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Lencura #1
Bound to the Monarchs
Millennia ago, the people of Lencura were split into designations dependent on their abilities. Vitoria is a solviso. Others consider them the weakest of the designations but Vitoria knows she’s stronger than people think. Sure, she can’t fly, shift, or conjure magic but her blood has healing properties that the other designations covet and she knows she can use that to her advantage. She’s aware of the dangers that lurk outside of her region and that the other designations would do just about anything to possess her blood but when her father’s death leaves her homeless she’s willing to take the risk for the chance of a better life.
When Vitoria encounters marauders on her way to start a new life in the northern region of Malita, she’s forced to take a detour. Her van breaks down on the border of the shifter lands and she follows her instinct, venturing into the forbidden shifter territory. Better to take her chances with shifters than marauders. Vitoria is placed under the protection of Queen Mathilda and her mate, King Antonio. Mathilda and Antonio’s dominance awakens a passion in Vitoria that she never knew she possessed and she wonders if she might be the third mate they’ve been looking for.
When a dignitary from a neighbouring monarchdom kidnaps Vitoria and offers her anything she could ever want in return for her blood, she realises the only thing she wants is to be Mathilda and Antonio’s. Her monarchs will do anything to get her back but Vitoria isn’t sure what they really want: her or her blood.
When Vitoria encounters marauders on her way to start a new life in the northern region of Malita, she’s forced to take a detour. Her van breaks down on the border of the shifter lands and she follows her instinct, venturing into the forbidden shifter territory. Better to take her chances with shifters than marauders. Vitoria is placed under the protection of Queen Mathilda and her mate, King Antonio. Mathilda and Antonio’s dominance awakens a passion in Vitoria that she never knew she possessed and she wonders if she might be the third mate they’ve been looking for.
When a dignitary from a neighbouring monarchdom kidnaps Vitoria and offers her anything she could ever want in return for her blood, she realises the only thing she wants is to be Mathilda and Antonio’s. Her monarchs will do anything to get her back but Vitoria isn’t sure what they really want: her or her blood.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2019
25 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Brooke Winters
10 books17 followersQueer, disabled, autistic romance writer and reader.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 3, 2020
Bound to the Monarchs has everything you could want. Triads, shifters, love and BDSM. It is a great story. This book was great, I thought triads were weird. This is actually the first book I have read that had triads, very good. Again the author used a disabled female. This is another reason why I love Brooke Winter's books. Not many authors will write a disabled hero/heroine in their books.
I received a free copy of the book and am voluntarily leaving a review
I received a free copy of the book and am voluntarily leaving a review
August 7, 2021
I wanted to like BOUND TO THE MONARCHS so much more but the execution just didn't quite get there for me. On a positive note I really liked the world building and found it all really interesting, though definitely check out the glossary because it's pretty complex. While the world was cool there were a few things that weren't overly explained or were only explained toward the end of the book so that was a little frustrating. The whole book is told through Vitora's POV so she comes across as a very developed character while Matilda and Antonio felt more flat. Other than being monarchs and dominant their personalities are lacking compared to Vitoria.
That being said, I did like the three together as a triad I just wish a few things had been done better in the relationship. The transition from strangers talking to all of a sudden getting sexual was a little abrupt and communication was pretty lacking. Matilda and Antonio wanted Vitora to act as a submissive, in and out of the bedroom, but they never really explained what they meant and then would get upset with Vitoria when she messed up.
There was a lot of potential here but in the end it didn't really work for me.
Content Warning: References to physical disabilities and violence against the heroine because of her disability
That being said, I did like the three together as a triad I just wish a few things had been done better in the relationship. The transition from strangers talking to all of a sudden getting sexual was a little abrupt and communication was pretty lacking. Matilda and Antonio wanted Vitora to act as a submissive, in and out of the bedroom, but they never really explained what they meant and then would get upset with Vitoria when she messed up.
There was a lot of potential here but in the end it didn't really work for me.
Content Warning: References to physical disabilities and violence against the heroine because of her disability
February 15, 2020
Bound to the Monarchs by Brooke Winters is a fantasy (shifters, magic, etc) plot novel with 1) bisexual characters, 2) FFM scenes, and 3) polyamory. The polyamory comes about through a fated-mates trope popular in the shifter genre. Basically this book hits all my preferred reading tags all in one, so I downloaded the sample to read. I got to the end of the sample and wanted more.
I was enjoying the story despite the D/s dynamics, but then about 3/4 of the way through I realized I was feeling disconnected from the poly relationship supposedly being built. It was lacking the emotional layers I was hoping for. Its development was in tell more than show. There was some "crawling into his lap" and snuggling but the emotional development felt stunted. The monarchs came off lacking emotional depth. Their actions felt abrupt and didn't feel like they were coming from organically growing connection, but rather a desperation to look in control. I began to expect their actions, which is a sign to me that the characters weren't rising above cliche enough for me to view them as individuals.
That was disappointing, but I kept gamely reading hoping the fantasy co-plot about the monarchy would be fleshed out. Instead all the beats expected in that plot suddenly appeared in the last quarter of the book and were short snippets of scenes, not fully fleshed out either in action detail or emotional detail.
I was enjoying the story despite the D/s dynamics, but then about 3/4 of the way through I realized I was feeling disconnected from the poly relationship supposedly being built. It was lacking the emotional layers I was hoping for. Its development was in tell more than show. There was some "crawling into his lap" and snuggling but the emotional development felt stunted. The monarchs came off lacking emotional depth. Their actions felt abrupt and didn't feel like they were coming from organically growing connection, but rather a desperation to look in control. I began to expect their actions, which is a sign to me that the characters weren't rising above cliche enough for me to view them as individuals.
That was disappointing, but I kept gamely reading hoping the fantasy co-plot about the monarchy would be fleshed out. Instead all the beats expected in that plot suddenly appeared in the last quarter of the book and were short snippets of scenes, not fully fleshed out either in action detail or emotional detail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
November 1, 2019Author: Bound to the Monarchs is a queer polyamorous romance novel about a disabled woman who stumbles onto shifter lands and is rescued by the shifter queen and king.
Me:
Me:
September 18, 2022
The book just got dumber as it went on and was a true dumpster fire in the last third. The writing is basic, the characters are some of the most bland, unbuttered toast people ever. This was supposed to be spicy but the sex fell flat, the bdsm elements were laughable. And finally Vitoria has to be the most wilfully obtuse person alive, I mean truly too stupid to live.
All I feel is regret.
All I feel is regret.
January 14, 2021
I started this thinking I’d just read a couple of chapters and wound up inhaling it. I can’t entirely pinpoint why it worked so well for me because the world-building could have been fleshed out better and the bulk of the rather straight-forward plot could have been avoided had Antonio and Matilda simply had an honest conversation with Vitoria from the beginning. The latter tends to annoy me and yet I gulped this story down like it was water.
This is an FFM paranormal erotic romance and it sure brought the heat. We get everything from Vitoria’s POV and as she learns about the Demalyn people, so do we. She’s Solviso and their blood has healing powers, which means not all have her best interests at heart. Contrast this to her instant attraction to King Antonio and Queen Matilda but not knowing if they want more from her or not. There’s a whole lot of uncertainty. While Antonio and Matilda are great about telling her to pick a safe word, they’re not as great about explaining how their D/s relationship will work and the first sexual encounter between the three of them does not involve much conversation or as much explicit consent as I would have liked. This story really leans into the fantasy of it all and so I just rolled with it. Regardless of my personal reservations, the three of them are incendiary together, making for some super hot scenes.
I was fascinated by the monarchs of Kiilasalia and the way things are structured in this kingdom. Triad relationships are pretty standard (composed of two dominants and one submissive) and even built into their religion. Antonio and Matilda were rather disheartened that they hadn’t found their third yet before Vitoria stumbled onto their land. They immediately knew the mating bond was there but Vitoria did not, since she’s not familiar with their culture or how such things work. Demalyn follow a religion called Lencura but Vitoria was raised by two parents who are Rationalists and she’s not religious at all. This made for such interesting conversations about the different religious factions and how they interpret the Book of Lencura and the impact this has on their relationships. Demalyns are shifters—this is their gift from the goddess Lencura—but this didn’t feature in the story as much as I would have liked. I have to say though, any world-building that is extensive enough to create a brand-new religion is fine by me because it really brought things alive.
Vitoria has an unnamed chronic condition that causes pain and swelling in her joints—it reminded me of rheumatoid arthritis. She deals with ableism and really fights the idea of appearing weak, especially when it comes to her two Dominants. She also experiences an act of ableist violence so be aware if this is triggering for you. I found it really interesting that she has a disability and yet her blood also heals. This could have been further developed or maybe it will be as the series continues, although her condition seems to be unique to her and not applicable to all Solviso.
The story ends with clues about what will happen to a secondary character in the next book and I am very eager to read it.
Character notes: Vitoria is a virgin submissive disabled Solviso. Antonio is a 32 year old Dominant Lan (wolf shifter) Demalyn King. Matilda is a 32 year old Dominant Wyla (cat shifter) Demalyn Queen.
CW: ableism (countered), ableist violence , kidnapping, heroine has an unnamed chronic illness requiring use of crutches or wheelchair, homelessness, past death of parents, alcohol, references to war
This is an FFM paranormal erotic romance and it sure brought the heat. We get everything from Vitoria’s POV and as she learns about the Demalyn people, so do we. She’s Solviso and their blood has healing powers, which means not all have her best interests at heart. Contrast this to her instant attraction to King Antonio and Queen Matilda but not knowing if they want more from her or not. There’s a whole lot of uncertainty. While Antonio and Matilda are great about telling her to pick a safe word, they’re not as great about explaining how their D/s relationship will work and the first sexual encounter between the three of them does not involve much conversation or as much explicit consent as I would have liked. This story really leans into the fantasy of it all and so I just rolled with it. Regardless of my personal reservations, the three of them are incendiary together, making for some super hot scenes.
I was fascinated by the monarchs of Kiilasalia and the way things are structured in this kingdom. Triad relationships are pretty standard (composed of two dominants and one submissive) and even built into their religion. Antonio and Matilda were rather disheartened that they hadn’t found their third yet before Vitoria stumbled onto their land. They immediately knew the mating bond was there but Vitoria did not, since she’s not familiar with their culture or how such things work. Demalyn follow a religion called Lencura but Vitoria was raised by two parents who are Rationalists and she’s not religious at all. This made for such interesting conversations about the different religious factions and how they interpret the Book of Lencura and the impact this has on their relationships. Demalyns are shifters—this is their gift from the goddess Lencura—but this didn’t feature in the story as much as I would have liked. I have to say though, any world-building that is extensive enough to create a brand-new religion is fine by me because it really brought things alive.
Vitoria has an unnamed chronic condition that causes pain and swelling in her joints—it reminded me of rheumatoid arthritis. She deals with ableism and really fights the idea of appearing weak, especially when it comes to her two Dominants. She also experiences an act of ableist violence so be aware if this is triggering for you. I found it really interesting that she has a disability and yet her blood also heals. This could have been further developed or maybe it will be as the series continues, although her condition seems to be unique to her and not applicable to all Solviso.
The story ends with clues about what will happen to a secondary character in the next book and I am very eager to read it.
Character notes: Vitoria is a virgin submissive disabled Solviso. Antonio is a 32 year old Dominant Lan (wolf shifter) Demalyn King. Matilda is a 32 year old Dominant Wyla (cat shifter) Demalyn Queen.
CW: ableism (countered), ableist violence , kidnapping, heroine has an unnamed chronic illness requiring use of crutches or wheelchair, homelessness, past death of parents, alcohol, references to war
March 9, 2021
Eh ... I hate Antonio and Matilda.
The world-building is different from the usual urban fantasy/paranormal romance fare.
In Vitoria's world, most people are strong, either because they can shift into a huge animal form, or because they can fly. Unfortunately, Vitoria was born Solviso, so her blood has healing and life extending properties, but she has no powers to protect herself from the apex predators around her.
Ironically, Vitoria is on the way to sell her blood on a permanent basis to an acquaintance, in return for safety and money, but she never makes it to her destination. Instead, .... something .... draws her into shifter lands, where she is promptly accosted by a regiment of shifters who think she's an evil intruder, and the ruling Monarchs of this particular shifter faction, Antonio and Matilda.
Antonia and Matilda are VERY SPECIAL indeed. Strong shifters AND monarchs of their faction/clan, they brought peace after a long armed conflict, but they have one problem: they are missing a third mate to complete their triad, and their council is pressuring them to hurry the F up about finding the precious one.
Guess who the third mate is. Anyway, Vitoria sure knows NOTHING about that, because if Antonia and Matilda had bothered to share ANY important information with her, there wouldn't have been so much anxious self-deprecation. And we do need angsty transparent plotlines. /sarcasm
As you can imagine, it was absolutely awful to read. Vitoria's fate is pretty bleak. She's weak and helpless. On top of being less strong than the superhuman freaks around her, she is also disabled and boy, do all the other characters rub it in. In the trigger warnings, it does say that this book includes Dom/sub "lifestyle" outside the bedchamber. Which in this case means that Antonia and Matilda have carte blanche to be unreasonable, opaque dicks to Vitoria all the time. I guess her safeword makes that okay? Only I disagree; it is not okay.
Vitoria is expected to be naked in the apartments, ask for permission if she wants to stop reading a book, ask for permission before she goes anywhere, if she disobeys she gets spanked etc. She's a live-in sex slave, and in her monologues, she argues that it's totally fair because at least she gets laid. Which is nuts, because Matilda and Antonia constantly keep her in the dark, basically icing her out of any romance she could be experiencing. When they do interact with her, they treat her like a dumb baby, while cheerfully keeping the truth from her.
Correct me if I'm wrong but if a relationship is a one-way street where two clowns have all the power and all the information and get no consequences for anything ever ... that's not BDSM, right? That's just abusive gaslighting.
So yeah, I hated everyone. Reading chapter after chapter of Antonio and Matilda lying by omission and manipulating Vitoria ... no thanks. They knew from before they met Vitoria who she was, and they just kept that from her, while Vitoria's anxiety kept skyrocketing and she suffered a lot. There was never a good reason for that, except that these two "Doms" are assholes.
I was interested in the plot that got mentioned about Darya, Caleb and Mira (ostensibly book 2, if it ever sees the light of day), but that book hasn't been written. I'd hope that book wouldn't leave 2 out of the 3 people with all the strings in hand. It just seems incredibly unfair.
The world-building is different from the usual urban fantasy/paranormal romance fare.
In Vitoria's world, most people are strong, either because they can shift into a huge animal form, or because they can fly. Unfortunately, Vitoria was born Solviso, so her blood has healing and life extending properties, but she has no powers to protect herself from the apex predators around her.
Ironically, Vitoria is on the way to sell her blood on a permanent basis to an acquaintance, in return for safety and money, but she never makes it to her destination. Instead, .... something .... draws her into shifter lands, where she is promptly accosted by a regiment of shifters who think she's an evil intruder, and the ruling Monarchs of this particular shifter faction, Antonio and Matilda.
Antonia and Matilda are VERY SPECIAL indeed. Strong shifters AND monarchs of their faction/clan, they brought peace after a long armed conflict, but they have one problem: they are missing a third mate to complete their triad, and their council is pressuring them to hurry the F up about finding the precious one.
Guess who the third mate is. Anyway, Vitoria sure knows NOTHING about that, because if Antonia and Matilda had bothered to share ANY important information with her, there wouldn't have been so much anxious self-deprecation. And we do need angsty transparent plotlines. /sarcasm
As you can imagine, it was absolutely awful to read. Vitoria's fate is pretty bleak. She's weak and helpless. On top of being less strong than the superhuman freaks around her, she is also disabled and boy, do all the other characters rub it in. In the trigger warnings, it does say that this book includes Dom/sub "lifestyle" outside the bedchamber. Which in this case means that Antonia and Matilda have carte blanche to be unreasonable, opaque dicks to Vitoria all the time. I guess her safeword makes that okay? Only I disagree; it is not okay.
Vitoria is expected to be naked in the apartments, ask for permission if she wants to stop reading a book, ask for permission before she goes anywhere, if she disobeys she gets spanked etc. She's a live-in sex slave, and in her monologues, she argues that it's totally fair because at least she gets laid. Which is nuts, because Matilda and Antonia constantly keep her in the dark, basically icing her out of any romance she could be experiencing. When they do interact with her, they treat her like a dumb baby, while cheerfully keeping the truth from her.
Correct me if I'm wrong but if a relationship is a one-way street where two clowns have all the power and all the information and get no consequences for anything ever ... that's not BDSM, right? That's just abusive gaslighting.
So yeah, I hated everyone. Reading chapter after chapter of Antonio and Matilda lying by omission and manipulating Vitoria ... no thanks. They knew from before they met Vitoria who she was, and they just kept that from her, while Vitoria's anxiety kept skyrocketing and she suffered a lot. There was never a good reason for that, except that these two "Doms" are assholes.
I was interested in the plot that got mentioned about Darya, Caleb and Mira (ostensibly book 2, if it ever sees the light of day), but that book hasn't been written. I'd hope that book wouldn't leave 2 out of the 3 people with all the strings in hand. It just seems incredibly unfair.
January 9, 2020
” BOUND TO THE MONARCHS- FFM bisexual romance (Lencura Book 1) by BROOKE WINTERS is a tale of one Vitoria who is a solviso ...a person with special healing blood...in Lencura. But after the death of her beloved father ...Vitoria begins her dangerous quest ...outside of her area....in search of a better life.... and after she encounters brigands intent in harming her...she detours into a stranger land of shifters. There she finds protection and a new purpose in her life under the domination of Queen Matilda and her mate, King Antonio....but even this idyllic period is not to last ...as she is again swept away by chance in the form of a emissary from yet another area...Will Vitoria ever find her way back to Matilda & Antonio ...and if soo can she really trust them...for does ANYONE really want her...OR is everyone just out for her blood alone. Read and see. Much Enjoyed and Highly Recommended. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book.
January 12, 2020
An unusual book - FFM Dominant/submissive romance
Brooke Winters has written what seemed to me to be a very creative book in a well-constructed, very different world. In this world, FFM triads are customary, two dominants and a submissive. The main characters are Matilda and Antonio, who are Ruling Monarchs and Vitoria who wanders into their region.
It’s a very complex social construct, and you should not skip over the glossary. Even the language (“monarchdom” instead of monarchy) and the spelling (“Kiilasalia”) is intended to draw the reader into into the differences.
Prepare yourself for lots of explicit sex of all varieties and combinations. This is not a book for the faint of heart.
Some people are shifters, some can fly, some have healing blood, some can cast spells. This is the first book of a series, so memorize all the regions and customs because you will want to visit this world again.
Brooke Winters has written what seemed to me to be a very creative book in a well-constructed, very different world. In this world, FFM triads are customary, two dominants and a submissive. The main characters are Matilda and Antonio, who are Ruling Monarchs and Vitoria who wanders into their region.
It’s a very complex social construct, and you should not skip over the glossary. Even the language (“monarchdom” instead of monarchy) and the spelling (“Kiilasalia”) is intended to draw the reader into into the differences.
Prepare yourself for lots of explicit sex of all varieties and combinations. This is not a book for the faint of heart.
Some people are shifters, some can fly, some have healing blood, some can cast spells. This is the first book of a series, so memorize all the regions and customs because you will want to visit this world again.
December 19, 2019
This book had so many things that I'd been hungry for, it felt like a blessing. A paranormal romance set in a secondary world I wish I could have explored and learned about more. It's got shifters, magic, a diverse setting, and fate bringing soulmates together; not two, but three! Yes, this is a polyam book and includes some kinky scenes for those who like their books hot. But the very best thing about this book was the disabled lead. There was such depth and nuance to how she was written and it really is an example of why I loved ownvoices works.
Definitely looking forward to book 2 in this series!
Definitely looking forward to book 2 in this series!
March 4, 2020
The book is well written, engaging, enriched by good world building and dynamic characters. Vitoria is special not just because of her special abilities but because of her heart and strength. Adrift in a world full of new discoveries she will embark on a journey that will open her eyes and heart. I look forward to what comes next.
March 20, 2021
Representatividade LGBT+ e PcD.
Diálogos pouco construídos e até estranhos, mas tem um desenvolvimento razoável, considerando que são menos de 150 páginas (apesar de ter uns furos absurdos no plot e algumas coisas pouco críveis).
É mais um hot poliamoroso, multissexual e BDSM com um contexto de fantasia por trás.
Diálogos pouco construídos e até estranhos, mas tem um desenvolvimento razoável, considerando que são menos de 150 páginas (apesar de ter uns furos absurdos no plot e algumas coisas pouco críveis).
É mais um hot poliamoroso, multissexual e BDSM com um contexto de fantasia por trás.
October 6, 2020
should have read the synopsis. not my cup of tea. i wouldn't have requested it for review. the world development was good except it's called a "monarchy" not "monarchdom". i won't be continuing this series.
February 22, 2020
When you think your life is going bad you find what you need
March 11, 2021
(3.5)
Uau isso foi TÃO.....
Uau isso foi TÃO.....
Read
June 3, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Ableism
Ableism
abandoned
February 21, 2024i wants to love this with the RA rep but sadly the writing / romance / pacing was not good for me
January 16, 2021
My only complaint is that Brooke Winters doesn't have more books for me to read! This book has an interesting fantasy setting, a solid shifter romance set up, a triad that includes sapphic romance, and chronic illness representation! While I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the representation I enjoyed the survival story aspect being told from the perspective of a person who also has to consider their physical limitations when navigating the world.
January 27, 2020
OMG! I loved this intriguing tale!
“Bound to the Monarchs” is an exciting, original and emotional tale. The world-building and scenes are vivid and realistic, the storyline is unique and intense. The complexity of this world and the customs are intriguing and add to this tale. The relationship of the main characters, Vitoria a lost outsider, Matilda, and Antonio, the Ruling Monarchs add additional intrigue, intensity, sensual tension, and super-hot chemistry keeps you turning the pages. I lived this engaging tale and highly recommend this read.
I received a free copy of this book. This review was posted voluntarily
“Bound to the Monarchs” is an exciting, original and emotional tale. The world-building and scenes are vivid and realistic, the storyline is unique and intense. The complexity of this world and the customs are intriguing and add to this tale. The relationship of the main characters, Vitoria a lost outsider, Matilda, and Antonio, the Ruling Monarchs add additional intrigue, intensity, sensual tension, and super-hot chemistry keeps you turning the pages. I lived this engaging tale and highly recommend this read.
I received a free copy of this book. This review was posted voluntarily
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews