BOUNDÂ
By: Lorelei James
Publication Date: Â February 4, 2014
  
  SUMMARY
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….
ABOUT LORELEI
A bit about me: When I’m not squirreled away behind my laptop writing fun, sexy, contemporary erotic romances set in the modern day Wild West, I can be found reading everything under the sun, practicing yoga until I’m a pretzel, shootin’ my .22, watching the Professional Bull Riders tour on Versus, and running a kid’s taxi service, all in the guise of avoiding housework and rustlin’ up vittles.Why do I have a particular fondness for all things western? Well, I’m a fourth generation South Dakotan, living in the Black Hills, which is chock-full of interesting characters, including cowboys, Indians, ranchers, and bikers. The geographical diversity of the surrounding area showcases mountains, plains, and badlands. Living in and writing about rural settings gives me a unique perspective, especially since I’m not writing historical westerns. Through my fictional world, I can show the ideals and the cowboy way of life are still very much alive.
 
 
 
 Cosmo’s Thoughts
I had a love/hate relationship with this book. And my emotions ran in the extreme on both ends. But I suppose the author’s responsibility is to make me feel, so in that respect, the author did a fantastic job.
Amery, our heroine, goes to a self-defense class after her friend and employee is attacked. She’s not really interested for herself, but wants to be there for support. This is where she has an unexpected and quite entertaining encounter with our hero, Ronin.
Ronin is definitely an alpha male. After all, what would you expect from a martial artist who trains and fights? I enjoyed Ronin quite a bit. Actually, I really loved several things about him. First of all, he’s basically a fantasy man. He’s also of Asian descent, which is awesome. I think there is a noticeable void of ethnically diverse heroes in contemporary romance/erotica. He’s also strong, intelligent, and sweet lord, I-need-him-to-get-in-my-pants-immediately hot.
And I liked Amery a lot, too. Honestly. She’s a contemporary female character with legitimate, believable issues. She handles herself well, and given her circumstances, behaves and reacts in a manner that didn’t feel contrived.
Their story progresses naturally. A little quick at times, but this is erotica, and I’m down with immediate attraction that leads to a physical and emotional relationship. You can tell that Ronin is hiding something of himself from Avery. Something sexual. There is an underlying tension in the sex scenes, and I completely thought it was one thing, but it ended up being something else altogether. I like it when I’m surprised by a plot twist. I like it a lot.
With that being said, the sex was smokin’. The author did use a few clichés that I don’t love, but overall, I enjoyed them quite a bit. But there were a couple of extremely convenient plot devices that, in all honesty, the author could have done without. Still, the story kept me turning pages; I needed to know what was going to happen next. But just when I absolutely had to know the next thing, the book ended.
Let me repeat: the book freaking ended!
I hate cliffhangers with everything inside me. I knew this was a series book when I started it, however, I thought it would be a series that encompassed other characters. Not just Amery and Ronin. So, basically I’m just left here wondering what’s going to happen next.
On one hand, I’m furious. On the other, I need to know what’s going to happen and will definitely read the next book. So, Lorelei James has me there. And kudos to her for that.
An enjoyable read overall. I’d give it a 3.5, but I’m rounding up to a 4 because I enjoyed the unique setting, the interesting hero, and the unexpected sexual proclivity of our hero, Ronin.
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