An Unexpected Bonding: Book One of The Unexpected Trilogy

by Lilly Rayman

For centuries there has been hatred, bloodshed and killing between the vampire and wolf nations.


Now, events that have been foretold by the faerie are finally coming. Livvie, daughter of the Romulus pack’s Alpha has been living away from the pack in Texas for the last ten years. After running the cattle ranch she inherited from her late fiancé is she ready to embrace the changes that the arrival of Darius at Thunder Hollow heralds?


Darius, a wandering vampire and son of the Egyptian Sun God Ra, is restless. Even he does not understand the magnetic pull from the beautiful women he ends up working for. It’s only when she is taken from him, that he sees the bond that is stronger than all others. The truth of that bond will shake him to his core.


Will the unexpected bonding between wolf and vampire be enough to overcome the centuries of hatred and bring peace and unity to all?


Will the wolf and the vampire overcome their heartaches to accept their bonding and let romance evolve?


Best Work and Most Popular Work in the iParchment writing rally.

ebook

Published July 11, 2018

About the author

British born, now Australian, Lilly Rayman writes steamy paranormal romance and hot historical fantasy for Leilani Indie Publishing. In 2014, she won iParchment's best work and most popular work for An Unexpected Bonding. As a wife, mother, and farmer, when she's not writing she's reading or cooking delicious meals from scratch; her kitchen always smells of fresh bread or pizza.

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Reviews

[Catherine Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful written book. For me it was an emotional book. It had everything you could want in a paranormal book of story. It was also a little bit of a tearjerker, and it has anger and most of all, a beautiful love. I cannot wait to read the next nook.

I got a free copy of the book and is voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this paranormal story. This is a newer author for me and I can’t wait to see what is next for her. This is a well written story that the authors attention to details gave the story a realistic feel. The characters bring the story to life on each page. They are relatable and kept the story engaging. This is a story where vampires and wolves collide until one Fae interferes. What happens next you don’t want to miss. It is an adventure of finding healing, accepting the bonds and letting fate take over the romance. I truly enjoyed this story and what the characters bring to the story. Who don’t enjoy stories of vampires and wolves. I highly recommend this book. It is worth the read.

[Roxsanne Lesieur · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has been a war between the werewolves and the vampires for thousands of years, it is bloody, it is gruesome and it may be about to end thanks to a faerie prophecy which foretold of future events that would shake the paranormal world to its core. A member of the vampire council is cursing the werewolves near to his territory, they seem to be allowing themselves to be seen by humans so that they can scare them away and move into the territory and this vampire is not impressed in the slightest by it because their preference is to drink straight from the vein and this can’t happen if there are no humans. At the same time, another of the council has a plan to try and broker a peace deal between the two warring factions, however, it needs to go before the Council before it can be approved. Meanwhile, Livvie is the daughter of the Alpha of the Romulus pack but she is wolf-less and because of this she has been living away from her pack for the last ten years in Texas on theThunder Hollow cattle ranch her late fiance left to her after his death and this year is the first year where her bulls will be entered into the local rodeo, she is still grieving his loss and feels it as acutely as she did when it happened three years ago, but life goes on, she works hard and hopefully will see the fruits of her labours soon. All of a sudden Livvie senses someone entering the bar who shouldn’t be there, it is a vampire, she is wary but engages him in polite but stunted conversation, but his expectations are disappointed when the friend he is looking for in Livvie cannot be called out and as she walks away, he is left surprised and she returns to her home.

As the vampire Council convenes, they discuss the proposal set before them, there is opposition and discussions around the who, the where and the why, but they eventually agree that it is a good proposal and that the werewolves should be approached about iy, meanwhile the Romulus pack is disturbed by news of a rival pack moving into territory near where Livvie is living, so a few of the members decide to go down to the rodeo and use it as an excuse to see Livvie at the same time. Livvie is hard at work preparing her cattle when her friend comes to look them over, she is surprised that he is not alone and that he has brought someone who wants to work at the ranch with her, as he introduces Darius to Livvie she cannot help but feel drawn to him, however, she keeps that to herself as she feels guilty about the feelings it stirs up with regards to Nate. Darius is just as drawn to Livvie as she was to him, although he also doesn’t want to acknowledge his feelings over the grief he still feels at the loss of his late wife, three years before, so he shuts down the feelings straight away as well.

As the weeks pass, Livvie and Darius fall into a comfortable working relationships on the ranch and when Livvie’s finds out that her pack brothers are coming to visit she is excited, but later on that day she has an accident when she is attempting to fix a windmill on , but when Darius goes to her rescue, the feelings that they are trying so hard to repress come back until the vampire from the bar turns up and that is when she finds out what Darius really is and when another unexpected visitor turns up, her wolf is called to the surface, however, she is strong and has to be temporarily bound again, but the instincts are awakened nonetheless and these are what could get her into trouble. As the rodeo approaches and the pack find out about Darius for the first time, fists almost fly and Livvie’s true nature starts to show through, this shocks her family, however when the rival pack kidnap Livvie, everything else is put on the back burner as Darius realises exactly how deep his feelings for Livvie really run.

Will the werewolves and the vampires be able to work together to return Livvie and rescue her from the clutches of the rival pack, or will she be able to free herself when the full moon rises? Will the prophecy play out as planned and a peace be brokered, or will things derail the plans and go awry? This is a complex and exciting journey through the history of vampires , werewolves and the faerie while keeping romance in full flow, it will draw you in and land along for the bumpy ride in more ways than one.

[Mandy Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Stars

An Unexpected Bonding: Book One of The Unexpected Trilogy by Lilly Rayman

This is the first book I've read by Rayman, but it won't be my last. An Unexpected Bonding is a great read and you get a lot of information.

Livva is the only one who never changed into a wolf. Traveling the states to find herself she finds love instead. When a horrible accident takes her fiance it leaves her his business. The quote I chose for Livva is: "Peace once more between our races. We were never meant to be at war with each other, and now, more so than ever, is the time for peace to be declared and our friendship to begin again. There have already been two deaths today–"

Darius is one of the few vampires that can walk in the sun. When he meets Livva he finds that he is attracted to her. He doesn't want to forget his wife who lost her battle to cancer. The quote I chose for Darius is: "What is it I can help you with, sir?"

Highly recommended for Paranormal Romance lovers.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new author for me, Lilly Rayman. An unexpected Bonding was a more take on the vampire/shifter romance. In most vampire/shifter romances they are enemies and don’t fall in love. In this one there is a love story between a vampire and shifter. Darius and Livvie’s story is filled with mystery, romance, and obstacles they must overcome. There are vampires, shifters, faeries as well as mythology in this tale! All the components of a great story. It was done well too, there are a lot of factors that could have made it confusing but, because of its length and detail it was not. There was a lot of jumping around in her story from different characters to different timelines. This did not bother me that much, although I thought it could have been just as good a story without as much jumping. Throughout the story you can’t help but root for Darius and Livvie through everything. If you enjoy mythology, supernatural elements or both, this book is for you!

[Obsessive Booknerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It jumps between so many point of views with no warning other then spacing that its hard to follow at first. Sometimes the jump is past situations, but a least the time is noted. Once you get use to how its set up its a decent read. The characters are well built, and even secondary characters are brought to the foreground.
It follows the awakening of the main characters inner wolf and how she is suppose to help broker peace between supernatural communities. Its quite the journey, so much happens that I found myself pausing just so i could take it all in. Its a very detail rich world.
There was some things i didn't like but mostly that was character personality that i couldn't connect with or annoyed me. Those are things that are going to be different for each person.

I was given a free copy for an honest review

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the first of a trilogy and after reading it, all I can say is wow! I can’t wait to read the others. The character development is great, the plot is well paced, and there’s just the right amount of romance. There are a lot of elements to this story (vampires, “werewolves”, fairies, Egyptian mythology, and more) but the author does a great job at shifting character POVs and showing the past and present without it getting too confusing. The characters are very relatable, despite being mostly non-human, which made the book much more enjoyable. Livvie is a strong female lead and I enjoyed her personality and how she grew throughout the story. I had a hard time putting the book down and look forward to reading more by this author!

[S. Bittles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill typical Fantasy Romance, this story delivers the kind of twist of fate and heartache as the synopsis has given.

With knowing it is a trilogy, there is a lot to introduce and touch on in the first novel. Lilly did a great job with intertwining plots and characters smoothly; she is very creative in how she can move between different characters and their varying points of view. I did although; take the time re-read the first few chapters to ensure I did not confuse character plots or any of the story lines.

Lilly has created an intriguing variety of fantasy characters, which makes the novel hard to put down. She has definitely got me craving for more; I will be following this author!

[Rayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was beyond my expectations. I was hesitant going into this book as I have come across several books that have approached the vampire/wolf relationship saga and was loathe to go there again. Boy, was I wrong. So glad I gave this book a go. The writing style allowed the reader to connect with every single character, as you get snippets from their point of view. I love multiple POV books but this is a first where the point of view swaps several times within a chapter. The ranch style setting was perfectly unique and the mix of shifters, Gods, fae and Egyptian mythology drew me in and kept me entertained to the very end.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I say it is a paranormal romance, I mean its paranormal! Shifters, Vampires, Fae, Egyptian mythology- Lilly Rayman really hit a homerun with this. I was a little lost in the beginning because she throws a lot at you so fast but once the story gets going it truly is worth finishing and to say I am exciting for the next book is a huge understatement. Livvie has my heart and soul, she was such a relatable main character and I loved how strong she was even when she was struggling with all she had to face.
An Unexpected Bonding: Book One of The Unexpected Trilogy By Lilly Rayman
Reviewed by Emily McCoy

[Samantha Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Unexpected Bonding is the first book in The Unexpected Trilogy. It is a very original paranormal, romance that includes werewolves, vampires and Fae with drama, and chemistry along side a secret society. It tells two point of views, which I love. This is my very first read from this author and I loved it! The story was very interesting with great characters and an amazing story line. Was intrigued from the start and until the very end. It definitely had it's own flair. So excited to read the next story in it's series!

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

An Unexpected Bonding: Book One of The Unexpected Trilogy by Lilly Rayman is a paranormal romance tale. It took me quite some time to become used to Lilly’s writing style. The story jumps back and forward in time and from person to person that was not at all clear. It is an original tale with Gods of Egyptian myths, vampires and shifters, and fairies. The story is rich in detail, but I found it hard to fully settle into the tale.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. I want more! You learn of past issues in the hope of a better future. The characters are well written and that makes you feel their emotions.

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

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully fantastic... The book was amazing... It had a lot of details and juicy scenes to it... The characters and their personalities match them perfectly... The plot and the storyline was very descriptive and amazing..."I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."

[evieo17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was my first read from this author and I would definitely read more from her. I highly recommend this book.

[Deb Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing read. Fae, Vampires and Wolves. What more could a reader ask for. Livvie is coming into herself. Her strength among conflict is inspiring. This story was an exquisite mix of past and present. As soon as you thought everything was calm and going well all heck breaks loose. I loved all the twists and turns. Author Lilly Rayman has the ability to write about several characters and their backgrounds without losing the main focus of the story. The wild west meets present day. Love it. Can’t wait for book 2

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part I really enjoyed the book! It was very unique and different from the majority of paranormal romances you read, which was quite refreshing. I struggled with the wordiness of it-like there were super descriptive words on top of each other and all at once; it just felt like too much for me, I think that part could have been dialed back. Loved the story line and LOVED the characters. Great Job!