Alec and Harlow are all that i neeeeeed! I love a steamy vampire romance, and especially one where the two lovers are natural enemies! I loved the tension and the high stakes.!

A family of witches with the last name Sinclair created the very first vampire to help curtail the fighting at the time but it backfired. In the year 1521, a vampire named Clara killed a Sinclair witch and was killed in turn. Alec, the vampire lover of Clara was so heartbroken that he killed the entire Sinclair coven of the time but not before a curse was placed on the blood of the Sinclair line that would turn out to be the cure for vampirism. This story has action, romance, steam, and ends in a cliffhanger. Highly recommended.

This paranormal romance is the first book in the Witches Bind trilogy,

Alec is a long living and very powerful vampire, who through an unfortunate series of events, has been hunting down and extinguishing the Sinclair line of witches.

Harlow is a seemingly ordinary girl, with the blood for a vampire cure, who has been prepared for a vampire attack for as long as she can remember, and yet is no match for Alec.

This story was good, an interesting take on witches, and a brief look at their history as well. Very dark and sexy, but a lot of triggering topics as well like rape and violence.

This was a fabulous dark and sexy enemies to lovers romance bewteen a vampire and a witch.

For centuries our vampire hero Alec has sworn to bring down the entire Sinclair witch clan. When he meets a Sinclair witch Harlow, he's not happy about his attraction and fights it with everything he has. There was amazing chemistry with a HATE- TO- LOVE you vibe that brought on all the sexual tension!

Alec is the dangerous but sexy anti-hero you can't help but be drawn to. He is not the good guy but of course I ended up loving him! In the first half of this book he is extremely cruel to Harlow but in his defense he felt that it was necessary to bring retribution to someone he loved dearly. He does eventually redeem himself although I thought Harlow was a bit too forgiving at times.

I absolutely enjoyed this world of magic, witches and vampires. I loved the intricate details of their history and how their bloodlines intersected. The fated mates trope in this book was also a favorite with great steam and a beautiful romance.

4 Stars
Paranormal Romance
Heat Level: Moderate
HEA: Yes

Cure Bound by M.L. Philpitt is a paranormal romance, first book in the Witches Bind trilogy, this book being between witches and vampires.

Alec is a long living and very powerful vampire, who through an unfortunate series of events, has been hunting down and extinguishing the Sinclair line of witches.
Harlow is a seemingly ordinary girl, who has been prepared for a vampire attack for as long as she can remember, and yet is no match for Alec.

This story was good, a neat take on witches, and a brief look at their history as well.
There's drama, hate, steam and a little good old fashion violence.

"Forever came sooner than either of us thought. But fate has given me a new forever.

Content warnings: kidnapping and abduction, sexual assault, Stockholm Syndrome

Cure Bound had that promising potential to appeal to my love for dark, sultry romance novels, and even the addition of a forbidden love between vampires and witches into the story - my weakness. But aside from that context and the alluring cover, it just really fell short for me, and I was totally underwhelmed.

The plot itself was pretty straightforward and expected. While it did try to go in the direction of a much more sinister and darker tone, which it did at the beginning, it just started to get confusing as it reaches the ending. Nothing about the story progression really got me excited and looked forward to, and the twists in the story wasn't really shocking.

The world-building and laying out of the creatures involved in this book was too vague and didn't really provide any clear explanations or further details. While I pretty much admired how the history of the witches and vampires developed in this book, there wasn't really anything else to go on with. Both witches and vampires' descriptions were pretty bland and stereotypical, and I just really wanted something a little bit more. There was also one character that absolutely made no sense for me to be in the story. I know she's an important figure in it, but it just felt to me that she was an unnecessary addition to the tale, and I could have done much better without.

Harlow and Alec were promising characters in the beginning - especially if taken by themselves - but they just also fell too flat, predictable, and highly threadbare. My brain also hurt a tiny bit at how hot and cold their relationship was, and it felt so superficial. A lot of things could have gone right between them if they just learned how to communicate. I didn't really got immersed in their relationship, especially with just how toxic it was from the very start. Stockholm Syndrome at its finest, but at a more superficial level. I don't really mind content warnings about relationships in books, but I do draw the line at rape (or even the possibility of rape).

Over-all, this book was just not for me. There were a few redeeming parts, but mostly it gave me a lot of downsides. I do hope others would like this book more than I did

This pulled me in. A last blood line of the Sinclair Witches, kidnapped by a revengeful vampire. The two are bound more than just enemies.
The push and pull, attraction between Alec and Harlow are unavoidable.
Harlow accepts her fate pretty quickly but she’s also smart on how she reacts with certain situations.
I didn’t want to like Alec but it was irresistible.
He grew on me, even with the things he did.

The relationship between these two were different and quick but that due to their bond.
Even with this story showing as a beginning of a trilogy, it is a great stand alone without a cliffhanger.
Recommend the the vampire loving PNR reader!

Harlow is a witch descended from the Sinclair coven, with no magic of her own. Her blood is the cure for vampires, turning them back to humans. Alec is a powerful vampire who wiped out almost the entire Sinclair coven. Harlow is the only one left. He's driven by centuries of hate and a long-ago vow but strikes up a deal. Kidnap Harlow, sell her blood for a few years, and then he can finally kill her. But fate seems to have other plans for the witch and the vampire.

This was a steamy, dark paranormal romance. I'm all for vampires and witches. I liked the integration of them in the modern world. Harlow is a fierce and determined MC and I liked her a lot. I also really liked Alec. He starts off as a total jerk but grows on you quickly. I liked the way they developed a friendship first. Even though he's her captor, it didn't feel too icky. There are some potentially triggering scenes though, so be aware. I also think this was an interesting take on the fated mates trope. Overall, I enjoyed this one. It was steamier than I expected and definitely kept me hooked.

Cure Bound is M.L. Philpitt’s debut novel and the first book in The Witches’ Bind Trilogy. Alec has vowed revenge on the Sinclair witches after one of them killed his wife/girlfriend in the sixteenth century. Since that time he has hunted down all Sinclair witches and this coven has basically ceased to exist. Through his sources, Alec comes to know of a remaining Sinclair witch by the name of Harlow. On a quest to complete his vengeance Alec kidnaps Harlow. Although Harlow is a witch, after years of reproducing with humans the only thing that makes her special is the fact that her Sinclair blood is the cure for vampirism.

This book gave me Vampire Diaries vibes. Alec was much like Damon. The typical mysterious, cold, vengeful, and brooding vampire. Harlow was like Elena and is portrayed as a strong and confident witch/human. Vampire and Witches are enemies and there were so many factors that came into play when establishing the initial “enemies” relationship between Alec and Harlow. Although these two are supposed to be enemies there was something that kept drawing them together eventually resulting in love.

I loved the PNR aspect of this book and incorporating both Vampires and Witches. M.L. Philpitt did a great job of setting up the conflict and creating interesting characters. This was an addicting, well-written book with lots of twists, tension, and action-packed events. As with many books, there were flawed characters, and I wasn’t a fan of some aspects of these characters, but that didn’t take away too much from the overall vibes of the book.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ARC Review

My first paranormal romance book and I loved it.

Alec plans a revenge on witches after one of them killed his beloved. He kidnaps Harlow who has had a normal, human life but knowing she is a witch but unaware exactly of her powers. And the moment Alec takes Harlow, he starts to feel something towards her but he doesn’t know what it is. And from that moment on starts their journey.

I loved the book so much. Harlow was a great character, strong and confident woman who didn’t give up. Alec was a typical cold vampire but throughout the storyline he has showed he’s much more. I loved Harlow and Alec’s story, it had angst and enemies to lovers storyline which are my favourite.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

OMG I don't typically read supernatural, vampire stories, but this book was absolutely amazing! I loved Harlow's smart, independent character. She is slightly damaged already from having to always live in fear of vampires coming for her. But the psychological torture she has to endure during the book is enough to break even the strongest of women, but not Harlow, she comes out even stronger than before. You want to hate Alec for everything he puts Harlow through in the beginning but his broken soul keeps you from truly despising him. This book touches on some sensitive topics but I think the author does a great job at pushing the line without going too far so that we can understand the pain and struggle the characters must go through to find themselves and each other in the end. I would highly recommend this book!

This review will appear under the name of Cranky-TBC Blog on 5/29 on amazon and goodreads

This was a very entertaining story to read. It starts in 1521 and progresses to modern day. It is war between Witches and Vampires but mainly, between Sinclair witches and the vampires Alec and Marco. The story is well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat. You will love the main characters, Alec the vampire and Harlow the last of the Sinclair bloodline. Harlow is the Cure. As we learn in the first few pages, the vampires are cursed if they bite the last Sinclair. The purpose of the curse is to wipe out the vampires. Alec was in love with Cora, Marco's sister. When a Sinclair witch killed her for killing Elizabeth Sinclair in 1521, she cast the curse that would wipe them all out. Harlow, the last known Sinclair, has remained hidden but now they have found her. I can't say more without major spoilers. You will hate and then love Alec. Most of the time I couldn't put the book down. It is a tear jerker at times so have those tissues handy. This is a great new take on vampires and witches. And the title says it's a trilogy so I can't wait for more from these characters. Caution, certain parts could be triggers for rape sensitivities.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author (because it is her debut) and I will be checking out more of her work. Her characters were well developed in the storyline intriguing and drama-filled. Alec is a powerful vampire that has been tasked with hunting down and extinguishing the Sinclair line of witches. A Sinclair which took everything from Alec and he is seeking revenge. Harlow, a seemingly ordinary human, when in fact she is a Sinclair witch and has blood that cures vampirism. Alec fights the attraction he feels towards Harlow because hello- sworn enemies. Will Alec let his walls down enough to let Harlow in?

This is the first book of a three part series. The story gives a brief history of the past bringing us into the present. Alex, a vampire has vowed to eliminate every witch in the Sinclair clan in his revenge for the death of his mate. Alec's first victim puts a curse on her bloodline, a cure for vampirism, as she lays dying. Harlow knows that she has a special gift and knows it's only a matter of time before she will have to confront the vampire looking for her. That day comes much sooner than expected and Alec kidnaps her and takes her to his castle where is plans to profit from selling her blood before he kills her. Harlow decides she will do whatever it takes to survive until she can escape. Neither of them are prepared for the strong attraction they have for each other and it plays with both their emotions. Where will this end in death or something else. I'm giving this book a 3.5 stars.

A different type of paranormal romance. Harlow, a human/witch is abducted by a vengeful vampire named Alec. The story never dragged on and was very entertaining. It was dark at times, but was expected. There is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book.

Vampires vs witches but add in a strong dose of fate, a vampire who craves revenge on the bloodline that took everything from him, a witch who is being held captive by said vampire in order to sell her blood to other vampires because plot twist her blood is the cure for vampirism and what do you get? A twisted, intense and messed up paranormal romance that I was totally here for.

I love Alec and Harlow because I found them to be completely different from each other. Alec was intense, vindictive, heartless and had a craving for revenge. While I found Harlow to be a bit naïve, kindhearted and incredibly fierce (as the story progressed). I was definitely rooting for them even though their whole situation was extremely messed up.

I’m so excited to see whose story is next in Moon Bound.

Do I keep her? She isn't mine to keep.

TW for rape and trafficking.

I love when the worlds of vampires and witches collide. I love it even more when they are meant to hate each other but there is just this *something* that continues to draw them together. Alec's character grew on me throughout the book-to be honest, when I started reading it, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through because he was so frustrating. Harlow...she was a little bland for my taste. I really could never get a sense of what she wanted out of the arrangement. Safety, sure...but it was almost as if she wanted Alec to immediately give in to her.

The spice scenes were *chef's kiss* perfect and there was enough that I wanted more, but wasn't so much that it felt that it was the entire plot.

Cure Bound by M.L. Philpitt
"𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝒾𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈, 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓂𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓉𝓎, 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝓁𝑒𝓉𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼'𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇."
I couldn’t stop reading until I finished it ! The plot, characters, events everything were well written. I loved the approaches the writer took to describe and develop Alec and Harlow's love. Honestly I find it hard to give my review regarding this book without spoiling it. There are a lot of details that made major twists and added it's own magical touch. By the way , there are certain events added that might let you predict what will happen but you will still be surprised! Moreover, the whole story made my heart ache for Harlow. On the other hand, Alec is a mysterious character that you will find hard to understand but will eventually find out that he has a soft side deep inside him . Furthermore, the combination of suspenful ,romantic, heart breaking , and action packed events made the book more addictive. Finally, although I would have liked to recommend this story for everyone, but I can't for it includes triggering and violent scenes .
#CureBound #NetGalley

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Cure Bound intrigued me, as someone who loves vampires and a good paranormal romance, but ultimately fell flat.
It had the bones of a potentially interesting story, solid backstory and lore, witch and vampire enemy to lovers, a witch whose blood can cure vampirism, a vampire sworn to vengeance, but it fell victim to frankly cringe-worthy tropes you find in the worst fan-fiction. Namely, the whole kidnapping/slave/subservient thing going on.
The book should have a plethora of trigger warnings: kidnapping, sexual assault, attempted rape.
Even then, I was willing to look past that for an interesting relationship or steamy sex scenes, but neither was delivered. I was frankly surprised that the sex scenes after the CONSENSUAL relationship was established were glossed over and lacked feeling or steam. It left me wanting a lot more.
Still, I read this quite fast and was interested in the story, which is what saves it from an even lower review, but I cannot say this was a good book or would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

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

While I found this book a quick and easy read (other than the sexual assault stuff), it had so many issues. The premise of this book is what got me requesting the book as a vampire vs witch/enemies to lovers can be super fun to read but this was terrible! Alec, the vampire, has pretty much shut off his emotions after his lover died a long time ago because of Harlow's ancestors but he wants revenge on the Sinclairs which I get and it sort of started off strong with Alec wanting to destroy her but he feels a pull towards Harlow and while he is doing terrible stuff to her, he is going through a bunch of guilt...

He wants to sell her blood because it is a cure for vampirism which is a smart move and really if he just asked her, I feel like it could have been a great idea but instead, he kidnaps her, puts her in ridiculous clothing and ties her up for people to see and then he proceeds to grope her and rip the clothing. I'm getting very tired of the 'character says no but the body says yes' trope. She is forced naked for a 'client', she begs Alec for stuff not to happen and then he pretty much lets her get assaulted before he finally feels possessive enough to stop it. The toxicity is unreal and I hated it.

I get that dark romances are a thing in books but this was terrible. It was basically the abuser and person with Stockholm syndrome. This had so much potential and here I am wondering why I wasted my time reading it.

Rating: 1⭐
Would I Read It Again? No
Would I Recommend it? No