This series is getting more exciting with every book. I’ve just gotten myself the third instalment, because I just need to know what happens next.

What I can tell you, without spoiling the plot, is this story is fantasy at its finest. There are plot twists and since everything is taking place in a made up world, where everything can change at any given moment, your imagination will be working overtime.

Also, this book made the whole story so far live up to the reverse harem label. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

This one picks up where the first one left us on the cliff..... It continues the same amazing, emotional, sexy, thrilling and thrilling romantic adventure and keeps you on the edge of your seat.... Loved it!

Aria Watson, is caught in a trap and is fighting for the lives of those she holds the most dear..... This is crazy wild adventure that will keep you flipping pages from beginning to end and leave you craving more... Can not wait to find out what happens next.

Eva Chase does reverse harem paranormal romance so well! I've read some of her Witch's Consorts series, so I jumped at the chance to review this book. Side note: I'm referring to it as romance, but Bound to Gods is actually classified as urban fantasy (I think the distinction is that romance is entirely secondary to the plot in urban fantasy, but I honestly use them pretty interchangeably).

Still new to being a valkyrie, Ari and the four Norse gods that created her find themselves in a sticky situation and must find their way out. Sometimes the whole gang works together, sometimes they find themselves entirely separated, and sometimes Ari pairs up with just one of the gods. The adventure drives the story, and we learn a lot more about each of the god's hearts and the troubles of their pasts. The author describes this novel as "medium-burn" and I suppose that's about right! There are some super steamy scenes, but they are generally pretty short and often interrupted by action. Overall, Bound to Gods is quite an enjoyable ride. It's book two in a series and the series continues after this book, but Eva Chase does a wonderful job of wrapping things up for now while also setting the stage for the next installment. It's recommended you read the Claimed by Gods first, but I jumped in without having read it and was able to catch on quickly and fully enjoy this installment.

So this was a great continuation from book one. As much as I like the story it dig just feel like it was expanded to meet the page requirements. I really want to love Ari and the gods but I'm having trouble. It's a good storyline and I honestly do look forward to what happens next.

The second book in the Their Dark Valkyrie series, Ari and the Norse gods (Loki, Thor, Baldur, Freya, and Hod) are still searching for Odin while trapped in a fake Asgard. Their capture is none other than Odin's raven of memory, Munnin.

Can they work together to free themselves while also forgiving each other for many past evils and hurtful transgressions? Probably, but it is a long journey toward redemption.

I am enjoying this series. Ari is a good female protagonist and she is developing as a character over time. Chase has embodied the Norse gods well. Loki is sexy and sly; Thor a bit hot headed. The romance element to the series fits and who would be able to choose between all those alluring gods? Ari has decided not to!

This series is by no means perfect; however, they are a fun, easy and entertaining read.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mythology, particularly Norse Mythology, is a subject that has piqued my interest since the first time I read about Thor as a child sneaking my way into sections of the library I shouldn’t have been in. (Side note: Once I typed that first sentence it dawned on me that alpha males are my thing and always have been. I was doomed from the start.) Anyway, I snapped up the first book in this story, Claimed by the Gods, and although I did enjoy it, it’s lack of backstory frustrated me to no end. With Bound to Gods, I got a front row seat to that missing backstory in the craziest of ways.

The good news is it wasn’t technically timeline hopping that got me that front row seat since I prefer my timelines presented in a linear fashion. The gods and Ari are trapped in a fake Asgard and forced to relive the god’s worst memories by a vengeful character. If you’ve ever felt envious of the mythological gods don’t since, according to these memories, they have some seriously effed up history.

As Aria has only one short memory of Asgard, she’s basically sent to and fro reliving everyone else’s memories and learns that not one of the Gods is who she thought they were…or are they? She needs to decide if she’s going to judge them on what they seemed to have done before or how they are now.

Although there was lots of action, since most of it happened in the past it didn’t present itself as real action. This was more of a book about the group understanding that their perception of what had happened in the past wasn’t necessarily the right one. There was also a strong undertone of forgiveness, not only for themselves but the others too.

I liked how the book gave its own spin on the story of the twins, Hod and Baldur. It’s not well known, but an extremely interesting albeit tragic one. This ended up being an unexpectedly deep story with layers upon layers of jealousy, intrigue, loads of self-loathing, huge amounts of guilt and heaps of misunderstanding.

The potential for a seriously hot romance is huge considering there are four hot, sexy Norse Gods as heroes. So you can imagine my disappointment that it’s not coming even close to living up to my expectations. For me at least, the romance aspect feels like a tacked on afterthought more than anything.

Because Bound To Gods focused on such a terrible time in the god’s history, although all kinds of interesting it wasn’t exactly fun to read. In stories like this, I need a romance I can believe in to temper all the rest unfortunately that just wasn’t there. Again, this was a good book, it just wasn’t what I expected it to be.

Rating: 3 Deep and Good but I Need Romance Stars

Not quite as good as the first one but still highly enjoyable and readable. I will be waiting for the third in the series. I had honestly never heard of the term "reverse harem" but it's an interesting new (?) genre of romance. Not something I would've read or searched out had I not read the 1st in this series. Now I'm hooked.

Bound to Gods is the second book in Eve Chase’s Their Dark Valkyrie series and doesn’t quite deliver the same impact as book one. The romance development still didn’t live up to my expectations, but there is so definitely potential for so much more. Plot wise it is an interesting and entertaining story, with a lot of background and character pasts explained throughout. I feel like this was a good second book and it gave me enough to want to read the next in the series.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to be able to read an advanced copy of Bound to Gods. I have been so impatiently waiting this next chapter in Eva Chase’s new series that I put everything else I was doing on pause so I could dive right in! Just like the first book this is a quick, enjoyable one sitting read that you won’t regret getting your hands on.

Picking up right where Claimed by Gods leaves off, we see Ari and her pack of Gods (and Goddess!) attempt to navigate their way through “Valhalla”, all the while fighting their inner demons and trying to find a way to mend relationships and work together.

I LOVED the character development in this book. I think that by dredging up the past and each God’s haunted background was what really brought this book that extra kick I’ve been waiting for. I find that I’m getting a little bit attached to other characters *cough HOD cough* and seeing Ari in a whole new light now. I’m still not her biggest fan, but the girl is definitely starting to grow on me. I think the little Valkyrie just might have what it takes!

Although there was enough flipping in this to make me dizzy, I found it really well done (THAT scene!!!) and I think I have to finally admit it….I’m a convert! No part of me has ever been remotely curious about a “harem” style book before but I am absolutely head over heels for this series and can not wait to see what Chase has in store for the next installment!!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Ink Spark Press for providing me with a copy of this book.

<i>*I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review*</i>

In this second book of the Their dark Valkyrie series, we follow Aria and her Norse Gods in their ongoing quest to find the Allfather, Odin. They’re trapped inside a fake Asgard now – as you’ve read in book 1 - and the Gods and Aria are bound to face some really difficult moments from their past, in the capturers hope that they’ll break when they are faced with their demons so that they aren’t able to continue their search of Odin anymore.

In this second book there’s a lot of focus on the development of all of the character’s. We’re revisiting some moments of their pasts, like I said, so you get a lot more insight as to how they are who they are now but also who they have been in the past. We get to find out what’s going on with Haldur and Hor which I was really curious about in book 1 for example, and many more answers are questioned. It was a really great addition to the story I think but therefore it also feels a bit like that ‘middle book syndrome’ thing is going on here since the focus on the story-line development isn’t a priority – that’s how it felt to me. But I have to say that I loved their character developments throughout the book a lot so I can forgive the fact that the story-line development was a bit slow at times.

I still don’t think the reverse harem thing is something that’s really fluently written though. I love all of the characters, so that’s not it. The Norse Gods and their connections to Aria are well-written but to me, it doesn’t always feel like the romance/sexiness part feels ‘natural in this story’ you know? Maybe because the build-up to particular sexy moments isn’t always there? Because of that, it sometimes feels a bit ‘pushed’. Like ‘it has to be in the story, no matter what’.

Don’t get me wrong..I think it’s really hard to write reverse harem and give each of the characters a fair amount of attention to the development feels natural and believable. It’s hard to find a great balance I think with so many things going on story-wise and then also a lot of characters who need to come across as believable and lovable. And even though I still don’t always believe in it, I do think there’s progress to be seen in comparison to the first book so that’s a good thing. And I do love how the emotional bonds between Aria and the Gods grow in this second book. I think the base of their friendships/relationships is really beautifully done so I’m curious to see how things continue in the third book.

<b>Overall, </b>I feel like this was an okay second book in the series. Interesting enough to make me want to read the next book, definitely. The romance/lust development still wasn’t exactly what I’d hope it’d become after reading book 1, but there’s still a lot of potential here. And since we’ve come to know the Gods a lot better now thanks to the awesome character developments, I’m hopeful for the next book regarding the romance and such. Story-wise it was entertaining. I really liked seeing important/difficult moments of everyone’s pasts but because of that, the story-line itself was a bit held back. The ending of this book is really promising and I’m really curious to see how everything is going to unfold in book 3. This book was yet again packed with some awesome action scenes, a lot of Norse Mythology and lovable characters. If you liked ‘Claimed by Gods’, you’ll definitely want to read its sequel and discover more about Ari and her Norse Gods.

This series gets better and better. Aria and the guys are still looking for Odin and come close but someone close to them turns their back on them. I love seeing Aria with Thor, Loki, Baldur and Hod and when they are together it’s scorching hot. This story will definitely have you hooked from page 1, great continuation and can’t wait too see what happens in bk 3.

Wasn’t expecting to read the sequel so quickly, so really happy about that. As per the first book, the cover artwork is amazing. The story continues right off from the cliffhanger of the first. Aria and the gang are trapped in a makeshift prison and need to work together to break free. Problem is there’s tricks and exposed secrets at every turn. Loki is still my favourite character with Thor the least favourite. This one didn’t grip me as much as the first, probably because it felt more contained. Still enjoyable and looking forward to the next book.

I enjoyed this continuation of the Their Dark Valkyrie series. Bound to Gods does not have so much happening plot-wise as its predecessor. Instead, it focuses on the characters, giving us glimpses into the gods' pasts (drawn from the myths), helping us understand more from whence their current actions stem. I particularly enjoyed Chase's take on Odin's involvement in Loki's actions prior to Ragnarök, because it mirrors how I addressed the issue in my own Norse myth-inspired novel. Nice to see someone else interpreting it the same way I did! The action heats up between Ari and gods in this one, after the slow burn of book one, and the story ends in a way that sets things up perfectly for an action-packed third instalment, which I will look forward to reading upon its release. This series is sure to please fans of reverse harem fantasy and myth retellings.

A character development novel following up the action-packed first book is exactly what this series needed. While the first book was fast and fun, Bound to Gods got into their hearts, minds, and memories. It made you begin to truly like Ari. To trust Loki. To appreciate Hod. To hurt for Bauldur. To see Thor as more than the hammer god. It made them relatable and loveable. I still cannot wait for more!

As always, I had so much fun diving into the world of Ari, Loki, Thor, Hod, and Bauldur. They each have found their individual voices and it is a true reverse harem. My only complaint is I still have a favorite I ship, and I want to favor them all equally.

Just like the first, Bound can be read in one sitting. It's short, fast, and still builds an entertaining world. This time, instead of saving the world, the team has to save themselves and escape a prison of their own memories.

Thank you to NetGalley, Eva Chase, and Ink Spark Press for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had just picked up the first book in this series from Amazon when I noticed the second one was available here on Netgalley. I am really enjoying this series. I love the Norse Gods and especially all the back stories that were only hinted at in the first book. The prison construct in the second book was fascinating and made it very hard to put down. I also really liked the slow burn of this harem. Can't wait to see what is in store for the next book.

Aria, Freya, and the boys are trapped in a fake Valhalla, taunted and tormented by ghosts from their pasts. Old demons are awakened by these forced walks down memory lane, and the group needs to figure out how to stay together, how to keep their focus on fighting their captor rather than each other.

Bound to Gods is so rich in character and relationship development that I'm not sure what to do besides squeal and do a really awkward happy dance (obviously while no one is looking). Looking back at their pasts makes it impossible for the gods to continue overlooking or ignoring old tensions, and we finally (I know we've only been waiting for one book, but I'm impatient) learn the dark secret that keeps a wall between Baldur, Hod, and what role Loki's tricks have played in sewing discord within their mostly-functional family.

An unexpected but still great surprise was learning a little more about Freya. It only seems natural for Aria and the boys to take the spotlight, but there are some great moments where we get to learn more about Freya's history, fears, and what role she can still play in Aria's new life as a valkyrie.

The boys all get their own turns in the spotlight, and I was really excited that Thor was getting his chance to grow. I felt like he was a little one-dimensional in Claimed by Gods, with only some small hints that there was more to him than what meets the eye. Bound by Gods gave me everything I wanted for him- he gets a chance to really look at his past and there's some beautiful introspection about how others (especially Aria) might see him and whether or not that image is truly who he is and wants to be.

Baldur was another star this time around because we get the chance to see beneath his dreamy and positive exterior, to understand why he hides behind a mask of lightness instead of confronting his inner trauma.

I can't forget about Loki and Hod, for both of them continue to grow and, Hod fans, I think you're going to really like this book.

Bound by Gods had a wonderfully smooth balance. Even though characters are (sometimes literally) popping from one scene/memory into another, it's all seamlessly woven together because each of the characters is experiencing some kind of mental/emotional journey. This common theme helps them all relate to each other even though some of their histories are very different.

One of the aspects that I liked most was that Chase builds in some powerful moments (and a few surprises) that will make the reader and the characters question what's right and the limitations of forgiveness. It's fabulous when a book both entertains you and challenges you to think, so I really appreciated that.

Overall, I'm just so excited to be a part of reading this new series. Plot and character development are strong, the plot is adventurous and engaging, and Chase's final words bring you that edge-of-your-seat tension that makes you crave the next book. What more can you ask for?