Book Review: Bond Bitten by Christie Clayton

About the Book:

Title: Bond Bitten

Author: Christie Clayton

Series: The Bonded Vampire Chronicles #1

Publication Date: Aug. 18, 2022

Publisher: City Owl Press

Synopsis: When a vampire bonds to a human, the consequences can be catastrophic.

Sebastian Blake is beautiful, charming and immortal, yet when he bonds to the human, Emily Heart, his poise, wealth and good looks are met with derision and hostility.

Independent, feisty Emily refuses to abandon her friends and family to pursue everlasting youth and eternal life with Sebastian. But the longer she resists her attraction to him, the more damage the powerful mate bond inflicts on his mind, leaving him vulnerable to a group of sadistic vampire hunters.

The hunters weaponize vampire-human bonds to weaken their immortal foes and harvest their blood. They reveal shocking secrets about Sebastian’s past, strengthening Emily’s resolve to stay away from him.

Can Sebastian win Emily’s heart before it’s too late? Or will Emily fracture their volatile bond, sacrificing their only chance for true love?

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

A steamy paranormal romance, Bind Bitten follows Sebastian, a vampire, and Emily, his human mate who knows nothing about the supernatural world. It’s an interesting take on a fated mates story, as Emily does not fully commit to the idea of being bound to Sebastian or of becoming a vampire herself. Unfortunately, all vampire-human bonds in the past have ended in death, and vampire hunters seem to be targeting the pair.

The story has an interesting cast of characters, and I became so invested in Sebastian and Emily. Between the dangerous bond that could destroy both of them to the increasing effects the partial bond has on Sebastian physically and mentally to the hunters that have targeted them, Sebastian and Emily have a lot to contend with. Their story is filled with action and intrigue and tension, but none of it overshadows the sizzling chemistry between them.

I love stories with fated mates, bonds, and the like, and I thought that Bond Bitten brought up some interesting points about these types of connections. Though they are bonded, Emily is reluctant to be bound to Sebastian, and questions the validity of her feelings. Are their feelings real? What happens if she doesn’t want to become immortal? Other characters also struggle with their feelings about bonds – some because they don’t have them, some who are used because of them, and some because they desperately want them. I thought it was really interesting to see so many different perspectives and opinions on it.

Overall, I enjoyed this debut novel by Christie Clayton. It’s intriguing and suspenseful, there are a couple of clever and unexpected twists, and the ending was surprising. I definitely didn’t expect it to end the way it did, but it made sense. I’ll be interested to see how some of Sebastian and Emily’s decisions effect them in the future.

Special thanks to Christie Clayton for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

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