Review: Bound by Rosa Lee

Bound by Rosa Lee

Series: Highgate Preparatory Academy #2

Publication date: December 31st, 2021

Pages: 352

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

"I do."

Two words that taste bittersweet, their meaning conflicting within me. They roll off my tongue, tasting both right and wrong, as if the hand that gives also seeks to take away, uncaring and unapologetic.

Can I truly have it all? Can I keep them, these pieces of my heart?

Shakespeare knew true love's path is anything but smooth, especially when it collides with an unknown past, while our own demons threaten to consume us.

Questions multiply, each answer giving rise to more as history, that unpredictable force, repeats itself, and we are mere passengers on this wild ride.

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Review:

Lilly thought the biggest hurdle she would have to overcome is her trauma from her mother's death and the four men who seemed dead set on making her new life in America as miserable as possible. But after some time with those men and some time to process her mother's death she seems much more focused in her life. That is until things are thrown into a tail spin once more. It seems Lilly's mother was keeping more secrets than Lilly could ever imagine and it all ties back to the underground crime family that her four lovers are slotted to take over from their corrupt parents. With a mysterious uncle that doesn't seem to want much to do with her, one of her lovers' fathers seeming to have an attraction to her that turns her stomach, and the questions still swirling in her mind over what truly happened to her mother, Lilly's future is shaky at best. That is unless the men she loves decide to stand by their lover and become what they were born to be.

This series started out completely transfixing. I found myself fully engaged with the main female protagonist and loved how she joked around and seemed to call the men colorful names within her mind. She had a sense of humor that had me rolling time and time again. Even when the guys she was involved with were being cagey assholes I never stopped loving Lilly. She was everything she presented her to be. The rainbow surrounded by her four dark clouds. I felt every ounce of her fear, hurt, anger, and love pouring out of her and off of the pages. It kept me enthralled in her love story even when it delved into territory that was not really my cup of tea (I have made it pretty known that I am not a huge fan of relationships between the men within a reverse harem; just my personal preference). Whereas I would have likely set the book down and possibly not returned to it, I loved Lilly and the guys so much that I was willing to push past my discomfort and keep reading. I am so glad I did. The story was astounding. I devoured the almost 400 page book in one night.

One drawback I will reference is how the prequel to the book is not listed within the series on Amazon. I would have much rather read the prequel before the first book so that I got a little more background on Lilly's mom but perhaps it was better I didn't. Maybe it will make the mystery of her death more poetic and gritty. I plan to read it, just might be after I complete the series. That was not a critique on the author's work, but more the organization of the series to better promote it to the masses. There is a prequel, so look for it.

I found the second installment in the series to be even better than the first which is quite unusual. Honestly, within a series the middle book is always the one that drags on for far too long about nothing and gives really no truly fundamental intel into the story. It's filler for the grand finale usually. But Rosa Lee did an excellent job of making the book not just filler, but a stepping stone towards the end. There was heat, mystery, danger, and sweet moments shared all around. I would say that maybe the sex should be pulled back a bit so it isn't just non-stop sex and the truly interesting story can shine through at times.

All in all, I loved the second book and look forward to reading the third.