Friday, May 13, 2016

Bound to You - Shawntelle Madison

Rating: 3 Stars
Published: May 10, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Erotica
ARC provided via Netgalley

Sophie gives the wealthy what they want; Court side seats, fancy yachts, a lavish party? You name it, she can make it happen. When Xavier Quinn asks her to drop everything to help him land what could be the biggest deal of his career, she feels she must accept, especially for the money he's offering. Sophie keeps all her relationships professional, even those with handsome men like Xavier. But he always get's what he wants and, past be damned, he wants Sophie. Soon they are entangling business with pleasure and the stakes are high.

The idea of a personal concierge dropping everything to assist a businessman in a huge deal was very enticing for me. I wanted to know what lead to business people to put this one thing front and center in their lives, only to find passion between them. Both characters were super smart, I actually felt like I was reading from the perspective of two strong, determined individuals with the smarts to manage their own businesses. They have an immediate spark that the reader can see from a mile way, but they both have so much baggage they carry with them. What they can offer each other is their shared desires and those moments are sexy. I do want to share that the BDSM, though very light compared to other erotic romances, felt very realistic for a couple living in the real world. The interactions between the two characters felt natural, like two adults in the business world who join together for passion and slip into their roles for the bedroom. I enjoyed their sexual interactions immensely, but somehow the business portion of the book got lost.

I really wanted to love Bound to You, the premise was intriguing and I really liked Sophie, but it just didn't click for me. Details that seemed important weren't given until too late to matter and I felt like I was missing something throughout much of the book. Those lacking details made Sophie's past hard to grasp and while I felt her chemistry with Xavier, I couldn't put them together for a future without understanding them completely. Mix the lacking past in with Sophie's friends and I was lost. It felt forced and confusing, I couldn't put the people together, which made it hard to picture any of the scenes that featured anyone more than the two main characters. I would really like to see if the character development expands in the future novels in the series.

I think Bound to You was a great introduction to the main characters that make up Sophie and her friends. All were a little eccentric and definitely a little kinky, but not enough is given to hint at what is to come. The story of Sophie and Xavier is a hot, contemporary romance with a side of kink, though it is a superficial sexy that didn't expand for me. I am interested in sticking out the series and seeing what may happen next for the four friends.

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