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A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life #2
Deceiver's Bond
Lire Devon, famed Seattle clairvoyant and heroine of the Circle Murders, just wants her life back. After the killer’s violent death and a desperate battle with the demon-lord, Paimon, she’s like a soldier returning from war. More than anything, she craves the mundane—a simple existence free of the horror she faced. But for Lire, simple never quite seems to be an option.
Paimon is contained, but it’s far from gone. Before she banished it, the demon tasted her blood. Now it invades her dreams, assaulting and enticing in equal measure with its cruel beauty and a predatory lust. But Paimon isn’t seeking torment. While it speaks with the voice of subterfuge and innuendo, its message is one of urgent warning,
"Your life and the lives of countless humans may depend upon what I have sought to give you. I will not have you defenseless."
Something vast and terrible approaches...
…with only a reluctant adept and an unpredictable demon standing in the way.
Paimon is contained, but it’s far from gone. Before she banished it, the demon tasted her blood. Now it invades her dreams, assaulting and enticing in equal measure with its cruel beauty and a predatory lust. But Paimon isn’t seeking torment. While it speaks with the voice of subterfuge and innuendo, its message is one of urgent warning,
"Your life and the lives of countless humans may depend upon what I have sought to give you. I will not have you defenseless."
Something vast and terrible approaches...
…with only a reluctant adept and an unpredictable demon standing in the way.
393 pages, ebook
First published July 3, 2014
44 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Bayless
11 books63 followersKatherine Bayless is a paranormal fantasy author and day-dreamer with an abundance of cherished hobbies and a cursed need for a nightly nine hours of sleep. When she isn't writing, Katherine is a paper crafter, photographer, and occasional MMO player. She lives amid vast skies and ancient volcanoes in Central Oregon with her husband, three children, a sweet but shamelessly spoiled whippet named Patches, and Zeke, a cabinet-opening, treat-stealing commando that doesn't know his own name because everyone just calls him Cat.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 23, 2016
<2
I remember a very different first book. It wasn't a great series opener, but I remember liking it enough. Deceiver's Bond seems a different kind of beast to me.
First of all the heroine was fully into TSTL field. I'd dare to say she "majored" in it. She's a puppet (and a whiner) who knows she's one and still does nothing to counteract it. She's constantly lied to and manipulated, and basically there's no reaction to it. Everything is ignored.
But even worse is my book is when a story goes along according to the authors' wishes, not the internal engine. It may sound strange, as the author is the one who both invents and writes the story. To me, though, a story is like a rocket, launched in to space by a human hand, but then this hand has to disappear and the universe must take precedence. Yes, it's there, in the engineering but I must not see it otherwise.
Here the book made no sense to me if I took the story into account. Let me make an example. In book one the heroine fell for a guy. They even declared their love to each other. In this story, after the brutal end of book one, he makes a disappearing act for some time (3 weeks). Up to here it's normal. But then it became something different, when this moment is transformed into an excuse to make this love story disappear and let the heroine become involved with somebody else. In two days by the way. If this is a romance, I'm suddenly blond.
If there was a plot to this book, I might have missed it. It reads mostly as an in between, but unfortunately there wasn't much to it to sustain itself. I read it to the end hoping it would improve somehow. But nope there's not much to it.
I remember a very different first book. It wasn't a great series opener, but I remember liking it enough. Deceiver's Bond seems a different kind of beast to me.
First of all the heroine was fully into TSTL field. I'd dare to say she "majored" in it. She's a puppet (and a whiner) who knows she's one and still does nothing to counteract it. She's constantly lied to and manipulated, and basically there's no reaction to it. Everything is ignored.
But even worse is my book is when a story goes along according to the authors' wishes, not the internal engine. It may sound strange, as the author is the one who both invents and writes the story. To me, though, a story is like a rocket, launched in to space by a human hand, but then this hand has to disappear and the universe must take precedence. Yes, it's there, in the engineering but I must not see it otherwise.
Here the book made no sense to me if I took the story into account. Let me make an example. In book one the heroine fell for a guy. They even declared their love to each other. In this story, after the brutal end of book one, he makes a disappearing act for some time (3 weeks). Up to here it's normal. But then it became something different, when this moment is transformed into an excuse to make this love story disappear and let the heroine become involved with somebody else. In two days by the way. If this is a romance, I'm suddenly blond.
If there was a plot to this book, I might have missed it. It reads mostly as an in between, but unfortunately there wasn't much to it to sustain itself. I read it to the end hoping it would improve somehow. But nope there's not much to it.
May 15, 2016
Started out strong
I don't want to come across as sexist - but why do female writers insist on writing about weak female protagonists (men do that well enough) and then heap self-loathing on top of this cesspit by making said kick-ass woman need not one, but three men? Are they taking their leads from laurel k Hamilton? Because there's an award winning writer. Not. Sorry but this series went downhill fast.
If you, the reader, like pages of sex scenes interspersed with whiny griping and foul-mouthed women who can't make up their minds, this will be right up your alley.
I will neither finish the second book nor waste time on the third in this series.
Good luck.
I don't want to come across as sexist - but why do female writers insist on writing about weak female protagonists (men do that well enough) and then heap self-loathing on top of this cesspit by making said kick-ass woman need not one, but three men? Are they taking their leads from laurel k Hamilton? Because there's an award winning writer. Not. Sorry but this series went downhill fast.
If you, the reader, like pages of sex scenes interspersed with whiny griping and foul-mouthed women who can't make up their minds, this will be right up your alley.
I will neither finish the second book nor waste time on the third in this series.
Good luck.
July 10, 2014
The first book in the series felt an read very different. Lire tried to hard to come off as the strong & independent woman- but she doubted everyone along with herself to pull it off.
I'm conflicted with this book. I LOVED the first one. This one was just a bit difficult to get through. Maybe it has to do with the big love triangle
I'll read the next one for sure because I love the clairvoyant / magic aspect of this book an series.
I'm conflicted with this book. I LOVED the first one. This one was just a bit difficult to get through. Maybe it has to do with the big love triangle
I'll read the next one for sure because I love the clairvoyant / magic aspect of this book an series.
August 19, 2016
Okay, I really enjoyed this book but I cannot stomach when a character suddenly gets involved with a guy and then starts calling him cutesy names. I wanted to scream every time Lire started calling a specific man "baby" all the time. Ugh. It makes her seem brainless and needy.
April 27, 2020
An imaginative and exciting story
Another enjoyable book, the second instalment in this series. This story was a roller coaster of emotions and full of suspense, drama and action. A really enjoyable read. Highly recommend.
Another enjoyable book, the second instalment in this series. This story was a roller coaster of emotions and full of suspense, drama and action. A really enjoyable read. Highly recommend.
August 9, 2020
A fun little series, unique in many ways for the genre. The author has a very original take on the various races. I also like the way she develops her characters in subsequent books.
January 1, 2015
Lire, powerful Seattle psychic and clairvoyant could really use some down time after narrowly surviving a traumatic and near-death experience – especially since she now has 3 new psychic powers to try to assimilate even while she’s frightened of some of the new things she can do.
But there are ongoing effects – the demon Paimon still has forged a link with Lire and is driving her to act to save the world; if she can actually trust a word he says. Invisius is still trying to snare Lire in its own secret machinations…
And then the sidhe appear.
This book seems to be moving in a very different direction, while still using the wonderfully rich world and excellent characters we had in the last book (I loved them so very much).
In the last book the focus was on a demonically manipulated serial killer and, lurking behind him, the sneaky and manipulative Invisius organisation with its mind readers, diviners and the ability to control people’s thoughts. It was a dire threat to face, but Lire had friends and allies and we were all set up to face it
This book takes a sharp turn – and a much broader focus. This brings in the fae and the demons in a much larger extent and we have some wonderful expansions of the world building with both creatures being referenced and developed including an excellent and original reason for why both species actually want to reach Earth (I think this is especially important because so much of the genre works by relying on past assumptions of genre staples. Demons want to invade this world? Why? Because it’s what demons do, right?). It upgrades the epicness of the series and puts things in a far more important context. This is no longer just Lire’s story, but a story on which the world rests.
But Lire is still front and centre of it – her story is still central. We still have Lire getting though her life, excellently handling her psychic abilities that have now grown so greatly and her own self-doubts and worries about that. There’s the added pressure of her normal life being almost unsupportable through all this pressure – even well meaning pressure – and her growing frustration with the very nature of prophecy. Various beings have decided she is the Chosen One to save them all and she has not the time, patience or confidence for such pronouncements. Especially since prophecy is being used as a stick to goad her or a justification for other’s meddling. No matter what the prophecies say, this is Lire’s life and she has no wish to throw it away or twist it irreparably because “it is written”.
It’s still about her which is excellent – because Lire is an awesome character.
One thing the new, epic and fascinating plot lines have done though is brush the old plot lines aside a little… clumsily. I felt that we kind of raced to the new paradigm and the old one was hastily put to bed and banished into the background.
I do find Lire to be annoyingly nice at times. In particular she’s almost supernaturally forgiving and understanding. Especially towards Danny and Kieran. Yes both of them have been put in awkward situations like Lire, but the situations they’ve been put in have caused them to directly affect Lire’s life. Danny has invaded the minds of people round her, changed their lives, rearranged her neighbours, her work and regularly kept secrets from her. Kieran was sent to seduce her (which is a very very broad definition of what he was expected to do) and fought with her while Maeve did her thing with Vince. Sure they are in terrible circumstances and are acting with the very best of intentions but I think Lire is being something of a saint to be as forgiving and understanding as she is. I would definitely have stabbed a few people with the silverware over dinner by now.
I feel like there’s some severe downplaying of what’s happening to Vince. A lot of the framing is about how he has left Lire and isn’t interested in her or has otherwise betrayed her trust or wasn’t that into her (and there was certainly some indication that he wasn’t that invested before this so it’s not without reason); but Maeve has the demonstrated woo-woo power to sexually enthral people. We saw this in Lire’s reaction to Kieran and her outright accusation of attempted rape, we saw Maeve use her power. To present Vince this way is to miss the more likely scenario – that he is being magically raped. This is even more problematic when Lire outright says “I don’t think it’s even possible to rape a guy.” Yes, it is. If you have sex with someone without their consent, it’s rape – their gender is irrelevant.
Read More
But there are ongoing effects – the demon Paimon still has forged a link with Lire and is driving her to act to save the world; if she can actually trust a word he says. Invisius is still trying to snare Lire in its own secret machinations…
And then the sidhe appear.
This book seems to be moving in a very different direction, while still using the wonderfully rich world and excellent characters we had in the last book (I loved them so very much).
In the last book the focus was on a demonically manipulated serial killer and, lurking behind him, the sneaky and manipulative Invisius organisation with its mind readers, diviners and the ability to control people’s thoughts. It was a dire threat to face, but Lire had friends and allies and we were all set up to face it
This book takes a sharp turn – and a much broader focus. This brings in the fae and the demons in a much larger extent and we have some wonderful expansions of the world building with both creatures being referenced and developed including an excellent and original reason for why both species actually want to reach Earth (I think this is especially important because so much of the genre works by relying on past assumptions of genre staples. Demons want to invade this world? Why? Because it’s what demons do, right?). It upgrades the epicness of the series and puts things in a far more important context. This is no longer just Lire’s story, but a story on which the world rests.
But Lire is still front and centre of it – her story is still central. We still have Lire getting though her life, excellently handling her psychic abilities that have now grown so greatly and her own self-doubts and worries about that. There’s the added pressure of her normal life being almost unsupportable through all this pressure – even well meaning pressure – and her growing frustration with the very nature of prophecy. Various beings have decided she is the Chosen One to save them all and she has not the time, patience or confidence for such pronouncements. Especially since prophecy is being used as a stick to goad her or a justification for other’s meddling. No matter what the prophecies say, this is Lire’s life and she has no wish to throw it away or twist it irreparably because “it is written”.
It’s still about her which is excellent – because Lire is an awesome character.
One thing the new, epic and fascinating plot lines have done though is brush the old plot lines aside a little… clumsily. I felt that we kind of raced to the new paradigm and the old one was hastily put to bed and banished into the background.
I do find Lire to be annoyingly nice at times. In particular she’s almost supernaturally forgiving and understanding. Especially towards Danny and Kieran. Yes both of them have been put in awkward situations like Lire, but the situations they’ve been put in have caused them to directly affect Lire’s life. Danny has invaded the minds of people round her, changed their lives, rearranged her neighbours, her work and regularly kept secrets from her. Kieran was sent to seduce her (which is a very very broad definition of what he was expected to do) and fought with her while Maeve did her thing with Vince. Sure they are in terrible circumstances and are acting with the very best of intentions but I think Lire is being something of a saint to be as forgiving and understanding as she is. I would definitely have stabbed a few people with the silverware over dinner by now.
I feel like there’s some severe downplaying of what’s happening to Vince. A lot of the framing is about how he has left Lire and isn’t interested in her or has otherwise betrayed her trust or wasn’t that into her (and there was certainly some indication that he wasn’t that invested before this so it’s not without reason); but Maeve has the demonstrated woo-woo power to sexually enthral people. We saw this in Lire’s reaction to Kieran and her outright accusation of attempted rape, we saw Maeve use her power. To present Vince this way is to miss the more likely scenario – that he is being magically raped. This is even more problematic when Lire outright says “I don’t think it’s even possible to rape a guy.” Yes, it is. If you have sex with someone without their consent, it’s rape – their gender is irrelevant.
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May 12, 2018
The heroine's love life is more than a little bit charmed, and the advanced magic skills are coming to her a little too easily, but this is still an excellent series. In this one, her boyfriend is kidnapped by the fae, she falls for a fae man, and there are some bad telepaths out to get her.
May 12, 2018
The heroine's love life is more than a little bit charmed, and the advanced magic skills are coming to her a little too easily, but this is still an excellent series. In this one, her boyfriend is kidnapped by the fae, she falls for a fae man, and there are some bad telepaths out to get her.
September 14, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. The storytelling style appealed to me, the pacing was good, I like the world, and the main character. The only thing that held me back from rating it higher was Lire's response to her boyfriend, Vince, being kidnapped by a sidhe lady. At first her response made sense - my driving goal is to get him back! Good! You, Kieran, the sidhe guy they left behind, I hate you! (good, sensible response) You are a jerk! (good) And the telepath dudes that helped you? Jerks too. (yep, everyone seems to have ulterior motives - she should be wary of every damned one of them - except for Red, her familiar, who never seems to have anything but her best interests at heart)
Then... slowly Kieran grows on her. I can see why. He's pretty nifty - though straight to the very end of the book I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and him to be a bad guy or at least do a bad act. And it wasn't like instantaneous 'you're cool'. As more information on him is revealed he comes across as an interesting, and complex, character who is way better developed than Vince was in book 1. No, my response to the heroine's shifting her focus from her kidnapped man to the new guy (all the while having this demon who is kind of growing on her and me too in her head and dreams) is that she is so quick to abandon her goal of saving Vince. The plot flow is muddy - there are too many things that need to be dealt with (Book 1 was focused on solving the murders and that worked.
This book has too many things for the heroine to deal with and readers to split their focus over: Vince kidnapped/the Sidhe thing, Paimon (I'll call him that to not give anything away for anyone who reads this) and her growing awareness of him in her dreams which should be a threat that she should need to deal with but isn't for various reasons which actually make sense, the secret telepath society and their goals, an FBI agent trying to recruit her to work on murders in Atlanta (which she completely blows off - though in Book 1 this would have been *the* plot), emissaries/conduits to the sidhe being killed off, and I feel like there's at least one more thing besides the heroine needing to learn to use her acquired powers. Most of these plot strands tie together eventually - which does provide a certain level of satisfaction - but not enough time was spent on any of them to make me invest. The thing that has the most time spent on it is her growing connection to Kieran - which is fine, but not a strong UF plot.
Eh, I liked the book. I was drawn along by Lire and her development, but I think the plot in Book 1 was more streamlined, developed, and compelling. Still, I am going to wait for Book 3 with a certain level of anticipation because enough questions have been raised by the end of this book to make me invest in the characters and world. I just really hope Lire doesn't turn into a total Mary Sue. I don't want her to be able to solve everything, save the world, be the equivalent of a demi-god. She has good supporting cast around her who can be a great team and make for a more compelling story/world. But, I'm afraid that is where her development may be going - Lire Saves the Universe! Eh, we'll see ;)
Then... slowly Kieran grows on her. I can see why. He's pretty nifty - though straight to the very end of the book I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and him to be a bad guy or at least do a bad act. And it wasn't like instantaneous 'you're cool'. As more information on him is revealed he comes across as an interesting, and complex, character who is way better developed than Vince was in book 1. No, my response to the heroine's shifting her focus from her kidnapped man to the new guy (all the while having this demon who is kind of growing on her and me too in her head and dreams) is that she is so quick to abandon her goal of saving Vince. The plot flow is muddy - there are too many things that need to be dealt with (Book 1 was focused on solving the murders and that worked.
This book has too many things for the heroine to deal with and readers to split their focus over: Vince kidnapped/the Sidhe thing, Paimon (I'll call him that to not give anything away for anyone who reads this) and her growing awareness of him in her dreams which should be a threat that she should need to deal with but isn't for various reasons which actually make sense, the secret telepath society and their goals, an FBI agent trying to recruit her to work on murders in Atlanta (which she completely blows off - though in Book 1 this would have been *the* plot), emissaries/conduits to the sidhe being killed off, and I feel like there's at least one more thing besides the heroine needing to learn to use her acquired powers. Most of these plot strands tie together eventually - which does provide a certain level of satisfaction - but not enough time was spent on any of them to make me invest. The thing that has the most time spent on it is her growing connection to Kieran - which is fine, but not a strong UF plot.
Eh, I liked the book. I was drawn along by Lire and her development, but I think the plot in Book 1 was more streamlined, developed, and compelling. Still, I am going to wait for Book 3 with a certain level of anticipation because enough questions have been raised by the end of this book to make me invest in the characters and world. I just really hope Lire doesn't turn into a total Mary Sue. I don't want her to be able to solve everything, save the world, be the equivalent of a demi-god. She has good supporting cast around her who can be a great team and make for a more compelling story/world. But, I'm afraid that is where her development may be going - Lire Saves the Universe! Eh, we'll see ;)
September 11, 2014
Again, too much going on, too many inconsistencies, to give more than two stars. Professional editing would help. There are two or three potential books just in this one volume. However, this author can write! She gives us great characters fleshing them out admirably. I liked the main character most of the time but felt she was patterned on two people one of whom needs to grow up. For all this character has the trappings of adulthood, part of the time she seemed high schoolish. Don't get me wrong. I like the book for its potential. This is an author coming into her own in the urban paranormal genre.
February 29, 2016
Another hit
I wish Vince could make up his mind, he is a mystery to me, sometimes I like him and other times I think he is a jerk. Lire has a lot on her plate and she has to fight hard to keep the bad guys away from her and her friends. Her character is powerful, loving and selfless, which makes her rather unique heroine in my mind. A lot of times authors make the heroine strong, tough and just a general bad a** or the opposite where they are meek and mild and try to break from there shell. However, in this story, the heroine is powerful but not super tough. I think it makes her character more interesting. Definitely recommend, if you are into magic side and demons.
I wish Vince could make up his mind, he is a mystery to me, sometimes I like him and other times I think he is a jerk. Lire has a lot on her plate and she has to fight hard to keep the bad guys away from her and her friends. Her character is powerful, loving and selfless, which makes her rather unique heroine in my mind. A lot of times authors make the heroine strong, tough and just a general bad a** or the opposite where they are meek and mild and try to break from there shell. However, in this story, the heroine is powerful but not super tough. I think it makes her character more interesting. Definitely recommend, if you are into magic side and demons.
November 15, 2016
read the first book first. this one is better but won't make much sense without reading the first in this series. love the main character. love Red too. the other men in her life try to manipulate her too much for my tastes and they're too handsome
too bad her friend, Red, is a dead necromancer bound to a teddy bear because he's the only one who puts her needs first. lots of angst, action, a little sex. looking forward to a sequel. Reread 11-15-2016..still fascinating.
too bad her friend, Red, is a dead necromancer bound to a teddy bear because he's the only one who puts her needs first. lots of angst, action, a little sex. looking forward to a sequel. Reread 11-15-2016..still fascinating.
November 9, 2014
Mixed feelings
I am so happy that the second book in the series was just as wonderful as the first, but now I'm sad that I finished it and now have to wait for the next one to come out. Hopefully it will be soon. The story was full of surprises and the heroine spunky and determined. I was not disappointed, after having been waiting patiently for the sequel since reading the first a few years ago. All I can say is, please write quickly!
I am so happy that the second book in the series was just as wonderful as the first, but now I'm sad that I finished it and now have to wait for the next one to come out. Hopefully it will be soon. The story was full of surprises and the heroine spunky and determined. I was not disappointed, after having been waiting patiently for the sequel since reading the first a few years ago. All I can say is, please write quickly!
December 30, 2015
I was so happy when I saw this book came out. I took a couple of years (sure felt like it) but I remembered loving the 1st book so much!
What a disappointment ! Hero in Book 1 becomes a douchy hero/vilain (can't decide), a second love interest appears and is just... gah! Had to skim the last third. It was just all-over the place, like the author could not settle on an idea and just put the whole melting-pot in there! Do not recommend.
What a disappointment ! Hero in Book 1 becomes a douchy hero/vilain (can't decide), a second love interest appears and is just... gah! Had to skim the last third. It was just all-over the place, like the author could not settle on an idea and just put the whole melting-pot in there! Do not recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2014
This series just gets better with each twist and turn. The characters are unique and interesting. As Lira Devon discovers her destiny and learns lessons as she makes her mistakes. Sad times and happy times takes the reader on an emotional ride, with cheering on each side. Looking forward to the next book in this series...
February 2, 2017
Pleasently surprised.
I enjoyed the first in this series ('Deadly Remains') quite a bit, it was well written. The characters are well developed and the story is woven in such a way that it was easy for me to lose myself in it. This edition secured my love for Lire and those around her. Thank you, Ms. Bayless. I can't wait to read book 3.
I enjoyed the first in this series ('Deadly Remains') quite a bit, it was well written. The characters are well developed and the story is woven in such a way that it was easy for me to lose myself in it. This edition secured my love for Lire and those around her. Thank you, Ms. Bayless. I can't wait to read book 3.
May 16, 2015
This book really started with a bit of a twist, and went in a very different direction than I expected after the first book. And I liked it! Looking forward to the next book, and hope it isn't too far away
March 14, 2016
Good squeal
Definitely need to start with the first book. I really enjoyed the book. It's a fun and engaging book. Although I found some of Lires trust issues to be a bit much at times. But it's enjoyable to have a heroine who tries to look at all sides before passing judgment
Definitely need to start with the first book. I really enjoyed the book. It's a fun and engaging book. Although I found some of Lires trust issues to be a bit much at times. But it's enjoyable to have a heroine who tries to look at all sides before passing judgment
August 7, 2014
I loved the first one and this one is great as well, just hoping we don't have to wait too long for the next one.
December 21, 2014
Great second book in the series
I enjoyed the fresh idea of the series. The books are entertaining and unique in content. I am looking forward to the next book.
I enjoyed the fresh idea of the series. The books are entertaining and unique in content. I am looking forward to the next book.
December 15, 2016
Good book. Seems to take a different direction then the previous book does. But still good.
Only niggle is the main character seems to be becoming extremely overpowered.
Only niggle is the main character seems to be becoming extremely overpowered.
October 31, 2016
Great read. Lire was getting on my nerves. She doubts herself way to much in my opinion. Like really bad. Can't wait to read the next book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews