Review: A Bond of Three by K.C. Wells

In the kingdom of Teruna, the red-cloaked Seruani teach the Terunans the art of love. Taken from their homes at seventeen to be trained, they are shunned as outcasts by society and considered the lowest of the low. So when Prince Tanish falls in love with the Seruan Feyar, the man who took his virginity and the only one to share his bed, he is not about to declare that love. No one can ever know, because the consequences would be too painful to consider for both of them. 

When the king of Vancor visits Teruna, he promises that his son, Prince Sorran, will marry Prince Tanish to solidify the alliance between the two kingdoms, with the proviso that the virginal Sorran is instructed in the art of pleasing his husband-to-be. When Tanish’s father chooses Feyar to be this instructor, the lovers decide Prince Sorran must be taught that this is to be a marriage in name only…. 

A resentful prince, unwilling to share his lover. 

A resentful Seruan, unwilling to share his prince. 

And the shy prince whose very nature sparks changes in the lives of all those around them. 

Teruna is about to change forever.

This book was not my cuppa. 

I wanted it to be. I mean, look at that cover. 

Let's all take a moment to admire the pretty… 

I like fantasy. I like ménage. This should've been a slam dunk. Actually, this would make a decent porn script. Light on plot, heavy on sex with dudes walking around in easy access robes. I'd watch that. Hard. Fast-forwarding through all the talking bits mind you, but still.

If you're like me and enjoy books with conflict, some angst, edge and/or meat on their bones, this is not the book for you. If, however, you enjoy books that are sweet, feel good and leaving you feel like you've just skipped through a field of daisies, you are going to love the stuffing out of this thing. I, however, felt like I was being subsumed by a tidal wave of Sunny Delight.

I wanted to sink my teeth into the fantasy world, but aside from knowing Teruna and Vancor are allies against Kandor, I know nothing not even why Kandor is their mortal enemy. Feyar is a Seruan which essentially translates into courtesan only in Teruna they are reviled rather than revered for unknown reasons, thus Tanish and he are forced to conceal their love. Yet, they still sleep together every night. To cement the alliance between the two provinces Sorran is offered up as consort to Tanish. Tanish vows that nothing and no one will separate him from Feyar. For a couple minutes until Sorran's sweetness changes his mind. Same goes for Feyar. This is all chalked up to "the bond".

I wanted to sink my teeth into the story and be challenged by it, but it's predictable. Multiple opportunities for conflict and grit were stranded. Sorran has some unusual gifts that also could've provided something substantive that weren't elaborated on or explained well. The Seruani being treated abominably was the only point with any weight which I can't help but see as a thinly veiled parallel of the raging contemporary debate on marriage equality. Admittedly, a political hot potato that's deserving of discussion, has sparked countless debates and as much as I and a whole fuckton of other people would like it to be resolved favorably for all LGBTs, I in no way believe that the world will morph into a utopian society capable of amalgamating a ruling body's decision into their ethos within the span of a few months. An idealistic sentiment indeed that coincides with the tone of this book perfectly, but one I couldn't help but view as childlike magical thinking and somehow inappropriate for a topic this divisive. 

The sex is in the medium hot range and there is plenty of it which was really the only teeth sinking that occurred, figuratively speaking of course. Teeth are ill-advised. Mostly. Except when they're not. Never mind. It did give me pause that Sorran, a buttsex virgin prior to meeting his bond mates, after all of two trips to Pound Town decides he's man enough for DP. You go, Sorran. Go hard or go home, right? Then again, I don't feel as though I know any of these characters; they're all two-dimensional. But they are hot for each other. That hotness translates into 2 Hearts.

Objectively speaking, this book has an audience. Clearly. Just look at the reviews it's gotten thus far. Unfortunately, I'm not part of that audience, so take this review with the proverbial grain of salt. Read the other reviews.

Recommend to fans of escapist fluff.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

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