Title: Bound By Magic
Series: Mackenzie Grey Trials
Author: Karina Espinosa
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Release Date: 27th January 2020
BLURB from Goodreads
All debts must be paid.
Mackenzie Grey has had it rough these past couple of months. She’s lost her job, her relationship with Sebastian is teetering on the edge, and she’s hiding from a particular warlock that’s ready to call in his favor.
When Bobby Wu catches up with Kenzie, it’s not what she expects. He said he would own her, and he meant it quite literally. Bound to the warlock, it’s a race against the clock to untie herself from Bobby before she does something she’ll live to regret.
Will Mackenzie find a way out or will her world come crashing down around her?
Mackenzie Grey has had it rough these past couple of months. She’s lost her job, her relationship with Sebastian is teetering on the edge, and she’s hiding from a particular warlock that’s ready to call in his favor.
When Bobby Wu catches up with Kenzie, it’s not what she expects. He said he would own her, and he meant it quite literally. Bound to the warlock, it’s a race against the clock to untie herself from Bobby before she does something she’ll live to regret.
Will Mackenzie find a way out or will her world come crashing down around her?
PURCHASE LINKS
REVIEW
It’s no secret that I
love Mackenzie Grey and adored the other two books in this series so I knew as
soon as this one was available, I absolutely had to read it! When you first
glance at the cover you don’t notice all the details, its when you look at
again that you see everything, and there’s lots to see on this cover! This
cover has Mackenzie Grey front and centre with the eye drawn to her dressed in
her trademark outfit of jeans, t-shirt and jacket slung over her shoulder. This
cover goes with the rest in this series and yet still co-ordinates well with
the previous Origins series too. I love the shifter eyes on the cover too, they
really draw the readers eyes to cover well. There is also the moon prominently
placed centrally on the cover behind Mackenzie as the full moon is still
extremely important to her even though she is no longer moon-bound anymore. I
also really like the addition of the skyline at the bottom of the book. Genre’s
I have seen listed for this book include Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal,
Romance and Supernatural. There’s certainly a lot of different supernatural
species in this series, with even more possibilities introduced in this book.
As a reader I was
worried for Mackenzie when she had to “make a deal with the devil” in the form
of Bobby Wu in the last book. The way he ominously said he owned her now sent
shivers down my spine and had me anxiously biting my lip wondering what he had in
store for her. There was one thing for sure it would be something big and more
than likely both illegal and something Mackenzie didn’t really want to be part
of. As the first words of the blurb say “All debts must be paid” and wow does
Mackenzie have to pay! After Bobby Wu pop’s in on Kenzie and uses darl magic to
brand his hand print on her shoulder she finds herself quite literally at his
beck and call. No matter where she is, who she is with or what she is doing she
is strongly compelled to leave it and quickly make her way to the man who
thinks he is her master now. It soon becomes clear Mackenzie is to be the one
to dirty her hands and paws so Bobby Wu can stand by and watch the dirt fly.
From previous books we know Bobby Wu has a different sense of right & wrong
or black & white than everyone else. Bobby Wu seems to continually loiter
in the very dark, dark grey zone and he is determined to use Mackenzie and her
wolf to his advantage as much and as often as he wishes.
Along with all this
Mackenzie is trying to keep her relationship with Bash on track. Bash had
rushed ahead and bought them a home that they could fill with a family. A
family that Mackenzie does not feel ready for, she isn’t ready to feel tied
down or responsible for anyone else right now, but will Bash dig in his heels
on wanting children? Or can Mackenzie bring herself to discuss their future,
rather than running from it as she usually does? There’s a brilliantly poignant
and emotional scene in the book where Bash tells Kenz whether their family of
two or more as long as they are together it is fine by him.
There is a bit of a
turnaround between two very important people in Mackenzie’s life. Bash and
Mackenzie do come to a decision about no longer keeping secrets from each other
which is a huge step in the right direction. However, now best friend Amy is
all human and in Kenzie’s mind “breakable” she decides to keep any danger she
is in hidden from Amy for as long as is possible. One relationship going from
strength to strength is the romance between Amy & Jackson, it’s clear to
everyone around them they are in completely in love.
Mackenzie’s brother
Ollie is suddenly released from the army and decides he wants to hang around
with his sister more, which could become yet another hassle on Mackenzie’s ever
increasing list of problems as he doesn’t know about the supernatural world and
she is unsure how he will react to knowing what/who she really is.
This book is absolutely
packed with action along with favourite characters and new characters being
introduced too. There are the guys at the SIU all trying to continue on whilst
Mackenzie is being investigated for her part in killing the vampire elders.
There’s a new head vampire in town who clearly despises Kenz and thinks she got
off lightly. Though she once again she proves to be tough enough to take any
violence they dole out. Kenzie also shows she is stubborn and fiercely loyal to
her friends and will not hear a wrong word said about old friend and exiled
vampire Lucien.
Then we have the whole
Bobby Wu and why he desperately wants the nymphs to need his help….and his
anger when they go to the SIU for help rather than approaching him. There is a
mystery man who is also facilitating Bobby Wu and his dark plans. On the light,
good side is of course Bash, the Brooklyn Pack and once Bash calls him for help
Waldo Wagner. Can the light & good win over dark & evil? And what price
will poor Mackenzie have to pay this time?
As I said there are some
newer characters featuring in this book, such as Kalia the head wood nymph,
Waldo Wagner is also in this book and Ollie, Kenzie’s brother is in this book
quite a lot too. Bobby Wu teleports himself and Kenz to see a strange
authorative, arrogant man who seems to know a lot about her, but, who and more
importantly what is he? And who is the something or someone that could and
would hurt Mackenzie without the so called “protection” of Bobby Wu?
Mackenzie and Bash visit
the local archivist for more information on their Anam Aonachd bond, what it means and how they can use it to their
advantage. There’s not so much of the pack and its politics in this book,
though when Kenz visits the new HQ for the Brookyln Pack there are still
important wolves in the pack that are not keen on her and the baggage she
brings with her to their pack. There is still some angst between Bash and Kenz
as he finds it difficult to not be by her side and protect her from anyone and
everything even though Kenz tells him and proves time after time she is a big
kick-ass girl who can mostly take care of herself and almost anything anyone
would like to throw her way. I did love how Kenz is a bit more understanding
with Bash and his worrying about her in this book.
As always with the books in this series they
are so well written as a reader you loathe having to put it down until the end!
I love the relevant comments about Netflix, TV programmes and binge watching
them along with comparisons of Vampires and Bella Swan from Twlight.
I find the descriptions amazing, you can really
see what is being described easily and well. The description of Amy, “Amy’s
fire engine-red hair was pulled into a messy bun and she wore a tank top that
displayed her tatted sleeves in their full glory. She was a work of art.” I
have to say I think Amy’s temper could also be compared to “fire engine red”
too! The way the author describes Kenzie and Bash’s eyes, wow! I certainly
think that Bash fills the top slot book boyfriend criteria brilliantly, with
Jackson a close second of course. I also think some of the phrases in the book
are so funny yet so “Mackenzie” like, “I leaned back on the sofa, placed my
hands behind my head, and would have placed my feet on the table, but my mama
raised me right.”
I could seriously go on and on and talk forever
about this book and series. It’s definitely one of my top ten favourites.
My
immediate thoughts upon finishing this brilliant book were Wow! Another amazing
adventure or maybe I should say misadventure in the ever increasingly
complicated life of Mackenzie Grey Maconnich. Just when I think I can't love
this series anymore I read the next book and adore it and its character even
more than before.
To
sum up, brilliant, fantastic, amazing, gripping, un-put-downable, addictive
reading. . . need I say more?
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