Review: London Bound by Jessica Jarman

London Bound
Author: Jessica Jarman
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: A-

What I’m Talking About:

40-year-old Meg Stevens has been widow for six years. Since her beloved husband passed, she’s spent the time raising her children, working, and being alone. Knowing she needs a break, her near-adult children and family send Meg on a six week trip to London, where she meets Nathan Harris, her sexy, younger neighbor. After a night of conversation and a few drinks at the local pub, the pair explore their strong attraction and realize they can give each other exactly what the other needs… and more.

London Bound is a lovely erotic romance that hit all the right buttons for me. The author explores a healthy D/s relationship between two consenting adults without making the sex about a troubled up-bringing or the need to cleanse a damaged soul. Meg is a grieving woman who isn’t quite ready to give up on life. Nathan is able to bring her out of her dormant shell and teach her she can love again. Their chemistry is hot and the love feels genuine.

Early in the story, I had a few issues with Meg. While her nervousness and uncertainty are warranted, especially given the time she’s been alone and her age difference with Nathan, I found that at first she comes across almost immature or too young when she is with Nathan. It isn’t her submissiveness, but rather that she is overly needy and unsure. However, soon enough Meg finds her footing and those traits seem to disappear. She stands as an equal to Nathan; a submissive to his Dominant, and I was able to forget my earlier issues. I appreciated her real-life concerns and worries of why things wouldn’t work once her vacation is over. Over the course of the book, Meg became very real to me-her struggles authentic-and I wanted to hug and reassure her.

Nathan is perfect. Seriously. Pretty much too perfect. He’s healthy, well-built, handsome, well-off, and he’s head-over-heels for Meg. His firm but gentle ways of caring for and loving Meg are ideal, and he holds nothing back. It’s easy to see why Meg feels it’s all too good to be true, because I felt the same way. But as Meg gives herself over and immerses herself into the situation, determined to enjoy her short time with Nathan, I too was able to enjoy and indulge in his perfection regardless of how “real” he may or may have been.

The pair share some intense and beautiful moments, carrying me away in their mutual affections. I needed things to work out for the couple because they make such a good match. I like that they didn’t have a completely easy road, and it took some time to make it work. I honestly got so caught up in their passionate, ideal affair that I was a bit sad when I got to the end of the book.

Although the majority of the story focuses on Nathan and Meg’s relationship, there are entertaining moments with Nathan’s friend Jack, as well as with Meg’s children. The scenes outside the bedroom give the story a satisfying balance between the sex, relationship, and “real life.”

Overall, I found London Bound an entertaining, steamy erotic romance. While Nathan is a bit perfect, Meg is wonderfully real, creating a beautiful equilibrium. The D/s relationship and love affair are nearly perfect, and sometimes enjoying an ideal romance is just what a tired soul needs to getaway for a while.

My Rating:  A- Enjoyed It A Lot

About the Book:

After losing her husband six years ago, Meg Stevens has focused on the day-to-day and being a mother, not sparing a thought for anything beyond—no dates, no excitement, no life other than what she already had. A six-week vacation to London, all but forced on her by her two children, changes all of that. Meg meets the man of her dreams—gorgeous, dominant, and completely on board with a short-term fling—despite the fact he’s far too young for her.

Nathan Harris is more than a bit curious about the beautiful woman renting the upstairs flat, and once he talks to her, curiosity is quickly replaced by arousal and desire. It doesn’t take long before it’s clear she longs to experience sexual submission, and Nathan finds himself desperate to be the one she submits to.

Her days spent exploring the city, her nights exploring Nathan and the pleasure submitting to him brings, Meg discovers the trip she’d taken out of obligation has turned into something she doesn’t want to walk away from. However, the life she left behind beckons, and there’s no room there for dreaming of something she can never have.

Release Date: March 15, 2015
Publisher: self-published
Series: a book of the Bound Series
ASIN: #B00UR4MOZI
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance, BDSM
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Author

Purchase Info:
London Bound