Review by cstegmil -- The Bonding by Imogen Keeper

[cstegmil]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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This science fiction romance book takes place in an alien world where the Queen designate of Triannon, Nissa, is forced to leave her planet after it is invaded by another alien species. She is only one of one hundred Trianna sent into space in life pods, with the hope of saving at least some of their species. She is eventually rescued by Tam, a warrior from Tribe Argentus. His race, the Argenti, form lifetime bonds with their chosen mates. Due to a disease that attacked and killed most of the females on his planet, the vast majority of men are left alone with almost no hope of finding a mate. After Tam finds Nissa in space and opens her life pod, he finds her sick and the only way to save her is to bond her.

This book is written from both points of view. I really enjoyed that as it allows you to connect with the emotions, struggles, and thoughts of both the main characters. In an opening scene when Tam first sees Nissa’s life pod floating in space, you immediately get drawn into his sense of wonder and thoughts about Nissa, which deepened my overall connection to his character.

I am a big fan of science fiction romance, especially those that include both points of view. However, there were a couple of problems I had with this book. First, it did not go deep enough into the characters and plot to fully drawn me in. The author tells you up front that this story has a lot of sex, and I typically enjoy that. However, as I got further into the book, it became somewhat repetitive and overdone. At times, the writing was more about the sex than a deeper building out of the storyline and romance that I wanted to see. I found myself wanting to more quickly get through some of the later sex scenes, so I could find out what the characters were going to do next.

The other problem I had with the book is related to the main female character. Nissa’s fight against the bond and her struggle to put her people and their needs first was an interesting twist, but I found myself sometimes annoyed with her. I enjoy strong female characters and I kept wanting her to fight more for Tam and their relationship versus the demands of her father and Triannon.

In summary, while I found the storyline interesting, it didn’t have enough depth and buildout of the main characters and their struggles to really pull me in. As the book progressed, the sex scenes seemed a bit overdone and detracted from the overall plot. Overall, I rate The Bonding a 2 out of 4 stars. Those who are new to alien science fiction romance or who enjoy lots of sex/erotica may enjoy this book, but it should be noted that this book does contain mature content, and therefore readers should note the advisory warning the author includes at the beginning of the book.

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The Bonding
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