“Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.” ― Rumi
Title: Bonded
Author: Rosalie Tarr
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Pages/Word Count: 166 Pages
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb: Alec Whitehall is old-fashioned—literally. Approaching his 123rd birthday, the steely vampire has nothing better to do with his time except to investigate and hunt murderous vampires as a means of regaining some sense of his withering humanity. While trailing his current case in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the last thing that Alec expects to find is his bonded mate—an unwelcome distraction, he’s sure of it. But that’s exactly what happens, and he’s shocked to realize that his mate is a young attractive man named Aidan Copperfield.
How do two straight men deny an attraction that they have absolutely no power over? As their stony resolve begins to crumble and they start to succumb to the fiery magnetism between them, a sadistic killer continues to roam the city streets at night, narrowing his sights on the newly bonded couple.
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Review: I’m a sucker for vampire stories, and Bonded was no exception. This story had an interesting twist. The main characters start out as straight but end up more than a little bent. This is nothing that I haven’t read before, but I do enjoy this type of twist. It’s all about the fantasy and how it unfolds.
The story is about your usual, old fashioned vampire Alec Whitehall, who is approaching his one-hundred-twenty-third birthday. He is a vampire vigilante who tracks rouge vampires that kill humans. I loved Alec because he was not your typical vampire, and it made him interesting. He wasn’t very alpha but he was still masculine. He was very prim and proper, from his speech to the way he dressed. Alec reminded me of a hero in a Jane Austin novel. Even the names of the main characters evoked the genteel English society. But the most important part was that he was also straight, or so he thought. Alec was totally into women until he met a certain man, who turned out to be his mate.
Aidan Copperfield is a young art student who has no idea that his life and love life will be turned upside down by a handsome vampire. From the first time Alec lays eyes on Aiden, he feels this undeniable attraction but is confused because Aidan is a man. Aidan is likewise bewildered by these new feelings that this man brings out in him. Most of the story is them trying to deny and then give in to their attraction. It’s not really denial, but more of not giving in to these new feelings. There is a subplot of a rogue vampire hunting Aidan and Alec, and them hunting the rogue in return. I liked the story because it was entertaining, though a bit predictable at times. I was okay with this because it’s all about how the story is presented and moved along.
The budding attraction and then relationship between Alec and Aidan, in my opinion, was very realistic, even though this is a fantasy and I don’t have any personal experience to go by. I would imagine that indecision and confusion is part of the course for anyone who is attracted to the same sex for the first time. The author did a great job at bringing the chemistry between the boys to life. When they finally get together, they were pretty hot!
The supporting characters rounded out the story. As always, the right supporting cast brings an extra special facet to any story. Alec’s friends were just as straight laced as he was, and it was fun to see them interact together. I could have read more about them and their exploits.
Bonded is an enjoyable tale about new beginnings and figuring out that finding your soul mate is more important than the packing they come in.
You can buy Bonded here:
