• Binding Vows

  • MacCoinnich Time Travel Series, Book 1
  • By: Catherine Bybee
  • Narrated by: David Monteath
  • Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (2,145 ratings)

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Binding Vows  By  cover art

Binding Vows

By: Catherine Bybee
Narrated by: David Monteath
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Editorial reviews

Time travel, romance, and mythology collide in Catherine Bybee's Binding Vows. Striking Scottish prince Duncan MacCoinnich is, by vocation, a ladies' man, tasked with bedding virgins across history lest they find themselves targets of an evil curse. Nevertheless, at a 21st-century Renaissance Faire Duncan finds himself hopelessly smitten by modish maiden Tara McCallister, and decides to forsake his womanizing ways. Unwittingly whisked away to Duncan's estate in 16th-century Scotland, Tara must adapt to her new environs even as she's pursued by evil forces. At turns playful and provocative, saucy Sottish performer David Monteath perfectly personifies Duncan's devilish allure. Navigating disparate cultures 500 years apart, Monteath provides colorful character acting whether he's playing a cool and coy contemporary Californian or a regal Renaissance aristocrat.

Publisher's summary

Duncan MacCoinnich's task... Travel to the twenty-first century Renaissance Faire, deflower the Druid virgins, and go home. Only his job is not so easily accomplished with the virgin in question, Tara McAllister. Time is running out. The evil is closing in on them both. Tara finds Duncan irresistible after what was supposed to be a mock hand-fasting binds them.

When Duncan whisks her to his home in Scotland she could accept that. But when she finds herself in the sixteenth century, away from her modern life, can she forgive? And is it love they feel? Or something else?

©2009 Catherine Bybee (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Binding Vows

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Highlander Series - Modern Meets Medieval

This is book 1 in a series. Audible isn't showing the series properly and book 4 came out first and confused many buyers which is a shame as I'm sure that affected the love of these stories to unexpectedly plop late into the series, so the books come in this order.

#1 Binding Vows
#2 Silent Vows
#3 Redeeming Vows
#4 Highland Shifter
#5 Highland Protector (not out in Audiobook yet)

This is a GREAT series, funny, serious, lots of twists and turns, and parts will make you cry. Love the books. AND the narration by David Monteath is PERFECT and frankly that alone is worth the listen. It's great to hear a Scottish man read for the male characters for a change as it really adds to those characters in an addictive sexy way. He's now one of my favorite "readers" (and I've heard many).

The books blend time travel, history, battles, humor, suspense, magick and romance (and some sex) in just the right blend. Each book picks up pretty much where the previous book leaves off and you'll want to go through the next all as soon as each one. It's more a tale of all these great characters, so it's a great family tale not just a romance based on "where can we insert plenty of sex scenes".

While some argue there's enough explanation in each to have them stand alone, since characters' histories and actions span multiple books, do yourself a favor and read them in order!!

Love these books, hope this series continues on and on....

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54 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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🥰🤔

First , I loved the entire series and recommend it highly.
Awesome series up till, WTF
Okay I just finished the series up this this cliffhanger! Ugh. If you listen to books like me, (I listen to a book a day) depending on length; I was fascinated and drawn in from book one. Loved the characters and storyline. Halfway through book 5 I realized there is a book 6, only to my dismay that it is not available, only says coming soon on the authors website. OMG look at the release dates. It’s almost 5 years ? Is that a sign that we will never get the answers? With that being said the series is worth the listen if you can handle what may be a long wait for the final book. I loved the books and narrator was great although his female voices need a lot of help but can be overlooked due to great story.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Story okay but reader struggles with female voices

If you can stand the reader it's an okay story. The reader is a male and he does the male characters well. But the female characters sound like air headed bimbos. It's a bit insulting to women in general.

The story is romantic if abut predictable

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

If you can get past the narrator....

Well, maybe not even then. I’d recommend giving this book a try in paper.

The story has potential, but seemed to me not as fully developed as it could have been. A few times it was just very short cut , convenient and overly predictable.

But the narrator was a poor choice for this book. Really poor choice. And it was at times almost painful to listen to his attempt at female voices.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A FUNNY HISTORICAL HIGHLAND FANTASY ROMANCE

Well it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it - and it's down to 16th Century Druids Duncan and his brother Fin. The job, de-flowering Virgins at the Renaissance Faire before an evil Witch can Hubble Bubble herself into a lot of trouble which will end the Curse put on her.

Duncan's immediately drawn to Tara, a beautiful, strong, stubborn, modern-day, kind Virgin so he gives it his best shot to try to seduce her but binding vows once said can never be broken and, before she realises it, he's whisked her away through time but, unfortunately for Duncan, she's anything but happy about it. Yes, he's a bonny kilt wearing broad Scotsman but she's left her family and friends behind and there's no indoor plumbing, heating, electric or modern medicines AND she has to wear dresses!! (Mmmm what or who would you choose I wonder?).

It has it's predictable, cheesy and stupid 'don't do it' moments - but it's also an enjoyable, light, funny, touching time travel romance with magic, mayhem, danger, action, murder, humor, with great secondary characters, and a nice romance but very light sex scenes. This is a very addictive listen as Duncan and Tara's relationship is forced upon them both it then grows naturally (after a period of 'adjustment' for Tara) and, with the help of his loving family, their touching, tender feelings for each other eventually turn into love.

Worth a credit? A credit or on sale for cash, it's an easy light listen, yes I would have preferred a little more 'heat' but, as Tara realised, you just can't have everything.




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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book bad narration

Love the book and narrator does great Scottish men’s voices....but the women voices were awful as was listening to him swallowing and managing his dry mouth. Really distracting

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Childish

it was childish and seemed to be an attempt to cash in on the success of "Outlander." I gave up after about 25%. Thats rare for me.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My favorite Catherine ByBee Book

I wasn't sure if I would care for a time traveling theme, but since I am a Catherine Bybee fan, I decided to give it a try. This is my favorite story from her. I couldn't get enough of David Monteath's Scottish accent he uses to narrate the book. I have listened to the other books in the series, but I still long for another story with Tara and Duncan as the protagonists.

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6 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I can't finish

1. The narrator's mouth sounds. He speaks so sloooowwww and in between sentences his mouth sounds - little tongue bubbles... If you just grimaced, I'm sorry, but its better to know ahead of time. Maybe its my misophonia, but... *shiver/gag*
I gave him 3 stars because honestly he does a pretty decent job and I think the mouth sounds are just bad sound editing or something quite possibly out of his control. Other reviewers are correct about his slaughtering of female voices, particularly Tara's. He makes her sound like an absolute airhead, which brings me to...

2. Tara IS an absolute airhead! She behaves like a spoiled princess for the first half of the book. I guess she is supposed to be hesitant about the evil witch lady because of her own latent druid powers, but it mostly comes off as Tara being wishy-washy, whiny, and a pain in the @$$.
By the time she gets to Duncan's home, she's even worse. Halfway thru the book and her character has only devolved. While I 100% agreed that any sane woman would be irate about being lied to and having (quite literally) her whole future, her family, her schooling and career stolen from her, and her freedom, Tara only has an 'adorable' little conniption fit that Duncan tolerates by humoring her and then continues to manipulate and lie to her. Its despicable.

3. And so, finally, Duncan: our supposedly sexy alpha hero with his Scottish brogue and big sword. He treats Tara as though she is a possession, maybe his horse. Sure he takes care of her, but he certainly seems to expect her to become the perfect little 17th century wife and broodmare with only a little touch of sympathy and patience now that the woman is essentially his prisoner. He has no respect for her autonomy whatsoever -- and neither does the author, and thats what really burns me. I don't see this story evolving into any semblance of fairness for Tara. Nope, I would put money on her realizing that she loves him eversomuch, gets knocked up, and lives happily ever after as the Laird's little mid-wifey with their brood of offspring and a modernized apothecary. Maybe not. But I find I don't care enough about either main character enough to find out.

Finally, what is it with time-travel romance and the Scottish Highlands? Seriously?! Can no one time travel to any other place or time and find love? Dianna Galbadon did a phenomenal job with Claire and Jaime's story in the 'Outlander' series some decades ago, and it seems few other authors have been able to break away from that trope. I wish they would. I only picked this book up because its free and romance genre promises happy endings (life is too full of realistic tragedy to escape into novels with tragic endings IMHO), but there are some conventions I really wish romance authors with break with already. The Highland time-travel trope being a big one.

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5 people found this helpful

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Recommended

I was skeptical about this book, but apparently I was wtong. I loved it. I loved the sroryline, the charechters, and the rhythem. I am going to buy and start reading book 2 now.
Great narration!!

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3 people found this helpful