Narrated by Amy Landon
I’m always a little bit skeptical when a well-loved author decides to start a new series, completely unconnected to anything they’ve written before. Variety is a fabulous thing, but what if the new series isn’t as good as what I’m used to? Perhaps my expectations are too high. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about this when I started listening to Bound by Night
Nicole Martin has grown up hating vampires. When she was a young child, vampires, who have been enslaved by humans, attacked and killed her entire family. Nicole herself was bitten but she survived. As an adult, Nicole has devoted her life to finding a cure for those who have been turned into vampires.
Some vampires are not content to live lives of slavery. Instead, they ban together, forming clans for protection and a sense of family. Riker is part of the MoonBound clan, the second in command. The security of the clan rests on his shoulders.
When a member of a neighboring clan is abducted, Riker devises a plan to get her back. Unfortunately, this involves kidnapping Nicole but Riker is sure he can find a use for her. He never plans to fall in love with her.
I’ve never listened to an Amy Landon narration before. I’m pleased to report that doing so is a pleasant experience. Her pacing is good, and her voice has a warm, fluid quality that sucked me right into the story.
I found Landon’s depiction of Nicole to be true to what the author intended. She’s intelligent and practical, but she has a certain vulnerability she tries hard to keep hidden from those around her. She was a victim once and she doesn’t plan to be one again. Landon allows the listener to experience both sides of this very complex character.
Unfortunately, her depiction of Riker was a little harder for me to get into. He sounds very similar to other male characters, both human and vampire. It seems that Landon has a default male voice which she varies only slightly for each character. This makes dialogue tags a must when more than one man is taking part in a conversation. It also makes it very difficult to feel like you’re getting to know the character.
However, it was quite easy to tell Nicole and Riker apart. Nicole is given a slightly higher tone and a little less harshness than Landon gave Riker. The interactions between the two were a pleasure to listen to. The listener is able to fully understand how these two people, who have so many reasons to dislike each other, could end up falling in love.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bound by Night and I’m eager for more books in this series. There are a lot of supporting characters whose stories I can’t wait to hear.
Shannon
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Narration: B
Book Content: A
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: Escalated fighting
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Bound by Night was provided to AudioGals for review by Tantor Audio.
