Blood Bound

By: Rachel Vincent

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

By blood, by word, by magic….

Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special—a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood. Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend’s daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath,Liv can’t rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma, and danger lurk around every corner… every touch… every kiss. And more blood will be spilled before it’s over.

©2011 Rachel Vincent (P)2011 Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.

Another Great Rachel Vincent Series

Rachel has an amazing knack for building unique fictional worlds. In a sea of carbon copy urban fantasy series, Blood Bound is a breath of fresh air. Her writing is both multifaceted and brilliant! Overall, Blood Bound is a dark and seductive thrill ride. I found myself getting pulled in the Rachel's Unbound world, and not wanting to leave. I enjoyed untangling the web that is Blood Bound!

Buy this book!!!

OMG!!! This book was amazing! I loved the story, as well as the characters. I can't wait for the next one. I hope all of the friends are in it and they get to work together. I was a bit hesitant to get a book from this author because it seems most of her books are for teens. But this book was well written, dark and gritty, without a lot of angst. The only thing about this book that I did not like is that the lead female character takes too much on her shoulders. I understand her motivations but a woman can only sacrifice so much and still exist. Gabra Zackman was great as usual. I have listened to her in other books and I always enjoy her. Buy this book!!!

Good story but....

I like this author and I love this narrator. The characters in this book were interesting and fully developed. (here comes the "however"..) However, I found the world setting of the story to be terribly depressing. Bleak. Violent and cruel. Maybe it's just me, weird mood or something, but wow.... don't read this is you are at all depressed or suicidal. Fortunately, this did not prevent me from listening to the very end and being glad that I did.

I couldn't tell if this book is to be a stand-alone or the start of a series, could go either way. If this author does write another book about this world I'll snap it up in an instant to see what happens next. Maybe the protagonists will have it a bit better next time.

Really enjoyed this new series!

This is the first of a new series, and is really worth listening to. It has a unique new twist to the paranormal realm. These people are born with skills, to help track down criminals, thru blood samples, names, and can shadow into a dark room. They are employed by mobsters. It's characters are thrown into this world, not wanting to be there, but their skills make them prisoners to the mob bosses. There is passion, romance, mystery, suspense, brutal action, along with a good story. Enjoyed the narration, which bounces from the woman, then back to the man's voice, telling the story. Which, probably made the story better to listen to, than to read. I'm going on to the next installment 'Shadow Bound"

A bit dark, but enthralling.

The concepts alive and at work in this book were super interesting to me. The relationships between the characters are very complex. There are those they choose to associate with, but mostly people they have no choice but to associate with (even if the original decision to put them in that situation was theirs to make at least somewhat freely). The world in which the book is situated features two types of people: your average human being and those who are "skilled". The main characters of this book, Olivia and Cameron, are both trackers, though their methods are different. Where Olivia is one of the best blood trackers to be found, Cam has superior skills in name tracking.

The city in which Olivia and Cameron live is split into three parts. Two parts are controlled by rival crime syndicates and the third is a small area that has no affiliation to either syndicate. Olivia is struggling to afford the rent for both an apartment and an office in this area and taking whatever lucrative jobs she can without completely compromising her principles. Cam faced some trouble upon first moving to the city and found himself in deep with one of the syndicates. The two are forced (well, Olivia is forced, Cam is eager) to work together by an old friend of Olivia's whose requests Olivia cannot refuse. As Olivia and Cam get further into the case, things become more and more complicated and they uncover a series of baffling aspects.

The concept of being "bonded" was a hard one for me to swallow if only for the way it has the ability to completely remove free will. It was hard to think that both Olivia and Cam (mostly Cam) had people in their life that could make orders they could not disobey and enforce confidentiality clauses that cannot be broken. It's hard to imagine having to live life like that. It definitely added depth to the story. Being able to maintain their relationship became a series of exploiting loopholes and taking chances. It really gives credence to the relationship the two must've shared and apparently still have for them to be willing to risk so much to be together. As Olivia's friend Kori puts it, they "take the concept of star-crossed to a whole new level."

Overall, the book can be a bit on the darker side of things. It's not all that surprising, when you consider the fact that the book is deeply entrenched in two rival "skilled" syndicates. While I'm glad Liv and Cam are able top find a way to be together, the sacrifices they have each made for one another and will continue to make for each other can be hard to swallow. This book doesn't necessarily end in a huge cliffhanger, but it's clearly not the end of the story. There are definitely things that we as readers don't know yet. In the end, Olivia and Cam seem to be on the way toward finding their HEA, but it's hard to say if they'll ever truly get free of the syndicates to be able to live their lives freely and as they please.

This is the first book I can remember listening to that had Gabra Zackman as the narrator. I really enjoyed her voice. It had a husky quality to it. She has a great range and is able to perform both male and female voices very well. I am looking forward to listening to the next two books in the series with her narrating both of them.

A Nice Surprise

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to some friends. I found some elements of the story to be predictable. While I liked the ending, I'm a little disappointed that the series will continue with other people in the protagonist roles, and am hopeful we will see what happens to our two heroes in the next book.

If you???ve listened to books by Rachel Vincent before, how does this one compare?

I much preferred this book to the Were-Cat series. I found the characters in that story to be of less than average intelligence and some of them seemed... forced. These characters were much more interesting.

What about Gabra Zackman???s performance did you like?

I believe the narrator did a good job. She isn't one of my favorites, however. There's something about some of her female voices that I do not like.

Did Blood Bound inspire you to do anything?

I believe I will listen to the next book in the series just to see if it mentions what happens to the characters in this story. I will probably add this book to my paperback collection as well.

This is a book you can get lost in!

What did you love best about Blood Bound?

The reluctant relationsip between Cam and Liv. The intricacy of the crime families, the people bound to them, and the way each sindicate operates.

What did you like best about this story?

How Ruben is a truly bad man with a little bit of heart left. There are tibits that came out a little bit at a time that were important to the characters and the story.

What about Gabra Zackman’s performance did you like?

The voices were genuine and the women were not histerical or over the top. Everything was just right except Cam's voice should have been stronger, or more masculine.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction, but I did root for the good and the bad guys. For some reason I want(ed) to see Ruben redeemed-or at least see Liv as more than "property". The ending was a bit disconcerting.

Any additional comments?

This was a great book. The world where it takes place is very intricate and well cunstructed. The relationships and events that transpired between the characters (past and present) are interesting and not predictable. There are many unanswered questions between them. They all have ideals and dreams, but are stuck in their lives due to bad decisions and deceit. Can't wait for the next book!

Great Story Not Impressed With Narration

Of all the books I have listened to written by Rachel Vincent which has been all available so far and starting this last series I have very much enjoyed listening to the narrators but this one was a very hard listen. Hoping the other 2 in this series are not as hard on the ears.

Good.....

Well written and well read. I listened to it straight through. Original story with enough plot twist to avoid predictability. Great opener for a promising new series.

Another great book by Rachel Vincent

I was upset when the Shifters series ended, so I am pretty happy that Rachel has started a new series for grown ups!
Story is basically about people with supernatural abilities living in the regular world. Of course there are good guys and bad guys and twists and turns and love interests and friendships. I enjoyed this book all the way through. Its not life alteringly fabulous, but it is great entertainment!
The narration was good as well!