The Blood That Binds Us

By: Erin Mainord

Narrated by: Jacci Prior, James Cavenaugh

She is the wielder of blood magic, and she may end them all.

“Monster…”

Wren has never stolen a life, but that doesn’t stop her from believing her darkness makes her a walking nightmare. Harboring a power so lethal, unpredictable, and entirely forbidden by kingdom law, Wren’s spent her whole life hiding what she is—who she is. A bloodwitch.

Meanwhile, a war is looming, and Wren’s feral magic may be the only thing that can stop the uprising from destroying the kingdom, her home, and everyone that stands in their way. After her sister is captured by the rebellion, Wren must seek help from the kingdom’s ruler who would sooner imprison her than offer aid. Except… Singard needs her, and when she volunteers the use of her power in exchange for his help finding her sister, an unlikely alliance is born.

Forced into a reluctant compromise with the “white-haired witch,” Sin finds himself protecting Wren for his kingdom’s survival, but their star-crossed relationship quickly spirals into one straddling the precipice of hate and passion. As secrets are unveiled and loyalties are tested, neither are sure who they can trust.

When hostilities deepen and war draws near, Wren is determined to rein in her wild magic and bind it to her will. With the lives of everyone she loves at stake, Wren must look within and decide if she is the monster she fears, or if there is light to be found in the darkest parts of herself.

©2023 Erin Mainord (P)2024 Erin Mainord

Sexy and Fun Fantasy Romance

This won't be my last Erin Mainord book! I loved how quickly I became invested in this world she built -- a world in the middle of a war, on the brink of changing tides.

Erin's world is dark, dangerous, and full of shifting alliances that leave everyone out for themselves first and foremost. The plot, which starts as a simple escape from enemies, woman on the run, quickly turns into a darker exploration of war and political intrigue that had me racing toward the end and right over the cliff.

Wren is such a fun character to follow -- as a blood witch she grapples with some pretty deep emotions. It was fun to watch her find her place between the drive to give into the blood witch power and remain a bit of her soul in the process. She is such an emotionally raw character who has been through so much that it is easy to root for her to find her power and her balance.

Singard -- Wren's captor and ruler -- plays a dangerous game through the whole book. He's secretive, morally grey, and just a touch of reckless. All the while you can't help but support him as he works to help Wren find her balance in life.

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I cannot leave out my applause for this duo. Anytime I see Jacci Prior as a narrator, I know I am in good hands. She does smoky and sexy so well and she just adds so much depth to the FMCs story and words. Truly, having her voice Wren was a fantastic pairing. Her range was inspired and helped the reader tap into both Wren's rage and sadness.

Also -- Jacci's narration paired with James Cavanaugh's male voices. This first my first time hearing James do a fantasy romance (he's voiced some of my fave rom-coms). I need him to do more FANTASY. The deep of the male characters' voice! Spot on and so different from the voices he uses in rom-coms. Sin's voice -- A plus.

Together, this duo did a fantastic job of drawing the reader into Erin's world and bringing life to the Wren, Sin, and the rest of the characters. I'm hooked!

On the edge of my seat.

The voices were perfect. Great story line. InsANE spice. I’m so tempted to read the second but I know the audible version will be worth the wait.😫 10/10

Great Storytelling!

I’ve been OBSESSED with Wren & Sin but this audio took it to a new level! These narrators brought it to life & did it so well!

Their captive & captor relationship, their angst, their secrets, their individual struggles with alllllll of this made for such an amazing story that I cannot WAIT to see how it plays out in the next one!

If you love villains, this one is definitely for you! Especially with that ending,,,ahhhh!!

sexy slow burn. ravenous hunger, with something tasty in every bite!

I have been reading spicy books since I was a teeny bopper. My favourite was Laurell K Hamilton. I never thought I'd find an author that could compete with the way she writes her books into an immersive experience. However, Erin has more than done that! I absolutely LOVED this book. it really left me in complete shock and awe. I'm just waiting till the next is available as an audiobook because ooh do those voice actors just do it for me🥵.

If you are looking for a series that will leave you hot n bothered, while also taking you on this wild journey of surrendering to the self completely, yea this is the book for you!! You'll see this powerful woman Wren, come into her own, and truly accept all she is.
Erin has a way of pulling you into Wrens world. she gently guides you in and before you know it, you are enveloped into watching this incredible danger and romance happen before your eyes, in a beautiful and chaotic fantasy realm.

Her ability to world build is absolutely amazing, think dark acadamia meets fantasy. The burn though! It is sexy and so enticing. It's not too much of a slow burn either. its just enough to leave the reader interested and wanting more. You'll watch this small ember of a flame continue to grow until it's a huge uncontrollable fire of passion,rage, betrayal, and love. She really brings the characters to life, so very 3 dimensional, from faces, to fingers, to err.. other appendages. I promise you'll put this book and series in general into your top 10 romance reads.

Possibly the best I've ever heard !

This book has everything! You need to read or listen. Need more soon. Will watch for it.

The female narrator

I agree with another reviewers comment that it was REALLY hard to continue listening due to the female narration. The use of a period didn’t seem to matter. She read fast too. I tried to slow it down and it didn’t help. Inflections were a little off too. I did stick with it because of the story and that s3xual tension 🤤 The story is great and I didn’t see that ending coming, with is rare, till it was almost there. The narrator’s actual voice isn’t bad to listen to, I just hope she has more pauses where they are supposed to be in the next book. I will definitely listen to the next or buy it.

And a queen bows for no one.

I did a reread with the audiobook and I love it even more. Hearing this story come to life was just perfection. I think the narrators did a fantastic job.

5⭐️ 1.5🔥 For it being Erin’s debut novel, I enjoyed the world building and the descriptive adjectives were a nice addition. I didn’t feel lost within the story and I thought things were explained pretty well. A really solid plot with character building and action in my opinion. There was so much angst and tension and I was here for it. Wren was super feisty and I love that in a FMC. It’s low on the spice scale for me as things didn’t really happen until almost 80% of the book. Super slow burn. But I really did enjoy how this enemies to lovers was true enemies until the end 😅 Quite a few twists sprinkled in as well. I cannot wait until the next book to see what happens next in this world.

Tropes:
Dark Romantasy
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Touch Her and Unalive
Forbidden Magic


As always check your TW. Your mental health is important and it matters 🖤🫶🏼

Loved it all!!!

Everything about this novel was fantastic. The plot sucked me in. The characters gave me all the feels, what a rollercoaster of feels at that. The spice was well placed, not over used and steamy! Lastly, Jacci and James were the perfect choices to read this novel! James as Sin is probably why I devoured this audiobook in one day! Can't wait for The Bonds that Break Us!

That story line

Woo I feel as if I was on a rollercoaster in the best way 💉💉💉I need more 🥲

Outstanding

This was such a great read/listen! The story is intense, romantic, and the plot twist at the end was not one I saw coming! Narrators did a wonderful job bringing the book to life and now I am upset the second one isn’t available. Will definitely be continuing this series.