Review: Bound (Mastered #1) by Lorelei James

Bound (Mastered #1) by Lorelei James

In the new 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….

4 out of 5 stars

Wow! Okay, so this was intense and majorly hot. Super interesting story with intriguing characters. Great read!

I thought both Amery and Ronin were great. Sometimes I loved them, sometimes I wanted to throttle each of them but they definitely got under my skin. Loved their meeting and the chemistry that built from the push and pull they shared. After that, they had a super fast, instant-type of relationship. I really wanted to know more about Ronin but he didn’t give much away, he was extremely guarded. I found this part of him frustrating because I wanted more about him and to know why he was so closed off. Ronin was commanding and in control but had a few sweet moments, I loved those. Amery was pretty much an open book. I really enjoyed watching her get stronger and loved it when she got feisty. She was a bit frustrating too, sometimes I just wanted to shake her and tell her to ask the right questions.

This was super hot with a nice amount of kink, very erotic and passionate. There were intricate details when the kink is happening, it was kind of fascinating. I liked discovering what Ronin’s favorite form of kink was and some of the drama that was created from it. I did think some of the schmexy got a little repetitive - same scenario, different day - but it was all still super hot and enjoyable to read.

I didn't really care for all of Amery’s friends. They seemed rather off putting to me. They were friendly enough but I never really felt the connection between them. I did really like Molly though. It was nice to see her opening up during the story, really asserting herself. Loved Ronin’s friends and coworkers from the dojo, I’m excited about what could happen there.

Really good writing with a nice build throughout, I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know all the things. The end is explosive and ends in a cliffhanger. Finally some info on Ronin! I’m not a fan of cliffhangers but I loved the drama that was created and I will definitely be reading book two, Unwound, because I have to know what happens next! And the last little bit is Ronin's POV... LOVED that!!!

I'm officially hooked in the Mastered series!