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

This was fantastic love the world building and the love, the found family. It just made my heart sing. Love the way you built your vampires. It’s a really new way to look at them even if this is in. Fantasy world!

The opening installment of The Fated Creations Trilogy offers a fresh perspective on the conventional vampire narrative. I found myself enamored by the mystical romance and the uncharted realm that unfolded. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, characters, and the tender love story – a theme I'm particularly drawn to – I did experience moments of confusion due to the limited worldbuilding. Perhaps these gaps will be filled in forthcoming volumes. While I do wish the narrative were slightly more concise, my overall enthusiasm remains intact. The series starts strong, showcasing a resolute female protagonist and a male lead. Anticipation builds for what lies ahead, especially given the tantalizing cliff-hanger that awaits resolution.

I really enjoyed listening to this book, and the female voice artist (in particular) was so emotional in her readings. Like at the beginning she was pretty much sobbing along as she read the story. Although, I absolutely hated her voice for “Basil” so I’m glad he didn’t have a lot of dialogue 😂

There was plenty of angsty longing, especially from the MMC. Evaline was strong willed and a fighter, which I liked, even if she did sometimes seem to be wilfully oblivious to some things. There wasn’t much “vampire” content in this book but I’m guessing we are building to a bit more in the next one.

The problem with reading book one when it’s only just been released is having to wait so long for the next one! This book did finish on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’ll be keeping my eye out for book two. You should get on it too!

CN for assault and attempted SA

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher #DreamscapeMedia. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Format: Audio
POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
Age suggestion:

Audiobook was great! High 4⭐️. I loved the narrators and I’m hoping they’re going to do book 2 also. I highly recommend listening to this.
I thought it dragged a little in the beginning but it did pick up. The story was interesting and I enjoyed the h and H and their chemistry. I can’t wait to see where this relationship goes. And what about her mother?? Who is she? Anybody?
I can’t wait for book 2! I don’t want to compare this to anything thing because I liked it just for what it is. Comparison aren’t good for anyone in my opinion. The writing held my interest and I’m hooked and ready for book 2.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.

This book felt bland, repetitive, and unoriginal to me. It harped on the fated mates trope so much, which I love don't get me wrong, but this just didn't do it for me.

The male narrator has an amazing voice but reads so incredibly slowly, it had to put it on warp speed, then slow it down when it switched narrators.

If you liked ACOTAR and ADOW, you'll love Bound and Barbed!

Fated mates, a mortal and a Kova (think vampire), find each other and slowly fall for each other. It has love, loss, combat, family rivalry, royalty and non humans. What more could you want?

Evaline and Maddox are fated to be together, but Evaline is trapped in an arranged marriage to someone who could only be described as her worst enemy. What will they do and how will they find a way to each other?

Evaline asks for Maddox's help and he is more than willing to do anything for her, even give up his life for her. She doesn't understand why though and has trust issues from her past trauma. You see, Maddox realizes the bond between them, but Evaline doesn't know yet.

By the end I was screaming "tell her, just fucking tell her!" I wanted them to be together so badly.

That ending. Can I just say, oh my god, I need more and I need it now!!

Thank you for the audio ARC!

I absolutely loved this story. The plot and characters were developed very well. I thought that the romance between Maddox and Evaline was so cute and organic even with Maddox being instantly in love with her. The audio recording was very well done. I'm very excited for book two in the series!

I absolutely loved this book! I love multiple narrators, I didn’t have any expectations going into then book but it truly was wonderful to read. I’m excited for the second book. I’ve been on a big fantasy kick lately and this book really surprised me with how much I loved it!

Read this book if you want a vampiric fantasy-adjacent romance. It's giving slow-burn. It's giving arranged marriage. It's giving killing A LOT of people and preconceived notions of women's place in society.

If that sounds like a good time, you might love this book. In places, the writing isn't great, but the overall story was engaging, and if you just love burning through romances, pop this one on your list. (yes it's on Kindle Unlimited). I'll probably go after the rest of this series as it is released.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing a free copy of this audiobook.

1000 stars I love this.
It gives me feyre and Rhys vibes because (and I'm not ruining anything saying it) but he knows she's his mate and is just going to let her know him instead of whisking her way, and you get to heard what he's thinking and how much he just adores her and uh my heart lol then you see her parts and she just wants to punch him in the face and it's just everything I want...... NOW GIVE ME THE NEXT ONE!!

I read the print version and was very much looking forward to the audiobook. Evaline is someone who lost her sense of self through a series of a few tragic events. She slowly finds her confidence again while forging a friendship with two men from another kingdom. There is obvious magnetism between Evaline and Maddox.

This book differs from others in a similar category because the love story slowly builds. Each characters thoughts and insecurities are shared with the reader. It's quite innocent reminding me of a first true love. Slow burn this one is, nothing fast and dirty. Like the relationship building, baby steps are taken, water is tested, there is a lot of respect for one another.

It is a fresh take and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Bound & Barbed is a great guilty pleasure read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The romance is inevitable but a satisfying slow burn. The audiobook narrators do an amazing job of voicing the characters.

A Slow Burn, Fated Mates story worthy of reading more than once.....I throughout enjoy this book and the narrations. A strong fiesty heroine and the man who loves her. I loved that Maddox is the type of male we get to like from the beginning and he helps his mate through her trouble and does not try to take over. It does end on a cliff hanger and there are a few times I wanted to scream at the characters. It is a slow burn but worth it!

Loved the characters and the slow burn romance. Wish they had more time together and don’t like that she took off at the end of the book after they finally declared their love for each other. Will definitely be waiting for book number 2. Would recommend for anyone that is a fan of From blood and ash.

It took a while to get into this one and I think I enjoyed Maddox's perspective more than Evaline's. But Goode has started a series that I ended up really liking. I do love a slow burn romance with just a touch of doom and Bound and Barbed gave me that. I would have liked more world-building around the immortal and magical beings within this story and can only hope that in the other books more will be done in terms of developing them. But overall a very good read.

Bound and Barbed is a fantasy novel by Samantha R. Goode. It's about Evaline, a badass mortal who survived a very traumatic night through sheer willpower and fighting skills, and Maddox, a Kova that can get away from her on they meet.

I absolutely devoured this book!! It has many great aspects that aren't present normally in fantasy or romance. A strong, morally grey heroine in her 20s. A manly male lead, manly in a nontoxic way, a man that is not afraid to tap into softer subjects, like reading romance novels (only the ones written by women). We can also see a father who, despite losing the love of his life during childbirth, never put that grief onto the child; a father that trained said child to live a life where they could protect themselves.

There is also a good amount of nuanced talk around feminism, which is always welcome when it's addressed head-on, and not just allowed to let it rule the story arbitrarily. Some kingdoms are more inclined to equality than others. Kingdoms that allow same-sex marriage and women to yield swords. This gives a depth to the world that some other stories may lack.

This book is easily a 5 stars read, the only thing I did not enjoy is the cliffhanger at the end and the need to wait until the next book to see what happens with Evaline and Maddox.

A cliffhanger?! Gah!

I really enjoyed Bound & Barbed and am very much looking forward to the next one this fall! Multiple POV audio with relatively well established characters.

We dabbled a little in the miscommunication trope, however, it was very limited so I let it go. Overall I liked the concept and story!

The narrators did a phenomenal job! I drive a lot for work. I loved listening to this book! I love when we get a male and a female for pov switch. They both were able to change their voice very well for each character.

The story was great! It did get a bit repetitive at times, but I adore the characters! The multiple POV was chefs kiss! I would have enjoyed a little more from our FMC on the romance side, but her strength was phenomenal! I’m curious to read the next book!

Thank so much to the author, Netgalley and Dreamscape for this arc!

Wow I loved this book so much! It was super interesting and enjoyable!

I’ve been looking for a good vampire romance for a while and boy did this book deliver!

The audio narrators in this book were superb! The way the their voices changed to express emotions like hurt or anger felt so real! Their narrations felt so raw. I loved listening to them so much!

This book was also very descriptive which I personally enjoyed. The author really pulls you into the book with the descriptive writing and the interesting scenes. The action scenes in this book were written really well, it really kept my attention. The book itself was also pretty fast paced and the storyline was so interesting so I flew through this book!

The characters in this book were some of my favourites I’ve ever read about. Evaline was such a strong and fierce fmc which I loved seeing! She was also snarky which I liked. Her banter with both Maddox and Wyott was literally the funniest and most entertaining ever! The chemistry and tension between Evaline and Maddox was also just the best!!

This book was literally so addicting, especially the last half of the book! So if you haven’t read it yet this is your sign to read it!

Also I need book 2 like right now!!!