27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!, July 28, 2009
This review is from: Bound by Your Touch (Mass Market Paperback)
AMAZING! That's the word that came to my mind when I finished this book. I'm always a bit wary when I start reading a book that's been highly praised by "everyone", as sky-high expectations can turn an otherwise excellent read into a "somewhat disappointingly good" read, so I didn't know what to expect from
Bound by Your Touch when I picked it up. Well, I'm glad to say that "everyone" was right and I'm joining the chorus. I loved everything about this book: James, Lydia, the secondary characters, the story...
Lydia was the oldest daughter of Henry Boyce, an archaeologist who spent a great part of his life working in Egypt. A confirmed spinster at the advanced age of 26, Lydia was her father's business manager and took care of his trading affairs in London while he was away in Egypt. Raising funds to support her father's research was one of her responsabilities, so Lydia was more than annoyed when James barged into one of her fund-raising meetings with some important and rich men and interrupted her speech. James's sole goal in life was to annoy his father, the Earl of Moreland, any way he could and, unfortunately for Lydia, his father was one of the important and rich men in attendance to her meeting and James didn't care where or when he managed to achieve his goal. James and Lydia didn't exactly make sparks fly in that 1st meeting, but they were intrigued - or should I say, annoyed - enough to dedicate a thought or two to each other. A few days later, the possibility of her father being involved in trading forgeries and smuggling precious gems from Egypt led Lydia to seek James's cooperation and that was when the story really took off.
I fell in love with Lydia right from the start. When I finished reading the Prologue, I was already rooting for her HEA. How could I care so much for her so soon? I can only "blame" Ms. Duran's writing skills for that. As I read the following chapters, I grew to love Lydia even more. On the surface, she seems to be all prim, proper and "good", but she nurtured a well-deserved dislike of her sister Sophie, who stole and married the man she loved. I liked the fact that Lydia wasn't "perfect". I mean, aren't we all tired of the saintly heroine who, despite everything and everyone, is always understanding and forgiving? That jealous sister of her betrayed her, and Lydia was more than welcome to harbor some resentment over it. Not that she was mean or anything, but she didn't regard her sister's betrayal as something "unimportant".
As for James, I had a hard time with him at first. He was handsome and charming, but his self-destructive behavior was, like Lydia stated at one point, childish. He was constantly drunk - or trying to get drunk - and his life was dedicated to embarass and cause pain to his father, there was no other purpose in it. He had "everything" but did nothing useful with it. Or so it seemed. Slowly but gradually, I got to know what drove him and, even though I couldn't fully support the way he chose to deal with it, I understood him and, like Lydia, fell in love with him. To borrow her words, "Everyone is brave in his own way. You must not blame others if they don't fit your mold."
Lydia and James came from two very problematic families, to say the least, so it was no wonder they were dysfunctional to some extent. I like to think that it was their meeting each other that "saved" them from the dead end lives they had been living but, in the end, each dealt with his/her problem on his/her own. I admit I was "shocked" when James left Lydia and told her he wouldn't help her with her father, even knowing her life might be in danger. A knight in shining armor he wasn't, and that was unusual.
The ending was bittersweet and, again, unusual. "We will be rather alone, Lydia thought. She would not want her father at their wedding. And they would not be spending holidays at Moreland's house. Not for some time yet, at least. But there was Ana. In a few years, perhaps Stella would be with them as well. And their own children, eventually. A new cycle, a new chance to make things right." There was no "deus ex machina", no miraculous resolution for James's strained relationship with his father or Lydia's damaged relationship with her sister Sophie and, ultimately, her father. I usually don't like when I'm left with "unfinished businesses" at the ending of a book, but I really didn't mind it this time around. James and Lydia had their HEA, there was no doubt about it, and everything else would work out... eventually.
This book went straight to my keepers shelf, and I can't wait to get my hands on Ms. Duran's next book.
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25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best thing ever, bewitching and unputdownable, June 30, 2009
This review is from: Bound by Your Touch (Mass Market Paperback)
Meredith Duran writes with power, lyricism and elegance that never overshadows the strength of her characters. She is a luminary talent who will rise to take her place among such historical romance greats as Laura Kinsale and Loretta Chase.
In BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH, she succeeds on every level. Her hero is charming, but broken. Her heroine is brilliant, but wounded.
This story will take your breath away. Even if you have all but stopped reading historical romances (as I had), give this one a chance. I'll wager not only will you find yourself unable to put it down, you will also be haunted by its loveliness.
I still find myself thinking about Lydia and Sanburne, weeks after reading it. Though I have other books in my TBR and a lot of work to do, I am tempted to re-read and I almost never do that when there are so many wonderful new books being released. I am awed by Ms. Duran's facility with language. This is a book that raises the bar in every possible aspect, including symbolism, symmetry, plot, and character development. It is a marvel. Once you've read Meredith Duran, you will not be satisfied with less.
BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH is a must-read.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Second Gem from Duran, July 16, 2009
This review is from: Bound by Your Touch (Mass Market Paperback)
With a command of language that is rich and smart, Meredith Duran has produced a sophomore book that is beautiful, witty and insightful.
Lydia Boyce and James, Viscount Sanburne, have established personas for themselves that give their lives purpose and their pride sanctuary. She, once made a fool by love, is her dear archeologist father's right hand, his indispensable person of business and chief fund-raiser. James spends his time and energy annoying the father he believes has abandoned his sister in an intolerable situation. When James disrupts Lydia's most recent fund-raising presentation, their carefully nurtured self-concepts begin to crack. She is offended by him, and he is only interested in what he wants to be true. As they become entangled in each other's lives, Lydia fights her attraction to James and his suspicions that her father may not be an honest man. James is equally attracted to her. They spar in conversations that sparkle and physical encounters that are charged with emotion.
This might appear to be a standard rake-and-prim-spinster-stumble-into-love story, but that's like saying The Rockford Files was a typical detective show, or Cirque du Soleil is just an acrobatic troupe. Ms. Duran's writing takes everything to a higher level. The prose is rich, the characters believably human. Lydia must explore the idea of loving her father without respecting him; James learns that perhaps he can respect his father without loving him. They also must examine their relationships with their sisters and recognize that there are other points of view in the world no less valid than their own.
The ending is a sweet, almost giddy, tumble of hope and love. The journey to it is delightful, with a hero and heroine who are worth it. It's a pleasure to read such a well-crafted book from an incredible talent. Lucky for readers, another book comes out shortly, and a fourth is in the works.
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