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Cover of Bound

Bound

by Ali Hazelwood

🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate·spoiler

Why Read This?

Ali Hazelwood goes full paranormal with a thousand-year-old vampire professor who politely kidnaps an art forger — the banter is sharp, the forced proximity is delicious, and Viktor Ashworth whimpering is worth the price of admission alone.

Synopsis

A reluctant con artist and professor with too many secrets are bound together in Ali Hazelwood’s intoxicating new dark academia romance – available only in audio! Veronica “Vero” Mercer grew up with grifters for parents, and she knows her way around a con. When grad school bills pile up and her friends are in trouble, she turns her art history skills into a forgery side hustle. It’s supposed to be a short term deal, but her work draws the attention of Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a reserved, very British professor. Instead of turning her in, Ashworth kidnaps her – politely – and makes an unusual offer: forge a mysterious ancient manuscript for him. Soon Vero finds herself spending long nights with Viktor, bent over rare vellum samples and obscure inks. But as the con grows riskier, Vero has to wonder: what does Viktor really want, and why can’t she stay away?

At a Glance

3.70 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

forced proximitykidnapping romancemorally grey characters

Mood

wittymysteriousdarkatmospheric

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.70 ★

Page Count

8 pages

Published

2025

Primary Genre

Paranormal Romance

Pairing

M/F

POV

First Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Duet Narration

Narrator

Brittany Pressley, William Macleod

Narrator Count

Full Cast

Narration Style

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

sign in to see all 7 tropes

Mood & Vibe

Mood

sign in to see writing style, pacing & more

Characters

FMC: morally grey rebel sign in to unlock

Spice Details 🌶️

late-game tension release sign in to unlock

kidnapping (romanticized)blood and violencecar accident referencecriminal activity (forgery)parental neglect backstory

World & Setting

paranormal sign in to unlock

Reading Context

satisfying slow reveal of vulnerability beneath centuries of composure sign in to unlock

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