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The Bonds that Tie #4
Forced Bonds
They say to keep your friends close but your enemies closer;
What if they’re one and the same?
The stable foundation I thought I’d built in the Sanctuary has been ripped away, and I find myself on the front lines of the war against the Resistance. I might have my Bonds on my side, but there are darker schemes in motion.
Can I prove myself and turn the tide to protect our most vulnerable, or am I nothing more than the monster they’ve always claimed I am?
Will we make it out of this without tragic consequences?
*Forced Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.
What if they’re one and the same?
The stable foundation I thought I’d built in the Sanctuary has been ripped away, and I find myself on the front lines of the war against the Resistance. I might have my Bonds on my side, but there are darker schemes in motion.
Can I prove myself and turn the tide to protect our most vulnerable, or am I nothing more than the monster they’ve always claimed I am?
Will we make it out of this without tragic consequences?
*Forced Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It's recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.
541 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2022
8340 people are currently reading
35446 people want to read
About the author
J. Bree
29 books11.9k followersJ Bree is a dreamer, writer, mother, and cat-wrangler.
The order of priorities changes daily.
She lives on the coast of Western Australia in a city where it rains too much. She spends her days dreaming about all of her book boyfriends, listening to her partner moan about how the lawns are looking, and being a snack bitch to her three kids.
Visit her website at http://www.jbreeauthor.com to sign up for the newsletter or find her on social media.
The order of priorities changes daily.
She lives on the coast of Western Australia in a city where it rains too much. She spends her days dreaming about all of her book boyfriends, listening to her partner moan about how the lawns are looking, and being a snack bitch to her three kids.
Visit her website at http://www.jbreeauthor.com to sign up for the newsletter or find her on social media.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,410 reviews
November 22, 2022
OH MY GOSH!!!
That ending can't be it 😭😭
Plot- 3.5🌟
Spice- 5/5🌶️
Getting straight to the point- I think the book was slower compared to the previous ones, it was also hugely repetitive which is why I rate it three stars. It did not offer a lot of new things or events. There are still too many secrets of Oli and Nox, the bonds should've been explained properly by now but I'm guessing that both of these things will be explored in the next book considering how it ended. I'm kinda getting bored of the "big talk no action" Resistance group. Their agenda and planning hasn't improved a lot. Hopefully this will be rectified as well.
Although I rate it three stars, I still enjoyed it a lot. It's still keeping me entertained and the romance is so good in it. Nox is slowly making his way into my heart. North is simply North🥰🥰 The spice was off the charts in this one.
Looking forward to reading the next one.
That ending can't be it 😭😭
Plot- 3.5🌟
Spice- 5/5🌶️
Getting straight to the point- I think the book was slower compared to the previous ones, it was also hugely repetitive which is why I rate it three stars. It did not offer a lot of new things or events. There are still too many secrets of Oli and Nox, the bonds should've been explained properly by now but I'm guessing that both of these things will be explored in the next book considering how it ended. I'm kinda getting bored of the "big talk no action" Resistance group. Their agenda and planning hasn't improved a lot. Hopefully this will be rectified as well.
Although I rate it three stars, I still enjoyed it a lot. It's still keeping me entertained and the romance is so good in it. Nox is slowly making his way into my heart. North is simply North🥰🥰 The spice was off the charts in this one.
Looking forward to reading the next one.
August 3, 2022
I wanna see Oli and Nox!
September 14, 2023
Reread 13/8/23
5/5 stars
SO I JUST FINISHED MY ARC OF THIS. AND I HAVE NO WORDS ABSOLUTELY NO WORDS.
This series is phenomenal. One of the greatest I've ever read. J Bree continues to produce fantastic books.
The FMC, Oli, is such a badass and seeing her be stronger than everyone else is so entertaining.
I loved this book so much... but that last chapter destroyed me. 😢 I JUST WANT THEM ALL TO BE HAPPY!
I'm desperate for the next book because I refuse to acknowledge what happened on the last page. Highly recommend you all read this series or anything written by J Bree
5/5 stars
SO I JUST FINISHED MY ARC OF THIS. AND I HAVE NO WORDS ABSOLUTELY NO WORDS.
This series is phenomenal. One of the greatest I've ever read. J Bree continues to produce fantastic books.
The FMC, Oli, is such a badass and seeing her be stronger than everyone else is so entertaining.
I loved this book so much... but that last chapter destroyed me. 😢 I JUST WANT THEM ALL TO BE HAPPY!
I'm desperate for the next book because I refuse to acknowledge what happened on the last page. Highly recommend you all read this series or anything written by J Bree
November 12, 2024
2.75 ☆ plot holes weren’t filled but atleast her two holes were
it is losing me with the drawn out repetitiveness of a barely plot.. series does not need 6 books
but watch me finish it just for nox #needhim #revealthattrauma #icanfixhim and some orgies
gryph and nox scene tehee i was a bit pleasantly suprised
it is losing me with the drawn out repetitiveness of a barely plot.. series does not need 6 books
but watch me finish it just for nox #needhim #revealthattrauma #icanfixhim and some orgies
gryph and nox scene tehee i was a bit pleasantly suprised
July 28, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ WHAT WAS THAT ENDING. I THOUGHT SOMEONE RIPPED MY HEART OUT
April 1, 2022
4.5
O. 😱
M.😱
G. 😱
WTF?!?!?!?! 😭
That was just cruel!!!
No author's note at the end or anything!
Cold-blooded, man. 😩
I'm hoping the ending isn't what it seems. I feel like it can't be, but you never know!
O. 😱
M.😱
G. 😱
WTF?!?!?!?! 😭
That was just cruel!!!
No author's note at the end or anything!
Cold-blooded, man. 😩
I'm hoping the ending isn't what it seems. I feel like it can't be, but you never know!
December 3, 2022
⚜𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐈𝐈⚜ Since I'm going to binge read the last three books of this series, i will write an overall review for all three of them on my review of Unbroken Bonds.
]|I{•---------⋘⋙---------------•⪼⦕࿅⦖⪻•---------------⋘⋙---------•}I|[
⚜𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐈⚜ I'm not gonna read this. I just can't, i truly 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 touch this book or be anywhere 𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐈𝐓 at the moment. I know, we will be getting into some deep sh*t with this one, but then i'll be left waiting again with my 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐓 and i can't keep doing this to myself. I reach my limit of masochism for the months to come. I'm drained.
As of right now, I'm in 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 but if i read this and discover all the amazing thing that are waiting for me, you know those thing that i've been dreaming about since 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖘, i will be in 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋. The kind that sadistically tortures your soul with a smile. Idk how long i'll be able to put this out but that won't stop me from trying, even if it kills me.
]|I{•---------⋘⋙---------------•⪼⦕࿅⦖⪻•---------------⋘⋙---------•}I|[
𝐎𝐇 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘. Are you trying to kill me. Because I can't handle this right now, I'm still waiting for 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖘 and you are giving me the 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 and 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 for the 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡. What kind of sick torture is this.
]|I{•---------⋘⋙---------------•⪼⦕࿅⦖⪻•---------------⋘⋙---------•}I|[
⚜𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐈⚜ I'm not gonna read this. I just can't, i truly 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 touch this book or be anywhere 𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐈𝐓 at the moment. I know, we will be getting into some deep sh*t with this one, but then i'll be left waiting again with my 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐓 and i can't keep doing this to myself. I reach my limit of masochism for the months to come. I'm drained.
As of right now, I'm in 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 but if i read this and discover all the amazing thing that are waiting for me, you know those thing that i've been dreaming about since 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖘, i will be in 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋. The kind that sadistically tortures your soul with a smile. Idk how long i'll be able to put this out but that won't stop me from trying, even if it kills me.
]|I{•---------⋘⋙---------------•⪼⦕࿅⦖⪻•---------------⋘⋙---------•}I|[
𝐎𝐇 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘. Are you trying to kill me. Because I can't handle this right now, I'm still waiting for 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖘 and you are giving me the 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 and 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 for the 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡. What kind of sick torture is this.
March 28, 2022
3.8 stars rounded up to 4. This series remains incredibly addictive. It’s a perfect blend of a unique paranormal plot and fantastic characters. It really is top tier paranormal RH.
That said, I wanted to love this book as much as the others, and I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it overall, and am still obsessed with this series. But, there were two main issues preventing me from absolutely loving it.
The first is that felt like it was prioritizing plot over character - as it was focused on dealing with the Sage issue, Void Eyes, and the newly introduced Wastelands issue – to the point where several huge developments were glossed over, or had very little reaction from the characters.
The second issue is Nox. In the first 3 books, I thought that surely, Nox wouldn’t be written this way if we were SUPPOSED to like him. But with this book, since the cliffhanger hinges on me having an emotional reaction to him, clearly I AM! I’m baffled by this. This cliffhanger is obviously supposed to make me feel heartbroken, and instead, my reaction was, “Good. Cue the world’s smallest violin.”
Nox has trauma – as we’ve been reminded a thousand times. But that’s not a justification for how he’s treated Oli: assaulting her, belittling her, never owning up to his behavior and finding ways to blame HER for it at every turn. I’ve rarely seen a “hero” with more small-dick energy. The weirdest thing about this story is that it keeps acknowledging that his trauma isn’t a justification for his behavior…and then, it keeps using it as one anyway. As if just tipping its hat to this idea is enough, so there’s no need to follow through.
We’re supposed to root for Nox and Oli ending up together, but this story is not doing ANYTHING to help me want that. Every interaction that Nox has with her is like that meme, “go girl, give us nothing.” More than halfway through this series – and even after this book had significant developments with him – he’s giving me no reason to want him with Oli, and no reason not to want to launch him into the sun.
His assault of Oli from the first book is mentioned in a way that tries to let him off the hook, here. (Gabe says to Atlas that if it was REALLY assault, then Oli’s bond would have done more in the moment to hurt him. The story presents it in a way where this isn’t just Gabe’s opinion; it’s the Definitive Truth that the narrative itself is pushing, and Atlas is painted as being unreasonable for his anger at Nox). I’m not a reader who shies away from dubious consent – I love plenty of heroes that do that to their heroines! But, this story is trying to retcon what happened and say it wasn’t actually assault. That’s a cowardly way to handle it. If you’re going to have dubious consent, fine! But don’t try to pretend it’s not that.
This review is making it sound like I disliked this book, and that’s not the case. Despite my quibbles with some parts, I had a good time reading it and I’ll be impatiently waiting until book 5 comes out. This series is one of the best paranormal RHs out there. But, that’s also why the parts of this story that bring it down are a bummer, because it has so much potential to be not just great, but amazing…if it stops getting in its own way.
That said, I wanted to love this book as much as the others, and I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it overall, and am still obsessed with this series. But, there were two main issues preventing me from absolutely loving it.
The first is that felt like it was prioritizing plot over character - as it was focused on dealing with the Sage issue, Void Eyes, and the newly introduced Wastelands issue – to the point where several huge developments were glossed over, or had very little reaction from the characters.
The second issue is Nox. In the first 3 books, I thought that surely, Nox wouldn’t be written this way if we were SUPPOSED to like him. But with this book, since the cliffhanger hinges on me having an emotional reaction to him, clearly I AM! I’m baffled by this. This cliffhanger is obviously supposed to make me feel heartbroken, and instead, my reaction was, “Good. Cue the world’s smallest violin.”
Nox has trauma – as we’ve been reminded a thousand times. But that’s not a justification for how he’s treated Oli: assaulting her, belittling her, never owning up to his behavior and finding ways to blame HER for it at every turn. I’ve rarely seen a “hero” with more small-dick energy. The weirdest thing about this story is that it keeps acknowledging that his trauma isn’t a justification for his behavior…and then, it keeps using it as one anyway. As if just tipping its hat to this idea is enough, so there’s no need to follow through.
We’re supposed to root for Nox and Oli ending up together, but this story is not doing ANYTHING to help me want that. Every interaction that Nox has with her is like that meme, “go girl, give us nothing.” More than halfway through this series – and even after this book had significant developments with him – he’s giving me no reason to want him with Oli, and no reason not to want to launch him into the sun.
His assault of Oli from the first book is mentioned in a way that tries to let him off the hook, here. (Gabe says to Atlas that if it was REALLY assault, then Oli’s bond would have done more in the moment to hurt him. The story presents it in a way where this isn’t just Gabe’s opinion; it’s the Definitive Truth that the narrative itself is pushing, and Atlas is painted as being unreasonable for his anger at Nox). I’m not a reader who shies away from dubious consent – I love plenty of heroes that do that to their heroines! But, this story is trying to retcon what happened and say it wasn’t actually assault. That’s a cowardly way to handle it. If you’re going to have dubious consent, fine! But don’t try to pretend it’s not that.
This review is making it sound like I disliked this book, and that’s not the case. Despite my quibbles with some parts, I had a good time reading it and I’ll be impatiently waiting until book 5 comes out. This series is one of the best paranormal RHs out there. But, that’s also why the parts of this story that bring it down are a bummer, because it has so much potential to be not just great, but amazing…if it stops getting in its own way.
April 30, 2023
3 "Bonded" Stars ⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
When I started the series, my liking for it was measured in the number of fucks that appeared in the text. The first book had 466 fucks in it. The second book was a little less, the third EVEN less and, unfortunately, in this book we only had 194 fucks.
In correlation to the fucks my liking for this book exponentially decreased. Something else is, I have grown an increased annoyance of the word bond in any FORM. It appears in this book 862 times! There are only 532 pages, which means that we almost have the word bond mentioned at least twice per page.
It's like, okay, we get it! They're bonded! They have a bond! You don't have to refer to them that way. It's like by book four, we get the fucking point that there are bonds! It's like they are all Rhys and suddenly the word mate needs to be uttered 50 thousand times to make sure the universe knows. I almost DNF'ed this book. Not because it's bad, it's like this is trash TV.
The problem is that because it's trash TV, it is almost recycling plot elements. There is the same feeling, the same story. There is a resistance attack, Oli bonds with her bonded and bonds (both in the "bonded sense "and just a "general" sense of bonding with a person). The smut is not as awesome as I expected it to be. Basically the story is not really giving me anything new and the story is boring.
This is just plain old boring and the character of Oli is just starting to get irritating. As much as I could deal with her irritation previously because the angst and drama drew me into the book, I didn't mind then. NOW I CAN'T HANDLE IT!!! I just wanted the book to end. It was a major chore to actually finish this!
I will read the other two because I am still interested to know how the series is going to end. But I'm going to need a break. A couple of books in between should be good to just dilute the story in my mind so it doesn't feel like I'm reading the "same shit on a different day".
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
When I started the series, my liking for it was measured in the number of fucks that appeared in the text. The first book had 466 fucks in it. The second book was a little less, the third EVEN less and, unfortunately, in this book we only had 194 fucks.
In correlation to the fucks my liking for this book exponentially decreased. Something else is, I have grown an increased annoyance of the word bond in any FORM. It appears in this book 862 times! There are only 532 pages, which means that we almost have the word bond mentioned at least twice per page.
It's like, okay, we get it! They're bonded! They have a bond! You don't have to refer to them that way. It's like by book four, we get the fucking point that there are bonds! It's like they are all Rhys and suddenly the word mate needs to be uttered 50 thousand times to make sure the universe knows. I almost DNF'ed this book. Not because it's bad, it's like this is trash TV.
The problem is that because it's trash TV, it is almost recycling plot elements. There is the same feeling, the same story. There is a resistance attack, Oli bonds with her bonded and bonds (both in the "bonded sense "and just a "general" sense of bonding with a person). The smut is not as awesome as I expected it to be. Basically the story is not really giving me anything new and the story is boring.
This is just plain old boring and the character of Oli is just starting to get irritating. As much as I could deal with her irritation previously because the angst and drama drew me into the book, I didn't mind then. NOW I CAN'T HANDLE IT!!! I just wanted the book to end. It was a major chore to actually finish this!
I will read the other two because I am still interested to know how the series is going to end. But I'm going to need a break. A couple of books in between should be good to just dilute the story in my mind so it doesn't feel like I'm reading the "same shit on a different day".
November 1, 2022
4/5 ⭐
4/5 🌶️
This series remains incredibly addictive. Let me say I love this series and the first three books were absolutely awesome! Loved them so much that I actually re-read them a few times already. I love watching Oli’s subtle but important growth in this story- this is a heroine who is coming into her own. Forced bonds made me feel all the emotions, I laughed, cried and now I'm just an empty shell. That cliffhanger. Every time I read these books I want to read the next one immediately.
#1 Broken Bonds: ★★★★★ | 5 stars
#2 Savage Bonds: ★★★★ | 4.5 stars
#3 Blood Bonds: ★★★★ | 4.5 stars
#4 Forced Bonds ★★★★ | 4 stars
Quotes:
“I'll see you in the next life, Bonded. Maybe I can love you right there.”
“It only occurs to me as Gabe and Atlas each flank either side of me that Nox had put himself between the other Bond Group and I.”
“You’re already doing a great job proving it. I love you too. All of you; your bond and your shadows too. None of that stuff scares me or worries me. I’m proud to call you mine… even if we’re both terrifying monsters.”
.
4/5 🌶️
This series remains incredibly addictive. Let me say I love this series and the first three books were absolutely awesome! Loved them so much that I actually re-read them a few times already. I love watching Oli’s subtle but important growth in this story- this is a heroine who is coming into her own. Forced bonds made me feel all the emotions, I laughed, cried and now I'm just an empty shell. That cliffhanger. Every time I read these books I want to read the next one immediately.
#1 Broken Bonds: ★★★★★ | 5 stars
#2 Savage Bonds: ★★★★ | 4.5 stars
#3 Blood Bonds: ★★★★ | 4.5 stars
#4 Forced Bonds ★★★★ | 4 stars
Quotes:
“I'll see you in the next life, Bonded. Maybe I can love you right there.”
“It only occurs to me as Gabe and Atlas each flank either side of me that Nox had put himself between the other Bond Group and I.”
“You’re already doing a great job proving it. I love you too. All of you; your bond and your shadows too. None of that stuff scares me or worries me. I’m proud to call you mine… even if we’re both terrifying monsters.”
.
May 29, 2023
let's preface this by saying that I didn't like any of the previous books. I found them all just interesting enough to want to keep reading, but this one might have just sealed the deal on the series.
My biggest issues with this book/series overall fall into two main categories, the plot and the main character(s).
Plot:
- the world building makes no sense at all. Oleander is apparently the most powerful gifted in living history and yet they refuse to send her on any sort of mission because her bonds will be too worried about her. Why?????? She literally saves everyone every time she goes out, and oleander spends at least 50% of the book complaining that she doesn't have enough to do. It seems like the author wants to just push the alpha male dynamic, but instead of it being cute it feels toxically overprotective. There's just no good reason for her to not be allowed to do anything 24/7.
- Speaking of her being the most powerful gifted in living history: why is she? This is a problem I had in book 1 but am only now complaining about. It makes the book fall incredibly flat, and doesn't make sense. So she can kill anyone and everything with 0 effort or repercussions, but for some reason she can't/doesn't. The reason why she can't just kill Silas Davies is because he's too strong apparently, except we don't know what he does. Not to bring up my first point again, but why why why isn't she allowed to help them if she can kill everyone they come into contact with.
- the resistance makes no sense to me. It was very very briefly mentioned that their goal was to rule over the non-gifted because they're completely superior in every way. 1) why are they only killing gifted then and 2) it feels cartoonish. They're just evil. There's no way to justify their actions. Atlas mentions a couple of times that through propaganda and indoctrination they have supporters, but what exactly is this propaganda and indoctrination? It's very easy to just be on the side of the main characters when the villains are objectively evil.
- what exactly are bonds? Is it just a little sex pact until the end of time? Why are bonds always between one man/multiple women or one woman/multiple men. Even Gray and Sawyer, two men previously thought of as gay (who are apparently bisexual) are bonds with a woman? I dont get it.
The Characters:
- I hate the dynamic between Oleander and her bonded. In any other book, this would be the toxic relationship that the main character is trying to escape from while the readers cheer them on. All of them just consistently condescend her by literally not letting her be useful at all. They're overly protective to a fault, not letting her breathe without them. Oleander apparently likes being treated like a pet, because she only ever comments on how hot and buff they are.
- Don't even get me started on her dynamic with Gryphon, where he could literally read her every thought and refused to teach her to block him out despite her begging him to do so and continuously complaining about not having autonomy. Dear J. Bree, if your main character has no autonomy because of her partners, you should not treat it as a joke and continue to deprive her of it. It was incredibly weird and I hated it.
- brief mention of Sawyer. The only lgbt character (apart from Gray but he's not really a character) and his only personality trait is talking about dick. That's literally all he does. He makes jokes about dicks. Even when Oleander feels uncomfortable, he makes inappropriate sexual jokes. It felt stereotypical and weird.
Nox:
I was going to put him in the section above before deciding that he really just needs his own space.
- Nox as a character just confuses me, including everyones opinions of him. This is going to be unpopular, but it needs to be said.
- In book 1, Nox sexually assaults Oleander in the hallway. In books 2-4, her bonds just continuously try to make it seem like she had power to stop him. She didn't. Stop pushing that agenda. Even if she could stop him, it doesn't make it ok.
- Speaking of the hallway scene, I don't understand what J. Bree is trying to do with Nox's character. It seems like she needed a quick and easy way to make him the enemy, and chose the worst way to do it. It's been abundantly clear (and becomes even more clear) that he has a horrible trauma relating to rape/sa in his past. North has alluded to it multiple times, saying that 'it's hard enough knowing what Nox went through, he couldn't imagine trying to live with it'. Nox hates skin on skin contact. He doesn't want to be sexual with Oleander, and makes that incredibly clear. His entire character is centered around not wanting to be with Oleander because he's so deeply traumatized by his past.
Knowing this, how does the book 1 hallway scene make any emblem of sense. Book 2-4 Nox seems like an entirely different character than book 1 Nox, because the Nox in Forced Bonds would not willingly lay a finger on Oleander, and goes to lengths not to.
- Shockingly enough, I dislike the way North and Gryphon treat Nox at certain points. In book 3 (or book 2, they all start to blend together at some point), Oleander said "that's a good boy" or something like that to Nox, deeply triggering him and giving him a breakdown. Instead of recognizing that Oleander didn't know any better and supporting Nox because he clearly needed it, both Gryphon and North get mad at Nox for not handling his triggers better?? Is he horribly traumatized or not. North makes it seem like he can barely live with the knowledge of the event, but then criticizes Nox for not handling it well enough? make it make sense.
- Lets talk about the Nox bonding scene. The following points will have spoilers, for those of you looking to avoid that.
Everything about it was genuinely horrific to read. It was so clearly not consensual. I hated that the bonds gave them an ultimatum that pretty much forced two people who didn't want to have sex to have sex. I hated that Oleander seemed to enjoy the experience very much, and even if she didn't, I hate that the author made it seem hot/sexy/enjoyable in any way. They pretty much just all banded together to figure out how to rape Nox. "it's not really rape if-" let me stop you right there. He didn't want to do it. He tried to run away when it was over. He was forced to let his bond take over so that he wouldn't have to deal with the mental repercussions. It's absolutely rape.
I hate that during the little orgy they all had, Oleander's bond tries to force Nox to come join them, and only by sheer willpower was he able to deny her. I hated everything to with Nox and sex in this book.
- Now that that's over, Nox's third and final personality change happened in the last couple chapters of the book. He suddenly began to love Oleander and wish that she could love him the way he needed her to. It was stilted and forced, and I couldn't wrap my head around it until his death. It was very clear that J. Bree was trying to find a way to redeem him last minute and make him lovable, because theres just no reason for his character to do a 180 like that.
honorable mentions
- Why are bond, Bonded, Bond, and Gift all really synonymous. Please come up with different words. sentences like "my bond looked at our Bond group. 'let's go bonded'" (disclaimer i just made that up) and get away with it.
- enough of the words freaking and goddamit.
My biggest issues with this book/series overall fall into two main categories, the plot and the main character(s).
Plot:
- the world building makes no sense at all. Oleander is apparently the most powerful gifted in living history and yet they refuse to send her on any sort of mission because her bonds will be too worried about her. Why?????? She literally saves everyone every time she goes out, and oleander spends at least 50% of the book complaining that she doesn't have enough to do. It seems like the author wants to just push the alpha male dynamic, but instead of it being cute it feels toxically overprotective. There's just no good reason for her to not be allowed to do anything 24/7.
- Speaking of her being the most powerful gifted in living history: why is she? This is a problem I had in book 1 but am only now complaining about. It makes the book fall incredibly flat, and doesn't make sense. So she can kill anyone and everything with 0 effort or repercussions, but for some reason she can't/doesn't. The reason why she can't just kill Silas Davies is because he's too strong apparently, except we don't know what he does. Not to bring up my first point again, but why why why isn't she allowed to help them if she can kill everyone they come into contact with.
- the resistance makes no sense to me. It was very very briefly mentioned that their goal was to rule over the non-gifted because they're completely superior in every way. 1) why are they only killing gifted then and 2) it feels cartoonish. They're just evil. There's no way to justify their actions. Atlas mentions a couple of times that through propaganda and indoctrination they have supporters, but what exactly is this propaganda and indoctrination? It's very easy to just be on the side of the main characters when the villains are objectively evil.
- what exactly are bonds? Is it just a little sex pact until the end of time? Why are bonds always between one man/multiple women or one woman/multiple men. Even Gray and Sawyer, two men previously thought of as gay (who are apparently bisexual) are bonds with a woman? I dont get it.
The Characters:
- I hate the dynamic between Oleander and her bonded. In any other book, this would be the toxic relationship that the main character is trying to escape from while the readers cheer them on. All of them just consistently condescend her by literally not letting her be useful at all. They're overly protective to a fault, not letting her breathe without them. Oleander apparently likes being treated like a pet, because she only ever comments on how hot and buff they are.
- Don't even get me started on her dynamic with Gryphon, where he could literally read her every thought and refused to teach her to block him out despite her begging him to do so and continuously complaining about not having autonomy. Dear J. Bree, if your main character has no autonomy because of her partners, you should not treat it as a joke and continue to deprive her of it. It was incredibly weird and I hated it.
- brief mention of Sawyer. The only lgbt character (apart from Gray but he's not really a character) and his only personality trait is talking about dick. That's literally all he does. He makes jokes about dicks. Even when Oleander feels uncomfortable, he makes inappropriate sexual jokes. It felt stereotypical and weird.
Nox:
I was going to put him in the section above before deciding that he really just needs his own space.
- Nox as a character just confuses me, including everyones opinions of him. This is going to be unpopular, but it needs to be said.
- In book 1, Nox sexually assaults Oleander in the hallway. In books 2-4, her bonds just continuously try to make it seem like she had power to stop him. She didn't. Stop pushing that agenda. Even if she could stop him, it doesn't make it ok.
- Speaking of the hallway scene, I don't understand what J. Bree is trying to do with Nox's character. It seems like she needed a quick and easy way to make him the enemy, and chose the worst way to do it. It's been abundantly clear (and becomes even more clear) that he has a horrible trauma relating to rape/sa in his past. North has alluded to it multiple times, saying that 'it's hard enough knowing what Nox went through, he couldn't imagine trying to live with it'. Nox hates skin on skin contact. He doesn't want to be sexual with Oleander, and makes that incredibly clear. His entire character is centered around not wanting to be with Oleander because he's so deeply traumatized by his past.
Knowing this, how does the book 1 hallway scene make any emblem of sense. Book 2-4 Nox seems like an entirely different character than book 1 Nox, because the Nox in Forced Bonds would not willingly lay a finger on Oleander, and goes to lengths not to.
- Shockingly enough, I dislike the way North and Gryphon treat Nox at certain points. In book 3 (or book 2, they all start to blend together at some point), Oleander said "that's a good boy" or something like that to Nox, deeply triggering him and giving him a breakdown. Instead of recognizing that Oleander didn't know any better and supporting Nox because he clearly needed it, both Gryphon and North get mad at Nox for not handling his triggers better?? Is he horribly traumatized or not. North makes it seem like he can barely live with the knowledge of the event, but then criticizes Nox for not handling it well enough? make it make sense.
- Lets talk about the Nox bonding scene. The following points will have spoilers, for those of you looking to avoid that.
Everything about it was genuinely horrific to read. It was so clearly not consensual. I hated that the bonds gave them an ultimatum that pretty much forced two people who didn't want to have sex to have sex. I hated that Oleander seemed to enjoy the experience very much, and even if she didn't, I hate that the author made it seem hot/sexy/enjoyable in any way. They pretty much just all banded together to figure out how to rape Nox. "it's not really rape if-" let me stop you right there. He didn't want to do it. He tried to run away when it was over. He was forced to let his bond take over so that he wouldn't have to deal with the mental repercussions. It's absolutely rape.
I hate that during the little orgy they all had, Oleander's bond tries to force Nox to come join them, and only by sheer willpower was he able to deny her. I hated everything to with Nox and sex in this book.
- Now that that's over, Nox's third and final personality change happened in the last couple chapters of the book. He suddenly began to love Oleander and wish that she could love him the way he needed her to. It was stilted and forced, and I couldn't wrap my head around it until his death. It was very clear that J. Bree was trying to find a way to redeem him last minute and make him lovable, because theres just no reason for his character to do a 180 like that.
honorable mentions
- Why are bond, Bonded, Bond, and Gift all really synonymous. Please come up with different words. sentences like "my bond looked at our Bond group. 'let's go bonded'" (disclaimer i just made that up) and get away with it.
- enough of the words freaking and goddamit.
January 7, 2024
3.8 stars ✨
I’m a smidge disappointed.
Nothing really happened in this installment, things progressed really slowly and I get the feeling that we’re still not getting enough information about Oli’s secrets, Nox’s past, the bonds etc
This book was a bit lackluster and I’m dreading the ending with all these mysteries up in the air. Only 2 books left and still waiting for some answers, gosh !
The guys were a bit boring in this one and things plateaued a little bit, it really read like the previous novel with how slow the action was.
I’m still in awe about this series and it still my fave so far of 2022 but I’m ready for MORE! Even the cliffy at the end didn’t really shocked me 🤷🏾♀️
I’m a smidge disappointed.
Nothing really happened in this installment, things progressed really slowly and I get the feeling that we’re still not getting enough information about Oli’s secrets, Nox’s past, the bonds etc
This book was a bit lackluster and I’m dreading the ending with all these mysteries up in the air. Only 2 books left and still waiting for some answers, gosh !
The guys were a bit boring in this one and things plateaued a little bit, it really read like the previous novel with how slow the action was.
I’m still in awe about this series and it still my fave so far of 2022 but I’m ready for MORE! Even the cliffy at the end didn’t really shocked me 🤷🏾♀️
July 8, 2024
✅ Addictiveness
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Characters
✅ Multiple POVs
✅ Reverse harem
✅ More smut
✅ Powers
✅ Action
✅(🆗) Found family (we didn’t see much of Oli’s friends, sadly)
✅(🆗) Slower pace and
✅(🆗) Plot (becoming a little repetitive)
❌ Overuse of the words “bond” and “bonded”
❗️❗️Cliffhanger
❗️❗️Trigger warning: mentions of murder and past torture, terrorism, dub-con (meaning: bonds taking over and having a go at it)
I mean, I should be used to those killer cliffhangers by now, but my heart is broken right now.
This book picks up right where Blood Bonds ended, with Sawyer, Oli, and her guys desperately trying to figure out what happened with Sage, and find out if there is a Resistance agent in the Sanctuary, and who it is.
While I still greatly enjoyed this fourth book in the series, I was sad not to see more of Sage, Sawyer, Gray, and Kieran. This book was more focused on Oli and her developing relationships with her Bonds, as well as her Bonds learning to work with her and Atlas in a harmonious way.
The plot was interesting and there are more politics in this one, as North and his Bond group are trying to protect the Sanctuary and fight off the Resistance, but I also found that the pace was slower near the middle. Maybe it’s because I had less time to read/listen to the book during the weekend, but I didn’t find it as addictive as the previous ones (that being said, it is still a freaking amazing and addictive series so far). Some aspects of the plot are getting repetitive, and I am ready for Oli to kick some asses and get it over with. She is super powerful, and said herself that she could wipe out the whole state if she wanted to, so why are there still resistance camps out there? Why didn’t she kill Silas when she last encountered him? It makes no sense to me that they are all there just waiting to get attacked, only to retaliate and then go back to the Sanctuary to wait again. They should go on the offensive, use their insanely powerful abilities, and get it over with once and for all. I am scared that the last books will become too repetitive and that I will not like them as much as the first ones.
Oli toned down the sass a little in this book, and it made her feel more mature and serious about the whole situation she and her Bonds have found themselves in. She is still quick, witty, and sarcastic though, and I still adore her as a main character. She is growing in each book, gaining more confidence and learning to love her bond instead of fearing it.
Atlas remains the same steady and loyal protector that will fight the world to keep Oli safe and doesn’t give a shit about anyone besides her. While I loved him since the first book, I find that he is the one that changed the less in the series. I would love for him to ease up a little and let Oli decide how to interact with Nox and the Shadow creatures, especially since we all know that her bond will keep her safe from any threat… but, I can’t really fault him for being too protective of her, it’s who he is, and that’s why I loved him so much at first…
I am still deeply in love with North Draven. He is the provider, the caretaker, and he is HOT while doing it. We saw in this book how truly devoted to his community he is, and how generous of his time, money, and person he is too. He gave everything he had to build the Sanctuary, and never asked anything from the people living in it. It is so frustrating to see the higher class living there and daring to complain about their situation when they are living there rent-free and doing nothing to contribute. I hope North will put them in their place soon because he deserves a shit-ton of love and respect.
I think that says it all. Gryphon is the steady protector, but he also takes the role of a facilitator in this book between Nox and Oli. He is friends with Nox, and helps him and Oli navigate their stormy and complicated relationship. He is still the one I struggled most with though when it’s time to put to words what I think of him. I love him, there is no hesitation there, but I can’t really explain why I like him, or why I’m not obsessed with him like I am with North and Nox…
I was already super intrigued by Nox after reading the second and third books, but now I definitely need MORE. He is broken and traumatized, but as Oli realized, he is nasty to her as a way to protect himself, not because he actually hates her. It was great that she was able to come to this realization and overlook his barbs so she could try to understand and help him.
Amen to that Gabe! He is still the golden boy of this Bond Group, the golden retriever puppy who’s always happy when he’s around Oli, and always happy to help around. He can be fiercely protective and vicious when he’s fighting for those he loves though, and I am thrilled that we finally saw more of him and his power. I feel that we almost saw nothing of his shifting abilities, and it’s just sad because the guy can shift into anything. Why not take advantage of it?! It was time for him to shine!
Overall, I would love to see more of the guys’ powers. It is said that they have 2 or 3 abilities, but we only see one for each of them. North can kill people with a touch, yet he never used that power when fighting the Resistance… Why? And what about the others’ secondary powers? O want more of it!
Atlas and Gabe are clearly on the way to becoming BFFs. They spend their time teasing and nagging each other or competing over everything to prove to Oli who is the best, and it is adorable.
Overall, while some details about the plot are bugging me at times (like why the fuck didn’t Oli’s Bond take over and killed Silas when he had her in the Resistance camp? Or how the hell did he not know who her Bonded were the second time he held her captive?), I am still addicted to this series. The books all end with cliffhangers, but this one was definitely the most brutal, and just added another bump to this emotional roller-coaster.
1. Broken Bonds ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
2. Savage Bonds ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Blood Bonds ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
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✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Characters
✅ Multiple POVs
✅ Reverse harem
✅ More smut
✅ Powers
✅ Action
✅(🆗) Found family (we didn’t see much of Oli’s friends, sadly)
✅(🆗) Slower pace and
✅(🆗) Plot (becoming a little repetitive)
❌ Overuse of the words “bond” and “bonded”
❗️❗️Cliffhanger
❗️❗️Trigger warning: mentions of murder and past torture, terrorism, dub-con (meaning: bonds taking over and having a go at it)
I’ll see you in the next life, Bonded. Maybe I can love you right there.
I mean, I should be used to those killer cliffhangers by now, but my heart is broken right now.
Sawyer, ever the unpredictable sass-master, shrugs and snaps, “If she’s evil, then I guess she’ll be dealt with. I’ll also need to hand myself in for being the most gullible and blind dickhead in the entire Gifted Community for not seeing it, so you’ll lose us both in one fell swoop. Oli, make sure you take care of Gray for me.”
This book picks up right where Blood Bonds ended, with Sawyer, Oli, and her guys desperately trying to figure out what happened with Sage, and find out if there is a Resistance agent in the Sanctuary, and who it is.
While I still greatly enjoyed this fourth book in the series, I was sad not to see more of Sage, Sawyer, Gray, and Kieran. This book was more focused on Oli and her developing relationships with her Bonds, as well as her Bonds learning to work with her and Atlas in a harmonious way.
The plot was interesting and there are more politics in this one, as North and his Bond group are trying to protect the Sanctuary and fight off the Resistance, but I also found that the pace was slower near the middle. Maybe it’s because I had less time to read/listen to the book during the weekend, but I didn’t find it as addictive as the previous ones (that being said, it is still a freaking amazing and addictive series so far). Some aspects of the plot are getting repetitive, and I am ready for Oli to kick some asses and get it over with. She is super powerful, and said herself that she could wipe out the whole state if she wanted to, so why are there still resistance camps out there? Why didn’t she kill Silas when she last encountered him? It makes no sense to me that they are all there just waiting to get attacked, only to retaliate and then go back to the Sanctuary to wait again. They should go on the offensive, use their insanely powerful abilities, and get it over with once and for all. I am scared that the last books will become too repetitive and that I will not like them as much as the first ones.
She is the perfect match for each of her Bonded. For North's desires to love and protect and covet, but also needing someone who can go toe to toe with him. For Gryphon’s desires to have someone who can keep up with him and stand with him against anything that might threaten the Bonded Group. For Gabe’s need to have companionship and a friend as much as a lover. And for whatever it is that Bassinger requires, she clearly fits that mold perfectly.
Oli toned down the sass a little in this book, and it made her feel more mature and serious about the whole situation she and her Bonds have found themselves in. She is still quick, witty, and sarcastic though, and I still adore her as a main character. She is growing in each book, gaining more confidence and learning to love her bond instead of fearing it.
The poor girl has to deal with five alpha males with huge egos, overprotective tendencies, and impossible safety standards… not to mention Nox fucking Draven’s issues here.
Atlas remains the same steady and loyal protector that will fight the world to keep Oli safe and doesn’t give a shit about anyone besides her. While I loved him since the first book, I find that he is the one that changed the less in the series. I would love for him to ease up a little and let Oli decide how to interact with Nox and the Shadow creatures, especially since we all know that her bond will keep her safe from any threat… but, I can’t really fault him for being too protective of her, it’s who he is, and that’s why I loved him so much at first…
He always was the provider out of my Bonds, the one who wanted to prove himself to my bond with all of the things he could give us both. Even now that we’ve found ourselves on the same side of everything, he’s the first person to sort out every little problem that might pop up
I am still deeply in love with North Draven. He is the provider, the caretaker, and he is HOT while doing it. We saw in this book how truly devoted to his community he is, and how generous of his time, money, and person he is too. He gave everything he had to build the Sanctuary, and never asked anything from the people living in it. It is so frustrating to see the higher class living there and daring to complain about their situation when they are living there rent-free and doing nothing to contribute. I hope North will put them in their place soon because he deserves a shit-ton of love and respect.
He’s been my safe place since he showed up at my shitty dorm room and manhandled me into the bed to take away my horrible period pains, even when I couldn’t accept it or admit to it.
I think that says it all. Gryphon is the steady protector, but he also takes the role of a facilitator in this book between Nox and Oli. He is friends with Nox, and helps him and Oli navigate their stormy and complicated relationship. He is still the one I struggled most with though when it’s time to put to words what I think of him. I love him, there is no hesitation there, but I can’t really explain why I like him, or why I’m not obsessed with him like I am with North and Nox…
Because like you said, trauma is hard, and you don’t get much more traumatized than Nox Draven.
I was already super intrigued by Nox after reading the second and third books, but now I definitely need MORE. He is broken and traumatized, but as Oli realized, he is nasty to her as a way to protect himself, not because he actually hates her. It was great that she was able to come to this realization and overlook his barbs so she could try to understand and help him.
“She's got to be able to live. I would go crazy with the amount of rules that she's living under. To be honest, the fact that she keeps her bond stable around all of our bullshit is more than any of us really give her credit for.”
Amen to that Gabe! He is still the golden boy of this Bond Group, the golden retriever puppy who’s always happy when he’s around Oli, and always happy to help around. He can be fiercely protective and vicious when he’s fighting for those he loves though, and I am thrilled that we finally saw more of him and his power. I feel that we almost saw nothing of his shifting abilities, and it’s just sad because the guy can shift into anything. Why not take advantage of it?! It was time for him to shine!
Overall, I would love to see more of the guys’ powers. It is said that they have 2 or 3 abilities, but we only see one for each of them. North can kill people with a touch, yet he never used that power when fighting the Resistance… Why? And what about the others’ secondary powers? O want more of it!
“There's still no sign of my power surge, which I'm taking as a sign that I was already the most powerful shifter on record and there's no upgrading what's already perfect.” I smile back at him, and Atlas makes a gagging sound of annoyance. Their friendship is mostly a competition of who can be the most childish.
Atlas and Gabe are clearly on the way to becoming BFFs. They spend their time teasing and nagging each other or competing over everything to prove to Oli who is the best, and it is adorable.
Overall, while some details about the plot are bugging me at times (like why the fuck didn’t Oli’s Bond take over and killed Silas when he had her in the Resistance camp? Or how the hell did he not know who her Bonded were the second time he held her captive?), I am still addicted to this series. The books all end with cliffhangers, but this one was definitely the most brutal, and just added another bump to this emotional roller-coaster.
1. Broken Bonds ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
2. Savage Bonds ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Blood Bonds ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
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March 28, 2022
One of the best reverse harem series ever written. So excited for the release of this book. March cannot come soon enough!
January 15, 2025
this book felt slower than the others but i still had fun.
i'm happy that oli is finally bonded to the men. they will do anything for oli and they say really sweet//romantic things to her; i love that for her. i really like the relationships she has with each of them [minus nox lmao]
things I don't like:
reading the series back to back makes the repetitive writing glaringly obvious.
⋆⭒˚.⋆pre~read⋆.˚⭒⋆
omg gabe is on the cover. he is such a sweetie golden retriever bf and i love him
╰┈❥urban fantasy
╰┈❥reverse harem
╰┈❥soulmates
╰┈❥paranormal romance
♡ i rented the audiobook from the library♡
i'm happy that oli is finally bonded to the men. they will do anything for oli and they say really sweet//romantic things to her; i love that for her. i really like the relationships she has with each of them [minus nox lmao]
things I don't like:
reading the series back to back makes the repetitive writing glaringly obvious.
⋆⭒˚.⋆pre~read⋆.˚⭒⋆
omg gabe is on the cover. he is such a sweetie golden retriever bf and i love him
╰┈❥urban fantasy
╰┈❥reverse harem
╰┈❥soulmates
╰┈❥paranormal romance
♡ i rented the audiobook from the library♡
March 1, 2022
I JUST REALIZED THE BOOK COVERRRR BROOO WHATTT BROOOOOO SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL
-edited-
oh at THE SAME TIME, I WANNA HUG YOU, I WANNA WRAP MY HANDS AROUND UR NECK🥰
please just change the date, don’t play with me right now J. Bree
-edited-
oh at THE SAME TIME, I WANNA HUG YOU, I WANNA WRAP MY HANDS AROUND UR NECK🥰
please just change the date, don’t play with me right now J. Bree
March 2, 2023
“It only occurs to me as Gabe and Atlas each flank either side of me that Nox had put himself between the other Bond Group and I.”
5/5 ⭐
4/5 🌶️
Plot
8/10! The pace in Forced Bonds is only a bit slower compared to the previous books. This is only because the relationships between Oli and her unbonded Bonds needed some attention for the plot to move forward. Forced Bonds starts immediately after Blood Bonds with the reveal and cliff-hanger of Sage killing the shield of the sanctuary and letting the resistance in and destroying and killing as much as possible, which gave the series an opportunity to completely switch course.
There is a lot of attention on Nox and how Oli needs to address their relationship because her Bond threatens to take action into her own hands to complete the Bonded group. It also comes to attention that the only way they can get any advantage in the war is if they have a complete Bonded group. Gryphon ends up being a chaperone between Oli and Nox as they bond and it is a complete contrast compared to the rest of the guys.
There is a pivotal and gradual change and growth in Oli as she is only 19 and has to grow a lot emotionally and becomes comfortable in her different dynamics between each of her Bonded. But while she is maturing and finding her strength again, the guys are also learning their places (mostly Atlas) and learning how to work within the unit.
“Impossible. There’s no one, not my bond or any of the other Bonds you’re tied to, who loves you more than I do, Oleander. I will argue that point until I die, vehemently and with great pride. You’re the reason my heart beats, and even if I don’t deserve you, I’ll go to my grave doing everything I can to be the man you do deserve. I know I’ve done a shitty job of it so far, but I’ll prove myself to you.”
Characters
Oli - She really did a lot of emotional growth in Forced Bonds. She leaned into her Bonded and gathered her strength and support from each of them in different ways. She wasn't as spunky(?) in this book because the Bonded group are no longer fighting with her (except Nox) and now are fighting for her. Oli is no longer in fight or flight mode with her guys and its wonderful to see her be so vulnerable with them.
Gryphon - Will always be #1. Gryphon is such a pillar from the very beginning for Oli. Even though he never said much in Broken Bonds, he was proving that he was still there for her. Now it is unconditional. Gryphon also pushes Oli mentally and physically when she goes on a mission with him and Nox. Not showing any favouritism in training and Oli is equally wanting to improve and prove herself to make Gryphon proud. Which he is 10000%. The benefit of him being able to hear her thoughts also gives him more opportunities on meeting her needs but also knowing when to give her space. When you find out it was Gryphon hurt and not letting Oli in his head I got so scared. But thankfully, that was cleared up very quickly.
North - He is such a fierce protector. Always coveting and doing everything he can for the gifted community and Oli. North is very busy with work in Forced Bonds (actually, no different at all from previously) but the longing between North and Oli is wonderfully done. And when North does get time for Oli, it is wonderful! The mirror scene? fuck yes.
Atlas - I think he is my least favourite. I still adore him, but his character has just kind of stopped? He seems stagnant. He was vital to Oli in the first two books but the only thing that has really changed with Atlas is his relationship with Gabe. It is so cute and great but nothing has changed with Oli. But he is also finding his own place within the Bonded group and isn't suffocating Oli anywhere as much because she is able to stand up to everyone on her own.
Gabe - THINK BIGGER!!!! A dragon?! That was fucking cool. Oh! and he waited for Oli? that was adorable. But also shit because he made her think he had slept with every girl at Draven and didn't clear that up until now! Rude. But that was easily forgiven since he is the most adorable and loving Bond there is.
Nox - We got so much Nox content in Forced Bonds! Including him and Oli bonding! Even though it was very different compared to the others, this is the beginning of their relationship. I actually really hate how they bonded. I was hoping for something different. He stays in the room with her longer instead of walking out. His insults have decreased and overall negative aura has changed a bit. This may be because Oli has stopped hating him and is wanting to understand Nox. Even before they bonded, he was showing more protective behaviour. Standing between her and Sage at the beginning? Amazing. But the ending? NOPE. “I'll see you in the next life, Bonded. Maybe I can love you right there.” EXCUSE ME?! NO! LOVE HER NOW! FUCK YOU!
The worst cliff-hanger yetttttttttt
1st read: 13/08/2022 (kindle)
2nd read: 10/12/2022 (paperback)
3rd read: 12/01/2023 (audio)
4th read: 15/02/2023 (audio)
5/5 ⭐
4/5 🌶️
Plot
8/10! The pace in Forced Bonds is only a bit slower compared to the previous books. This is only because the relationships between Oli and her unbonded Bonds needed some attention for the plot to move forward. Forced Bonds starts immediately after Blood Bonds with the reveal and cliff-hanger of Sage killing the shield of the sanctuary and letting the resistance in and destroying and killing as much as possible, which gave the series an opportunity to completely switch course.
There is a lot of attention on Nox and how Oli needs to address their relationship because her Bond threatens to take action into her own hands to complete the Bonded group. It also comes to attention that the only way they can get any advantage in the war is if they have a complete Bonded group. Gryphon ends up being a chaperone between Oli and Nox as they bond and it is a complete contrast compared to the rest of the guys.
There is a pivotal and gradual change and growth in Oli as she is only 19 and has to grow a lot emotionally and becomes comfortable in her different dynamics between each of her Bonded. But while she is maturing and finding her strength again, the guys are also learning their places (mostly Atlas) and learning how to work within the unit.
“Impossible. There’s no one, not my bond or any of the other Bonds you’re tied to, who loves you more than I do, Oleander. I will argue that point until I die, vehemently and with great pride. You’re the reason my heart beats, and even if I don’t deserve you, I’ll go to my grave doing everything I can to be the man you do deserve. I know I’ve done a shitty job of it so far, but I’ll prove myself to you.”
Characters
Oli - She really did a lot of emotional growth in Forced Bonds. She leaned into her Bonded and gathered her strength and support from each of them in different ways. She wasn't as spunky(?) in this book because the Bonded group are no longer fighting with her (except Nox) and now are fighting for her. Oli is no longer in fight or flight mode with her guys and its wonderful to see her be so vulnerable with them.
Gryphon - Will always be #1. Gryphon is such a pillar from the very beginning for Oli. Even though he never said much in Broken Bonds, he was proving that he was still there for her. Now it is unconditional. Gryphon also pushes Oli mentally and physically when she goes on a mission with him and Nox. Not showing any favouritism in training and Oli is equally wanting to improve and prove herself to make Gryphon proud. Which he is 10000%. The benefit of him being able to hear her thoughts also gives him more opportunities on meeting her needs but also knowing when to give her space. When you find out it was Gryphon hurt and not letting Oli in his head I got so scared. But thankfully, that was cleared up very quickly.
North - He is such a fierce protector. Always coveting and doing everything he can for the gifted community and Oli. North is very busy with work in Forced Bonds (actually, no different at all from previously) but the longing between North and Oli is wonderfully done. And when North does get time for Oli, it is wonderful! The mirror scene? fuck yes.
Atlas - I think he is my least favourite. I still adore him, but his character has just kind of stopped? He seems stagnant. He was vital to Oli in the first two books but the only thing that has really changed with Atlas is his relationship with Gabe. It is so cute and great but nothing has changed with Oli. But he is also finding his own place within the Bonded group and isn't suffocating Oli anywhere as much because she is able to stand up to everyone on her own.
Gabe - THINK BIGGER!!!! A dragon?! That was fucking cool. Oh! and he waited for Oli? that was adorable. But also shit because he made her think he had slept with every girl at Draven and didn't clear that up until now! Rude. But that was easily forgiven since he is the most adorable and loving Bond there is.
Nox - We got so much Nox content in Forced Bonds! Including him and Oli bonding! Even though it was very different compared to the others, this is the beginning of their relationship. I actually really hate how they bonded. I was hoping for something different. He stays in the room with her longer instead of walking out. His insults have decreased and overall negative aura has changed a bit. This may be because Oli has stopped hating him and is wanting to understand Nox. Even before they bonded, he was showing more protective behaviour. Standing between her and Sage at the beginning? Amazing. But the ending? NOPE. “I'll see you in the next life, Bonded. Maybe I can love you right there.” EXCUSE ME?! NO! LOVE HER NOW! FUCK YOU!
The worst cliff-hanger yetttttttttt
1st read: 13/08/2022 (kindle)
2nd read: 10/12/2022 (paperback)
3rd read: 12/01/2023 (audio)
4th read: 15/02/2023 (audio)
October 10, 2022
This felt very much like a filler book and I was pretty bored most of the time reading it. This one kind of lost that addicting feeling I was having for the previous books and instead I just wanted to read it quickly so that I can get the information I wanted and move on.
Besides for the repetitiveness that’s been happening for four books now (shower, bed, dick, sleep, training, eating, run ins with the resistance)… I’m not enjoying the vagueness that everything has. Like I keep saying over and over again… this story is not built up well and there’s a lack on information literally everywhere. — Why is there is a civil war between the gifted community? Is it just over power? What are they trying to achieve? What’s the history behind how this all started? Why are they only now questioning the existence of bonds and their powers? This is the history of your people!! What were they learning in bonds 101 if not the history of bonds?? — Why does the bond group keep secrets from each other?? I’m not even talking about Nox here… even the simple shit like what each of them are capable of…there should be full transparency in a relationship like this… not just blind trust. — The only reason I can think of for why all these secrets are being kept is to make the telling of the story more interesting… but that’s a stupid reason and it’s just pissing me off.
I also didn’t like how she bonded with Nox. I was waiting for them to have this heart to heart moment and him finally open up to her… and I’m sure that will happen in the next book (no, I did not fall for that stupid ending) but I wish that his secrets came to light before they completed their bond. Super anticlimactic and very disappointing for me.
I’m also getting the feeling that this series kind of has a part 1 and 2. In part 1 we built up the romance and in part 2 we are building up the world and the war… but I think this series could have been shortened and those two things could and should have been happening simultaneously. Since there’s no real depth to the whole resistance thing, I’m losing interest there very quickly… and now that she’s bonded with everyone and the angsty part of the romance is basically done, I don’t see what can possibly take up two more books… but I’m gonna keep going cause I’m no quitter.
Besides for the repetitiveness that’s been happening for four books now (shower, bed, dick, sleep, training, eating, run ins with the resistance)… I’m not enjoying the vagueness that everything has. Like I keep saying over and over again… this story is not built up well and there’s a lack on information literally everywhere. — Why is there is a civil war between the gifted community? Is it just over power? What are they trying to achieve? What’s the history behind how this all started? Why are they only now questioning the existence of bonds and their powers? This is the history of your people!! What were they learning in bonds 101 if not the history of bonds?? — Why does the bond group keep secrets from each other?? I’m not even talking about Nox here… even the simple shit like what each of them are capable of…there should be full transparency in a relationship like this… not just blind trust. — The only reason I can think of for why all these secrets are being kept is to make the telling of the story more interesting… but that’s a stupid reason and it’s just pissing me off.
I also didn’t like how she bonded with Nox. I was waiting for them to have this heart to heart moment and him finally open up to her… and I’m sure that will happen in the next book (no, I did not fall for that stupid ending) but I wish that his secrets came to light before they completed their bond. Super anticlimactic and very disappointing for me.
I’m also getting the feeling that this series kind of has a part 1 and 2. In part 1 we built up the romance and in part 2 we are building up the world and the war… but I think this series could have been shortened and those two things could and should have been happening simultaneously. Since there’s no real depth to the whole resistance thing, I’m losing interest there very quickly… and now that she’s bonded with everyone and the angsty part of the romance is basically done, I don’t see what can possibly take up two more books… but I’m gonna keep going cause I’m no quitter.
October 2, 2024
How could you?
I did not get my answers
I guessed a thing
This book got my interest back
Now I have to read the next one
oh and why were Nox's chapters the best?
----------------------------
BRing with Bella my babe <3
Please give me some answers 🙏
I did not get my answers
I guessed a thing
This book got my interest back
Now I have to read the next one
oh and why were Nox's chapters the best?
----------------------------
BRing with Bella my babe <3
Please give me some answers 🙏
December 11, 2023
I am sTRESSED
May 17, 2025
3.5 stars! ☆┆first read: 3.25!
⤿ no spoilers ﹒⟢
the way bond is said 862 times in this book is actually insane.
i’m starting to get a little tired of this series. like yeah it’s still fun and entertaining, but there’s so much filler. this book especially starts to drag. it’s so repetitive. how many times are we supposed to hear about her being annoyed that she’s not allowed to do anything? because i swear it happens every chapter.
the monster stuff is still going too. still annoying.
i definitely complained a lot during this, but there were still parts i liked. i’m just kinda burnt out.
━━━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━━━
☆ 🖇️ pre-read 𖥻 ＜꒱
book three went way better this time, so now i’m wondering if the rest of the series is about to surprise me too. hoping this one holds up just as well.
the bonds that tie
⌗﹒ 01 broken bonds — 3.75 ☆
⌗﹒ 02 savage bonds — 4 ☆
⌗﹒ 03 blood bonds — 3.75 ☆
⌗﹒ 04 forced bonds — 3.5 ☆
⌗﹒ 05 tragic bonds — 3 ☆
⌗﹒ 06 unbroken bonds — 2.75 ☆
⤿ no spoilers ﹒⟢
the way bond is said 862 times in this book is actually insane.
i’m starting to get a little tired of this series. like yeah it’s still fun and entertaining, but there’s so much filler. this book especially starts to drag. it’s so repetitive. how many times are we supposed to hear about her being annoyed that she’s not allowed to do anything? because i swear it happens every chapter.
the monster stuff is still going too. still annoying.
i definitely complained a lot during this, but there were still parts i liked. i’m just kinda burnt out.
━━━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━━━
☆ 🖇️ pre-read 𖥻 ＜꒱
book three went way better this time, so now i’m wondering if the rest of the series is about to surprise me too. hoping this one holds up just as well.
the bonds that tie
⌗﹒ 01 broken bonds — 3.75 ☆
⌗﹒ 02 savage bonds — 4 ☆
⌗﹒ 03 blood bonds — 3.75 ☆
⌗﹒ 04 forced bonds — 3.5 ☆
⌗﹒ 05 tragic bonds — 3 ☆
⌗﹒ 06 unbroken bonds — 2.75 ☆
July 24, 2025
WHAT IN THE GOD DAMN ACTUAL FUCKITY FUCK
March 26, 2022
THIS BOOK!!!! FORCED BONDS IS 100% MY FAVOURITE BOOK IN THE SERIES.
“Because like you said, trauma is hard, and you don’t get much more traumatized than Nox Draven.”
Gonna keep this pretty vague. I was totally engrossed from beginning to end, everything about this book was just perfection. Forced Bonds is packed full of action, sexy times, humour, declarations and some things that have been kept very close to the chest finally coming to light. Some questions will be answered but understand not all and you will definitely have new questions by the end.
J Bree made me feel allll the emotions, I laughed and cried and now I'm just an empty shell (cue dramatics). Seriously run don't walk when this book drops!!!!
“Because like you said, trauma is hard, and you don’t get much more traumatized than Nox Draven.”
Gonna keep this pretty vague. I was totally engrossed from beginning to end, everything about this book was just perfection. Forced Bonds is packed full of action, sexy times, humour, declarations and some things that have been kept very close to the chest finally coming to light. Some questions will be answered but understand not all and you will definitely have new questions by the end.
J Bree made me feel allll the emotions, I laughed and cried and now I'm just an empty shell (cue dramatics). Seriously run don't walk when this book drops!!!!
May 30, 2025
Reread: May 30, 2025
Reread: July 23, 2024
Reread: Sept. 9, 2023
First read: Nov. 7, 2022
Surprisingly, the fourth book was just as enjoyable as the previous 3 books for me! Which is a huge feat since I tend to shy away from a series with a lot of books as they can get boring or lose the magic that was in the other books. I don’t know how the author does it because the slow burn of this book is killing me but, I’ve loved every page of it. Although these books aren’t packed with an intense plot where something happens every chapter, I was still anxious the whole time wondering how things will turn out.
The ending of this book made me pick up the next one the quickest. I need to see how they’ll fix the situation they’re in because I cannot accept accept what’s happening right now!
Reread: July 23, 2024
Reread: Sept. 9, 2023
First read: Nov. 7, 2022
Surprisingly, the fourth book was just as enjoyable as the previous 3 books for me! Which is a huge feat since I tend to shy away from a series with a lot of books as they can get boring or lose the magic that was in the other books. I don’t know how the author does it because the slow burn of this book is killing me but, I’ve loved every page of it. Although these books aren’t packed with an intense plot where something happens every chapter, I was still anxious the whole time wondering how things will turn out.
The ending of this book made me pick up the next one the quickest. I need to see how they’ll fix the situation they’re in because I cannot accept accept what’s happening right now!
September 28, 2022
I don’t think I can recommend this series. 😂 The writing is questionable, and the narrators aren’t that great. But *shrugs* I guess I’m interested enough, to continue listening to these while I work?!?! Gabe’s my favorite bond, and he’s FULL of surprises in this one!👀 And if I’m honest… I’m probably just reading these for the smüt.
October 24, 2023
The wait for this book felt like torture, especially after the cliffhanger from 'Blood Bonds.'
That cliffhanger left me in a panic, and I felt the urge to punch a wall while refusing to acknowledge what I'd read. However, the ending of this book was far worse.
I was not prepared for how much it HURT.
⤏ What to expect:
∘ New Adult Paranormal Romance
∘ Reverse Harem — 5 powerful bonds: Gabe, Gryphon, Atlas, North & Nox
∘ Kick-ass heroine
∘ Possessive Alphaholes
∘ Gods and Goddesses
∘ People with special powers
∘ Great worldbuilding
∘ Addictive & Fast paced
∘ Rebellion
∘ A dose of Mystery
∘ Delicious Banter
⤏ Tropes:
∘ Slowburn
∘ Fated Mates (bonds)
∘ Hate to Love
∘ Friends to Lovers
∘ Touch her and you die
∘ Found Family
⇢ Trigger Warnings: trauma, PTSD, kidnapping, torture, death/murder, graphic violence & gore, living bomb, mention of childhood trauma, mention of suicidal thoughts
⤏ Thoughts
While I think this book was a little slower than the last ones, it was still as addictive.
This book was definitely focusing more on the aspects of their relationship as a bonded group and the change in dynamic is quite welcome. Apart from Nox, who's still refusing to accept his place as a bonded member in Ollie's group, the others are embracing their newfound peace and are fiercely protective of Ollie.
Ollie herself is undergoing an emotional change in this one because she doesn't need to keep her guard up around her bonded anymore, as they are embracing their feelings. It's so refreshing, honestly.
I can only imagine what the next book will bring us...
That cliffhanger left me in a panic, and I felt the urge to punch a wall while refusing to acknowledge what I'd read. However, the ending of this book was far worse.
I was not prepared for how much it HURT.
⤏ What to expect:
∘ New Adult Paranormal Romance
∘ Reverse Harem — 5 powerful bonds: Gabe, Gryphon, Atlas, North & Nox
∘ Kick-ass heroine
∘ Possessive Alphaholes
∘ Gods and Goddesses
∘ People with special powers
∘ Great worldbuilding
∘ Addictive & Fast paced
∘ Rebellion
∘ A dose of Mystery
∘ Delicious Banter
⤏ Tropes:
∘ Slowburn
∘ Fated Mates (bonds)
∘ Hate to Love
∘ Friends to Lovers
∘ Touch her and you die
∘ Found Family
⇢ Trigger Warnings: trauma, PTSD, kidnapping, torture, death/murder, graphic violence & gore, living bomb, mention of childhood trauma, mention of suicidal thoughts
⤏ Thoughts
While I think this book was a little slower than the last ones, it was still as addictive.
This book was definitely focusing more on the aspects of their relationship as a bonded group and the change in dynamic is quite welcome. Apart from Nox, who's still refusing to accept his place as a bonded member in Ollie's group, the others are embracing their newfound peace and are fiercely protective of Ollie.
Ollie herself is undergoing an emotional change in this one because she doesn't need to keep her guard up around her bonded anymore, as they are embracing their feelings. It's so refreshing, honestly.
I can only imagine what the next book will bring us...
November 21, 2023
نه نه نه نه نه نه این دیگه چی بود سرمون امد؟ اخه چرا؟
به کلی چیز فکرکرده بکوم که وقتی این جلد تمام شد برای ریویو بنویسم اما اینقدر شوکه هستم که نمیتونم... شاید یه وقت دیگه 🚶🏻♀️
به کلی چیز فکرکرده بکوم که وقتی این جلد تمام شد برای ریویو بنویسم اما اینقدر شوکه هستم که نمیتونم... شاید یه وقت دیگه 🚶🏻♀️
May 22, 2022
I assume this cliff hanger is supposed to be huge. Like, gutting. Horrific. It probably was to the author, but I couldn’t care less. I don’t like him. He’s an asshole and his STILL unexplained childhood trauma is no excuse regardless of the main character going on and on about how she’s fine with it, her bond is protecting her from the knowledge, oh it’s just so horrific!!!11! ugh. It’s hyping up this big reveal which I lost interest in two books ago. He’s the absolute worst to her and I cannot find it in me to care that the author just fake killed him for the shock factor so you read the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2025
4.5 stars
re-read: that ending was just as crazy the second time even knowing what happens. like i can’t even imagine reading these books as they were being published and having to wait for the next book! anyways, i’ll be a gryphon shore girly til the day i die but north…🤭 yeah i need him too. i love a why choose. i rated this 5 stars on my first read and while i lowered the rating, i still think this series is very addicting and so binge-able and i will always love it. i think this is probably my favorite in the series too
first read: that ending had me gasping! no way! this is not real i refuse to except it! nope.
re-read: that ending was just as crazy the second time even knowing what happens. like i can’t even imagine reading these books as they were being published and having to wait for the next book! anyways, i’ll be a gryphon shore girly til the day i die but north…🤭 yeah i need him too. i love a why choose. i rated this 5 stars on my first read and while i lowered the rating, i still think this series is very addicting and so binge-able and i will always love it. i think this is probably my favorite in the series too
first read: that ending had me gasping! no way! this is not real i refuse to except it! nope.
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