Unchained

Helen Hardt was my exception to reading vampires. I avoid them with the Anne Rice exception a long time ago. However Dante and Erin’s story was amazing. I recommend.

Helen is truly one of the most incredible, amazing authors I’ve ever had the pleasure of discovering and obsessing over. Yet again, she delivered an amazing start to what seems like its going to be an intense, incredible and addictive series! I’ve read my fair share of paranormal romances, and this right here just tops them all! She put a different kind of twist on things and it’s not the same old vampire love story and it’s exactly what I needed! I’d started to stray from paranormal romances and anything vampire related because after a while it all seems to sound the same. But as Helen does, she throws all the typical expectations of any romance and throws you into something that’ll have you craving more and more of. Hands down the best vampire romance I’ve ever read and I’ve only just started what promises to be an amazing series of books! This is beyond fantastic! From page one I was hooked!

Part 1: in the Blood Bond series is flawless! This book will have you on an emotional roller coaster, it’ll have your pulse thumping and squirming in your seat. Helen is known for her suspense and saucy, kinky and down right dirty plot line and this book delivers that and more!

Dante? Well damn, I’ve just found my next book boyfriend and obsession. Helen has done what she’s known best for and pulled you in to what’s going to be an emotional, heart wrenching, completely and utterly mind blowing ride of your life with this characters story.

Erin? She’s strong, independent and looks after herself, and doesn’t depend on anyone else. Which is refreshing, because all too often I find some main female characters in romances tend to be the helpless young girls, but Erin takes on a heroine role and it’s just perfect!

Part 2: Secrets are revealed, Dante starts to finally open up to his family about the torture he went through while in captivity for so many years. You find out what this blood bond means that’s between Erin and Dante and why it’s got a hold of them so strongly. Strange things begin to happen and even more twists and turns are added to this growing storyline! Although some answers are starting to surface, even more unanswered questions are popping up the deeper you go into the story. Erin is trying to keep her frustration at bay, she wants to give in to the desire toward Dante, let him consume her in every way possible. Will she give in? Will she let him?

Part 3:starts off where part 2 ends. A few questions are answered but more mystery start to arise, Dante and Erin FINALLY let into their desire for one another and things get heated! Dante questions this blood bond between him and Erin, and if it’s real. Grandpa Bill is hiding something, I can feel it! Erin isn’t herself, she seems to be all over the place, forgetting simple tasks like locking the door, things aren’t right in her head, she thinks she’s seeing people that aren’t really there. While all this is going on Dante and Erin become closer and Dante fears for Erin and her wellbeing. He tries not to let his desire pull him closer to her but it seems as though his attempts at staying away are failing.

Helen is the master of creating a troubled main character and honestly I love it, she’s also the master at keeping you on the edge your seat all the way through a book and this series is no exception. It’s not the typical vampire romance, oh no it’s so much more! It’s full of lust, passion, suspense, thrill, angst, torment, dark twists and turns and a growing love story, she builds up the plot and relationships with the main characters perfectly and keeps you second guessing all things you thought you’d figured out, she pushes boundaries in a magnificent way, and makes sure the story line holds all your attention, I found myself in the last few days after reading this thinking about it and trying to figure out what is to come next! I could sit here and try and guess it, but like Helen does she’s left us on a hell of a cliffhanger like only she can and there is no point trying to figure out what’s up her sleeve next, because she’ll no doubt blow us away with the totally unexpected.

All in all Unchained was amazing, and I never doubted it wouldn’t be.

Dante & Erin’s Story Is A Paranormal Romance Set In New Orleans. It Is A Quick Read That Will Pull You Into The Mystery Of Who Took Dante Captive & Why. After Escaping Ten Years As A Blood Slave To The Mysterious Queen, He Needs Answers.

Unchained: Blood Bond Volume 1 includes the Blood Bond Saga, Parts 1-3. Each part is a quick read; they are not standalones. The saga is a paranormal romance. It is Dante Gabriel and Erin Hamilton’s story

FROM BLOOD BOND SAGA, PART 1:

Dante Gabriel and his cousin River were like normal teens when they decided to disobey and sneak out to Bourbon Street to attend the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans ten years ago. The problem was that they weren’t normal teens, and they weren’t mature enough to handle the supernatural activity that pervaded such an event. There is a lot of cosmic energy in the air in New Orleans in general thanks to all the voodoo practitioners, and Mardi Gras really tapped into all that concentrated energy. The boys had been warned by their fathers, identical vampire twins, not to go. But eighteen year old Dante and his seventeen year old cousin chose to go anyway. Dante doesn’t remember what happened that night. He doesn’t know what happened to River. He doesn’t even know how much time has passed. All he knows is that he woke up bound. He has been treated horribly in his captivity, and his inability to fight off his captor shames him. He eventually gave up the fight, accepted his fate. He was kept to serve the Queen as a blood slave. But drinking vampire blood is morally distasteful. That along with the unthinkable abuse he has suffered makes him want to tune it out and forget it all. The problem is that he cannot get the Queen’s voice out of his head.

When Dante one day escapes his bonds, suddenly finding himself unchained and free, he just hopes to be able to find his family. But first, he needs blood. He follows the scent to a blood bank, which is where he first sees Erin.

Erin Hamilton, roughly twenty-seven, had followed her boyfriend Cory to New Orleans, but she decided to stay even after their breakup two years ago. She has made a life for herself there, buying her own home. She works at University Hospital just north of the French Quarter, along with Lucy Cyrus, her best friend. Her brother Jay works at the New Orleans Police Department and was just promoted to detective. Erin had always dreamed of becoming a doctor, but her parents never made much money, and the idea of so much debt had her readjust and choose nursing instead. She has worked as an ER nurse for five years now. The ER can be challenging work that is often a matter of life or death. She donates her own blood regularly for the cause. When she needs to grab some blood from the blood bank for a gunshot wound victim late one night, she isn’t prepared for the bloody mess she finds – nor the blood-covered strange man she finds in the middle of it. What surprises her most is her instinctive need to protect him.

As Dante reconnects with his family, he must come to terms with the decade that he lost in his captivity. His father and uncle have been missing since they went in search of him. He feels guilty for all his family went through because of his foolishness. His grandfather, Bill, is the pillar of their family. At 102, he is the oldest living pure vampire and a source of much-needed answers. But Dante isn’t ready to face his grandfather and to come to terms with his time in captivity. He would rather forget it all for now. And thoughts of Erin don’t help matters much. He cannot seem to forget her, even though he should. He isn’t safe until he makes up for lost time and learns more about vampirism, his ancestry, and how to blend into the human world.

Dante and Erin have instant chemistry in this paranormal romance. Dante must hold back despite how much he wants Erin, and Erin gets conflicting messages from the handsome and mysterious stranger. She begins to have doubts as her self-esteem takes a hit. There are a few surprise entanglements that liven things up and keep you on your toes as you read; it looks like there might be more unveiled in the next book. As Dante tries to work through his feelings and reconnect with family, he must battle the Queen’s voice in his head and pray that he doesn’t fall prey to her again.

IN BLOOD BOND SAGE, BOOK 2:

Book one had left off with a cliffhanger just after Dante had finally given into his desire for Erin. Something had stopped him, though. Here we learn that Erin had a mysterious bite mark on her inner thigh, something she was completely unaware of. Still, Dante immediately recognizes it for what it is and is consumed with a myriad of feelings. He wants to protect Erin, to claim her, but is also repulsed by the mark. He knows she had certainly been glamoured, an unsuspecting victim. Dante flees from Erin and his uncontrollable desire for her once again, determined to find out who had bitten her and ensure her safety.

But Dante’s life is still too unsettled for him to do much good at this point. He had disappeared from home at age eighteen, but life had gone on for everyone else. His family had evolved since then. River and Emilia had gone to college. They had careers. River’s father had sat down with him and told him all the secrets that Dante’s grandfather Bill still refuses to share. Bill claims Dante isn’t ready to hear it, that it might add to his trauma. Bill seems changed, too. He spends his time researching, and the compassion that Dante so desperately needs doesn’t come from Bill. The world has changed in ten years, too.

Dante is drowning as he desperately tries to take back his life, but in many ways he is still that eighteen year old late bloomer who disappeared from Bourbon Street. One thing is very certain though. He wants Erin. He feels compelled to be with her. Yet he knows it is wrong to have her when she doesn’t know the truth about him. His Grandpa Bill wants Dante to open up about his years in captivity, but Dante only wants to forget. He wants the knowledge owed him, thinking that is the missing key that will give him perspective and help him move forward. Dante struggles with this and with his attraction to Erin. He is convinced they are somehow destined for one another, and frustrated that River and Bill insist that is impossible.

Meanwhile, Erin begins to piece together some odd bits of information she comes across at the hospital. Her curiosity gets the better of her as she begins to investigate.

IN BLOOD BOND SAGA, BOOK 3:

As book two closed, Grandpa Bill’s research had brought him to something that had not been documented in over a thousand years. He thinks that what Dante has been describing as an uncontrollable urge to be with Erin is perhaps a blood bond, a trait that scholars had presumed had long since died out amongst their kind. It is believed to have developed as a defense mechanism by humans, who initiate the bond. The human and vampire bond not just emotionally, but physically as well. They cannot survive without one another. This supposedly was another hit on vampire fertility. Because the human and vampire mated, no pure vampires would result from the match.

Dante has some misgivings with Bill, though. Questions arise as he comes to realize that Bill isn’t quite the same person he was when Dante disappeared at age eighteen. He isn’t convinced he can trust Bill. Above all, he wants to ensure Erin’s safety. Bill insists that the pull Dante feels is coming Erin, but he has a difficult time accepting that notion. The pull Dante feels is internal. He needs Erin. Although Bill’s findings do help explain a lot, Dante isn’t convinced that the explanation is completely accurate.

The theme of vampire fertility continues as Dante and River worry over Emilie’s unplanned pregnancy. She refuses to share information, but River is convinced that the father is Jay Hamilton, his new partner and Erin’s brother.

Erin’s curiosity continues in this book, but she becomes increasingly confused about various little things. Her relationship with Dante continues to be hot and cold, but things begin to turn the corner when he invites her into his home and introduces her to his grandfather.

As Dante finally recognizes his need to get control over his emotions, he opens up to Bill about his time in captivity. Though painful, it is probably a little cathartic, too. Talking about it seems to help him focus a little better. Dante comes to some realizations before the book comes to an end. He eventually asks River for his help in finding out who took him. Things begin to heat up with him and Erin, but his concern for her only increases. He hopes to complete the blood bond with her before shifting his attention to capturing his captor.

Dante and Erin’s story is a paranormal romance set in New Orleans. It is a quick read that will pull you into the mystery of who took Dante captive and why. The short books in the saga read like a serial drama. After escaping ten years as a blood slave to the mysterious Queen, Dante needs answers. We learn that the vampire population is endangered thanks to a fertility issue and the shortage of female vampires. Despite their many genetic advantages, vampires in this drama don’t live forever and have difficulty reproducing. They are a dying breed. The story is well-written and plot-driven. The plot is fairly simple thus far. The characters are still being introduced here, so much remains to be learned. Dante’s constant hot and cold does start to grate – it seems every time he and Erin almost get together, he must leave for one reason or another. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Dante and Erin, with the epilogue in the Queen’s POV. I rate this book four stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Really like the story. There are mysteries to figure out. Need to continue on to see how this goes.

Yes this is another Vampire and Human romance book, but I’m going to stop your thoughts there. It is not your typical Vampire and Human Romance, Helen Hardt has put her own little twist and it was great. There is definitely things going on in this book that I have not had the pleasure of reading before from any other author, so well done. Having said that I did find a few things to be predictable and frustrating, but I was still intrigued and wanting to see what was going to happen with Dante and Erin.

Erin is a ER nurse that stubbles upon a starved vampire covered in blood in the blood bank of the hospital. Now any sane person would call security if they had see this, but something about this man had Erin in a trance like state and instead of turning him in she wanted to protect him.

Dante has been held captive and tortured for years, but now he is out and free but he is starving. He must find blood… Be is a Vampire but he hasn’t developed and grown like his fellow family members as he has been kept away and not trained. So when a young nurse walks in on him drinking the blood he isn’t able to use compulsion on her.

This series is Nine Volumes long but is Three books, with each book containing Three Volumes each. If you are not a fan of cliffhangers it is highly recommend to have the next book ready and waiting for when you finish this one.

I enjoyed this slow burn vampire romance. Helen Hardt added her own interesting take on the traditional vampire lore. It is part of a series, so be aware it ends with a cliffhanger.

Not your typical vampire story. A little bit angsty but I liked it.

I liked this one so much I bought it again to read read it again and enjoyed it as much as the first time you won’t go wrong on this vampire book.

Wish all the book was together. Dispose having to go find the next book after a few chapters.

Can’t wait to read the next book