Customer Reviews

Bound By Blood

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Kaitlyn Sherrad is looking forward to a quiet summer spent in the mountains, following her college graduation. She's not sure what she wants to do with her life, except going back to her vampire father's stronghold in the Carpathians is not high on the list. When she forms a bond with a local Casino owner, she finds herself longing to fulfill her own passions instead of following the rules of the vampire coven she belongs to. Yet, danger awaits her.

Zach Ravenscroft is not the a-typical vampire. He runs a casino, doesn't believe in aimless killing, and has an affinity for beautiful women. When Kaitlyn enters his humble abode, he is immediately captivated and longs to know the woman in the most intimate of ways; even if getting to know her means continuously having to expose him to danger and death.

Alright, first off, I was not happy with the heroine. She's definitely got personality, but I felt let down. Kaitlyn doesn't get a lot of action and it seems that everyone is always coming to her rescue. There are a few moments when Kaitlyn holds her own, yet she's not allowed to do it completely. I just felt that Kaitlyn could have been so much more in the story and that she was not empowered enough.

On the other hand I loved Zach--his inner thoughts, his desire to protect against all cost, and his power. He was every bit the vampire hero I would adore. He's a knight in shining armor but not at all innocent or subdued, which made it incredibly difficult to believe that Kaitlyn was his one-all, be-all. There were times I honestly had trouble believing the romantic involvement. He doesn't seem the type to get involved with an heir to a vampire coven. Yet, that may be what the author was going for--opposites attract kind of thing. There were a few things that irked the romantic in me, but I let them go. These included Zach's feeding habits and his chivalry; I didn't want him to be chivalrous.

The villains were great villains; sacrificial with nothing to lose except their life, and for those who've read Ashley's previous novel, then you'll be happy to know that Kaitlyn's father and mother make an appearance. I enjoyed the world traveling in the story. Overall I thought Ashley had a ton of great ideas and options for this book. The problem is that she didn't convince me that this story was worth it nor that her heroine was worth more than acting as the damsel in distress. The conflicts and resolutions of said conflicts were too easy in my opinion. I wanted more of a challenge, deception, and yet it seems that those things may not have existed because Ashley was playing true to her characters. So, if you're looking for a paranormal romance that plays true to a fairytale with the beauty having to take little or no action, and easily resolved conflicts then this is a book for you.

Bound by Blood, Bound #2, by Amanda Ashley
Grade: D

"I'm always right, Katy darlin'. And now that that's settled, I think we should get down to some serious huggin' and kissin'."

As a half human, half vampire and the only daughter of the Romanian Carpathian Fortress, Kaitlyn Sherrad has lived a very sheltered life. Now at twenty one, she has finished college and convinced her parents to let her stay in America and try to make her own way in Nevada. Late one night Kaitlyn meets Zack Ravenscroft, a local casino owner, who immediately sweeps her off her feet. Little do they both know they have more in common then they think and their similarities just might make their romance forbidden.
As a six hundred year old vampire Zack Ravenscroft never thought he would find a woman to spend his life and as one of The Order, vampires who are made not born, his relationship with Kaitlyn is forbidden and her father is hell bent on keeping them apart. Zack must now fight for his relationship not only against the woman that he loves family but against an old enemy who has come back for revenge and has chosen Kaitlyn as their target. Zack and Kaitlyn must now prove to everyone that they deserve love and happiness together and they will do anything or fight anyone to attain it.
Bound by Blood is the second book in Amanda Ashley's Bound Series and it picks up twenty one years after Bound by Night leaves off which is the story of Kaitlyn's mother and father, Elena and Drake. This book was much better then the first in the series, which I previously reviewed, but I found it to be very boring and uneventful. I think that to really understand what is going on in this story you would need to read the first book or else you will be very confused as the two books have very interwoven plot lines.
I had a few problems with this book but I think the thing that bothers me the most is how fast Kaitlyn and Zack meet and fall in love. There is no big anticipation at all with their relationship and after the first hundred pages they are in love, going to get married and the book moves on to the person who is trying to get revenge on Kaitlyn's family. I disliked the Romeo and Juliet parallel a lot and found that the forbidden romance between the two to be an opening for Kaitlyn to whine and complain a lot.
Kaitlyn reminded me very much of her mother from the first book and this is not a compliment. I found her to be very spoiled, boring, a goody-goody, highly annoying and lacking any sort of backbone. I very much dislike weak female leads and Kaitlyn is the poster child for weak female leads. The only woman who had any sort of guts was portrayed as the villain while the meek, crawl into a corner and wait for the men to save them woman are the heroins. At one point a male character told a female that if she didn't do what he said he would "Lock her in her room." I'm sorry what? These two are supposed to be in love for years and are married and he's going to lock her in her room like a child? These are just not the sort of characters that I like reading about. The male characters are okay but nothing special.
I found most of this book to be very bad and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. I think the action is very good but the romance is lacking and so are the characters. I was very excited to read this series and highly disappointed. Plain and simple, as far as paranormal romances go this isn't a very good one and I can't recommend it as a fan of the genre.

As her college graduation present, her dad gives Kaitlyn Sherrad a little place in the country that happens to overlook Lake Tahoe. Kaitlyn loves her father Drake the Master of the Carpathian Coven vampire and her once human mother Elena (see Bound by Night for their tale).

Her parents return to the Romanian Old Country on urgent clan business so she goes to her luxurious cabin alone. Kaitlyn meets and falls in love with casino owner Zackary Ravenscroft. However, she initially is unaware that he is a six century old vampire whose family loathes the East European clan as much as hers detests these upstarts over a two decade old incident. As the heir to the Carpathian Coven, Kaitlyn knows her beloved is forbidden fruit, but history apparently repeats the same mistakes especially with an unknown adversary plotting to take down the couple.

The second Bound romantic urban fantasy is a delightful tale of forbidden love starring fully developed protagonists and a well rounded support cast that deftly ties up threads from the first thriller. The fascinating star-crossed second generation romance is fun to follow though the plot follows the expected course as there are no major twists. Still sub-genre fans will appreciate Amanda Ashley's wonderful paranormal romance.

Harriet Klausner

BOUND BY BLOOD picks up twenty-one years after BOUND BY NIGHT and features the daughter of the couple from that book who is fresh out of college on her own for the first time in America. Like her mother before her, I had some issues with Kaitlyn as a heroine. She came across as very young and naïve. I could have started a drinking game and gotten myself truly hammered by books end if I'd taken a shot every time Kaitlyn or some other character said she `was a big girl now.' Zack, of course, was the different-girl-every-night type who inexplicably wanted to change his ways only moments after meeting Kaitlyn.

Character clichés aside, I consistently felt like I was reading a romance novel from twenty plus years ago. Modern readers may get frustrated with some of the more outdated character portrayals and mindsets, but overall, it struck me as more nostalgic than anything else. On the plus side, the basic storyline is full of suspense and sprinkled with enough family drama, and vampire politics to keep the pages flying in this paranormal love story.

Overall, I surprised myself by still enjoying this book despite it's formulaic plot, overly familiar character types, and excess of romance novel tropes. BOUND BY BLOOD is a fun, frivolous way to spend a few hours. The romance is on the chaste side, but the multi generational love stories feel authentic and kept a smile on my face while reading. If you like traditional romance novel formulas and want the added allure of vampires thrown into the mix, you'll enjoy BOUND BY BLOOD too.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. A couple brief, non graphic sex scenes.

Bound by Blood, Amanda Ashley's sequel to the soon to be released, Bound by Night reminds us that the saying "revenge is a dish best served cold" holds true! Twenty years later, a still unappeased grudge festering against Drake Sherrad, Master of the Carpathian Vampire Coven finds its way to the surface in the form of a threat against the most prized piece of his heart, his now grown daughter Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn, recently graduated from college finds herself wondering what to do now. A log cabin, a gift from her parents nestled in the forest of Northern California's Tahoe region, provides a quiet space in which to make up her mind. Gazing out of the cabin window that first night, movement brings a dark haired handsome man into view. Stepping outside to confront the mysterious stranger she tries to determine why she cannot get a sense of him or at least garner his thoughts, half-vampire as she is. Zackary Ravenscroft, a 600-year-old vampire and owner of the popular casino just down the hill also is asking himself the same question. Danger to Kaitlyn places Zack in a position to choose between the solitary life he has led thus far and the emotional ties he now feels and the protection he wants to provide. Which will be worse, the wrath of Kaitlyn's father when he learns the truth or the unknown enemy threatening her? Willing to take their chances together, Kaitlyn and Zack find themselves preyed upon by both in an unbeknownst repeat of the past which will test the love they have for each other.

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A fast paced, action packed, forbidden romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Opening Sentence: I remember it well, the night that Calin Sherrad, Master of our Coven, called our people together.

The Review:

Bound by Blood is the second book in Amanda Ashley's Bound Series. It is set about twenty-one years after Bound by Night and follows Kaitlyn Sherrad, the spoiled and innocent half vampire, half human daughter of Drake and Elena Sherrad, the couple from the first book and Zackary Ravenscroft, a 600 year old vampire who enjoys life in Sin City.

Kaitlyn has just finished college and has decided to stay in the States, far away from her family and their protection. She meets Zack shortly after arriving at her cabin and feels an instant attraction and is drawn to him. Zack is a casino owner and is used to having a different woman every night but when he meets Kaitlyn he is puzzled by his extreme reaction to her and wants to explore the feelings that she brings out in him. Kaitlyn and Zack do not realize that they are more alike than they know and that their relationship will be put to the test because they are supposed to be sworn enemies and her father disapproves. Along with all that there is also an enemy who is out to get revenge on the Sherrad family, putting Kaitlyn in danger. Neither was prepared for the journey that awaited them on their way to happily ever after.

Bound by Blood pulled me in from the first page and kept me entertained until the last page. The story is fast paced and moves along effortlessly as I feel in love with Kaitlyn and Zack. It was great to see characters from the first book and see how things were working out for them and to meet new characters and see a potentially new romantic story line for future books.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first in the series because there was no confusion about the time period it was written in. The characters were more detailed and developed. This made them more believable and made you want to root for them to succeed and end up together. The romance between Kaitlyn and Zack happens so fast and they go from intrigued and curious to all out in love in a matter of a few pages. It works for this book but I usually like the love to develop a bit slower. There is plenty in this book to keep you entertained with the forbidden romance, revenge, kidnapping, and some heavy duty fighting all interwoven. There is so much packed into this book in terms of plot and story line that it could have been a disaster but Ashley pulled all these threads together seamlessly and the suspense kept me turning pages long into the night because I had to see how everything ended.

On the whole, I was happy with Bound by Blood. It was a typical love story with a high dose of action and suspense to keep the reader entertained and interested. I will keep an eye out for any additional books in this series.

The Bound Series:

1. Bound by Night

2. Bound by Blood

FTC Advisory: Kensington Books provided me with a copy of Bound by Blood. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don't receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.

Kaitlyn Sherrad, heir to the Carpathian dynasty, is half human and half vampire. She has broken free of the Fortress and is living on her own in Nevada. A hopeless romantic at heart she is an easy target for Zack Ravenscroft. Zack is a ladies' man but when he meets Katy he knows that she is unlike anyone he has every meet. There is definitely insta-love but not insta-lust. Zack wants to do everything right with Katy and that includes wanting to be married first before falling into bed with her. One HUGE obstacle in the way is that fact that Katy's family is made up of natural born vampires and Zack is an "Other", a made vampire.

The Sherrad family thought they had destroyed these heathens long time ago. Let's just say Drake, Katy's father, is not too happy with this development. But he must first try to stop one of his father's wives, Nadiya, from killing Katy in retaliation for the death of her son. Nadiya sends some of her family after Katy and when they are killed, Nadiya goes off the deep end.

I loved the Romeo and Juliet style storyline. Katy and Zack's love is forbidden but nothing will come between them, not even the vengeful Nadiya. Adding the element of danger just creates the right amount of tension to keep your interest. I will admit at times Katy sounds like a spoiled child but her bravery in battle outweighs that one flaw. To me Bound by Blood was a classic vampire love story and I enjoyed reading it.

3.5 out of 5 stars!! This series has a great new take on the vampire romance theme!! I loved how the author wrote about Kaitlyn's lifestyle and the different types of vampires. The relationship between Kaitlyn and Zack was a little disappointing only because of how slow it progresses but that is only because of the racism Kaitlyn's relatives have of the "Others" and because of the vampires that are seeking revenge against Kaitlyn's family.

All in all it was a cute book that I'd recommend to whoever really enjoys new takes on vampire romance books.

Review By: From Me to You ... Book Reviews
(read more of this review and two teasers on my blog)

Bound By Blood takes us into the life of Kaitlyn Sherrad. She is the half human/half vampire daughter of Elana and Drake Sherrad from the previous book Bound By Night. It is set 21 years in the future from the previous book and Kaitlyn is all grown up and on her own in Las Vegas. Her parents have bought her a cabin and she is ready to start her own life after college. One night she meets Zack Ravenscroft outside of her cabin. They are both instantly attracted to each other and enjoy the company they each provide. While Zack is considered an Other, a made vampire instead of a born vampire, Kaitlyn knows her father would never approve of a relationship between the two. What Kaitlyn doesn't realize is that her father is not the only thing she should be afraid of.

Nadiya is back as the evil vampire villain and is seeking revenge on the Sherrad family. Her son was murdered in the previous book by Drake and she wants Drake to suffer as badly as she has. She sets her sights on Kaitlyn and will stop at nothing to kill her and make Drake feel the agony she has.

There are a few things I liked better in this book than the last. I liked how the characters in the book grow and stay relative to the time frame. In the last book, I felt like I was reading a historical romance at times even though it was suppose to be set in the present time. It could have been because the last book was set in a different country, but the characters seem to have been better developed in this one. I also liked how the author made Zack out to be witty, charismatic and at times a vengeful vampire. He could be evil and monstrous at times when needed, but he also had a soft side that he showed around Kaitlyn and his employee's.

The few things I didn't like were mainly the same things I have experienced in other vampire novels. The instant attraction to each other and the sudden knowledge of knowing this person is your soul mate is ever present in this novel as well. I just don't seem to like how the characters can meet in chapter one and know they are meant to be together forever by chapter two. I like progression in my romance and not instant love. Yet, even with this detail I felt myself enjoying the story and loving my vampire fantasy within this gorgeous cover.

I have read every book by Amanda Ashley and the Bound series is quickly becoming my favorite series by this author so far. I look forward to reading more of her work and can't wait for her next novel to appear on shelves!

This is only the 2nd book by Amanda Ashley that I have read. The 1st Everlasting Kiss had a story line that moved a long. With this book I was hoping for the same. But so far and I'm only half way through but this book boring. I am going to try to finish but its not looking good.