Earth Bound by Christine Feehan
Series: Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart, #4
PNR
July 7, 2015
Jove

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote:
“I thought they’d be staying for lunch.”
“Really? We’re going to have to work on your people skills.”

Lexi lived her childhood in fear when she was kidnapped by a religious cult and brutalized for years. When she escaped, she found healing with a group of women with similar violent pasts on the island of Sea Haven. She has never forgotten the horror she lived through or the monster who vowed to find her and drag her back. When her greatest nightmare comes to life, she is shocked by the man who comes to her rescue.

Gavriil Prakenskii came to Sea Haven to warn his brothers of the danger from the past coming their way and to say his goodbyes. When he sees Lexi, he knows she is his reason for living and suddenly his plans change. After he destroys the evil that sought to reclaim her, he now must form a plan to make Lexi his. But Lexi’s heart and soul were damaged long ago and if he’s not careful, his very nature could be the one thing that sends her completely over the edge.

“She belonged to him, this woman. She was created for him. She was one woman he could bind to him.”

Feehan’s Sisters of the Heart series is a spin off her Drake Sisters series. We are introduced to five “sisters” who have settled in Sea Haven; each burdened with a past that has them in need of healing. Earth Bound is the fourth in the series and focuses on the youngest “sister”-Lexi. Though each previous installment in this series has in some way played off and expanded on the events that happened in the last Drake book-Hidden Currents-this one doesn’t as much. The focus here is solely on the hero and heroine and expands on an ongoing arc concerning the Prakenskii brothers. You do not need to read the Drake Sisters series in order to understand this series as each storyline is self-contained with a resolvable conflict but the characters and arc do overlap.

Earth Bound is an action based storyline filled with intrigue, magic, romance and a healthy dose of humor that blends well with the dark aspects of the story. An even steady flow and engaging characters takes me back to why I originally started reading Feehan. Feehan does a fabulous job of introducing us the protagonists and integrating their backstories into the main plot in order to give us a well rounded informative base on which to begin our adventure. Multiple storylines run simultaneously, weaving in and out but never overwhelming the reader.

I have always had love/hate relationship with Feehan’s works. Either her couples are perfect matches or the heroes are so alpha they completely overshadow the heroine and I find myself wanting to slap them silly. Luckily, Earth Bound is of the former. While there is no denying Gavrill is the quintessential over protective alpha, Lexi is more than able to hold her own with  him. She has been alone for a long time and her strength, intelligence, gift and quiet stubbornness invokes respect from  him and he instinctively understands when to push forward and when to pull back.

While Gavrill and Lexi aren’t similar or complementary in references to their gifts, they are well matched personality wise. They click in both a physical and emotional sense. Lexi is an earth elemental, able to command the earth and plants to her will. Gavrill, like his brothers, was taken as a child and made into an assassin though he is not one to follow anyone blindly. His ability is blending into the shadows-a blade that strikes with no mercy. He has a strong moral base and consequence though he will take out ANYONE (including friends and family) should they come between him and what he wants.

“What the hell are you doing” Levi demanded. “Gavrill, there is no way you’d fall asleep in the middle of this group. Don’t play her. She’s off limits.”

“Go to hell, Levi.” He didn’t lift his lashes or look at this brother. His voice said it all.

They are the flip sides of a coin. Gavrill is a trained killer while Lexi is a pacifist. The chemistry between them is instantly noticeable, becoming more substantial as they get to know each other better. Lexi’s innate need to nurture and heal grounds Gavrill more volatile nature and allows her to envelope him in her protective embrace. Due to their violent childhoods, the romance is slow to develop. The love scenes are emotionally intense and add plenty of spice to the story. Feehan doesn’t rush into their lovemaking, which makes it all the more tantalizing and sensual when they decide to go that final step.

“He was… extraordinary. She hadn’t know how extraordinary until this moment.”

There are multiple plotlines weave and wind their way through out the main story. I liked that Feehan seems to have put a more human stamp on this installment, addressing mundane issues that only an outsider (Gavrill) would see. Watching Gavrill acquaint himself with his brothers, especially the baby- Ilya- is heartwarming. Feehan does a fabulous job of showing us the duality of Gavrill’s personality. He is so alpha and scary to others yet quite the closet romantic with Lexi.

“The earth moved for me the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Things are still up in the air with Ellie Drake and I can’t WAIT to see what happens when she and Jackson return to Sea Haven. Gavrill has thrown down the gauntlet on that situations and it will be interesting to see his and Jackson’s first meeting. Once again Feehan allows us to see the sisters drop their masks of pacifism and the danger these five can wrought when they and their loved ones are threatened and clues are dropped to whose story will come next. Lissa is definitely a conundrum and I have a feeling her hero will have to work extra hard for her. Past faces from both series are seen and I like the effortless flow that exists here. Fans of this series will not be disappointed by Earth Bound and I for one am ready for book five-title and release date to be announced.

RATING: B+

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