to bringing you amazing tales pulled from the depths of my wild imagination to take you on a trip you will never forget with a hint of fright.
My own reading interests include dark fantasy, horror, dystopian, romantic subgenres, YA, bizarro, splatterpunk and cozies. And yes, my mind is as eclectic as my moods sometimes!
Though in regards to writing, dark fantasy is my jam—my heart always seem to long for monstrous tales. You may just find both in all my stories!
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 23, 2024
I think this author is more interested in world building than story telling. In the front of the book, many pages are dedicated to explaining the magic system, the factions involved, and the silly choice to reinvent basic concepts such as seasons and renaming the words “year” and “century.” We come up to the beginning of the actual story and I’m expecting to fall right in now that we’ve got that out of the way, but there’s apparently still more information to impart—secret information that is meant to tease the reader, but serves instead to annoy and distract from the actual scene.
The book hits its plot beats with little finesse. FMC is a circus performer who owes the ringleader an unknown debt. She sells drugs on the side at his behest. When someone she sold drugs to is found dead the next morning, the MMC turns up to knock some heads; he’s like a mafia don enforcing civilian laws in his territory. But once he sees her, he changes tack and wants to take her back to his place. She accepts after he promises not to harm any more of her circus friends.
We then learn that she’s a daughter of the rival mafia-type group, but apparently they grew up together and had a little childhood romance before things went sour and she split. Okay, now that we’ve got all that set up out of the way, we’re like 70% of the way through the novel and nothing has happened. We’ve gotten to the adhesion plot thrust but there really isn’t any inkling or deepening of desire at this point.
She is moved into a nice bedroom. He is away from the manor all the time. Still around often enough to catch her sneaking out the window and ask her nicely not to do that again, though. Sometimes she asks why she’s here; he shrugs it off. When his men question him, he murders them in cold blood. 🚩
There are some meandering plot beats where his warehouse is attacked, the FMC’s cousin comes sniffing around, and then the FMC is attacked and kidnapped by one of his loyal men and the MMC goes to pick her up and kills the guy immediately, but she’s still pretty beat up. This would be a great time to SHOW, not TELL about how strongly he feels about her by having him nurse her back to health aaaaaand the book cuts away and she’s back to her old self again. Except now they’re kissing and petting each other like they’re in a relationship and we just… missed it I guess.
She catches him flagellating himself in a private room and then stops him from doing it and inexplicably this is the moment they declare their undying love for one another. 🤷🏻♀️ at this point I’m just waiting for the story to be over, I mean it’s not like the author really cares about making it a good one. Wedding bells in the epilogue and a little setup for the next book and we’re out.
A boring story about a woman without a shred of independence being passed around from master to master.
The book hits its plot beats with little finesse. FMC is a circus performer who owes the ringleader an unknown debt. She sells drugs on the side at his behest. When someone she sold drugs to is found dead the next morning, the MMC turns up to knock some heads; he’s like a mafia don enforcing civilian laws in his territory. But once he sees her, he changes tack and wants to take her back to his place. She accepts after he promises not to harm any more of her circus friends.
We then learn that she’s a daughter of the rival mafia-type group, but apparently they grew up together and had a little childhood romance before things went sour and she split. Okay, now that we’ve got all that set up out of the way, we’re like 70% of the way through the novel and nothing has happened. We’ve gotten to the adhesion plot thrust but there really isn’t any inkling or deepening of desire at this point.
She is moved into a nice bedroom. He is away from the manor all the time. Still around often enough to catch her sneaking out the window and ask her nicely not to do that again, though. Sometimes she asks why she’s here; he shrugs it off. When his men question him, he murders them in cold blood. 🚩
There are some meandering plot beats where his warehouse is attacked, the FMC’s cousin comes sniffing around, and then the FMC is attacked and kidnapped by one of his loyal men and the MMC goes to pick her up and kills the guy immediately, but she’s still pretty beat up. This would be a great time to SHOW, not TELL about how strongly he feels about her by having him nurse her back to health aaaaaand the book cuts away and she’s back to her old self again. Except now they’re kissing and petting each other like they’re in a relationship and we just… missed it I guess.
She catches him flagellating himself in a private room and then stops him from doing it and inexplicably this is the moment they declare their undying love for one another. 🤷🏻♀️ at this point I’m just waiting for the story to be over, I mean it’s not like the author really cares about making it a good one. Wedding bells in the epilogue and a little setup for the next book and we’re out.
A boring story about a woman without a shred of independence being passed around from master to master.
June 19, 2024
This novella is a prelude to the first book in the Enchanted Elemental Empires series, and I honestly wasn't really sure what to expect.
What I got was a friends to lovers, mafia-vibe, magic-filled, touch her and die, story. And I enjoyed it. There's a depth to this story that I would have loved to see more of, and a part of me felt this was a little rushed, leading me to believe this should have been a full story rather than a novella. I am hoping that there is more in the next book to answer some of my questions though.
Nova, a runaway circus performer, is caught in a difficult situation - stay with the circus and risk them all being destroyed, or save her friends in the circus and hand herself over to the Penum Enclave, the authority in the area they are in, run by the man she loved growing up.
Malik, now leader of the Penum Enclave, has always loved Nova - the missing princess of his enemy, the Finis - and now that she's back, he's never ever letting her go again. He'll do anything to protect her and have her as his forever.
I am looking forward to reading more, starting with Whispers of The Past, The Spectral Syndicate - Book One of the Enchanted Elemental Empires series.
3.75 ⭐ (rounded up to 4)
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Touch her & die, magic, mafia-vibe
Triggers: Violence, Drug distribution, Death (on and off page)
What I got was a friends to lovers, mafia-vibe, magic-filled, touch her and die, story. And I enjoyed it. There's a depth to this story that I would have loved to see more of, and a part of me felt this was a little rushed, leading me to believe this should have been a full story rather than a novella. I am hoping that there is more in the next book to answer some of my questions though.
Nova, a runaway circus performer, is caught in a difficult situation - stay with the circus and risk them all being destroyed, or save her friends in the circus and hand herself over to the Penum Enclave, the authority in the area they are in, run by the man she loved growing up.
Malik, now leader of the Penum Enclave, has always loved Nova - the missing princess of his enemy, the Finis - and now that she's back, he's never ever letting her go again. He'll do anything to protect her and have her as his forever.
I am looking forward to reading more, starting with Whispers of The Past, The Spectral Syndicate - Book One of the Enchanted Elemental Empires series.
3.75 ⭐ (rounded up to 4)
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Touch her & die, magic, mafia-vibe
Triggers: Violence, Drug distribution, Death (on and off page)
June 25, 2024
Cursed Bonds is a connected standalone in the Enchanted Elemental Empires series. It has a very similar vibe to book one: dark and gritty magical romance with a hint of steampunk. I enjoyed the added details about life in the cirque where Nova is hiding. It sounds magical, if just as dark, as the criminal world she fled from.
Their world is somber and violent, much like the male main character. Malik is the leader of the gang/clan that finds Nova and brings her back to his home. Nova is definitely a damsel, she's weak and vulnerable and in need of protecting. Together they're endearing with a little hurt/comfort feel.
This story is short but seems like a good prequel if you like violent steampunk gang politics and tender second chance romances.
Their world is somber and violent, much like the male main character. Malik is the leader of the gang/clan that finds Nova and brings her back to his home. Nova is definitely a damsel, she's weak and vulnerable and in need of protecting. Together they're endearing with a little hurt/comfort feel.
This story is short but seems like a good prequel if you like violent steampunk gang politics and tender second chance romances.
June 17, 2024
ARC REVIEW
Cursed Bonds
Rating: 🌟⭐️🌟
Clean read
This novella introduced me to a world and series franchise (11 authors across the Enchanted Elemental Empires) that was most intriguing. I look forward to the main series but was left disappointed by this novella. While novellas are short by definition and nature, this rushed things far too much and left me interested in the characters and happenings but feeling absolutely no chemistry between the FMC and MMC or stake in the happenings of this short story. I can absolutely see the potential in the story this novella precedes though and look forward to Chan’s future works.
Cursed Bonds
Rating: 🌟⭐️🌟
Clean read
This novella introduced me to a world and series franchise (11 authors across the Enchanted Elemental Empires) that was most intriguing. I look forward to the main series but was left disappointed by this novella. While novellas are short by definition and nature, this rushed things far too much and left me interested in the characters and happenings but feeling absolutely no chemistry between the FMC and MMC or stake in the happenings of this short story. I can absolutely see the potential in the story this novella precedes though and look forward to Chan’s future works.
July 3, 2024
This was a great prequel to the upcoming trilogy which is part of the Enchanted Elemental Empires MAS
Nova thought she'd escaped her past but it comes back to hit her hard when the circus she ran away with returns to her homeland.
This was a great short story that certainly pulls no punches. It's gritty and dark with it's mafia/gang style but also swoony with it's forbidden love. The characters are well written but leave scope for more development throughout the series.
There's enough in it about the shared world that it can be read as a Standalone but I think it is best as part of the bigger series.
Nova thought she'd escaped her past but it comes back to hit her hard when the circus she ran away with returns to her homeland.
This was a great short story that certainly pulls no punches. It's gritty and dark with it's mafia/gang style but also swoony with it's forbidden love. The characters are well written but leave scope for more development throughout the series.
There's enough in it about the shared world that it can be read as a Standalone but I think it is best as part of the bigger series.
June 25, 2024
We begin in the world of a Circus, where we meet our FMC who is under a debt obligation with the ring Master. After an incident occurs, someone from her past takes her in a debt trade, this is our MMC (morally dark grey, shadow daddy type). This beautifully balanced love story was so sweet in the midst of a cruelly violent underworld. In a Gothic meets Steampunk style world we learn more about the characters and watch as their relationship blooms. I can't wait to follow these two in the next story.
July 3, 2024
Fated Love.
Nova Finis, circus acrobat from esteemed family Spectral Syndicate & childhood sweetheart/family nemesis Malik Vincenzo, Penum Enclave leader, shadow heir. Has a touch of Romeo and Juliet forbidden love vibe. I enjoyed the world building of eleven elements and the entire background description and glossary of terms. It helped a lot. The authors note does help the reader keep an open mind to assist in scene and sentence flow but I thought it went well. I was really impressed with this world and the storytelling of two opposing families battling for supremacy.
Nova Finis, circus acrobat from esteemed family Spectral Syndicate & childhood sweetheart/family nemesis Malik Vincenzo, Penum Enclave leader, shadow heir. Has a touch of Romeo and Juliet forbidden love vibe. I enjoyed the world building of eleven elements and the entire background description and glossary of terms. It helped a lot. The authors note does help the reader keep an open mind to assist in scene and sentence flow but I thought it went well. I was really impressed with this world and the storytelling of two opposing families battling for supremacy.
June 21, 2024
This was an interesting book that has a lot of potential in the shared elemental world that is being written about by eleven authors. This one I read introduced the spirit element, definitely looking forward to reading more of these books. Highly enjoyable and definitely looking forward to the different elements of this world.
I received a complimentary ARC from the author for a fair and honest review.
I received a complimentary ARC from the author for a fair and honest review.
August 13, 2024
This was a great start to Sophea Chan's books in the Enchanted Elemental Empire Series. This book has plenty of action, swoon, and intrigue to keep you wanting more! I'm looking forward to the continuation of Nova & Malik's story, as well as learning more of the Enclave. It's a quick read, but not lacking in content or plot. It's a great read!
June 16, 2024
Intriguing
The story is well crafted and intriguing. There's a delicious and simmering chemistry between Nova and Malik. I enjoyed the world building. All in all done quite well. I'm ready for the Masquerade Ball !
The story is well crafted and intriguing. There's a delicious and simmering chemistry between Nova and Malik. I enjoyed the world building. All in all done quite well. I'm ready for the Masquerade Ball !
June 25, 2024
This is a novella that leads to the Enchanted Elemental Empires series, which is written by 11 different authors. This book does well with introducing readers to the world that they will experience with the series. It did feel a little bit rushed, but overall it was a great read.
July 14, 2024
I honestly enjoyed this quick story. Fast paced, mafia based story with a world unlike our own. Very thought out and detailed for easy follow. The characters are easily enjoyable and leaves you hoping for more.
June 16, 2024
I love the storyline. I thought it was rushed and there was some missed opportunity with world and character building. I would’ve liked more details, especially with it being a prequel.
July 5, 2024
This one didnt do it for me im sorry. It was just the story. DNF I look forward to the new book that follows this story. I know it will be bigger maybe I will like it more.
July 5, 2024
Love the story it just felt rushed then I found out its a prequel. I am looking forward to the full book. Great story telling and well written. I just needed more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2024
This story was too rushed I feel like alot was left on the table. I look forward to more. The author can definitely write but I want more!
July 21, 2024
Short and sweet. I liked it a lot. Loved how it started with the circus and then how it ended. Mafia how I love mafia
August 5, 2024
I loved this book! It was a nice read that got straight to the point. The writing was amazing!
June 25, 2024
“You’ve ruined me…in the worst and best of ways”
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•Circus 🎪 , Flames 🔥 , Friends to Lovers ❤️, Touch Her & 💀 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Nova, finds herself making bad decisions under Count Morins authority. Whereas Count Morin seems to not care about anyone, except himself. His fame and the money. He gives off a very off putting vibe from the start. Nova owes him and he makes sure she knows that. He so easily gives her up though to Malik….
Then Malik swooshed in - all he wanted as payment was HER 😱 It threw my mind in soooooo many different scenarios. She is reminded of past memories upon arrival. Was he going to use her until he didn’t need her anymore? No… He simply just wanted her. He will stop at NO END to make sure she is safe with him. Their attraction towards each other with all the obvious tension with each encounter.
Such a PHENOMENAL BOOK! 📚
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•Circus 🎪 , Flames 🔥 , Friends to Lovers ❤️, Touch Her & 💀 •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Nova, finds herself making bad decisions under Count Morins authority. Whereas Count Morin seems to not care about anyone, except himself. His fame and the money. He gives off a very off putting vibe from the start. Nova owes him and he makes sure she knows that. He so easily gives her up though to Malik….
Then Malik swooshed in - all he wanted as payment was HER 😱 It threw my mind in soooooo many different scenarios. She is reminded of past memories upon arrival. Was he going to use her until he didn’t need her anymore? No… He simply just wanted her. He will stop at NO END to make sure she is safe with him. Their attraction towards each other with all the obvious tension with each encounter.
Such a PHENOMENAL BOOK! 📚
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2024
This novella is short, but it's a good prequel that will lead us to the Enchanted Elemental Empires Series, which is written by 11 different authors. I enjoyed the world building of eleven elements and the entire background description and glossary of terms. It helped a lot to keep an open mind to assist in the reading and to understand the world we experience with the series. I enjoyed the world building. Was fantastic!!! The story is well crafted and intriguing. Has a touch of Romeo and Juliet forbidden love vibe. There's a delicious and simmering chemistry between Nova and Malik. There are not spicy juices or steam in this novella... Its all about the way the author writes that makes the reader feel the desire, the irresistible attraction, and love between the characters in every encounter.
I'm ready for the Masquerade Ball 🎭 !!!
I'm ready for the Masquerade Ball 🎭 !!!
December 19, 2024
I couldn't get enough of the fire between Malik and Nova. There is no steam in this book, it's simply the way the author writes that makes the reader feel the tension, desire, attraction, irresistible. Swoon.
The story begins with Nova in the Cirque under Count Morin's control. This worlds is different from our own, so it takes a little time to settle in. The language is a bit different, different cultures, but all carefully created and described well. I found it to be interesting. Lots of colorful characters.
Once Nova was with Malik, I found myself completely engrossed and not wanting to put it down. Get this book to see for yourself! They banter and tease and chase and it's awesome.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story begins with Nova in the Cirque under Count Morin's control. This worlds is different from our own, so it takes a little time to settle in. The language is a bit different, different cultures, but all carefully created and described well. I found it to be interesting. Lots of colorful characters.
Once Nova was with Malik, I found myself completely engrossed and not wanting to put it down. Get this book to see for yourself! They banter and tease and chase and it's awesome.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews