Review: Great plot and intriguing cast of characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 26, 2014
Please read my full review on the Smoocher's Voice blog.Bound for Trouble is EM Lynley’s first novel-length BDSM-themed book. This novel is not as light-hearted as the stories in the Delectable series or the recently release Out of the Gate. The main characters in Bound for Trouble are realistic, intriguing, broken and conflicted. This is a superb story that is teeming with action, hot sex and a bit of violence.When readers first meet FBI agent Deke Kane, he is literally waking up from a nightmare. A bad decision during a drug raid not only has his career hitting rock bottom, but also his self-esteem is in the gutter. After all, what good is a lead FBI agent who doesn’t trust his own decisions? Not to mention the fact that his fellow agents and his superiors don’t trust him either.Kane has one last chance to redeem himself. Maksim Petrov is a bad man. He is a criminal mastermind who seems to be just out the FBI’s reach at every turn. Capturing him is a high priority … allegedly. And that is where Ryan Griffiths enters the picture. A former stripper and prostitute, Ryan is trying to turn his life around. Ryan’s former boss and client is helping him on the condition that Ryan stays away from the strip club where he was dancing. Ryan wants nothing to do with his former strip club or anything affiliated with Petrov, but he feels an obligation to try to set things right for his friend Rocco, and that is why he agrees to help the FBI.Ryan and Deke are instantly attracted to each other. But Deke needs to hide his attraction since his career is at stake, and he is not officially out at his job.The FBI investigation is intense, and Ryan, who winds up in the middle of the action, is in way over his head. Ryan is looking for love and someone to take care of him, and Petrov knows exactly what do and say to get Ryan to relax. The BDSM in the story runs the gamut from mild to intense to abusive. Lynley does a great job exploring not only the trust components of this lifestyle, but she also shows what happens when trust and power are abused.There are some interesting plot twists in this story; not everything is as it seems, and Lynley does a great job keeping the reader captivated. With this intriguing cast of characters, Lynley has developed a great plot that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. With Bound for Trouble, Lynley shows not only her mastery of character development, but also her ability to tackle taboo subjects with finesse.