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Water Bound (Sisters of the Heart #1)

by Christine Feehan (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 3,845 ratings · 262 reviews

The last thing Lev Prakenskii remembered was being lost in the swirling currents of a freezing black eddy off the coastal town of Sea Haven. Just as quickly, just as miraculously, he was saved—pulled ashore by a beautiful stranger. But Lev has no memory of who he is—or why he seems to possess the violent instincts of a trained killer. All he knows is that he fears for his...more

Kindle Edition, 481 pages

Published July 27th 2010 by Jove (first published January 1st 2010)

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Jun 29, 2011 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of intense, magical romance

Shelves: favorite-or-autobuy-author, paranormal-romance, part-of-a-series, russian-hero-or-heroine, wizard-warlock-sorcerer, magic, all-things-summer-challenge, fated-to-be-mated, favorites, best-books-of-2010, scary-sexy-cool-dangerous-hero, stalkerific-hero, unique-different-quirky-character, stellar-love-story, nautical-fiction-or-non-fiction, supercouple, family, desert-island-keepers, soulmates, hero-to-die-for, heroine-i-adore, nursed-back-to-health, owned-copy, psychic, audiobook, reread

*Listened to audiobook from 6/23-6/29/11*
My thoughts:

*I thought the narrator was pretty good. I think she tried to vary her speech to signify that different people were talking. Her Russian accent was pretty good. Sometimes her female voices (for Rikki's 'sisters', particularly Blythe) sounded a little hokey. But overall I was happy, because she brought the characters to life. I could easily picture them in my mind as I listened. She made Rikki adorable and fierce and loving. Lev was the sexy,...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Mollie *scoutrmom* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of paranormal contemporary romance

Shelves: paranormal, romance, read-in-2010, top-keepers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A sea urchin diver finds an injured man underwater and shares her air supply with him to save his life. She has no idea what kind of man she has rescued or what she has let herself in for.

I was amazed and surprised by the characters Christine Feehan chose for her protagonists. I've gotten used to the men she writes, agressive killers with a protective streak a mile wide. This one started out a little closer to sociopathic killer than I was comfortable with. Feehan redeems Lev by having him suffe...more A sea urchin diver finds an injured man underwater and shares her air supply with him to save his life. She has no idea what kind of man she has rescued or what she has let herself in for.

I was amazed and surprised by the characters Christine Feehan chose for her protagonists. I've gotten used to the men she writes, agressive killers with a protective streak a mile wide. This one started out a little closer to sociopathic killer than I was comfortable with. Feehan redeems Lev by having him suffer quite a bit from his head injury, so he seems less of a threat, and then showing how he is first surprised at having emotions, then later cherishes the ability to feel. By the last part of the book he is able to laugh, to joke, and to tease.

Our heroine Rikki is also someone I was not at first comfortable with. We first see her reflecting her fears that she somehow unconsciously started the fires that killed her parents and her fiance. She is unable to stand being touched, unable to socialize in public, she makes others uncomfortable, and she fears she is a sociopathic killer. In contrast to this, Feehan shows us her heart of gold, her care for her adopted sisters and for a local homeless man.

We later learn that someone else started the fires, and that her socialization problems are because she suffers from autism, though she is apparently what they call "high-functioning". Her solitary career as a sea urchin diver enables her to make a living in spite of the handicap. I'd never before thought that an autistic person could feature as the heroine in a love story, but Feehan's skill brings us to understand her character very well.

This series is set in Sea Haven, though the only Drake sister to make an appearance is Hannah, just for a single scene. Her husband, our fond sherriff Jonas, appears a few times, but one need not have read the Drake Sisters series to appreciate this book. The town of Sea Haven is a welcoming and understanding place, as Rikki finds when she freezes up at the grocery store and the kindness of others makes it possible for her shopping to be completed.

The plot centers on Lev's character growth, on his need to leave behind forever his former life as an undercover agent and sometime assassin, on his need to feel that he is a better person than that and worth loving, and on his need to convince his former employers that he no longer exists. Rikki's autism ends up as a weapon and a shield in this task.

There is a second primary plot featuring the threat to our heroine from the deranged arsonist who targets her and everyone she loves. I love the paranormal scenes in this story. Rikki is a water elemental, and Feehan wrote some lovely scenes illustrating how that might play out. In addition, this talent is what finally defeats her foe.

Lev's talents are a bit more varied and are hinted to have much to do with his former profession, but the more acceptable ones illustrated include telepathy and the ability to control birds and to see through their eyes. One time he physically moves Rikki with the power of his mind from a distance to keep her from falling into the pond.

This story is a great romance in that the developing relationship and the character growth of the protagonists overshadows all other plot elements. I now want to go back and read the entire Drake Sisters series through with this one tacked on to the end. I can hardly wait for the next installment. (Christine Feehan, if you die before completing this series, I'm going to want to curse your immortal soul, but I'm too nice to actually do it.)(less)

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Dec 24, 2012 Book Chick City rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-paranormal

Reviewed by Laura for Book Chick City.

I have to confess to being quite a closet Christine Feehan fan. I've read nearly all of her Carpathian books and every one of the Sea Haven series. It's no secret that they can be quite formulaic and dare I say it, a little bit cheesy! But when you're looking for some escapism and indulgence, they're perfect.

'Waterbound' is a new series, which is a spin off from her Sea Haven books. Although, a lot of the characters are mentioned and pop in the narrative, I...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Penny Watson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read, bearded-hero

Water Bound by Christine Feehan

Okay, I'm the first one to admit Christine Feehan's stuff is sometimes over the top. Her Dark series is extremely melodramatic, her alpha male heroes are one step short of cavemen, her 80-pg. love scenes go on and on about creamy skin and velvet sheaths. Nevertheless, I love her books.

Why?

Well, Christine Feehan knows something about what women want, and what is the essence of romantic fiction. One man, filled with purpose and integrity and courage, whose entire lif...more

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May 08, 2013 Ally rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, 2013

Wow! This was not at all what I was expecting. It wasn't what I imagined it to be like. I was thinking it would go down the same line as the Drake Sister's series but it didn't. It wasn't good but it wasn't bad either, it was different.

For Sid, the last thing he remembered was been on board a yacht that was quickly sinking, the mysterious bodyguard was lost in the swirling currents of the ocean, and sucked deeper into the nothingness of a freezing black eddy. Just as quickly, just as miraculous...more Wow! This was not at all what I was expecting. It wasn't what I imagined it to be like. I was thinking it would go down the same line as the Drake Sister's series but it didn't. It wasn't good but it wasn't bad either, it was different.

For Sid, the last thing he remembered was been on board a yacht that was quickly sinking, the mysterious bodyguard was lost in the swirling currents of the ocean, and sucked deeper into the nothingness of a freezing black eddy. Just as quickly, just as miraculously, he was saved pulled ashore by a beautiful stranger. Her name is Rikki, a sea-urchin diver in Sea Haven. She always felt an affinity for the ocean, and the seductive pull of the tides. And now, for the enigmatic man she rescued. But soon they will be bound by something even stronger each other’s tantalizing secrets which will engulf them both in a whirlpool of dizzying passion and inescapable danger.

Sid, who's real name is Lev Prakensii and is the brother of Ilya Prakensii (Turbulent Sea #6) changes his name to Levy to make himself sound more American when he's hiding from a Russian assassin and trying to keep Rikki safe, was a really interesting character. I found him quite similar to Ilya, a real tough, rough alpha male who was suddenly out of his depth and couldn't remember what job he'd taken and how he'd ended up in the sea. Had his government finally come after him? Had one of his jobs gone bad? The possibilities were endless to him.

I quite liked Rikki once I'd got over her quirky ways of living. At first I found it hard to understand but as the story went on I found a special fondness for her. I'm looking forward to her popping up in other books from the other Sisters.

Waterbound takes off from where Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters #7) ended. It's not necessary to have read the Drake Sisters series before reading Waterbound as Ms Feehan does explain everything with the Drake family and how they fit into Sea Heaven and how Lev fitted into the previous storyline of those books.

Waterbound took me by total surprise, I did really like the book but it wasn't Ms Feehan's usual storyline style. Although Waterbound is a romantic suspense, it read more like a contemporary romance and it wasn't until I was more than halfway through the book that I realised this. I wished I'd known this before reading Waterbound as then I wouldn't have felt like something was missing the majority way through reading it and my have possibly enjoyed it more than I did.

So far Waterbound has enticed me to continue reading the next book in the Sisters of the Heart series as I'm interested in the other characters and how the "Sisters" meet their hero's and how they all bond together.(less)

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Oct 01, 2010 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 144-books-in-2010, july-2010, read-in-2010, re-read-in-2010, september-2010

Re-read 9/10 - I wasn't sure what to expect when I re-read this. I loved it the first time around, but many of the Drake books didn't hold up on second read.

I'm happy to report this one did. I adored everything just as much this time around. Definitely one of my top reads of 2010.

__________________

It was lovely returning to Sea Haven and I very much enjoyed the new characters introduced her, as well as the glimpses we had of the previous characters. This book picks up right where Hidden Curren...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pararnormal-romance, drake-sisters

Christine Feehan’s Water Bound is sort-of a continuation of her Drake Sisters series, but not really. It is set in the same town of Sea Haven and features a handful of our familiar characters. Our hero is Lev Prakenskii –an undercover Russian operative who has lost chunks of his memory and identity following an accident at sea. Our heroine is the spunky sea urchin diver, Rikki, who finds him in the water and saves his life and later, his soul.

PLOT SPOILERS:
The book picks up loosely where Hidden...more Christine Feehan’s Water Bound is sort-of a continuation of her Drake Sisters series, but not really. It is set in the same town of Sea Haven and features a handful of our familiar characters. Our hero is Lev Prakenskii –an undercover Russian operative who has lost chunks of his memory and identity following an accident at sea. Our heroine is the spunky sea urchin diver, Rikki, who finds him in the water and saves his life and later, his soul.

PLOT SPOILERS:
The book picks up loosely where Hidden Currents left off. Lev (which I think is pronounced LEEV, but I’m not sure and it bugs me) is in the water after his yacht goes down. Rikki is diving in the water; she finds him and they have a “moment” beneath the surface. She takes him home to nurse him back to health. It’s revealed Rikki is a “water-element” and can manipulate water and rain. She’s also autistic. In her past, are several fires where her loved ones have died. She’s not sure if she is to blame or if she was a target. Rikki now lives with 6 other women who have created a makeshift family where they work a farm together and help each other out. Lev falls for Rikki and she helps him put his dark, violent past to rest… while he helps her uncover what sparked those old fires and protects her from it happening again.

WHAT WORKS:
I love the fact that we’re seeing more of the Prakenskii brothers. I would have loved a spinoff series featuring them. But alas, we can only hope for cameo appearances.

WHAT DOESN’T:
I had issues with an autistic heroine. Maybe my understanding of autism is limited, but I kept thinking that a man like Lev would be seriously taking advantage of an autistic woman. I know it was written that his feelings for her were real, but it bothered me.

I also felt like there was way too much detail wrapped up in the diving process, scenery and the like. Give me more dialogue and action. And sex. If I’m reading a Feehan book, it’s not to learn about diving, people. And I feel cheated that I didn’t get to see Lev’s reunion with his brother Ilya.

OVERALL:
Probably one of my least favorite Feehan books. Too much time spent talking about stuff I’m not interested. And the heroine’s disability kept me from connecting with the story. 3 stars… maybe 2 1/2.

(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Brenna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booksfree, g-pnr-uf, amnesia, autism, magic, assassin-mercenary, military_or-ex-govop-covert

Dear Mrs. Feehan,

Yes yes yes I know Rikki has a form of autism, that she acts/thinks different, people think she is rude, got quirks, she stares at people, doesn't like to be around a lot of people/crowds or have them touch her, and doesn't like people in her home. I also know she likes to be near the ocean, loves her routines and that she loves peanut butter and so on with lots of other things. And yes we know Lev is the big bad dangerous alpha male with lots of weapons and a smoking hot body....more

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Aug 23, 2010 Melissa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance, modern, horrid

Rikki Sitmore is not your average female. She has strange reactions to things people may consider normal. She only likes to eat peanut butter and broccoli and likes everything to be pristine and untouched. She might also be a sociopath because her parents, foster families, and fiancé’s houses all burned down and many of them died. But being a possible serial arsonist is not even the oddest thing about her. The winner is that she has the ability to control water (think water-bending in “Avatar:...more Rikki Sitmore is not your average female. She has strange reactions to things people may consider normal. She only likes to eat peanut butter and broccoli and likes everything to be pristine and untouched. She might also be a sociopath because her parents, foster families, and fiancé’s houses all burned down and many of them died. But being a possible serial arsonist is not even the oddest thing about her. The winner is that she has the ability to control water (think water-bending in “Avatar: The Last Airbender” style). Rikki is therefore surprised that she didn’t sense the giant tidal wave until it was literally crashing down upon her. The tidal wave doesn’t just bring water, however, but also the most dangerous-looking and handsome man Rikki has ever seen. Against her better instinct, she decides to save him. During the rescue, she shares a moment with this dangerous man that is sure to shake her world.

Lev Prakenskii is a very dangerous, deadly, and handsome man. This is the one thing he knows as he finds himself slammed against the rocks after falling into the ocean. The next thing he knows, he is saved by a beautiful woman whom he can’t help thinking must be a mermaid. She pulls Lev out of the ocean and the dizziness and uncertainly causes him to react in a way that would have King Triton stabbing him with his triton. Rather than throwing him back into the ocean, the strange woman responds angrily to his actions. This rather sobers Lev up to the fact that Ariel did not save him, since she is yelling and not singing to him. Despite his dangerous behavior, the woman takes him home. Lev soon realizes he can’t remember anything except that he has killed a lot of people. The one thing he does know is that he wants to spend his life with this mermaid-like woman.

I’m the first to admit that I’m no literary expert, but my biggest problem with this book was what I found to be poor writing. The author overuses adjectives and has the tendency to be repetitive and redundant. I did not need to be reminded on every page that Rikki is a strange woman. I also got the point after the first fifty times that Lev is a deadly and dangerous man who has killed a lot of people. I was tempted to start a drinking game every time I came across the words strange, deadly, dangerous, handsome, and a quite a few others. Needless to say, I would have been very drunk by the time I came to page two hundred, and the book is near five hundred pages long. Also, do we need a twenty page sex scene? A paragraph about walking into a grocery store? This book really could have benefitted from a strong editorial hand. The weak editing really ruined the story for me. I could not concentrate or care about the story because I kept trying to edit it in my mind.

Setting aside the editing issue, the story was rather weak as well. I really felt no connection to either Lev or Rikki. None. I’ve never read a book where I’ve never even felt a small connection. Because I felt no connection to either of the characters, I could not care less about what happened to them. There were exciting scenes here and there, but they are quickly overridden with the overuse of repeating themes and thoughts. I really thought when Lev’s past was revealed, the story would take an interesting turn. It didn’t. The major plot points are who is starting the fires and trying to kill Rikki and whether Lev can escape from his dangerous and deadly past. Both are resolved in the most lackluster way possible.

Oh yeah, Rikki and Lev got together at the end and I was relieved that the book was over. Those who don’t mind a lot of adjectives and repetitiveness will probably like this book better than I did. As it is, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
(less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Michelle ☕Ndayeni☕ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, paranormal, author-feehan, magic, read-in-2012, romance, steamy, witches, challenges-2012

I'm not really sure what to say about this book, for I find myself somewhat conflicted regarding how I feel about it. On the one hand, I loved it, hence my 5 star rating, on the other, there were several things that annoyed me to a greater or lesser extent in it. Overall my reaction is definitely positive, though that might have changed had the book been very much longer. One thing I will note is that I think you'll get a lot more out of this book, or at least some things will make a lot more se...more I'm not really sure what to say about this book, for I find myself somewhat conflicted regarding how I feel about it. On the one hand, I loved it, hence my 5 star rating, on the other, there were several things that annoyed me to a greater or lesser extent in it. Overall my reaction is definitely positive, though that might have changed had the book been very much longer. One thing I will note is that I think you'll get a lot more out of this book, or at least some things will make a lot more sense, if you've read the Drake Sisters series first, as this one picks up pretty much right where Hidden Currents, the last book in that series, leaves off, actually overlapping the end of that book a bit to show some of what happened "elsewhere" during the climactic scene at the end. Certainly this book can be understood on its own, since enough is explained of prior happenings and people, but the reading experience will definitely be a lot richer I think if you have the full background of the other books going into this one.

Starting on the plus side, I loved the watery world that Rikki lives in that Ms. Feehan starts building for us pretty much from page one. The vivid descriptions of the ocean, and the way that Rikki feels when she's in the water bring the diving experience alive and make you feel like you're there with her. I personally find the whole concept of certain people being so highly attuned to an element such as water to be an intriguing one, and look forward to seeing which elements each of the other "sisters" represent and how they will all interact with one another once those affinities are more out in the open. Some of them are somewhat easy to guess, though not all (and there are six women, but only five elements if you include spirit, so it will be interesting to see how the sixth one fits in with the rest). Rikki herself is an interesting and multi-faceted character, and not the typical sort of romance novel heroine which makes for a bit of a nice change of pace. She is "damaged", both by traumatic experiences in her past that have left her living in fear, as well as by a "disability" that considerably limits the extent to which she is able to function in and relate to the real world. To call her "disabled" would be a misnomer, however, as she has apparently done an outstanding job of finding a niche that she can fill and excel at to make a living and an environment to live in that allows her to work with or around her limitations and lead a fairly normal life.

In contrast to Rikki's well-developed character, Lev remains rather two-dimensional throughout the book in my opinion. Those who have read Hidden Currents will remember him from there, as he was a notable character in that book, however secondary his role in it was. Personally I was more than a little disappointed that his character wasn't fleshed out more, for his brother Ilya was one of the men who most intrigued me in the Drake Sisters books, and I was looking forward to discovering his brothers, or at least one of them, in this series. Instead, while we're told repeatedly about his extensive training in everything from fighting, to weapons, to sexual techniques that turned him into a lethal weapon, and how doing that job turned him into a cold and calculating assassin/bodyguard, we never really get to see inside of him to learn what makes him tick the way we do with Rikki. We do see the lethal assassin in him in action a few times during the book, but mostly we see the "real" Lev, the good man/person he innately was underneath all the training and self-protective demeanors/attitudes, and he definitely seems like a man worth getting to know. But while we get to see some of his mental struggles to overcome the lethal sorts of instincts that were drilled into him so that he can give himself over fully to the new life that he wants to build for himself, his character development overall just seems rather flat, at least compared to others. Maybe we'll get to know him better in future books once he's had more time to get to know himself, who he really is, and who he wants to be.

As to other things that bothered me about the book, primary among them would be the amount of repetition in it. We are told numerous times about how Lev can't remember much of his past at first, but of what he can remember "none of it is good". He tells Rikki that many times until it got to the point where I just wanted to tell him, "ok, I think she's got it, give it a rest". The many reminders of his training and abilities/reputation get a bit tiresome as well, especially since it's all an echo of things we heard many times about some of the men in the Drake Sisters books, especially as regards Ilya, Lev's brother, who had a similar background, as well as Aleksandr, Ilya's boyhood classmate and friend. Not that the descriptions aren't accurate, but again, it's just that it's repeated so many times that you just want to grumble, "I got it already, can we move on now?" Besides the repetition issues, I wasn't all that thrilled to see some of the espionage storylines from the Drake Sisters book revisited here, especially since there's more than a few hints that those stories are far from over. I did expect to see them brought up, at least to some extent, but I can't say I'll be wholly thrilled to see them continued, though that's mostly just a personal preference issue since espionage/crime thrillers aren't really my thing. They were mostly just a side note in this book, mentioned largely because it's an important part of Lev's immediate past, so I can't really complain too much about it here. Those who like such storylines likely won't mind their inclusion as much.

To conclude, while there are many minor points I had issues with in this book (including some I won't go into as it would be a bit too spoilery to do so), I still greatly enjoyed it and found it a fascinating read in many respects. It's worth reading for the vivid area and ocean descriptions, as well as for the almost magical attraction that Lev and Rikki feel for one another that Ms. Feehan brings to life wonderfully as always. It's a strong start to what will hopefully be a fascinating series and defintely one I'd recommend to fans of paranormal romances.(less)

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Nov 10, 2011 Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) by: Cheryl Wilson

Shelves: could-not-put-it-down-books

There was something very different and special about this story. I really don't want to do spoilers because I had not even read a review, and think it was a good thing that I allowed the author to tell the story without my having any idea what it was about. There are no supernatural creatures in this book, but there are people with special gifts. Rikki is a sea-urchin diver with an affinity for water as well as a unique ability to control it. Let me just say the descriptions of this are just bea...more There was something very different and special about this story. I really don't want to do spoilers because I had not even read a review, and think it was a good thing that I allowed the author to tell the story without my having any idea what it was about. There are no supernatural creatures in this book, but there are people with special gifts. Rikki is a sea-urchin diver with an affinity for water as well as a unique ability to control it. Let me just say the descriptions of this are just beautiful and you can feel as well as see in your mind what she is doing and experiencing. Rikki is also not normal in other ways. She suffers from autism and added to this disorder, she lost her parents in a fire at 13 and subsequently has lost other loved ones in fire related situations. She is haunted by the idea that somehow she is responsible. I know people who like to read books about strong female characters. What is strong? This young woman is fragile and afraid in so many ways and yet she has somehow found a life, even though it is a life many people find unnatural and strange.

Into this very controlled life Rikki has made for herself, she suddenly encounters, far beneath the water in the sea after a huge wave sweeps her from her boat, a man. She saves the life of this man with no past, no name, and no memory. He gives her the name Lev but no more and yet she knows there is a story as his body is scarred and he is loaded down with weapons. All of his reactions are defensive. I won't tell more of the story other than the unfolding relationship, Lev's slow gains in memory are like nothing I have ever read before. The story of Lev's understanding and acceptance of who Rikki is and who she will always be is all tied up in a mystery about who has been trying to kill Rikki with fire ever since she was 13. There is the introduction of her dear friends she considers sisters who own the farm with her, and much much more.

The love story here is beautiful. In the last half of the book there is more graphic sex than I care for, but I can skim. It is a story of love first and not only love but total acceptance of who the other person is and why they are that way. It is a lesson in the fact that we are not all alike and not all "normal" but we can find a way to live and love life that suits us. I loved Rikki and Lev both.(less)

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Aug 10, 2010 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked this book a lot and rate it a 4 1/2 star read for me. The characters were so different from any other I have ever read and that made this book special. It took a while for the heat but the wait was well worth it. There were parts that had me LOL. I just wish that the action would have been just a bit more. I am very interested in reading the next book in this series and possibly also reading The Drake sister series.

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Apr 15, 2013 Misfit Heartbreak rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dazzled-by-the-cover-dark-beautiful, best-endings-epilogues-want-more, dont-question-me-just-read-it, favorite-author-book, part-of-a-series, intriguing-title-dazzled-by-it, to-die-for-hero, i-own-or-used-to, paranormal-romance, adult, cutting-self-harm-mental-illness, dangerous-brooding-funny-hero, death-murder, cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, contemporary, erotica-steamy-romance, fantasy-paranormal, first-in-the-series, forbidden-love-but-did-it-anyway, heroine-scarred-disablity, kick-ass-tattoo-hero-to-die-for, kick-ass-herion, love-at-first-sight-meant-to-be, romance, saddest-book-ever-read, romantic-suspense, stalker-obsessed-hero, soldier-or-military-war, thriller-mystery-ekkk, two-words-i-cried, witches-magic-supernatural

The Review: I am going to try to make sense in this review, sorry if you can’t understand it. Compared to her other books based off the same concept, Christine Feehan once again reels you in by your toes, and has readers devouring her books. When I first heard of the spin-off series for the Drake Sisters I was a little mad, but so excited at the same time.

In Turbulent Sea, we meet the sexy Ilya Prakenskii who has psychic abilities, but he isn't the only one in his family, there are six other bro...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Satyrblade rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

REALLY damned good. A romance novel in which the lead character is autistic is a gutsy move to begin with, but author Feehan pulls it off with style and grace. Rikki's autism is revealed naturally, through events and perceptions; no one mentions it until halfway through the book, and though it's never treated as a "superpower" (thank all the gods that be...), it's not treated as a prison either. Seeing as how I have a lover who is high-functioning yet notably autistic herself, I related deeply t...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Cecilia Quick rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. I am hit or miss with this author, but she knocked this one out of the park. First, the heroine had an interesting livelihood-sea urchin diver. I know nothing about sea urchin divers and it was a new and different career, and I liked learning about the day to day tasks the job involved. It dovetailed perfectly with her power: she's a sea elemental. The heroine is autistic; I found her incredibly brave in how she managed to function in the world with her limitations. I loved th...more I loved this book. I am hit or miss with this author, but she knocked this one out of the park. First, the heroine had an interesting livelihood-sea urchin diver. I know nothing about sea urchin divers and it was a new and different career, and I liked learning about the day to day tasks the job involved. It dovetailed perfectly with her power: she's a sea elemental. The heroine is autistic; I found her incredibly brave in how she managed to function in the world with her limitations. I loved that she wasn't magically cured by the hero; he accepted her limitations and operated within them. I loved the hero; I always like "Jason Bourne" type stories where there's amnesia but he has great skills without knowing why or how. I also liked that Rikki's central dilemma was a true dilemma: she was afraid of her power, didn't understand it or the magnitude of it and based on traumatic experiences she was afraid that she'd killed or would kill people she loved. Being with the hero let her gain confidence in herself and she learned to accept her power, and once she stopped running away from it and accepted it, it only increased. Love enhanced her, rather than forcing her to change to become more conventional. I always love that as a theme. The villain was a great counterpart to her, and I liked that his motivation wasn't some obscure "I want to rule the world" type threat, but was very personal and made emotional sense, even if it wasn't mature or even necessarily rational. He was so relentless that he was frightening. I particularly liked that the hero could use animals as his eyes and ears, that was very intriguing. This author does two things better than most. First, she captures the interaction within large families, the different personalities and disagreements and competing conversations all within a loving framework that is very believable. I completely buy into the interactions between the sisters; they are distinct personalities and aren't all clones of each other. Second, she has a wonderful sense of place. I could smell the salt air in Sea Haven; not only could I picture it, but I want to go visit! I enjoyed this book and will read more in the series.(less)

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Jun 03, 2012 Andrea Hussey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

**PLOT SPOILERS**
In the back of the book it said she was married to a romantic man who often inspired her with his thoughtfulness, and I couldn’t help thinking So you write slash-me-up, tear-me-down kinds of books where most of the guys are abusive, demanding and overbearing to the point of cruel and the women get cut with knives, raped, sexually abused and burnt in fires . . . I’d hate to be the spouse that inspired such stories.

It didn’t feel like a regular Christine Feehan book. The main char...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Anne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't believe there were so many high reviews for this book.

#1 You do not have to read The Drake Sisters series before reading this one. They're lightly mentioned and this story is completely self contained.
#2 Lev finds out his youngest brother is alive and living locally and he NEVER!!!! makes an effort to see or contact him, doesn't even seem interested in meeting the brother he hasn't seen for 30 something years and was forcibly separated from. WHAT THE BLEEP!!!!! Really?!?!? His brother is...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-read, kindlepurchase2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Mild Spoilers:

What I Loved: This book delivered with everything that I expected! Christine has a knack for writing about love between a man and woman (often how it is unexplainable) but also a love between families (born to or formed). This book is no exception! This book is not only the love story between Rikki and Lev but also the story of how she began to trust because of 5 other special women in her life. Her sisters, not by birth, but by heart!

What I Liked: I really liked how she wove in th...more

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Nov 06, 2011 1000 + rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the beginning of a spin off series following up on the Drake Sisters series.

It follows Lev Prakenskii of the infamous Prakenskii brothers.

In the last book of the Drake Sisters series we learned that Lev is on a yacht body guarding a very dangerous man that Jackson, Ilya and Jonas are trying to take out. They recognize Lev and Lev gets away during the on board scuffle.

In this book we follow Lev during the aftermath of the Yacht sinking and his rescue by Sea Haven local Rikki. Rikk...more

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Oct 23, 2011 GymGuy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Truly, the dumbest and worst books I've ever read!!

Unless you're into 100 pages of explicit sex, 100 pages of descriptions of autism (which are about as enlightened as Wikipedia) and 100 pages of ho-hum plot, RUN FROM THIS BOOK! I can't believe I finished it.

The characters are dumb, dumb, dumb. Some combination of reality and fantasy. What the heck is a 'water element'? Ever met one?? A 'fire element'? Well, that's an arsonist.

Have to hand it to the author....she managed to keep an orgasm going...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Anne Marsh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, rita-nominees

I usually enjoy Christine Feehan, but this book wouldn't top my list of all-time Feehan favorites. I'd been looking forward to Lev Prakenskii's story since he was sucked down into the ocean when the yacht he was bodyguarding went down-- and the opening of WATER BOUND is certainly compelling. There is Feehan's trademark hints at the ominous, a rogue wave, and a heroine who clearly possesses paranormal gifts of her own. It was an enjoyable read, but, for me, the book was lacking in conflict. Rikki...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Jlyates rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found the book interesting and an ejoyable reading. I didn't mind the info about urchin diving or other info that involved in that aspect. Yes, it was slow in some area, but Feehan seems to have problems with the first book of her series, and so I know that the rest will be much better.

As for the hero, Lev, I think Feehan did a good job of blending the bad with the good aspect of him. He cam across as both a dangerous man yet you could see that he was strugglling to let the goodness out. I fo...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Stephannie Beman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Rikki pulls a stranger out of the ocean, she doesn't expect the killing machine with holes in his memory and the drive to survive at all costs that might be more of a danger to her. Or the changes that his presence make upon her life as he inserts himself into her home.

As a high functioning autistic with an affinity for the sea and a sordid past of her own, Rikki finds herself connected to Lev in a way she has never connected with another human being. Although Rikki searches for answers to...more

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Aug 27, 2010 Heather Tisdale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a spin-off from the Drake Sisters and I really enjoyed it. It's a bit more of an internal drama with the two characters than anything action packed. I think most of the Drake books had a bit more going on action-wise. This one spends a lot of time inside the same home. Despite that, I think it's interesting that Feehan has given a strong female character a disability that a lot of people have encountered. I've worked with autistic kids and most people don't realize that there are high fu...more

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May 30, 2012 Bluegravity rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To begin, the book, overall, was actually pretty good. I liked the complexity put into the characters, but that was as much a strength as a weakness. The problem was that she muddied the thoughts of her characters, trying to wring every last drop of mush from the universe into the male's descriptions of his love interest. She's strong... She's vulnerable... She's, well, which is she? It gets a little flat in those areas, like she's just copying the same thing onto paper; switching character name...more

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Aug 26, 2010 Smokinhotbooks K.C. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pnr

I've been a die-hard Feehan fan since I picked up my first Dark novel. I then crossed over to her Game series and the Drake Sister. After getting all that off my chest, I had some problems with Feehan's latest Water Bound. Although this is a semi-spin-off from the Drake series, I felt the story moved a bit slow. This is just my humble opinion, I think if you read and liked the Drake books then you'll be just as happy to read Water Bound.

Things I Liked

Autistic Heroine - you don't see many romanc...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Jacqueline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: disabled-hero-or-heroine, from-work-borders, paranormal-romance

This was a very good read. I am always looking for something different. The heroine here is a very high functioning autistic. Plus she has a magical power. The hero was briefly in the book about Elle in the Drake sisters series. He is the brother of Ilya who is married to Joley. He is one of seven brothers who all also have some sort of powers.

He seemed to be more damaged than Ilya. But once he discovers Rikki he leaves his old life behind and never looks back. He does a very good job coping wit...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Loralee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-books, august-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *contains some small spoilers*

This was a different book by CF, I really enjoyed it. It's much slower paced then any of her other books. There is not a lot of action or even magic, not like with the Drake series, It's a very mellow and tender story, I really enjoyed it. And can't wait to read about the rest of the 'sisters'

The heroine, Rikki, is different from the norm, she has some issues. I don't know if it's a spoiler, so I'm adding a spoiler warning here just in case. :) But she's autistic,...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Hannio J rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometimes in life you just need a book which makes you smile especially if you've had a hard day at work and I found this book worked a treat.

Now don't get me wrong I did find myself rolling my eyes and smiling as I was informed for the 20th time in two chapters that Rikki was different then the norm and Lev was a dangerous man who could kill a man or woman with his bare hand or with a weapon in a million inventie ways but I was able to overlook that. I even found myself amused by it.

Christine F...more

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Dec 16, 2010 Zahu rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, crappy-reads, mentally-handicapped, 1951-current

Urgh! Why did I even bother? I should have known better! Haven't I learnt my lesson from huffing and puffing and swearing my way through the Carpathian series? Christine Feehan and I simply DO NOT get along! No sir, no way! It's like water and oil. In what delusion did I think I would change my mind by trying a new series from her?

I blame the blurbs! It's all their fault for mesmerizing me with the concept when I KNOW that this author's writing skill doesn't even remotely do justice to the brill...more

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About Christine Feehan

#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan has over 40 novels published, including four series. Each of her four series has hit #1 on the NY Times. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature for 1999. Since then she has been published by Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7...more

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Quotes from Water Bound

“And maybe that was love. Being so vulnerable and allowing someone else in so far they could hurt you, but they also give you everything.” — 147 people liked it

“He felt safe with her. He'd never been safe with another human being, not since he'd been taken as a child from his home. He'd never been able to trust. He could never give that last small piece - all that was left of his humanity - into someone else's keeping. And now there was Rikki. She let him be whatever he had to be to survive. She didn't ask anything of him. There was no hidden motive. No agenda. Just acceptance. She was different - imperfect, or so she thought - and she knew what it was like to fight to carve out a space for herself. She was willing for him to do thar.” — 14 people liked it

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Water Bound (Sisters of the Heart #1)

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