Tethered to The World by Stacey Brutger – A Book Review

Posted March 12, 2020 by Booksandblurbs in PNR, Reverse Harem, Reviews / 2 Comments

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Tethered to the World

(A Phantom Touched Novel – Book 1)

by Stacey Brutger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Slow Burn PNR RH
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Originally reviewed in July 2019, this is an updated post to reflect a reread.

Down & Dirty

Great start to a new Paranormal Reverse Harem – Free on KU.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

ONE TOUCH CAN SAVE YOU FROM CERTAIN DEATH…OR SENTENCE YOU TO AN ETERNITY IN HELL.

Born with the ability to defy death, Annora has been warned to keep her gift secret, but her greedy uncle can’t resist exploiting her by any means necessary. Starvation, beatings, broken bones—she’s survived them all and emerged stronger. But it’s not enough for him. It will never be enough. When she discovers her uncle plans to sell her to the highest bidder, she risks everything to escape the prison that has become her life.

The last thing she expected was to land at a university for supernaturals…or be paired with a pack of men as broken as her. As students go missing, Annora can’t get over the suspicion that she’s being hunted. To protect her, the guys must set aside their personal troubles and begin working as a team. But as her past collides with her present, she must make the ultimate sacrifice and expose her secrets to save the guys who’ve become more than family to her…and hope she’s strong enough to live with the consequences.

Thoughts on Tethered to The World

Strange and awesome

I first read and reviewed this book in July of 2019, but with the next book in the series sitting on my Kindle, I needed to refresh and remind myself of the goodness. I normally don’t review a book twice, even if I read it multiple times, but something about this narrative is calling me to update and expound on my view. A second run through has prompted more questions, but also allowed me to delve deeper into Annora’s story – and her life. She is far more complex than I originally imagined and the plot more twisted than it appeared. Word of advice? Do a reread before you jump in to book 2.

This Third person Rh is a slow burn delight, crafting a supernatural world that, quite literally, lives in the shadows. It seems like it would be an academy book, and it kinda is – but only because they are at a school. We don’t see classes and we observe very little interaction with others outside the core group this story surrounds.

For all that, it is not missing anything, in fact – by the end of the novel (cliffhanger) you are invested in this quintet (Sextuple? Hexadic?) and want to see where this goes – academy or not. Thankfully, the second book is now out!

Note

Please note, this is a Reverse Harem Series which will feature sexual themes or scenes outside ‘considered norm’. Suitable for adult audiences.

Pros:

Intriguing tale.
Supernatural creatures not normally seen…. I mean, there is a RABBIT!
The bad guy is so obvious, there is no mistaking it and though that drama adds danger to the narrative, the real crux of the story is the growing bonds between them the characters.

Cons:

A bit disjointed here and there.
Emotional connection is lacking, though you can feel the tethers forming between them. This is a slow build and slow burn – I am excited to see where they will go.