Book Review for Cure Bound
Full feature for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

I'm always a fan of a good enemies to lovers story and this book certainly served. It was a quick, easy read but the whole time I was reading I was hoping for more meat in the story. Alec felt like a stereotypical vampire and there were several times I hated him more than I liked him. Harlow had a lot of potential too but I felt like she shed her skin and became someone completely different half way through the book. The story was excellent and had a lot of potential itself but I think it was passed over in favor of expediency and romance. I loved the idea of a witch being a cure for vampires, and I'm always game for a good mating bond but unfortunately there was a lot that fell flat to me. Starting the book felt like I started in the middle of a story - I had no time to get attached to either Harlow or Alec and my first impression of Alec was not good, nor was any of the following interactions with him any better. Overall, excellent bones but it lacked in the execution.

Trigger Warning: sexual assault, almost rape, kidnapping, toxic relationships, and blood.

The unraveled story between witches and vampires in this book had me interested from the start. Harlow and Alex made this enjoyable on different levels and I don't want to give any spoilers because I want people to want to pick this up and discover the reasons why on their own.

Harlow and Alex are two characters that pull on each other's emotions, trying to pull the other into their world and heart. I loved the dynamic between the two and seeing their hate grow to something beautiful was something I enjoyed while reading 'Cure Bound'. This enemy-to-lovers story shows you that the deepest feeling of hate can transform into love and passion without even realizing it.

Although the smexy level of this book was below the spectrum of what I'm used to, I was easily entrapped by the characters and the development between them. I enjoyed the journey of Alec seeking revenge after his girlfriend was murdered by a witch, only to discover Harlow - the cure to vampirism. To find his revenge, he kidnaps Harlow and the story unravels.

Thank you #NetGalley for this eARC and a special shout out to the author for giving us this story between witches and vampires. It reminded me at times of Vampire Diaries which is my favorite pastime of mine, so being able to step back into my fang bang years was a plus!

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, kidnapping, human trafficking.

Witch vs Vampire, right versus wrong. Centuries old feud between magical creatures. What will prevail? One sitting, steamy read. A bit much for me but others will enjoy immensely.

This was my first adult romance book, and the reason I've never read any up till now is that I had read enough Wattpad books till this point to know what a 'smutty' book was. I was naive and immature. I genuinely enjoy this book. It's like an explicit, well-written, Twilight meets Vampire Diaries, with the characters, aspects of the plot, even certain scenes that seem inspired by those from these books/movies/tv shows. Additionally, after having solely read YA for so many years, refusing to stray from my comfort genre, I was accustomed to a particular style of writing, and being exposed to something more sophisticated helped change my perspective on Adult romance!

We are introduced to Alec, a vampire whose girlfriend was killed by a Sinclair witch, which resulted in him seeking revenge by killing her coven and any of her and her coven's descendants. This leads to Harlow centuries later, a Sinclair which and the cure to vampirism. Thus she is kidnapped by this vengeful, brooding, sexy vampire.

A reminder this is a romance;)

TW: sexual assault, almost rape, kidnapping, toxic relationships.

It could be that I have no other adult romance to compare it to, but this book became 4.5 stars for me. The characters have undisputable flaws; however, they also have an equal amount of good qualities that make me more interested in the story. I got so invested in it both the main characters' relationship because of this. The enemies to lovers concept drew me in like no other because they weren't just two characters that disliked each other, they were enemies by nature: a vampire and a witch. Seeing them interact with each other, and come to terms themselves made me want to understand them more, and the only way to do so was to keep reading.

There are a few factors that resulted in it not being five stars. My first put off is that the description within the novel is subpar. It's difficult to thoroughly visualize the setting and characters as the author doesn't put too much time or effort into it. I only got an understanding of how Alec and Harlow looked after the halfway point, and even then all I know is that Harlow is slime with red hair and Alec is Edward (Twilight) and Damon's (The Vampire Diaries) love child. Even the setting; I know it mainly takes place in a castle on an island, and I know how certain parts of it look, however, a proper image was not provided. This and a little dragging is the reason I concluded on four stars.

I highly recommend this book to those shifting from YA to adult. It is simple yet well written, the character and their relationship with one another are adorable, the plot is interesting and wonderfully steamy. It comes out May 20th!

Full review is also on Goodreads (linked) as well as TikTok (linked). Both are posted today, May 10th.

Unfortunately this book's cover is the only thing going for it. Even within the erotic fantasy romance genre, it's not great.

The characters are stereotypical and exaggerated. Alec manages drug cartels, motorcycle clubs and mafia families because that's what bad guys do. Harlow has serious Stockholm Syndrome and seems to forgive him almost immediately for everything he does. This includes non-consensual second base and selling her for sex (though he stops this at the last second so of course he didn't really mean it). Excluding Mary, the goddess' daughter, every other female in the story was either a sex toy or a hostage servant.

Plot and characters aside, the ARC I received had a large number of typos, incorrect words and even some factually incorrect information.

I really try to support authors in their work but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.