Bound, Vol. 2

Little Goddess #3 part 2 of 2

by Amy Lane

Little Book ThreeVol. 2

Cory’s newly bound family is starting to find its footing, which is a good thing because danger after danger threatens, and Green can't be there nearly as often as he’s needed. As Cory learns to face the challenges of ruling the hill alone, she’s also juggling a ménage relationship with three lovers—with mixed results.

But with each new challenge, one lesson becomes crystal she can’t be queen without each of the men who look to her, and the people she loves aren’t safe unless she takes on that queendom with all of the intelligence and courage in her formidable heart.

But sometimes even intelligence, courage, and steadily increasing magic aren’t enough to do the job, and suddenly the role of Cory’s lovers becomes more crucial than ever. Nobody is strong enough to succeed in every task, and Cory finds that the most painful lesson she and her lovers can learn is not just how to deal with failure. Cory needs to learn that one woman is only so powerful, and she needs to choose wisely who sits outside her circle of family, and who is bound eternally in her heart.

Genres: Vampires, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Romance, Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 22, 2015

About the author

Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house.

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hollow Man is still threatening Cory and all she holds dear. Green continues to be away on business shoring up their allies, but still gone when everyone needs him. Bracken and Cory are dealing with their sometime volatile relationship. Nicky is finding his way as the fourth in their group but never destined to be Cory's beloved, only a well loved friend. Cory and Grace are both dealing with the emergence of Grace's adult daughter who doesn't want to believe her mom didn't die when she was a child but became a vampire instead. And Cory is struggling to be the queen the hill needs her to be. Basically, life as usual on Green's Hill, and the 'Little Goddess' series.

“I want you to say that you’re beautiful and magnificent, and that you deserve every good thing you’ve ever gotten. I want you to say that you don’t need to earn our love—and that you’ll honor the love we give you by not thinking ill of yourself for stupid human preconceptions that you’ve disproved a thousand times over. I want you to say that you forgive yourself for making mistakes, for being one of the Goddess’s children, and for not knowing every answer to every situation. I want you to say to yourself, if not to me and Bracken, that you are worthy.” ~ Green

It's so funny to watch how flustered Cory still gets when she purposely uses her magic and the guys power up her batteries. So to speak. Green had come up with a great way to protect the entire Hill, but leaving Cory to worry about the ritual for nine days was almost more than she could handle. Poor Cory. She's such a bundle of contradictions. Of course a lot of her discomfort comes from Chloe stirring up the hornets nest and Cory's mother walking in to find her in bed with her three husbands. Oops. Okay, so I giggled a little. Sue me. Cory's life is so stressful, as are many things on the Hill, and she needs a little levity here and there.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. These books are pure magic, no pun intended. The writing is so glorious that I'm often left with tears in my eyes. The sacrifices that each of these four are willing to make to protect each other and their people astounds me. The love they share humbles me. Finding one soul mate is hard enough. Cory has found three and even though she lost one, she also has another love… different from her beloveds but no less valuable. Thank you, Amy. Again.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you think the Hill can breathe, something else comes along and tears at them. But somehow they fight and fight and they love and they survive and move on to fight another day. I'm so loving this series

[Love Bytes Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Heart Review by Vicki

Wow. I swear I get why these long books are split, I really do, but this one had all of the action and payoff that volume 1 was missing! That is not to say that volume 1 was bad, I think I gave it 4.5 hearts, but damn, this one just has it all. The same thing happened with Wounded volume 1. It was great, but the good stuff happens in volume 2. The same thing happens here!

So I said it with the last book, these are not gay romance novels and really don’t fit with the same-sex romance theme of Love Bytes Reviews. But in a way, they really do. One of the things I love about this series is the openness of the love. No, there isn’t EXACTLY gay romance or gay sex in each book, but they are an example of no boundary love. At the center of this story is Cory, who is bound and mated with three men. Green and Bracken are sidhe, Nicky is a bird shifter. They all play different roles and provide different things that Cory specifically needs, but as the four become more bonded they begin to provide for each other as well. Nicky has always been the outsider of the group, Bracken and Green have lived together, not as lovers, but in the same home for years, and they bonded with Cory first. Nicky was an accident and Bracken has been a little…. cold? Not mean to him, but just not welcoming. By the end of this book, poor Nicky is right there too. Cory also gets her shit together more in this one, she gets beat to shit as usual, and vomits multiple times, but she has figured out her power more. And how to use the three men better as well. There is less fumbling around in this one, they still don’t know what they are doing exactly, but they seem to function better.

I got off track a bit there! This is a continuation of the story started in Bound volume 1, where we have a new bad guy for Cory and company to deal with. Volume 1 sets the stage, introduces some new characters, and sets us up for the big fight. Volume 2 gives us the payoff. There are a couple of confrontations between the Green’s Hill folks and the Hollow Man, one nearly costing Bracken and Nicky’s lives, and one ending…. well. I won’t say! It’s a good example of good versus evil, but a lesson that evil doesn’t always start that way.

More interpersonal issues are dealt with as well, smaller issues in the grand scheme of things, but still important to the lives of the Green’s Hill folks. Grace, our resident vampire mother has been recently discovered by her living daughter and grandchildren, all of which have been coming to the hill to visit. The kids are awesome, their mother not so much. This comes to a head in this book with a very dramatic ending. We see more of the internal functions of the hill, meals, some of the smaller folks and such, and the acceptance of a new vampire to their mix. Some progress is made with Renny and Max as well. Cory’s mom pops in to be a pain in the ass. Poor Cory and her band of misfits are still trying to go to school, with very mixed results. They meet a new friend that doesn’t end well, and continue with their mutual counseling sessions with Hallow, who I quite like. This book really made me wish I could knit, but my hands and wrists are too fucked up to do it. Knitting plays a role in a rescue that was very cool, as well as seeing Cory knit for her men. Wish I could do that! For my man, that is, not men!

One of the many things I like about this series is that it is a long series, big books, and the characters continue from book to book so we get deeply in to their lives. It feels soap opera-ish at times, but so not in a bad way. This is like a big commune, there is fighting and fussing, but they all come together and kick ass when it counts. All led by Green and Cory, with a lot of back up.

It’s an amazing series, I don’t know what else to say. It’s Amy Lane, I love her, I love this series, I love these books. I’m so enjoying visiting them again, it’s been years since I first read them. I downloaded the handful of short stories that go with them, I think I just need to reread them right now as well, while we wait for Rampant, the next book to be re-released. Then the BIG payout, a new Cory book!

If you are a fan of epic urban fantasy, start with Vulnerable and work your way through these books. They are so worth it!

This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovering Who You Really Are

This is the second volume of the third book in this series and you need to read the previous book for it to make sense, especially Bound, Vol 1.

This book is about Cory finally understanding who she really is. It’s about accepting that she is human and magical, a student, daughter, lover and Queen. She is all of it and more. She can’t be fit into a narrow little box that she made for herself after she was told her whole life that she could only have a small life. In order to perform that kinds of magic she needs to protect her people, she must believe in who she is and her place in the world.

Grace’s daughter Chloe has been causing conflict in the Hill but her grandsons are the delight of all they meet. Sadly Chloe seems determined to cause problems for the people her mother has come to love after her first death.

Throughout Cory’s endeavours at college, she continues to press herself to get physically stronger and she is learning to share her emotions through her sessions with Hallow. She is also on the look out for the Hollow Man and hoping they can take him out before he can do any more harm, but that sees a vain hope.

This book is beautiful in the way it describes emotions. Amy Lane has a poet’s soul and it shows in her writing. It also shows that she is a knitter, which I find hilarious, especially when the chapter headings are appropriate. K4tog, is a knitting shorthand for knitting four stitches into one, which was a chapter about a magical working, and I’m sure you can guess how that magic was conjured. There are all sorts of pieces of knitter lore scattered through the books and I find it heart warming as a knitter.

I really enjoy how this book follows other relationships than the principle one. Seeing Cory and her men through the eyes of others is illuminating too.

I like how all the relationships are not created equal. Each of the men have different places in Cory’s life. The men are trying to work out where they fit and how they relate to each other, and at the same time Cory is trying to do the same. It’s messy, relatable and believable that it isn’t easy to slot everything together into one whole working relationship, when they all come from different places and for different reasons.

This is a stunning series. It’s beautifully written and the language used is moving and elegant. The depth of the characters is superb and the emotions are real and raw. In addition the plot is gripping and terrifying in places. There is darkness and horror in the world of magic as well as beauty and joy and this writer shows both with an equally deft hand.

I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

5 stars

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this really isn’t an M/M book, although the fluidity of the character’s sexuality is not in doubt and neither is the diversity of the inhabitants of Green’s hill.

In this latest installment, I found that the overall pace of the story was faster than in the previous book, and yet the bulk of the book addresses some pretty mundane topics, in addition to Hollow man’s attacks. Lane also focuses more attention on the world building, which made sense and strengthened the feeling of community. I liked how Cory’s description of Davy’s world and Cory’s world were the same, but vastly different, and it is the seamless pairing of the everyday crossed with the supernatural that makes the idea of Green’s hill, a real Green’s hill, feasible.

I also noticed that this is where Cory truly grows as a character, accepting aid and becoming self-aware, and really, Cory’s development and growth is critical to all of the inhabitants of the hill. The story might have Cory, Green, Bracken, and Nicky at its core, but many of the secondary characters are given their time in the spotlight as the series progresses, which not only adds depth to the story, but also satisfies my desire to see these critical, yet secondary, characters find fulfilment and satisfaction with their lots in life.

Read Jason’s review in its entirety here.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®****

4.5 Stars -

Bound Vol 2 was an emotional, action packed work! So much happens and yet we are left in a very happy place.

Cory and her men continue to bind and grow together as they navigate the horror that is the Hollow Man. Grace deals with her family drama and Max and Renny come to an understanding. We see the devotion all at Green’s hill have towards their Goddess. Cory also rose to all challenges given to her, no matter how battered she ended up. Be prepared for tears but also some humorous moments.

I once again appreciated seeing things from Green’s, Cory’s and Bracken’s point of view. We even get a glimpse in to Arturo’s mind.

This tied up book three nicely! I look forward to more adventures with Cory, Green, Bracken, Nicky and all the rest!

[Rachael Orman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another great installation of The Little Goddess series. It is just as riveting and wonderful as all the other books in the series have been. I'm sad to know the series is coming to a close and dreading it from the hints that have been dropped about something bad happening, but I still HAVE to know what happens!

The characters are great and even though there is a long list of them, it's easy to keep track of who is who because of the way they are introduced through out the series.

I loved that we got to see a lot of development between Bracken, Green and Cory in this story along with the steps made with Nicky toward a healthier and more loving relationship than what it was at the end of the last book.

As usual, Amy Lane blew my socks off with this story and left me in a huge book hangover because there simply isn't other books out there written like hers.

I received a free copy of this book to read for Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read them all back-to-back :)

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m hoping to see more confidence from Cory...