This book does a great job settling the stage for the rest of the series. Evaline is dealing with the expectations set on her by her extended family while grieving the life she lost with her father and the overall worst 24 hours of her life. She is so guarded from allowing people in that when Maddox enters her life and is willing to do anything for her she is extremely cautious, him being an immortal being who drinks blood to stay alive also plays a role in her hesitation as it should. Watching the two of them interact and having Evaline semi deal with her trauma while also making me want to yell and shake her every other chapter is entertaining and aggravating. We’re still left with so many questions about Evaline heritage and future alone and with Maddox that I will be impatiently waiting for book 2 and just hope my questions are answered.

This took me awhile to get into. I kept putting it down to read something else, probably because of the InstaLove on the MMC’s part worried me. But this is fact is a true slow burn. The spice is near the end of the book so I appreciated that. I felt like there was a lack of world building and history. There was a bit of repetition and had problems with pacing. I did find myself enjoying the story, just wished I felt more chemistry with the FMC & MMC. The most interesting thing about the FMC is that she kept barbed wire in her hair. Badass. But there was a lot left to be desired on personality. The narrators did a fantastic job.

This is an interesting paranormal romance. Evaline is the niece of the rulers of her land. They are forcing her to marry to obtain an alliance they want, not considering Evaline's aspirations. Maddox travels through their land and realizes that Evaline is his mate, whom he has searched for over the centuries. Maddox and Eva's paths cross, and they decide to work on helping Evaline escape, but will she accept that they are fated, and will she be able to escape? It's a suspenseful listen, and the narrators do a great job with this.

This is a tricky book to rate because you want to love it but it drags on and on and I think if the female Mc was different this book would be fantastic. This is a fated mated vampire and human book which is refreshing I love s fated mates and a vampire book. But this felt very whiny, I can fight anyone, I get what I want with a perfect vampire mate who is obsessed with her and just wonderful . Two complete different inner monologs and actions which makes me feel meh. I wanted her to be consistent in her actions, sayings and monologs but it was very whish washy. Narration was great on this and would listen to them again

Bound & Barbed, is the first book in The Fated Creations Trilogy, an enthralling debut, with a blend of fantasy and suspense that will keep you perched on the edge of your seat. Samantha R. Goode masterfully conjures a realm that puts a unique spin on vampires and fated mates with a slow-burn romance. It was nothing short of perfect. 

This starts off with our main character, Evaline, she's a pickpocket, and on this night she targets the wrong person–Maddox, a Kova, a benevolent vampire. With reflexes beyond human, Maddox proves a formidable adversary, and to her surprise, he senses her presence the moment she approaches. It turns out that Eva is the one Maddox has yearned for across the expanse of his existence. Instead of facing dire consequences for her theft, Eva discovers a side of Maddox that defies her expectations. Eva's world is turned upside down as her aunt and uncle's patience wears thin, subjecting her to the same grim expectations placed on all women in Kembertus; an arranged marriage.

Evaline won my heart from the very first chapter. A determined spirit, she encapsulates all that is empowering. Evaline is such a strong character, having braved countless trials. Her attributes include intelligence, resilience, compassion, wit, and an overall badass demeanor. She has a lot of past trauma, a factor that has rendered her cautious, guarded, and at times distant. She's erected barriers around her heart to survive, safeguarding it from the world. She views herself as undeserving of love, a perspective rooted in her self-perceived "coldness," her traumatic past, and the darkness within her. Observing this representation unfold is truly beautiful. I'm eager to witness her ongoing evolution into an even more empowered force. On a side note, unabashedly fierce women who stand their ground are a personal favorite of mine.

Maddox, a gentle and tender-hearted individual with a penchant for violence, is a literal cinnamon roll of murderous intent – yes, you read that right. He has effortlessly won my affection and must be safeguarded at all costs. Maddox embodies the epitome of a romantic soul. His affinity for reading romance novels authored by women, his propensity to blush, and his playful flirtations with his mate – all paint a portrait of a man smitten. Maddox's pining throughout most of the book was a delight to witness. His interactions with Evaline showcased patience and consideration, underscoring his devotion.

So many things happen in this book as setup for all the amazing chaos book two has to offer (which I've already read and oh my god it was SO good, review soon!).

I absolutely loved everything about book one; it was perfect in every way.

If you like:

↪strong fmc
↪fated mates
↪found family
↪ Adult fantasy romance
↪vampire romance
↪slow burn
↪spicy
↪dual pov

then you WILL LOVE THIS TRILOGY

Thank you, Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC<3

Bound & Barbed is about an orphaned girl living with her callous aunt and uncle, who has taken her father's place as ruler.

Evaline is one of the few to be aware of two variants of vampires (that aren't called vampires), one evil, one not evil. One of them identifies her as his mate (instalove) and hovers around waiting for her to recognize the bond (very similar to the bond in another well-known series.) I predict Evaline turns out to be a Mary Sue, but that will be revealed in the next installment.

While the story is fast-paced, there could be a bit more character development.

I prefer the female narrator to the male.

I love the book so much! Five sentences in and I was completely invested! And the narrators are simple superb! 5 stars!

3.75

This is great if you enjoy storytelling done from the two POV, fated mates, and descriptive writing. It has short chapters and a little spice. The world building was easy to understand and still left me curious. The plot was smooth and felt like a natural progression throughout the book. The cliffhanger left enough mystery to keep my hanging on for book two.

DNF at 41%. This felt unoriginal and I could not connect to any of the characters. The only reason I listened this far was because the narrators were great! Pleasant voices to hear, but not the words I enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and author Samantha R Goode for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

New author for me. Was pleasantly surprised with how much I truly enjoyed this! Would recommend for anyone who is looking to dive into a good romance

I know a lot of readers new to the genre will really enjoy this book. I can say I recommend the audiobook which probably kept me going when I otherwise might have stopped reading.

For fans of Blood and Ash and ACOTAR.

Ultimately, this book ended up reading like a Wattpad fanfiction of ACOTAR, Blood and Ash, and a variety of other similar romantasies.

Let's start with the good.

That revenge sequence? Beautiful. Gave me a sick kind of satisfaction and I actively had to stop myself from getting a demented smirk on my face. I think that I could read that part over and over and still be impressed at the way it was written. The spice? A long build up but very much worth it.

There are also some pretty traumatic scenes that truly got my heart pounding. The emotions that Goode was able to evoke during those scenes were very powerful. The way it was narrated really launched you into Evaline's head.

Goode has some amazing potential and it'll be interesting to see how her writing evolves over the years.

Now the not so good...

Unfortunately world-building was nearly non-existent. We stay in one city for the entirety of the story. Or maybe it's a kingdom? Even that distinction was unclear. All we know about the city/kingdom that we spend the entire story in is that it's more feminist than any other kingdom. Otherwise we know nothing.

The magic system is poorly developed as well. From Evaline's perspective it makes a lot of sense since humans are generally kept from the secrets of this world's magic. However, Maddox, a vampire, also doesn't tell us anything about the system expect for little bits and pieces when it's convenient to the plot. We aren't even fully aware of what it means to be Kova and he is one and frequently talks about it but doesn't manage to say anything of substance about it. It also seems that there's a whole pantheon of gods in this culture but we know nothing about them, not even their names.

There was a lot of info-dumping, sometimes whole chapters were dedicated to it. For example, the first time we're introduced to Maddox, he spent an entire chapter telling us about the difference between Vasi and Kova. We didn't even get to know him before he word-vomits about his species. I usually don't mind info-dumping, I like to be told about how things work outright, but this was a bit much even for me. Unfortunately all it really did was just stagnated the story.

Apart from the world-building info-dumps, we're treated to repetitive narration. Evaline keeps rehashing an, albeit extremely traumatic, event from her past. She kept reciting the sequence of events and how she felt during these events ad nauseum... though I do understand that's how PTSD works, it quickly became obvious that these repetitive scenes were filler to increase word count.

I didn't find the characters to be very compelling or original for that matter. We've got a tall and dark MMC who's secretly a big softie and a small FMC that's fiesty and secretly an expert fighter even though it's not in-line with her culture's customs. MMC comes in and is appaled at how FMC's society treats her and vows to rescue her from her life. Oh, and also they're fated mates. Didn't see that one coming...

Maddox... he's... mid. He's an average NA fantasy love-interest, think Rhysand and Casteel and every other carbon-copy of them, appearance and personality-wise. I know it's been shown time and time again that that's what sells, but the lack of creativity is killing me. I end up not caring what happens to characters like that because they're indistinguishable from in the same genre and I know that if I just pick up another book, they'll be alive and well. Also, his entire inner monologue seems to be dedicated to thinking about Evaline and how much he loves her and blah blah blah. We don't even really get to know him as a person. Oh, and he's that fake-feminist type that says he cares about women but then agonizes over not being able to sleep with Evaline while she's drunk. Oh also he only reads romance books and only those written by women because they're "more wholesome" (we clearly haven't been reading the same authors). Anyway, it seems like Goode was trying a little bit too hard to make him seem progressive and it ended up falling flat.

Evaline had the potential to be interesting but unfortunately also fell short. I was excited about her potential when hearing about how she braided barbed-wire into her hair to protect herself from predators, but unfortunately that's as unique as she got. I mean we're told (note told, not shown) that her father trained her how to fight and that because of that she's a great fighter, but we spend a good chunk of the book watching Maddox train her in things she's supposed to already know. Overall I found her kind of bland and uninspired.

These two have absolutely zero chemistry. Again, we're told that they're attracted to each other but no effort is put into showing us that this is true. Their relationship ended up feeling stiff and superficial. Goode puts a lot of emphasis on their mating bond, which by the way is identical to the mating bond in ACOTAR, but doesn't venture beyond that.

The side characters are all very one-dimensional. Every once and awhile they'll being present for an impactful scene or make a fun quip, but in general they're just background noise.

It took a long time to build up to the climax of the story. There was lots of talk about what was going to happen but not a lot of doing. At 50% in there had barely been any action.

Ultimately, I kept forgetting that I was listening to this book... probably not a good sign. It just wasn't really for me. It's probably more suited to first-time NA fantasy readers.

Final rating: 2.5 🌟

P.S. if you're listening to this just be aware that sometimes the female narrator starts whispering and if you don't jack your volume up you'll miss everything she just said.

Tropes: he falls first, sexy vampires, fated mates, who did this to you

TW: SA

not usually my type of book but i enjoyed this, the narrator did a wonderful job as well and added to the atmosphere of the story. im a sucker for slow burn romances and this did it wonderfully!

I really enjoyed Bound & Barbed, I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great. This is a slow burn fantasy romance and it does end on a cliffhanger so I can't wait to dive into the next book. If you like fated mates definitely read this!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. this was fantastic, just what i have come to expect from this author and look forward to carrying in my book store.

Are you a fan of the 'touch her and die' trope? Because I am and this book gave me everything I wanted and more. I cannot wait to continue this series! This book has a badass main character who has to fight to survive when her dad gets attacked and brutally murdered in front of her. She quickly finds herself with her aunt and uncle who want to silence her and get her out of their hair as quickly as possible.

This book has fated mates, touch her and die, and all the fantasy tropes we all know and love. There are twists and turns that keep you on your toes. I was surprised at the fact that I could not put this book down. You never know what you are going to get when you pick up a fantasy book (whether the magic system will make sense, whether the world building will be too boring, etc.) but this book kept me wanting to find out what happens next. And that ending?! How will I survive until I find out what happens next?

Overall I would recommend this book to any romantasy lover. If you love a clear magic system with a fast paced romance with a bit of fantasy then you will love this story. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

"I'd live nearly two centuries. I've seen wars and famine. Droughts and long winters. I've been tortured and wounded. And each of those experiences instilled a patience within me. But it dissipated when I looked at her and he control I had vanished."

"I was so fucking thankful for her, thankful for the goddess of fate for sending her to me, thankful for Eveline for finally seeing and understanding all that I wanted for her. That I loved her."

Evaline and Maddox were such an amazing couple. They went through so many ups and downs throughout the book. We got to see how the relationship grew into a bond. The friendships that were made were perfect and it really seemed like it was heading towards a found family with upcoming books. The book itself is a journey and I really enjoyed this authors writing style. It had a wonderful plot and just the right amount of spice. Evaline overcomes many obstacles and sweet cinnamon roll Maddox was right there to help her out. I'm so excited for the next in the series.

I've personally read the book myself and listened to the audiobook. The narrators were perfect for the rolls and it made the story enjoyable and real.

• Dual POV
• Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine
• Fated Mates
• Slow Burn
• Who Did This To You
• Vampires
• Masquerade Ball

Bound & Barbed is a fun vampires-by-a-different-name fantasy romance. It’s somewhat of a slow burn, but also somewhat insta love, which is a super interesting dynamic to follow. I wasn’t hooked right off the bat, but by the end, I was attached and felt all the feels!

Our two main characters are Evaline, niece of the king and queen and trapped in the kingdom, and Maddox, a blood-drinking Kova just passing through town. Maddox is peak book-boyfriend. A little overprotective, but I’ll forgive him that since he’s so swoon-worthy. Apparently I’m a sucker for a good fated mates trope because this one just went straight to my heart.

And then there was the ENDING. I definitely need to get my hands on the next book, Made & Marred, which comes out in October to get some resolution to the cliffhanger of an ending that wraps up this book. As the first in the trilogy, Bound & Barbed was a lot of setup, so I’m looking forward to learning even more about the world and Evaline as the series goes on.

I definitely recommend checking out Bound & Barbed - the audiobook was also really good. It has dual narration and I really enjoyed Maddox’s narrator in particular!

I really enjoyed this book. It's not the fastest read but it does keep your attention. The world building was decent. The leads were both incredibly annoying, by never having actual conversations. I hate the fated mates but can't talk about basic concerns trope. I will be back for the next book in the series.

I LOVED this book. I want to hand it to everyone who loves fantasy romance .

You have gates mates, rich world building , a female MC who rises above oppression .

I got big ACOTAR vibes from this but the story holds its own with a plot that is as interesting as the slow burn romance .

I really hope NetGalley offers book two, and I’ll be buying this for sure for my collection