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Bound By Blood

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He was willing to give up eternity to have her, but would he die to keep her?

HER IMMORTAL SAVIOR

Prince Sebastian Thorn is known in the vampire world for his protectiveness of mortals, but when he helps the all-too-human Laurel Mayfield escape a stalker, he is unprepared for the humanity and the passion she reawakens in him. Would she want him if she discovered what he was?

HIS MORTAL PASSION

Laurel Mayfield is a small-town girl with big-city dreams and a cautious view on men … until she meets Sebastian in a cemetery. Sophisticated, drop dead gorgeous, controlled and chivalrous, he's every woman's Prince Charming, but with a dark edge she can neither understand or resist.

THEIR TIMELESS LOVE

Drawn to each other with inexplicable heat, can their desire survive the truth of his nature, and the scheming vampires that seek his power? When they revisit his past, will she choose the hot-blooded mortal man he once was, or the dark Prince he has become?

259 pages, Nook

Published September 23, 2010

43 people are currently reading
1246 people want to read

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Kimberly Hoyt

3 books7 followers

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5 stars
253 (34%)
4 stars
209 (28%)
3 stars
162 (22%)
2 stars
64 (8%)
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43 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for GinBee.
57 reviews480 followers
October 14, 2010
A story of love, attraction and emotion about a mortal woman and a sexy vampire, just right for paranormal romance. Bound by Blood focuses intensely on the developing relationship and love between Laurel and Sebastian, everything else in the story is to illustrate their unfolding tale of all consuming love. We hear the point of view of Laurel and Sebastian, clearly they both love each other with all their heart and soul.

Laurel is an easy character to like, she seems genuine and like someone you might meet where ever you go. That makes Sebastian all the more of a contrast to her. Handsome, sexy and a little distant he is always wonderful with Laurel, he treats her like a princess (or should that be Dutchess?) which makes sense for a man who “died” in Henry V111’s court in the sixteenth century!

Sebastian is a Prince of the vampires, his territory being Europe where of course there are various problems he has to solve and ends up getting injured just as his relationship with Laurel is developing. Even at home he faces a close ally plotting against him which is not full resolved in this book so I’m hoping there will be a sequel!

Laurel wants to see Sebastian as he was when mortal so they travel back to the Tudor era. Once there however he actually is mortal and Laurel is left to find a way to get him back though the portal to their present. Like any good heroine she ins her man and finds a way!

Mortal Sebastian remains in the present, will Laurel choose the man she fell in love with but is a vampire? Or will she choose to keep the energetic and very much alive Sebastian who is out of his time? I’m not going to tell you! Read the book!
Profile Image for Rebecca (LirilAB).
92 reviews5 followers
June 15, 2016
For a dreamy, passionate romance between a vampire and a mortal, this book has it all. At first I thought it was going to pace through the basic outline of a romance novel with a taste of vampire on the side, but as got further into the book, it did still follow along the expected romance path, but had some interesting variations along the way.

At first it seemed very modern, but there was a time travel segment to the Tudor era that I enjoyed.

While I liked the characters story-wise, particularly Sebastian due to him having an intriguing history, I felt that Laurel lacked personality. My big problem with her is that she seemed to have absolutely no life goals of her own outside of being with Sebastian. At the beginning of the book, she had a dream of going to New York, so at least there was that, but once it happened, that was it. She did express some interest in photography, but the only thing she did with it was take pictures of Sebastian.

Yes, the whole "vampire prince charming" thing is going on and that's wonderful and a big part of the book, but Laurel only seemed to exist as a person because of Sebastian.

So while I liked her in the sense that she was a good, loving person, I didn't find her all that interesting, and being nothing but beautiful and sexy only goes so far in a *long* term relationship. Important perhaps in a romance novel, but there needs to be more.

One other thing that really bothers me is that the authors missed a HUGE opportunity for a certain Duke's lineage to continue due to certain, unusual circumstances. I was almost *certain* it was going to happen. There even seemed to be a few hints throughout the book that seemed to foreshadow it. But alas, nothing.

There was also a missed opportunity to capture the reader more deeply into a particular vampire plot that was taking place, but it was rushed and lost the suspense that could have occured.

In any case, this book was a fun vampire fairy tale and I love fairy tales. Reading this book was like experiencing a pleasant dream.
Profile Image for Mlpmom (Book Reviewer).
3,174 reviews405 followers
April 30, 2011
It isn't too often that I hand out 5 stars to books but this book, definitely deserves them. I am shocked that this is the first book by these two very talented authors. If I had one word to describe the characters and world they have created it would be "amazing". I was completely wrapped up in Sebastian and Laurel's story, their struggle, their choices, their love for one another, their passion, their sorrows, all of it. This story has it all.
Super excited to see what Hoyt and Bourdon come out with next!
Profile Image for Erika.
113 reviews224 followers
January 15, 2012
Vampires lives secretly among the humans. They don't see human as enemy or prey. Well, at least most of them. These vampires ruled by several princes. They are the most powerful among their kind, also known as Council of Six. Sebastian Xavier Thorn III iss one of them. As the Prince of Europe territory, he was an essential alpha male hero. A leader, tough, dangerous, deadly, but not reckless. He was calm and secretive. Usually the first thing that comes to my mind if this kind of hero meets the heroine is he'd be cold and ruthless. But the moment Sebastian meet Laurel Mayfield, he couldn't stay away from her. I enjoyed their naughty talks and flirtations at the beginning although I didn't really like Laurel's character. She trusted people too easily and adapted too quickly to new situations. I was hoping for a warrior or bossy or free spirit woman to match hero like Sebastian. As they're developing a closer relationship, some vampires are planning to take over Sebastian's thrown.

There were some things that annoyed me. I was getting bored because Sebastian takes quite a long time to tell Laurel the truth about him, while Laurel's character was lacking depth. I was also confused about Sebastian's journal which he gives to Laurel. The truth about him is all there and she never read it.

But then the time travel happened and it was impossible for me to stop reading even for a while. And as the story went, Laurel has transformed from zero to hero.

Although the first part of the book wasn't good enough, the second part was a rollercoaster ride. What started off as a simple and shallow romance ended as a beautiful one.

If you're a fan of paranormal romance with a lot of actions, you'd be disappointed with this book. But if you're looking for an adult paranormal romance with a touching love story, give this one a try. The first half was very slow, so you need to be patient :)
Profile Image for Imogen Rose.
Author 23 books590 followers
April 25, 2011
Sometimes one just stumbles upon one’s soulmate... at a graveyard. Laurel and Sebastian met just so, connected immediately, and were meant to be together, always, even in times past–at King Henry’s Tudor court.

I loved the refreshing mix of vampire and time travel, how awesome, and such potential! The story flowed at a natural pace allowing for the characters to be well fleshed. Laurel was a strong female lead, she met her challenges head on. I was totally engrossed by the story, but was left wanting more. There was this something that I kept hoping, that I was convinced, would happen, but didn’t. So, I am hoping for a sequel :)
Profile Image for Vanka.
26 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2011
By far one of the best books I`ve read in a long time. I must admit I´m a Chicagoland Vampire fan, but this story really caught me! Exquisite characters, so much more than the common vampire story, it makes you travel in time with it and really get in an emotional turmoil with the main characters, really a must read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Steve W.
333 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2024
This book is not a genre I would normally consider reading (paranormal romance, I guess), and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I read it (as a 60 yo male). I got it kind of by accident (free) from BookBub (before I refined my preferences) and didn't really know what I was in for. I see that it is available on Kindle, but I don't see it in audiobook or on my local library's Overdrive--probably with good reason. After having this in my e-library for 11 years, I thought I would give it a try.\

Before I get to the plot, let me mention my impression of the execution/mechanics. I don't know whether Hoyt or Bourdon is responsible for writing with correct grammar and having someone proofread/edit it, but the result fell short. I have this expectation that an author is responsible for the form of the story, as well as the plot development. There were many occurrences of misused pronouns (e.g., "for he and I", vs. "for him and me") and the wrong word (possessive "it's" instead of "its"). That is the kind of grammar I learned in grade school and I expect it to be correct in a story (narration, not casual dialog from characters). There were also several sentences that I had to reread to understand what the author was saying (and sometimes the sentence was missing a key word). It left me feeling that there was no editor, or that they were ineffective; and it was distracting

The premise of a mortal girl/woman who falls for a vampire guy doesn't seem very original. Even with even very limited experience in the genre (or anyone who is familiar with the Twilight series, which barely includes me) will be familiar with the premise. The idea that he is nobility from 400 years ago, a prince over the vampires in Europe (why is he living in the US again?, added a bit of interest. The advertised time travel element also gives it a bit of a twist.

Most of the first part of the book was taken up with Sebastian seducing Laurel (and her reciprocating), and it was suggestive, but mostly clean. From there (when they travel back to Tudor England) it steamed up rapidly, which was not my thing (detailed, but not crass, love scene descriptions). Then the ending seemed just a bit too convenient.

If I knew then what I know now, I would not read the book. Neither would I recommend it to anyone.
Profile Image for Megan.
3,529 reviews45 followers
December 7, 2020
DNF @ 17%.

Vampire romances are so hit and miss, sadly this was a major miss for me. A shame because the idea or the plot sounded pretty good but the actual book didn't work well for me and there isn't a point in pushing through with a book if its not working.

The writing seemed more aimed at a younger reader and I just felt bored. Nothing majorly bad, I suspect if you're a teen 17 years old or around that this may work well and you'd enjoy it but 27 years old? Not so much...
Profile Image for Rae Sontheyon.
263 reviews19 followers
September 4, 2015
Greatly Enjoyable For Those Into Vampires, Romance and Time Travel. . .

I loved this book! This book took me by surprise in being completely unique and captured my taste for a nice bit of romance, tasteful vampires and historical fiction. Strange combination of genres but the authors take the reader on a great story with characters I just didn't want to say bye to, even with that cute ending. Intrigued? Good.

Told in a dual person perspective, the female main character is Laurel Mayfield. Recently moved from a small town in Kansas to Sperling, Pennsylvania; Laurel hopes to save her money while working at the local renovated bar called Mystic so she can finally head to the grand city of New York. However, It's living in the city of Sperling that brings a sense of intrigue and mystery as something seems off to Laurel but she can't figure out what exactly. Laurel has a run in with a would be attacker and is saved by a man whom she can't help but feel taken with despite having just met him. Sebastian Thorn is known as the prince among his kind, he's been around for ages, but it's this one female that seems to capture him like no other. When Laurel finds out who and what Sebastian is events take place, history is witnessed, and maybe rewritten. At the center of it all Sebastian and Laurel find themselves trying to stay together even as their lives are threatened and danger arises when they can no longer tell friend from foe.

Overall, love this story, it's long but it has to be so you can understand every awesome thing! Sebastian is a awesome and the definition of a knight in shining armor, he is always out to help the damsel in distress which literally gets him imprisoned and punished big time. So seeing how he rescued the right damsel who is just as self sacrificing is refreshing for a romance because their relationship was a healthy balance. Oh and as a history nerd I loved the times Laurel was in the Tudor time period, because it felt authentic. Sometimes time travel story's get too far off into the fantasy or fiction, but the authors kept those scenes historical as fictionally possible. There is sooo much more I'd say about this story but I won't spoil the good parts. So if you like vampires who save a woman they have a connection to but can't figure out why and the woman will do anything including travel through time to save her man than all the while conspiracies and vampire politics are boiling in the not to subtle background, than this book would be good to try.

------Read more of my reviews at: http://heyitwasfree.blogspot.com/------
Profile Image for Loraine.
293 reviews
February 24, 2014
Ok. This had vampires and Tudor history so for me this sounded perfect. It wasn't bad but I can't say I was blown away by it. I think it may be because the storyline with Anne Boleyn and this vampire was far fetched to me. I just found it hard to grasp but then maybe that is because I love the Tudors. Overall it had a good storyline and the characters were ok. Was surprised how quickly she dumped the best friend from the plot. Where the hell did she go??? There was some quite graphic sexual scenes but nothing too outrageous. The vampire politics was interesting and could have maybe been fleshed out more with a different storyline. The baddies were conquered quite quickly in this in the last 10% of the book. The time travel was alright and made for a new twist on things for vampire tales but it kind of dragged on a bit. I kept wanting them to get on with it already and deal with the bad guys. And maybe see a reaction to her creepy ex's murder maybe?? Final bug bear was some of the grammer/spelling. She drug her dress up? Dragged my dear, dragged. This spell error was repeated throughout. And as for sweethot? Ok so he pronounced it that way but it made me cringe each time it appeared. Sorry to moan but this is what it left me thinking about.
Profile Image for Cat.
1,428 reviews12 followers
January 30, 2012
I liked the plot and the chemistry between Laurel and Sebastian, but I felt like the author dumbed everything down for the reader. Every little step was explained in detail, which started out as a good thing, but after awhile it was as though the author didn't trust the reader to reach conclusions on their own.

Anyhow, I do like the circular time traveling thing that tied the story together. Some words were entirely overused (i.e. enigmatic), and some phrases didn't really make sense (referring to Sara and Laurel's chat as similar to frat girls)...

Pros: strong love story, time travel, vampire politics, planning a coup d'etat, small town girl getting spoiled rotten

Cons: story seems to drag at times, protagonist can't seem to leave well enough alone (guess this isn't necessarily a con, just irritating to me)

Overall good read, glad it was free, I just wished things moved a little faster. I am interested in seeing if there is a sequel.
Profile Image for Laurie.
220 reviews6 followers
November 27, 2012
A sweeping story! Laurel is a woman out of her element. Sebastian is a cool, sophisticated Brit. There is an attraction between them that they cannot deny. Their passion is intense and it soon blossoms into a relationship. The only problem is that Sebastian is a vampire; how does one tell someone that? Well, long story shortened, she finds out. Treachery is also afoot and things happen which eventually takes them back through time to the time of the Tudors, King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Treachery is afoot there as well! Decisions have to be made, ones that may alter history.

An exciting book filled with diabolical schemes, time travel, extravagance, magic and raw sensuality. If this is your cup of tea (or shot of scotch) then look no further and read on!
305 reviews1 follower
September 11, 2017
Where can i find me a Sebastian? I mean, I'm not a materialistic kind of person- i'm a live within my means kind of girl but cmon! When someone throws a diamond necklace your way, unlimited shopping etc??? But going back to the story, Laurel was a huge turn-off for me.. I mean, you just met a guy and the next day, you have a sleep over at his place? You don't bother to say no or put a stop to him giving you expensive presents and when you lose your job, you assume right away that you can move in to his place? uhmmm no.. i'm sorry but heck no! That just screams "gold-digger" all over.. too bad- i really really liked Sebastian, he was once sexy alpha vampire but Laurel was just a big turn-off for me...
Profile Image for Robin.
44 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2012
This book was kinda strange. I wasn't hooked by the plot or the characters. The sex was ok but it didn't really add anything to the story. The ending was a bit anticlimactic after all the villains' plotting. Although I will say
Profile Image for Cara.
36 reviews10 followers
February 4, 2013
i give this book five stars! Worth the read! Loved sabastian and laurel! And the time travel back to Tudor days was really good twist to the Boelyn days! LOVED IT! would love for their story to continue! There was a certain opening in this book that I thought was going to lead up to her being able to have a child with Sabastian but..... It didnt happen but the ending left it maybe open for that to happen dont know if there will be a part two but wish there was who doesnt want to know what happens in the Prince's life!
Profile Image for pianogirl05.
81 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2013
I LOVED this story. It grabbed my attention in the very first paragraph and didn't let go until the last word. The relationship between Sebastien and Laurel was so captivating. Sebastien has the right amount of possessiveness without being overbearing. The story keeps you on your toes. I'm not ready to turn loose of Sebastien and Laurel yet. I think with the way the book ends their is a definite possibility of a sequel. This book has a home on my favorites list. Grab your copy today. You won't regret it.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
172 reviews18 followers
January 24, 2012
I wish we could give 1/2 stars on here, cause this book was more 3 1/2 stars than just 3 stars.

Sebastin is a vampire prince who seems a little too comfortable with his title and doesn't realize there are others out there who are looking to take his territory and his title. Laurel is a human and is being harassed by a guy she went out with a few times.

I wasn't knocked off my feet by this book, but it was entertaining.
Profile Image for Raven Carluk.
Author 39 books64 followers
February 21, 2012
I was not pleased by this book. The plot was thin and contrived, and there were some twists at the end that didn't make sense.

Nor did I really feel romantic about their relationship. It was a little too domineering from me, and I'm a girl who looks to be taken care of.

There were also technical issues, like inconsistent spelling and punctuating.

It's not a terrible read, but it's nothing I would recommend.
Profile Image for Steph.
199 reviews10 followers
April 12, 2012
I couldn't get enough of this book!!!The anticipation is what really got to me though...Laurel is a waitress who ends up crossing paths with Sebastian...let's just say from there their story begins...it reminded me a little of Discovery of Witches but just a little..mainly because of the time traveling...highly recommend this one!(Just a heads up, it's more PG-13 then some of you may be use to(wink wink) )
Profile Image for Amanda.
364 reviews
April 12, 2012
This book was actually quite intriguing. The story line involved vampires, time-travel, sinister plots, and a little romance.

Sebastian was a fabulous character and I loved the present day and the Tudor version of Sebastian. I thought this book was well done, but it could have used a bit more development in places. There weren't a lot of mistakes in the book, but there were some scenes that I found a bit confusing.

Overall a decent book.
Profile Image for Rachel Lynn Sterling.
132 reviews
August 23, 2012
More like 3 1/2! This book wound up being much more than I expected. I really liked the characters and loved the first half. It threw me off a bit when it got to all of the time travel stuff. I usually stay away from time travel books. There are just too many loop-holes and I’m to analytical to overlook things that don’t seem to add up and there were a few of those moments in this story. Overall, the writing was good, the story flowed at a decent rate and held my interest to the end.
Profile Image for Debbie.
53 reviews4 followers
December 17, 2012
One of my favorite reads are vampire stories. Though most are similar in storyline and characters. With that said, this book was different and unique. I enjoyed this book A LOT!! Wonderful characters and a great twist on the average vampire story! Add a bit of time travel and boy can things be different. I highly recommend this book and I hope the authors will make a book 2. Perhaps Laurel will have gotten pregnant while Sabastian was in 2009.
Profile Image for Kbee.
1,532 reviews4 followers
January 4, 2013
Wow just Wow!! Didn't think I'd like it being a serious vamp story.
I like vamps with humor prefer them really.
But I got hooked and at the end couldn't put it down. There was some streches where I had to push myself to keep on reading and I am not diaspointed at all.
Good story. You can feel the bound Sebastian and Laurel have. They do go together. Caleb and Luceph do get what they deserve.
Profile Image for Amber.
162 reviews
March 25, 2013
Only made it to 35%. I have to say from the few reviews I read I was expecting something very different. This just wasn't for me. There was no time travel thus far and after reading a few more reviews it seems what there was of time travel was weird. I just felt confused at times reading this and it was just weird for me. But it does seem to have captured quite a few people so to each their own.
Profile Image for Denise.
1,771 reviews24 followers
August 2, 2013
I enjoyed reading 'Bound By Blood'. A great fairy tale love story with a rather unique twist. The characters were great. Laurel is a great character. I like her outlook on life. For a story that has time travel, it does not have the sci-fi aspect, which is great for this book. The story itself is good. I liked how the book as a whole came together. A good read to add to your tbr list. Recommended
Profile Image for Sheila.
430 reviews2 followers
September 15, 2016
This book had a lot of promise, but it just didn't hold up to my expectations. It was okay, but I really started to despise the main character (Laurel) as the book continued. She's just whiny and immature. The time travel aspect was not done well either. It was okay - just not as great as what I expected.
Profile Image for ~Leslie~.
993 reviews42 followers
October 26, 2011
I liked it okay. Writing through me off at first. It was like you could actually see the author forming the sentences. Such a mix of genres and ideas. I could see so many authors in this story. The story got better with the time travel element, which is odd.
Profile Image for Catherine Rogers.
9 reviews1 follower
February 11, 2012
Loved this book! It has romance, vampires, time travel, an even King Henry the eighth. It was a very good story and I found myself loving both Sebastian and Thorn!! Loved the main character Laurel. She was a great leading lady and I could definitely relate to her.
Profile Image for Suzanne (Doppleganger).
159 reviews48 followers
March 14, 2012
Despite a few flaws in the logic of time travel and the effects of blood bonding, this was a fun book. The hero is an alpha male vampire prince and a literal knight in shining armor. The only thing missing from that bag of swoonworthiness is a kilt!
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