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Ties That Bind
Cassie Tyler agrees to sub for her friend at the funeral home where she works. But she gets more than she bargained for when a group of men attack her and a vampire comes to her rescue. Contains mature themes.
Mass Market Paperback
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About the author
Nina Bangs
43 books673 followersTalk about misspent youth. What did I do during those lazy summer days of childhood when I could’ve been honing my writing skills? Nothing. Okay, so I spent a lot of time dreaming I was a cowgirl with a trusty black stallion. Oh, and I read every Walter Farley horse novel. I was an only child so I relied on my imagination to supply the excitement in my life.
By high school, I’d decided to trade in my lariat for a trench coat. I was into dark and dangerous. As an intrepid foreign correspondent, I’d stalk the mean streets of the world. Did I actually write anything? No, but I did read all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I worked at a department store during college. My short stint in the accounting department taught me a lot about math. Three hundred-dollar shortages plus hysterical tears equaled instant move to gift-wrap. A career in math was not in my future. I didn’t care because I’d discovered “real” literature. I plowed through James Joyce’s Ulysses and Tolstoy’s War and Peace. If it didn’t make my eyes cross then it wasn’t worth reading. Yes, I admit it, I was a literary snob.
Nina and best buddy, Barbara Joyce.
Folk singers extraordinaire.
But there’s just so much “real” literature one person can take. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English Literature and a determination to avoid books that induced eye crossing or had tragic endings. The only things I managed to write during those years were research papers.
I taught second grade for several years then spent two years in Dublin, Ireland. A friend and I supported ourselves by singing folk songs in Irish pubs. We weren’t great, but we were young, enthusiastic, and wore short skirts. It was obviously my destiny to be the next Judy Collins. I spent a lot of time poring through music books.
Returning to New Jersey and reality, I taught elementary school until I grew restless again. My cross-country odyssey included stays in Arizona, California, and Texas. Along the way, I indulged my love of horses. No black stallions, but I did have several beautiful Arabian mares. I read tons of books on breeding and showing.
Somewhere between California and Texas I grew addicted to romance novels and cats. The cat’s independent attitude was exactly the quality I admired in my romance heroes. And once I decided to try writing my own romances, I made sure a cat crept into each story.
Texas is my permanent home. I’ve come full circle. Born in San Antonio, I spent most of my life in New Jersey. Maybe the Texas in my blood accounts for my attachment to strong men, fast horses, and wide-open spaces. My love of cats? Haven’t a clue.
By high school, I’d decided to trade in my lariat for a trench coat. I was into dark and dangerous. As an intrepid foreign correspondent, I’d stalk the mean streets of the world. Did I actually write anything? No, but I did read all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I worked at a department store during college. My short stint in the accounting department taught me a lot about math. Three hundred-dollar shortages plus hysterical tears equaled instant move to gift-wrap. A career in math was not in my future. I didn’t care because I’d discovered “real” literature. I plowed through James Joyce’s Ulysses and Tolstoy’s War and Peace. If it didn’t make my eyes cross then it wasn’t worth reading. Yes, I admit it, I was a literary snob.
Nina and best buddy, Barbara Joyce.
Folk singers extraordinaire.
But there’s just so much “real” literature one person can take. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English Literature and a determination to avoid books that induced eye crossing or had tragic endings. The only things I managed to write during those years were research papers.
I taught second grade for several years then spent two years in Dublin, Ireland. A friend and I supported ourselves by singing folk songs in Irish pubs. We weren’t great, but we were young, enthusiastic, and wore short skirts. It was obviously my destiny to be the next Judy Collins. I spent a lot of time poring through music books.
Returning to New Jersey and reality, I taught elementary school until I grew restless again. My cross-country odyssey included stays in Arizona, California, and Texas. Along the way, I indulged my love of horses. No black stallions, but I did have several beautiful Arabian mares. I read tons of books on breeding and showing.
Somewhere between California and Texas I grew addicted to romance novels and cats. The cat’s independent attitude was exactly the quality I admired in my romance heroes. And once I decided to try writing my own romances, I made sure a cat crept into each story.
Texas is my permanent home. I’ve come full circle. Born in San Antonio, I spent most of my life in New Jersey. Maybe the Texas in my blood accounts for my attachment to strong men, fast horses, and wide-open spaces. My love of cats? Haven’t a clue.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 17, 2020
I feel that this story could be part of a series or at least an offshoot of one, but it appears to be written only as a short story in the anthology Predatory. I could not find it as it's own entity anywhere. I'm bummed as I really enjoyed this story and would be interested in learning more about this world Nina Bangs has created. I sincerely hope some of her other books exist in this same world as I would like to read more. I just find it hard to believe this short story isn't connected to anything else Bangs has written.
January 9, 2024
what a dry and boring book! This could or should be a series to make sense. The characters are boring, her reactions do not make any sense, there is no chemistry, the sex is boring as boring can get... This book lacks everything: From a world building, to what this all is about down to the characters that get mentioned.. and you do not know what they are about too. Not worth it at all. Waste of time.
This book was in " Predatory " one of 4 books in there.
Had to give 1 star to write a comment
This book was in " Predatory " one of 4 books in there.
Had to give 1 star to write a comment
January 21, 2021
This is a reread and is found in the anthology ‘Predatory’ along with 4 other stories. Felt like there should be part of a series but couldn’t find any.
While working at a funeral home Cassie accidently rescues a captured vampire. But she has to flee with Ethan and gets mixed up in his world and his need for revenge.
While working at a funeral home Cassie accidently rescues a captured vampire. But she has to flee with Ethan and gets mixed up in his world and his need for revenge.
July 12, 2021
Short story. Interesting but I felt like it was over too quickly and sexy times were just meh.
August 12, 2021
Intriguing short story that reads like an idea that could have been a series but never quite made it.
February 19, 2025
The story was good. It took a moment in the beginning to understand what was going on, but once I got into the story it was fast paced.
October 20, 2025
Silly and boring
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews