Soulbound

The Darkest London Series, Book 6

By: Kristen Callihan

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Once two souls are joined...

When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After 700 years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled--and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone...

Their hearts will beat together forever.

No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken.

©2015 Hachette Audio; 2015 Kristen Callihan

Critic reviews

"Evocative and deeply romantic, Firelight was fascinating from the very first page." (Nalini Singh, New York Times best-selling author)
"A dark, delicious tale of secrets, murder, and love, beautifully shrouded in the shadows of Victorian London." (Hannah Howell, New York Times best-selling author of If He's Dangerous on Firelight)
"A sizzling paranormal with dark history and explosive magic! Callihan is an impressive new talent." (Larissa Ione, New York Times best-selling author of Immortal Rider on Firelight)
"Dark, dangerous, and totally enthralling." (Library Journal on Winterblaze)
"Callihan has a great talent for sexual tension and jaw-dropping plots that weave together brilliantly in the end." (Diana Gabaldon, New York Times best-selling author)
"Top Pick! 4 1/2 Stars! Like all good things, Callihan just keeps getting better and better.... Once begun, it's impossible to put down Winterblaze." (RT Book Reviews)
"Compulsively readable...a compelling Victorian paranormal with heart and soul." (Publishers Weekly starred review of Firelight)

loved it!

can't get enough of this series! I love the emotion she puts into these books.

Fantastic Series!

Any additional comments?

Start at the beginning and don't stop. The Darkest London series is the best of paranormal romance. Strong women and brave men. Each book brings new characters to the front. Sexy romance mixed wonderfully with danger and a bit of humor. Unique stories and great narration. Outstanding.

You are my first, my last, my forevermore

The upsides: I enjoyed spending more time in this fantastical world. It was also nice to see some of the other series regulars make appearances. I loved the fresh twist on a kind of Lord of Death story, with Adam cursed to yearn for his other half, yet granted the power to rescue souls and maintain them as ghosts in machines (“gims” as they’re called here). It felt very Hades and Persephone, and I love a romantic tragedy with broody men and great sacrifices, especially if the heroine fights against her fate. Eliza is a spitfire with an equally fascinating backstory and watching her navigate the dark world of the Fae was horrific and suspenseful.

The downsides: Whereas the previous books offered monsters, magic, mystery and steampunk to go with the romance, this book only has romance and a narrower focus on angels, demons and the Fae.
I floundered a bit on the hows and whys, perhaps because taking the plot into other worlds and manipulating the rules of time, death and the afterlife (other life?) made this story too complex for me to grasp. And those series regulars? Unfortunately, with the exception of setting up Cyn’s story for the final book 7, the previous couples have barely more than cameos, making this more of a cruel tease for the supernatural steampunk monster mayhem that I craved.

This was still a gripping, heart wrenching story with a deliciously dark and twisted tale.
The sex ended up being more emotional than steamy, and rather sparse, particularly when compared to the earlier books. The Darkest London series is one of my favorite paranormal regency steampunk series. I absolutely loved books 1 (Firelight), 2 (Moonglow), and 5 (Evernight). Books 3 and 4 (Winterblaze and Shadow Dance) were also solid. This book is still great, but lost me a bit towards the end.

One final note: as of the time of this review, the final book 7 (Forevermore) is in Audible, but oddly is not listed within the Darkest London series links. You can get to that book by clicking on the author or searching for the title itself. Book 7 goes even further down the rabbit hole of angels and devils, losing me even more. But, I needed to see this series to its end and was satisfied, even if a bit mystified.

Good series but didn’t like this book

I’ve enjoyed this series overall, but I did NOT like the ending of this book.

**partial spoilers below**

Suicide should NEVER be glorified, EVER, even if it’s in the name of ~true love~. If your romantic relationship is all you have to live for, it’s not a healthy one. I feel like past books in this series have largely avoided toxic relationship traits like this so I was really disappointed.

So, even though this series is good, I wouldn’t recommend this particular book. Also, as has been mentioned, what is with the cover art on this series??? Audible, please make sure book covers are ‘safe for work’.