How Spicy Is The Romance In 'Bonded By Thorns'?

Question

Fans of slow-burn fantasy romance novels, how explicit do the fae love scenes get in this series? Considering it for book clubs.

Gemma · Answer

So I’d categorize this one as medium-to-high spice with an emphasis on making the connection between characters happen as much as on actually having sex. If you like that sort of high-stakes-romantic-tension-and-then-sex stuff, you might also like Forbidden Romance Tales, which I just started reading. The first story is about a human scribe who gets accidentally bound to a reclusive forest deity, and then there’s the slow-burn of the forbidden aspect of their pact before things heat up.

Zoe · Answer

I loved how ‘Bonded by Thorns’ slowly upped the spice level throughout the book. At first there were a number of near miss moments and lots of unresolved tension, and it felt like every touch of their hands together would lead to something more. And when it did finally happen it was so worth the wait. Using the fantasy of the book to raise the stakes of the romance was wonderful, and the magical bonds and the thorns in the enchanted garden were both so cool.

I really enjoy how the two main characters’ personalities come out in their intimate moments. The female lead is stubbornly proud while the male lead likes to be in control. That comes out in their struggles for power and even translates into their intimate encounters in the enchanted garden of the magical forest. All of their intimate moments feel as much emotionally charged as they are spicy and they never feel like they are there to shock. Even the most graphic scenes serve a purpose in the plot and I never felt like they were there to just add spice to an otherwise dull romance. If you’re tired of most romances where the spicy moments feel like afterthoughts, this is a great read.

Gracie · Answer

The romance in ‘Bonded by Thorns’ follows a slow burn that escalates to an inferno. Initially the tension is subtle with long looks and silence between the two main characters but once the dam breaks it’s all consuming. The two have incredible chemistry in all of their scenes together. There’s a lot of vulnerability in their interactions and when the thorn motif (physical and metaphorical) is brought up it really adds to the tension between them. Rather than gratuitous spicy scenes every touch between the two characters has meaning. If you’re a reader who likes to feel like the characters’ passion has been earned then this is the book for you.

Chase · Answer

'Bonded by Thorns' is a beautiful and intense work of fantasy romance. It has a lot of tension in the early chapters with lots of stolen moments in secret passages and moonlit confessions. But when the spice does kick in it is volcanic. Each scene is detailed and whilst at times Graphic the focus on the characters is always there. The bond between the two main characters grows from a reluctant desire for each other to something more fierce with each new development.

What stands out most about this story is how the thorns (of curse or symbol) are woven into the intimacy of the two main characters. Their romance is fraught with pain and pleasure in equal measure and the author has done a great job of exploring the gray areas between the two. In one memorable scene, the male lead’s magic goes haywire leaving copious amounts of pain and – ultimately – enthusiastic adoration in its wake. That it’s also highly charged is merely an added bonus. The real feeling of danger here is that their love could save or destroy the other person – it makes for a really thrilling read. If you’re a fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses but find it doesn’t have enough grit for your liking, then you need to read ‘Bonded by Thorns’.

Bernice M. Olivas · Answer

This would be best measured against TV-MA. It contains lots of explicit content including scenes of nudity and sexual activity, and strong romantic themes between major characters. It is NOT R-rated in terms of graphic violence, etc. Rather, it is written for a mature audience, and scenes are included as part of the story/characters’ development, not just to shock. Thus, I would recommend this to any adult friend of mine who reads fantasy and doesn’t have a problem with very explicit romantic content. It would not be suitable for a teenager, though. It’s very much New Adult – dealing with very mature themes and issues regarding relationships, sex, etc. in a highly fantastical manner.

Jesika · Answer

As someone who reads romantasy (thanks to my partner’s recommendations), I found the “spice” to be very well-integrated. It didn’t read as gratuitous to me, nor did it read as written for the female gaze. The focus on mutual pleasure, the emotional connection of the two characters, and their physical sensations were all very appealing to me. The fact that it’s fantasy helps a lot, because the emotions are so much more heightened than they would be in real life, so anyone can read themselves into the story. It’s a steamy book, full stop. Not a “steamy book for women” — just a really good, sexy story that will appeal to almost anyone who reads romantasy. The tension and the payoff are very universal.

Maria Jessa · Answer

This is an interesting series because the heat is increasingly built throughout. Book 1 sets up a good amount of tension and completes a few key scenes. The subsequent books in the series increase in heat as the relationships are fully established and more is at stake. Thus, “Bonded by Thorns” could refer to just the first book in the series which has a moderate amount of heat, or to the entire series which becomes an increasingly consistent and VERY erotic romance as the author grows in confidence and the relationships between the main characters become more complex and are fully explored. The series is a journey of spice as well as plot.

Luzzy Mendoza · Answer

I’ve read a lot of romantasy, and the spiciness of this book is above average. Not necessarily in terms of quantity of spicy scenes per page, but the quality of them is high. The author of this book is very good at writing scenes of physical intimacy that are at once sweeping and intimate, grand and personal. They have a cinematic quality, but you also feel the emotions of the characters. You feel the broad strokes of the scenes, and the inner monologue of the characters. It never feels cheesy or cringeworthy, which is hard to do. It feels mature and confident, as if the author knew exactly the tone she wanted to create and hit it just right.

Kide Charity · Answer

I’m pretty much a plot-driven fantasy reader, but I wouldn’t have cut these scenes for content. Usually I find that sex scenes interrupt the pacing of the story and feel like they’re there to serve some other purpose than to tell us about the characters, but these scenes felt like they were part of the story and served to reveal character motivation and vulnerability at the same time as they advanced the magical plot. The sex scenes in this novel served a purpose and therefore felt appropriate for this story. They drove the plot forward. From a non-romance reader’s perspective, that’s the best thing you can say about a novel with scenes of hot sex in them.

Abdul Rehman Asad · Answer

Early on, the potential for spicy moments is fraught with tension, hesitation, anger and confusion – it’s all a bit messy and complicated. But as the characters gain trust in each other and the true nature of their relationship is revealed, the intimate moments become more focused, more tender, more protective. The spice they’re working with even evolves to reflect the growth of the relationships. It’s fascinating to see how the physical expression of their affection charts their development as individuals and as a couple. This is clearly next-level character work dressed up as romance. A writer of this quality realizes that how people are intimate with each other gives great insight into their current emotional state.

Buah_Kaktus · Answer

This book is intensely sexy compared to the typical fantasy novels such as Mistborn or The Name of the Wind, moderately sexy compared to adult romance novels found in regular bookstore’s adult sections, and mild compared to most fan fiction (note: context, context). Within the genre of New Adult/Adult Romantasy this book is quite steamy. Its sexiness is integral to both the relationships between the characters and the magic in the world. Most books with this much sex use it as an afterthought, but not this book. This book’s sexiness is essential to the story.

How Spicy Is The Romance In 'Bonded By Thorns'?

11 Answers

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