Sometimes fate gets it all wrong.Zoey Kent has lived with that fact ever since she turned eighteen and learned that the man she loved could never be hers. He’s a born shifter, a wolf, and she’s a mere human. Fate doesn’t care if on paper they’re a perfect pair. She isn’t his fated mate and she’s resigned herself to the knowledge that someday, she’ll have to watch Michael mate with another. It’s … another. It’s never crossed her mind that there might be someone else out there for her, that she would be the one to mate another, to choose another over everything she’s ever known or wanted.
Sometimes fate gets it all right.
Rafe Hudson left his pack behind years ago. Physically and mentally scarred from an attack that left his parents and twin dead, he walked away from his responsibilities as Alpha. He never intended to return but lone wolf or not, he can’t leave Michael open to an attack he’s learned is coming for his only brother. What he didn’t know was that going home would mean scenting his mate, the one person in the world that could make him whole again, that could give him everything he thought he’d lost. His pack, his home and his family.
But fate always has a plan.
There’s no way Michael’s brother is her future, is there? Just like there’s no way that the girl his brother has loved since they were kids, was always meant to be his, right?
Only fate knows why they were brought together but there is one thing for sure, the sparks between Zoey and Rafe are undeniable. The bond between them is unbreakable. And together… they’ll change the face of the pack forever.
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I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really loved this book. It jumps right into the story but gives enough backstory I the beginning so your not lost. I love the chemistry between Zoey and Rafe, the way they balanced each other out. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys shifter stores with fated mates.
From the start I couldn’t put this book down. I love her take on the shifter universe. An amazing story of the girl next door wishing that her first love was her soul mate only to find out that fate had something more in store for her. A must read!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The characters in this story are amazingly vulnerable and strong. I can’t wait to read part two of this duet.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a well written book with strong characters in Zoey and Rafe. The author does a great job building the story and pulling you in with all the emotions flowing throughout.She brings it to life with her descriptive writing and vividly painted scenes , making you feel you’re there. I was captured from beginning to end reading their story and can’t wait for the next one. I loved and highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
4.5 stars.
Objectively speaking there’s a lot of things that could be worked on in this book. But I kind of don’t really care. The overall feelings I had while reading this story were positive. Sure, there are a lot of inner monologues, and yeah, Rafe throws a lot of inner pity parties full of self-incrimination and insecurity. What I loved was the interplay between him and Zoey, the steam was well-written, and Zoey is all kinds of great with her innate sense of justice, her strength, and her immense desire to belong and to love.
The beginning gives us an emotionally complicated situation with years of friendship and longing and love all mixed up in the heads and hearts of both Zoey and the Pack Alpha, Michael. But from one moment to the next, their entire world is tossed on its head as she locks eyes with the long-lost brother, her fated mate. No one in the group takes the revelation well.
Watching them all work through things was more heartwarming than anything else. While I think a few well-placed “put yourself in my shoes” comments would have truncated some of the longer, more repetitive conversations, it was clear that everyone cared a great deal for one another. Those feelings were the foundation for all the more tense moments. It definitely decreased the feelings of angst that could have overtaken all their interactions.
Zoey and Rafe experience the shifter fated mate brand of insta-love and super enhanced lust that is extremely common in this genre. I generally push the thoughts of “that’s way too fast of a relationship progression” to the back of my mind, I mean, this is pretty much erotic fantasy you know? So when their connection is immediate and intense, I don’t have a problem with it, but the real surprise here is the logic, reason, and determination of faith in fate that dominates the initial haze of hormones and pheromones.
A lot of the revelations and decisions come from lengthy inner dialogues, but when they actually talk things out they do so logically, honestly, with an emotional openness that I wasn’t expecting. There was a bit of the “I kept it from you to protect you” mentality but each and every time Zoey came out guns blazing for anyone who thought to pull that on her or to treat her in any way other than an equal, a competent partner and friend. She was articulate and feisty in all the best ways.
Needless to say, I’m a fan. I’m not oblivious to the issues with the writing of the story or the structure of it, but I enjoyed far more than any of that detracted so I’m good with it. I’m absolutely in for the follow up in Unbelievable Faith because I want to find out what happens with Michael’s future with the damaged, submissive Luna. If the female lead’s going to surprise me the same way Zoey did I’m going to be a very happy reader.
What amazing read that will have you loving the fact of this mated read that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout this story.
5 Stars!
When I finished this book I was so full of melancholy. The book hangover I’m experiencing is killing me and it has been less than 24 hours since I finished reading. To make my melancholy even greater, I dreamt about these sexy, possessive wolf shifters. At least I had an adventure of my own. 😉
So you must be wondering why I’m telling you this. I just wanted you to understand how this book effected me. I loved it so much. I want more! That said I will do my best to articulate my thoughts here. Not going to be easy.
Jess Bryant hasn’t written anything I didn’t love. So when I saw she was taking a turn into the paranormal/shifters world, there was no doubt I wasn’t diving in. I love shifter romance.
Unbreakable Bond is one of the best shifter romances I’ve ever read. And I have read a lot.
This book is part of a duet and does end in a cliffhanger. However, the main H/h of this book, Rafe and Zoey have their HEA. The duet will continue as the plot continues and Rafe’s brother Michael will find his own HEA.
Without giving too much away…….Rafe returns to his home and pack after years of self-exile. He has one reason for returning but things gets even more complicated when he discovers his mate. I loved how possessive he was. And let me tell you that Rafe exudes possessiveness. Oh Lord! He was so gruff and sexy. Totally alpha. Nothing was going to stand in his way of claiming his mate. Even if he had to fight his own brother. While I definitely describe Rafe as protective, possessive, dominant and sexy, he has this adorableness about him. You’d have to read this book to see what I mean.
Zoey was so sweet and innocent through the first pages. My heart broke for her sadness. She always thought she would end up with Michael. But he wasn’t her fated mate so that was not possible. She was lost and lonely. But when Rafe comes back, Zoey has a whole new attitude. Her persona does a 180. While Rafe is possessive of her, Zoey discovers how much she needs and wants Rafe. Yes, this is instant attraction but if you read shifter romances, then you know this is their way.
Zoey and Rafe had some obstacles to get over. There is angst, some suspense and despite the intensity on the pages, I couldn’t help but smile often. This book is very entertaining. As I mentioned earlier, this duet continues with Michael. There is a continuing threat to their pack, their lives. And most importantly, Michael will find his mate. I don’t want to give anything away but I can tell you the epilogue will give you more than just a hint at what’s to come.
I loved this book so much! I absolutely recommend it as a must read.
This is my honest and unbiased review. Thank you for taking the time to read it. 🙂
Loved the book it was great the story was well written and the characters were interesting. Michael and Zoey have been friends since they were young they loved each other, when Zoey turned eighteen Michael told her that he would have to find his mate.
Thank you for allowing me to review this book it was great.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An awesome book full of werewolves, romance, and suspense.
Zoey has always wanted to be a member of Michael’s pack, mated to Michael forever. When that didn’t happen on her 18th birthday they both believed she was not meant to be a shifter.
Rafe has been gone from his packs land for years, believing it was his fault that his family had been killed and he didn’t deserve to be pack Alpha. When he returns to pack land to speak with his brother about trouble facing another pack Alpha he gets more than he bargained for.
A really cool shifter story with steamy sexy times, sweet romance, and some gritty suspense with Leo DeLuca trying to get back to his own pack.
It’s been ages since I’ve indulged in a good shifter paranormal romance.
And Jess Bryant with”Unbreakable Bond” the first book in her brand new fated Mates series certainly didn’t disappoint.
Despite being very insta-love this definitely left a fabulous impression on me.
And because of the fated mate’s angle used here, I still found the insta-love to be of a very believable nature.
And got to say it; my god Rafe was a big chunk of a man-hunk.
The total package; damaged, misunderstood with a sexy possessive growl that made my own toes curl; never mind Zoey’s.
I absolutely adored how possessive and feral he was towards Zoey.
And Zoey, she was such a sweetheart; she had such a loyal, sassy vibe about herself.
I really liked her complete and utter acceptance of her fate, her willingness to give Rafe her all and take a chance on there HEA.
Zoey came across as the real deal here.
“Unbreakable Bonds” itself was told in dual POV and was also extremely low on secondary characters.
There were brief instances where we were introduced to other cast members like Zoey’s mum.
But other than Zoey’s best friend and pack alpha Michael; who is also Rafe’s estranged brother.
This is mainly just Zoey and Rafe connected and working through there Demons.
Much to my surprise, I found I loved this simplistic way of experiencing our newly mated wolves story and it was really nice to just kick back and just concentrate on Rafe and Zoey themselves.
It made me feel so much more connected to there story.
There is still plenty here to keep the reader here entertained.
A bit of a mixed bag of action; rounded off with some seriously sexy shenanigans.
Man, this book was red hot.
And the way this was left I definitely will be continuing forward with this journey.
This was such a great start to a fabulous new paranormal shifter series.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of “Unbreakable Bond (Book 1 in the fated mates duet)” of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Fate can be an evil witch when it doesn’t work out the way you’d hoped, as is the case for Zoey. Michael and Zoey have always been friends, and assumed they’d be more, but when she turned eighteen, they learned fate had other plans. Unfortunately, there’s no way around this…fate is the be all and end all in these decisions. He’s a born shifter and though she was adopted by shifters and raised in the pack, she’s still a human, and even though they appear to be perfect for one another, fate disagrees. Though they remained friends with a close bond, Zoey knows he’ll eventually find his true mate and she’ll have to watch it happen, but she never thought fate knew exactly what it was doing and it’ll be her true mate that arrives.
Rafe was physically and mentally scarred following an attack that left his twin and their parents dead. Unable to cope, he walked away from his responsibilities to his pack as their Alpha, vowing never to return…until he learns someone is planning to attack Michael, his only remaining family. When he returns, the scent of his mate hits and he knows he’s found the one person that could make him whole again, giving him everything he’d lost. However, the true shock is her identity…Zoey, the girl his brother has loved since they were kids.
Can Rafe protect his brother and the pack? Is Zoey truly his mate? How will Michael react upon learning what fate has planned for Rafe and Zoey? Is a HEA possible in a situation like this?
I will say, the idea of a heroine loving one brother and yet finding her mate in his sibling is not something I would normally read. I don’t like the “too close for comfort” idea of this because of the sheer awkwardness when said brother does find his mate. Wouldn’t that woman always wonder if she’s truly who he wants? Would the heroine’s fated mate wonder the same thing? But it worked out in this instance, thankfully. Yes, there’s still things to deal with as it’s a duet, but you see that Rafe and Zoey were always meant to be, that what you may consider love before was something completely different, or misunderstood.
One-click now and follow along as two people are brought together under potentially dangerous circumstances and realize what fate has planned for them. – By Elizabeth
My star rating says 4 but this is more like a 3.5. I am a huge fan of paranormal romance, it was my first love and I always resort back to it when I need something to pull me out of a book funk. The synopsis of this book and the actual plot was exactly what makes a good PNR read, but I found that when reading it was the same thing over and over again specifically with the mating of Rafe and Zoey and their feelings. Don’t get me wrong those are necessary things for a PNR or any romance but it was too much repetition of the same. I feel there were several chapters that were unnecessary for this reason, also there wasn’t any ‘real’ conflict in this story, and what there was happened in the last few chapters. Loved the idea, the writing was well done and the characters were intriguing, but the repetition really brought down my rating for this one. It’s not a bad read and if you are just getting into paranormal and are unsure how you feel about it, this would make a great starting point.
An incredibly hot read from Jess Bryant! As my first read from her, I am so impressed and this book absolutely won’t be my last. From what I’ve been told, this is her first foray into the PNR Genre and she did it flawlessly!
I loved the characters. Zoey and Rafe are the perfect pair. They balance each other beautifully.
The story flowed very, VERY well. Tons of steam mixed with angst, humor, and concern for the characters made for a very well balanced story that I will be thinking about for a while.
I highly recommend this book!!!
This is the first book in the Fated Mates Duet. It’s also the first book by Jess Bryant that I have read.
This is an okay read. I enjoyed it. I did find some of the writing to be dry. Don’t get me wrong, it was well written. It’s just not a style that meshes well with me.
There was some repetitiveness also. I didn’t need to be told the same thing over and over in the character’s thoughts.
I did like Rafe, Zoey, and Michael.
Michael is a good alpha.
Rafe is tormented.
Like I said, this is an okay read and after reading the epilogue, I am curious about the next book. I give this a 3.5
When FATE finds you LOVE
I have been so keen to read this book since Jess Bryant first announced that she was writing her first paranormal romance novel. Despite being a big fan of Twilight, I haven’t read many books in this genre but I’m definitely keen to find some more good quality paranormal romance books. This was also my first shifter – in this case werewolf shifter – romance and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Jess has done an incredible job of creating a captivating romance that has a fascinating folklore base which she explained beautifully and in no way detracted from the story.
Zoey has grown up in a shifter community – adopted by a werewolf couple who couldn’t have kids – and her best friend Michael is a werewolf, the alpha pack leader and the man she has loved for most of her life. However, in the shifter world, werewolves don’t “fall in love” in the traditional human way… they have a mate, someone destined to be theirs … and unfortunately Zoe is not fated to be Michael’s. When Michael’s brother Rafe comes back to town and it seems that he is the werewolf fated to be Zoey’s mate – well expect some fireworks and one incredible story!!
What I loved about this story was the fact it unfolded over a few days and was told in almost “real time”. I love a romance where you feel like you get to know the characters so well as they start to fall in love. And while Rafe and Zoey’s relationship is a definite insta-lust, insta-love situation, in the shifter world that Jess has created it doesn’t feel unnaturally forced like it can in a “regular” romance novel. The connection between these two is real and beautiful and they make an incredible pair. While fate brings them together, it’s their true feelings for each other that will make or break a potential ongoing relationship.
The overarching storyline – and “bad guy” – continues into the next story which is Michael’s and his fated mate Luna. I was glad that Rafe and Zoey’s story concludes but I’m super keen to find out how the rest of the arc they started in Unbreakable Bond plays out.
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Amazon/Goodreads
I got lost in this story of Rafe and Zoey. Their unique journey has twist and turns, filled with emotions and powerful chemistry.
What a great start to a series
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a really great book. The storyline was very well written and pulled you into the story. The characters are great and well developed. I recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Okay story but could not connect
Unbreakable Bond is the first book in the Fated Mates Duet by Jess Bryant. It is the story of Zoey and Rafe, who are fated mates. I thought the book description looked interesting and it had the potential to be a really engaging story. Unfortunately the story-line just did not live up to my expectations. It was an okay read as I liked the characters but the way the story is written and it progresses just did not work for me. I am disappointed by this as I have read a couple other books by this author and enjoyed them.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
Took too long to get anywhere. A lot of words that were just variations of the same thing.
Though enjoyable for the most part, too many things annoyed me and just didn’t feel right.
Michael’s attitude in regards to Rafe and Zoey’s mating. Wanted to slap him upside the head for the most part.
Rafe taking off like he did and basically forgetting he had a mate. The whole guilt thing Rafe was dealing with seemed too much.
Zoey was okay but at times I thought she was insipid, then at others, strong.
Lacking world building as I have no idea how these wolves integrate in the human world.
We had hunters killing wolves, assume they were human, and Zoey was a human when she was adopted by a wolf couple.
I will read the next book as I want to know what happens.
Read through Kindle Unlimited.
Zoey Kent has always known that she wanted to be with Michael. But she has also always known that she is not his “fated mate” and that there is no reason for them to be together. What she doesn’t know is fate has decided to intervene and low and behold…she is the destined mate of Michael’s older brother Rafe. Can Rafe come back in to the pack? Will he take his rightful place back as Alpha? Who killed his parents and twin brother? And are they trying to go after Michael now? So much drama and suspense leap off the pages. And the chemistry between the characters is fantastic. I can not wait to read the next in the Fated Mates Duet.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.