ate…

Park ranger Luke Beteferoce likes the quiet of the forest—a place he can be alone. The dragon shifter keeps himself busy maintaining his territory in the park…that is, until he meets ex-soldier Greyson Paulson. Suddenly, Luke finds himself thinking of all sorts of scenarios that involve Greyson. And with the kind of tension he's feeling, hot, sweaty, nonkinky sex is only the beginning.

While he's perfectly fine being left alone, Greyson finds he enjoys the company of the bossy yet tender park ranger. Soon, trying to fight the heat between them is a losing battle: he's ready to give in to the irresistible lust he feels for Luke. Greyson may not be ready to completely submit, but he still can't stop himself from following every command Luke whispers his way.

Luke hasn't felt this kind of connection and satisfaction with anyone ever before, leading him to discover Greyson's marked as his mate. But with Greyson battling his own limitations and lack of experience, it's going to take Luke more than hours-long hot sex to convince Greyson to stay and accept his destiny.

My thoughts
Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would , it's.just an ok read, there was nonthing about the characters that made me like them or even love them .With that said I would like to thinks to NetGalley for giving me a chance at reading and review this book

3.5 Stars

Bound by Thorns is book three in the Dragon Souls series. There are five dragon brothers, each with an inherent elemental power and each looking for their soul mate. Each of these books can be read as standalones, but there is an overarching storyline which is embellished upon in each book.

I will say that this one was a mixed bag for me. It drags a bit to begin with, but once these two men are definitely established as a couple on the page, then things take off quite nicely. It helps that both of these men are so likable. When you appreciate the characters, then you are willing to compensate for the lack of witty repartee. This book is quintessential Sean Michael, and on that front, it hits a home run. It is romantic erotica at its finest. There is practically no angst, no cliffhangers or tears, but there is a solid connection between the main characters, and some very hot sex. If you read the first two books in the series, you will find out a little more of the process of what happens when dragons mate, which will explain a lot about the way Greyson reacts to Luke and why he needs what he does from the dragon.

Luke Beteferoce is a dragon. He’s lived and worked in the quiet of the forest for years. Even for a dragon, he tends to be a loner. He never expects to find his soul mate; after all, how could he in the frozen north of Canada? No one should be renting out cabins at this time of year; it’s too cold and barren in the forest. So why is there smoke coming from the most remote cabin of all? Frustrated, angry at the intrusion, and determined to get rid of whoever it is, Luke comes face to face with Greyson and is stunned by his attraction to the man.

Greyson Paulson is back from the war. Riddled with survivor’s guilt even though he was wounded to the point of never being able to walk without crutches again, Greyson has come to the wilderness to find peace and quiet for his mind and his soul and, probably, his body. He just never expected to find it in the arms of the hot park ranger who won’t leave him alone. Surviving winter was never his goal. But there is a magnetic pull to Luke, and submitting to the dragon feels like his destiny. Only, he’s never submitted to anyone before, and the things Luke says he wants to do to him leave him feeling unsure and full of trepidation.

The broken warrior is not a new theme for Michael. He writes them well and this time is no exception. The dragon theme is interesting and the overall storyline intriguing, with tattoos done by a random fae, and why all the brothers are finding their soul mates in such quick succession. It’s a good series for Sean Michael, and if you are a fan of his work, then this will work for you. Need some kinky dragon love in your life, with a HEA? Then this book is definitely for you!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
I just love this flipping series!!! Before this series I had never read a shifter book about dragons, I have tried to read others and they just don't compare. You don't have to read the previous books in the series to understand and love this book, but it will give you some back story and insight.

Luke is a park ranger and he loves it, he can be alone and he can shift to his dragon form. Greyson is an ex-soldier who rents a cabin in the forest, basically to kill himself because he feels like since he is no longer a soldier and is wounded, he isn't ever going to be anything again. Luke checks up on Greyson, realizes he isn't prepared for the harsh winter and is on the verge of basically dying, and he takes him home. These two have HOT chemistry and even hotter sex when they get to it. HOLY crap Batman... these two together are something else. I just love Luke's caring ways and I love how Greyson just accepts Luke and his dragon and doesn't blink an eye. I am shocked that we didn't see any of the brothers from the previous books, there is a phone conversation but no meeting face to face or anything.

The only thing I hated about this book was that at the end it said the next book in the series wouldn't be until NEXT year!!!


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/M Shifter Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Luke is used to being alone. Despite having brothers who have settled down and found their mates, Luke believes that he will not find his. Plus, he likes living alone, where he can fly whenever he wants and helps to find lost hikers.

Greyson is depressed, lonely, and doesn't really know what to do with himself. He finds himself alone at a cabin in the middle of nowhere – he's kind of ready to give up. He is not prepared for the weather, nor is he prepared to be in the cabin very long.

When Luke and Greyson find each other, it is more grumble at first sight. Greyson doesn't really want help, but Luke can't fight his instincts.

They had a great friendship and even though Luke knows it's more, I felt that Greyson was able to believe so quickly that it made the story more realistic. If your soul knows another, you'd just believe them.

I do wish we would have gotten to see more brothers in the story, but I can't wait for the next one.

Bound by Thorns is book three of the Dragon Soul series by Sean Michael.  It can be read as a standalone, but I think you would be better served starting with book one, Branded by Flames.  It explains a bit more about what happens with a dragon's mate.  That being said, this book is a keeper!!  I loved growly Luke finding his soulmate out of the blue!  This is one of those books I really didn't want to pause in reading. I figured there would be something angsty that happens, but I am glad to say there wasn't!

Greyson is recently out of the army and recovering from injuries he sustained while serving. He wants to get away from the world and the pain and even life itself.  He holes up in an isolated cabin.  When a snowstorm blows in, it's not too long before the park ranger, Luke, checks in.  Seeing Greyson is in a bad way mentally, and he did not plan for being in a cabin for winter, he takes him to his house/station.  He doesn't want the guy to freeze to death, right?!  It ends up that Grey is Luke's soulmate and each can feel their connection down through their bones.

Luke knows Grey is his soulmate and the healing properties the soulmate bond can produce, but can Grey take him at his word? He's feeling pretty broken and useless.  His leg is torn up. That just makes him dive further into a depression he had no intention of getting away from.  Luke is having none of that! He will protect him and make sure he feels safe and needed at all costs! But he will have to reveal everything to Grey. The truth has healing properties too.

I enjoyed Luke and Grey's story. It wasn't angsty and I am glad.  There were so many feelings to work through, it wasn't needed! Luke is gruff and growly, but he is also a teddy bear.  He is rather romantic at times too! Who would've thought???  And geez, these guys were seriously hot together!! Never is there a time that you doubt their attraction or the sparks that ignite whenever they are around each other!   As Grey gets better, he lets go of a lot of hidden fantasies that were buried.  Luke is all to interested in exploring that side of Grey!

This series has gotten better and better. I am looking forward to next one, of course. But also a planned meeting of all the soulmates so they can dish about their dragons!!  I LOVE IT!!

reviewed by Deb

I've gotta admit, I think that Grey and Luke may be my favorite couple in this series so far.

If you've been following my reviews of Dragon Soul, you know that I've had a couple of issues with how things developed between the brothers and their soul mates. There was still more sex than story in Bound by Thorns (which isn't really an issue, just worth mentioning) but I think what I liked most about their story was that Luke was totally up front with Grey about who and what he was. His revelation came a lot earlier than his brothers and even better, Grey accepted it a lot better than the other soul mates.

I'm also a push over for broken characters and Grey was broken enough that Luke felt the need to save him. Their relationship grew from there, even though it was inevitable. Bound by Thorns gave me hope for the rest of the series. Two brothers left to go and I'm kind of looking forward to meeting them. Even though at least one of them is destined to be a heart breaker.

I received Bound by Thorns in exchange for a fair and honest review.

So, when I started reading these books, I was a little excited, because Sean Michael, right? But I was also a little bit on the fence about the whole dragon shifter thing. But I have to say, I am loving these books more and more with each new release.

And I was really impressed with this novel! In the previous books in this series, the characters had a little chemistry and connection, but I didn't feel like the focus was on their emotional bond so much as it was about physically bonding and cramming as much smutty goodness into 200 pages as is possible, but this book brought it to a completely different level.

Luke is by far my favorite of the five brothers thus far, and for a good reason. He's all fucking heart. He's the mushy teddy bear brother that all of the other ones made fun of growing up but you know he's got the biggest heart and he looked out for everyone because he does the same thing with his mate. I also really liked Greyson, which was a surprise to me.

In most books where there's a "hero"-like character that falls in love with the "damsel"-like character, I end up disliking the "damsel" so to speak because they're written poorly and often seem like a weak character, but Greyson could give as good as he got. He was still upset about things that had happened in his life and he did go to the winter woods to die alone, but he didn't fight Luke when he wanted to keep checking up on him. Greyson wanted to live.

And though he took his time settling in, once he was settled, he didn't take no shit from Luke. Even though Luke was a dragon shifter and very obviously bigger than him, he didn't let him overpower him. They were equals in every sense, and I think a lot of that had to do with Luke's caring nature. Luke was interested in Greyson's body, but he was also interested in his mind and his wellbeing and making sure that he was content and happy where he was.

Everything about this book was good. It's by far the best in the series and if these books keep improving like this, Sean Michael is going to have an amazing series in this. I would definitely recommend this book, but it should not be read as a standalone, FYI. There's a lot of customs and quirky things about dragon shifters that Michael wrote about in detail in the first two books that were left out of this one because it's assumed that the reader has read them already.

Amazing book, can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

Another solid entry in the Dragon Soul series from Sean Michael.

I really did like these one. We have the story of Greyson, who is an ex-soldier who wants nothing but to be alone & Luke who is the Park Ranger who also wants nothing but to be alone. But then all of a sudden, he is willing to go with Luke & this is before there is any acknowledgement of the attraction between the two. He also turns into kind of a wimp IMO. His internal dialog did kind of got on my nerves at times. But Luke does make him feel whole, wanted & loved. As with the other books, there is a lot of eating, sleeping & sex. But in this story, that made sense as Grey had a lot of healing to do. He was seriously injured while in the service and has a very hard time getting around. I have a feeling that there is going to be some type of major battle, especially since Grey mention seeing something in the sand that no one else saw while he was stationed overseas. I still can't wait for Mark's story since he already had a soul mate whom he lost. Plus the Fae, I can't remember his name, stated that he only tattooed 4 soul mates & I can't wait to find out what that really means. I still wished there was someway that the "human" (they're not really human anymore) soul mates could transform into dragons, that would be so very cool. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

•´¸.•*´¨)FANTASY MIXED¸.•*¨)
ღ✿•*¨WITH PASSION.ღ✿•*¨

"Looks like we have electricity, as well as chemistry."

From the book that started all comes the third installment of the Beteferoce brothers. Five ancient dragon with powers that saved both them and their mates to be.

For Luke, he was a loner. Unlike his brothers, he sorted isolation. Becoming a park ranger kept him out of people's way. Until a bad winter brought ex soldier and veteran Greyson. "Now he had a soul mate to protect. Now he had a purpose."

Riddled with scars, Greyson only wanted to end it all. Seeking refuge in an isolated cabin, his solitude was interrupted by the gruff ranger. Getting Greyson to safety, Luke was determined to learn all his secrets. What Greyson received was a secret so big, so extraordinary that it would take more than the eyes and imagination to believe.

So far I am loving this even more. It seems the more author Sean Michael tells these tales, the more tempting they become and the more riddled it is with man love. Not complaining. My stars reflect my total enjoyment.

This book made me want brownies real bad.

I read the first book in the Dragon Soul series, and I remember it being hella hot. I was intrigued by the snowstorm, forced-proximity thing, too, and I’ve been dying to get my hands on dragon shifter romances these days. The first half was pretty rocky, but the second half more than made up for it. Overall, Sean Michael’s Bound by Thorns is a sexy and entertaining read.

Greyson's still recovering from injuries and he wants to hide away. It takes him to a secluded cabin in the midst of a snowstorm. It isn’t long until a big, gruff park ranger finds Greyson and takes him under his wing. Neither of these guys quite expects to get as close as they do.

This story was so very low-angst while still dealing with some real and raw situations. Greyson’s feeling pretty broken. He suffered injuries in the war and he’s depressed, lonely, and he just doesn’t know where he fits in anymore. He doesn’t feel like a man, and I just wanted to cuddle him something fierce. Like wrap him in a Snuggie or something. Luckily for him, Luke finds Greyson and has no problems exerting his will to get Greyson safe. The man isn’t going to perish on Luke’s watch!

Soon, Luke’s carrying the guy into his home. But there’s the small problem of Luke being a dragon and Greyson maybe—just maybe—being the one for him.

Let’s start by saying that Sean Michael can write one hell of a dirty, kinky sex scene. Helloooo, and hi, how are ya? The chemistry is always so spot on and so present. It leaps and bounds off the page. Greyson also kind of has his sexy secrets, and I was pleasantly surprised. Massive catnip material, ya’ll. The guy is adorable and even though Luke’s presence is larger than life, Greyson can more than hold his own.

Luke was a bit hit or miss for me. He kind of thinks he’s the shit because he’s a dragon, and sure, that’s cool and all. But oh, my gosh. Enough with how *waves hands in air* amazing he is. Modesty, thy middle name is not Luke’s. But despite that, I’ll admit that he was charming and some of his scenes with Greyson were so adorbs! It’s fun watching these two strong-willed men circle each other.

Did I mention the hot, kinky sex?

Juuussstt checkin’.

So, why the 3 star rating? Despite the blazing chemistry and the spectacular second half, the first half just dragged for me. The dialogue was a bit…dry.

I like food and brownies as much as the next guy—and yes, it works into the plot—but there were literally pages and pages of material on what they were going to eat, were eating, or were thinking about eating. Pages of food porn and foodgasms and food fetishes. It doesn’t lend to the most scintillating conversations, and my eyes started to glaze over. It all felt very stilted and the connection got lost in between.

(On the plus side, the brownies discussions gave me a massive craving to make some chocolate cake. It’s kind of a win/win. Am I right??)

This was a fun book overall, and I really hope in book four we get to see all of these brothers interact. There were some great scenes and some build up of what will happen in book four, and I’m looking forward to seeing the plot expand further. If you’re in the mood for some great sex, adorable characters with a paranormal edge, Bound by Thorns is the ticket!

And bonus, it offers the perfect reason to treat yourself to some chocolately goodness.

3 stars!

I was looking forward to reading the next in this series and it was just as good. This book was not as steamy as the first two but and love to read about the way Luke took care of Greyson when he needed it the most.