Reviewed by Ami
Title: Soul Bond
Author: JS Harker
Series: Dreamspun Desires #24
Heroes: Noah & Ben
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Stealing his heart.
As a thief and a warlock, Noah survives by using his wit and charm to prey on the privileged. His dangerous criminal boss wants an enchanted dagger belonging to a family of wealthy mages, including their pampered—but handsome—son, Ben. Failing to complete the job will be hazardous to Noah’s survival.
Noah bumps into Ben at a lavish party, and as soon as they meet, the connection’s undeniable, and it goes much further than ordinary attraction. Their bond reaches into their souls, entwining and changing their magic.
Which Noah thinks he can use to get to the dagger. After all, he isn’t sure this soul bond Ben seems so obsessed with is even real.
He also doesn’t count on being caught red-handed…. Or falling in love.
Review:
Although I read a lot of paranormal books with various creatures, I always prefer if the authors put some “context” or background into a story for readers. One of my pet peeves is when I am expected to jump into a paranormal/urban setting without a lot of background; and the author expects the readers to catch up as easily as reciting ABC. Well, it’s not, okay? Not for me.
I don’t really understand all these talks about “House of…“, Council, Enduring Circles, Endless, and other terms used in this book. There seems to be important “Family” in this world as well, but I didn’t understand WHY or what made them so special! I actually Google-d the differentiation of mage and warlock (both terms are used in this book). I’m not an English native, I often think they are interchangeable (as thesaurus.com implies)
Long story short, I believe it’s probably a case of me not you because I’m sure other readers can enjoy it just fine. Noah and Ben do have good chemistry. Since Noah is a thief and Ben comes from a family whose dagger is the object that Noah plans to steal, it’s quite interesting to read how they end up being together.
Noah doesn’t want to be involved with Ben but Ben is quite determined to make Noah give them a chance. Throw in the complication due to Ben’s family — and the fact they will not let Noah go easily, he’s still a thief (!) — it gives quite a Romeo & Juliet-esque entertainment. Yes, they have soul bond but doesn’t mean that they have things easy.
However, I was already frustrated because I felt like it was a world that didn’t invited strangers in with as simple as a ‘map’ to navigate it. It messed up with my reading experience, so I couldn’t enjoy this as much as I wish I would. Thus, cannot rate this higher.
Overall Impression: It was good
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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