Early Review ~ Girl Wife Prisoner ~ Hanna Peach

Girl Wife Prisoner by Hanna Peach
A Good Wife #1
Release Date: Sept 19, 2015
Genre: Adult, Dark Contemporary Romance
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 3 Bookworms
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Available now for preorder at the special price of 99 cents

Synopsis
How far would you go to set yourself free?

Drake Blackwell is successful, controlling, and hiding a violent family past. He just made his latest investment: Noriko.

Imported from Japan and wed to a stranger, Noriko struggles to stick to the rules of a Good Wife. Drake can't seem to love her, not the way she wants to be loved. She dreams of freedom beyond the gates of Blackwell Manor.

She meets Keir, a passionate young gardener who shares her desire to break free. He gets under her skin and ignites a fire in her she can't ignore. In the midst of her quiet desperation she thinks she has found happiness. And a glimpse of hope.

But this affair can't last...can it?

Although part of a series, this is a standalone novel with no cliffhanger.

WARNING: For ages 18+. There are scenes in this novel that infer or allude to physical violence.

After reading and enjoying Ms. Peach's Bound series, I jumped at her offer to review Girl Wife Prisoner. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to. While I found the premise intriguing, I felt the execution of it could have been stronger.

Noriko is a young Japanese girl newly arrived in the U.S. She finds herself moving into a grand home complete with a staff and luxuries she couldn't have imagined. But there is a price for all these amenities. See, Noriko is a purchased bride. Her husband, Drake, is older. He's rich...insanely rich. He's also surrounded by rumors and suspicions concerning the death of his parents. And then there is Keir, the young gardener. He is smitten with Noriko until he realizes who she is. Once they become better acquainted though, he comes to understand she's not who he thought she was.

Like I said, the premise really captured my attention. And Ms. Peach created compelling characters. But I'd have preferred more backstory and character development. I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters. Noriko was a rather feisty and outspoken young woman. While I admire that in a heroine, it wasn't what I'd expect from a timid, young Japanese girl. She also vacillated between behaving maturely and very childishly. This was probably realistic considering she wasn't even eighteen but it had me curious as to who the real Noriko was. Drake, who would be considered the villain, wasn't developed enough for me to revile him. I didn't like him - he's distant, aloof, and doesn't always treat Noriko very well, but I never feared him. Yes, he did purchase a young bride. Yes, he wouldn't allow Noriko outside the walls of his compound. Yes, he showed hints he could be violent. But he was also tender with Noriko at times. Keir, who was my favorite character, was young and idealistic. He would have made a better match for Noriko under different circumstances. He does care for her and wants to protect her, even at the risk of dire consequences for himself. There is a spark between them that is obvious. But Noriko is tied to Drake.

I did enjoy the mystery surrounding Drake and how it played out between the characters. The knowledge of what had happened and the suspicions aimed at Drake did have me worrying for Noriko and Keir at times. I also liked the motivations behind Noriko's circumstances. It made her 'sale' feel not so despicable - at least on her part. I had several moments of heartbreak for Noriko, too. It seemed a pity she had to endure all she did. And then Ms. Peach threw a curve ball where I wondered just how many layers this girl had.

Overall, there were elements I liked and elements that could have been better. The story was good but better character development would have made it gripping.

Hanna is the bestselling author of the Bound romantic suspense series and the Dark Angel fantasy series. Although she writes in more than one genre she can’t write a book without weaving together a complicated plot and filling it with twists. She writes what she believes: good people can do bad things, ordinary people can do great things, and choose love above everything.

Eternally restless, Hanna has lived in Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Scotland, England, Croatia and Ireland – everything she owns fits into one suitcase. She’s planning her next move with her gorgeous (and understanding) partner right now. 

If not writing, she can be found wandering a dusty market in Marrakesh or trekking a mountain in Peru, often using her travels as settings in her novels.

To WIN a copy of her next release subscribe to her newsletter: 

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**#COYER Release Day Review ~ Bound Forever ~ Hanna Peach**

Happy Release Day, Hanna Peach!!

Bound Forever is now LIVE!!

***

Bound Forever by Hanna Peach

Bound #2 

Release Date: August 6, 2014

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Source: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4.5 Bookworms

Synopsis

The stunning conclusion to Bound by Lies...

"Kitten"

Caden and I on the run. Together. But he still won't let me touch him and I know he is still keeping things from me. I am determined to uncover everything - at any cost. Even if it tears us apart.

Caden

Jacob is back. He's back and he knows about her. Now, everything that binds the three of us together are twisting and tightening, pulling us all together. I can feel the inevitable coming...

I don't know how this will end...all I know is, there will be blood.

Bound Forever was the perfect ending to the Bound duology. It combined all the steamy and the tension (eventually) I expected along with answering all my burning questions from Bound by Lies. Well, with the exception of one...

Bound Forever picks up where Bound by Lies ended. And Kitten is questioning whether she should completely trust Caden. He did just save her life but there are so many secrets and lies between them - mostly on Caden's side - it's hard to trust him...particularly with her heart. Caden, for his part, seems to realize, with a little help, that he's going to have to open up if he intends to continue building their tenuous relationship...and keep her protected from what's coming.

I delighted in the way Ms. Peach revealed everything. I was surprised and shocked at some of the back story. And my heart hurt for Caden and the events that shaped him into the man he is. Also, I understood his reasons behind hiding all he did from Kitten but I was elated once he began opening up.

I enjoyed the switch between past and present as well as the switch in POV between Kitten and Caden. The pacing was well done too. The one thing I missed was the intense suspense I'd enjoyed in the first book. Logically, I knew that some of the suspense would be negated by the illumination of the truths. But I had so enjoyed the riveting tension in Bound by Lies. I missed that element...until Ms. Peach socked me in the mouth with it. Wow! I was once again on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, waiting to see how it would all turn out. And I was surprised and impressed with how things ended.

Bound Forever, with the exception of missing that initial gripping suspense, was brilliant. All was illuminated in a satisfying manner...except for one thing. Hmm...

Hanna began to write at the tender age of seven, starting with a daring and questionable autobiography entitled Go Suck a Lemon. Perhaps it was a little before its time.

After leaving school she agreed with everyong who said she needed to get a degree and a real job to become a proper adult. She kept writing as a hobby. After starting (and never finishing) several degrees and switching from multiple careers, she finally decided that being a real adult was overrated. In 2012, she sold everything, moved to Europe and began to write full-time.

Eternally restless, Hanna has lived in Indonesia, Australia, German and Scotland. She is currently residing in England.

She is addicted to coffee and chocolate and would one day like to own a dragon. 

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**Review ~ Bound by Lies ~ Hanna Peach**

Bound by Lies by Hanna Peach
Bound #1
Release Date: January 21, 2014
Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense
Source: I received a review copy from the author through Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5 Bookworms

Synopsis
Our love is on his terms. He contacts me only through notes - unpredictable and untraceable. When we meet, he can touch me, but I'm not allowed to touch him. When we make love, it's only after I have been bound and blindfolded. It's the only time I truly feel alive. Which is why I play along with it. For now.

Caden Thaine is the most sinfully beautiful man I have ever seen. But more than that, his touch sets me on fire. And dear God, do I ache for him. I don't know where he lives or even what he does. But this doesn't scare me. My only fear is that one day his messages will stop.

I know he's hiding something. But that's okay. I am hiding things too. Like my real name and...who I really am. But the deeper I fall for him, the stronger my curiosity becomes.

I could never have imagined just how much our lives are bound. And that pulling at this tangled web of secrets would cause my own dark past to come back to try and reclaim me. Will we survive? Will our love?

Holy wow!! This book...I was literally biting my lip, hunch-shouldered, with a tightness in my gut the entire way through! And it was OH.SO.GOOD!

It wasn't until I started to write this review that I realized I don't even know the real name of the MC. Caden (I'll get to him in a minute) refers to her as Kitten, so that's what I'm going with. Kitten is broken. She can't completely trust anyone. She can't open up and be totally honest with anyone. She lives her life on the fringes, knowing she can't get close to anyone because she'll eventually have to leave them. Meeting Caden changes things. Caden allows her intimacy without sharing her secrets. And he has his fair share of those as well. So we watch as these two broken people try to make each other whole - in the only way they can. Eventually though, it's not enough for Kitten and her curiosity gets the best of her.

The story is told from Kitten's POV and alternates between the past and present. In this way, we are privy not only to her thoughts and feelings in the present, but we see earlier meetings between she and Caden - how their relationship progressed - and we see her past - how she ended up so broken and on the run. The tension - and there is so much of it - is created through Kitten's anxiety over when she'll see Caden again as well as her actions once she decides she wants to know more about him.

Caden is an enigma. He has his rules that must be followed when he and Kitten are together. He won't share any details about his life with her - not basic ones anyway. He does drop hints but that only serves to make him more mysterious. What I know - he is protective of Kitten - he would lay down his life for her - and I guess that's enough for me.

When Kitten and Caden are together, they are combustible! Oh my! If bondage isn't your thing, don't worry. This is not a BDSM book. The binding and blindfolding are just a part of Caden's brokenness. But the way Caden make Kitten feel is conveyed so well. I understood Kitten feeling:

"This constant dull ache for him crescendos into a crushing fist deep in my belly. Like always, it gets worse when I know exactly when I'll see him next."

And I will never look at dark chocolate ice cream the same way again. *swoon*

When Kitten starts looking into Caden, her past becomes entangled with her present. The conclusions she begins to draw elicit the fear she's tried to bury. And yet she showed so much strength of will.

"You won't realize how strong you are until you are given no other choice."

The sequence of events that occur once she decides she wants more from Caden was shocking. As revelations are made, I became more and more anxious. I tried puzzling it out as it was unfolding and I never saw it coming! I find it ironic that Caden gave Kitten a name that embodied the curiosity which put her in the situation of having to flee 5 years ago, and in her current predicament.

Bound by Lies is dark, twisty, well-written, tense and thrilling. It was so much more than I was expecting. This is my first read from Ms. Peach and I've already one-clicked the first in her urban fantasy series. I'm glad I can read something else from her while I'm (im)patiently awaiting the next in the Bound series.