Bound
Written by Lorelei James
Narrated by Rachel Vivette and Luke Daniels
4/5
()
About this audiobook
In the Mastered Series by New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James, a woman’s desire to shatter her inhibitions leaves her unprepared for where that erotic journey will take her….
Former small-town girl Amery Hardwick is living her dream as a graphic designer in Denver, Colorado. She’s focused on building her business, which leaves little time for dating—not that she needs a romantic entanglement to fulfill her. When her friend signs up for a self-defense class as part of her recovery after an attack, Amery joins her for support. That’s where she meets him.
Ronin Black, owner of the dojo, is so drawn to Amery that he takes over her training—in public and in private. The enigmatic Ronin pushes Amery’s boundaries from the start, and with each new tryst, Amery becomes addicted to the pleasure and to him. But when Amery senses Ronin is hiding something, she questions her total trust in him, despite the undeniable thrill of his possession….
Praise for Lorelei James:
“To die for!” —New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks
“Sweet, seductive, and romantic.” —New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton
“Scorchingly hot, wickedly naughty.” —Lacey Alexander, author of Give In to Me
Lorelei James
Lorelei James is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary erotic romances. Lorelei lives in western South Dakota with her family.
More audiobooks from Lorelei James
Blacktop Cowboys
Related to Bound
Related audiobooks
Caged Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unraveled Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unwound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Schooled Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kept Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dominated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All's Fair in Love and Mastery: Masters Unleashed, Book Five Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What You Need Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Corralled Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Giving In Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Master in Shining Armor: Masters Unleashed, Book Four Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Taking It All Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Twisted Strands (Handcrafted #1) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just What I Needed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wrapped and Strapped Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Will Not Beg Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One Night Rodeo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hold On To Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When I Need You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Turn and Burn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unbreak My Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weighted Wires (Handcrafted #2) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trust In Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hillbilly Rockstar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songbird & Soul Possession Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All You Need Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5His To Claim Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Want You to Want Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mask Me: The Atlas Collection (Book 1) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Contemporary Romance For You
The Sweetest Oblivion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twisted Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twisted Games Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Bookshop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Things We Leave Unfinished Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Icebreaker: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Idea of You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fine Print Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hook, Line, and Sinker: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Happened One Summer: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wildfire: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One True Loves: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neon Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hating Game: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ex Hex: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hello Stranger: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ugly Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Kill Men and Get Away With It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Electric Idol Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When We're Thirty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reminders of Him: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Regretting You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5November 9: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Maybe in Another Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The True Love Experiment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Your Perfects: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alone with You in the Ether: A Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Bound
95 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We a good read, ready to read the next book
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating story and characters. Cliffhanger ending but great story to get there.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was really good, kept me pulled in and reading more and more until I was finished. The binding was an interesting thing to read about, and I can't wait to read what happens next!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bound
3 Stars
Accompanying a friend to a woman’s self-defense class, Amery Hardwick meets the dojo’s owner, sexy and domineering Ronin Black. As the sparks between the two develop into a smoldering desire and then a passionate affair, Amery becomes addicted to the pleasure of losing herself in Ronin’s sensuality. However, Ronin’s secrets and his inability to open up and fully share himself with Amery rapidly begins to fray the fragile bonds that tie them together. Will their romance survive the challenges that they face?
To be fair, BDSM is not my usual reading fare, however, some of my GR friends are fans of Lorelei James and I am giving her writing a try. After my initial foray with Saddled and Spurred met with limited success, I had hoped that this one would fair better. Unfortunately, this has not turned out to be the case as the book ends on a cliffhanger just as it is getting interesting.
To begin with, the BDSM elements are actually quite original as they focus on the Japanese style of bondage known as Kinbaku, which has an interesting history and is even considered an art form. That said, the numerous sex scenes involving scarves and ropes and blindfolds ultimately begin to lose their impact as they are repetitive and almost mechanical rather than intimate and sensual.
The romance has potential, but is marred by the heroine’s insecurities and repetitive angst as well as the hero’s aloof reserve. Much of this is exacerbated by the fact that the story is presented primarily via Amery’s point of view and the reader is seldom privy to Ronin’s thoughts and feelings.
Another problem is with the characters - none of whom are particularly likable. Amery starts out as a smart, sassy and spirited woman, but turns into a submissive doormat the moment Ronin turns his sexy smile on her. What happened to her snarky comebacks?
Ronin runs hot and cold. One minute he is a tender and patient lover eager to introduce Amery to his world, and the next he is a controlling sensei determined to keep her in her place both physically and emotionally. This is NOT a turn on!
The secondary characters in the form of Amery’s obnoxious and selfish friends, and Ronin’s judgmental colleagues are not appealing in any shape or form.
All in all, I’m beginning to realize that Lorelei James simply isn’t for me and the fact that the story ends so abruptly just as Ronin and Amery are beginning to show some real emotion only emphasizes my problem with her writing. With fewer unnecessary sex scenes, better character development and cohesive plotting, this story could have been wrapped up in one book. Instead, I am left with the bitter feeling that everything was drawn out so that James could continue with a superfluous sequel to increase profits. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
When I started this book I was immediately sucked in. The story was packed with storyline and I was interested. However, about half way through the book the storyline faded and sex scenes took over. Every time Ronin came into the picture I was hoping for plot, but instead got erotica. I understand that this book is in that category so I should expect that... I just wish there was more depth to it.
I wanted to finish this book, but I didn't. I would however recommend this book to those looking for an erotica. The writing was good and the characters were very likeable. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Steamy martial arts with a serious Fifty Shades feel…..Opening Sentence: “So this is where you’re learning to kick some ass.”The Review:Amery attends a self defense class with her friend Molly, as support. Molly wants to come out of her shell after being attacked. Amery is immediately noticed by Ronin, aka Master Black, the Sensei of Black Arts! Okay total side note, when I saw the name of the dojo I really did wonder if this was a paranormal romance! Master Black begins to teach Amery and soon after starts showing up in her life! The attraction is immediate and fierce. Ahh, I feel like I am already doing this book an injustice.Amery and Ronin are downright hot and steamy, I enjoyed getting to know Amery and Ronin is a bit of a hot mystery, which does cause problems later, but for now he is a hot bad ass! Amery and Ronin are navigating business, their relationship, his bondage fascination, and her friends. As they get deeper and deeper, some of his habits send Amery running, but will it be the bondage that ends their relationship or his unwillingness to let down his guard?Oh my word, what can I say about this book? It was so unexpected, although I guess the name should have been a hint, right? But honestly, I really didn’t know anything about this book, or the author. So from the moment I opened this I was all in… Amery is a total gem, she breaking out of her shell and finding herself, she is snarky, smart, and talented! I love her flaws and her honest struggle to take in information and process it. And the ending…. I was almost in tears and the other half of me was like, hell yeah, get it girl! Major cliffhanger, the moment I am done with this review I am heading over to buy book 2, and maybe 3 and 4 because I loved this book!I knew I was enjoying it, but when it ended I knew it kicked me in the gut, this book was so much better than Fifty Shades. I don’t even know why I put that in the quick and dirty other than to let you know this is erotica with a similar feel. The mix of martial arts and Japanese culture and the bondage was just amazing. I was enthralled and loved every single minute of it. Ronin was a bit of the ugh/and I love him mix for me. I really did like them as a couple and I am totally invested in seeing how this all plays out. You know how some romance novels remind you why you don’t just read that genre too much anymore? Then you pick up another romance novel and it just blows you away and reminds you why this was once your favorite genre….yes Bound is in this category! What are you are waiting for? Go forth and get it now!!!Notable Scenes:“The blast of the heat from these liquids gold eyes reminded her that her boldness was only an act.”“Butterflies danced in her stomach as she waited for him to answer his own question.”“She trembled with heart-pounding, body-tingling anticipation.”“The man had all the right words.”“The man had ninja sex skills too.”“But she could admit part of her reluctance had been fear.”“On the outside he might look like a sophisticated gentleman, but on the inside Ronin Black was a pure sexual beast.”“When his words for you to understand who I am echoed back to her, she realized this secret would’ve come out eventually.”FTC Advisory: NAL/Penguin provided me with a copy of Bound. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a surprisingly great story! I know little about Japanese Customs and even less about jujitsu but I found it all fascinating.
Ronin and Amery have an unconventional relationship but, boy, is it fun to read about. BOUND maybe my favorite book so far of 2014! - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Strange book to me.