For centuries there has been hatred, bloodshed and killing between the vampire and wolf nations.Now, events that have been foretold by the faerie are finally coming. Livvie, daughter of the Romulus pack’s Alpha has been living away from the pack in Texas for the last ten years. After running the cattle ranch she inherited from her late fiancé is she ready to embrace the changes that the arrival … the changes that the arrival of Darius at Thunder Hollow heralds?
Darius, a wandering vampire and son of the Egyptian Sun God Ra, is restless. Even he does not understand the magnetic pull from the beautiful women he ends up working for. It’s only when she is taken from him, that he sees the bond that is stronger than all others. The truth of that bond will shake him to his core.
Will the unexpected bonding between wolf and vampire be enough to overcome the centuries of hatred and bring peace and unity to all?
Will the wolf and the vampire overcome their heartaches to accept their bonding and let romance evolve?
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For the most part I really enjoyed the book! It was very unique and different from the majority of paranormal romances you read, which was quite refreshing. I struggled with the wordiness of it-like there were super descriptive words on top of each other and all at once; it just felt like too much for me, I think that part could have been dialed back. Loved the story line and LOVED the characters. Great Job!
This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill typical Fantasy Romance, this story delivers the kind of twist of fate and heartache as the synopsis has given.
With knowing it is a trilogy, there is a lot to introduce and touch on in the first novel. Lilly did a great job with intertwining plots and characters smoothly; she is very creative in how she can move between different characters and their varying points of view. I did although; take the time re-read the first few chapters to ensure I did not confuse character plots or any of the story lines.
Lilly has created an intriguing variety of fantasy characters, which makes the novel hard to put down. She has definitely got me craving for more; I will be following this author!
I really liked this story. I was a little apprehensive as I don’t normally read romance, and there were echoes of ‘Twilight’ in the theme (which I did not enjoy), but it was recommended to me, so I decided to give it a go. Very glad I did! The characters are fantastic, all of them brought to life with their own unique personalities and challenges. Livia is an amazing heroine, brave, strong, and very relatable. I loved seeing her find her inner strength, and refusing to compromise on the things that matter to her. The plot was well-thought out, and kept me hooked throughout the book. Some steamy sections, but overall they were secondary to an awesome story and adventure. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series.
When I say it is a paranormal romance, I mean its paranormal! Shifters, Vampires, Fae, Egyptian mythology- Lilly Rayman really hit a homerun with this. I was a little lost in the beginning because she throws a lot at you so fast but once the story gets going it truly is worth finishing and to say I am exciting for the next book is a huge understatement. Livvie has my heart and soul, she was such a relatable main character and I loved how strong she was even when she was struggling with all she had to face.
An Unexpected Bonding: Book One of The Unexpected Trilogy By Lilly Rayman
Reviewed by Emily McCoy
There are a lot of books circulating about werewolves and vampires. However, this book had a unique spin on it. Are they meant for one another? “An Unexpected Bonding” really drew my attention because of the dynamic between the characters and their particular species. I loved this book! If you like fantasy and star crossed lovers, this is the book for you!
Although the book jumps from person to person ( his view, her view). A bit confusing at first. But after reading a few chapters, it makes sense. An Unexpected Bonding is the first book in The Unexpected Trilogy. The story line was impressive with the old world working it’s way in with the new world. This is a newer author for me and I can’t wait to see what is next for her. This is a well written story that the authors attention to details gave the story a realistic feel. This story has no unnecessary swear words or sexual happenings.
This was a new author for me, Lilly Rayman. An unexpected Bonding was a more take on the vampire/shifter romance. In most vampire/shifter romances they are enemies and don’t fall in love. In this one there is a love story between a vampire and shifter. Darius and Livvie’s story is filled with mystery, romance, and obstacles they must overcome. There are vampires, shifters, faeries as well as mythology in this tale! All the components of a great story. It was done well too, there are a lot of factors that could have made it confusing but, because of its length and detail it was not. There was a lot of jumping around in her story from different characters to different timelines. This did not bother me that much, although I thought it could have been just as good a story without as much jumping. Throughout the story you can’t help but root for Darius and Livvie through everything. If you enjoy mythology, supernatural elements or both, this book is for you!
An Unexpected Bonding is the first book in The Unexpected Trilogy. It is a very original paranormal, romance that includes werewolves, vampires and Fae with drama, and chemistry along side a secret society. It tells two point of views, which I love. This is my very first read from this author and I loved it! The story was very interesting with great characters and an amazing story line. Was intrigued from the start and until the very end. It definitely had it’s own flair. So excited to read the next story in it’s series!
An Unexpected Bonding was a very interesting read for me, filled with fantasy, myth, romance, drama and more it had me flipping the pages quickly to see what happens next. Ms. Rayman leads her readers down a very unexpected path and her words are so well written that you never see what is coming next. Ms. Rayman incorporates several wonderfully written characters and their stories but by the end of the book she ties up all the loose ends perfectly. At 395 pages An Unexpected Bonding isn’t too short or too long but more like the perfect length for a lover of the fantasy genre. So if you are looking for a new wonderful fantasy book to read this weekend I highly recommend An Unexpected Bonding by Lilly Rayman.
There has been a war between the werewolves and the vampires for thousands of years, it is bloody, it is gruesome and it may be about to end thanks to a faerie prophecy which foretold of future events that would shake the paranormal world to its core. A member of the vampire council is cursing the werewolves near to his territory, they seem to be allowing themselves to be seen by humans so that they can scare them away and move into the territory and this vampire is not impressed in the slightest by it because their preference is to drink straight from the vein and this can’t happen if there are no humans. At the same time, another of the council has a plan to try and broker a peace deal between the two warring factions, however, it needs to go before the Council before it can be approved. Meanwhile, Livvie is the daughter of the Alpha of the Romulus pack but she is wolf-less and because of this she has been living away from her pack for the last ten years in Texas on theThunder Hollow cattle ranch her late fiance left to her after his death and this year is the first year where her bulls will be entered into the local rodeo, she is still grieving his loss and feels it as acutely as she did when it happened three years ago, but life goes on, she works hard and hopefully will see the fruits of her labours soon. All of a sudden Livvie senses someone entering the bar who shouldn’t be there, it is a vampire, she is wary but engages him in polite but stunted conversation, but his expectations are disappointed when the friend he is looking for in Livvie cannot be called out and as she walks away, he is left surprised and she returns to her home.
As the vampire Council convenes, they discuss the proposal set before them, there is opposition and discussions around the who, the where and the why, but they eventually agree that it is a good proposal and that the werewolves should be approached about iy, meanwhile the Romulus pack is disturbed by news of a rival pack moving into territory near where Livvie is living, so a few of the members decide to go down to the rodeo and use it as an excuse to see Livvie at the same time. Livvie is hard at work preparing her cattle when her friend comes to look them over, she is surprised that he is not alone and that he has brought someone who wants to work at the ranch with her, as he introduces Darius to Livvie she cannot help but feel drawn to him, however, she keeps that to herself as she feels guilty about the feelings it stirs up with regards to Nate. Darius is just as drawn to Livvie as she was to him, although he also doesn’t want to acknowledge his feelings over the grief he still feels at the loss of his late wife, three years before, so he shuts down the feelings straight away as well.
As the weeks pass, Livvie and Darius fall into a comfortable working relationships on the ranch and when Livvie’s finds out that her pack brothers are coming to visit she is excited, but later on that day she has an accident when she is attempting to fix a windmill on , but when Darius goes to her rescue, the feelings that they are trying so hard to repress come back until the vampire from the bar turns up and that is when she finds out what Darius really is and when another unexpected visitor turns up, her wolf is called to the surface, however, she is strong and has to be temporarily bound again, but the instincts are awakened nonetheless and these are what could get her into trouble. As the rodeo approaches and the pack find out about Darius for the first time, fists almost fly and Livvie’s true nature starts to show through, this shocks her family, however when the rival pack kidnap Livvie, everything else is put on the back burner as Darius realises exactly how deep his feelings for Livvie really run.
Will the werewolves and the vampires be able to work together to return Livvie and rescue her from the clutches of the rival pack, or will she be able to free herself when the full moon rises? Will the prophecy play out as planned and a peace be brokered, or will things derail the plans and go awry? This is a complex and exciting journey through the history of vampires , werewolves and the faerie while keeping romance in full flow, it will draw you in and land along for the bumpy ride in more ways than one.
5/5 Stars
An Unexpected Bonding: Book One of The Unexpected Trilogy by Lilly Rayman
This is the first book I’ve read by Rayman, but it won’t be my last. An Unexpected Bonding is a great read and you get a lot of information.
Livva is the only one who never changed into a wolf. Traveling the states to find herself she finds love instead. When a horrible accident takes her fiance it leaves her his business. The quote I chose for Livva is: “Peace once more between our races. We were never meant to be at war with each other, and now, more so than ever, is the time for peace to be declared and our friendship to begin again. There have already been two deaths today–”
Darius is one of the few vampires that can walk in the sun. When he meets Livva he finds that he is attracted to her. He doesn’t want to forget his wife who lost her battle to cancer. The quote I chose for Darius is: “What is it I can help you with, sir?”
Highly recommended for Paranormal Romance lovers.
This was another new author for me. The story was interesting. It has several things that I enjoy, vampires and wolves mixed with mythology. Livvie is a “wolf-less” daughter to a pack alpha and never felt truly at home there and then there is Darius, the son of Ra—The Egyptian Sun God and an ancient vampire. Their chemistry is undeniable between the two and you can’t help but root for them as a couple. If you like mythology with a touch of supernatural this book is for you.
This is the first book in The Unexpected Trilogy. I loved this story because it contains my favourite things. Supernatural beings and romance. The author does an amazing job with the characters and setting the scenes. It was a little confusing at first with the story coming from different characters viewpoints and from so many characters but if you keep at it you can figure out who belongs to which group and they it’s easier to understand.
As the name suggests its a romance story about 2 people from different groups. 1 a vampire and 1 a werewolf. Together their relationship could heal the years of pain and misery between the two groups but will they agree with this bonding? Or will the past that exists between the vampires and werewolf be too much to overcome.
3.5 stars
An Unexpected Bonding: Book One of The Unexpected Trilogy by Lilly Rayman is a paranormal romance tale. It took me quite some time to become used to Lilly’s writing style. The story jumps back and forward in time and from person to person that was not at all clear. It is an original tale with Gods of Egyptian myths, vampires and shifters, and fairies. The story is rich in detail, but I found it hard to fully settle into the tale.
An Unexpected Bonding by Lilly Rayman is the first book in The Unexpected Trilogy. This book is a great mix of vampire, werewolves and other mythology that is all woven together intricately to create an interest and original story. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed the way the story was put together. The mix of different fantasy strands worked really well and provided a great balance to the overall story.
I enjoyed reading about the main characters as well. I thought they combination of their personalities was done with ease and I could really feel the connection they had between them. I easily got behind their story and wanted to see what was going to happen. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the moment I started reading and I am looking forward to the next in the series.
This was beyond my expectations. I was hesitant going into this book as I have come across several books that have approached the vampire/wolf relationship saga and was loathe to go there again. Boy, was I wrong. So glad I gave this book a go. The writing style allowed the reader to connect with every single character, as you get snippets from their point of view. I love multiple POV books but this is a first where the point of view swaps several times within a chapter. The ranch style setting was perfectly unique and the mix of shifters, Gods, fae and Egyptian mythology drew me in and kept me entertained to the very end.
An Unexpected Bonding (The Unexpected Trilogy Book 1) by Lilly Rayman – Review by Jaimie Salmon-Colburn
Oh my gosh guys!!! You have got to read this book!! If you like wolf shifting, vampire, and faerie books you will LOVE this one!! There are some wonderful characters and you will laugh out loud at some of the shenanigans that they get into! The author wrote this book in a style that you get to meet so many characters and see their views through out the story. It’s steamy, romantic, funny, and a great start to a set! I CAN NOT wait to read the rest of the Trilogy and see what happens with them all!! I also LOVE the back stories to the wolves and vampires. I would totally recommend this book!
This book is the first of a trilogy and after reading it, all I can say is wow! I can’t wait to read the others. The character development is great, the plot is well paced, and there’s just the right amount of romance. There are a lot of elements to this story (vampires, “werewolves”, fairies, Egyptian mythology, and more) but the author does a great job at shifting character POVs and showing the past and present without it getting too confusing. The characters are very relatable, despite being mostly non-human, which made the book much more enjoyable. Livvie is a strong female lead and I enjoyed her personality and how she grew throughout the story. I had a hard time putting the book down and look forward to reading more by this author!
An Unexpected Bonding by Lilly Rayman is the first book in The Unexpected Trilogy. You have to pay attention during this story, as it is written from different points of view and different points of time. That being said, it is amazing. When I read the synopsis, I knew I had to have it! It is not action packed constantly, and I feel as though this helps the reader get a better feel for the characters and the shifts in time and POV.
Do not base your idea of this book off Twilight, as this story is vastly different and I even think people who hated Twilight will fall in love with this story.
An Unexpected Bonding (The Unexpected Trilogy Book 1) by Lilly Rayman
4 Stars
Let’s start off by saying that this is not your usual vampire/ shifter romance. The backstory of this plot was well thought out and original. With the faeries meddling in the mortal realm, the vampires and wolf shifters were created. They have been at war for centuries and the fates have predicted peace once again. How better to achieve that than with unexpected bondings between the species?
The main part of the story takes place in Texas with continual jumps into the past to explain the reason behind modern day events. I want to say that there are two main characters but there are several with their own uniqueness and depth which add to the story. I love the fact that the author added Egyptian mythology to the story. It added something special. It was different than the usual storylines. Although there are some minor editing flaws, the book is well written and interesting.
My only issue with the book is that I found it long. There are in depth explanations and repetitions of those explanations. There are several points of views which led to repeating scenes. I feel like this book could have been a trilogy unto itself. With each book focusing on a separate couple. Livia and Darius in part one, Isia and Cato in part two and Quintessa and Julio in the last part. I’m still looking forward to reading the rest of the series.