Soul Bound: The Warrior

Soul Bound Series, Book 1

De: Jas T. Ward

Narrado por: Edward Mittelstedt

Death May Be The End...But Love Doesn't Give A @&%#.Murderer...Jace Camden is haunted by his past. One that has many believing he got away with murder. He's run from it, trying to start a new life in a new town. But his past hasn't let him escape and it's determined that his future will not be a long one. Death will demand it's due. And his late wife will make sure that debt is paid.Kitt Thomas' life is in a rut but that changed when she looked into the sad, haunted eyes of Jace Camden. Something about his wounded soul called to her--like a flicker in a very dark cave she should have had the sense not to step into.But his past will make sure she is no more part of Jace's future than life is. Because he's soul bound. And that's a bind that can only be broken by death. His. It's not about the Happily Ever After...It's about surviving the read. *Warning - this book deals with the subject of death, grief and it's retelling in a graphically realistic and dark manner*©2017 Jas T. Ward (P)2017 Jas T. Ward

I was expecting more

I jumped into this book expecting a horror tale (as indicted on Audible) and that’s probably one of the reasons it took me quite some time to get into this story. It’s really a romance first and foremost with a little bit of paranormal stuff thrown in. Romance really isn’t my cup of tea.

For the most part, I was bored. There’s lots of time spent on Jace and Kitt flirting and then, Bam!, they get smacked with a case of insta-love. So for the rest of the book there’s lots of long passages about eye contact and deep feelings and what not when they haven’t really experienced much together. Snooze.

Laura, Jace’s dead wife, is ghosting about, haunting Jace. She intrigued me because for much of the book we didn’t know for sure what occurred between Jace and Laura leading up to her death. Then there’s Olivia, Laura’s sister, who can also see Laura’s ghost. Olivia is hell bent on seeing ‘justice’ brought to Jace.

Sky (Kitt’s good friend) and Zane (Jace’s good friend) provide some comedic relief. We also have Dr. Alex Martinez who comes off a bit disorganized at first and yet I kept wondering if that was her way to set Jace off balance and get around his walls. Once the story writes itself into a corner, in walks Franklin who offers some much needed knowledge about the paranormal.

As you can see, the story has some promise, especially if you enjoy a strong romantic theme. For me, there was too little paranormal stuff and too much soul bonding based on insta-love. Also, the story often built drama around some insubstantial things. For instance, Jace doesn’t like cold drinks and his best friends have never asked him why. Pause for a deep long moment as the tension builds…. and Jace says he has sensitive teeth. Totally plausible yet some of the characters treat the answer with suspicion. Now, us readers know from early on Jace’s true reason for disliking cold things but I don’t see why it should be such a big deal with this friends. All told, it’s 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Edward Mittelstedt did a really good job narrating this book. Each character was distinct and his female voices were feminine. Now, the story does describe Jace as a more rugged Gerald Butler so I was expecting a deeper voice for Jace. That could just be me. Mittelstedt went the extra mile and did neat things like have multiple voices when more than one person answered a question at the same time. That was great! 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Edward Mittelstedt. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Flatliners Meets Buffy

I really enjoyed this story a lot. It started off kind of slow and took a long time to explain some things, but by the second half it moved swiftly and explained everything....up to a confusing cliffhanger ending. Since this is Book 1, I'm sure it will be explained in Book 2, which I will definitely have on my TBR!

Jace's wife, Laura, killed herself 5 years ago. Naturally, Jace was arrested for murder and it was so horrific that he could not speak to defend himself, but the jury was hung and he was freed. But after a failed suicide attempt and a car wreck that was deemed to be another attempt (although it wasn't), he has been on court ordered psychiatric care and medication. The problem is, he isn't crazy. His dead wife has just been showing up and kicking his ass constantly for the last 5 years and she won't let up.

Jace's friend Skyler introduces him to her friend Kit and Jace is smitten. Kit is too. Then Laura shows up and strangles Kit, who luckily gets away. Laura's vindictive sister has sent thugs to beat him up as she continues her attempts to get him convicted for murder or make him kill himself. Then Jace's psychiatrist signs papers to commit him.

With all this going on, you'd think the man would go crazy, but his friends learn the truth and try to help him find a way to stop Laura and keep him from being committed before things go too far. They learn that since he was a child, he travels between worlds in his sleep and is a warrior, deadly to the soulless demons that have Laura under their control. But how can they stop these demons?

A very complex story, pretty well written and filled with mystery and romance. However, my review knocks this down a star due to the extremely dull performance by Edward Mittelstedt. Apple's Siri has more emotion in her voice. Actually the voice from the 1982 movie War Games had more emotion than this guy! I will admit that he was better with the voices, although a couple of the females went from no accent to thick southern accents as the book went along. Other characters would break into a southern accent for one sentence, then go back to their normal voices. But the narration was so lifeless, if the story had not been so good, I might have given up on it. I hope for a better narrator for Book 2.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Not Bad, But Not the Best Paranormal Thriller

I found this book to be only okay plot wise. It started out very slowly and I only stuck in there because I agreed to listen to this book in exchange for an unbiased review - if I had bought the book with no commitment to listen, I would have stopped. There was quite a bit of romance in this thriller, which would have been fine with me if it had been balanced out with much more horror/paranormal/thriller aspects that weren't directly tied to the romance.

The best part of this listen was the narrator - Mittelstedt does a fantastic job with the voice acting. The characters were distinct in tone and accent, allowing the listener to understand who was speaking without the character being named.

Finally, the ending was quite a cliff hanger - an obvious attempt to get the reader to keep listening to the series. I understand the desire to do this, but all it's done is cement the fact that I'm not listening to another whole book to get the answers I wanted to get in this first book.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Dark and intense

Unique story. Very intense and dark paranormal listen with unexpected spots of humor. I loved the story and the characters, Jace especially was a very complex and intriguing character. Does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. Will definitely be looking for further books in the series, can’t wait to see where it goes. The narrator gave an amazing performance and made the listening experience. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Oh my!

Wow, what a unique, twisted story! Totally out of the norm, what you think you’re about to read is the complete opposite!

Starting out a relationship in the not best ways, Jas and Kit find themselves not just fighting for them to be together but to stay alive! So many factors are against them but one that is really not helping is Jas’s dead wife.

I could go on and say to much more but you really need to get into this story and find out for yourself how twisted this authors imagination really is!

Good Listen

Jace and Kitt are made to go on a date by mutual friends. They are instantly attracted to each other but Jace is being hunted by his dead wife. She terrorizes him and hurts him in his sleep. She has now moved on to Kitt. They must fight the dead in order to have a relationship. Great Narration.

Speechless

This book was amazing and nothing like I expected with so many twists and turns. The author did such a great job with the characters and bringing them to life with such incredible dimension. And the narrator did a great job with this story too. I found the many roles he spoke to be easy to follow and become one with.

Wow just wow and I am not sure what to do now that I have finished book one. It truly was a ride

Destroying Soul

Jace has lived a horrible life since his wife died until he meets Kitt even then he still experiences horror (you have to listen to the ending to find out) . This is a dark, scary paranormal romance with horror. It not only has a ghost but demons and full of suspenseful twist and turns. Recommend if you enjoy a suspenseful thriller with some romance. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank You.

Not what I was expecting...better!

Audible: Narrator – Edward Mittelstedt

I loved this narration. The narrator did a terrific job of individualizing each character and we even had some accent to help along the way. His tone and inflection were spot on for me and I never had a problem getting directly into the story and feeling a connection with the characters.



Wow! This book was NOTHING like I was expecting and I mean that in the most amazing way possible. It was dark as in scary, haunting, paranormal, unlike we usually find in romance, dark. The emotions are deep and painful and so heart breaking because there is no way but one for Jace Camden to find deliverance from what haunts him. I cannot express how much this book blew me away and left my brain a bit scrambled because it ends in a cliffhanger and as my friends know…I hate cliffies! But I knew this going in and I just felt compelled to listen to this one. Hmmm. Dark forces at work there?

There is such a sweet romance here with two characters that desire and need each other. They face some pretty touch obstacles which can only be overcome by trust and believing in the person you care for. But when you’re a new couple that isn’t always something that can be done. However, I loved that Kitt, despite being blown away time and again by her uncertainties, continued to come back to Jace.

Jace was just so completely broken, unlike any hero I’ve ever met. And oh my gawd did I hurt for him and all that he had been through and was still going through. I admired his perseverance even if he waivered at times in his actions. He was physically and emotionally drained and all I wanted was to see him find comfort, love and peace.

This was just a great read/listen! I am so glad I took a chance on it. This is more than what it appears on the surface and I was thrilled to discover it. But now the long wait for the next book! Gah! Cliffhangers!!!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Hits the Spot!

I'm always on the lookout out for a great supernatural story and Has Wars fits the bill. Edwards narration did it justice, I look forward to more.