This Blood that Binds Us
- Downloads：1881
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-27 07:51:29
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：S.L. Cokeley
- ISBN：B0BBZ8N1N5
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Kimberly Burns— a self-sufficient， nineteen-year-old— expects her customary camping trip to be a calming escape from the non-stop demands of college life but the attack from a recently turned vampire changes everything。
Aaron Calem has been trying to resist the blood lust raging through his new body， but the unfamiliar voice in his head won’t let him pass up an easy meal。 When he’s left with a girl barely clinging to life，he must choose between loyalty to his brothers or his own morality。
Aaron and Kimberly both want to return back to their normal lives， but their problems are just beginning when they both realize they go to the same university。
When Kimberly is bitten a second time， by an unknown attacker， they must team up to navigate the vampire world together and find the assailant。 Soon， they discover that the mysterious past Aaron’s brothers are hiding may hold the key to secrets that could tear apart their own pasts and destroy their future。
S。L。 Cokeley’s debut novel， This Blood that Binds Us， is the first in a series that explores the true meaning of family， making peace with the past， and finding friendships in unexpected places。
Aaron Calem has been trying to resist the blood lust raging through his new body， but the unfamiliar voice in his head won’t let him pass up an easy meal。 When he’s left with a girl barely clinging to life，he must choose between loyalty to his brothers or his own morality。
Aaron and Kimberly both want to return back to their normal lives， but their problems are just beginning when they both realize they go to the same university。
When Kimberly is bitten a second time， by an unknown attacker， they must team up to navigate the vampire world together and find the assailant。 Soon， they discover that the mysterious past Aaron’s brothers are hiding may hold the key to secrets that could tear apart their own pasts and destroy their future。
S。L。 Cokeley’s debut novel， This Blood that Binds Us， is the first in a series that explores the true meaning of family， making peace with the past， and finding friendships in unexpected places。
Reviews
Mel
，
I looked at the reviews before purchasing this book because I didn't want to be bamboozled lol。 I noticed a couple of typos but nothing glaring and EVERY book has typos。 So I'm not sure what people mean here when they say she needs more editing。 I'm not an editor and I can't tell you anything about a proper comma so I don't think it's fair to judge it to that level as a reader， imo。 But anyways I really think her ~story~ （the plot and characters） needed to be heavily addressed and fleshed out mo I looked at the reviews before purchasing this book because I didn't want to be bamboozled lol。 I noticed a couple of typos but nothing glaring and EVERY book has typos。 So I'm not sure what people mean here when they say she needs more editing。 I'm not an editor and I can't tell you anything about a proper comma so I don't think it's fair to judge it to that level as a reader， imo。 But anyways I really think her ~story~ （the plot and characters） needed to be heavily addressed and fleshed out more because I felt like the story was going nowhere。 I found it really hard to relate to the characters。 All I remember is they went to some waterpark or something and they had a party。 Oh and the protagonist was so easy to spot。 So this is a whole story issue。 I hope she does better for her story and plot with the next book because you can tell she didn't put much effort into this one。 。。。more
Natalia
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This filled the Twilight shaped hole in my heart and I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 2！！ ALSO once again books like this are the reason WE SHOULD JUDGE BOOKS BY THEIR COVER CAUSE THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK EVER？！ I love that there is no weird 100 year old vampire difference like in Twilight which is the main thing I dislike about Twilight！ I love how pure their relationship is and it's not insta love， it starts as friendship and develops like it's the perfect pace！ Both the main characters are so won This filled the Twilight shaped hole in my heart and I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 2！！ ALSO once again books like this are the reason WE SHOULD JUDGE BOOKS BY THEIR COVER CAUSE THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK EVER？！ I love that there is no weird 100 year old vampire difference like in Twilight which is the main thing I dislike about Twilight！ I love how pure their relationship is and it's not insta love， it starts as friendship and develops like it's the perfect pace！ Both the main characters are so wonderful and just nice good people which I love。 I enjoyed the dual POV because then I know I can trust both the characters and their intentions but that may be just my trust issues。 I think the characters are written very well too， like they act the age they are described to be！ I honestly loved it， it had me hooked， I loved the characters， I loved the strong friendships and family bonds！ Honestly couldn't put it down。The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is cause it could have probably done with like a wee bit more editing in terms of the writing but honestly it wasn't that noticeable once I really got into the story！ 。。。more
Rachel Scott
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really couldn’t finish this book， it was truly difficult for me。 Not that I think it’s a terrible book， it just wasn’t for me and the plot felt rushed。 100 pages in and she’s already forgiven the guy who attacked her。 I think the story could have more potential if there was more details and background stories and more build up to a lot of things。
Sarah Lily Wilson
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I had been waiting for this book for so long and I'm so glad i was finally able to read it， the characters are amazing and funny。 The buffy references are immaculate and I'm so hyped for the sequel。 Such a good book！！ I had been waiting for this book for so long and I'm so glad i was finally able to read it， the characters are amazing and funny。 The buffy references are immaculate and I'm so hyped for the sequel。 Such a good book！！ 。。。more
Kowgirl
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Love the found family aspect
Brodie
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The concept for this book was so good， and I wanted to like it so bad， but I didn't like the writing style。 I couldn't imagine it and I couldn't connect with the characters。 I could say a lot more but I don't want to hurt any feelings。 Congratulations on getting a book published， it just wasn't for me。 I was mostly drawn in by the cover art， the naked hardback and the word Vampires。 This just does to show you can't judge a book by its cover。 The concept for this book was so good， and I wanted to like it so bad， but I didn't like the writing style。 I couldn't imagine it and I couldn't connect with the characters。 I could say a lot more but I don't want to hurt any feelings。 Congratulations on getting a book published， it just wasn't for me。 I was mostly drawn in by the cover art， the naked hardback and the word Vampires。 This just does to show you can't judge a book by its cover。 。。。more
Sandra
，
Stopped at page 117。 I really wanted to get into this book。。。 I just felt like it kept going in circles or certain details were just constantly repeated so I felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere。 Stopped at page 117。 I really wanted to get into this book。。。 I just felt like it kept going in circles or certain details were just constantly repeated so I felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere。 。。。more
Alexis Hildenbrand
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DNF so hard。 I'm blocking her on tiktok so I can't be bamboozled again。 Needs severe editing， and like， perhaps a plot。 It was entirely written around one tiny scene/trope， and of course， that's the only part she'll talk about on tiktok。Its redeeming factor is that the book itself， physically， is gorgeous。 I know she's writing more， and it's a safe assumption they'll end up at half priced books， so I'll maybe pick them up second hand just to have more pretty books。 If you don't care about that， DNF so hard。 I'm blocking her on tiktok so I can't be bamboozled again。 Needs severe editing， and like， perhaps a plot。 It was entirely written around one tiny scene/trope， and of course， that's the only part she'll talk about on tiktok。Its redeeming factor is that the book itself， physically， is gorgeous。 I know she's writing more， and it's a safe assumption they'll end up at half priced books， so I'll maybe pick them up second hand just to have more pretty books。 If you don't care about that， then save yourself the money。 。。。more
Makenna
，
S。L Cokeley grabbed my attention when I first saw her TikTok’s promoting this novel and let me tell you she didn’t disappoint。 I knew from the cover alone this was right up my alley。 Don’t get me wrong I love a dark and spicy vampire book but， something about this light hearted golden retriever vampire had me obsessed！！Kimberly and Aaron are my favorites。 There banter was so cute and I felt like I was truly in the room talking to them。 Although she definitely alluded to it， I wish this book had S。L Cokeley grabbed my attention when I first saw her TikTok’s promoting this novel and let me tell you she didn’t disappoint。 I knew from the cover alone this was right up my alley。 Don’t get me wrong I love a dark and spicy vampire book but， something about this light hearted golden retriever vampire had me obsessed！！Kimberly and Aaron are my favorites。 There banter was so cute and I felt like I was truly in the room talking to them。 Although she definitely alluded to it， I wish this book had a some spice and I hope as she writes more to the series she will add some more。 I’m on the tip of my toes consistently checking her socials for any new information I can get my hands on。 You definitely need to get yourself a copy of this novel and I cannot wait to see her gain the following she truly deserves。 。。。more
Marlee
，
I really almost did not finish it。 Highly disappointed。 I found this author from TikTok and was highly anticipating the release of this book but once I started reading it I was let down。 The concept is cute but the writing style is elementary and honestly too easy of a read。 I could tell what the author was trying to do with all the secrets， but left little to the imagination。 Giving two stars instead of one because there were some spots in the book that captured me in， but very few。
Stella
，
I think the story had so much potential but wasn’t executed in the best way。 The premise follows the leading girl， Kimberly， an orphaned girl in college who enjoys hiking and camping。 She has one friend （male） who she doesn’t get to talk to often， and makes an appearance once in the story。 After camping by herself， she gets attacked by the leading male， Aaron， a newly turned vampire who doesn’t want to be a vampire。 He feels so bad for attacking her that he calls 911 for her。 He spends days thin I think the story had so much potential but wasn’t executed in the best way。 The premise follows the leading girl， Kimberly， an orphaned girl in college who enjoys hiking and camping。 She has one friend （male） who she doesn’t get to talk to often， and makes an appearance once in the story。 After camping by herself， she gets attacked by the leading male， Aaron， a newly turned vampire who doesn’t want to be a vampire。 He feels so bad for attacking her that he calls 911 for her。 He spends days thinking about the incident， until suddenly he runs into her on campus。 They establish a semi friendship after Kimberly gets attacked by another unknown vampire on campus。 Kimberly and Aaron then work together to figure out who the other vampire is， also while keeping it a secret from Aaron’s three other vampire brothers。Here are some good things about the book:1。 A fresh take on the vampire world。 Vampires in this world are hard to come by， transpiring from a centuries old cult。 It’s not entirely explained， as it’s a mystery throughout the novel how vampires are made， but we do get some explanations and teasers towards the end。2。 Some funny brotherly moments。 Presley is funny and goes with the flow。 Zach and Luke’s twin bond。 Aaron being the moody middle child in the dynamic。 Okay， now let’s get into the cons， or things that could have been improved。1。 More female characters， please。 We’re briefly introduced to a girl named Mikayla that is classmates with Kimberly。 Our author immediately writes her off as being a non-potential friend。 Then later we’re introduced to Chelsea who sees Kimberly as a threat。 Chelsea wants to be with Aaron and Kimberly is in the way。 Then there’s the Queen who we get a glimpse of towards the end and in the epilogue。 However， she’s the villain in this series。2。 The villain is pretty predictable。 Besides Chelsea and Aaron’s brothers， our only other character that has more than one speaking line is William。 That doesn’t leave us with many options。 When the villain was revealed， it didn’t feel like a big moment。 3。 Characters aren’t fleshed out well。 Everyone in the story seems very one dimensional， and their actions don’t always line up with what was previously established。 4。 Finally， insta-love。 Not necessarily between Aaron and Kimberly， but between the brothers and Kimberly。 Aaron meets Kimberly once and immediately thinks she’s the coolest girl ever。 I wish there were more tension and angst as this is a pretty big revelation that vampires exist。 Then the brothers meet Kimberly once and are suddenly inviting her everywhere and want to protect her。 We get you love Aaron and would do anything for him， but not one of them was like “hey drop the girl because you’re a vampire and she’s not？” I wish I could give this story a better review， but I just didn’t enjoy it。 The second book is releasing in 2023 and I will pick it up to see if the author improves。 。。。more
G Savanna
，
This book was good。 I enjoyed the found family trope。 I felt a little led on though in regards to potential love story in there but no。
Hannah
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dnf @ ch。 2。 I see vampire story and I get excited but then I see high school level type of creative writing and I was disappointed
bane
，
Listen， was this an absolute masterpiece？ No。 But was it fun and cute as hell？ Absolutely。
Shelby Etheridge
，
I found this book through tik tok a few months ago before it even had cover art and stuff。 The premise was so interesting but I was scared it was going to be like other tik tok books （ex: that one author who said her male lead uhhh released some sticky substances that flooded her grandmas garden）。 Boy was I right about this being good。 The characters were written so well and they each had their own unique personality。 Both leads had pretty even page time in their own perspective and this added t I found this book through tik tok a few months ago before it even had cover art and stuff。 The premise was so interesting but I was scared it was going to be like other tik tok books （ex: that one author who said her male lead uhhh released some sticky substances that flooded her grandmas garden）。 Boy was I right about this being good。 The characters were written so well and they each had their own unique personality。 Both leads had pretty even page time in their own perspective and this added to the suspense when memories were erased。 Am I a little sad they didn’t get together this book？ Yes， but I’m glad it wasn’t shoe horned into the end of the book and it’s nice to see that both of them accept that they need some time to deal with their traumas。 Also the foreshadowing？？？ I was pleasantly surprised how many things were foreshadowed。 I cannot wait to read the next installment because I was never bored while reading this。 I read this in maybe 4 hours？ I just couldn’t put this down！！ 。。。more
Lauren Popple
，
This book was exactly what it was marketed as and I loved it！ It could have used a couple more rounds of editing， but overall it was fast paced and easy read。
Nicole
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I was really excited to read this book as the author had really hyped up the characters， but overall the characters fell flat。 Purely playing to their set role and not giving any time for development。 Aaron and Kimberly's relationship had absolutely no development and was just thrown at the reader at once。 It had great potential to be a good book but it needed more time from the author to truly be good。 Overall i did have fun reading it and I will be reading the rest of the series once it's out。 I was really excited to read this book as the author had really hyped up the characters， but overall the characters fell flat。 Purely playing to their set role and not giving any time for development。 Aaron and Kimberly's relationship had absolutely no development and was just thrown at the reader at once。 It had great potential to be a good book but it needed more time from the author to truly be good。 Overall i did have fun reading it and I will be reading the rest of the series once it's out。 Wasn't terrible but wasn't great。 。。。more
Gillian
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Yassified Twilight for sure。 A mafia/witness protection from the mafia， vampire romance that involves respectful frat bros and California hiking。。。 sure， it's great。I will say the Latin motto is。。。 not quite right but that's me knowing Latin and being picky Yassified Twilight for sure。 A mafia/witness protection from the mafia， vampire romance that involves respectful frat bros and California hiking。。。 sure， it's great。I will say the Latin motto is。。。 not quite right but that's me knowing Latin and being picky 。。。more
Megan
，
I read this within a few days。 I personally loved it and I cannot wait for the second one！ Considering it’s her first published book （that I’m aware of） I think it was written well。 I will say it wasn’t fast paced like some other books are however， I didn’t expect it to be from what she has posted on her social media。
Cindy Fry
，
This was a good light hearted read。 It offered a fun twist to your typical vampire stories。 However， even though they are college students， it came across more YA than I was expecting。
Makena Jade
，
3。5 ⭐️
Sierra
，
This book is perfect for high school aged kids and young adults， or really anyone！！ It entails that family is thicker than blood， but also family doesn’t always mean blood。 I love that the book never got explicit because there is no need for it to be。 The emotions were portrayed wonderfully and I felt like I was in the book at times。 Highly recommend！ Cannot wait for the sequel 💗
Addie
，
I’m gonna be honest， I’ve been really struggling to get back into reading for fun after college。 I have over 50 books on my shelf that I haven’t touched。 This book jump started my brain again。 I finished it in less than 24 hours lol！ It’s “new” in the sense that it’s a feel good， found home， type story。 The guys aren’t toxic weirdos or 1000 years old。 It sets up some deeper world building towards the end to flow into the 2nd book。 For a debut novel I thought it was excellent！ Wish everyone would I’m gonna be honest， I’ve been really struggling to get back into reading for fun after college。 I have over 50 books on my shelf that I haven’t touched。 This book jump started my brain again。 I finished it in less than 24 hours lol！ It’s “new” in the sense that it’s a feel good， found home， type story。 The guys aren’t toxic weirdos or 1000 years old。 It sets up some deeper world building towards the end to flow into the 2nd book。 For a debut novel I thought it was excellent！ Wish everyone would get over the typos lol yes， it happens， she addressed them， they’re fixed now。 Overall I thought it was great， brought back my love of vampire novels， and I would definitely recommend。 。。。more
anna
，
this was an okay book。 the characters were nice and they didn’t annoy me but i didn’t reallly connect to one you know。 i felt that some parts were rushed and i wished we had more times to dwell on it。 towards the end i found myself just speed reading through it to complete it。
Lilly
，
Ok， let me start out by saying I am actually really disappointed in this book。 Comparing it to twilight is wrong。 Period。 I know better than to overestimate books I see on tiktok but this one throughly underwhelmed me。 The writing was rushed and sloppy and there was no character development at all。 Also， you can’t have a girl who is the typical Wattpad stereotype but also have her both poor and seemingly rich？ Like I couldn’t tell what the author was going for in developing the character。 I felt Ok， let me start out by saying I am actually really disappointed in this book。 Comparing it to twilight is wrong。 Period。 I know better than to overestimate books I see on tiktok but this one throughly underwhelmed me。 The writing was rushed and sloppy and there was no character development at all。 Also， you can’t have a girl who is the typical Wattpad stereotype but also have her both poor and seemingly rich？ Like I couldn’t tell what the author was going for in developing the character。 I felt no connection to any of them especially the main character。 Don’t judge a book by its cover for sure but in the complete opposite way。 Sad that this book wasn’t everything I hoped for and I pre-ordered it over 6 months ago。 。。。more
Arissa
，
Lovely book！ I am very excited to read more！ I do wish it had a little bit more angst and spice and tension between the main characters。 Especially because it’s based in college。 But that is my only complaint！ The story is amazing and gripping。 It keeps you reading for sure！ And the character development is also 10/10。 I actually cared about them and felt that the characters reacted perfectly！ Can’t wait for the next book！
Katie Hunsberger
，
I had really high hopes for this book， but it did not live up to the hype。 I liked the characters， and I feel like this book had so much promise as a guilty pleasure read for me。 I felt like the writing felt very juvenile， choppy， and the dialogue felt painfully puppeteered at times。 The one thing the writer did well was the pacing of the book， I have to say I felt like we were moving at a good pace， not too fast and not too slow。So many aspects of this book were unbelievable to me， like how som I had really high hopes for this book， but it did not live up to the hype。 I liked the characters， and I feel like this book had so much promise as a guilty pleasure read for me。 I felt like the writing felt very juvenile， choppy， and the dialogue felt painfully puppeteered at times。 The one thing the writer did well was the pacing of the book， I have to say I felt like we were moving at a good pace， not too fast and not too slow。So many aspects of this book were unbelievable to me， like how someone gets bit by a vampire and then just warms right up to him without holding any real grudges？ Not to mention， there's a frat house where vampires live among humans and they just don't have to lay low among humans？ Where was the "oh shit， hope the humans don't find out about us，" tension？！ I feel like that kind of tension is so healthy and fun throughout a vampire book。 I wish there had been more individual character development especially since there were two POVs。 I also wish there was more "adult" themes。 I expected a bit more since these characters were in college。 It is definitely more of a YA book， which is fine， it is just not what I was expecting。I was also bummed that there were no positive female friendships， just tension between Kim and Chelsea being jealous over Aaron， and I am just not here for that in 2022 with no other female characters/friendships/camaraderie in the entire book。 Part of me really wants to read book 2 to see if some of this can be redeemed， but reading this was enough of a struggle for me。 I hope that the writer can take some of this feedback from other reviewers and can get a better team around her to help develop and support her work， rather than people blindly giving it 5 stars without having read it。 。。。more
Isabel
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DNF。 Yeah， no， this needs quite a bit of editing。 There are multiple typos， continuity errors and other mistakes that really take you out of the story。 I would not have been able to finish this。Also - Aaron after meeting Kimberly twice: "she's the coolest girl I've ever met"， but she hasn't done or shown anything that could be deemed cool？ Just seemed kinda ridiculous and made Aaron seem very young。 DNF。 Yeah， no， this needs quite a bit of editing。 There are multiple typos， continuity errors and other mistakes that really take you out of the story。 I would not have been able to finish this。Also - Aaron after meeting Kimberly twice: "she's the coolest girl I've ever met"， but she hasn't done or shown anything that could be deemed cool？ Just seemed kinda ridiculous and made Aaron seem very young。 。。。more
Septimusy
，
"Well， don't fall in love with me， and there won't be a problem。""Oh， don't worry。 I won't。"What if I told you that there is a book with twilight vibes， but both of the characters are young and still in college？Well， i only saw that one on Tik Tok and i have immediately bought it。 i've known nothing about this author either but besties， have you seen this cover？？AND it was actually a really enjoyable book！ I mean， I am not a fan of golden retriever boys and more like a grumpy， i-hate-everyone-bu "Well， don't fall in love with me， and there won't be a problem。""Oh， don't worry。 I won't。"What if I told you that there is a book with twilight vibes， but both of the characters are young and still in college？Well， i only saw that one on Tik Tok and i have immediately bought it。 i've known nothing about this author either but besties， have you seen this cover？？AND it was actually a really enjoyable book！ I mean， I am not a fan of golden retriever boys and more like a grumpy， i-hate-everyone-but-you， something like that main characters， i really liked this one。 OF COURSE you can't read it and say "well， I hated Aaron" YOU JUST CAN'T！BUT i feel that would be a perfect stand-alone with just spin-offs about other brothers AND i am a little scared that another book in this series won't have vibes of the first one AND i feel like we should see more of their family because i would LOVE to see a book about twins or Presley :） 。。。more
Alix Burkhardt
，
I wanted so badly to like this book。 I was so in love with the idea （vampire love story with no uncomfortable age gap， set in college， soft sunshine love intrest） but I feel like that's all it was- a good idea with no substance。 I expected to binge this in a single sitting but it took me over two weeks to finish。 The writing style was so difficult to get into。 I think the author was relying on the characters being lovable to make up for lack of plot。 I felt like I was being told how to feel abou I wanted so badly to like this book。 I was so in love with the idea （vampire love story with no uncomfortable age gap， set in college， soft sunshine love intrest） but I feel like that's all it was- a good idea with no substance。 I expected to binge this in a single sitting but it took me over two weeks to finish。 The writing style was so difficult to get into。 I think the author was relying on the characters being lovable to make up for lack of plot。 I felt like I was being told how to feel about these characters rather than experiencing their emotions which felt hollow to me。 Also， I understand that this was independently published but some of the grammatical and spelling errors were so bad that they made it even more difficult to actually have fun reading this book。 One positive is that the cover really is beautiful， maybe I'll keep it just for that。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Blood that Binds Us
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Blood that Binds Us&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft