Soulbound (Darkest London, #6)

by Kristen Callihan

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Adam is certainly the most interesting leading man of the series, but he wasn't enough to make Soulbound a favorite for me. I still really liked it, but it didn't grab me like the other books did. We learned a bit about Adam and Eliza's situation in the previous book, but now it's time to dive into their story. Eliza is the granddaughter of Mab, queen of the fae, and Adam is simply a cursed man with some control over death. Eliza cannot stand to be around Adam after he literally chained her to his side, but it turns out that she now needs him to avoid a much worse man. And Adam needs her in order to break his curse.

I did love how the fae played a larger role in Soulbound, and we learn a whole lot more about them and their connection to the other characters. Mab is the ultimate trickster and has too many people in her power, but she can't seem to get to Adam. Yes, she has him chained and injured in her dungeon, but he won't give her want she wants. And once Eliza learns of her "aunt's" manipulations, she too can play along and slip away. Mellan, the fae who wants Eliza as his bride, is another problem entirely. Luckily, both get what's coming to them, although I did think both happened too neatly and conveniently.

I wasn't fully sold in the romance in Soulbound, although I did enjoy it. Eliza and Adam have history which we are savvy to and more is revealed as the story moves on. She finds him repulsive because of what he did to her and based on previous experiences with men, but Eliza learns to work with Adam and she can't really deny that she's attracted to him. There is the concern that maybe his feelings toward her aren't real, and are just part of his curse. Her attraction is also questioned since one of Adam's gifts is to be irresistible to men and women. It's a sticky situation which I liked, but their true love epiphany seemed to just spring out of nowhere. So, I liked Eliza and Adam together, but wish they had explored their misgivings more.

In the end, I liked Soulbound. It's certainly not the best of the series for me, but it was still an interesting installment. Adam had been in the background of most of the previous novels, so it was nice to finally learn all of his secrets. He's not quite as mysterious and all-powerful as his GIM and other supernaturals think he is. As always, there's a happy ending for our couple, but it was quite predictable and cliche.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.