Review: Cari Silverwood has truly outdone herself with this one
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2013
Received an ARC copy and promised an honest review...Bind and Keep Me is one of the darker BDSM-themed books I've read in quite a while. This is the second book in Silverwood's Pierced Hearts series, sequel to Take Me Break Me. In Take Me the lines between consent and nonconsent become somewhat blurred, but by the end of that book, the reader is left with the feeling that Klaus and Jodie are well on their way to a true HEA.And, then, along comes Bind and Keep Me...The blurb is a good set-up, so I won't give a capsule run-down of the plot here.  To do so would give away entirely too much. Suffice that you, dear reader, are in for an incredible, extremely well-written story that literally walks the razor's edge between consent and nonconsent. It will grab hold of you and won't let you go until the last page.  I promise you this...Before you get to that last page, you'll question everything you ever thought you knew about what constitutes true consent, its boundaries and where those lines are really drawn. This story will definitely shake you up. You will run through a gamut of emotions ranging from rage to lust to frustration to uncertainty. Why? Because the characters are so well-written and the plot so well-researched and developed that you will believe these people could be your next door neighbors, co-workers, friends, and/or people you pass on the street every day.This book disturbed me on a very deep level for many reasons, not the least of which is the conflict between intellect and the body's response to stimuli, e.g. the war between the brain and hormones. Sometimes, the body will drive a person to go against everything they thought was "right" or even "sane". This story is an excellent portrayal of how the body can be used to influence the mind. It is also an outstanding portrayal of the evolution of Stockholm Syndrome.This is not your everyday erotic romance.  It is a very dark, deeply disturbing tale that will stay with you long after you've read the last page.  It is not an easy read, but you'll definitely be glad you stuck with it. Don't expect the usual HEA - at least not in this installment.This is a full-length novel at over 85k words.  While it can be read as a standalone, to get the full impact of this story, I would strongly recommend that you read Take Me Break Me first.