Chained

Chained Trilogy, Book 1

By: Elise Marion

Narrated by: Eric Burns

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

House Toustain and House Maignart, two royal houses once embroiled in a bloody feud, 30 years of peace now broken in an instant.

Sir Caden Maignart has been captured, beaten, locked in a dungeon, and wrongfully accused of kidnapping and oath-breaking. Determined to free himself and his men, and clear his besmirched name, Caden does not count on the willful nature of his captor, Lady Gwendolyn Toustain, the daughter of the man who was once his father's mortal enemy. After several attempts at escape, the lady orders him bound and chained to a wall in her chambers - where he will remain under her personal guard at all times and kept from conspiring with his men. While the lady's high-handedness infuriates him, Caden cannot deny that everything else about her drives him to distraction. Forced into close proximity with her, Caden soon finds it hard to remember his mission of escape.

When Lady Gwendolyn of House Toustain first lays eyes on her prisoner, one thing about him is abundantly clear: Sir Caden of Daleraia is a dangerous man. Yet, she must show him no fear. The captured band of knights from Daleraia are her only clue in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of House Toustain's sons, and it falls to Lady Gwen to seek justice. Is this kidnapping merely the ploy of mercenaries out for a ransom? Or has Sir Caden acted on the order of the High Lord of Daleraia and broken the peace? As she searches for the answers, she never expects the surge of passion that ignites between herself and her prisoner. The longer he remains in her clutches, the more Gwen realizes that though she has him chained, she is the one who has been captured.

©2014 Elise Marion (P)2016 Elise Marion

Ready for the Second!

If you could sum up Chained in three words, what would they be?

Awesome, wonderful, exciting!

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the main characters and dialogues and how they were presented. The way the book ended left me wanting more. I'm on watch for the second installment.

What does Eric Burns bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator was awesome. I would definitely listen to another book he narrates.

Multifaceted

This story led me on a merry chase. First I would be with one family then I was with another. I went from one girl rescueing another from rape and murder to a bath and dinner in another kingdom with another family. The characters were very well developed as well as the scenes but the story left me confused. Although I did like the ending. You can't go wrong when love has the final say so.
I was given this book for an honest review via audiobook blast.

this book is so boring

the book is written well in great detail and Doesn't Remind me of the usual romances but the fact that it moves slower than a snail and gives excruciating detail makes me not even want to read it I'm not even done with it and I can't imagine trying to finish without fast-forwarding

LOVE & INTRIGUE -GAME OF THRONES STYLE!

Any additional comments?

First, I was provided this audiobook through Audiobook Boom at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. Because it was book-3 that I requested, Elise Marion KINDLY offered me the first two at no charge for the same review contract. Thank you Elise!

I'm a huge fan of OUTLANDER, with the depth of the world created by the multiple clans and the endless directions the characters can go. The same can be said of GAME OF THRONES and the many kingdoms. This series builds the same depth using Lords and Houses, distinguished further by color differences in skin, hair, eyes (and accent in audiobook version). I believe that this "world" has the potential to be expanded into a dozen books, introducing characters with sub plots slowly allowing the intricacy of the scope of characters to become more solid each book.

As mentioned, there are a lot of characters so attention has to be maintained to follow the exact movement of the story, but enough can be understood when you get mid-way through that some misunderstanding or incomplete knowledge of the characters is overridden as the plot reveals. The character development is great. I love having a heroine that can be bad-ass and a princess. She doesn't drool, whine or shout obscenities, either. The hero is believable, making mistakes but keeping his honor. He isn't portrayed as almighty, condescending or superior. The MC's just plain fit. The love they develop grows from interaction and revelations, not lust at first sight.

I have mixed feelings about the narration. Eric's male voices are great. He does a good job differentiating the Houses using distinctive accents. His speed is right-on and I never had to turn up / down the volume according to character or dialogue. My only complaint is his voice for Lady Gwen. IMHO, sounds like an obnoxious snob... but I accept it's just a voice and I can deal with it.

I loved the book, even with a cliffhanger (because I have book 2 and 3). Again, I want to thank the author, Elise Marion, for gifting the first two in the series, also. I agree that it would've been a mistake to try and understand book 3 with no prior knowledge of the world it exists in.

TWO THUMBS UP.

I need book 2 now!!

5 amazing stars for this book. Being a lover of all things romance I have a particular fondness for historical romances and this book delivered. The plot was very original and we'll developed. It can be difficult to find a truly original storyline and Elise Marion found it. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, there is something for everyone; intrigue, wit, comedy, violence, romance, family, honor. Not wanting to give the book away but I will say this, I recommended this book to my mother and 18 year old niece . The Best historical romance I've read all year and I go through a book each day so I don't say this likely.

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

Wonderful!!!

This book was wonderful from beginning to end. I listened to it in less than 2 days and noe I can't wait for it to be a novela!!!

Story of ?bwwm? in medieval times & cliff hanger.

Medieval clans that skin shade differ is the premise of this story. So there isn't "black/Anglo/Asian" races.. Mis understandings and drama with lust for power & male ego clash with the 2 lead characters Lady (dark female) and KNIGHT (white male) trying to fulfill their duties and roles for their clans but have attraction for each other despite being "enemies" This story has a annoying cliff hanger so the problems and traitors continue. Worth a credit/money??? Flip a coin.. I probably will buy the next book..

Worth The Credit!!

Any additional comments?

This is a fantastic book. Extremely entertaining and enjoyable.

Really good well written medieval romance with an actual fantastic story.
Political intrigue, betrayal, deception, mystery, suspense, action, romance, honor, death and more, this book has it all.

Great Characters. There are a lot of characters introduced right off the bat, this was a little confusing trying to keep them all straight, but they all have their reason for being there. All the characters fall into place fairly quickly and before you realize it you are sucked into the story and know exactly who all the players are.

This will definitely be going onto my list of books I recommend.

This is the first time I have listened to Eric Burns narrate a book. He did a great job. Nice even pace, his narration flowed smoothly. Great character voices. Hopefully he will be narrating the rest of the series.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Boom

Elise Never Disappoints

Any additional comments?

My review of Elise Marion's Chained: The Chained Trilogy

This is a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️story, with great narration!

I have followed this author for over four years since I read her book The Third Son (Free on Amazon) and I have loved her books. I not only have read the Kings of Cardenas series twice, but have listened to it twice on Audible. I finally got the opportunity to get my hands on Chained. I am so happy I did!! The author has some true talent when it comes to writing books in the historical romance genre!

I listened to Chained on audible and loved it. The story is one that makes you want to listen to it completely from start to finish without taking a break. Every chance I got I turned it back on, whether while driving, doing housework, cooking, showering or just relaxing. I loved the intensity and the mystery of the story. It made me want to cheer for the main characters to follow their hearts. The heroine is a strong one and the author does great at showcasing her attributes and her intensity. The hero is also greatly displayed for his strong character. The two make a perfect pair but so much comes between them. Their story continues in Bound, book 2 of the Chained Trilogy. I can't wait to continue it now on Audible. I am certain since the first book was such a great one, the trilogy will be a great read (or in my case listen) and won't disappoint.

The book is free on Amazon at this time and $1.99 on Audible with the purchase of the book. So you get a great book for free and a even greater audiobook for $1.99!

Audible Link:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Chained-Audiobook/B01G48VNK2/?ref=msw_search_c1_0_4_TR

Amazon Link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LICD9CU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1478284725&sr=8-7

Dear God my kingdom for another narrator

So this is at least an interesting story line. The characters are a bit hard to follow. Figuring out who is doing what and betraying who can be a dizzying. But the narrator’s voices are just horrendous.