Bound Together

by Jane Davitt

Simon Weatherly is recovering from a bad break up with his boyfriend Luke and in a rut. A knock at the door brings Chris Ross into his life, a man who, like him, was involved with Luke, both as his employee and lover. Cheated of his wages, Chris has taken a valuable book from Luke, which he offers to sell to Simon, a collector, an offer Simon accepts without realising the consequences.

In the days that follow, debts are repaid and Simon and Chris discover that they share more than just an ex; they're a matched pair, one seeking control and one wanting to give it up.

Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Contemporary, Romance, Erotica, Anthologies, Short Stories

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2010

About the author

Retired from pro writing, pretty much. Any books where the rights are with me I've put up at A03, along with all my fic, which I'm still writing.

[Free reads and my fanfic are here:
Jane Davitt at AO3]

Thank you to all who read my books. It meant a lot.

Reviews

[Kaje Harper]

This short story brings together two men who were both dumped by the same closeted bastard. Simon has built a new life for himself among the books he collects, while Chris is freshly rejected, raw and angry. This story is short enough that I'll spoiler the early plot device. Chris has stolen a book from their mutual ex, and brought it to sell to Simon on the excuse that he needs money. Which he does, but not as urgently as all that - he's looking to hurt the man who hurt him, and to connect up with someone who will sympathize and understand.

This is pretty good for what it is - a BDSM erotic short story that's light on the plot. I would have loved for it to be longer, to see how the relationship dynamics play out. The two men encountering their manipulative ex could have been milked for a lot more fun. As it stands, most of the relationship exploration happens in the bedroom, in the context of the BDSM they both discover they enjoy. I did enjoy that, but the story set-up was so intriguing and fun that I really wished I had been able to see more of that play out in a fuller way.

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

3.7 Stars

OMG the UST, the build up, the edging on this was phenomenal...and then WHAM! Misunderstanding. Argh! Still, I loved how this was all about the control aspect of BDSM and not the sadomasochism; no safewords because they were both pretty new to this, but "stop" worked just fine.

[Trio]

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT

From start to finish, 100% perfect.

[Jenny (Nyxie)]

Tags: audiobook only (no ebook), erotic romance, novella, orgasm denial, kink exploration, book collector MC

This story really surprised me - I had pretty low expectations, but ended up really enjoying it. The UST is really well done, along with the MC’s exploring orgasm denial as part of their first encounter. This ended up being pretty much everything I’m looking for in an erotic novella.

Unfortunately it’s only available in audiobook, and the audio quality isn’t great. The narrator does a pretty good job with his part, but the production is poor - there are some reverb / echo issues during parts of the book that were distracting.

Would recommend if you can find it on sale, definitely not worth a full audible credit.

[Chris]

Good m/m romance about a book collector who discovers his dominant tendencies after a younger man shows up on his doorstep selling a rare book.

[Liz (Bugetta)]

I liked this short story about two men who come together because of a shared ex they'd both like to forget and find that they also have a shared attraction and discover an interest in (yes you guessed it based on the title): bondage. I liked reading about two people figuring out their interest in a kink and would have loved to read more about these guys.

[Tailtiu]

3,5* part of the Fabulous Brits Anthology

[Jimmy Hanson]

Luke, the ex, had a lot more involvement in the story than I was expecting. Not that he ever physically shows up, but the fact that there are conversations both experienced and implied with both Simon and Chris, and a lot of their conversation revolved around him.

Once it got past that and got down to the gritty - hooo, boy. Hot!
It was cool how Simon and Chris had this thing going between them that neither one of them had even thought of entertaining before, how they found something that was uniquely theirs. I still don't fully understand a bit of the conflict that separates them, but their coming back together was explosive, and Davitt is enough of a romantic at heart to keep it true to the couple and make it truly feel like they were meant to be together, despite everything else.

[Book Utopia]

More like 3.5, but because I like this author, I'm rounding it up.

The author's intelligent voice shines through in all her work, and this is no exception. I find her particular brand of eroticism completely my style, so the sex in this is by far the best part. What dragged this down for me was Simon's reaction out of left field just when things were getting good between him and Chris. His rationale was muddled and poorly explained, and I was as frustrated as Chris by it all. It gets resolved quickly, but not fast enough to fix me getting thrown out of the story for the last few pages.

[itmfiddler]

A very interesting, complex read for such a short story. The start of the book was awkward, but shortly into it, I decided that actually added to the story. I loved the abrupt endings of the various scenes, it all worked together so well. There were particular moments where it was just beautiful. The only reason this is not a 5 star is it was too short. I would love to read more about Chris and Simon.

[Wendy❤Ann]

I’ve really enjoyed the other books I’ve read by this author. This one was good, but definitely not my favorite. I didn’t feel as though I had enough of a chance to connect with the main characters in order to really hook me into the story. So, despite being good and enjoying this while it lasted, I don’t think it’s one that will stick with me for the long haul.

[Amber]

Not real great but not horrible either. I didn't like the plote to much because I really can see Luke keeping pictures of Simon around since he is such a jerk, not can I see Simon calling Luke about the book then giving it back for free after being burned by the guy. The sex was hot but the characters fell a little flat and 1 dimensional to me.

[JD]

I wasn't sure how this one was going to go. There was a typo on one of the first few pages and I almost put the book down. Glad I didn't. I enjoyed Chris and Simon. I was terribly upset when I realized the book was over. Could have read more.The only thing keeping this from a five star was the length and minor typos. Can't do five stars for a novella.

[Merith]

A great read with fantastic characters.

[JustJen "Miss Conduct"]

A very enjoyable short read. This definitely had enough going for it that I would have liked to see more of it. 3 1/2 stars for me.

[Allybaba]

More like 3.5 - I liked both of the MCs. It was short but enjoyable.

[Marlobo ♥ epilogues]

2.5 stars

Read as part of Fabulous BritsAnthology.

[Lois - Who Reads]

A very quick read. Simon and Chris are likely and the story arc is interesting.

[Dani]

3,5 stars

Nice, sexy read with ok characterization and intelligent dialogue.

[Diane]

Rather on the bored side. All it's about is sex, there really was not plot about getting back at the cheating ex.

[Gianna]

This does not read like it's a 51 page book. Usually when you have shorter stories they're over before they really begin. Not this one. You would think you actually read a novella at the very least. Chris had an "I dare you" kind of attitude which complimented Simon's "this is how it is" attitude. And you wanted to see them work it out too.

[Kristina]

18,200 words according to allromance.com