Broken & Bound: A Friends to Lovers Romance

by Emerson Reign

ISABELLA

They say grief comes in waves. They’re wrong. Grief is drowning while everyone around you expects you to keep breathing.

I thought surviving my childhood made me strong. Thought returning to the castle and facing the ghosts buried there would be the hardest battle of my life.

I was so very wrong.

Because nothing prepared me for losing the future I never realized I wanted. Now I can't even look at him without the crushing heartbreak.

Every memory reminds me of everything we lost. I tell myself distance hurts less than hope. So I push him away leaving us more broken than before. The worst part?

I don't think love can survive this. And I no longer have the strength to find out. Maybe some things are simply too broken to put back together.

THE RUSSIAN

I’ve spent my life protecting the people I love. But no amount of strength, violence, or loyalty could protect Isabella from this. Or me.

One moment changed everything.

Now the woman I would burn the world down for is slipping through my fingers, drowning in guilt and pain I can’t fix. And I'd gladly follow her into the dark if it meant bringing her back. Because grief doesn't just break people. It turns love into silence, distance, and impossible choices.

I failed her in every way possible.

This is the price I'm paying. Maybe the greatest act of love isn't holding on. Maybe it's knowing when to let go.

437 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2026

About the author

Emerson Reign is a Contemporary Dark Romance author living in the Pacific Northwest. She is known for creating intricately wordy, woven tales where the characters always get what they want.

Thanks in no small part to George R.R. Martin, her current book series in in the developmental stages with seven books completed. As the oracle of her family, she is used to telling stories. From a young age she could be found with a diary, journal or notebook in hand for jotting down ideas and poems.

When not writing, Emerson is immersed in family life, reading a book or tending to a needy dachshund while the calm terrier mix sighs heavily.

Reviews

[Joely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. If you’ve made it this far, you are probably as hooked as I am since this is book 7 but does mark the end of Isabella’s duet.

I love how human the characters are. When dealing with emotions there isn’t a magical fix to a happy ending and Pasha and Bella each go through what I found to be very realistic journeys.

All this books have angst and trigger warnings but this one is especially sensitive- you should check them but fair warning the trigger warnings do contain spoilers.

[Coral Hessels · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 STARS — and honestly, I’m still not okay.

I have followed the Season Sisters since the very beginning, and I can confidently say Broken and Bound is my favourite book in the series.

This book absolutely wrecked me. There were moments I was crying my eyes out, moments my heart physically hurt, and yet somehow by the end, I felt like all those broken pieces had slowly been put back together again. ❤️‍🩹

I lost my son in 2019 when he was only 2½ years old, and because of that, books that deal with grief can be incredibly hit or miss for me. But Emerson got it. The pain, the heaviness, the way grief never really leaves you but instead becomes something you learn to carry… it was so painfully accurate. There were parts that hit incredibly close to home, but they were written with so much care and honesty.

And Isabella and Pasha?! 😭❤️

Their story was absolutely beautiful. Pasha was exactly the energy Isabella needed — the perfect balance to her — and I genuinely could not get enough of them. Watching their relationship unfold through everything they were carrying was heartbreaking and healing all at once.

Then THAT ENDING.

The way everything wrapped up has me absolutely dying for Winter’s story now. I need it immediately. 😂

And Bash… please, PLEASE let that man find some peace by the end of all of this. My heart cannot take much more.

Heartbreaking. Healing. Beautiful. Unforgettable.

Emerson, you absolutely outdid yourself with this one. ❤️‍🩹

Five stars without hesitation!

[Minnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review

5⭐|4🌶️|16%🌶️

Better don't ask me how long I stayed awake to finish the book 🙈 Just imagine it was LOOOONG and add more to it 😎
But I just couldn't stop reading. Every time I thought "OK, one more chapter." Something happened, and I just couldn't stop 🙈 So I just kept reading. If you don't know, I use immersion reading, and my earphones already beeped because they were almost empty, but as I said, I just couldn't stop. I had to use my second pair.

I so loved Pavel and Isabella.
I still get shocked about everything the sisters had to go through when they were k!dnapped as children 😱 And of course, even after all these years, these 2 years sit deep, and the healing process is still not finished.
Pavel is so perfect. He tries everything to help Isabella 🩷
But as typical for the brother's best friend trope, Sebastian is NOT amused about it 🤬 I mean, ONE point I might understand, but not generally.
All men are a "tiny" bit k!nky. And now imagine you teach someone to be a dom, and this person becomes your sister's boyfriend 🤣 I think it's funny, because I'm not in the situation, but... I think you understand.

Damnit, I need to stop... No space anymore. So, just a few important things:
This is an ongoing series; I highly recommend reading the books in order, otherwise you will miss the whole backstory of the sisters, and also the meaning of things, and also the strong connection they have.
This book has some very heavy topics (as the whole series), so please check TW if necessary.

I'm so super excited about the next book. I'm excited who Winter is. And how she and Sebastian will meet. And how Sebastian will get over his grief. Yes, I hated him a lot in this book, but I generally love him 🩷

Thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC 🩷


Follow me on IG for more
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[Hay Boardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

before you read this book, READ THE TRIGGER, READ THE TRIGGERS, READ THE DAMN TRIGGERS.”


I haven’t read a book in quite some time that was truly as heart wrenching and emotional as this one.

So it picks just right off from book 6, and it’s Isabella and Pasha about to go on her journey back to the house of horrors. Pasha was just the perfect man that she needed through those chapters. He knew when she needed space but not too much space, and just to hold her and just be present when she needed it. You know, nothing is sexier than a man who doesn’t always want to “fix it” and just stands there silently holding you. Also, the chemistry…..the “how to” couch scene with the build up, holy HELL. 🥵 the way the author wrote ALL their sex scenes was just freaking HOT. Top tier, chefs kiss. You could feel the heat through the page.

And then the author decided to take us on one of the most emotional, at times frustrating, heart breaking journeys I’ve been on in a long time. Like I knew from the triggers what was coming, but the who and the twists and turns, shook me. The aftermath and POVS from everyone was just excruciating but beautiful to read.

I appreciated so much that Emerson Reign didn’t put all this tragedy in the book, and then the couple gets back together, have sex again immediately and everyone’s just back to normal HEA. It was a journey for not only the main characters but also the characters from previous books because they are one big a “family”.

All that said, the book dealt with an incredibly hard losses and deep seated trauma that lasts a lifetime but was beautifully written and so well-done. I think I’ve said this after every book: she continues to just keep emotional wrecking me but then she puts me back together……eventually lol.

Pasha and Bella: I hope one day, you’ll get your sweet little rainbow 🌈 babies and we’ll get to be a part of that


And I cannot wait for Sebastian’s and Winters story. He’s got some real work to do but it’s going to be hot. I know it.

And huge huge thank you to Emerson Reign for letting me be a part of the ARC team and give my honest review!

[Fantasy and Ruin · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤I received an ARC copy from the author of this book

Broken and Bound by Emerson Reign

Overall, Isabella’s story has been my favorite. And PASHA?! That man is a DREAM. 🖤

This story really takes you through it—grief, heartbreak, joy, freedom, and ultimately healing.

Isabella’s grief surrounding the loss of her pregnancy was absolutely heart-wrenching. As someone who has also experienced the loss of a child in the second trimester, this part hit incredibly close to home. Her grief felt raw and real, and I thought it was a really well-done representation of the complicated emotions that come with that kind of loss.

I loved watching Isabella find pieces of herself again and seeing her story become about more than what happened to her—it was about healing, freedom, and learning how to live again.

My biggest issue was the ending. It felt a little rushed, and the incident that ultimately led to the pregnancy loss seemed to come out of nowhere. I wish there had been a little more development leading up to it and more time for the ending to breathe.

But overall? 4⭐️ and Isabella’s story is definitely my favorite.

And once again, because it needs to be said:

Pasha. Is. A. DREAM. 🖤

[LINDSAY R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is full of intense moments, deepest love, family, friendship, tough times and topics, but it is done so with care and devotion to the mental health of the characters. This book is no exception. It is so well written and careful to be brutally honest, but doesn't shy away from the reality and honesty of the world. Pasha is one of the most deserving of a true love story he is one of my favorite characters in this series and I can't wait for Winter and what I assume to be Bash. I know the last 3 books are going to intense, but I can't wait it feels like the family is coming home with another piece of the family put together.

[Charlene's Bookish Archives · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my fucking heart!! This one absolutely destroyed me and put the pieces back together so gently 💔

Isabella describes grief so perfectly, it’s not just waves, it’s drowning while everyone around you expects you to keep breathing. She’s already survived so much, but nothing prepared her for losing the future she’d only just dared to imagine. Every memory stings, every glance feels like too much, so she does what hurts most, she pushes him away. Because sometimes it feels safer to let go than to keep hoping something broken can be fixed. I felt that ache in my chest so deeply reading this.

And Pasha, my love for this man runs deep. He’s always been her protector, her rock, but there are some wounds he can’t fight his way out of. Watching him stand by, helpless, as the woman he loves pulls away! That quiet desperation, that he’d follow her into the dark if that’s where she needed to go, absolutely broke me.

He’s willing to let her go, not because he wants to, but because he loves her enough to put her peace before his own heart. That kind of love, ugh, it hurts to read, but it’s so incredibly beautiful.

This isn’t the easy part of love. It’s the messy, painful, terrifying middle where you have to decide, do we fight for us, or do we give each other space to heal?

It’s raw, it’s honest, and it feels so incredibly real. But through all the tears and silence, there’s this quiet, unshakable truth, they’re broken, yes, but they’re still bound to each other in a way grief can’t touch.

Beautiful, heartbreaking, and utterly unforgettable.

If Lost & Found was finding their way to each other, this is the storm that tests whether they can weather anything together. Wow. 🥀😢🔥

[Ashley Stanford Cone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one really got me. The Season Sisters is probably one of my favorite series and while the themes are heavy, Emerson does an amazing job of bringing you along in a way that makes you feel all the feels and really fall in love with the sisters and their men.

That said, Broken & Bound, while maybe one of my favorites, was an extremely emotional ride. I love the dynamics between Pasha and Izzy and how true their love is. But what got me the most was feeling what Izzy was feeling and working through what Izzy experienced. It was so raw and felt so real.

The trauma and grief they both experienced and how they worked through it… was devastating. But how they came out of it made it all worth it.

And now, we have one more sister to find and fall in love with… my question is, will they also find X?

Please do read the trigger warnings. There are parts of this story that are hard to read and my anxiety peaked a few times.

But Emerson, thank you for bringing the sisters to life. For taking such great care with telling their stories in a way that I’m sure has and will help others who have experienced trauma and are trying to heal.

Five stars.⭐️

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot even express how much I love this series. I would give this book 10 stars instead of five! Broken and Bound, was the most intense for me thus far. The story of Pasha and Isabella (Autumn) is so full of passion, love, lust, loss and true and utter heartbreak. If you have read the previous books you know the whole devastating back story of the Season Sisters. This continuation of “Autumn’s” story brings even more trauma for her to handle, along with upheaval in Death Squad’s found family. The way that Pasha handles Isabella with care and reverence is so sweet, yet he longs to be her Dom - but only at her pace, of course. If you are looking for dark, painful, soul crushing stories full of love, happiness, and family, then this series will have you crying, screaming and panting through each and every book. I whole heartedly appreciate the opportunity to read an early copy of this book.

[Jazmyne Janai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should always expect Emerson to make me an emotional mess in her books. I swear they just get more and more emotional as we progress through them all. This one absolutely ruined me because I was so happy for Pasha and Bella. But their pain also ruined me. These girls have been through it all, and the men they have are just perfect for them. I cannot wait to read Winters story and see what happens and how it all ties together and wrap up. I could literally talk forever about these books and just how much I love them. I swear I love each person more and more

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that broke me
From heartbreakingly intense to intensely heartbreaking, I have sobbed my heart out whilst reading this, grief pouring from me.
Isabella and Pasha have such a hard journey.
And then there is Sebastian.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️💔💔💔💔

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

This book broke me and then slowly put me back together. I have loved and devoured this series! I seriously can't wait for the next and last season sister.

[Reba Densley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been around for this entire series and they all broke me but not like this. This book destroyed me so much. I cried and screamed and wasn't sure how to feel in-between. This one definitely left me raw and broken open. I love Pasha and Isabella so much and man this one hurt alot.