Bound to You (The Demon Knights Series, #1) by Alyson Caraway
Publication Date : August 7th 2020
Publisher : Vulpine Press
Genre : Paranormal Romance
Pages : 242

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

She’s a power-hungry battle angel

Coriel is determined to rid the world of demons and prove she has what it takes to be archangel. But when a fierce battle ends in tragedy on her orders, she is banished from the Heavens–and finds herself at the mercy of Hell’s sexiest and most powerful demon knight.

He’s the demon knight who wants her

Rather than take his rightful place on Hell’s throne, Zagan prefers to spend his days in the human realm corrupting souls–and he’ll end the life of any angel who tries to stop him. But rather than slay the beautiful battle angel when he has the chance, he binds her to him with his life-saving kiss, forcing her to obey his every command.

The line is drawn

Coriel has no choice but to submit to her captor, though the curse of his kiss is not what lures her to him. While Zagan takes great pleasure in exerting his dominance over the Heavens’ fiercest warrior, he soon wants her to do more than just his bidding. As the war between angels and demons rages, he wants her by his side … to rule Hell as his queen.

*** Note: I received e-ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Vulpine Press. ***

Bound to You was action packed paranormal fantasy that revolved around fallen angel and how her life changed after she was bound to the most powerful and to-be-king Knight Demon.  It was about manipulation, betrayal, guilt, regrets, and love.

Writing was easy to follow and fast paced that took me right into the fascinating world of angels and demons. It was written in third person narrative from alternative Zagan and Coryn’s perspective that worked well here and made it easy to understand characters.

Plot was interesting. First few chapters introduced the world, how hierarchy worked in hell and specially heaven, how angels descend to fight demons on human realm and their souls and injuries are cleansed with help of God, and both main characters and their dream. There was lot of action and killing and sex. All characters were interesting.

Coriel was Coryn’s God given name. She was smart, clever, ambitious breath-taking beauty. She dreamed to be Archangel and one day High Archangel taking place of Michael whom she admired. But nobody took her seriously, refuting her wish to drop her name in nominations saying she is too young to be archangel. She was impulsive, stubborn, a bit naïve, and had trouble in following orders that resulted in loss of battle with demons. But when she was sent on earth again to get her revenge from Demon Knight Zagan things turned bad to worst for her. She lost the battle and Zagan saved her from death by giving her his antidote that bound her to him eternally. Heaven abandoned her. She had to stay with Zagan who gave her new name Coryn. The more she thought about what heaven did to her and how different Zagan was, her perspective changed. Coryn’s emotional conflict was realistic. I liked her development that took time but at the end I liked her for taking the right side and doing right thing.

Zagan was interesting. He was strong, ruthless demon but also different from other demons. He was demon prince and general of King’s army and yet he didn’t care about throne and never carried out his duty of training army, he was more interested in spreading evil among humans. When he met Coryn we see a whole different side of him- caring, sensitive and loving. He admired her strength and stubbornness, the more he knew her the more he fell in love. He found companion with whom he could rule and wanted to make her his queen. I liked him more than Coryn. He was clear with his feelings and what he wanted and he was less drama. I liked how even after sting of betrayal he saw through things and decided to trust his love.

Romance was steamy and passionate. I liked enemy-to lover-trope here but I have to say the spark and lust was instant. In fact, they realised they loved each other a bit early but had internal conflicts. Their love was tested, they both had doubts initially but at end heart won over mind and trust issues.

World was fascinating, I liked reading rules of heaven and hell and seeing it from characters’ perspective. I enjoyed reading powers of other Knights. I did recall Lucifer’s dialogue while I was reading this, “Hell is hell and heaven is… hell.” something like that which was true here. I was surprised how both worlds behaved contradictorily. I wasn’t expecting goodness from demons and manipulations from angels and gods.

The twist and turns were good. There were few red herrings as well. I couldn’t guess who plotted for Cory’s fall and why. I have a little bit idea who didn’t want Zagan to be king and take his rightful throne but couldn’t think of name as that person was mysterious until climax.

Climax was surprising and tense. I was shocked when truth of whole scheme and manipulation came out. I wasn’t sure what Zagan and Coryn would do with this truth and situation. End battle was bit confusing and a whole mess. I couldn’t understand what happened and what Alex was thinking or whose side he was on, maybe that will be in next books of the series. Battle and the story ended like I expected.

Why 4 stars-

Like I said the last battle left me with some question, I couldn’t figure out what they said to Alex and what he was thinking. I wanted to know more about the world.

Overall,

Bound To You was fascinating, action packed, quick paranormal romance with enemy to lover trope, interesting characters, and mystery. It was enjoyable first book in series and I wish to see what will come in next books.

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Guest Post

Why Write Angel & Demon Romance?

Them: “That’s so cool that you’re an author! What do you write?”

Me: “Paranormal romance! Right now I’m writing a series about demons finding love. The first book is a story between a demon hero and angel heroine.”

This is typically met by one of the following two reactions:

Reaction 1: “That’s so cool, I LOVE books like that!”

Reaction 2, often accompanied by a judgmental look or a raised eyebrow: “Romance … with demons?”

It’s the second reaction I anticipate most. Is this person religious, and do they think I’ve written an attack on their beliefs? Do they think I worship the devil?

They’d be relieved to know that neither of these things are true. I was raised Roman Catholic, I taught religion classes when I was in high school, I got married in a church, and my children are baptized. I’m also a huge nerd and gamer, and have been drawn to angelic or winged characters in anime or video games all my life. I’ve been writing stories since middle school, first with fanfiction and “original” stories that were thinly veiled fanfics with my own names and outrageous teenage angst. Every story I’ve ever written has been a love story with magic or fantastical elements, so when I finally started writing true original fiction six years ago, it was only natural to write paranormal romance. And what better to make my main character than a winged being that I’ve always loved so much? Enter Coriel, the heroine in Bound to You. (That’s right: a series that started as a story about an angel became a series that would center around her enemies, demons.)

I’m also a sucker for a good villain and enemies-to-lovers story, so it was never a question in my mind who Coriel’s hero would be: Zagan, a powerful demon who would challenge her views and be challenged by her strength. I pantsed my way through the story (meaning I didn’t outline it, and discovered the story as I wrote it), which quickly molded into a Beauty & the Beast retelling.

Now, if those Reaction 2 skeptics based their opinions on my Google history, I would agree that I come across as a devil worshipper: “names of demons,” “demonic symbols,” and “anatomy of a pentagram” are just some of the many Hell-related queries I’ve entered. I also have a well-worn copy of A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits on my bookshelf. But even though I pull from real-world mythologies and religions, the world Coriel and Zagan inhabit is entirely of my own creation. Their gods may have names you recognize, like Wodan or Ouranos, or you may recognize Zagan as a name taken from demonology and The Lesser Key of Solomon, but the traits and behaviors of these characters are unique to my series and my world.

I knew when I first started writing these books that, not only was I going to be judged by some for writing romance, but that that judgement could be compounded because I was writing about demons—and I understand why that would be a red flag for some people. That’s why I was thrilled when my first advanced review came in. It started, “Reading the first couple of pages, I wasn’t sure I’d really get into this book. It posed a new and uncomfortable (to me) perspective on angels and demons.” I braced myself for the rest, and was overjoyed by the next sentence: “As I kept reading, I quickly decided that not only could I get into this story, I was enthralled.” The more I read, the more it showed me that the story could still be entertaining to those hesitant to read it only because of the classification of the two main characters. Even by the end of the book, that reader’s beliefs weren’t attacked, and they were able to enjoy the characters’ journeys instead.

So, what’s my answer when I get Reaction 2 and a surprised look? “Yes, it’s about demons in a fantasy world. It’s pretty hot and you should check it out sometime!” and follow that up with a wink. Write what you love, read what you love, and don’t let anyone’s reaction stop you from creating or enjoying it all.

About Author:

Alyson Caraway is a debut author of paranormal romance. When she’s not writing, you can find her indulging in retail therapy, playing video games, studying Japanese, or stuffing her face with something deliciously bad for her health. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and maltipoo. Find her on social media @alycaraway and alycaraway.com

Book Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Vulpine Press

Affiliate Link : Book Depository

I hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know what do you think about the book, if you have read this already or any books by the same author. Which is your favourite book about Angels and Demons?

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