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The Shackles That Hold Us

The Magi Accounts, Book 2

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About this listen

As if crushin’ on a shifter wasn’t bad enough, I had to go and date one. A mage and a shifter walk into a bar. No, that’s the whole joke.

Magi and shifters don’t mix, and yet I find myself in a relationship with Cosmo, a lion shifter. And on top of that, Cosmo, and all his pride members, consider my brothers and I a part of their pride. Three magi in a shifter pride. Who would’ve ever thought?

Navigating our connection while trying to figure out what’s going on in the world isn’t easy. Trusting that Cosmo means forever when he says it? Even harder. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned since meeting the Ono-Nais, it’s that taking a risk with my heart will be worth it to be a part of their lives.

The Shackles That Hold Us is a 113K novel and the second audiobook in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. It’s recommended to listen to the series in order because it has an ongoing storyline, but there is no cliffhanger.

*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.*

©2022 Michele Notaro (P)2022 Michele Notaro Fantasy Magic Romance Fiction Magic Users Wizardry Heartfelt Paranormal Shifter
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Michele Notaro pens another amazing paranormal urban fantasy novel set in her “Magi Accounts” series, and I am loving everything about this series, from her wonderful writing style, the fabulous characters and storylines she created, as well as the world building and the perfectly cast narrator who brings it all to life from the pages to your ears. I highly recommend starting with the first book, “The Scars That Bind Us”, which lays down the foundation for the series and you meet the key characters and get to know the world they live in. I adore the lead characters, the Magi Mads, his connected dyad Jude and Cosmo the alpha lion shifter and pack leader, the members of his pack are all fabulous, as is Logan, another Magi. Cosmo and Mads’ are growing closer and Cosmo wants him to move in with the pack, and Jude and Logan are also welcome to live there. But Mads is reluctant to give up his apartment because it would be difficult to get another if things did not work out with Cosmo. Magi are at the bottom of the hierarchy and few are accepting of them, and they have limited rights in their world so most humans look down on them, despite that they are the ones who fight the monsters and weapon against them is their magic. Mads and Jude work on Cosmo’s team to fight the taragorian and preventing them from entering their world, they work well together but now they are facing more problems, black magic and witches who are trying to make a power play in the most evil way possible, feeding their life source off of others. The team is hard at work fighting that and staying away from the evil within their own department who has it out for Jude and Mads. Please tell me that evil man, Anderson, gets what he deserves soon. This action packed cleverly plotted story has the perfect balance of drama, angst, thrilling and suspenseful moments, heartfelt emotions and fabulous romance. Michele Notaro, thank you for another amazing story and the wild and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fantastic narration, CJ Storm is a versatile voice artist, and he continues his amazing portrayal of these characters and does so with a complete understanding of who these characters are, gives each a voice that fits each of their personas perfectly. He handles the witty dialogue with ease, changes character roles seamlessly, never missing a beat. His character voices have been consistent throughout the series and you could hear how much heart he puts into his performance as he captures all the characters’ emotions and projects them into his performance, making you feel every single one. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another fabulous listen.

More Magi Greatness! Amazing Story & Listen🎧

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I loved this book. I am really enjoying the series. The continuous storyline is very interesting and the narration is good, although at a few places I would swear another accent comes out of the narrator. :) Each book reveals more about the background of Mateo and Cosmo as well as Jude and the rest of Cosmo's pride. There is plenty of action along with some romantic moments. Although I have read the books in print, I am enjoying them even more in audio.

Great book!

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Listener received this title free

The Shackles that Hold Us is the second book in The Magi Accounts series, a paranormal series set in a world that closely resembles our world – except with magic and political upheaval. In a world where prejudices run deep and wide, mages have been enslaved by humans and forced to fight in their wars. I adore this series, but it deals with some heavy themes and there is definitely angst and violence. I deeply adore the characters from spunky Mads to his beautiful and fierce lion shifter boyfriend Cosmo. I love the intricacies of the relationships – especially with how Mads is trying to find a new normal with balancing his relationships between Cosmo and Jude. Also, I’m so rooting for Jude to find love – I see it being setup in this book and I can’t wait to see how that plays out later in other books.

This series needs to be read in order, but it is so worth it to start from the very beginning. I love the world building and character growth, and I’m so invested in these characters getting their justice and happy ever endings. I’m also really curious to see how the mysterious witch development plays out.

The audiobook was narrated by CJ Storm who does a wonderful job of voicing all the characters. The performance was gripping and he does a fantastic job of transporting the reader right into the thick of the action. I thought the audiobook production was well done.

Gripping Story

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I‘m hooked on reading the series and the audiobook just brings it to life perfectly. The world and character building are spot on and have kept me gripped and wanting to know more. There’s shifters, magi and humans - and a whole lot of prejudice. There’s suspense, excitement and in some places heartbreak. CJ Storm brings the characters and story to life wonderfully (in a different way than reading it myself does) and fits perfectly with the characters for me.

Overall I just loved it!

Another great book in the series

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Listener received this title free

I'm not gonna lie: this chapter of Cosmo and Madeo's story was heartbreaking at times. The pain and suffering Madeo and Jude experienced just for being magi was cruel and unjust and made me want to scream. The people in charge here were some of the most awful examples of how power corrupts, and seeing the lengths to which they would go to keep magi and shifters beaten down and afraid was revolting. But this book wasn't all bitterness and suffering. I got to see Madeo and Jude let down even more of their walls and trust in the Ono-Nai pride. I got to see them laugh together, spend time together, and save hundreds of innocent lives. Watching these people come together as a family who would put their lives on the line for each other was so amazing, and it made my heart unbelievably happy. Even when the world seemed like it wanted to crush them with hurt and suffering, I knew they would always have a safe landing place to take comfort and recover before the next storm.

Cosmo and Madeo's relationship was already serious before this book started, but over the course of this story I saw their bond deepen and grow somehow stronger. The secrets these two shared with each other, the burdens they released into each other's care spoke volumes about their connection, and that trust opened up more ways for them to be physically close as well. I still don't think they've verbalized their love, but it was obvious to me in every action they took throughout this book. I know I'm already convinced they'll be together forever, but I certainly won't complain about reading even more of their sweet romance. In terms of the series-wide plotline, the disturbing situation with the witches wasn't fully resolved in this book, but it did escalate significantly. There's still so much I don't understand about the veil tears and the witches, but this story exposed the horrific truth of how far they would go in their quest for power, and I have a sinking suspicion that this is only scratching the surface.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

Suspenseful and satisfying

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