Dire Bound (The Wolves of Ruin, 1)
Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She'll risk her life--and her heart--to be one of them.
Meryn Cooper has always hated the Bonded, elite warriors who form mental links with the massive, vicious direwolves they ride. While they live in luxury, Meryn struggles to keep her family out of poverty. When her little sister, Saela, is kidnapped--stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting--Meryn's world falls apart.
Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army and is thrown into the deadly Bonding Trials, where any mistake will cost her life.
Now Meryn must survive four months of training at the castle. She is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her cold and beautiful instructor, Stark Therion, is eager to punish any weakness.
Everything is a competition, and everyone is out to get her--everyone except the dangerously handsome crown prince, whose attention adds another target to her back. In the castle, every smile hides a knife...and the halls hide dark secrets.
It's bond or bleed. Duel or die. Failure is ruin.
Don't miss the brand-new bonus chapter from Stark Therion's perspective!
Dire Bound contains mature content including depictions of graphic violence, and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author's website.
Readers are already falling in love with Direbound:
"ONE OF THE BEST READS OF THE YEAR! This book was insanely good." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Stop it right now... I'm actually quite feral for the next book..." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"The plot was THICK, the tension and banter? Flawless. And the world with the wolf bond, and trials NEED MORE NOW." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I just finished and still trying to mentally and emotionally recover to what just happened to me. You need to read it IMMEDIATELY." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"If you're into dark romantasy with high stakes, fierce characters, and just the right amount of emotional wreckage, Direbound is your next obsession." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"What an incredible read!! ... I am blown away. ... The romance, the anguish, the BANTER! I love a book with good banter and this was FULL OF IT!" Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I. Am. OBSESSED. ... Left me spiraling in the best way possible. The morally grey anti-hero? Perfection. The slow-burn tension? Electric. ... I was completely immersed." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Perfect for fans of:
- Slow burn romance
- Found family
- Morally grey characters
- One bed
- Touch her and die
- Who did this to you
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Vampires vs. wolves!
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
“Women in pain give men confidence. It stirs up something instinctive, deep inside them, that makes them feel like they have the upper hand, even if every logical piece of evidence screams at them that they do not. Confidence makes men sloppy. And sloppy men are easy targets.”
I was in my bed SCREAMING “GO OFF QUEEN!” From there I was in it. I finished the book in about 48 hours and I wish I could do it again, honestly I probably will. It is by far one of the best pieces I’ve read so far this year. The plot was so different than most I’ve ready but it kept me going with the tropes we all tend to love. Meryn is such a baddie and her strength throughout every trial in her life makes you sit on edge.
THE PLOT TWISTS! Have you ever yelled out loud to the 4th wall while reading?! Because I definitely did. I can’t wait for second book later this year!
If you love Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, Hunger Games, THIS BOOK IS MADE FOR YOU!
Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…
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