Bound

Mastered, 1

By: Lorelei James

Narrated by: Rachel Vivette, Luke Daniels

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

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…

©2014 LJLA, Inc. (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Well, it's different.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

NO, it was just not up to LJ's usual expertise. I've read and listened to all of LJ's western themed books- they have dominant men, wonderful character development, lots of smoking' hot sex and EMOTION! There is a cultural representation and familial development in those books. I will give her credit for a different approach to all the BDSM books that are coming out since FSOG (which were flawed as well). In this series, LJ is using Japanese rope bondage( an ancient art- and it IS an art) to provide the structure of the 'kink'. The thing is, the way the lead male is portrayed- he is 'dominant' but not a Dominant, per se. So if that is what you are looking for you will not find it in this book. A book that better portrays the D/S experience and psychology is 'Honor Bound' by Joey W. Hill- sadly it doesn't come out in audio. The female in the story annoyed me- she was supposed to be 'city-smart' after living in Denver for many years despite a small town fundamentalist Christian upbringing- but too naive to know that if you are getting jacked by four guys in a street on the seedy side of town- you are probably not going to get out of it unscathed even if you cooperate. The whining really got on my nerves.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It provides a segue into the next book, which is what many of the writers are doing these days. Though to give LJ credit- at least her book is a full sized novel at over 8 hrs and not two or three novellas that eventually make up a whole book.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Sure.

Any additional comments?

The narrators did the best they can- Luke Daniels is always a professional and this is the first time I've heard anything by Rachel Vivette, but thought she did a good job on an odd accent.

Meh...kind of dumb.

Any additional comments?

There are much better books out there. Probably won't continue the series. It was okay if I would have gotten it from the library but not worth the money.

Sinfully Sexy Under $10

I must say, Bound by Lorelei James is an unexpected surprise and a wonderful beginning to a new series. When I picked up this book, I was under the impression that it was going to be just another story with a predictable plot with overly dramatic & dark undertones (this seems to be the theme in contemporary erotic romances as of lately). But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was NOT the case with Bound.

The main characters in the story are addicting, and in my opinion, very well thought out. The conflict between Emery and Ronin Black is suspenseful, but thankfully not cliche. I love that Lorelei James created a character, like Emery, who throughout the book gradually learns to explore and embrace her sexuality. Not only did I find it believe because of her sexually repressed Christian background, but I found it refreshing. I think people often forget the power in embracing your own sexuality, but Lorelei James hits it on the mark.

The juxtapose position of Ronin's background and Emery's is intriguing. Ronin really helps her embrace herself and her femininity. Personally, it's what really makes me love him as a character. Yes, he is a bit of a complex and secretive character who's obviously hiding a piece of himself, but it's not cliche. His problems, in a way, are actually a lot more down-to-earth than expected. Or at least a lot more understandable.

I really enjoyed the slow build of Emery and Ronin's relationship. The banter between them was fun to read and I loved that Ronin brought out Emery's boldness in her character. Throughout the story you begin to see this slow progression of Emery's character in bloom, but it isn't until the end when you see her stick up for herself that you realize she's grown into her own skin.

While I'm not overly happy that Ms. James left us on a cliffhanger at the end, I'm not mad either. The end of the book did have a great stopping point and it did leave us with an interesting last chapter which is told in Ronin's point-of-view. I'm very excited to see what happens next in Unwound, and I am happy that readers and Ronin fans won't have to wait too long to see what happens next

Rachel Vivette , Luke Daniels were excellent with the delivery of the story.

WOW!!! MAkes me want to join a DO JO.

If you could sum up Bound in three words, what would they be?

TOTAL HOT BOUNDING! .

What did you like best about this story?

I loved how Sen Black and Amery where getting to know each other! He is so strong but holds himself back for fear of getting hurt again. You can feel the love coming out of the book and I can not wait till the next book comes out

What about Rachel Vivette and Luke Daniels ’s performance did you like?

I love that there are two different voices. I listen to alot of these books and sometimes I have to cringe with the voices that come out.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh in the beginning where Amery was so strong, when she was first entering the DO JO. I could so see myself acting like that. But I wanted to cry when at the end of the book things fell apart. I am not a big fan of cliffhangers!

Loosely Bound

Where does Bound rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Bound was an average audiobook. Nothing spectacular for me. I wouldn't read it again, but I didn't feel as if it was a complete waste of time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bound?

Nothing truly memorable for me. It was a so-so storyline. I did enjoy the description of the rooftop garden and I would have liked to spend more time there. Sadly this was the most memorable detail.

What three words best describe Rachel Vivette and Luke Daniels ’s performance?

Not Enough Luke

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nothing special.

Any additional comments?

The 'binding' was a bit much for me. I found it hard to relate and this element of the story wasn't impactful enough for me to use my imagination. I found the characters typical... big bad boy and silly juvenile girl. Again, it entertained me over a boring, rainy weekend but I wouldn't listen again.

Unfinished ending

As I got to the end it finished with Roanin flipping out in conference room then nothing. Very unsatisfactory ending.

Wow

I thought this book was interesting and enjoyed the characters. However I was surprised how it ends. Will continue with the series.

Excellent story

Any additional comments?

This was outside my usual taste of books, but it's reviews by others intrigued me.

I am really glad that I listened to book. It was definitely an erotic story, but has a very interesting background story. I will definitely continue on with "Unwound" to see where this journey continues.

Yummy with funny elements 4.5 stars!

What did you like best about this story?

The plot is refreshing for an erotic romance and the BDSM elements are light - which I like. Primary characters are both strong and likable with believable maturity levels (both in 30s, two alpha characters). Secondary characters are also interesting and provide the funny elements in the story. The setting takes place from when Ronin and Amery first meet and ends in a conflict (yes a cliff hanger) causing their break up. I loved Ronin in this book, he is my ideal type of alpha male - very alpha, reserved - brooding almost - and not at all slutty. Amery, albeit strong, has some insecurities I didn't care about but we have to have conflict, right? So with that said, I was okay with the formulaic plot. Character development was minimal because at this point we are in the getting to know stage. I guess most of the development will happen in the second book. However, all in all, I liked this book so much I am actually currently listening to the sequel of the book - which is a totally different experience (that's for another review).

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene I liked the most is the dojo scene of Amery and Ronin's initial meeting. I thought their initial interaction was so hilarious that I couldn't help but laugh out loud in my car. (Another driver stopped at the light with me must have thought I was crazy!) Anyway, several scenes were just as engaging (e.g. in the car, by the pool). I also liked learning about the nuances of martial arts and the art of shibari - which I first learned about in another erotic book, Tie Me by Olivia Cunning (Sole Regret series).

Any additional comments?

Rachel Vivette reminds me so much of another narrator, I just can't place the voice yet. But I think either Rachel Vivette is a psuedonym for another narrator who has done several romance books or the real name for a narrator who has performed in several well-known romance novels.

Could have been so much better if....

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The most interesting thing about this book was the introduction to martial art and rope terms which were new to my vocabulary. The writing style is clean and simple but the dialogues between the characters are very unimpressive. I think my biggest issue with the book is the heroine's character which is not fully developed. She could have had many shades in her personality given her constraint uprising compared to where she is now.