Review: Bound – Elisabeth Naughton

TITUS—To most his gift seems like a blessing, but for him it’s a curse the other Eternal Guardians—those who protect the mortal realm from threats of the Underworld—seek to exploit. One he would gladly trade for the chance to be free…

Obsessed. Her touch is like a drug. From the moment he met her, Titus knew she was different. Even dangerous. Yet though his guardian brethren are convinced Natasa is working for Hades, Titus can’t stop thinking about her. Can’t stop fantasizing about her. Can’t stop craving the one thing he knows could lead to the downfall of his world.

Possessed. Faced with stopping Natasa or joining in her quest, Titus falls to temptation and is thrust into a world of lust, deception, and deadly treachery designed by the gods. Her touch—only hers—frees him from his bonds, but desire may just condemn him. Because before the end he’ll have to decide which is more important: duty and honor to those he took an oath to defend, or a woman who could very well be the biggest curse to them all.

Series:  Eternal Guardians #6
Release Date:  March 26, 2013
Publisher:  Elisabeth Naughton
Source:  Enchantress Book Tour
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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I love the Eternal Guardians series.  There is something about this band of uber Alph Argonauts that makes you love them no matter what they say or do.  As the series started, the guardians were battling Atlanta in her bid to take over the human realm and beat Zeus, Hades and whoever else in her goal to rule on high.  But as the climax to that battle came to an end in Grphyon’s book (Enlaved) I wondered how much I was going to like where the storyline was going with Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. I like the overall theme with the almighty Olympic God and his brothers locked in a battle isn’t any better than what Atlanta was attempting to do.

At the end of Enslaved, Titus found he was drawn to the mysterious red-haired woman that was looking for Maelea.  As Bound starts, he’s spent months looking for her because she’s the only person in over a hundred years who’s mind he hasn’t been able to read and who’s touch doesn’t bring him unsurmountable pain.    Where he least expected to find her was at the Argolean castle in the middle of a celebration.  But as suspicions about who she works for and what’s she’s after, Titus is willing to follow Natasa…no matter what.

Natasa sees herself as unstable.  The daughter of Prometheus, she’s determined to find her father so he can remove the “gift” he so gratefully bestowed upon her.  Having an Argonaut tag along on her journey is not what she anticipated, but there is something about Titus the soothes the fire that rages in her.   Despite not wanting to get involved, she can’t help herself and she vows to not be the downfall of Titus.

There was a lot going on in the story, other than the main storyline between Titus and Natasa.  There was the brother competition between Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the family dynamics with Hades, Persephone and their son, and the soul mate triangle between Isadora, Demetrius and Nick.  While all those elements had their place and helped either move the storyline along or set up a storyline down the road, it felt like it took away from Titus and Natasa…especially towards the end of the book.  Their story seemed a bit rushed and it left me feeling like I lost an important part of their story.

I enjoyed Titus.  He was smart, sexy, and overly protective when it came to Natasa.  He didn’t start out not liking her, like most of the other Argonauts and their women, but knew pretty quickly that this woman was something special and he was going to do whatever it took to keep her by his side.  He was willing to throw away the Argonauts for her and THAT made me love him.

I didn’t feel that same connection with Natasa.  She was a bit weird, which is understandable given what she had endured.  She flip flopped between being standoffish and rude to being the sweetest girl you’ve ever met.  She was rash and didn’t always think things through, even when she thought she was doing something for the good of someone else.  It made her hard to read and had me wanting (at times) for Titus just to leave her and go about his business.

Not my favorite of the Eternal Guardians series, but still a worthwhile read…if for nothing else than to see the drama that unfolds with Isadora, Demetrius and Nick.