Review - Bound to Him by KI Brightly and M.D. Gregory

Content warning: The book in this review contains a theme of dubious consent.

Noah is used to being a disappointment to his domineering father. Not only is he gay, but Noah has no interest in the family business. He wants to be an artist. Alton is one of the nation's most successful entrepreneurs. The self-made billionaire is accustomed to getting what he wants. Alton sees Noah at a business party one evening and is instantly attracted to him. He mistakenly assumes that Noah is just another spoiled rich kid. When he discovers that Noah's father has swindled him, Alton thinks he has the perfect plan. He will take over the company and force Noah into a temporary marriage so he can take his revenge and his pleasure at the same time.

“Bound to Him” can be thought of as an interesting take on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Add to that an element of dubious consent, and you have a spicy mixture that might not be to everyone's taste. This being romance, you know where things will end, but there are more than a few twists and turns in this telling to keep things interesting. The set-up of Noah and Alton's marriage doesn't bear too much scrutiny, but once it gets started, the story proceeds relatively believably.

Noah is a somewhat typical romantic character whose personality defies his privileged upbringing. He is generally not entitled or obsessed with acquiring more money. Noah also has some curiously old-fashioned romantic ideals. Those play a big part in creating the initial drama at the start of his relationship with Alton. You can't help but like Noah from the very beginning.

Alton is definitely the “bad guy” in this story. The billionaire more than once expresses his belief that his money can buy him whatever he wants, including people. He bulldozes his way into everything without really considering the consequences for the people involved. It's not clear if Alton really sees Noah as a human being at first rather than just a pretty toy that he can break-in and use until he becomes bored with it.

The relationship between Alton and Noah takes on a dominant/submissive nature. There's no doubt that Alton has a very controlling nature that demands Noah do whatever he says. His lingerie kink is a bit different. Noah seems to have a submissive nature, but the coercive aspect of his relationship with Alton makes him resist it.

“Bound to Him” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).