Cassandra

Growing up, I was mesmerized by a man soaring the skies.

The greatest silk aerialist in the world, Chandler Moreau.

The day before my parents died, they took me to see his circus, and it was then I knew my fate was sealed.

I would do everything in my power to perform with them one day.

To perform with him.

Little did I realize, he would be far more than I’d ever imagined him being.

Far more than just a mentor.

He was a man I didn’t want to live without.

And someone I wanted to keep safe from a past that seemed to keep following me.

Chandler

My entire career, I’d been waiting for the right student to take under my wing.

A protégé with whom I could share my lifelong journey in the circus.

Little did I know it would be Cassandra Blackstone.

A woman who'd grown up admiring me from afar.

I never intended to fall in love with the student I was supposed to protect—from myself and the demons that lurked in my shadows.

But sometimes fate has other plans.

My grandfather's taunting words still linger.

Mieux vaut plier que rompre.

Adapt and survive.

They weren’t just his adage but also unmistakably true.

A reminder that Cassandra and my shared history seemed to intertwine us more than the silks we’d spent our lives mastering ever could…

actually so beautifully written

With this book Liza Snow has become a one-click author for me. I loved these characters, they have a special place in my heart. It is a beautiful and an angsty book.

One of my favorite reads this year! I normally don't gravitate towards the teacher/student trope. But this book was well written and the chemistry between Cassandra & Chandler was undeniable.

I would recommend reading the trigger warning because there are some aspects that will be triggering to some readers.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Obedience by Liza Snow is the first part of the Ties That Bind series that focuses on a student/teacher romance set against the backdrop of a circus. It follows two aerialists, one the master of his craft and the other the protege he has been waiting his entire career for who ends up capturing his heart. Both are haunted by the secrets of their pasts, making for a book filled with not just romance but also suspense and mystery.

This book hooked me very quickly. It is well paced, interesting, and engaging. I’m not usually one for student/teacher romances, however in this particular case the student is not a wide eyed innocent. Cassandra is in her mid twenties and has experienced enough hardship in life to make me feel that while she had idolized Chandler, she wasn’t naive in her choices. I had no problem seeing these two characters both as adults and that helped me get lost in the story despite the setting.

Snow’s writing is very well done. She uses dual point of views, and both Chandler and Cassandra are given very distinct voices through her writing. I also listened to parts of the audio book and I have to say that having heard the voice actors reading the work added an extra layer to the story as well.

The book is descriptive without being repetitive or slow, which is a testament to Snow’s writing style. She also manages to write incredibly steamy scenes without being gratuitous in her descriptions.
The supporting characters are incredibly well written. There is such a wide variety of personalities in this book, and I loved getting to know a bit about all the different performers from the circus. They add depth and personality to the book in such an amazing way that I hope to see more of them in book two.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing how the story continues in the sequel as the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger

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This was tough, definitely a lot of red flags to go around with the age gap and teacher/student relationship. Aside from that, the pacing was all over the place; moments of suspense but then times where nothing happened for chapters. And I understand that the book is meant to be in a series, but the ending was so abrupt I thought I missed something. I just found myself not really caring about any of the characters. A lot of the dialogue was really uncomfortable and definitely not how real people would talk or even act. It felt like I was getting a very specific fantasy idea from the author and she just ran with it.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Do you like Cirque de Soleil???

This is a perfect book for you!

It’s a taboo romance between a professor and his student, obviously an age gap. And lots of mystery!

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I really didn’t like this.

The age gap romance was weird, really really didn’t like it.
There wasn’t enough urgency for what was going on.
There wasn’t enough plot.
There wasn’t enough suspense.
Ew spice.

Chapters ended at weird places too.

I bloody loved this and it ticked every single one of my boxes I was initially so intrigued by the blurb it just sounded so fascinating and though this a new to me author I’d definitely read her again a million per cent. I was seriously impressed with this, I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be so good and it managed to surpass all of my expectations.

This had a bit of everything it had a taboo relationship at its centre Chandler was Cassandra’s mentor and professor, it also had an age gap, the heroine being in her mid-twenties and hero early forties. It was slow-burn and managed to expertly ramp up the tension until it all finally came to a delicious head and exploded in such an erotic scene. It also delivered on the romantic suspense front which subtly played out in the background. In fact, this part of the story was stealthily built and initially, I wasn’t aware it was going to be such an integral piece of the story.

The main theme of the book a circus and circus academy was such a big draw. I adored the fact that both Chandler and Cassandra were silk aerialists and the added bonus of Shibari was such a fascinating addition and also an extremely erotic experience. I liked both of the main characters and the slow-burn push-pull was brilliantly done. I was so invested in these two and as a couple, they had an adorable intensity that was incredibly endearing.

This was told from a dual POV so both Cassandra and Chandlers and the story is yet to conclude, fortunately, it didn’t end on a major cliffhanger which I was definitely glad about. But yep there’s still more to come and I definitely want to know what happens next. It was a well-written easy read with a riveting central theme and was the perfect blend of romance vs plot. I want the next book in my hands right now and can’t wait till it finally releases. This is definitely one I highly recommend reading. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Obedience.

This book was so good. The charm, the romance, and the buildup was incredibly enticing and kept me rolling through the book. The circus plot line is always a favorite of mine and it was a refreshing take with a mentor and mentee relationship. Thank you Liza and NetGalley for the arc!!

Omg this book has so much. It has spice, romance , mystery etc. I’m so angry it ended on a cliffhanger, but I’m ready to read the next book. I am here for an age gap student/teacher romance and I cannot wait to continue the storyline of Chandler and Cassandra

The magic of Cirque - hard work, years of practice and sacrifice - and the inner circle, power, corruption, and betrayal layered with loyalty and love. The past is everywhere with corruption and violence, and yes the mafia, trying to destroy everything. A complex tale of perciverance, secrets, discovering the truth, and some knotty heat. Small cliff at the end ...

This story of a man devoted to his craft of aerial silk performance art as a performer and instructor by day and also as a Shibari (Japanese knot tying) artist in a club by night seemed intriguing, but quickly felt uncomfortable. Chandler and Cassandra seemed so far apart in age, yet both so immature at times. I found them both somewhat unlikable, butthe descriptions of the silk performance and the practice necessary was very interesting. The story is obviously meant to continue into another book, but I'm not sure if I'll follow through to the end.

Enjoyed reading this novel, I found it quite nice to read and enjoyed the content and storyline of this novel. Would highly recommend this novel to other people.

I'm definitely very in the middle about this book.

I loved the circus aspect, it definitely made for fun subplots and secondary characters. It's not something you see too often in novels - especially a romance - and it was a refreshing change of pace. I also liked the different friendships between characters. There was a lot of interconnecting relationships and I felt it kept things interesting.

I do like Cassandra and Chandler's relationship, but I did have a hard time with her character. She felt a little immature at times, and seemed to really struggle to just make a good decision. I found myself getting a little frustrated about her choices. Also, the secrecy between them and just in general was frustrating. I felt very in the dark the entire book, and I still feel that way after finishing. I would have liked to know a little more, even from one character perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the story itself because I loved how the romance was intertwined with the thrill of Chandler’s past and family mafia ties and how it intercepts with Cassandra’s past. This book had lots of Fifty Shade of Grey vibes, but it was still a good story. I loved the circus element and cannot wait to continue this series.

While I recived this book through an ARC, This book quickly became one of my favorites. I ADORED the depiction of shibari and how the author tried to keep it accurate to the community.

Received a copy for review

Boy did this blurb sound fascinating. The beginning of the book was promising. However, it suffers from the John Grisham school of over description and then the let’s throw in some absolutely batshit thing like the mafia at around 75%.
I read romance to live in a characters story for a little while. But this book made me want to go back to my ordinary life.

I lost this one at 70% and had to DNF. The moment the organized crime element was involved was the moment I started to lose interest. But it was the very jumbled storyline progression and confusing plot that made me really have to just put the book down. Also I don't really feel like this was a slow burn, both characters almost wanted one another from the go.

The FMC knew her feelings from the start. And yes they took a bit to get together, but the chemistry was just no where on the charts. The MMC gave me Tumblr 2015 Dom vibes and I could not find anything really likeable about him to keep me interested in their romance.

The author did a great job at describing the silk performances which I enjoyed, but it wasn't enough to keep me hooked on this story.

Oh and if you are looking for spice because this has BDSM elements, it's a 1 at best.