Unbound
Lori Devoti
Silhouette Nocturne, June 2007, $5.25, 305 pp.
ISBN: 0373617658

Risk is a hellhound, a being who can change from dog to human at will. His kind was used on the Wild Hunt when the gods made them hunt for souls. Although Wild Hunts are no more, there are still some hellhounds left in the world and the witch Lusse uses them. Risk has been her slave for over five hundred years hunting witches so she could drain them of their powers. His latest assignment is to bring him Kara, a powerful witch who doesn’t know about her own powers.

He meets her while she is searching for her identical twin sister Kelly who has disappeared. Risk has not given in to the dark side of his nature although his owner has constantly used torture on her slave to make him obey. When he sees Kara, he knows he can’t give her to Lusse but he is bound to the witch and when she calls he must come to her. He tells her Kara has a twin. She tasks him with finding and bring them both to her. However, someone has put a bounty on witches and Risk needs Lusse to gain entrance to the portal where the witches are being held. Risk decides to risk his own life to free his beloved Kara and her sister.

Based on Scandinavian legends, UNBOUND is an exciting romantic fantasy. Lori Devoti is terrific at creating characters that readers will empathize with especially Risk, a being in bondage who has to endure all forms of tortures and obey a power hungry malevolent being. The witch is evil personified and more wicked than the “wicked witch of the west”; she insures readers will enjoy hating her. The audience will demand a sequel starring Risk’s son.

Harriet Klausner