Bound (Alex Caine)

By: Alan Baxter

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Alex Caine is a martial artist fighting in illegal cage matches. His powerful secret weapon is an unnatural vision that allows him to see his opponents’ moves before they know their intentions themselves.

An enigmatic Englishman, Patrick Welby, approaches Alex after a fight and reveals, "I know your secret." Welby shows Alex how to unleash a breathtaking realm of magic and power, drawing him into a mind-bending adventure beyond his control.

And control is something Alex values above all else....

A cursed grimoire binds Alex to Uthentia, a chaotic Fey godling, who leads him towards chaos and murder, an urge Alex finds harder and harder to resist. Befriended by Silhouette, a monstrous Kin beauty, Alex sets out to recover the only things that will free him - the shards of the Darak. But that powerful stone also has the potential to unleash a catastrophe which could mean the end of the world as we know it.

©2017 Alan Baxter (P)2019 Gryphonwood Press

So much fun but...

I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when this started. The premise is awesome, the MC is tough but relatable, the magic and world are fun and interesting.

Sadly this book is not for me. I now see that there’s a review that mentions the sex, but when I signed up for the book there were no reviews. I would not have gotten the book if I had known about the sexual content.

So I give the book a melancholic high review because I really wish I could have continued with the book and the series. If you don’t mind sexual content, definitely pick up this book.

Loved this new series and anticipating the next

This was an awesome start to a great new series. You really never know what you're going to get with a brand new series, but this did not disappoint. I love fantasy stories that begin with an individual that does not know they have magical abilities and as the book progresses that start to tap into their true power. If you're a fan of Dresden Files or the Iron Druid Chronicles, this should be right up your alley. I also loved the authors take on monsters and lore, always enjoy a new idea and spin on the classics such as vampires, werewolves etc. The Narrator Jonathan Waters also did an amazing job! the voices were all well acted and gave the right amount of personality and emotion as well as accents. This book is well worth a credit and I look forward to the future installments.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Martial Arts, Magic, Sex and Monsters!

This book was a pretty fun read that had a lot of different elements mixed together. It follows the main character Alex Caine who is an MMA fighter who is almost impossibly good because of his training and his special ability of being able to read his opponents 'Shades' and predict their next moves. This turns out to be a magical ability that he was unaware of which drags him somewhat against his will into a magical world he never knew existed when Patrick Welby a Mage who knows that Alex has special magical powers and needs his help to be able to read a magical Grimoire. Welby drags Alex into his world as Alex has to get out of town anyway as he is having issues with the local gangsters. From there he learns of his magical abilities and learns some skills as he becomes entangled in Welby's world and while helping him becomes cursed himself. He also meets a Kin(a half Fey/Fairy and Human) Silhouette who helps him on his quest to break the Curse and save himself from the situation he has found himself in.

I found this magical world and the creatures in it fairly interesting and the action and fighting were all pretty enjoyable. There is quite a bit of sex involved and some of it isn't all that romantic or tame so if that is an issue for you I would give this a pass. I didn't find the character of Alex all that original and he seemed a bit one dimensional but he was still pretty cool and enjoyable nonetheless. The narration by Jonathan Waters was well done and I enjoyed his accent.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Somewhat different take

Very good narration and decent story. Characters overall are pretty good. The main character is sort of predictable. Classic tough on the outside, trained by master sensei, well read, difficult loss of parents, but has a strict moral compass dude. The characters around him are very interesting and so is the magic world. Not a bad start.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Iron balls!

Now, this is an interesting and unique story. It starts out a wee bit odd. The summary presents us with the picture of a cage match fighter who becomes involved with magic. After the first chapter, I was hooked. The originality and intensity of the writing kept me engaged throughout the tale. The protagonist, Alex Caine finds that he has a talent for magic. Alex becomes involved in a historic journey through time and past lives in search of a powerful, chaotic artifact. As the search progresses so too does Alex’s abilities. But, along with those abilities so too does the increasing chaos and inherent evil of the artifact adversely affect Alex. Silhouette, Alex’s beautiful Kin partner throughout this ordeal, helps Alex control the rage that the artifact infuses within him. This romance keeps Alex grounded to the present, and thankfully does not detract from the main story. Will Alex be able to restore the artifact, prevent the chaos and evil from escaping, and ultimately survive this trial; perhaps even with Silhouette? I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Action, Sex , fantasy and Romance

I liked the first part of the book better, before the love interest Silhouette came into the picture. She was necessary for the story I guess, but the name kind of bugs me.

I think this story is better suited to the young adult crowd. The book is listed under the mysteries and thrillers category but I think it would be better classified as fantasy/thriller.

I will say the performance was quite good though.

This was pretty good

I got this ARC via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review. The story started off slowly but built up quickly. I actually liked the narrator. Mr. Waters did a great job of bringing the story to life. I could feel the emotions Alex was feeling even being confronted by someone who told him what he was actually doing. I also felt the underlying feelings Alex was having of being tired of what he was doing. I enjoyed most of the story.

Real Mortal Kombat!!!

I’ll kidding aside the headline is only made due to the fact that the main character is involved in cage fighting when the story starts. I have to say for urban fantasy that’s a pretty damn original.

There’s a lot going on here and a ton to unpack. But basically the MC begins to lose himself due to what generally amounts to a curse.

The book is full of action, hence, the martial arts, stuff, dark magic, curses, and a lot of sex scenes. I can’t say there’s a lot of characterization going on with the main character, but then again, I don’t really think he’s meant to be a deep thinker like say, Jack Reacher. Truthfully, I think he’s meant to be a little stereo. Typical of the punch first ask questions later if you can think of any kind of dude. Either way it’s a fun read.

Now, the nice thing is, is that Waters narrates this book. I have been a massive fan of Waters for sometime ever since he did the work with Terry Irvin the second. That’s some of his best work ever. This matches that he knows how to tell a tale.

Better than first book

Good narration, better storyline than first book. I didn't honestly want to sit through the first book from about halfway through. This one is much better at least for my preferences. Narrator is great and offers nuances that help to enhance the characters. No spoilers here, read for yourself.

Alex Caine

Alex has had a rough life and is a fighter. He learns of a world that has always been there but not many know about it and now he’s in the center of it and people want something he has. He needs to find out more to try to stay alive and stay ahead of it all. The magical world was pretty interesting and I enjoyed the plot. At times it was rather predictable but still pretty good.

Iron Balls!!

Bound, the first book in the Alex Caine series is phenomenal urban fantasy. This audiobook surpassed my expectations, a perfect combination of excellent writing, well-developed characters, and extraordinary narration. The storyline is cleverly composed, brilliantly descriptive, and an edge of your seat, suspenseful, loaded with non-stop action. Alex Cain, is intelligent, capable, a fighter, and tough as it can get with extraordinary abilities. He is not a typical, traditional hero, having a seriously dark side to contend with. His sidekick, Silhouette is a beautiful monster and together, they make a formidable team.

The narration by Jonathan Waters is outstanding. He hones in on the characters, capturing their personalities, modifying his tone, bringing the entire book to life. He is a very talented narrator and ideal for the series. I was wholly impressed by his performance.

I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for an unbiased review.

Bound

I enjoyed listening to Jonathan Waters, he brings the characters and plot together. He did a great job on narration.

This is a story of a MMA fighter discovering he has magic powers and getting saddled with a cursed book(bound) that he can't get rid of is a very entertaining action packed, and it's an interesting premise.

Lots going on

I found this book a bit disjointed. It didn’t seem to flow like most books. Jonathan gives a great performance, there’s a lot of humour and characters that have strong personalities.

Interesting premise that works well

Shortly after the listener is introduced to Alex Caine, he learns from a man named Welby that there is much more to his gift than the basic benefit it gave to his career as a fighter in illegal cage matches. From this point where he learns that magic is real and that is where his power comes from, things start to rapidly get out of control and result in a frantic race to recover the shards of an ancient artifact before he loses control to a chaotic ancient god or a mysterious corporation that collects and sells magical items can stop or kill him, accompanied on this race with a mysterious supernatural being called Silhouette.

The narrator does a good job overall, giving suitably distinctive tones to Alex and the other significant characters in the book and having an enjoyable tone for the overall narration that nicely enhances the book.

Overall, an interesting listen and I'd hope that the author returns to the character in the future.

[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]