The Chimera (Bound Gods #1)

Title: Bounds Gods: The Chimera (Bounds Gods #1)
Author: Adrienne Wilder
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: March 27, 2016
Genre(s): Fantasy, BDSM, Erotica
Page Count: 147 pages
Reviewed by: Natalie
Heat Level: 5 flames out of 5
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Kaleb Holten’s father’s debt to an underground group The Association has just been called in, and the man can’t pay the loan. Instead of turning over his wealth, he releases his son and Kaleb finds himself thrown into a world where a class of men see themselves as untouchable. Going so far as to call themselves gods.

After the Great Economic Collapse there are no laws that cannot be broken. And Kaleb is forced into a ten-year sentence of servitude where he will have no say, no rights, no value and yet be coveted and protected as if he were a priceless treasure.

Leo Roan, has slipped the noose the Association bound him with by breaking his addiction to ambrosia and Kaleb Holten was supposed to be his last assignment as a doxie Master. But something about the boy begins weaving a new net that will not only ensnare him but the conscious darkness inside, that craves pain, agony, suffering, and death.

This story… oh this story!

I’d heard so much about Adrienne Wilder since In the Absence of Light was published. I’m guilty of having not yet read it. It’s on my Kindle! It’s just my massive TBR pile continues to get in the way. I’m a mood reader. Despite the lists I draft up every month to wade my way through, sometimes books fall to the wayside because I’m not ready for them. I was in the process of figuring out what to read next when the review request came in for this story. I’d already added it to Kindle Unlimited “To Read” list, so I figured why not move it up?

How did Bounds Gods: The Chimera even land on my radar? My Facebook feed of course. I love when reading buddies with similar tastes share their recs.

Reading the blurb, I was a bit confused. What is this Association? What is the Great Economic Collapse? What the hell is ambrosia aside from a horrible dessert that people love to bring to BBQs? Marshmallows in a fruit salad is blasphemous, but I digress.

I’m going to try my best to explain what this book is about. There are ordinary men who run society despite the economic collapse, and there are men who run society by underground means. They hold the power, and the government looks to them for financial assistance and guidance, Alton McKinley is one of those men. This group refers to themselves as The Association.

We meet Leo Roan. Leo is somewhat of an enforcer. He’s been sent by his boss Alton to collect a debt Kaleb Holten’s father owes. This is Leo’s last job. He’s done working for Alton after he finishes this last gig.

Kaleb’s father has had an ample amount of time to pay off this debt. It’s not a little one by any means. We’re talking millions of dollars. Twenty to be exact. Kaleb’s dad is lucky and runs many businesses and has tons of investments but still, he didn’t care much to pay back a twenty million dollar debt knowing the repercussions of defaulting. Crazy, right?

So, who or what was the collateral in case Kaleb’s dad forfeited? Kaleb of course. Who also has NO IDEA what his father has done. Leo summons Kaleb to break the news, tell him what his life will be like as a doxie for the next couple of years. Think of doxies as submissives. They are to provide pleasure for the Gods (people like Leo, who are could also be viewed as enforcers). He also gives Kaleb the option to back out but not without consequences of course.

Did I forget to mention Leo isn’t fully human? Oh yeah, there’s a beast that lives within him called The Chimera and it wants Kaleb baaaaaad. Oh, and the ambrosia aspect? Doxies produced ambrosia. They secrete it from bodily fluids. Think of it as food and pleasure for people like Leo. Whew, this premise just gets better and better. Bounds Gods: The Chimera is about Kaleb discovering who he is and his abilities; it’s about Leo trying to fulfill his duties to Alton without succumbing to the need to take Kaleb as his. Holy shit is this a great story! Color me impressed with Adrienne Wilder’s imagination. I should say… unless you’re like me, and you love a good dark read with some BDSM thrown in, this isn’t for you. It’s not fluffy, it’s not nice, it is not a traditional romance. I don’t think I’d categorize it as romance really. It’s not for the faint of heart.

There are currently two books in the Bound Gods series with the possibility of four. I highly suggest you jump on the bandwagon and get ready for an amazing ride.