Book Review: Bound by Lorelei James

Bound

By Lorelei James

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: Publisher

Summary: 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….

Review: Wow, from the first page of this book I was hooked. Who wouldn't want a super hot and mysterious self-defense instructor to pay such close attention to your, um, technique? Haha, this book sure was a wild ride!

Ever since she moved to Denver, Amery Hardwick has been determined to make a living as a graphic designer leading her own business. With little time to dedicate to dating, Amery has fallen into a comfortable routine with her best friends. But when her friend Molly is attacked and wants to take self-defense lessons, Amery agrees to go for moral support. What Amery doesn't expect to find is Ronin, the dojo master who is drawn to Amery's fiery attitude. Ronin makes his feelings quite clear, and soon Amery finds herself in an intense relationship with an even more intense man. But there's much more than meets the eye with Ronin, and Amery doesn't know how to get beneath the man's hard outer shell, and if she wants to know what he's keeping hidden so deep. 

Ronin Black sure is one mysterious guy. Seriously, what is up with him? But the fact that Ronin was so mysterious about himself and his past made his relationship with Amery so much more realistic. Amery was so insecure about their relationship, but not in an annoying way. She was as frustrated with him as we were, and his constant closure put a real strain on their relationship. The only problem with the mysteriousness, though, is that it felt redundant with how closed off Ronin would be throughout the entire book. Amery was always asking him to explain, but he would brush her off and she'd just forget about it and move on. You have to tell us something before the last 20 pages of the book!

That ending, though, was definitely a cliffhanger. We still barely know anything about his past, and what was revealed was definitely not what I was expecting. I really wish we got to know at least a little bit more about Ronin, especially since Amery was constantly nagging him about him, but he always distracted her with his, um, talents, and she would let it go. But there was definitely heat and passion between Amery and Ronin, so I could see why she was constantly being distracted from uncovering the truth…

Overall, this was definitely a steamy book that still had the realistic insecure elements of being in a relationship with such a mysterious, yet addicting man. Both the passion and the mystery kept me on my toes and I was rooting for Amery to finally get the happy ending she deserved after growing up with such a harsh and restricted upbringing. And the way things left off, I have no idea what to expect from the next book. All I know is there better be some answers or I'm going to go absolutely crazy!