Bound by Night (The Moonbound Clan Vampires Book 1)

I loved the new take on vampires. It was interesting and entertaining from the other vampire books that have in literature. Please continue this series, I was hooked when the vampires were slaves and they were created by an infection.

Absolutely AMAZING!! Larissa Ione has gone above and beyond again with her SPECTACULAR new series!! A must purchase and read immediately author who is one of the few that I'll purchase any book of and is always in my "must read" list when I get asked :)

Just loved loved loved this book! Can't resist vampire romance and Larissa Ione didn't disappoint this time either. If you like the Demonica series this is a must read for you!

Can't wait for the next Moonbound Clan novel!

I purchased the professional narration to this Kindle and Amy Landon does a wonderful job narrating this book with feeling. Never once do you hear her reading a line just her rendering of the characters telling their story. The story is, as expected from Ione, FANTASTIC!

I rate books in four categories: loved the book, really liked the book, liked the book, didn't finish reading.

I really liked the book. From the beginning the book grabbed and held my attention.

I was so disappointed with this new series of Larissa's. She is one of my favorite authors. I get that she tried to take a new spin on telling a Vampire story, but this one did not work for me. Vampires are slaves to humans. Some have escaped from being the human's slave. Vampires are in clans. Vampires take care of the humans, meanual chores. The story just does not seem believable to me. There is a lot of a Indian feel to the telling of the story. I feel Larissa did not think this story through all the way before she started writing it.

Welcome to Larissa Ione's latest vampire series! An interesting story of slavery, loyalty, revenge and a hot 'n sexy romance.

Nicole is a human woman and New-found CEO of Daedalus Corp. She inherited the company from her parents who were massacred in a vampire rebellion attack when she was a young girl. Her illegitimate half-brother, Chuck, has been ruining it in her place until she was ready to take the reins. But what she thinks she is getting may be more than she expected.

Daedalus Corp is a scientific companies working on vampires. TO create vaccines, to understand them, breed them and worse... Nicole only knows some of what the company is. But when a few vampires, Ryker and Myne, kidnap her and demand she release a certain vampire, her rose colored glasses are finally removed...

Now I am not sure if this book is a futuristic book or just an alternate timeline but regardless, in this reality most vampires are slaves to humans. Often collared, De-fanged and used however humans see fit. Yet there are still free vampires out there who are fighting back.

Nicole grew up thinking as vampires are the enemy and Ryker thought the same of humans. Both share a past with Terese who was Nicole's nanny and Ryker's mate. Nicole is about the learn how much more there was to her death, her families company and vampires in general. And Ryker needs to learn that not all humans are that bad.

While I liked all the characters, Myne is probably one I wish we had gotten to know better and hope to learn more in future books. Bastien has me very curious about with his ability and we even had a mad scientist in this book with an affinity for kool-aid!

Nicole sort of annoyed me at times. While I like how she presents herself and is strong in many ways, she is also lived a naive life. I kept wondering why she never question the attack, or how she thought vampire experimentation is okay. She'll confront a wrong if shoved in her face but otherwise seemed to have her own interests at the forefront of life. She never questioned the order of vampire exterminations that her company obeyed, in which her signature was on the order. I mean, if you didn't sign it, WHO DID? I would have thought she would have realized things were wrong and need her attention. But it took a kidnapping to get her to wake up. Sad

Ryker I loved. Ryker with a good heart but a few too many chips on his shoulder. He loves sticking his foot in his mouth on areas that quickly come to bite him in the butt all too often.

I was not a big fan of the Indian backround for the creation of vampires. and The end did nothing to fix that. While I am curious enough to continue the ending alone almost cost this 1/2 a star. It just doesn't seem necessary and it's overkill. I will leave it at that.

So overall enjoyable. Some very steamy, almost rough sex scenes so this is very much adults only. Bit of intrigue and science blended in. The characters are well done and each unique. The slavery aspect is new but I wish I knew a bit more of what is going on there.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.**

Any first installment into a series can tend to be a little wobbly on its feet at first, especially when the author is known for only one series (and a popular one at that), and this one was no true exception.

I admit, I had a hard time just sitting back and enjoying the book on its own without drawing quite a few comparisons between the characters and events in this book, and the popular Demonica/Lords of Deliverance books. However, I soon found that I really enjoyed her fresh take on the vampire myth, turning them into a subjugated race fighting for both freedom from and revenge against their captors. The in-fighting between clans, the evil corporations, the hunters sent in to bring down rogues and escapees -- all of these added up to a thrilling world in which to set the story.

On top of that, the animosity between Nicole and Riker, along with their growing understanding of each other, not to mention the growing attraction that they both attempted to fight, added the perfect amount of tension, and of course, the trademark heat and chemistry that we've come to expect from Ms. Ione kept things quite interesting even during the times between fighting.

While I was a little weirded out by the in-your-face age difference between Nicole and Riker, and was perhaps a bit distracted by some of the parallels that could be drawn between this story and the Demonica/LOD series, it was the world-building that really made me fall in love with this tale. I can't wait for more books to help explain the history behind the enslavement of the vampire race, as well as the stories behind the various rogue clans. The teaser for the next book in the series has me salivating to get my hands on it, and leaves me with no doubt that this series is going to be one to watch.

A very solid 4/5, and definitely a series to watch.

{I received a copy of this title free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The full review is available on The Romanceaholic.}

Nicole Martin's family is involved in the business of vampires; particularly experimenting, brainwashing and making servants out of them. This is great (and safer) for the humans and has made her family rich, but isn't especially appreciated by vampires. Most of her family is wiped out during an uprising when she was 8 and the company is led by her half brother until she's old enough to take over. But does she want to?

Riker, a member of the renegade vampire Moonbound Clan kidnaps Nicole in the hopes of using her as collateral for the release of a female vampire recently captured. A war will break out between renegade clans if this gifted vampire isn't released. Nicole is vastly surprised by what she learns both about her company as well as about vampires. She and Riker are shocked to discover how drawn they are to the other.

The author does a great job of creating the culture and characters while telling a story that grabbed me right away. And I was along for the emotions and tensions felt by the heroine; an intelligent, tough, but compassionate woman. The story moves along at a good clip, and partway through it I had to call a friend and tell her about this book. She didn't appreciate it quite as much as I did, finding it unrealistic for humans to get the upper hand over vampires.

This is the first book in a new series that gives us a very unique culture when it comes to vampires. I haven't seen anything else like it. It appears that each book has a couple du jour and this one sets up the situation for the next book in the series.

Read as an ARC via Edelweiss/Above the Treeline.

Nicole Martin's family is the founder and owner of the Daedalus Corporation. Unbeknownst to Nicole all through her childhood the lab in which her father is responsible of has been secretly torturing and enslaving vampires. When Nicole was eight years old an vampire uprising occurred which ending in the death of most of Nicole's family and almost Nicole herself. Now as an adult Nicole has taken over as CEO of Daedalus but still doesn't know about all the horrors that the lab has caused and is still causing the vampire population. Nicole being super naive has gone through most of her life not knowing the full truth of anything that had/has been going on in the Martin house but her life living under a rock changes when she is kidnapped by a handsome vampire in an attempt to stop the corporation. Even though she was taught to fear rogue vampires she can't help but be fascinated by the vampire that is holding her captive. The longer her life in captivity becomes the closer and more in love she falls for the handsome vampire.

Riker has spent his entire vampire life hating the humans, his hatred becomes pure rage when his female mate is captured by the humans and forced into slavery at the Martin house. The death of Rikers mate on the same day of the uprising catapults him deeper and deeper into the workings of Daedalus. In an attempt to put a stop to the corporation that has caused the death of many Riker kidnaps Nicole bringing her with him back to the clan that he calls home. The fall of a huge corporation is easier said than done and things take an unexpected turn causing Nicole to become stuck with Riker and the clan. The longer Nicole stays with the clan, the more knowledge of Daedalus is learned for the clan and Nicole. To make matters even worse Riker can feel himself coming to enjoy Nicole's company and begins to fall in love with a member of the species he has grown to hate.

Love and companionship alone will not be enough to save them or the clan from the fallout that is to come.

My Thoughts: I received this book for review after winning the second book in this series in a contest. I wasn't even sure I was going to read the series but I am so glad that I did! Larissa Ione has managed to create a world of vampires with abilities and weakness that aren't found in a traditional vampire. Being so used to reading books with traditional vampires it was a breath of fresh air to begin this series. The intimate scenes at times became a bit cheesy but I have noticed that they got better as the story went on and they are even better in the 2nd book. I love this book so much that I will be investing in a physical copy for future rereading. HIGHLY recommend to any who loves vampires, paranormal romance, or just romance. This book doesn't disappoint.

My initial reaction to Bound by Night was similar to that of any (paranormal) romance: predictable. That’s why we read them, right? We know how it goes.

Girl meets guy.

Girl and guy have some unexplained attraction to each other despite *insert reason to keep them apart.*

Girl and guy go against the odds and come to some understanding that allows them to be together regardless of aforementioned reason.

Girl and guy end up together, happily ever after.

I’m not against any of that, but it does make a story nothing more than average unless the author can somehow twist it to add a little extra something to the pot. For Bound by Night, Ione gives us an…interesting take on vampires. The world knows about them, and have for some time. Long enough that humans have enslaved vampires.

Wait, what?

That’s right, folks. The weak humans have made vampires–their natural predator–into butlers and maids. I mean, if Ione wanted to be original, she certainly has that going for her here, but now she’s ventured into the land of nonsensical. Since it’s fiction, I’ll let that go for now.

Our story opens with a flashback to a time where our heroine, Nicole, was a child and her family was brutally murdered by vampires. Let’s just say she has a reason to hate them. Now an adult, Dr. Nicole Martin has taken over her family’s company and is working to keep vampires in chains. Enter Riker, a vampire in the MoonBound Clan and with a particular interest in destroying the Martin line once and for all. He kidnaps Nicole but finds out there’s more to the story he believed concerning their past. Cue romance.

The chemistry between Riker and Nicole is undeniable. Ione sets that up from the start and really weaves it into her story. For the first half of the book or so, I watched the romance escalate in typical “romance genre” fashion–awesome. Then things took a turn downhill and the rest of the plot ventures into Crazyland. It was as if Ione started writing a paranormal romance and decided that she wanted to move away from the love and into the action of an urban fantasy. While I see many books performing this crossover (and usually fairly well at that), Ione almost split her book in two between the sub-genres. It smeared the hint of greatness that this book could’ve had if it stuck with just one, or wove the two more seamlessly. As it is, the romance was lost and there went my interest in the characters.

It didn’t help that the author’s writing style bored me. Story? Average. Writing? One-way trip to snoozeville.

So, characters. Nicole wasn’t necessarily a hard character to like. She definitely has some misconceptions about the vampires (despite being a so-called expert on them), but I thought she was a decent heroine. Riker has the brooding vampire down, but is sexy as hell so that’s okay (right?). The rest of the cast fell into a) jerk humans, b) male vamps who think they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, or c) female vamps oppressed by said male vamps. When it came down to it, there wasn’t much variety in Ione’s characters and they all blurred together by the end.

For my first taste of Ione’s writing, I’d say it was average all around. If you’re a fan of this author, no doubt you’ll enjoy this first book in her new series. And to those who have yet to read anything by Larissa Ione, give this book a shot. It’s certainly not a bad book.

This was a great paranormal romance. I’ve been reading a lot of romances lately and so it was a nice change, even though I stuck with the main romance theme. You could tell right off the bat that the author really wanted to submerge the reader into the world where vampires were second class citizens and even kept as servants to the human race. Ione really built a strong history and sometimes these kind of paranormal series lacks that kind of background. It can even go in the other direction, where the author puts too much into the history, it’s hard to get into the story. But this story world was developed almost perfectly, plus it was filled with lots of interesting twists on common vampire lore.

For example, in the mainstream depiction of Vampires is that they are, the more sophisticated paranormal being. Whereas a Shapeshift or Werewolf would be more of a rough paranormal being. There were times while reading Bound by Night that I felt like I was reading about werewolves and not vampires. While these vampires lived, learned and acted (for the most part) like humans, there were times when they felt more native. Their history took more of a Native American approach, containing that of myths and culture. While is was a slightly awkward take on vampires, it was a bit refreshing at the same time. It was almost like a challenge to think of vampires in a slightly different way.

Lastly, I want to touch on the romance plot and characters. A lot of romance books follow the format of Boy meets Girl and the two don’t get along, but fall in love in the end. Really, this story was no different. What I liked about this story is that the main characters, Ricker and Nicole, took a little more time jumping into a romantic relationship. It wasn’t quite that simple for them to fall in love. In regards to supporting characters, I felt the author did a good job letting us connect to some of them who will hopefully show up in future stories. This is always important if you want readers to pick up book two and so on.

Overall, this was a good read. I also feel like paranormal reads are a bit deeper in just regular romances’ only because to really understand the paranormal aspect of the story you need some history. So I did have to “think” a little more with this one to remember the correct lore, but I didn’t mind at all. If you’re a Kresley Cole or Jeaniene Frost fan, you should pick up this book.

To read more reviews like this one, check out my site, www.ObsessiveBookNerd.com

Bound by Night
By Larissa Ione
Bound by Night is a new twist on the urban legend of Vampires. It is a dark look into the human psyche, looking into the dark reaches of man mind and how they treat those different from themselves. Vampires live among us, born as legend says from Native American tribes over 400 years before this book takes place.
The legend states that two warring chiefs killed each other and Crow and Raven fought over their dying bodies, creating the first vampires. But this is not the thrust of the story, humanities reaction to the growth and divergence of vampires has changed many things. First it was a threat, and then it was a desired ability or resource. Then the Martin family found it to be a trade, to trade in vampire slaves. People that were captured and acquired that were vampires were considered a different breed. They could be defanged and used as slave labor, either as manual labor, for the home or business or for the sex trade. This monopoly gave the Martin family power. Power that corrupted like it always does.
Nichole is the surviving daughter of the Martin family. She had watcher her family die in a slave uprising that nearly claimed her life. She survived because of the scientific development of a serum against vampirism. But her body rejected the serum in strange ways. At her majority when she was beginning to find her way into the family business, things began to crumble. She was blamed for the deaths of vampires at one of her facilities, she was kidnapped. Both incidences brought her to the realization that she did not know what she was getting into.
This is a great start to a series that may rewrite the whole idea, and mythos of the vampire genre. Bound by Night is a great story that will change how people look at vampire stories, and what our world is like.

Reviewed by Nadene
Book provided by the publisher
Originally posted at Romancing the Book

Bound by Night is the first book in the Moonbound Clan Vampire series, which I believe is a great start to the series. It tells the story of Nicole Martin a human who is a vampire physiologist and Riker, a member of the Moonbound Clan. These two are sworn enemies. Why? Riker holds Nicole’s family responsible for the destruction of his family.

When Nicole was eight years old, she witnessed what she believed was Riker killing her nanny, Therese, who also happened to be Riker’s fiancé. Soon after that event the vampire slaves rebelled and Nicole’s family was massacred and she barely survived the attack.

Fast forward twenty years into the future, we see Nicole dedicating her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism. We see also that she is trying to deal with the nightmares she has been having since that fateful day when she was attacked.

Riker has his own demons to deal with. He was still grieving for the passing of his fiancé and unborn child. He was filled with anger and hatred towards the entire Martin family. His an Nicole’s path would cross once again when Riker and his clan had to rescue a vampire midwife whom had been captured by Nicole’s company. This rescue was necessary as it would mean preventing a war between rival clans. In undertaking the rescue attempt Riker ended up kidnapping Nicole. What follows is a story filled with action, romance, intrigue and suspense.

This is my first experience with Larissa Ione and I enjoyed every moment spent reading this title. I liked her take on the vampire species which differs from the vampire stories I have read prior to this. In this series vampires were enslaved by humans and are treated like a sub-species. They ran experiments on them as they wanted to learn the secrets to their long life, super strength and speed. In addition, it is believed that vampires were created as a result of a Native American legend which is different from the usual vampire legends.

The story grabbed me from the very first page and it pulled me in and refused to let go until it ended. I enjoyed the dialogue in the novel. It was very funny and entertaining. The secondary characters provide a great backup system for the principal roles. My least favorite is Chuck, Nicole’s brother and my favorite is Hunter, the leader of the Moonbound Clan. I can’t wait to read his story.

Bound by Night is an entertaining and fascinating read. If you love paranormal romance and hot and sexy vampires then I would recommend that you get yourself a copy.

Wow! Finally a vamp story that give us something different from the other PNR I've read. I always thought that vamp stories had been beyond exhausted. Here we have vampires as human slaves, hunted by evil humans and treated like lab rats. How much worst can it be? Larissa Ione build a world whereby humans are evil and vampires are victims to the human's greed of power and wealth.

Nicole Martin is a research scientist and the heir of Daedalus corporation (sounds familiar? Think, Daemon Black!) and had been raise by a loving vamp nanny, Teresa. Daedalus is the company that experiment on vampires and trained vampires to serve as slave for the humans. Her fear towards vamps had sealed when she saw Teresa being murdered by her own mate, Riker and Nicole subsequent being attacked by their family vamp chef.

Finally coming back to Daedalus to fulfill her destiny as an heir, she found out that the company had been operating unsanctioned experiment by her half-brother, Chuck. Nicole later got kidnap by a deadly vamp that is non-other than Riker, the man she feared most. Riker demanded her help to release a vampire that had been captured by Daedalus.

Riker is one if the best fighter of MoonBound Clan. He had extreme hatred towards humans and the Martin family in general for taking his mate away from him and subsequent lead to her death. He is having a hard time moving on since Teresa's passing. Now he had a mission to avoid a war between two vampire clans by saving a vampire from Daedalus by capturing Nicole and blackmailing her brother, Chuck.

Meeting Riker brings on a whole different experience to Nicole. She realize that she had been wrong about the vampires in general. They are not raging animals that needs to be subdue and treated as slave. She also see the ugly side of humanity that exploit the vampires for their own benefit. Meanwhile, Riker is also surprise to find out that Nicole is not an evil Martin set out to destroy his people.

Riker is this poor tortured soul that still riding the guilt of the death of his mate. She is his responsibility and he let her down and he can never forgive himself. I thought his history with Teresa is one sad story that make my heart ache for him. Despite his strong feelings for Nicole and knew that she is different from other humans, he still think he is betraying Teresa by canoodling with the enemies. I kinda want to smack him for taking such a long time to come around his senses, though.

I thought the world building was brilliant. Is a mixed of paranormal and science fiction element within a compelling plot. The vamp community is facing difficulty in their survival and Daedalus been creating new developments to fight against vamps. Nicole had been studying vampire physiology and instead of using her skill to exploit the vamp, now she decided to help them instead.

The ending was really touching and emotional. I had a thing for hero who is selfless and when Riker made the ultimate sacrifice for his clan, I just flat out love him. Well, Nicole is also not one damsel in distress and she came out with some brilliant moves towards the end. Love this two couple and honestly, I wish Book 2 still continue with their story, although I suspect is gonna be about Hunter, the MoonBound Clan leader.

[Originally posted on SnarkyMomReads & refers to a copy provided by Netgalley] “BOUND BY NIGHT” is the first in the MoonBound Clan series by Larissa Ione. As you may remember from an earlier post, Larissa Ione is part of the writing team that makes up Sydney Croft. Now, I realize that I normally don’t like many of the variations of vampire novels out there, but when I had the chance to read & review the advance copy of “Bound By Night” and saw it was by Larissa Ione, I wanted to give it a try. I AM SOOOOO GLAD I DID!

In this new series world of Larissa Ione’s, some vampires have been enslaved by humans and used as servants… and more deviously and viciously, as “research subjects”. Head of the company that does all the testing? Nicole. As a youngster, her family was caught up in a vampire rebellion and a household slave/servant tried to drain her, leaving her scarred both physically and emotionally. One of the vampires around at the time of the rebellion, who’s mate was killed? Riker. They have every reason to hate each other, but circumstances force them to reconsider their notions about each others’ cultures and trust in each other for their survival. The story, mythology & character development is riveting, as is the foundation in Native American lore.

Like I said – I normally don’t seek out the vampire stories – but this is definitely a series I will keep an eye on for the future stories! If you are a true paranormal romance fan, she also has a full series (10-11 books at this point) called the Demonica series. While I’ve not yet read one, I do have a few on the hold list now from my library! If you really like the paranormal / vampire-themed romances – DEFINITELY check out this MoonBound Clan series! (And can someone just give up a “YAY!” for the cover model?) THUMBS UP!

5 out of 5 for this reader folks!

YAHOOOOOO! Larissa Ione is BACK with another series! I will state this right away before I start gushing and swooning all over your computer screen ... her Demonica and Lords of Deliverance series are a couple of my absolute faves that I have read over and over again! When I saw she was coming out with a new Vamp series, I admit I may have squealed like a little kid in a candy shop. Actually there was no "may" about it .. I did squeal. LOL So without further delay, let's get on with it already!

Bound by Night by Larissa Ione is the first book in the MoonBound Clan Vampire Series. We start the book about 20 years back when our leading lady Nicole Martin was a child and her family has been viciously attacked by vampires (a revolt of vampire slaves that have had enough). Somehow Nicole survives and we are brought into present day with Nicole inheriting the CEO position of a pristine company that specializes in vampire research.

Nicole is completely overwhelmed with all the responsibility she has inherited and leans on her brother Chuck (seriously a sadistic SOB although Nicole doesn't know this yet) for help. The company specializes in formulating a anti-vampirism vaccine and in order to do this, many vampires are treated with horrible cruelty (once again, Nicole is not privy to all this information). Before she knows it, her company has been infiltrated and Nicole has been kidnapped by a clan of "wild vampires". Nicole is now thrust into a world that she fears and finds intriguing,

Riker (our hunky, yummy, sexy vamp ... oh and leading man ...SIGH ..LOL) is the right hand man to the clan leader Hunter. Riker leads this infiltration of Nicole's company as this company is responsible for the kidnapping of a precious and highly skilled vampire that is treasured among vampire clans. When he finds Nicole, he is thrust into flashes of history as he realizes that she is the little girl that his mate had been forced to care of and who Riker believes was the cause of his mates death. Once he gets his hands on adult Nicole, all he can think about is vengeance. Except .. that isn't all he can think about!

Nicole is afraid and yet she is captivated by Riker. When the truth comes out (so much more than what meets the eye in true Larissa Ione fashion), she is humbled, petrified and somehow grows very strong in her belief that the wrongs must be made right. Riker finds himself confused by this human. He has held her family responsible for years with regards to his mates death and the general torture of his species. He is also finding himself completely drawn in by Nicole and it isn't just the symptoms of the moonphase (this is when vamps need to feed and mate) that is causing him to fall for her.

Both characters must overcome their own personal feelings (good and bad) to get to the truth. When a rival clan threatens, they both need to trust and lean on each other and sacrifice for one another. I have to say, Larissa once again wrote a compelling story setting up a series that I know is going to ROCK my PARANORMAL world. While she is building this world, she certainly doesn't forget to build her main characters and secondary characters (who I am hoping get their own books). I love that she once again incorporates medicine and science into her story line. There are some intense fighting scenes, hot smexy scenes and the quick witted humour that are one of my fave components of a Larissa Ione book.

Here is a small blurb that made me LMAO! Just to set the scene, Nicole and Riker just got a little hot and heavy and Riker is kinda freaking out while Nicole has come to terms with certain things ....

"I'll never regret it," she snapped. "Because somehow I feel like I've finally healed."

"What are you saying? That if I open myself up, climb into bed with you, I'll magically get better? I'll forget your family destroyed someone I cared about, someone I was charged with protecting?"

"Yes, she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's exactly what I'm saying. In fact, let's try sex again." She leaped to her feet and tore open her jeans. "Maybe my magic vagina will cure you of all the traumatic acts my family has inflicted on you."

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!! Go Nicole! ;)

So .... will Riker's personal guilt for the death of his mate hold him back from loving another?? Will Nicole leave the only life she has known and accept her fate?? Flip those pages to find out! LOL

HAPPY READING! :)

This book is downright fascinating. It throws you into a new world of vampires right from the first page and it keeps you there until the last. It’s a story that holds two fascinating characters engaged in a confrontation of will and unruly desires who come to an unexpected love.

The book starts with a rebellion of vampires slaves on Martin’s property that kills Nicole’s family and leaves her on the verge of death. Her pregnant vampire nanny, Terese, is killed the same day by her mate, Riker, and eight year old Nicole is a witness. Fast-forward twenty years. Riker, a member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, is charged with the task of recovering one of the most valuable female vampires, who has been kidnapped by humans while under the protection of the clan. If she is not found and returned to her clan, all hell will let loose and war will erupt between clans. The only solution is to go to the Martin family home and try to find where the female is. For that he needs the last member alive, Nicole Martin. His hate for this family is rising back to the surface, the memories of what happened twenty years ago with his mate and his unborn child brings back the painful tragedy. After he kidnaps Nicole in order to make her cooperate, Riker discovers things about her that will change his life forever. She is not the evil bitch that keeps slaves and orders their deaths, even if she is accused of such an act; she is a strong and determined woman, full of compassion, that will make him feel again, and that he can’t accept. Not when, for twenty years, no woman came close to his heart. So why has his sworn enemy become the greatest threat to his heart?

Nicole’s perspective on the vampire turns out to be totally wrong. As she spends time with Riker discovering every aspect of his life and personality, the truth is finally revealed and she can’t hate him or his clan anymore. She can’t stop her feelings for Riker which grow more powerful each moment, even if he rejects her at every step. Caught in Riker’s spell, Nicole must find a way to win his love and make him let go of the past while she defeats the obstacles, one after another, put in the way of their relationship by the ghosts of his mate and by the feelings he doesn’t want to recognize.

When things turn really bad and he lets himself be caught by the rival clan in order to save his own clan, his son and Nicole, he finally admits to himself how much he loves Nicole. Will everything be too late? Will he get a chance to tell her?

Life is full of surprises and his stubborn Nicole comes to his rescue and things get complicated again … actually more complicated. There’s not a single dull moment in this book!

This first book in the MoonBound Clan Vampire series is full of dark sexy vampires, hot sex, and turns and twists at every steps. It’s a wonderfully original story, definitely a fantastic page-turner. I can’t wait for the next book in the series … and the next!!!!

Bound by Night follows Nicole Martin and Riker, a human and vampire, as they try to right wrongs of both of their pasts while also trying to survive. As a young girl, Nicole’s family was killed by rioting vampire slaves and she was left scarred both physically and mentally. Now she is the president of her family’s company that performs experiments on vampires to help with medicine and science. Riker had lost his wife to Nicole’s family, making him hate all the Martins and wanting revenge on what they did to her. Now he needs her to help save a fellow vampire from being killed. As they start working together, Nicole and Riker start developing a relationship that neither of them can explain, and the more they dive into her family’s company, the more they realize how corrupt it is.

Will Nicole betray her family’s company and side with the vampires? Or will she betray her new love and help go back to performing unethical experiments?

The author does a great job giving all her characters a unique voice and attitude. I love her scientist vampire and how “off” he is at times, reminding me of some of my professor in college. She can easily make you terrified with the creatures she created, but later have compassion and love them as well.

I really enjoyed Riker as a character, more than Nicole, due to his depth and what he was willing to do for what he felt like was his duty to the clan. He is also drop dead gorgeous and sexy, like a lot of vampires I know…

As for Nicole, there is some things I don’t think she would do that Larissa Ione has her do, such as falling in love with this vampire so early in the book. I think could have been more interaction leading up to it, especially after the traumatic experiences she had as a child. She reminds me a bit of Buffy mixed with Jesse Reeves from Queen of the Damned…

The novel has a very gripping plot, with many ups and downs, surprises and twists. One problem I did have, though, is the change of view midway through the book to a different character other than Nicole and Riker. This only happens once or twice and really breaks up the flow of the story. This and some of the flashbacks made the story feel less connected and could have been stronger if they were executed better.

So I give this novel a 4.0/5.0. I really enjoyed it and found the story to be fascinating, but there were a couple of things that I thought could be better.

Original review posted on A Bibliophile's Reverie

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I've been reading Ione's Lord's of Deliverance series, as well as a few of the Demonica books, so when I heard she was starting a vampire series I was excited!!

To begin with, her take on vampires being slaves of the general human population was very interesting. Plus, her version of vampires in general is new, and you find out more in bits and pieces as they develop. Such as, without trying to be too spoilery, vampires are very sensitive to chemical warfare. And it seems that while they age much slower than humans, they may not be immortal like most vamps in books are.

It was a little hard getting in to the book at first, because I felt like there were a lot of past events and characters being thrown at me all at once who were going to be important...and it was a little overwhelming. After that resolves and we get to the two main characters, Nicole and Riker. (To give Ione credit though, I think it's her writing style. I remember having thought the same thing in the first Lords of Deliverance book. Get all the characters introduced at once - then it's easier to follow the story later. I will admit, for the most part it works.)

And can I say, I LOVE Nicole as a character? She has fears and is ruled by them, but refuses to give in to her captors, general bad guys, and even...well, that's a spoiler. The point is, she's terrified of vampires, she's pretty sure the people who kidnapped her are going to double cross her and slit her throat at ANY given moment, and yet she still fights them and refuses to do what she thinks is wrong. Bonus? She's not afraid to speak her mind, most of the time.

As things progress between Nicole and Riker, well, you pretty much want to kick him in the rear and tell him to get with it and get his act together. You follow them through the ups and downs, plot twist and turns, and like I said, overall I liked this book! I would definitely read it again! :)

(And I cannot WAIT until Myne get's his own book. Seriously, he needs to be next!!! Pretty please?)

(Review also posted on Goodreads)