***Warning!! This review contains spoilers for this book and previous books in the series, continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!!***

To see my review of book 1 – Broken Bonds – Click HERE

To see my review of book 2 – Savage Bonds – Click HERE

To see my review of book 4 – Blood Bonds – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 3 Stars

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

They say to keep your friends close but your enemies closer; What if they’re one and the same?

The stable foundation I thought I’d built in the Sanctuary has been ripped away, and I find myself on the front lines of the war against the Resistance. I might have my Bonds on my side, but there are darker schemes in motion.

Can I prove myself and turn the tide to protect our most vulnerable, or am I nothing more than the monster they’ve always claimed I am? Will we make it out of this without tragic consequences?

* Forced Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It’s recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.

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So I want to start off and say that even though I did rate this book lower than the previous one, I did still massively enjoy it! I can still definitely see why this is considered one of the top paranormal romance series out there, and even the same in regards to popular reverse harem romance selections too. The characters are clearly the big draw and their dynamics and the balance amongst them is the major highlight, or at least it is for me!

For why I’d rated this one lower, in all honesty it just felt like a lot of it is beginning to feel repetitive in terms of plot and story beats with the main conflict of the Resistance. And maybe because certain scenes that I felt like should’ve had a higher emphasis or more attention given to them felt very glossed over. I of course go more into that further down in my review if you want specific reasons.

So as for this book, once again it continues immediately right after where book 3 ended, and what a doozy of a cliffhanger that was! Didn’t see that coming with Sage at all! J.Bree definitely knows how to make those cliffhangers sting and get you to want the next book IMMEDIATELY! So how will Oli and her bonds handle this shocking reveal and possibly bitter betrayal?? Well you gotta read it yourself to find out, you silly goose! I’m not going to spoil EVERYTHING for you!

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What I Liked:

1. The Cliffhanger Ending! Just as the previous book had a HUGE cliffhanger, this one also had a ginormous one that even raised my eyebrows and had me wondering, “how are they going to come out on the other side of this one??”
2. As Always, The Spice! Spice is always a plus and should almost go without saying for me.
3. Feels Like We’re Finally Getting Somewhere With Nox! I’m still very mixed on Nox, let’s be perfectly clear. Obviously he’s got some major past trauma that makes him the way he is and how he acts towards others and Oli especially. That’s understandable…but that doesn’t make some if not most of his words and actions acceptable is the difference. I always say it shouldn’t matter what you’ve gone through, it’s not hard to be a decent person, and so far Nox has only been the moody, almost bratty, d-bag that is only an antagonist who’s mission is to put down Oli at every opportunity that presents itself to him. He’s been my least favorite of the bonds. What I like about this book with him is it feels like it’s finally hinting at progress with Oli and us finding out what the freakin’ issues are and (maybe) how Nox and Oli can end up together in the end, cuz at this point I’m really not seeing it.
4. It Put A Major Spotlight Back On Sage! The shocking twist with Sage at the end of last book and the beginning of this one really saved this character which I appreciate! I was saying in my previous review that it felt like a lot of the minor/side characters outside of Oli and her bonded group were really getting brushed aside, so this brings Sage back into the game in a major way that I really appreciated!
5. More Emphasis on the “Bonded” Beings Inside Them! So at this point in the story, we’ve come to learn that the “bonds” are like entirely seperate beings that were dormant inside them. They’re like gods who’ve woken up and use them like vessels and its like a possession where they become a completely different person, well at least for Oli and the Draven brothers. so far. Oli’s Bond is a bloodthirsty bitch and I’m both terrified and kind of turned on by her in all honesty….don’t judge.

What I Didn’t Like:

1. It Felt Repetitive At This Point…The whole “resistance comes and attacks with a not so well thought out plan” and the bonded group saves the day or Oli goes into her bond state and sucks the souls out of everyone, then Nox makes her feel guilty afterwards…and the just no advancement part of it all with the Resistance in general ever since Oli was saved from the camp she was in at the beginning of the third book, it’s just feeling very repetitive to me…and maybe the stakes just need to raised faster than they are? And sure, its also probably so the author could keep the focus on the romance and the spice, both of which I appreciate, but I feel like at this point in book 4 of the series, maybe we’d have further development in this regard too?
2. A Certain Scene Felt Glossed-Over…Okay so spoiler warning for this point especially, but the bonding scene with Oli and Nox…it felt like there should’ve been a lot more buildup for that and that a lot of stuff that maybe went into it off-page that maybe should’ve been included actually! It was kind of a three-way scene, but not really? It started with Oli and Gryphon, but then Nox walks in and it’s obvious by this point that Gryphon is there as more to watch over and make sure nothing bad happens; he’s kind of like a chaperone? Yeah, weird to think I know…but this goes into Nox and his trauma that we still don’t know the specifics of, and if Gryphon was there in that sense, it’s obvious that it was discussed ahead of time on how to handle it, most likely with North. I feel like there would be some very mixed/conflicting feelings with all of this and the scene just sort of….happened and that was it? Maybe I’m overthinking it or overanalyzing it, but it was one of those things where afterwards I was just thinking to myself “That’s it?”

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Conclusion:

Overall, I did enjoy this book in the series and I would say I’m enjoying this series a whole lot! Obviously, the series is far from perfect and there are things I like and don’t like about it, pacing mainly being the main critique I have, but now I’m adding repetitiveness to that too. At this point in the series, book 4, I’d think and hope we’d have been further along in some of the plot/conflict going on with the Resistance and make them feel like a more fleshed out threat. At this point, they just feel like that annoying thing that’s keeping me from my romance and my spicy scenes…which I feel like if they became a more credible threat it would help push these books to be viewed as even better than they already are!

The romance and the characters and the cast dynamics are the main highlights and things that I love about these books! I love talking with others who’ve read them and seeing who’s their favorite guy of the bunch and their reasons why. Personally, mine is probably Gryphon and North has become a close second. Gabe is up there too, I’m a sucker for those golden retriever jock type characters…and he’s a shapeshifter which has always been the magical ability I’d want if I had one.

Obviously, I will be sticking with the series and keep reading cuz once again there’s a major WTF cliffhanger that has my eyebrows raised to the hairline and I have to know what happens next and how Oli and the Bonds possibly get themselves out this particular mess….

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell