An interesting. I enjoyed the Enemies to Lovers faded me to twist. I really enjoyed the main female's point of view in the book and her story of growth. The author really did a good job at creating world development, but also creating a sense of magical society. The guy in the book was well developed and I enjoyed the way he changed in a Bob's throughout the story. I also really enjoyed the way they both fell for one another.

Loved this. It's like broken bonds but without the why choose. The spice was spot on. The possessiveness was perfect. If you're looking for heavy spice with a touch of fantasy this one is for you.

Big thanks to EM Rinaldi and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for a review.

I was expecting some tame, co-ed story but this one had spice! And Magic!

I'm looking forward to reading the next story, and getting to know Rani and Ez more.

5 stars

4,25 stars! When I started Bonded Nightmare I could not stop. It was addicting I had to follow the story until the end.. Dual POV. Strong FMC, shadowdaddy MMC, side characters were great loved them! The plot is the romance as what the author stated in her forward which I appreciate. Fantansy elements in modern word of witches, vampires, sirens and other magical beings. The dynamic between the main characters had me eating it all up. I felt some parts were a little off but good overall I had a good time, I cant wait for the second book.

"Her hungry gaze, I thought, was a sign she was ready to concede. The feel of her eyes on me -I groaned at the memory. Exquisite."


I received an ebook for my honest review by Netgalley.

It was an interesting read. I would say the book focusses majorly on the 'romance' between the two main characters and feel like the world-building and other plot points fall to the wayside for most of the book with a lot of development occurring within the last 50 pages and by then I had lost interested in the wider plot.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC

Slow burn, and I mean slow burn, where you are like "hurry up" but once it gets there, oh it gets there. It is worth the wait. She wanted so badly to escape her fate, to keep running, running from those who hunt her but someone may be her savior. The MFC can be a bit annoying with how she denies what could potentially keep her safe. I do wish it showcased more of her abilities with animals, and showing the power she could weld. I feel like it fell flat, but the shadow daddy with green flags came swooping in why would you need to showcase your powers? I think continuing with the series will provide us with more insight on their magik abilities. I do like the difference in characteristic with the character we do not need all shadow daddies to be tall, dark haired and skin, this was a nice play on that. The creativity on the different species of magical beings was nice, and the truth of why, and what nightmares are was unique.

"Bonded Nightmare" by E.M. Rinaldi is a captivating romantasy that seamlessly blends romance and paranormal elements. The story follows Eryn, a Nightmare who feeds on dreams and can control minds, and Kaiden (Kai), a warlock from a powerful family. After Eryn learns that Kai is her "bond" or fated mate, she attempts to reject him, fearing he is among those who hunt her kind. Their story picks up two years later when Eryn starts college-level vet studies, and Kai, hiding his identity, becomes her TA. This dynamic sets the stage for a gripping tale filled with spice, banter, and fabulous secondary characters.

Rinaldi's storytelling shines through the dual perspectives of Eryn and Kai. The book is rich with tropes like enemies-to-lovers and fated mates, adding depth to their evolving relationship. Kai’s combination of sweetness and possessiveness, along with Eryn’s journey to self-acceptance, creates a compelling narrative. While the fantasy and paranormal aspects could be more fleshed out and the ending feels abrupt, the anticipation for the next installment is palpable. "Bonded Nightmare" is an entertaining read that leaves you eagerly awaiting more of Rinaldi’s enchanting world. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

This was a really good read! I really enjoyed learning about the different magic systems and the way that bonds work in this world.

Eryn and Kai were both awesome and watching them grow closer throughout the book was so sweet. The ending was a little predictable, but not in a bad way. My only complain was that I didn't feel like I got a good understanding of Eryn's powers as a Nightmare and what that all meant. It was all a little vague.

4⭐/4🌶️

This was definitely not what I was expecting!

While I think this had a lot of potential, I think it would do much better as a YA read. I think Eryn lacked maturity. She felt naive to me. Overall, I felt the majority of the characters were just a bit blah. I love an enemies to lovers romantasy, with or without some extra spice, but me and this book just did not vibe. Maybe it’s the fated mates trope, maybe it’s that it should’ve been YA, maybe it just needed a bit more depth… It just wasn’t it for me.

This was a fun easy read. No deep topics covered. The forced proximity of the bond was interesting to read as it developed. The characters could have been a little deeper and more developed, but they were still good. For example, while we know the FMC was kind - there wasn't much demonstration of it. However, how good is the cover?? The cover artist deserves an award! I was quite invested in the side characters so I am looking forward to the next in the series.

😍😍😍😍 (Out of 5)

Big thanks to Netgalley, and EM Rinaldi for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I honestly didn’t expect too much when I first requested this book. It was more for a fun buddy read - but I ended up reading it on my own and thoroughly enjoyed it! It kept me turning the pages, as I got to know to characters better it made the story more enjoyable. I was hoping the author would share more about the other magical species/factions within this realm but after reaching the end and knowing we will be getting more - I look forward to the next book!

It’s a quick read, with relatable characters, that I think most SMUT fantasy readers will enjoy!

“Bonded Nightmare” is an amazing paranormal romance book by E.M. Rinaldi.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Plot: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Characters: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Suspense: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Romance/spice: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What you’ll find in this book:
⭐️Enemies to Lovers
⭐️Dual POV
⭐️He falls First
⭐️Fated lovers
⭐️Touch Her and die
⭐️Paranormal spice

My Review:
I loved this book so much! A unique paranormal story about a bond between a nightmare and a witch. Eryn is a strong woman who relies to no-one for her survival and Kai is the heir to the witch cast that tries hard to gain his bond’s love. I was amazed by the paranormal world building in the background of their story but I would like a little more of a backstage story about the bonds and all the different paranormal creatures. It reminded me a lot of A Discovery of Witches and I loved all the romance and spice just enough to keep you on your toes. Also, the fact that there is an actual story outside of the romance was a plus for this book. I would definitely recommend it to all lovers of paranormal romance with a bit of spice.

Description:
She can run but she can't hide...
As the last unbonded nightmare in existence, Eryn Montalli has been hunted her entire life for the mere potential of her magick. She's only ever wanted a quiet life tending to the hurt and sick animals that seek her out. Those dreams go to absolute shit with four little words...
They found your bond.
Now she's hiding amongst the humans at Moorcroft University, trying to make a life for herself—if one overprotective witch wasn't so determined to set her carefully laid plans on fire. His arrogance is enough to make her want to punch him in the face...but his touch has her questioning why she's fighting so hard to stay away.
She was supposed to be stronger than this, but would it really be weakness to give in?

Ready or not, princess, here I come...
Kaiden Einar Winmore Alantes, Kai for short, has waited his entire life to find his bond and it didn't go according to plan. She doesn't recognize him and what's worse, someone seems hellbent on preventing their bond by any means necessary.
Eryn is passionate, intelligent, and sexy as fuck. She's the girl of his dreams except...she wants nothing to do with him—undeniable chemistry be damned. It will take all his charm and a touch of fate to make her realize they're meant to be, before it's too late.
What's a guy to do when trying to save his bond might very well be what makes him lose her? Forever.

Writing style:
Fast pace, I couldn’t put it down! The writing style is amazing, so flawless and I enjoyed every single interaction between Eryn and Kai. The only negative in my opinion was the lack of explanation of the different paranormal creatures mentioned in this book. They were introduced without a hind of their powers, casts, or potential which threw me a bit of truck while I was trying to understand the back story of all of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for my early copy. All opinions are mine and sincere.

#BondedNightmare #NetGalley
https://amzn.to/4bTPfYp

"Bonded Nightmare" by E.M Rinaldi is a fast-paced and highly addictive paranormal romance. This story is perfect for readers who love to be on the edge of their seats, coiled with tension and enjoy swooning over fictional love interests.

Eryn has been hunted her whole life for her magic as a nightmare. Some want her for the potential of her power and others just want her dead. It makes trusting people hard and life in general. All Eryn wants is to use her magic to heal animals and attend university like a regular human girl. However, fate has other plans in store. Mainly, her bonded life partner: Kaiden.

Kaiden has been searching for Eryn his whole life and can't understand why she isn't thrilled about having found one another. As he weaves his way into Eryn's life, it becomes clear there is someone, or something, on campus who is trying to keep the two of them apart by any means necessary. Knowing they are stronger together, Kaiden pulls out all the moves he has to convince her they are stronger together before the attempt to split them apart becomes something permanent and irreparable.

Rinaldi has created realistic characters with strange and fascinating supernatural powers that can be used for both good and bad. This makes it difficult for the reader to know who is trustworthy and who has ulterior motives. It adds another layer of tension to the story, especially when it becomes clear that someone or something is trying to keep Eryn and Kaiden apart.

The idea of mixing supernaturals and humans worked well. It emphasized the difficulty of fitting in and trying to make friends when magic and magic politics get in the way. Readers feel for Eryn who is striving for a simple life, but being a nightmare keeps standing in the way of those dreams. And that includes the bonded male whose wit and persistence derail her plans.

Without spoiling too much, a couple of things took away from the story for me. Some places felt too predictable, especially when it became a pattern throughout the story. Nightmares are set up to be the most feared and yet, I felt Eryn's powers were severely unmatched to the other characters. They came through more in the ending and I look forward to seeing her powers develop more in the next book!

If you love paranormal romances, this is the book to be on the lookout for! "Bonded Nightmare" by E.M Rinaldi is expected to be published on May 27, 2024. Add it to your TBR's and be sure to give it a read when it's available for purchase! A big thank you to Netgalley and E.M Rinaldi for the opportunity to read an e-arc of this book and give my honest opinion in this review.

DNF at 11%

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC, unfortunately it wasn't for me.

I loved the magic system and the main character and I really thought I was going to eat this one up but I can not handle the love interests POV. Usually I love dual POV but he actually disgusts me. I have 0 tolerance for gross incel Cassian wannabes so I won't be finishing this one. I might come back to this at some point and just skip Kai's chapters because I'm so disappointed that he ruined it when everything else was great

PSA: being sexy doesn't mean he gets a free pass to be a pig 💛

The romance between the fmc and mmc was so dang adorable. I don’t always like dual pov, but since he falls first, it was fun seeing it from his perspective too.

Takeaways as an Aspiring Author:
- the mmc had good communication and seemed emotionally well-adjusted
- the banter between the love interests was fun
- good representation of consent
- an engaging cover
- some of the plot is predicated on the idea that “we can’t go to the authorities so we have to do it on our own”. While this is true in some stories, I don’t think so for this one. They could have totally gone to the supernatural authority with all their issues with the djinn. If they had done this, though, there would have been less plot.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but the otherwise savvy characters act dumb and don’t get help from the authorities, which doesn’t make sense to me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted ARC!
I loved this book!! It had very similar vibes to the bonds that tie series while still being unique in its own way. The romance is definitely the main plot in this story—if you prefer more plot than romance, this won’t be your cup of tea. I thoroughly enjoyed this book— it was an easy read and super entertaining. The romance was HOT 🥵 I’ll definitely be reading book 2 when it releases!

This book was my first romantasy and I was not disappointed! I fell hard for this book, I found myself picking up this book everytime I had a free second. There wasn’t a lot of world building which I was fine with. This story mostly took place on a college campus. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters. Kaiden was infatuated with his bond Eryn and would do anything for her. He was so patient with her—-which made him swoon worthy! The sidekicks Ezra & Rani had my heart just as much as the main characters. I can’t wait to find out more about them in the next book! Add to your TBR immediately!

I came for the cover and stayed for the story! "Bonded Nightmare" is the story of Eryn and Kaiden. Eryn is a nightmare, meaning she feeds on dreams and can exert control over the minds of others. Nightmares are essentially extinct because of the fear of their enormous power potential. Kaiden, or Kai, is a warlock from a family of power. Just after her 18th birthday, Eryn learns Kaiden is her "bond", basically her fated mate. Convinced he is one of those who have hunted her kind, she rejects (or so she thinks) their bond and tries to disappear. Kai, of course, is not going to let this happen.

Their true story begins 2 years later when Eryn begins college level vet studies and Kai is her TA for one of her courses. He hides who he is at first, which does nothing to endear him to Eryn when she eventually learns the truth. Of course, she eventually warms up to him - and his shadows. (Yum!)

E.M. Rinaldi has written an entertaining book filled with spice and banter and fabulous secondary characters. The romance outweighs the fantasy/paranormal aspects of the story and I am admittedly not totally clear on all aspects of the universe Rinaldi is creating. The ending was also a little abrupt, though I can see this being because there is a very interconnected book 2 on the way (and I am here for its main couple!). But Kai is a great combo of sweet and possessive alphahole and Eryn's journey to self-acceptance is lovely.

I definitely recommend this book. 4 strong stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

“To the readers who know that sometimes…romance is the plot”

Seeing this at the beginning I was prepared for less world building and plot and immediately was sucked into the romance and banter. We did get more plot at the end but you really don’t get much.

At times I was wanting more information on the magic system and everyone’s powers but I think it was meant to be this way to write more of a romance spice book and I’m honestly torn between 4 or 5 stars. Some moments I think 4 and others 5 so maybe I’ll for once do a 4.5 rating.

I love Kai so damn much! Him falling first and being all in and willing to wait and be patient and wanting nothing in return was everything I needed. Literally everything that came out of his mouth had me squealing and wanting more. He’s now added to my list of favorite shadow daddy’s.

The spice in this is off the charts and SO good 🥵

Overall I read this book super quick and really enjoyed the love story. I’m interested in the next book because I loved the banter and angst in this one and I see it being just as good in the next but I could also see it being similar.

This was my first book from this author but Im interested in ready others!

If you want plot and a lot of world building this book probably isn’t for you but if you’re looking for a sexy shadow daddy who is sweet and puts your needs before his own and you love good banter and spice then I think you’ll love this!

Thank you NetGalley and E.M. Rinaldi for the ARC!

LOVING SOME ROMANTASY. THIS WAS A GOOD FANTASY/ROMANCE - WITH SNARKY CHARACTERS. I DO FEEL LIKE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE MORE DEPTH IN REGARDS TO THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. IT SEEMED LIKE A BACK & FORTH OF SCHOOL AND FIGHTING, I STILL ENJOYED IT THOUGH. WONDER IF THERE WILL BE A FOLLOW-UP... (3.5*)