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Unbound #5
The Hellhound King
All Raf Dolg wanted was revenge. Marina Adal - part witch, part elf princess - had betrayed him once, condemning the handsome hellhound to an elfin dungeon. But once the lithe and seductive Marina is in his hands, Raf realizes that the long-haired beauty is also a victim of betrayal - a pawn in the plans of a cruel elf lord and of the destiny tying her to the throne of Alfheim. Together they face the treachery that nearly tore them apart as well as their own divided souls. Bound by their love, the two outcasts must band together if their passion is to stand a chance....
280 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2010
10 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Lori Devoti
51 books283 followersLori Devoti grew up in southern Missouri and attended college at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned a Bachelor of Journalism. She, however, made it clear to anyone who asked, she was not a writer; she worked for the dark sideadvertising. Now twenty years later, shes proud to declare herself a writer and visit her dark side occasionally by writing dark, sensual paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult novels.
Lori lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, son, Siberian husky and shepherd/puggle cross.
Lori lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, son, Siberian husky and shepherd/puggle cross.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 3, 2016
The struggle became too much, feeling alone became too much. She placed her hand along the side of his face and kissed him.
It was perhaps the stupidest thing she'd ever done.
Wow, Devoti's books just keep on blowing me out of the water. She's created such an amazing world here!
I couldn't believe that Devoti was making Marina the heroine of this book. Marina, the elvin princess who was hunting down witches and burning them at the stake in the last book. She also imprisoned the 49 rogue werewolves in suspended cages, and did other horrible things. She was a terrible person! Why on earth would Devoti choose her to be the heroine of this book!?!?!?!
But she pulled it off. She totally and completely pulled it off. By 21% my heart was aching for Marina and I was completely on her side. Wow. This was a great job by Devoti.
As for our hero, he is of course the strong and powerful hellhound from the last book, Raf.
Raf and Marina have a past together - they were lovers, and Raf was the only person Marina ever trusted. But she found out that he had betrayed that trust when she was left a recording of him working for the elf lords. Knowing he was a spy who was only with her to report back, she imprisoned him in a glass box for years.
Now free and seeking his revenge, Raf is determined to capture Marina and sell her back to the elves. But things don't exactly go according to plan...
...
This book was so exciting, intense, and filled with twists and turns. I was reading at a breakneck speed, with no end to Devoti's intricacies and plot developments. This was NOT a slow book, Devoti holds nothing back and just keeps throwing more and more at you.
Marina, who I was sure I'd never forgive or sympathize with, turned out to be an amazing heroine.
Raf, I already liked.
This book takes place in Alfheim, the elves' realm. This gives it a fairy-ish setting, with Cinderella castles, haughty elves, and beautiful gardens.
Marina wanted to believe Raf, but he didn't know Alfheim as she did. She was the princess; the only escape from the job was death.
How's the sex, Carmen?
Because of all the mistrust and bad blood between Marina and Raf, I was sometimes upset. They often had sex with each other even when they were feeling angry or mistrustful of the other, and I'm just not okay with that. I like sex to be sweet and loving, between two people who love and trust and respect each other. NOT that anything bad happened during sex, I mean, they were both nice to each other in bed, but they often felt used or like they were using the other person and it just felt icky to me sometimes.
Independent of the I-might-hate-you-I-don't-trust-you,-but-yet-I'm-having-sex-with-you parts, how was the sex itself, Carmen?
Again, I just don't think Devoti uses enough kissing and foreplay. Others might disagree with me, but this (while definitely well-written) was just not making me excited. *shrug*
...
Tl;dr - This is a great series. Really stellar. And it's from Harlequin! I couldn't have picked a better series as my foray into Harlequin's Nocturne line. Thank you, Romantic Times Book Review for suggesting I pick this up. Amazing world-building, convincing characters, and non-stop action. If only the sex were ramped up a bit, this would get five romance stars from me. As it stands,
FOUR ROMANCE STARS, THREE REAL STARS
P.S. This book does use the "her traitorous body" trope.
Her traitorous body swayed toward him. Her knees tried to buckle, but she forced herself to stay upright, fought to ignore the desire pounding through her.
We really need to end this trope. This I-don't-want-to-kiss-him-but-my-body-just-wants-to-straddle-him thing. WTF is with this thing? Stop it.
It was perhaps the stupidest thing she'd ever done.
Wow, Devoti's books just keep on blowing me out of the water. She's created such an amazing world here!
I couldn't believe that Devoti was making Marina the heroine of this book. Marina, the elvin princess who was hunting down witches and burning them at the stake in the last book. She also imprisoned the 49 rogue werewolves in suspended cages, and did other horrible things. She was a terrible person! Why on earth would Devoti choose her to be the heroine of this book!?!?!?!
But she pulled it off. She totally and completely pulled it off. By 21% my heart was aching for Marina and I was completely on her side. Wow. This was a great job by Devoti.
As for our hero, he is of course the strong and powerful hellhound from the last book, Raf.
Raf and Marina have a past together - they were lovers, and Raf was the only person Marina ever trusted. But she found out that he had betrayed that trust when she was left a recording of him working for the elf lords. Knowing he was a spy who was only with her to report back, she imprisoned him in a glass box for years.
Now free and seeking his revenge, Raf is determined to capture Marina and sell her back to the elves. But things don't exactly go according to plan...
...
This book was so exciting, intense, and filled with twists and turns. I was reading at a breakneck speed, with no end to Devoti's intricacies and plot developments. This was NOT a slow book, Devoti holds nothing back and just keeps throwing more and more at you.
Marina, who I was sure I'd never forgive or sympathize with, turned out to be an amazing heroine.
Raf, I already liked.
This book takes place in Alfheim, the elves' realm. This gives it a fairy-ish setting, with Cinderella castles, haughty elves, and beautiful gardens.
Marina wanted to believe Raf, but he didn't know Alfheim as she did. She was the princess; the only escape from the job was death.
How's the sex, Carmen?
Because of all the mistrust and bad blood between Marina and Raf, I was sometimes upset. They often had sex with each other even when they were feeling angry or mistrustful of the other, and I'm just not okay with that. I like sex to be sweet and loving, between two people who love and trust and respect each other. NOT that anything bad happened during sex, I mean, they were both nice to each other in bed, but they often felt used or like they were using the other person and it just felt icky to me sometimes.
Independent of the I-might-hate-you-I-don't-trust-you,-but-yet-I'm-having-sex-with-you parts, how was the sex itself, Carmen?
Again, I just don't think Devoti uses enough kissing and foreplay. Others might disagree with me, but this (while definitely well-written) was just not making me excited. *shrug*
...
Tl;dr - This is a great series. Really stellar. And it's from Harlequin! I couldn't have picked a better series as my foray into Harlequin's Nocturne line. Thank you, Romantic Times Book Review for suggesting I pick this up. Amazing world-building, convincing characters, and non-stop action. If only the sex were ramped up a bit, this would get five romance stars from me. As it stands,
FOUR ROMANCE STARS, THREE REAL STARS
P.S. This book does use the "her traitorous body" trope.
Her traitorous body swayed toward him. Her knees tried to buckle, but she forced herself to stay upright, fought to ignore the desire pounding through her.
We really need to end this trope. This I-don't-want-to-kiss-him-but-my-body-just-wants-to-straddle-him thing. WTF is with this thing? Stop it.
June 7, 2010
This is a direct sequel to Dark Crusade - order is important in this series and especially so with this one. The characters are introduced and the plot's primary motivations occur in Dark Crusade.
Like the others in the series it is an enjoyable read-once. In some ways it had less action than others in the series - more time was spent on the hero and heroine and their love/hate/trust problems.
Unbound Series
1 Unbound
2 Guardian’s Keep
3 Wild Hunt
4 Dark Crusade
ss Captured in Midnight Cravings
5 The Hellhound King
Like the others in the series it is an enjoyable read-once. In some ways it had less action than others in the series - more time was spent on the hero and heroine and their love/hate/trust problems.
Unbound Series
1 Unbound
2 Guardian’s Keep
3 Wild Hunt
4 Dark Crusade
ss Captured in Midnight Cravings
5 The Hellhound King
August 14, 2010
Always love visiting this unique world of fantasy, adventure and steamy romance. Loved the outcome of this book.
December 18, 2010
Raf is looking for revenge against Marina who has betrayed him in the past. She is part witch and part elf princess. I did not finish this story since it did not hold my interest.
December 28, 2013
Not too bad of a read, but it is definitely out of here. =)
December 16, 2019
It was a very good story between an elf princess and a hellhound which is not something you see very often.
I liked that they had history,even if it was in books I hadn't managed to read yet.I could believe that they had chemistry,but I wasn't very fond of the sex they were having.It didn't seem to be fueled by love,and there wasn't much foreplay or romance.I got the feeling the author was trying to rush through it.
On the other hand,the secondary characters were nicely built up and had personalities of their own.The worldbuilding was quite believable and felt immersable.
Despite the sex,it is actually a good book.
Favorite quote:
Marina:"I would trust this hellhound over anyone and anything,over myself.He's seen every side of me,but he keeps coming back...And he wants nothing from me,but me.Can you imagine that?It's taken me a long time to believe it."
Raf:"She was right,he did want her...every aspect of her,and he would have her,keep her,and no one was going to take her away."
I liked that they had history,even if it was in books I hadn't managed to read yet.I could believe that they had chemistry,but I wasn't very fond of the sex they were having.It didn't seem to be fueled by love,and there wasn't much foreplay or romance.I got the feeling the author was trying to rush through it.
On the other hand,the secondary characters were nicely built up and had personalities of their own.The worldbuilding was quite believable and felt immersable.
Despite the sex,it is actually a good book.
Favorite quote:
Marina:"I would trust this hellhound over anyone and anything,over myself.He's seen every side of me,but he keeps coming back...And he wants nothing from me,but me.Can you imagine that?It's taken me a long time to believe it."
Raf:"She was right,he did want her...every aspect of her,and he would have her,keep her,and no one was going to take her away."
July 19, 2024
3.5 Shimmering Stars
Tropes: Second Chance Romance, Shifter, Elves, Witches
Hellhound shifter Raf Dolg and elf-witch princess Marina Adal were in love once, and then Marina discovered he was a spy and had Raf imprisoned. Years later, he's back for revenge, only to realize that his view of Marina was pretty inaccurate and that she has a lot going on. Mainly, as an elf princess who has to hide her witch powers, she's always being used as a political pawn in the elf world's civil war. But is there a solution to all this mess? And will that solution include Raf?
This is a second-chance romance primarily focused on the second time, when it can get some screen time around all of the elf world's political shenanigans. Most of this book is Raf and Marina trying to navigate elf politics and then occasionally stress-banging it out. Add a healthy dash of fantastical action sequences, and the result is a pretty breezy, fun fantasy book that is a bit tepid in the romance department. There's not much to swoon over, here. But if you like high fantasy, this isn't half bad.
Tropes: Second Chance Romance, Shifter, Elves, Witches
Hellhound shifter Raf Dolg and elf-witch princess Marina Adal were in love once, and then Marina discovered he was a spy and had Raf imprisoned. Years later, he's back for revenge, only to realize that his view of Marina was pretty inaccurate and that she has a lot going on. Mainly, as an elf princess who has to hide her witch powers, she's always being used as a political pawn in the elf world's civil war. But is there a solution to all this mess? And will that solution include Raf?
This is a second-chance romance primarily focused on the second time, when it can get some screen time around all of the elf world's political shenanigans. Most of this book is Raf and Marina trying to navigate elf politics and then occasionally stress-banging it out. Add a healthy dash of fantastical action sequences, and the result is a pretty breezy, fun fantasy book that is a bit tepid in the romance department. There's not much to swoon over, here. But if you like high fantasy, this isn't half bad.
January 23, 2017
This book was very good. This is about Raf Dolg, who is a hell hound shifter. He was betrayed by Marina Adal, part witch, and part elf princess. She had condemned to an elfin dungeon. He escapes and promises her revenge. This is quite interesting as its all about the elves and their society and how they revile everyone else. Raf finds out that Marina was as much a pawn as he was. They have to somehow find a way to be together and get her people to accept him. Great suspense. Highly recommend.
March 30, 2020
Really good read. Short but entertaining.
January 12, 2016
Exciting series.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews