Blood Tethered: Blood Tethered Book 1 Author I.S. Belle
ARC Review
5 out of 5 stars!
Releases on March 30, 2025 (tomorrow!)
"Thirteen hours before Theo Fairgood died, he woke up early to hang party decorations." - First line of the book! Had me laughing and thinking back to other works by this author!
Theo is THE golden boy of Lock. Perfect grades, athletic, rich and powerful parents, etc. Everyone wants to be around him, seen with him, and just bask in his aura. That is except for Kade who would rather die. He just wants to get through the miserable high school years so his real life and adventure can begin. But surviving high school isn't for the faint of heart. Growling, fighting, and barking at everyone will only go so far.
Everything changes when Kade crashes yet another party and saves Theo, though "golden boy" didn't need saving at all. Seems like the mysteries monster who attacked Theo was a vampire and Theo is no longer human!? Kade has chased many highs in his short life, but nothing has even come close to vampire venom. A begrudging, slightly blackmail-ish, deal is struck between the two that will soon change a lot of things including their views on the world. Mysteries need to be solved, town secrets revealed and does Kade actually have a soft/gentle side?!
"U STAY SOFT, U GET EATEN" - One of Kade's many handmade shirts! (I need it!)
Belle has become one of my favorite authors and a friend! I'm always excited to see what new book she has written. Just the combination of horror, goth, high school opposites, small town vibes, and so much more! I love how she writes her characters and the growth of her writing with each new book! I love vampires and the way Belle writes them in her YA books is fantastic! Also, the first time I read and relooked at Kade all I could think of was Ashton Greymoore from Critical Role. Though Kade is more goth than punk.
"Hey, under this skinny form lies a musclebound beast." - Kade
Coming from a sports oriented small town I could relate to Kade on a lot of levels. Art and creativity are swallowed whole by the need to be number one in all of the sports categories. Money being freely given and poured into sports while everywhere else suffered. Not to mention being any part of the LGBTQ+ flag was hush-hush. Kade has figured out tactics on how to survive the day-to-day life of high school but it's wearing on him. Dubbed the town freak doesn't help anything and he has a reputation. There are no secrets in small towns.
Theo's character made me sad because I saw a mirror of things I went through. He has to be perfect and present himself in a way that won't disappoint his parents or bring dishonor to the Fairgood name. He's been going on this path for a while and has found some things uncomfortable but not enough to detour him from his pre-assigned destination. Not until he dies and gets tied up with Kade. Now his world is expanding and he's beginning to rethink things and that must-be-perfect mentality.
Do read through the CWs. The genre is YA, but we do have language throughout the book along with violence, gore, bloodshed, deaths, and more. Theo's parents are toxic along with some of the other adults he is surrounded by. He of course hasn't fully comprehended this, to be fair this is all he has known. Mental manipulation, psychical abuse (no beating but Theo's father grips his hair painfully), intense moments of stress and strain of having to be a certain way, and mind games. High school bullying is present. Vampire and monster violence, consensual and non-con blood drinking.
"You're not the monster, Kade. Pretty sure I got that one in the bag." - Theo
"You're not that bad, mate. Monsters don't bring their food knitting needles." - Kade
Slow burn! Like VERY slow burn! Enemies to strained allies/food to possibly acquaintances. We get dual POVs in third person and I loved every moment of it! The internal struggles and dialogues. Kade is the target for Theo and his friends bullying unfortunately. Luckily Theo isn't the worst one, but he isn't a saint. I appreciated the fact that as the story continues Theo gets to really understand the gravity of what his friends and him have been doing. Especially as Kade's walls come down for short bursts of moments. The two getting to see the hidden, raw, real person under the exterior they have to maintain for whatever reason.
This book ends on a cliffhanger, and I NEED answers! There was such a beautiful and tender moment toward the end of the story that had my heart exploding. And then words were spoken and yeah. . . Can't say too much because spoilers. But UGH! I cannot wait for the next installment and to see more of my boys' growth and what's going to happen next. Plus, Sparky!
Enjoy the read with a small town that has a dark past and buried secrets. Don't forget to give the author some stars!
Amazon.com: Blood Tethered: a MM vampire romance (Book 1) eBook : Belle, I.S.: Kindle Store
Blood Tethered (3 book series) Kindle Edition
Blood Tethered (Paperback) by I S Belle, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
I. S. Belle (@isbelleauthor) • Instagram photos and videos
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