Alpha Bound: Dawn of the Curse Book 2

by Leisl Leighton

If stories of wild magic, shifters, witches, fated mates, terrible secrets, meddling Goddesses and the struggle against evil, all mixed with sizzling sexual tension and a powerful romance are your nirvana, then Alpha Bound is the book for you.

A power too great for even her mate to withstand …

Leanna Finnigan thinks she is nothing more than a normal Healer witch—until she brings back Dougal MacCrae, the Were she loves, from death. Now her friends are worried about what her new power means, because nobody but a God or Goddess can bring back the dead. But she can’t be worried about that because she didn’t completely heal Dougal from his injuries and he is unable to move his legs.

According to Pack Law, such injury means his death.

An Alpha born, if not yet in reality, Dougal can’t be a burden on the pack, or his almost-mate Leanna. Without the means to end his life he endeavours to will himself to death. Until the Pack’s Coven Leader, Morghanna Cantrae, tells him he is already mated to Leanna and she will die if he keeps on as he is. Horrified that he could hurt his mate so, he tries to break the bond, but that only makes matters worse, pushing her to breaking point ...

And bringing their ancient enemy, the Darkness, to their door once more.

Somehow Leanna must find a way to heal Dougal’s soul and accept their mating if she is to face the evil of the Darkness once again. Because she will need all his love, trust and strength if she is to survive without turning into the very thing her mentor fears she is a Soul-wraith.

If stories of wild magic, shifters, witches, fated mates, terrible secrets, meddling Goddesses and the struggle against evil, all mixed with sizzling sexual tension and a powerful romance are your nirvana, then Alpha Bound is the book for you.

473 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2024

About the author

Leisl Leighton is a tall red head with an overly large imagination. As a child, she identified strongly with Anne of Green Gables, and like Anne, is a voracious reader and born performer. It came as no surprise when she went on to a career as a performer, script writer, script doctor, stage manager and musical director for cabaret and theatre restaurants.

After starting a family, Leisl stopped performing and began writing the stories plaguing her dreams. She is addicted to sci-fi and romance books and DVDs, she sometimes sings in a choir, loves to ski and horse ride, and was President of Romance Writers of Australia from 2014–2017. When she’s not writing, she helps other writers make their manuscripts shine.

You can contact Leisl through her website www.leislleighton.com or sign up to her Newsletter there and be the first to find out about new releases, appearances, special deals and exclusive giveaways.

Leisl is excited to be part of the Goodreads community and is happy to post reviews, but will only do so for books she has given 4 or more stars. 'I want to share what I love, not put negativity out into the world.'

Reviews

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series and continues Dougal and Leanna's fight to save the pack. The author takes them on a journey filled with drama and surprises as Leanna discovers some new powers and they continue to fight for the pack. She moves the story fluidly with her descriptive scenes and delivers an interesting read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and are freely given.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overcoming Darkness . . .

Werewolf Dougal MacCrae and Leanna must keep the evil Darkness away from the Pack. But things go wrong and Dougal experiences a brief moment of death which Leanna Finnigan is somehow able to reverse. However, he finds that he can no longer use his legs. For the pack, their Law demands that Dougal cannot be Alpha of the pack in this condition and must die. Even Leanna has inadvertently created a problem because of what she did in bringing Dougal back from death. Does this mean she is a goddess since that is what it would take to overcome a death? To spare her, Dougal tries to claim death again so he does not burden the pack or cause problems for Leanna. And he finds that even that noble effort won't work as he is told that if he dies now, Leanna will suffer the same fate. Can she somehow heal Dougal's soul in a way that they can defeat the Darkness? She can't fight it alone and will need Dougal's love and strength to succeed. This non-stop action story line will keep the reader on the edge of the seat to see how this can ever be unraveled! Will they save the Pack? Or will they die in the effort to drive off the Darkness?

[Heather Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha Bound is the second story in the Dawn of the Curse series which I have found to be quite suspenseful and a definite page turner of a shifter romance. Author Leisl Leighton has done a phenomenal job with this book and it happens to be the first one that I have read by her and she didn’t disappoint. I absolutely enjoyed reading this wolf shifter romance to the point where I didn’t want to put the book down for a single second. This is most definitely a wolf shifter romance that I would HIGHLY recommend for anyone to checkout who enjoys reading wolf shifter romances. I’m definitely going to be looking into more of this author’s work in the near future.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Margery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leanna is still trying to figure her wonky powers. Dougal is a were who more or less steps into keep her safe. The darkness has made a pack were evil and in their attempt to put him under an endless sleep, Dougal is injured and dies for a minute. Leanna unexpectedly brings him back to life. Only thing is, now he cannot use his legs. As a were born to be Alpha, he cannot become Alpha. He tries to die, but, the packs coven leader informs him Leanna will die. His goal now is to break the bond with out bringing the darkness down on them all. She has to become his mate to prevent her from becoming a soul-wraith. Action from start to finish.

[Nikki Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the story continues we see Dougal and Leanna fighting to keep the darkness from the Pack. When things go awry Dougal finds himself unable to walk. Determined to carry on he realises that in the eyes of the pack he is weak and not fit. With the darkness refusing to let go of it's hold, Leanna has to access more of her powers to try and destroy it. It will take both Dougal and Leanna working together with some of the pack if they stand any chance, creating an outcome that surprises everyone. Full of drama this is a fitting end to this part of the story and I hope there is a new series following Dougal and Leanna and the new pack.

[Luc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dougall is the next Alpha to his clan when the old Alpha passes away to the next life.
He has a nemesis in his own family that should have inherited the Alpha title but Lachlan has no empathy, only cares for power and himself and prefers to serve the dark. He is currently being held as prisoner in the camp where it has been decided that, because of his family ties with the current Alpha, he will not be killed but induced in a coma that will last as long as a cure is found for the pack and it's coven.

Leanna, Dougall's mate is a witch and as been tasked to perform the sleep spell incantation.

However, in the middle of the incantation, Lachlan curses Dougall and everyone he loves and escapes by being pulled by the dark. In his escape, Dougal is critically wounded and not expected to survive.

Against all odds, Leanna brings up powers that she didn't know she had and cures him with the slight problem that he has no use of his legs. The power displayed by Leanna is very dangerous if not properly balanced as Leanna, known, after this feat as the Saoul Saver, could very well be known as the Saoul Taker.

The book is long but deserves a rating, from this reader of 4 Stars.

[Rose Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action-packed paranormal adventure begins with the end of Book 1, “Soul Bound” and OMG! The war of good vs evil is so real. Love, trust, and life and death are possible casualties that can turn the tide. This well-written tale will have your mind and emotions in a twist. I couldn’t put it down. It's the perfect weekend read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susense, action and so much more. This is Leanna and Dougal's story. Leanna is learning her powers, but what happens when she brings Dougal back to life. They are mates, so if he dies she will too. Can he figure away around this? The darkness is taking over, can she stop it? What will happen if he prevents the mating? Will she become more than she should?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sissy Satterfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one action packed edge of your seat story, filled with paranormal characters that kept me invested from the start. I did read book one first and I am glad that I did. Leanna and Dougal truly need each other to survive, Dougal has to push through. I Loved this story!!! I Highly Recommend!! No Spoilers!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a strong sequel in the Dawn of the Curse series, it had that element that I was looking for from the previous book. It had that element that I was hoping for and was invested in what was going on. It had that paranormal romance that I was looking for and was glad I was able to read this.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leanna heals Dougal (brings him back to life) but there are complications for them both. As Dougal isn't fully healed and their fate is intertwined.