Soulbound
Author: Kristen Callihan
Publisher: Forever
Series:Darkest London #6
Pages: Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
Genre: PNR
Release Date: February 24th 2015
Summary:
Once two souls are joined...
When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled—and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone...
Their hearts will beat together forever...
No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted—by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken...
About the Author:
Q&A:
Tell us 5 random facts few people know about you.
I took flying lessons when I was 16, got accepted into Embry Riddle (a flying college) and planned to become an airline pilot. And then suddenly…I didn’t want to do that any more. I can’t even remember why. lol.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Me brain box. ;-) Heh. Actually, myths, legends, and fairytales are a good source of inspiration for Darkest London because the series includes a lot of beasties. SOULBOUND, for instance, draws heavily on Persephone and Hades, as well as from a few Irish myths/legends.
Which character in the series is your favorite and why?
I don’t do favorites, but I think Jack Talent was the easiest for me to write in that I always knew exactly what he was thinking and why. Perhaps because I got to watch him grow from a smarmy young valet to the man he was meant to be.
Who's your fictional crush?
Hermione Granger. I admire her so much, and she kicks ass. ;-) We need more heroines of this sort.
What can we expect next from you?
Up next is the final book in the series, FOREVERMORE. This is St. John’s story
Review:
The other day a Friend of mine pointed at my Darkest London Books and said: "These looks so beautiful, what kind of books are they." This actually stopped me in my tracks. I've got the series on front row display for two reasons, first the eternal coverslut in me adores the way they look. And second I adore the series. But what kind of books are they? I answered: "Really good ones, you should read them!" My friend looked at me:"DUH, I guessed you must like them, you got what FIVE of them.. but what genre are they?" See that's why I paused and gave a . I am not so sure where I would put these. After thinking about it I said: "Well, they steampunkish, kinda fantasy. PNR?"
Yeah, that's how awesome of a description I gave her. I know, I know- I should get awards for my super book explaining skills. *smirks* But honestly I've been thinking about this and also why I do love the series so much and sadly I think Callihan has reduced me to a fangirling mush. Just warning you....
Goodreads kept recommending me the series, but not many of my friends had read them, so it was on my TBR, but the reason I actually started reading the books? Well, I won Firelight at a GR giveaway. Which I am super happy about - I mean gifted books, yeay! - but I also finally got around to read it. I got totally hooked, I proceeded to read every single book and novella I could get my hands on.
As I said, I love the series.
Each book is the story of one couple, they all could be read as a stand-alone, though they are in chronological. The characters are all connected one way or another so they do appear in each book.
But wait, why would you only read one of them? Trust me you don't wanna read this as a standalone. It would work- but why miss out on the other books? So if you haven't started the series yet... go read ALL of them!
Soulbound just like the previous books is definitely character driven. Putting it simplistic I guess: It's essentially a romance about two characters and you know it will have a HEA. But there is much more to this. Even if the ending is kinda clear, it's the journey that matters. By the way this kinda has an insta-love thingy going, but it's done in a way that is not only acceptable, it's moving and oh well, for a lack of a better word believable. I don't wanna go too much into the plot, cause I won't be able to keep the spoilers at bay, but there are several twists and turns that surprised me. And while I totally expected a HEA, in the second last chapter of the book, I was seriously wondering how Callihan is going to give me one!
And may I just say, this is one of my favorite Persephone and Hades inspired stories ever!
The world building is... oh well.. for lack of a better word.. great. Each book reveals more about the paranormal side of the Darkest London world. And in each book Callihan managed to be more intricate and surprising. As Callihan said she draws from legends, myth and fairytales, so yeah some of it is what we would expect, but Callihan adds her own stamp to it. Takes her inspiration and creates something new. The series is set mostly in Victorian London. Each and every book, I am taken aback by how beautiful and vividly Callihan describes that setting. The fact that she gets the feeling and surroundings of Victorian London so right, makes her added fantasy twists feel more real. Every time I read one of the Darkest London books, I get lost in the world Callihan has constructed. And always, always I am left wanting more.
My favorite part is definitely the character building. I was looking forward to reading Adam's story. I had my ideas about Adam... But Callihan surprised me, with how Adam's story unraveled. Not only the story, but his background. I mean we had hints in the previous books, but I kinda expected him to be more wicked... Instead I found the more I read, the more I cared for Adam, the more I understood hi, connected to him and fell a little bit more for him. Eliza came across as rather spoilt in the beginning, but as the story went on her character evolved and one gets to see deeper into her. At the end, I was not surprised by her actions- well maybe a teeny tiny bit by the last twist- but well, it was just such an Eliza thing to do...
I think it after all that fangirling, it should be clear that I love Callihan's writing style. I am not sure how she works on a novel. (Darn! I should have asked her that!!) But not only does she obviously have a great talent when it comes to using words. She also proves that she is a master of her craft, by the way the novels are constructed. I don't really see a clear MO for the series- They are romances, they are connected, set in same world but each is unique, all wrapped up in gorgeous prose. Callihan excels in conveying emotions- she has just the right balance it's enough to make your heart ache with it, but not too much that it feels fake or over the top. I think this book cemented the fact that I will read anything Callihan writes. She definitely has become one of my favorite authors.
Soulbound is a fabulous addition to a great series. And one of my favorites in it. Adam, is my second favorite character in the series, just like Callihan I adore Jack.
When I finished Soulbound I went to see if the next one will be Sin's story. But I couldn't find anything online that - so I was beyond pleased to hear that Callihan is working on Forevermore. Already dreading that it is the last one in the series though...
It is a must read for lovers of the genre. Well, if you ask me its a must read full stop.
Rating:
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Excerpt:
Eliza sat back on her heels, while Adam merely stared at her as though he had all the time in the world. “Fine,” she said. “Three weeks. I free you and you help me.” She gave him a warning look. “I’ll need your word that you will help me, that this” she waved her hand between them, “isn’t merely a way to trick me into freeing you.”
“This business was your idea, woman,” he said with affront.
“Nevertheless, I’ll need your word.”
The demon’s nostrils flared with a sharp exhalation. “My word then.” Eliza did not look away from him, and he glared back in obvious exasperation. “What now?”
“I’m merely considering if I ought to trust your word,” she said.
A low growl rumbled in his chest as he bared his teeth. “I keep my word, whether I want to or not. My word is my bond. Honor, Miss May. Unlike you, I have it.”
“How dare you—”
“How dare you?” He craned forward, the muscles along his shoulders bunching. “Not so long ago you broke your promise of fealty. To me!”
“Oh, yes, how quick you are to remind me.” Eliza leaned close, grinding her teeth to keep in a shout. “You enjoy being quick, don’t you?”
His thick, dark brows furrowed. “What in the bloody blazes are you talking about?”
“You gave me all of ten seconds to make a choice.” Eliza’s fists ached from clenching them. “And what a choice. I was dead, my body sliced open, my blood on the ground. I would have done anything, anything,” she thumped her fist to her chest, “to get back my life.”
“So that makes it better?” he snapped back in outrage. “Desperation gives you leave to go back on your word?”
“No. That is not what I meant.”
“Then you agree that you bloody well have no honor—”
“You never explained what was involved. You never said I’d be chained to you, like some animal, for the rest of my days,” Eliza shouted. “I was told I would be a GIM. I was ready to serve you in that manner. You knew full well that’s what I believed. If anything, you swindled me!”
All at once, he sagged, though he still eyed her with resentment and distaste. Well, she had a healthy helping of those feelings for him too.
“Tick, tock, Eliza,” she mimicked. “You rushed me because you didn’t want me to think things over.”
When he broke eye contact, his hard jaw twitched.
“I’m correct, aren’t I?” Ire and a red rage surged up within her. “And you have the brass to sit on your high horse and talk of honor. Well let me tell you something, demon. There is little honor in forcing a person’s hand. Or using your power to coerce those weaker than you.”
A black scowl twisted the demon’s face as he glared at some distant point. “Fine. May I continue, or have you more complaints to heap upon my head?”
“Please do continue,” Eliza granted.
His golden gaze flicked back to her. “I want to kiss you.”
“No.” The word burst out of her with force. “Absolutely not.”
Unfazed, Adam shrugged. “Unless you have something to offer in exchange for your freedom, Mellan and Mab will, as you say, merely hunt us down, and you’ll be back to where you started.”
“Then I shall find out what he wants.” Eliza straightened her back. She could do that. She must. Like hell was she going to kiss this demon.
Adam simply gave her a slow, wicked half-smile. “Fortunately for you, lass, I already know what he wants. What they both want. More than controlling you. More than torturing me, even.”
“Then why in blazes haven’t you used it to secure your own freedom?” Eliza blurted out.
“I’m only alive because they cannot break me into revealing where this item might be.” The belligerence burning in his eyes was gone in a blink, replaced by a look of pure cunning. “However, I might be persuaded to help you use the knowledge. All I require is— ”
“Fine,” she snapped, irritation getting the best of her. “I’ll kiss you.”
Silence fell, and Adam stared at her with those eyes of his. Devil’s eyes. Eyes that made a woman forget herself. Heat rose up over her breasts and crawled along the back of her neck. Eliza grasped her skirts, her fingers twitching. She would kiss him. Kiss a man who had brought her nothing but irritation. Maybe she’d bite him to boot.
His chest, gleaming with sweat, rose and fell in a soft pattern. A bead of perspiration broke free from the top of his shoulder and ran down along the firm rise of his pectoral muscles, straight toward the dark nub of his nipple. All this time arguing with him, she’d forgotten his state of undress. Not so now. She’d have to press up against those hard muscles, touch his skin. Eliza wrenched her gaze back to his face, and his sinful lips curled in a knowing smile.
“You know,” he said casually, “I believe I shall pass for the moment. I’d rather it be when you aren’t wearing such a sour face. Kills a bloke’s ardor, you realize.”
Eliza blinked. And then his meaning hit her. “Why you…rutting…cheap, trickster…”
He laughed, a flash of even teeth. “Come now, Eliza, fret not.” He stopped then, that obnoxious smile growing and heating with promise. “I’ll take that kiss soon enough. ”
She rose to her feet in a rustle of skirts. “And I’ll be sure to bite that wicked tongue when you do!”
She marched out of the cell, slamming it behind her, as he began to laugh again. Bastard. She might just leave him here to rot after all. His laughing taunt echoed through the dark. “Now that I know tongues are involved, I’ll be sure to collect.”
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