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July 1, 2012

Unbound by Lola James {Review} Promotional Book Tours

by Janet
Unbound by Lola James Blog Tour
 

Unbound

Toni went from being a doctor, to the lover of a god in an instant. Remembering who she was, she’s now torn between her past self and her current love. Ben is stunned when Toni leaves and at the arrival of his long lost love, Catherine, but her arrival doesn’t eradicate Toni from his mind. Unlikely allies will team up to get Toni back from the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, but it’s not Hades they need to worry about.  

Liz’s Review

 
Unbound may be one of the most unpredictable books I have ever read. It starts with scheming gods then, before you can say Hero and Leander author Lola James introduces vampires, and, as if this isn’t ambitious enough, ups the ante with witches.
 
            The book begins with Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, being drawn into ill-fated schemes by Persephone, queen of the underworld and erstwhile wife of Hades. I especially liked how James started her story with humor; I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for the hapless Eris – who plays second fiddle to her brother Ares in most myths – even as her description of the situation made me smile. Persephone, meanwhile, is an irrefutable villainess.
 
            Shortly after the queen of the underworld coerces Eris into assisting in her plot, the story picks up with the vampire Benjamin trying to figure out how to rid himself of the truly evil – and equally as ancient – undead Catherine, who runs a close second to Persephone for sheer maliciousness. Benjamin is trying to find a way to free the love of his eternal life, Antonia, previously known as Toni Hollander, even as Catherine does her level best to prevent her rival’s rescue. I truly did not expect the method Benjamin employs to move Catherine out of the picture, however, nor that he would be aided by Dawn, a Southern belle in the tradition of Scarlett O., and Kevin, another contender for Antonia’s affections.
 
            Furthering James’ defiance of mythological precepts is the god Hades. Traditionally depicted as a morose, dour figure who lured the naïve Persephone into dividing her time between the bliss of Olympus and the gloom of the underworld, in Unbound, he is shown to not only have a heart – which he gave to the enchanting Antonia millennia ago – but to be as much an unwilling pawn in his vindictive wife’s games as the rest of the characters. From the beginning I wanted the romance between Antonia and Hades to win out, despite their many adversities, not the least of which – or should I say whom – is Annie, a witch and one-time friend to Antonia who proves herself to be the worst kind of betrayer.
 
            James truly plays a marvelous shell game with her reader, always keeping one guessing as to where the next twist will come from, and never failing to deliver. I was torn between wanting Antonia to find her happily-ever-after with Benjamin, Kevin, and Hades; being delighted over the reunions with long-lost parents that occur just when the reader most needs to find a silver lining to the story; and cheering out loud for those moments of feminine self-empowerment discovered by Dawn and Antonia. That was truly the only thing that could make these heroines more likeable: realizing the strength they possessed within themselves, which the reader had seen all along.
 
            The pinnacle to this story, at least for me, was the poetic justice at the end of this story. Everyone likes to see her favorite character come out on top, and in this story, somehow everyone receives the fate he and she have earned. But the very best part is that this isn’t the end of their journey. I’m eagerly waiting for the sequel to Unbound, and expecting that James will turn out another work that keeps me rushing through, just to find out what happens next for these complex, compelling characters.

Unbound, a Paranormal Romance (Book 2 of the Spellbound Series)

Don’t forget to pick up the first in the series:

Bound to Remember, a Paranormal Romance (Book 1 of the Spellbound Series)

Follow Lola on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and her Blog

Follow the Promotional Book Tour for more information and chances to win!

I am so proud to introduce to my readers a new reviewer to GCWG, my SIL, Liz!!

Liz studied English and History at University of Texas in Tyler and is currently living in Colorado with the love of her life, my brother (I don’t know how she does it!). She is starting out with book reviews, but we have other reviews in the works.

Please welcome Liz and let her know how her VERY FIRST review looks!!

 

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Comments

  1. Lindsay @ Laughing Lindsay says:
    August 1, 2012 at 11:19 am

    Hello, Liz! What a thorough review. Thanks for that.

    Reply
  2. Danielle says:
    August 1, 2012 at 10:40 am

    Sounds like an interesting book. I should have picked it up for my flight tonight!

    Reply