I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Air Bound
by
Christine Feehan
It is part of the , , series and is a paranormal romance that was published by Jove on May 27, 2014 and has 400 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Dark Predator, Savage Nature, Spirit Bound, Darkest at Dawn, Samurai Game, Dark Storm, Leopard's Prey, Hot Blooded, Viper Game, Power Game, Earth Bound, Spider Game, "Dark Crime", Covert Game, Judgment Road, Toxic Game, Vengeance Road, Fire Bound, Bound Together, Shadow Warrior, Leopard's Wrath, Wild Cat, Cat's Lair, Vendetta Road, Lethal Game, Desolation Road, Leopard's Rage, Reckless Road, Dark Whisper
Third in the Sisters of the Heart follow-on series and tenth in the overall Sea Haven (Drake Sisters) paranormal romance series revolving around troubled but gifted women who have banded together to support each other.
The couple focus is on Airi and Maxim, and it’s insta-love, awww.
My Take
If you must read this, get it from the library. Air Bound is inconsistent. It swings from too simplistic to slightly more realistic. The insta-love is too lame for words; there is nothing believable in their romance, and it’s way too convenient.
There are a few good bits in here: a sensible trope that introduces more drama. No, I’m serious. This is a good thing, lol. Airi doesn’t want Maxim coming home with her, based on how it will affect the kids. She’d rather not tear at them again and again. Then there’s Jonas’ stance which is quite commendable, even if he is trying to cause other problems. The air power thing each has is rather fun, and quite useful, and Feehan is quite inventive in the different ways air can be twisted, woven, and blown. I am surprised they don’t use it as part of their underwater adventures.
Feehan does a nice job of informing us of Airi’s past and her mother with this session between the girls. Maxim’s memories of when the Paretskii family was destroyed and the boys taken is also done well. No info dumps here!
The negatives outweigh these positives. Feehan leaps in with no preparation. One minute Lissa is consoling Airi about a nightmare, and the next minute, they’re discussing the terrifying possibilities of another Prakenskii brother showing up to marry one of them. Oooh, foretelling, anyone?? A little obvious, perhaps?? Info dumpy as well. And I’m not getting the impression from what they chat about minutes later that they consider the Prakenskiis all that terrifying. Good cook? Great at teaching self-defense? Yep, scary, all right *eye roll*.
WTF? They just get finished talking about the odds of the six of them getting together in one place, and shock!, all of them having an elemental magic! Oh, wow. The next paragraph, Airi is worried that if she were to call Lissa back and tell her about the patterns she sees, that Lissa will think she’s nuts. Airi moans on and on wondering if she’s going crazy because she sees these patterns. WTF. Again. This is the woman who is supposed to be so frickin’ brilliant? She does remember that conversation about elemental gifts, right? The counselor she and the other girls have seen before knows about this. Talk to her. Stop pissing and moaning in my ear! I’m tired of it, and I’m only 31 pages in. Sigh, she is, at least, a fighter. Arghhh! How lame is this! And it’s like this throughout the entire story.
It’s too easy in some scenes and fraught with danger in others. Maxim is determined not to put his mark on her, so of course he slams it right down. He’s denying it right up to the point he marks her, and he keeps denying it. So why mark her? Give me something to believe in here.
Okay, on the one hand, Shackler-Gastros doesn’t care what condition she’s in as long as she’s alive swings over to she is to be in excellent health leave me confused and wondering what else doesn’t make any sense. Fortunately, hmmm, or is that unfortunately?, Feehan keeps me confused all the way through. Do they really have worldwide motorcycle gangs? Seems kinda lame that Damon is a neighbor, married to a Drake, in the same field (working on Airi’s project!), and yet he’s never really spoken to her.
Oh, please. Jonas recognizes Maxim as a Prakenskii and must realize how lethal his brothers are.
Aww, the kids are still so freaked and they come in Maxim and Airi’s bedroom. Every night. You can imagine how Maxim is starting to feel.
On the plus side, I can tick off having read this installment. Um, I’m trying to think of more pluses…
Psst, Feehan, you might want to change that Harrison back to Harrington before Jonas finds out.
The Story
Airi thinks she’s been going mad for a while now. She sees patterns everywhere, and she can’t stop devouring any book in her path. Hmmm, I can understand that one.
Luckily??, she won’t have long to worry as she’s been targeted by some very powerful people. The project she worked on as a child has stymied some of the world’s greatest minds, and Airi could well be the answer to their problems.
The Characters
Airiana “Airi” Riddell was a mathematical child prodigy who was taken in by the government to a special school when she was seven, and today she has nightmares of that day she got home from school. Marina is Airi’s brilliant mom struggling to cope with her “gift” with alcohol and loud music. It rarely works. Her true name is Marinochka Venediktov, and she was a student at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Theodotus Solovyov is her father, a great and brilliant physicist in his native Russia. His legal wife, Elena, is a vicious, social-climbing bitch.
Maxim Prakenskii is an arms dealer. He’s also Max Walberg. Gavriil Prakenskii is his brother, and he’s asked Maxim to help Theodotus. Viktor is their oldest brother.
The farm is…
…the girls’ refuge. Lissa Pinar is their warrior woman and has tried to teach the girls self-defense moves. Thomas Vincent, a.k.a., Stefan Prakenskii, is an art dealer and married to Judith Henderson (her element is spirit) who has a gallery in town. Levi Hammond is really Lev Prakensii, and he’s married to the autistic Rikki, who has power over water. Lexi Thompson, the youngest, has an earth gift and works their greenhouse and manages the farm. Blythe is the oldest of them with a gift for unifying the elements of the others; she’s also a Drake cousin.
The Drake sisters are…
…the most powerful magical family in Sea Haven and includes Joely Drake is married to Ilya Prakenskii; Sarah Drake is married to Damon Wilder, who works for the Defense Department; Elle Drake is married to Jackson; Sheriff Jonas Harrington is married to Hannah Drake who’s in labor; and, Libby Drake and Tyson.
Lucia, Benito, Nicia and Sofia are twins, and Siena are Italian children who were “kidnapped”. Shackler-Gratsos’ clients will enjoy them very much.
Jorge Estrada is the owner of the resort.
Cyreck is a Greek who works for Evan Shackler-Gratsos, and he wants a piece of Airi. Leone Marciante, a bully and a brutal killer, and Ricco D’Amato were neighbors as children; now they kill together. They’re guarding Galati who likes his boys young. Cahill and Lance work the engine room.
On board the slave ship…
…Prince Saeed is one of the worst perverts. He likes ’em young. His bodyguards include Conley and Shamar Dover, Yosuf and Jamel, and Sasha. On board the submarine, we meet Valentin Blatov, a “friend” of Maxim’s. On board the boat, we encounter Feliks and Akim, two of the guards; Gorya is the steward; and, Boris is the first mate.
Uri Sorbacov wants his father’s, Kostya‘s, crimes swept under the table and that includes what was done to the Prakensiis. The disappeared Dennet Laurent is suggested as a possible enemy.
Sea Haven is…
…a small harbor town in California where the Drake sisters and the girls live. Frank Warner is Inez‘s fiancé.
Debra Jems is the counselor who brought these six gifted and traumatized women together in group therapy. Wanda Payne only moved into the Riddells’ neighborhood a few years ago. Westwood was a contact at Airi’s boarding school.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a blue-green with creams of air currents swirling and whirling with a three-quarter profile of Airi in the upper left corner.
The title is what Airi’s and Maxim’s power is and where her heart lies, Air Bound.
