Badass Bloggettes: *** REVIEW *** BOUND BY STEEL by Connie Lafortune

Title: Bound by Steel
Author: Connie Lafortune
Genre: Contemporary/Suspense Romance
Edited by: Peter Gaskin
Cover Design by: Hang Le

Lyra Harper
I was driving home to spend the holidays with my family.
But I lost control of my vehicle on an icy mountain road.
I slammed into a tree on the edge of Lake Lucerne.
I barely remember writing my name on the frosted windowpane.
The darkness had swallowed me whole.
I spiraled toward oblivion.
When I awoke from the gloom
I found myself in an old log cabin
With the devil's eyes piercing fiercely into mine.
***
Ryker Steel
Up until four days ago, my life was tedious and tiresome.
Until I rescued a dainty girl with golden hair and hazel eyes.
She looks just like the one I'm trying to forget.
Now my life has turned upside down and inside out.
You see, I inadvertently revealed my true identity.
Now, she can never leave.
We will live in hell, until we take our last breaths, together.
Lyra was the one who insisted on playing the game.
But I have a gut feeling, I will be the one to lose...

Bound by Steel is a story that has many twists and turns to I will tread lightly so I don’t ruin the story for anyone. It is the kind of book that you have to go in blind and get the full impact of the roller coaster ride. I’ll start with a little that I can share.

Lyra Harper is on her way to her parents’ house for Thanksgiving and gets caught in a bad snow storm. Driving cautiously she still hits a patch of ice that sets her car skidding. She is in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and she is trapped. Fortunately, Ryker Steel lives in this wilderness and sees the crash, finds, and saves Lyra--well, sort of. He saves her life but holds her captive.

Ryker Steel is a mystery. He is a former DEA agent hiding in the wilderness. He is running away from his past, a powerful drug dealer, and the memories of the love of his life. When he finds Lyra he makes the mistake of letting his true identity slip. Because of this mistake he can’t allow Lyra to leave and she becomes his prisoner. Ryker tries to be mean and tough with her but she reminds him so much of his dead wife. She brings out an underlying tenderness and an ability to love that he thought he lost.

Lafortune does a very good job unfolding a story of deception, loss, and starting over. There is a slow build to the suspense that I love in a thriller. The first part of the book is laid out perfectly to hook the reader and fall in love with the characters, especially Ryker. It is a solid five, the middle takes a twist and I have to admit I found myself rolling my eyes several times but I remind myself this is fiction and go with the flow. My problem is Lyra’s actions feel phony and unbelievable to me. I feel for her as she tries to adapt back into her life but something about didn’t work for me. I didn’t have too much trouble figuring out the main twist and I like it maybe that is why I the middle feels off.

Ryker is a great character. I like the way he is developed. He is tough, ethical, and conflicted. He struggles with his feelings for Lyra and doing the right thing for her. I like Lyra but some of her actions make me angry even though I understand them. After Lyra is returned to her life I didn’t care for Gage, her fiancé. I’m not really sure what bothers me because, like Ryker, he seems to be ethical and loves Lyra. It is Lyra’s actions that frustrate me. And Lyra’s friend Kennedy really bothers me but hey we all have friends or acquaintances like her.

Now the real issue is Sonia, Ryker’s paramour before Lyra. That whole storyline didn’t work. I roll my eyes so hard I make myself dizzy especially her return at the end, the final twist, is so unbelievable that it almost makes me hate the story. It just doesn’t work that a man, a DEA agent in his position would share so much information with her.

There are enough twists without throwing her in the mix in this major role. I get before Lyra, Sonia is Ryker’s distraction and release. I get that she wants more from Ryker than the occasional roll in the hay I don’t buy that he shares all his secrets with her. I’m a little surprised that an editor didn’t question the need. I know what Ms. Lafortune attempts to do but it doesn’t work—not at all.

Bound by Steel is my first book by Connie Lafortune. She has excellent writing skills and knows how to tell a good story. She has a writing voice that is perfect for a dark, suspense filled, romance stories. Her descriptions and dialogues drop me right in the story and hold me there as an observer throughout most of the story. I look forward to checking out more of her books in the future. If you can suspend belief and wave your hand a couple times, I recommend Bound by Steel. It is a fun read and a good romance. Like “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” or James Bond, you will have gorgeous men who live far-fetched lives in unbelievable ways but it is enjoyable to get lost in the make believe.

3.50 Stamps

Amazon: US | UK

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Music: “Surreal” composed, arranged,
performed and produced by Nathan McCree
Copyright © 2013 Nathan McCree
Video editing and Production by Nathan McCree
IMDB: Nathan McCree (Composer: Tomb Raider I, II, III)
Twitter: @nrpmccreeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanmccree

Visit Connie's YouTube Channel

Also by Connie Lafortune:

THE CLAIMING OF CALLAN

Recommended for mature audiences only.
My name is Logan Black... I’ve always known I was different, that something dark and twisted lurked just below the surface of my skin. Waiting, for her... Five years of passion and pleasure so intense, we begin and end together. Until one dark and rainy night, my life is forever changed... A heartbeat, a breath, or the blink of an eye, that’s how quickly your perfect life could cease to exist. In a few short weeks, everyone I love is slipping through my fingers... Now, how can I possibly choose between the woman who owns my heart, and a family that needs me? Walking away is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I’ve convinced myself she’s better off without me, but the monster inside ache’s for her... Callan will always be the light to my darkness. A year has passed by and I still crave her touch, her body tangled with mine. Until, one phone call changes everything. Now it’s time to claim what’s always been mine. The Claiming of Callan is a passionate and compelling novel—a riveting story of love, heartache and one man’s struggle to live without regrets about decisions he cannot change.

Buy Links:
Amazon: US | UK

BECAUSE OF YOU

Recommended for mature audiences only.
For 21-year-old Hunter Davis, being a lifeguard on one of South Carolina’s most popular beaches has its benefits. With his chiseled body, panty-dropping good looks, and penetrating blue eyes, he’s every woman’s dream and every father’s nightmare. So why would he want to commit to one woman? Love is not in his vocabulary. For 18-year-old Riley Hamilton, it’s just the opposite. Her father left when she was six years old, and her mother has been angry and bitter ever since. Riley finds solace in the thought that one day she will be worthy of someone’s love. So when her father calls—out of the blue—asking her to move to South Carolina with a free ride to USC, how can she refuse? When Hunter and Riley are suddenly thrown together, Hunter wonders if the demons from his past will come back to haunt him—or is the woman with the face of an angel the only one who can save him? Because of You is a sensuous and powerful debut novel—a story of love, loss, and the tragedy of holding on to family secrets.

Buy Links:
Amazon: US | UK

Connie Lafortune

Connie Lafortune is a shift supervisor by day and an author at night. She loves spending time with her family and friends, taking walks along the beach, and listening to music…If she’s not in her office writing, you can bet she’s curled up on the couch with her nose buried in a book. Connie lives in Connecticut with her husband, Alan.Connie is a true believer in love conquering all… This being the reason why she loves writing romance novels. She wants to create a story based on strong, believable characters. One’s that will make you laugh, cry and feel every emotion under the sun. Connie wants to leave you breathless and begging for more…