Binding Devotion

by Kiki Archer

"What's more important ... the bond of marriage or the pull of desire?" "But what's more powerful?" Andi Armstrong is the 29-year-old CEO of the UK's largest LGBT campaigning organisation, Proud Unity. She's a public figure, an empowering speaker, a devoted boss and a loyal wife. Or so she thought. Having spent the past seven years fighting for the marriage rights of same-sex couples, she can't imagine that her own civil partnership might actually be failing. She committed for life. She's bound by law. She's an example of how it works ... Andi Armstrong knows that she has to make it work. She wants it to work. But what happens when desire takes over ... when the pull is too strong? Should Andi sacrifice everything, her beliefs and her loyalty ... for desire, for excitement, for happiness ... for love? For someone who isn't her wife? "Binding Devotion" is a saucy and topical lesbian fiction novel that will leave you questioning the intricacies of commitment in the face of unexpected infidelity.

Genres: Lesbian, LGBT, Lesbian Romance

236 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2013

About the author

Lambda Literary Award finalist and Polari First Book Prize judge, Kiki Archer is the UK-based author of ten best-selling, award-winning novels.

Ranking highly on the Guardian newspaper’s Pride Power List and the Diva Pride Power List in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Kiki’s ‘chick-lit with a lady-loving twist’ has reached a mainstream audience now embracing stories with lesbian leads.

Kiki has won a SoSoGay Best Book Award, a National Indie Excellence Award, a Gold Global eBook Award, a Diva Literary Award and three Ultimate Planet Awards. She was a Distinguished Favourite in the New York Big Book Awards, a Distinguished Favourite in the Independent Press Awards, a Finalist in the NIEA Awards, a Finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards and has received two Honourable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards.

In 2018 Kiki won Best Author at the Waldorf’s star-studded Diva Awards.

In 2019 The Independent newspaper ranked Kiki #43 in their Top 100 celebrated LGBT+ people.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read! sex,passion,good character development and good storytelling...recommend to all

[Cece S · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.50

[Terry Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty nine year old Andi Armstrong is the CEO of Proud Unity, the UK’s largest LGBT campaigning organization. Andi is an icon, she’s a hands on, tireless campaigner and public speaker and her employees adore her. Her seven year civil partnership is as solid as a rock. Or is it?

Andi has spent seven years fighting for equal marriage rights for same sex partners. The thought that her own civil partnership may be disintegrating is unthinkable. When Andi made her commitment to her wife, she made it for life, it is legally binding. She will do whatever it takes to honor that commitment.

But.....Will the pull of an unexpected attraction prove to be the undoing of all Andi’s beliefs and ideals? Will Andi do an about turn on everything she’s always believed in? Will she give up everything, including her wife, for her own excitement, happiness, desires and above all, love? Or will Andi carry on honoring her commitment and keep on wanting what she is denying herself and the woman who loves her right back?

This is Kiki Archer’s third book and I’ve loved them all. Binding Devotion is different to her first two books. However, it’s her best book yet. Unlike the first two books, this one has a more serious theme. That is not to say there isn’t the usual Kiki Archer humor throughout that I’ve come to expect and love in her books. It adds a nice touch of light heartedness to the story as a whole.

I was pulled right into the story from the very first page. The opening lines just grabbed me and I couldn’t stop reading. With the opening lines of- “Just shove it in, sweetie!” “I’m trying.” “No! Not like that! You have to shove it in and out quickly, or it won’t work.” Who would not be pulled in?

All the characters are multidimensional, interact well together and compliment each other. Rather than feeling like I was reading a book, it was like watching a film as the story evolved.

This book is far more than a fluffy chick-lit romance. It focuses on very real issues and there are quotes from very real people. There is an intricate plot woven throughout the regular story, with so many twists and turns and ups and downs, it evoked a rollercoaster of emotions for me. Never in a million years would I have guessed how this book was going to end.

I have no intentions of putting in any spoilers. I want you all to enjoy this book as much as I have. But I will add one thing, there is a poignant message in this book. One that has the entire story teetering on an axis. No matter what each of us thinks of the rights or wrongs of the characters actions in this book, the message in this story is real, true to life. The story itself may be fiction, but the message is not.

Kiki Archer has surpassed herself. Her writing here is honed to perfection. She has joined the ranks of a small group of excellent writers here in the UK and I’m pleased to notice that her books are also being well read in the USA too.

If you want an enjoyable read that you won’t be able to put down, look no further. I’m envious of all who haven’t read this yet. You’ve got a plethora of delights ahead of you. The only drawback now is........How long do I have to wait for the next Kiki Archer book?

[Pinkdturtle tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, had me going right till the end, certain sex scene was hot to boot woah.
Look forward to her next novel.

[KKEC Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published: January 23, 2021
K.A. Books
Listening Length: 8 hours 8 minutes
Narrators: Ella Lynch
Genre: Lesbian Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I purchased this audiobook on Audible.

Kiki Archer is the UK-based author of ten best-selling, award-winning novels. Ranking highly on the Guardian newspaper’s Pride Power List and the Diva Pride Power List in 2017, 2018, and 2019, Kiki’s ‘chick-lit with a lady-loving twist’ has reached a mainstream audience now embracing stories with lesbian leads. Kiki has won a SoSoGay Best Book Award, a National Indie Excellence Award, a Gold Global eBook Award, a Diva Literary Award, and three Ultimate Planet Awards. She was a Distinguished Favourite in the New York Big Book Awards, a Distinguished Favourite in the Independent Press Awards, a Finalist in the NIEA Awards, a Finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards, and has received two Honourable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards.
In 2018 Kiki won Best Author at the Waldorf’s star-studded Diva Awards.

“But I love you.”

Andi Armstrong is the face of the equal marriage movement. She’s well known and highly adored. She’s married to the business mogul Zara, and together they are a dynamic power couple. Until secrets get revealed, Andi is left wondering what she’s fighting for.

I enjoyed this story. The pacing was good, the character development was good, and the twist was well played.

I loved the arch Andi’s character went through. There was so much growth and strength that allowed the character to bloom. In the beginning, Andi was so soft and gentle, naïve and sweet. But she had an inner strength that she wasn’t aware of.

The steamy scenes were just spicy enough to grab you but left enough to the imagination that it was realistic. There was quite a bit of cheeky humor mixed in the plot as well.

I loved Ella Lynch’s performance. She is such a talented narrator, and she brilliantly brings each character to life. I’ve started buying all the audiobooks I can that she has narrated; I enjoy her storytelling skills.

This was a good book. Just enough sugar and spice to keep things interesting, with a dash of ego and narcissism to make you gasp. Kiki Archer creates the perfect balance of saucy and sweet.

[Gina L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Unexpected!

I saw this listed with one of the literary websites so I thought I would try it. I know it was done many years ago. After reading the first chapter, I was put out. I was not sure a book about cheating and the wife clueless was my thing. However, I did go back and look at some of the reviews. Based on the positive feedback I continued. I have to say it was very good and I will look into Kiki Archers other books. I read “a-lot” of sapphic books but for some reason this writer has alluded me. I loved Andi and her ideals, standing up for something she believes in. Her wife, not so much. Narcissistic. Hiring Pippa and Elizabeth added to an already great supporting cast. Pippa’s personality was exactly what Andi needed in business and in her personal life. I know that is is hard for us readers to see what was so obvious but being in that position, it is not as obvious. This had the chemistry, the flirty banter, the supportive co-workers, the spurned lovers and a nice contented twist at the end. So worth the read even now, years later…..

[Raelynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devotion or Choose Love? . . .

I normally stop reading books that involve cheating, but since it first involved the main character’s spouse, who was an utterly nauseating pig. I condoned the main characters later slip up for the sake of love. The story is about love or contractual control. The marriage commitment that Andi made is her life but when Pippa steps in to her life offering real love, can Andi really stay in a relationship that hurts over having real love? This book is a page turner with some laughs but a lot of intrigue as the story and characters developed. The ending is a HEA but is all a bit rushed when at the end of it all after everything poor Andi endured from Zara, I would have loved to see some real punishment done to the crazy b*tch and maybe more time with Pippa and Andi who deserve happiness.

[Miss Stacey L Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read

Loved some of the characters in this story. Have read it for a second time and still love it, only irritation the repetitive use of ‘my wife’ but that could just be me!?

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure when I started that I would like the story because of the fact that one of the protagonists is already married but I really liked the story and how the author told it. It is worth the time to read it and has a fresh perspective.

[charles clayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reading entertainment ! Not a lot of sapphic sex! But it does have a on the edge of your seat kind of finish ! Plus the HEA ending !💞🌈😍💗

[Rolande Vien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reading. Enjoyed the book.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read of Kiki's. The first one was very recently recommended to me, "lost in the starlight". Perhaps its not fair that I read that book first as this earlier one does not compare. But also if every book was a carbon copy it would be so boring and I would be complaining about that!

Its just my personal view but I just did not take to the characters, and I even found the lead character Andi, a gay marriage activist, very irritating and did not seem to have much redeeming factors. At one point I had sympathy for the cheating wife (I'm not a fan of reading about infidelity).

I do recommend this author for being able to write and convey a story well. For a fantastic read check out her latest book "lost in starlight", I laughed my socks off.

[moxieBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

different from her other stories....

I had this book on my "to-read" pile for quite awhile before I read it. This story is very different from Kiki Archer's other books.

Not to say that's bad. It's actually quite good. There were so many twist and turns in this book, that I started to wonder if I was reading a mystery! I almost dreaded what I might find in the end as I read it. I shouldn't have worried.

Kiki's other books are a little formalistic, which I'm totally OK with because that makes them dependable. But this book really showed me how masterful Kiki can be when it comes to writing characters and their stories.

Off the beaten path, but well worth the read.

[Pat Adams-Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from Kiki Archer's third book, although I had enjoyed her other two immensely, I knew this wasn't the third in a series. It was so different in content, although the love story theme was always present, it was set in a world of pressure group and high finance. I wish I knew how Kiki Archer developed her characters, so that we care about the good ones, and despise the bad ones. Plus, in this book, a little bit of a whodunit....always a bonus! Well done Kiki! Keep them coming!

[Hesch Aut · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first and favourite Kiki Archer, though I'm not yet through with her work.
The two main characters are very likeable (like actually all of Kiki's characters I've read about so far), and it does not take long at all that you want those two to get together. Of course, why else would you read a romance novel, you want a happy end. But Ms. Archer takes her time - and you are grateful for that, because that's highly erotic. And of course you keep laughing your bum off throughout the whole book, because story, characters and dialogues are simply f... funny.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a page turner. I started today and couldn't put it down until I was finished. Archer captures you from the very beginning. I loved the simultaneous storytelling from different character views. There are twits and turns throughout. Some are expected, but most were surprising. I also love the fact that Archer uses the fight for gay rights as a part of this story. It's amazing and I definitely recommend it. Oh and love the cover btw lol.

[Lemon Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was eyerolling and ranting about this. Why are they acting like that? Very non-believable characters after a certain point.

Pet peeve: When characters just decide to have kids out of the blue, while they are obviously failing to communicate with their partner who might not want that... but they just go ahead and decide that it's cool to start a family. HOLY CRAP WHY $@#$*(#

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost stopped at the end of the sample, as I was not hooked in at that point. But as the reviews were high on amazon, I took the chance and purchased it. I was glad I did, as I felt the pace and intrigue really picked up through the chapters. Well worth a read.

[Beth Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I loved the ending. It just kept driving me crazy that you would stay with someone who treats you like crazy just for the sake of a marriage vow. I would've shaken Andi in the 1st 50 pages if I was her friend IRL. Good twist at the end, with a satisfying ending.

[Laura Naysmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I shouted at this book a whole lot! I love Pipa and Andi together when they were just friends but loved them even more when things got more complicated as the attraction started to raise it head. I hate, hate, zara!

[Suzie Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great job, Kiki. Had me guessing until the very end:)

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2013 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)

[Chiyo Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5