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Bound by Desire: A Dark Psychological Thriller
He knows her. Her routines. Her loneliness. Her desire to be seen.
To him, taking her wasn't a crime. It was fate.
Now she's locked in a house that feels more like a shrine. And he’s waiting for her to love him again.
*****
Anna's world is long hours in a call centre, cheap dinners eaten in silence. No one to miss her.
Or so she thought.
I brought you home.
Richard knows her. He's been watching her for so long. He knows how she thinks—the desires she keeps hidden for the darkness. He knows what she wants, deep inside.
For Richard, this isn't an abduction. It's a reunion.
You came back to me.
Anna tries to stay strong, but each failed escape chips away at her resolve.
Richard is patient, meticulous, and terrifyingly calm. And sometimes, his kindness feels more dangerous than his threats.
You know you could be happy here. If you'd just let yourself.
But the longer she stays, the harder it becomes to remember who she was before the door clicked shut.
For readers of Room and The Collector, Bound By Desire is a psychological thriller that blurs the line between horror and love, captivity and connection.
The first in a series exploreing the shifting dynamics between captor and captive—where romance creeps in slowly, disturbingly, and never traditionally.
Some love stories don't begin with a kiss. They begin with a locked door.
******
18+ Mature Content. Not suitable for younger readers. Please check the Author's Note at the start of the book for detailed trigger warnings.
To him, taking her wasn't a crime. It was fate.
Now she's locked in a house that feels more like a shrine. And he’s waiting for her to love him again.
*****
Anna's world is long hours in a call centre, cheap dinners eaten in silence. No one to miss her.
Or so she thought.
I brought you home.
Richard knows her. He's been watching her for so long. He knows how she thinks—the desires she keeps hidden for the darkness. He knows what she wants, deep inside.
For Richard, this isn't an abduction. It's a reunion.
You came back to me.
Anna tries to stay strong, but each failed escape chips away at her resolve.
Richard is patient, meticulous, and terrifyingly calm. And sometimes, his kindness feels more dangerous than his threats.
You know you could be happy here. If you'd just let yourself.
But the longer she stays, the harder it becomes to remember who she was before the door clicked shut.
For readers of Room and The Collector, Bound By Desire is a psychological thriller that blurs the line between horror and love, captivity and connection.
The first in a series exploreing the shifting dynamics between captor and captive—where romance creeps in slowly, disturbingly, and never traditionally.
Some love stories don't begin with a kiss. They begin with a locked door.
******
18+ Mature Content. Not suitable for younger readers. Please check the Author's Note at the start of the book for detailed trigger warnings.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2025
5 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 21, 2025
I loved this book!
I'd planned on reading it over the weekend, but alas I stayed up all night reading it - even though that means I'll probably have to call off work tomorrow.
I was hooked when we were introduced to the FMC as she was very relatable. Reminded me of myself in my twenties. The MMC was less relatable, but I was also invested in getting to know him right away as well.
Things escalated quickly in this book. So, I think I got hooked fairly quickly. The storyline is unique. The topics as laid out in the description are not new (there are so many books with captivity now), but the author handles it in a way that I haven't seen before. I like that the author grapples with trauma response and also the reality of what living out our kinky fantasies might actually be like.
There were a few typos and sequencing that threw me off - things I would have expected a beta reviewer or editor to catch, but not enough to detract from the book.
The omniscient narration didn't seem to be a good fit for this as the author was really trying to get us in the heads of the main characters. So, at times it felt like POV shifts between the two main characters, but it really wasn't. That was difficult for me, but again not enough to detract from the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
I'd planned on reading it over the weekend, but alas I stayed up all night reading it - even though that means I'll probably have to call off work tomorrow.
I was hooked when we were introduced to the FMC as she was very relatable. Reminded me of myself in my twenties. The MMC was less relatable, but I was also invested in getting to know him right away as well.
Things escalated quickly in this book. So, I think I got hooked fairly quickly. The storyline is unique. The topics as laid out in the description are not new (there are so many books with captivity now), but the author handles it in a way that I haven't seen before. I like that the author grapples with trauma response and also the reality of what living out our kinky fantasies might actually be like.
There were a few typos and sequencing that threw me off - things I would have expected a beta reviewer or editor to catch, but not enough to detract from the book.
The omniscient narration didn't seem to be a good fit for this as the author was really trying to get us in the heads of the main characters. So, at times it felt like POV shifts between the two main characters, but it really wasn't. That was difficult for me, but again not enough to detract from the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
Displaying 1 of 1 review