Broken Bonds

Broken Bonds (2021) is the first installment in the six-book The Bonds That Tie series by Australian author J Bree. Bree is known for writing dark romance in paranormal and contemporary settings, as well as fantasy romance.

This guide refers to the 2021 Kindle edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, rape, bullying, emotional abuse, antigay bias, sexual harassment, suicidal ideation, sexual content, substance use, and cursing. In particular, the guide discusses “dubious consent” or “dubcon,” which are controversial terms developed in fanfiction communities to refer to supposed “gray areas between rape and consent” in fictional works (Popova, Milena. Dubcon: Fanfiction, Power, and Sexual Consent. MIT Press Direct, 2021).

Language Note: By pairing its main female character romantically and sexually with several male partners, the novel uses a subgenre with a contested name: “reverse harem.” This term is disputed for several reasons, including concerns about cultural appropriation from Middle Eastern cultures that use the term “harem” to refer to parts of a household reserved for women’s use. Other critics dislike that the term implies that a female protagonist is “owned” by her male love interests. To circumvent these concerns, some authors and readers now call this subgenre “why choose” to indicate the centrality of multiple love interests. However, Bree’s website uses the term “reverse harem,” which is replicated in the guide accordingly.

Plot Summary

Oleander “Oli” Farrows dreams about the car crash that killed her parents. 

Five years later, she is kidnapped by a “TacTeam” to be returned to her Bonds—a group of five people to whom she is mystically linked. Oli refuses to admit why she fled her Bonds after learning their identities five years prior.

Four of Oli’s Bonds appear: North Draven, a powerful member of the ruling Council; Nox Draven, North’s brother and a professor at Draven University, which Oli is forced to attend; Gabriel “Gabe” Ardern, another Draven student; and Gryphon Shore, the leader of the TacTeam that apprehended Oli. They all hate her for fleeing them, which they assume she did for selfish reasons. Her fifth Bond, Atlas Bassinger, remains kind to her, but he can communicate only via phone, as he lives across the country and cannot join her until his semester finishes.

The Dravens’ wealth and prominence, as well as Gabe’s popularity, make Oli a popular target for bullies at Draven University. She becomes friends with Sage Benson, a social pariah who has been rejected by her Bond. Oli struggles through her classes, particularly Gifted 101, which Nox teaches, and Tactical Training, or TT, which involves physically battling her way through dangerous obstacles. Oli pretends to have no Gift, which puts her at a disadvantage in TT. Oli’s Bonds, especially North, are highly controlling, refusing to let her leave campus, stay out after a strict curfew, or get a job. Oli schemes how to get away, something she considers essential to protect her Bonds from the Resistance, who periodically abduct, torture, brainwash, and kill Gifted people.

Oli’s academic performance gradually improves, which pleases her and irritates Nox, the most combative of her Bonds. After a particularly strong performance in TT class, Gryphon warms up to Oli. He begins sleeping in her dorm, which brings Oli comfort, particularly when she has severe menstrual cramps and Gryphon uses his Gift to alleviate her pain. Oli and Gabe also become friendly, though their relationship has ups and downs; Oli flirts with Sage’s brother, Sawyer, to annoy Gabe. Despite their periodic differences, Gabe becomes protective when the Resistance’s abductions increase. Oli’s relationship with North remains poor, as he manipulates her without showing any care for her as a person. Oli’s relationship with Nox is actively combative, as he insists on bringing sexual partners to their Bond group dinners, something that makes Oli’s mystical bond upset.

After a mass Resistance kidnapping, Atlas arrives unexpectedly at Draven University. This causes friction between Atlas and Gabe, who compete for Oli’s attention, and between Atlas and North: Atlas wants Oli to live with him instead of in her dilapidated dorm, while North insists that Oli move into Draven Manor.

At the manor, Nox attacks Oli in the hallway, performing manual sex on her. This causes dissent in the Bond group, as Atlas and Gabe consider Nox’s actions rape, particularly since Oli’s magical bond propels her not to have sex with her Bonds. Oli is pleased that she stopped herself from bonding with Nox. Atlas, using his Gift (super strength), breaks into the Draven manor to protect Oli from Nox.

The next day, the Resistance attacks Draven University. Atlas and Gabe urge Oli, whom they still believe to be Ungifted, to hide while they help combat Resistance forces. Oli obeys until she hears that Sage has been abducted. To help her friend, Oli allows herself to be taken as well, though she is relieved when none of the Resistance members recognize her. The captives are tested for the strength of their Gifts; those with weaker Gifts are executed. The remainder, including Oli and Sage, are taken to a Resistance camp, where they are put in cages. Soon after, Gabe, unconscious, is thrown into a nearby cage.

When Gabe awakens, Oli finally releases her Gift, which causes its victims to hallucinate their worst fears until the mental strain kills them. She uses this power to kill the guards and then steals the keys to let all the captives free. They sneak through the Resistance camp to find that Gryphon and Nox have followed them and are already fighting the Resistance. Nox does so with shadow creatures that obey his commands.

The escapees wait for rescue at a rendezvous point. A large group of Resistance vehicles approaches them, and nearly 100 Resistance soldiers emerge. The group worries that this is too large a force for them to defeat, but Oli uses her Gift to incapacitate all the Resistance members instantly. Gryphon, Nox, and the other captives are shocked at her power, which Oli privately reflects can do even more than what she just revealed.