BOUND (Fire on Ice #1) by BRENDA ROTHERT

Reviewed by Jenny

4 Stars

Bound completely took me by surprise. I think I was only 5% in before I was sideswiped by events….twice!  I didn’t see any of it coming and fun, moving and some ways fun story was an emotionally charged tale of loving and losing, grieving, of picking yourself up and learning that’s it’s okay to love and be happy and that life does in fact go on.  Yes,  in life your heart will hurt, it will suffer but moving on, trusting and loving are all part of the healing process.  Life is for living and finding happiness is something everyone deserves. This story really did have a high impact opening that’s for sure.

“Don’t tell me what you think is best for me.” “Tell me what you want.”

Bound contained a mixture of past, present and alternative pov’s which kept me completely gripped in the story and witnessing the story from all angles added to the depth of emotion and feeling and I loved hearing both POV’s throughout this story.

‘She was like me: too wounded to be blindly optimistic anymore.’ – Ryke

Tall, dark, sculpted Hockey heartthrob Jason Ryker (Ryke) completely stole my heart.  Here was a guy who had suffered through a tragedy and was trying to make sense of his loss, grief and feelings.  He was a different sort of character. He was stable, loyal and although he had his fair share of women, he only ever wanted to be settled and have the family he so craved.  I really did feel for this guy and I loved the camaraderie between the hockey “family”.  The hockey references peppered throughout really connected you to how Ryke felt about the team, his teammates and how important this sport was to his life, though I wouldn’t class this as a sports themed book per se as the emphasis is more on human relationships and the grieving process. I wanted to jump inside my Kindle and hug Ryke and will him to let go of his guilt because it was unfairly consuming him.

‘I wished for words to soother her, but I didn’t have any. I was a hockey player, for Christ’s sake. My favorite words were fuck and fucking’ – Ryke

My heart really did go out to Kate and what she had suffered and the guilt she had allowed to eat away at her really had me feeling so much sympathy for her and I completely understood her intense emotions but I have to say there were times when Kate’s indecision’s could at times be a tad annoying, she gave me whiplash and I think she tended to put her own obstacles in the way of their relationship. I could relate to her being over cautious of opening herself up and guarding her heart, but I wanted her to cut Ryke a bit of slack because geez, this guy had certainly suffered through his pain also.

“Don’t hate me for things I did before we even met.” – Ryke

Together they were a fun, passionate and beautiful couple and I was HANGING for them to get together. This relationship sure was a slow burner so you really did experience the connections and the transformation from friends to lovers in Bound.

“Let me spend tonight with your heart instead of your head.” – Ryke 

There were a couple of times the story felt a little rushed especially towards the end.  There were times I was so invested in a situation, only to have it move forward a matter of weeks which for me was a little off putting and stilted the flow of the story . After giving us such an intense and slow build up, I felt the ending came to quickly and it was all over too soon and this standalone story really could have benefited from an Epilogue. I would have really loved to have had a glimpse into the future of Ryke and Kate’s future.

In saying that I these were small issues because I really did enjoy this story which I couldn’t put down and these niggles were soon overtaken by the power and poignancy of the story and I was, without question, completely invested in Ryke and Kate’s lives and relationship.

Their banter was so much fun and very refreshing as was the interaction between Ryke and his team mates. The sexual tension had me screaming at my Kindle at times for them to just “get on with it” but the chase, innuendos, the build up and the friends to lovers aspect of their relationship had won me over.

“Moving on is different from forgetting.” 

Bound is a story about loving, losing and moving on. Of relinquishing the guilt of loss but never forgetting the impact that loss had on your life. It’s about  learning to trust your heart, it’s about healing and knowing that it’s okay to want love and happiness. It’s about grieving, coping and moving and making room in your heart for the person who has become the salve to your shattered heart.

Purchase THE FIRE ON ICE SERIES here

♥ BOUND – BOOK ONE
(Our Review)
AMAZON US || AMAZON UK || AMAZON AU

♥ CAPTIVE – BOOK TWO
(Our Review)
A companion to Book One
AMAZON US || AMAZON UK || AMAZON AU

♥ EDGE – BOOK THREE
(Our Review)
Can be read as standalone
AMAZON US || AMAZON UK || AMAZON AU

♥DRIVE – BOOK FOUR
(Our Review)
Can be read as standalone
AMAZON US || AMAZON UK || AMAZON AU

♥ RELEASE – BOOK FIVE
Can be read as standalone
AMAZON US || AMAZON UK || AMAZON AU

♥ ♥ ♥