Bound by Love - Author - Stephie Walls

Bound by Love – Stephie Walls

Review by Susan Alexander

 

Overall Rating:  3.5/5

Pages: 290

Purchase Link: http://amzn.com/B00JJ64HGE

Synopsis:

When young college student and working phenom, Annie Teasman, shows up again at the distribution center to pitch a consulting proposal to management in hopes of sealing the deal, she never suspects when their eyes lock that the gorgeous, blue-eyed, ripped Gray Dearsley will change her life forever.

Will the bright, funny, and unassuming coed from an upper class background be able to bind her heart to that of the cocky, carefree Southern playboy? As she tries to manage an impossible school load while working fulltime, will her drug use jeopardize their relationship?

While Gray wrestles with his desire to lead a carefree and uncommitted lifestyle, Annie must grow up as she struggles to meet her goals and decide for herself what she needs from a relationship to be happy. Will she choose a relationship where she is bound by passionate love, or will she choose the gentle love and security of a man whose background more closely matches her own?

Set in a Southern town where the cultural divide is wide and the generation gap is even more pronounced, the book is contemporary in its approach to the issue of drugs at colleges where the demands on time for success-oriented students frequently surpass their physical capabilities.

Passionate, sensual, and erotic, Bound by Love explores some of life’s most difficult questions about love & happiness.  This is not a fairytale romance; it’s the story of two people desperate to love each other through drugs, infidelity, and painful truths.  Not all love is guaranteed a happy ending…will Gray and Annie find theirs?

Review:

First, the cover of Bound to Love is eye-catching, and one of the reason I was drawn to this book. Second, the title speaks volumes in conveying the theme of the struggles between two people who are madly in love. It’s essential when readers are searching for a good book to hit a homerun with these two elements, and the author did just that.

Overall, the storyline is compelling, realistic and conveys real world challenges of life, love and happiness, and everything else a person deals with in life, from, not only love, but drug use, alcohol and achieving goals. I found myself rooting for Annie, but also yelling at her too. She was her own worst enemy. She didn’t seem to care to respect Gray’s concerns over her drug use. And when he expressed his concerns and then called it quits over it, she didn’t get it. She continued to use. She seemed to be more in love with drugs than Gray. I didn’t see any internal character growth with Annie. It would’ve been nice for her to express more of her feelings rather than holding them in, and to learn to communicate more with Gray.

Now, hot and gorgeous Gray has his own issues. Being in a marriage with his high school sweetheart, he never had the chance to play the field. Before he’s even separated from his wife he has a few dates with Annie. When he finally calls off his marriage, he falls head over heels in love with Annie. But he soon realizes he’s right back into a relationship, and he wants freedom to be single and explore life and other women. I rooted for him too. I yelled and growled through those scenes where he was a total jerk and abused his relationship with Annie.

The two of them together created a passionate, steamy, emotional rollercoaster ride. Despite their flaws, I wanted to see them bound by their love for each other more than just sex. I wanted to be their relationship counselor and help them work things out. Overall, this book kept my interest and my emotions wavering. It ended with somewhat of a cliffhanger, leading to a second book. Maybe there is hope for Gray and Annie?

Even though I enjoyed the story, I wasn’t enamored with the writing. The author has a tendency to tell rather than show. The pacing is slow, and there were instances in the book that repeated. I would’ve like to have more dialogue in the book. For me, forwarding dialogue is what blends all the elements of writing together to create a natural rhythm for the reader and the story. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading more of Gray and Annie.