Savage Bonds The Bonds That Tie #2
Reviews
4/5⭐️ • 2.5/5🌶️
Goodness, this is when I decided this series is addicting and knew there was no stopping me from binge read the whole thing to the point of exhaustion. This particular cliffhanger leaves you with May more questions than answers so of course I had to jump into Book 3.
Is it hot in here or ? 🥵 J Bree doesn’t disappoint on the spice. You may have to wait a little bit, but it’s so worth it. And also the banter? I love this world and I am all in. Stayed up long past my bedtime and immediately downloaded the third.
This story and these characters are some of my favorites ever read. I can’t put these down and as much as a 6 book series has me nervous I don’t think it’ll take long to power through by how hooked I am! Oli continues to be a mystery - what’s her gift? Why has she been running? Who exactly is she running from??But we get more and more of her story and what she’s hiding. These guys have me hooked and Gabe is definitely my current favorite. Gryph is a close second 🥹 I’m getting weird vibes from Altas?! Especially upon reading that final page. I audibly gasped and my husband even asked what was wrong 😅 The more they open up and be honest with each other the more invested I am in how this will all play out. The world building has been so simple to follow, I loveee a fantasy series with good world building. 4⭐️ 3🌶️
What a cliffhanger. The writing is still sub par but I’m so engrossed in the story that it’s fine, lmao.
3.5 GRYPHON IS SOO HOT I CAN'T
I fear that the story is going to get repetitive by the end of the series but this book was good!
I am sorry... WHAT?! That ending. I am addicted to this series, and it is all @shelby_brooks11's fault.
YOURE KIDDING TELL ME YOURE LYING. THIS IS SO WILD BUT I LOVE THE RIDE. this series is absolutely amazing so far. also, i’m devastatingly in love with gryphon it’s insane. AND THAT CLIFFHANGER WHAT
** spoiler alert ** - Possible Spoilers - “…let this be a lesson to you that you should never provoke monsters.” I’m loving this series! Two “characters” that have won my heart are Brutus and August. Brutus- one of Nox’s nightmare, in the form of a puppy, who usually doesn’t leave his side, now he can be found spending his time in Oli’s hair. August, is North’s most terrifying nightmare, a full-grown Doberman. When Oli first meets him, in a scene where he takes off running at her, she gets excited to give him all the pets. I love all things puppies and big dogs- so whenever it mentions Oli loving on these terrifying nightmares- I can totally see myself doing the same! Nox is still a dark and mysterious man, which is why I’m so drawn to him. Even though he is still the most intriguing bond to me; However, Atlas is also one I can not get enough of. Atlas is an overprotective male, which becomes apparent during the scene when Nox takes Oli home. Atlas tells her: “He touches you, he dies.” Yes please 🥵 Atlas also has this sweet loving side and enjoys public displays of affection. When he told Oli “if you burn, I burn with you” my heart was melting. I have to give a shout out to Gryphon….once you read the book, you’ll absolutely know why 🫣 Even though I could go on and on about the sexy bonds, let’s chat about the supporting characters. One of the sweetest scenes, in my opinion, was the one with Oli and Kieran. Everyone is slowly starting to put the pieces together in regards to Oli and while she still has many enemies, she also is forming stronger friendships. This book does end on a serious cliffhanger! I never saw it coming and immediately started reading book number 3. All in all, this was another great read by J. Bree!
2.5/5 ⭐️ siento que es exactamente igual al primer libro, no avanzó ni hubo nada interesante hasta el final
3.5/5 Ok this series is addicting. So addicting that I can tolerate the cringe and how juvenile this book is🫣 I’ll admit that the writing style is not my cup of tea, but the plot has so much potential that I have to see it through. There’s still A LOT of unanswered questions, more than I’m used to (especially after two books). I need a manual for this bonding business because I’m still just as clueless as I was in the first book. I have to rely on fanart to visualize what the heck any of these characters look like because we are given the smallest of details. Everything is vague af. I feel like every important aspect of this book is only lightly touched on. I’m not completely sold on our main girl Oli, her communication skills are…. Nonexistent. let’s just say I’m continuing on because Gryphon Shore is *chefs kiss*.
I'm ngl I really enjoyed this book. Oli is quickly one of my favs FMC and her relationship with Sage is genuinely adorable. she cares not only about Sage but legit all of her bonds and friends. I'm really loving this little family she's developing. Also I am not at the point where I can't pick a fav bond. they're all great except Nox kindly fuck him. They’re all slowing opening up to her and I am kinda obsessed. I genuinely cannot wait to learn all about her powers, her family, and her bonding with all of her bonds. current bond rankings: - Gryphon (MY LITERAL BABY I LOVE THIS MAN SO FREAKING MUCH) - Atlas (i want to love with all my heart but I'm scared there's something about you that I hesitate to fully love). - Gabe (my little jock) - North (ngl starting to love you just give me a bit more) FUCK A BITCH NAMED NOX.
This book gets a half star higher because the one thing J. Bree does really well here is character development and the different relationships Oli navigates with her Bonds. And we finally stop being edged and get some spice here. Other than that, the same problems persist. She hasn’t defined the world for the read AT ALL. We still have no idea who, what, or how the Resistance came to be, nor their motivations for attacking the Gifted. We also no nothing about the Gifted, other than they are different from non-Gifted (aka humans). We don’t know all the power types they can be, what defines receiving a certain type, and how they interact with the real world. And don’t get me started on the Bonds because it’s the same black hole there. No idea why they occur, what the point of them is, or how they exist in the first place. The writing is still a bit of a mess as well, especially grammatically. The story could be good, it’s just executed poorly.
Love it!
Omg. So freaking good and ready to read the third. Big cliff hanger at the end. One of my fav series so far
4.5 stars. Loved this book! I do wish more time had been spent in book one for world building though, giving us more information on bonds and how they’re formed and more info on the guys themselves. I also wish more time was spent with oli and her bonds talking and being truthful. There’s so much uncertainty swirling around and half truths and people not knowing what the other’s feeling that it seems unnecessarily complicated. But I still love atlas, and gabe, and sage and sawyer and Felix and Brutus. Will devour the next one!
obsession. that is all I can’t explain how much these books have become my newest obsession. J Bree is insane 🤯 I can’t stay to talk I need to dive into the next book right away
Did I read this book so fast that I forgot to mark it as ‘currently reading’? Yes, yes I did. Was it SO GOOD I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN. Yes, yes it was.
Wtf just happened ? I'm not stopping here. Bye. Hello book 3. I. Just. Can't. Stop. My reviews are not rational right now. But it says everything you need. Fascinating worldbuilding and plot. Flowing writing style. F*cking memorable and endearing characters. I love them all so much I can't. I just can't wait for the spice omg 🥺
What.. what just happened? I… what?????? J Bree loves making a mess of me. But this book was amazing! The progress Oli has made, her growth is huge. You can tell she was always a fighter but just hiding it cause, hello, she LOVES AND WANTS TO PROTECT EVERYONE. The guys are… right now, after everything that has happened, my list goes like this: Atlas, Gryphon, Gabe, North and then Nox. They each have their own magic and place in my heart, and obviously Oli’s, but I sense there’s so much more there. We’ve been focusing so much on Oli that I need more backstories to the guys to understand so many things. Once again, great writing. The characters really show growth in this second book and continually grow on you. They are diverse and loveable, a bit complex but I love it. THANK GOD THERE WAS FINALLY THAT SPICE I WAS WAITING FOR. HELLO ANGST AND BANTER, YOU GUYS ARE MY FRIENDS. 4.75⭐️ and 1🌶
4.5 stars. Savage Bonds is book 2 in J Bree's new paranormal RH series, and the world-building and general mythos are super interesting and unique. All members of society have particular magical gifts, and the strength/power of said gifts places them hierarchically within their society. Our MC Oleander has severely powerful gifts, but they're shrouded in mystery as she doesn't want to unleash them fully in order to protect those close to her. Oli's harem (or her Bonded) initially assumes she has no gifts at all and they treat her like shit because of it. They slowly come around, and Oli really gives in to her "take no shit" attitude in this second installment. She's done tolerating their bullshit, and I loved reading her progression into a legit badass. Spice-wise, this was very slow burn. We don't get full spice until about 80%, but it's pretty damn worth the build-up. I'm hoping we get a lot more spice in subsequent books because I'm not trying to have blue lady balls, generally speaking. Highly recommend!
3.5 stars
Just when I thought the first book couldn't get better, BAM! I read the second and am left begging to read the third. I cannot believe I have to wait until December to get my hands on it! Seriously though, the fact that Oli has been able to stop herself destroying some of her bonds AND hasn't climbed into beds with the others is quite impressive! I liked that this book revealed some more of the mysteries from the first, and that we are seeing Oli accept her gifts a lot more. I loved that she's stubborn and strong-willed, that she wakes up every morning at 5am, and isn't scared to give even big scary North some sass. The growth in her friendships and even the relationship with some of her bonds - so, so good! Oh! And the addition of Brutus? AMAZING! I hope to see more creatures in the next book! BUT, that cliffhanger - not impressed at all. I so badly wish I had waited for the next book to be released!!!
Highlights
I guess that’s exactly what my gift is, a beacon for corrupt men to follow and attempt to own.
I accept that I’m not going to be scared anymore.
I’m going to face my Gift, and I’ll let it protect us all. I can wrestle with the consequences and my morality later, because we already know that we’re fighting a losing game right now and I’m not going to let that happen. Not to my Bonds and not to our friends and family, not if I can help it.
👑🔥
I think— I think maybe I want to keep them all, and that’s the most terrifying thing I’ve admitted to myself in a very long time.
North frowns and pulls the car forward, rolling down the window to order for us all. The fact that he had asked Sage for what she wanted but already knew what I would order is bossy, controlling, and, curse my soul, a tiny bit hot.
He’s converting me to his bullshit, but I’m not going down without a fight.
Well I might lol
We come together and when my bond releases into him and takes his bond into me, it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Orgasms are incredible, but this? This is everything and more, this is my entire world coming down to a single pinpoint and then exploding into a million pieces. This is a jumble of things that make a lot of sense and exactly none, and I've never felt so whole in my life before.
We were made from the same dying star, put on this earth to search one another out and bind ourselves to one another for all of eternity.
His body hits mine like a freight train. One second, he’s across the hallway and then the next, he’s pressing me back into the door, his hands clutching at my bare thighs like he’s still not sure he’s actually seeing the real thing.
“You think you’re the only one fighting your bond? This is all mine. Know that before you walk out of here because Bonded or Unbonded, you’re mine.”
It’s a risk, a huge one, but I very slowly reach over to take Nox’s hand in mine. I’m expecting him to pull away or shake me off, something subtle enough not to upset North’s vision of us all being seen as a united front, but harsh nonetheless.
His fingers are warm and tight around my own.
I’m not stupid enough to think that it means something, that he’ll suddenly change his mind about me, but it feels like a tiny victory anyway.
Everything I’ve done for the last five years has been to keep these men safe and alive. I can play the part of a subservient and placid Bond today if it helps to keep them safe.
Someday I’m sure they’ll all appreciate it.
I try not to let him see just how much this is tearing me apart, how much I desperately need them all on such a level that it terrifies me.
I’m happy munching on my dinner, demolishing three tacos in the time that it takes my Bonds to eat one each, and when I’ve wiped my hands and mouth, I look longingly at the rest of Gryphon’s nachos.
He rolls his eyes and hands them to me without uttering a word, and I decide that I’m keeping him forever. Keeping my secrets, not loathing me for my Gift, and sharing his food with me even when I’ve eaten enough already not to warrant it?
He might be it for me.
He's certainly it for me.
I start to question how the hell I’ve ended up here.
Not in the tub but here, in this house, with Bonds that, despite my best efforts, I’m growing attached to. I knew that the moment I let my Gift back in, my bond would only grow in strength, but I wasn’t prepared for how quickly they would crawl under my skin and lodge themselves there, vital to my existence in every way.
“You’re in so far over your head, she’s going to eat you all alive and I’m going to enjoy the show.”
How did I know the creature just wanted an ear scratch like Brutus is getting? I have no clue, but he whines and vibrates in pure pleasure when I do, his tongue lolling about as his void eyes shut in pleasure at all of the attention I’m giving him.
I mumble at him as we hear the sounds of a fight behind us but my bond is completely zeroed in on the gorgeous, fearsome creature in front of me. “You are so pretty, thank you for helping out. Don’t nip at your brother, he’s my favorite, but you can be my favorite too, if you want? Oh, belly rubs too? Okay, you can have belly rubs too.”
Brutus nudges at my shoulder because he doesn’t like sharing my attention and I have to work overtime to give them both equal pets.
“What, and I cannot stress this enough, the fuck is happening right now?”
Everyone watching Oli pet the shadow creatures like 😰 lmao
Nox collapses back on the couch, pulling the blanket back over himself as he turns to get some sleep. Three feet never seemed so far away before, but now?
Now I don’t think I’ll ever bridge that gap.
They’re all asleep and curled up with each other in piles, and my breathing stutters to a stop in my chest at the sight of them all.
They’re beautiful, made from a killing smoke but with a strange glow, as though even in the darkest of nights there’s still the glow of millions of stars to lead you through the night.
Nox's creatures 💕
“Then there’s the small fact that the Resistance knew you. You didn’t run away from your Bonds. I’ll bet every last fucking dollar I have that you didn’t. You ran from something else, and when you were dragged back here, you were terrified you’d been tracked. You kept saying it, over and over again. Things will go bad if you’re forced to stay here. Well, we’re listening now, Fallows. Let’s see what’s coming after you.”
I forgot how little I know about them all, especially the Draven men with all of their nightmare creatures and shadows to hide in.
“No, it’s just— I spoke with Gryphon this morning, and now I’m rethinking my entire life.”
He nods slowly, his eyes bright and a small smirk stretching across his lips. “Oh yeah? How far into your life are you? Have you gotten to me yet?”
I lean forward and brush my lips against him instinctively, just a tiny connection that’s over in an instant, but he tenses and chases after me as I pull away. I giggle and put a hand on his chest. “I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what’s gotten into me this morning.”
He quirks an eyebrow at me and glances back down at my lips. “Whatever it is, I like it. Kiss me all you want, Sweetness.”
I'm melting again!
Nox is like Pandora’s box; a whole lot of ‘no, thank you’ because if I start thinking about him, I’ll never stop. What is it about his behaviors and actions, all of them fucking terrible, that makes it impossible for me to just forget about him?
“I don’t give a fuck about having more power. I don’t give a fuck about what other people might want or think of our Bond group. I laughed because I spent weeks in your bed, trying to convince myself that I could be patient and wait for you to be ready, and it felt good to know that maybe you were struggling with it too. I laughed because you came here and acted as though you were above us all, and yet you were barely keeping it together around me. I didn’t know how badly you were struggling. I would’ve never taken that situation lightly.”
Gryphon I love you, please marry me.
He cuts me off with his lips.
On mine.
And my bond explodes out of my chest towards him, wrapping us up together.
We just lie there, wrapped up in each other without any judgment because who else can understand your ugly moments other than your Bond? The person destined to love you no matter what and for the first time… I maybe think about believing it. Believing that he might love all of the broken, monstrous, terrifying parts of me.