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Darkness Bound

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Once she was known for capturing demons, but a half-demon herself, Malice left the Order of Sorcerers that had been her family. Using her aptitude in binding, she offers restraint to protect those whose blood yearns for chaos. Hers is a proactive choice, to diminish the need for violence in the creatures of the nethers before it becomes an issue rather than after. So what if her methods involve a carnal edge? The demon Naeem refuses to believe that Malice is anything other than a revolutionary, one who would share his dream of forging a union between demons and sorcerers. That she has ostracized herself from both the nether realms and the higher planes just doesn't fit with what he has heard. Surely the woman who saved him as a child is all that his dreams have depicted her as and more! That he dares her to do more, to be more in the struggle to bridge the demon world and the world of sorcery, only becomes more complicated when he is framed for crimes against sorcerers. In the midst of a conspiracy, Malice finds herself drawn back into a fight, not just to mend the ties between her two races but to save once more the demon whose bond she cannot deny.

302 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2011

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Mya Lairis

31 books193 followers

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Romance Novels in Color.
347 reviews247 followers
April 30, 2014
Darkness Bound was a different type of story for me, as I’m not well-read when it comes to paranormal story lines. I was introduced to Malice and Naeem, in a different type of romance that I found refreshing, as I’d grown somewhat weary of the Alpha male, billionaire or otherwise.

Malice was a defender of the Order of Sorcerers, doing things in her own way, until she saves a demon child from death. The Order reacted in a manner that spurred her decision to leave the Order, as the politics clashed with her reasoning to continue. As a half-demon, she had justification for saving the child and enraging the Order.

Now using her impressive binding skills to subdue those with violent urges in what could only be described as a more humanitarian effort, per se, she runs across the demon child she saved long ago, Naeem. Naeem, in an effort to gain Malice’s help in uniting the warring factions, finds himself impossibly attracted to the hybrid who rescued him from death.

I’m a big fan of world-builders, and Mya did an excellent job of creating a world I could live inside, while providing as creative a story line that intermixed the tensions between sorcerers and demons, while building the romance between Malice and Naeem. The conflict within Malice was palpable, as she struggled with her own wants against the attraction to her paramour.

I will give Mya credit for developing such a strong female character in Malice, but I found myself a bit conflicted with her and with Naeem. I found them to be parts submissive and dominant at different parts of the book, as they traded roles much like switches do in the BDSM world, showing fluidity that can be maddening at times if you like defined roles within a D/s relationship. Being a lifestyle Dominant male, I like to know who I’m dealing with when they are with me, and while I could sympathize with Malice’s control issues and developing the trust needed to calm those issues, I wanted to drive her to the point of submission. In that respect, I say kudos for eliciting such a passionate response from me. I wanted so desperately to give them roles that they didn’t want to claim for themselves that I unwittingly delved deeper into who they were.

The usage of the more intricate details of Shibari (or Kinbaku, depending on your tastes) when it comes to Malice’s proficiency in the rope bondage art, only enhances the beauty and sexiness with the magic she possesses as a sorceress. In her relationship with Naeem, I bore witness to a passion that kept me enthralled throughout the novel, one that blended the mental and physical connection between them, one that is indicative of the D/s relationships I have enjoyed in my walk.

My only qualm with the novel is the level of sensual and sexual scenes that were in the novel. It would have made the book perfect for me if a few more interludes were woven into the relationship, to give me a truly erotic feel within this erotic romance. Otherwise, bravo, Mya, and thank you for the journey into your world.

-Reviewed by Shakir
Profile Image for N.D..
Author 47 books440 followers
December 25, 2017
I do enjoy Lairis's paranormal stories. I love how she integrated bondage with a paranormal twist. This was done on several levels, including as a form of interrogation and combat. The PNR world the author created is a good one that can be further explored and expounded upon, as well as the relationships among the supernatural groups. The book shifts, about two-thirds of the way through, to include a bit of mystery and murder. For me, this was the best part of the story and where the author demonstrated a different dynamic in her storytelling that could've easily been more developed.
Profile Image for Tanya Urban Fantasy Freak.
59 reviews
October 7, 2011
I loved Mya's A Guardian's Desire by Mya and thought that Darkness Bound would be similar but it's not quite the same. I still like the story though.

Malice is a half demon half sorceress that was a former guardian of humans (and paranormals!) in the Order of Sorcerers. At the beginning of the novel Malice has been retired for 30 years and is a dominatrix that specializes in Shibari - Japanese style bondage.

The hero Naeem is a demon that malice saved as a child 30 years ago. All this time naeem has never forgotten malice and practically hero worships her. I thought this would be a poor setup for a romance but the author made it work.

Naeem is now a guardian in the order of sorcerers and has his own 'coven'. He has come back to convince malice to return to the Order AND to show her that he's a full grown man ;^) And boy is he! This is all unfolded over an interesting storyline - Naeem becomes framed for killing a coven in the order and it's up to Malice to find out who the conspirators are.

I thought naeem might come off as weak & needy at first but he was a true alpha and yet man enough to let his woman bind him with out losing his 'manliness' so to speak. The sex scenes were done very well and generated a lot of steam. That said I wish there had been more sex scenes..... 3.5 stars
Profile Image for Tanya Urban Fantasy Freak.
59 reviews
August 14, 2012
I loved Mya's A Guardian's Desire A Guardian's Desire by Mya and thought that Darkness Bound would be similar but it's not quite the same. I still like the story though.

Malice is a half demon half sorceress that was a former guardian of humans (and paranormals!) in the Order of Sorcerers. At the beginning of the novel Malice has been retired for 30 years and is a dominatrix that specializes in Shibari - Japanese style bondage.

The hero Naeem is a demon that malice saved as a child 30 years ago. All this time naeem has never forgotten malice and practically hero worships her. I thought this would be a poor setup for a romance but the author made it work.

Naeem is now a guardian in the order of sorcerers and has his own 'coven'. He has come back to convince malice to return to the Order AND to show her that he's a full grown man ;^) And boy is he! This is all unfolded over an interesting storyline - Naeem becomes framed for killing a coven in the order and it's up to Malice to find out who the conspirators are.

I thought naeem might come off as weak & needy at first but he was a true alpha and yet man enough to let his woman bind him with out losing his 'manliness' so to speak. The sex scenes were done very well and generated a lot of steam. That said I wish there had been more sex scenes..... 3.5 stars
Profile Image for Stacy Richman.
57 reviews3 followers
October 16, 2012
Now this book is a great series book. It had me wondering what all was going to happen. You could feel the tension between Naeem and Malice (love the names by the way). Malice is half demon and half sorceress. She has had a ruff life with her mother dieing young and her father not wanting her. For her own brand of charity she tries to help people of the non human persuasion by giving them a different form of massage. She binds them. Not just strip buck naked and tie them up but charge the rope so that they get tighter and electrically charged with her magic. She does not however sleep with them.

In comes Naeem. He is a full demon that she rescued when he was a child and he has a small infatuation with her. He pushes her until she finally agrees to bind him while he tries to get out and get to her. To her dismay he is able to get out of all of her binds, no matter how much she throws at him. So now not only is she binding him and sleeping with him, so against her rules, but she is also taking lessons from him in combat to make her magic stronger. He really wants her to agree to join his little group that police their kind. So through this whole thing all of that is going on to lead to a great ending. Or beginning to a beautiful series (I vote for this one). The only thing that I didn't like was were it ended. I need more.

reviewed by Stacy

4 Stars

4 Flames
307 reviews3 followers
August 30, 2012
looks and sounds awesome cant wait to read it....
Profile Image for Greta Turnbull.
56 reviews4 followers
September 28, 2012
I thought it was thrilling, erotic, and very sexual and I really liked it. I am looking forward to future stories.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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