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Blueblood Vampires #5
Feral Bond
I was marked by the claws of loss and despair at a too-young age.
Determined to never feel that hopeless again, I turned my body into a weapon and pledged my sword to the king who saved me.
I never thought my loyalty to him would waver until Cheryl Eriksson, a wolf shifter, came into my life.
Now I’m bound to her, and not even death can sever that bond. She believes I protect her out of duty. She doesn’t know she’s the reason I breathe.
It’s ironic that despite all my training to become a fearless warrior, I still can’t find the courage to tell her the truth. But I’m running out of time. I have to leap off the edge before the dangers of Ellnesari claim both our lives.
*NOTE: THIS IS NOT A STANDALONE NOVEL. FOR BETTER ENJOYMENT, ALL BOOKS IN THE SERIES MUST BE READ PRIOR, MOST IMPORTANTLY SAVAGE VOW.
Determined to never feel that hopeless again, I turned my body into a weapon and pledged my sword to the king who saved me.
I never thought my loyalty to him would waver until Cheryl Eriksson, a wolf shifter, came into my life.
Now I’m bound to her, and not even death can sever that bond. She believes I protect her out of duty. She doesn’t know she’s the reason I breathe.
It’s ironic that despite all my training to become a fearless warrior, I still can’t find the courage to tell her the truth. But I’m running out of time. I have to leap off the edge before the dangers of Ellnesari claim both our lives.
*NOTE: THIS IS NOT A STANDALONE NOVEL. FOR BETTER ENJOYMENT, ALL BOOKS IN THE SERIES MUST BE READ PRIOR, MOST IMPORTANTLY SAVAGE VOW.
Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 19, 2026
2.5 ⭐
Imagine trying to binge two romance series while someone pauses every few chapters to explain ancient magical politics.
That was this book.
Every time I got invested, the story hit shuffle.
The yearning was strong.
My emotional attachment....never caught up.
What worked for me
(aka: surviving on vibes and yearning)
The CEO of devotion
Ronan was easily my favourite part of the book.
He's quietly devoted, endlessly protective and completely gone for Cheryl from the very beginning. His love never felt performative, it simply existed, steady and unwavering.
Watching him awkwardly navigate life with rescued children, promise frightened little girls they'd always have a home and accidentally slip into vampire dad mode had far more emotional impact on me than most of the action or fantasy plot.
I just wish the story had given me more uninterrupted time with him instead of constantly pulling my attention elsewhere.
The yearning was definitely yearning
This book commits to devotion.
There are soulmate bonds, impossible choices, centuries of longing and characters who would quite literally destroy themselves for the people they love.
I appreciated the intention behind all of it.
Unfortunately, I admired the yearning more than I actually felt it.
Where it lost me
(aka: emotional buffering... loading...)
This felt like I skipped a season
I went into this expecting a standalone romance.
Instead, it felt like I was joining a TV show halfway through.
Both couples already have significant history, established relationships and emotional baggage that the story references rather than fully develops on page. Add in the overarching fantasy mystery connecting the wider series and I constantly felt like I was playing catch-up.
Could I follow what was happening? Yes.
But emotionally, I constantly felt like I was arriving after the important moments had already happened.
If you're planning to read this series, I'd absolutely recommend starting with the previous books first. I suspect having that emotional foundation would make a huge difference.
Two romances, one attention span
The blurb sold me one romance.
The book gave me two romances, multiple timelines, an overarching fantasy mystery and constant POV switches.
Instead of becoming deeply invested in either couple, I felt like I was continuously resetting my emotional investment.
Just as one relationship started gaining momentum, we'd jump somewhere else.
By the halfway point, I wasn't eagerly anticipating what happened next - I was just waiting for the POV to switch back to the couple I cared about slightly more.
The mate bond that stopped mating
This was the moment the book completely lost me.
The story spends so much time convincing me mate bonds are sacred, soul-deep, once-in-a-lifetime connections that shape entire lives.
Then one reveal completely undermined everything I thought those bonds represented.
Instead of making the romance more tragic, it pulled me right out of the story, and I never emotionally recovered.
Justice for Karl Eriksson.
Busy but somehow also slow
There's always something happening.
Kidnappings. Escapes. Ancient curses. Magical politics. Different timelines. Different POVs.
But despite all that movement, I rarely felt like the emotional story was progressing.
The world-building never fully clicked for me. I understood it while I was reading but very little of it stayed with me afterwards.
Final Thoughts
This should have been a home run for me.
On paper, it contains so many of my favourite things: soulmates, devotion, protective heroes, yearning and found family.
Instead, I found myself emotionally detached from both the romances and the overarching plot.
Final Verdict
2.5 ⭐️ - This felt like someone kept promising me an all-you-can-eat yearning buffet but every time I sat down someone whisked away my plate and asked if I'd like to hear more about ancient magical politics instead.
Anyway, my trust in fated mates needs time to heal. Please respect my privacy during this difficult time.
Tropes and Vibes:
• Soulmates / Mate bond
• Vampire × wolf shifter romance
• Dual romances
• Multiple POVs
• Past & present timelines
• Centuries of yearning
• Protective MMCs
• Touch-her-and-die vibes
• Found family
• Domestic fluff
• Rescued children
• Ancient curse
• Fantasy mystery
• Emotional support vampire dad
• World-building that evaporated on contact
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Pre-read:
Today's personality: expecting yearning and accepting absolutely nothing less.
A battle-hardened warrior. A wolf shifter. A soul bond that even death can't break. And an MMC who's apparently willing to fight monsters but NOT confess his feelings. Sir, stand up.
Anyway....I'm in 🤞🏻✨️
Imagine trying to binge two romance series while someone pauses every few chapters to explain ancient magical politics.
That was this book.
Every time I got invested, the story hit shuffle.
The yearning was strong.
My emotional attachment....never caught up.
What worked for me
(aka: surviving on vibes and yearning)
The CEO of devotion
Ronan was easily my favourite part of the book.
He's quietly devoted, endlessly protective and completely gone for Cheryl from the very beginning. His love never felt performative, it simply existed, steady and unwavering.
Watching him awkwardly navigate life with rescued children, promise frightened little girls they'd always have a home and accidentally slip into vampire dad mode had far more emotional impact on me than most of the action or fantasy plot.
I just wish the story had given me more uninterrupted time with him instead of constantly pulling my attention elsewhere.
The yearning was definitely yearning
This book commits to devotion.
There are soulmate bonds, impossible choices, centuries of longing and characters who would quite literally destroy themselves for the people they love.
I appreciated the intention behind all of it.
Unfortunately, I admired the yearning more than I actually felt it.
Where it lost me
(aka: emotional buffering... loading...)
This felt like I skipped a season
I went into this expecting a standalone romance.
Instead, it felt like I was joining a TV show halfway through.
Both couples already have significant history, established relationships and emotional baggage that the story references rather than fully develops on page. Add in the overarching fantasy mystery connecting the wider series and I constantly felt like I was playing catch-up.
Could I follow what was happening? Yes.
But emotionally, I constantly felt like I was arriving after the important moments had already happened.
If you're planning to read this series, I'd absolutely recommend starting with the previous books first. I suspect having that emotional foundation would make a huge difference.
Two romances, one attention span
The blurb sold me one romance.
The book gave me two romances, multiple timelines, an overarching fantasy mystery and constant POV switches.
Instead of becoming deeply invested in either couple, I felt like I was continuously resetting my emotional investment.
Just as one relationship started gaining momentum, we'd jump somewhere else.
By the halfway point, I wasn't eagerly anticipating what happened next - I was just waiting for the POV to switch back to the couple I cared about slightly more.
The mate bond that stopped mating
This was the moment the book completely lost me.
The story spends so much time convincing me mate bonds are sacred, soul-deep, once-in-a-lifetime connections that shape entire lives.
Then one reveal completely undermined everything I thought those bonds represented.
Instead of making the romance more tragic, it pulled me right out of the story, and I never emotionally recovered.
Justice for Karl Eriksson.
Busy but somehow also slow
There's always something happening.
Kidnappings. Escapes. Ancient curses. Magical politics. Different timelines. Different POVs.
But despite all that movement, I rarely felt like the emotional story was progressing.
The world-building never fully clicked for me. I understood it while I was reading but very little of it stayed with me afterwards.
Final Thoughts
This should have been a home run for me.
On paper, it contains so many of my favourite things: soulmates, devotion, protective heroes, yearning and found family.
Instead, I found myself emotionally detached from both the romances and the overarching plot.
Final Verdict
2.5 ⭐️ - This felt like someone kept promising me an all-you-can-eat yearning buffet but every time I sat down someone whisked away my plate and asked if I'd like to hear more about ancient magical politics instead.
Anyway, my trust in fated mates needs time to heal. Please respect my privacy during this difficult time.
Tropes and Vibes:
• Soulmates / Mate bond
• Vampire × wolf shifter romance
• Dual romances
• Multiple POVs
• Past & present timelines
• Centuries of yearning
• Protective MMCs
• Touch-her-and-die vibes
• Found family
• Domestic fluff
• Rescued children
• Ancient curse
• Fantasy mystery
• Emotional support vampire dad
• World-building that evaporated on contact
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Pre-read:
Today's personality: expecting yearning and accepting absolutely nothing less.
A battle-hardened warrior. A wolf shifter. A soul bond that even death can't break. And an MMC who's apparently willing to fight monsters but NOT confess his feelings. Sir, stand up.
Anyway....I'm in 🤞🏻✨️
July 2, 2026
I waited 4 years for this book to come out. I had read the complete series and looked forward to this one. The previous book left us with a huge cliffhanger and was suggested to reread it but I didn’t hoping I still could follow the storyline. It did because it kept taking us back to the very beginning of what happened in the lives of Manu, Karl, Cheryl and Ronan. Like all fantasy romances we have a continuation of the realm only each book brings us new characters with them all being connected. This one does leave us wanting to read more. I look forward to Michelle Hercules continuing this series. I love to read her books.
June 20, 2026
Finally Manu and Karl, Ronan and Cheryl are explained!
Finally Manu and Karl, Ronan and Cheryl are explained! I think it’s good book 6 is expected next month or Michelle Hercules may have a coup in her hands leaving us on another cliffhanger! The story of our two couples is so complex, emotional, and full of longing. We needed time to hear it unwind and be laid out. I know the events of the story will continue to play out in my mind as a movie until I’m able to read the rest and reconcile all the things that have happened.
Finally Manu and Karl, Ronan and Cheryl are explained! I think it’s good book 6 is expected next month or Michelle Hercules may have a coup in her hands leaving us on another cliffhanger! The story of our two couples is so complex, emotional, and full of longing. We needed time to hear it unwind and be laid out. I know the events of the story will continue to play out in my mind as a movie until I’m able to read the rest and reconcile all the things that have happened.
July 1, 2026
fantastic
I have loved this series from the start and this book does not disappoint. The story keeps you gripped from the start and is action packed with lots of well loved characters and getting some long awaited answers. Can’t wait for the final book of this series to be released to see how this story concludes and finding out more about the other characters who remained on Salem. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for more and any future side stories.
I have loved this series from the start and this book does not disappoint. The story keeps you gripped from the start and is action packed with lots of well loved characters and getting some long awaited answers. Can’t wait for the final book of this series to be released to see how this story concludes and finding out more about the other characters who remained on Salem. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for more and any future side stories.
Review of advance copy
Feral Bond is the epic continuation of the Blue Blood universe but is the book that brings us a happy for now for two of my most favorite couples!
Things have intensified in Elnesari and the stakes are higher than ever but mistakes of the past and lingering issues of the current world have Cheryl, Ronan, Karl, and Manu fighting for more than just their lives.
This book is more than anything I imagined because wow the weave of deceit is layered and things get intense quickly. Michelle I had created such a beautifully intense world that I find myself falling more and more in love with this complex world and its characters.
I have waited for so long for this book and the wait was WORTH IT!
Things have intensified in Elnesari and the stakes are higher than ever but mistakes of the past and lingering issues of the current world have Cheryl, Ronan, Karl, and Manu fighting for more than just their lives.
This book is more than anything I imagined because wow the weave of deceit is layered and things get intense quickly. Michelle I had created such a beautifully intense world that I find myself falling more and more in love with this complex world and its characters.
I have waited for so long for this book and the wait was WORTH IT!
June 19, 2026
Waited four years this bs and ended on another cliffhanger nope I'm out. The writing was worse than I remember. The timelines were a chaotic mess we switched from couple to couple and from present day to 1500s with no warning!! So angry we were forced to wait four damn years for this mess and story still isn't finished!
September 14, 2026
I skimmed most of this book just for the sake of finishing the series. When I read the first four books I was invested, but now…. The author took so long to put this and the last book out that I completely lost interest and forgot everything that had happened. Even doing recaps and skimming the first books again I couldn’t care less about what happen to this people
April 16, 2023
Michelle Hercules is a fantastic author, I listened to the whole series and loved all the books. I'm dieing to hear the final book.
Want to Read
May 9, 2026new reason to live just dropped 🤲
May 5, 2023
+July 29 update
"Vampires (BBV) - 2 more books" & a spin-off!!!!!!!!!!
that means there is one more after this, which will be the final. wondering if the love story between ronin & cheryl will be extended until the finale & simply have manu and karl's end on this one. ah~ surprise me, MH!
"Vampires (BBV) - 2 more books" & a spin-off!!!!!!!!!!
that means there is one more after this, which will be the final. wondering if the love story between ronin & cheryl will be extended until the finale & simply have manu and karl's end on this one. ah~ surprise me, MH!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews