BOOK REVIEWS: Bound To Ransom by Kiru Taye

Note: this book was read and reviewed by me in August of 2023 on a previous site that no longer exists.

Though my first Kiru Taye book was a bit of letdown, the reasons had little to do with the writing and more to do with the length of the story. Miss Taye clearly knows how to write, so I immediately sought out a full-length work by her. After briefly reading the blurb, I picked "Bound to Ransom". 

Even days after reading it, I still can’t decide if I liked it or not. Hopefully, after documenting my thoughts, I’ll be able to tell.

Gloria Rawlins had sworn off men after a string of unsuccessful relationships, beginning with her father and continuing with every other man she ever cared for. She is committed to living just for herself. And she’s wealthy enough to do it. Until she isn’t. When her father’s company goes under, Gloria finds herself once again at the mercy of a man. And not just any man—one that was far more dangerous than any she’d ever known.

Henry Coker is a man whose life has been marred by difficulties. Born with nothing, he has had to fight for every single thing he has in life. His Company. His money. But the one thing he desired most was the one thing that had remained out of reach. But when the Rawlins come to him for help, Henry takes the chance to make Gloria his.

Content Warnings: Infidelity, BDSM, Miscarriage

The Premise

It's the taming of the shrew trope meets the forced relationship trope with a revenge twist. It's instantly an attention-grabber.

“That’s right, Princess. I own every piece of you—lock, stock, and designer hair.” He winked at her as he poured the bubbly drink into the crystal flutes.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

The Writing

After a rocky start (more details below), the story improves exponentially. Before the first chapter is over, I realize that I had been right that Kiru Taye’s writing would evolve with the years.

Maybe it's the larger canvas for her words, or maybe it 's just maturity, but the writing in this is phenomenally better. It 's simple, fluid, intense, and emotional.

Most importantly, it feels authentic. Like her voice. In ‘The Valentine Challenge,’ I couldn't shake the feeling that she was imitating the voices of well-known authors. It felt out of place and a little awkward. Here, there's none of that.

I also appreciate that she maintains the dual POV and the third-person prose that I love so much.

“I want all of you, Gloria. Not just your body. I want the good and the bad. The beautiful and the ugly. I want that part of you that you’re scared of showing other people.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

The setup for the forced relationship is a bit far-fetched, but since the entire plot hinges on it, I happily suspended my disbelief.

The Characters

For the first half, the story had me hooked. No, I should say the characters had me hooked.

Henry, our male lead, is a true 'alpha male' (Yes, the obnoxious type). A man like that, as anyone would imagine, does not take well to humiliation—which is what the female lead does to him when he confesses to her 10 years earlier.

This event is apparently pivotal enough to propel him from a poor construction worker to the CEO he becomes—the very definition of a self-made man. Like the capitalist that he is, he's ruthless in his pursuit of the female lead.

He's complex, unforgiving, and controlling, but he also has moments of tenderness and vulnerability.

Although I don’t always like him, I admit he has a dark, sexy appeal to him. The type of hero that I can see inspiring many fantasies—did I mention he's really into BDSM?

“All those times he'd wanted her. Craved her. She'd claimed he wasn't good enough. In truth, what she'd been saying was that he couldn’t afford her. Eight years and one hundred million dollars later, he'd found her price.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

Now, for our female lead. If there was ever a character hell-bent on self-destruction, it's Gloria.

Readers of the first book in the series will recognize Gloria as the villain from that book, but even without this information, the reader can get a sense of how bad of a person she is. From manipulating those around her to betraying the trust of those who care for her, she leaves a trail of destruction in her wake.

Her only redeeming quality is her fierce loyalty to her father. Although she undergoes positive changes, she never really becomes likeable. She makes so many poor choices that, despite my best efforts, I can't relate to her. But despite her flaws, her vulnerability shines through, forcing me to sympathize with her.

The Chemistry

The sparks practically fly off the page.

Gloria may not like Henry, but she's definitely attracted to him, and Henry makes no effort to hide how much he wants Gloria. They both appear helpless in the face of their mutual attraction. The love scenes and the BDSM elements are well done. Rather than just being entertaining, I think they provide some more insights into the characters and their dynamic. They shed light on Henry’s inexplicable need to dominate and Gloria’s innocence despite her confidence.

“he’d made everything else fade away. Her life before then had become like old black-and-white movies. Flat and two-dimensional. This right here, feeling this craving, being held in his arms, knowing what was coming. This was living in full vibrant, high-definition 4K colour.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

The Themes

Forgiveness and reconciliation are big themes in this book. The protagonists are not great people. Both displayed a lot of problematic behavior and make a lot of mistakes that they can't undo. Even when the reader is not ready to forgive (I'm still not ready), the people in their lives offer forgiveness.

In this way, the themes really shine through. It also addresses mental health issues and treatment in a more insightful and realistic way than many other books I've read.

My only caveat is that I personally hate it when books make me sit in on therapy sessions. As a health professional, I always find myself judging and overanalyzing, which takes out the enjoyment for me.

The Unnecessary Prologue

The story opens with an unnecessary prologue, which could just as easily be woven into the main story in a couple of lines. I understand that the prologue is designed to provide context for readers who previously know the heroine from previous books (Spoiler: she was the villain).

Basically this prologue is supposed to show us the incredibly gruesome events that turn her from snow white into the wicked step mother. Except they aren't all that unique or gruesome. In fact, I honestly think they're moderate in comparison to the backstory of most literary villains. They are definitely nothing in comparison to her would be future behavior.

In short, we get a 6-page prologue that does nothing but slow down the pace.

The Melodrama

The main characters and their chemistry drive the first half of the story, but then the plot devolves into melodrama.

[Start of spoilers] Gloria not only ends up cheating, but the person with whom she cheats is Henry's brother. And then she gets pregnant and has to marry him. [End of spoilers].

On one hand, Kiru Taye deserves kudos for creating a conflict that I did not see coming (and would gladly never read again), but on the other hand, maybe I did not see it coming because it came out of nowhere.

Without any build-up, these sudden twist of events feel forced and disconnected from the initial story.

Nevertheless, I found myself rapidly turning the pages, anxious to see how our stupid, stupid heroine would escape from the predicament she created for herself.

“Why do we choose these difficult women who turn us inside out?”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

At some point, the revenge plot (that is the entire premise) is abandoned, and Henry is eventually cast in the role of the scorned partner.

With the exception of one problematic scene, Henry's understanding of Gloria, despite past grievances or hurt feelings, redeems him in my eyes.

Beyond the physical attraction, he finally begins to express the love he has suppressed for ten years. It becomes obvious in the way he treats her and her family and in the way he forgives her. I honestly feel that no one else but Henry can deal with Gloria's nonsense.

However, the drama and turmoil Gloria's poor choices cause soon overshadow the love story between Henry and Gloria. Their moments together become scarce, taking a backseat to the ongoing soap opera.

The Ending

When the climax finally comes around, the villain is defeated way too quickly. Still, if the story wrapped up here, it would have been okay. Instead, the story just goes on and on.

The pace, which was pretty fast up to this point, is thrown off-kilter, and the story starts to crawl.

The rest of the book is mostly sulking and endless back-and-forth between the leads. It's so drawn out that by the end, I found myself even hoping that Henry and Gloria would just go their separate ways. But it is a romance so of course, they eventually end up together. 

Then, as if we aren’t already put through enough, there's an epilogue that I wasn't interested in reading (and actually didn't bother to read).

“Whether you were protecting me or pampering me, praising me or punishing me. You’ve loved me.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

Problematic Behavior

The infidelity in this bothers me. I suppose I should have carefully read the content warnings. I'm also very uncomfortable with the fact that when our hero takes back our heroine, it isn’t because of her months of pleading. It 's because she kneels and crawls in front of him.

At that point, his obsession with dominating her crosses the threshold into alarming and raises concerns of a toxic relationship dynamic.

The Villains

They are one-dimensional. They have no substance and no motive for their villainy beyond the obvious. This makes them very uninteresting.

“You know, if you stay, I won’t ever let you go again. I’ll push and punish you. I’ll pamper and praise you. I’ll protect and possess you. You’ll belong to me. Only me.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

Final Thoughts

Writing: 4/5. Overall, it's superb. I experienced all of the anger, anguish, disappointment, and grief.

Characters: 3/5. Despite being overwhelmingly flawed and unlikeable, the main characters have depth.

Plot: 2.5/5. Even though the plot is unnecessarily complicated, it's entertaining. This is not sweet chick-lit. It's a messy and complicated romance, so I’m inclined to believe that every problematic thing in this book—stupid decisions and all—is deliberate.

Themes: 4/5

Therefore, even though I'm still unsure if I like this book, I can certainly say that it's a good book. However, the anticlimactic and problematic ending disrupted the flow of the book and ultimately impacted my overall enjoyment.

I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Who Is It For?

I would recommend it to readers who don't mind messy and chaotic contemporary romance. Just be sure to read the content warnings.

Nonetheless, Kiru Taye is a talented writer that I will continue to check out.

“This house, you...you are my home. Please let me come home.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

“There are no buts. You either trust me or you don’t. If you don’t, then you should go and come back when you do.”― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom 

"Even as her heart had no room for love, her body loved his body. Loved the demands he made of her. Loved the pleasure he elicited from her. Loved that when they came together, he commanded and she obeyed. Yet, he served her. Worshipped her. All at the same time." ― Kiru Taye, Bound to Ransom