OUT OF PRINT. Currently only available through author's newsletter.
Broken and bleeding on the forest floor, a wounded warrior must choose between the finite end of his supernatural existence and an undeniable bond with the healing hands of an enemy.
After a fearsome battle with a pack of rabid werewolves, wounded vampire Luca is abandoned by his coven. His wounds are many, and with the gaping gash of a werewolf bite poisoning him from the inside out, he has no hope of healing.
He lies on the forest earthy ground, watching his crystalline form disintegrate. Addled by pain, his mind wanders as one by one, his senses begin to fade. Then a stranger appears in the clearing, casting a new light over Luca, a light that warms him from the inside out.
Dashiel offers Luca a chance of survival…a chance to live, but, first, Luca must decide if his brittle heart is ready for the life Dashiel is offering.
Bonus Material available for all books on Garrett's Patreon account. Includes short stories from Misfits, Slide, Strays, What Remains, Dream, and much more. Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/garrettleigh
Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British romance author and artist. Her debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and she is a 4 time LAMBDA finalist.
In 2017, she won the EPIC award in contemporary romance with her military novel, Between Ghosts, and the contemporary romance category in the Bisexual Book Awards with her novel What Remains.
Garrett is also an award winning cover designer, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com
It's very short (19 pages), so it's perfect to relax for a while as it's paranormal there are things which are left unexplained. The author mentions previous battles and recoveries so I don't exactly understand why this one is so debilitating it threatens . Dash gave me a superficial facade I couldn't sympathize with. He observes battles and gives solace, or so I understood. But then , why is that? Does he explain it? Why does Luca say yes? That pulling is not clear. I don't get why this relationship is special and what a difference it had with the previous encounters Dash or Luca had. When Luca says that he had never I snorted. It was like a bad joke. The nature of their personalities and bonds are vague and confusing and ambiguous.
I can't help myself but this novella felt more like porn than a love story: . If I wasn't told the opposite I would have said that Dash is a gay incubus. I could relate with his supposed angelical role. He was intended to serve as an unicorn, as I see it.
I love the author and this could have been a great story but I ended it with the feeling I was totally missing the point. If a novel came out of this, I would surely read it. As it is, I can only say I'm disappointed. I would have liked a more paced version and better developed, because incredulity mixed with pretentiousness. Totally wasted, IMO.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
As always, Garrett Leigh's writing is impeccable. The story was descriptive without becoming overly poetic. There isn't much in the way of worldbuilding, but there was enough for the short scene being told.
She also does angst very well, and I'm impressed that she wrote angst and redemption in to such a short story without it feeling rushed. Daniel and Luca are both outcasts in their own way, alone in the world. I liked seeing how the two make a conscious choice to be together, despite their circumstances. It set them apart in what is clearly a violent and dark world.
If it was only longer, I'm sure 'Shadow Bound' would have been a 4-star read. I needed more character development and a better understanding of this world. Even so, I enjoyed this short and I'm hoping the author writes more with these two!
If ever a short story needed to be written as a full book it's this one. The tease at the world building and characters fascinated me and left me CLAMMING for more of their story.
Dear Author, please hear my plea and give me more on Luca and Dash's love story. Pretty please with a cherry on top 🍒
This was...interesting. And different. And I'm glad I read it after Fated Hearts. It makes me happy and sad knowing them a little bit better. One thing is for sure, I'm stoked for whatever else Leigh brings with her Shadow Bound world.
Whelp. This story just goes to show that even the best authors stumble occasionally. Garrett Leigh's foray into paranormal short stories felt like a creative writing experiment that should have been relegated to the author's junk drawer... but wasn't.
Case in point: there was actual magical, life-saving come in this story.
I wish this had been longer. :( I don't know what else to say, really. I liked it, I think. I mean, it was so short! But I liked the characters. It took me just a few minutes to read this. Luca the vampire is healed my magic sex with Dash. The end. ;)
A short novella about a vampire dying in the forest- bitten by a werewolf and left for dead. He is rescued by a shifter - a shadow cat - who offers him the chance to embrace life rather than death.
This was a very short read. I wanted more of Lucas and Dash. Dash saves Lucas, but this ended just as they are now bound together. How and where will they live? What will they do with their time?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’m a fan of Garrett Leigh. She writes beautiful and heartfelt stories using precise, descriptive and well chosen words. I’m also a bit afraid of her books because this author does angst very well, and this reader is not very good at dealing with angst. When this free short story became available I took one look at the blurb, one-clicked and sat down to read it. I am very glad I did.
This is a beautiful and original story. We see very little of the world Luca and Dash live in but what we are shown is enough to put us straight in the narrative and to make us understand what’s happening.
This is a story about the choices we make; a tale about the difference between being alive and living, a fable about the power of love. Shadow Bound is powerful, thought-provoking and glorious. (Oh dear, am I gushing again?).
Do yourself a huge favour and pick up this freebie. It is a wonderful read and while it is quite possible you’ll find yourself wishing you could have spent more time with Luca and Dash, I certainly did, you won’t feel short changed by the length of this story. As short stories go, this one is pretty much perfectly formed.
I don't know if it was a good idea to put this out there as a short story, it's more confusing than anything else and it leaves you feeling like you're missing the point. I need to read the whole book when it comes out, I'm thinking it's going to be entirely different and a lot better than this little snippet.
I think this had a lot of potential, but needed to be much longer to fully realize it. I know Garrett Leigh can write, so I wish this had been longer. It pains me to give her such a low rating. I'd like to see what she could do with this world in a full novel.
This is not a 'book'. It is too short for even a short story about a vampire finding love with a shape-shifter. We meet a dying Luca when Dashiel shows up to save his life with wierd magic that isn't explained. Good start to a story, but not enough world building to feel real. 38 pages and kindle freebie