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Bound

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Nature vs. Nurture Takes the Battle to the Boardroom - And to Natalie Chen

What's the first thing they teach you in business school?

Never let emotions decide your fate.

That's how people get hurt. That's how millions lose their jobs. That's how I almost lost everything.

When I accepted one of the most highly coveted internships in America, I never expected to fall in love with my boss by the end of the first month.

I never expected that my boss, Eric Mann, used to go by another name a long, long time ago. And the woman the world forgot is screaming to come out and speak of the atrocities once wrought upon her life.

Do I follow my heart and help her expose her family's deepest, darkest secrets to the world? Or do I follow my head and get as far as possible from this debacle?

If I'm telling you this, we already know which path I chose.

Includes a preview of the #1 lesbian romance CRASH & BURN

526 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2017

89 people are currently reading
122 people want to read

About the author

Cynthia Dane

128 books516 followers

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5 stars
134 (52%)
4 stars
75 (29%)
3 stars
34 (13%)
2 stars
7 (2%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for C.
737 reviews77 followers
November 27, 2017
It just felt like too much...

I like these books and have read everyone from these series. This one seemed to be a bit too much...too much going on and honestly the main fall out never really happened. It was also comfusing and even annoying at times when Nat was referring or deciding on Eric(a). When Mann wanted to be Eric she still referred to her constantly as her/she. Now i get that maybe at one point in the story thats what she wanted but throughout, Mann kept constantly telling her that indentifying with one gender or classification was unknown and times felt like Eric and at other times felt like Erica. Confused...well that cause i stink at explaining. Anyway, if thats enough the authors threw in bodyguards, undercover agents, spies, amongst other things. It just felt like it was too much...and the true story got lost...which i thought was who is Eric Mann...
Anyway, free on kindle, pretty well edited, and well an okay long story that at times annoyed me.
Profile Image for Jhosy.
231 reviews1,146 followers
May 5, 2018
This is a difficult book for me to put into a star category. I don't know if I'm being true to my desire with these ratings, but anyway ...
Pros that I liked in the story:
Hildred is always direct and somewhat simple in her way of writing emotions. Don't get me wrong, the book was full of complex feelings and thoughts, but the author writes in such a way that it is you (reader) who feels and is thinking about the subject and not the character that is turning in an infinite loop of anguish and confusion .
I don't know if you can understand it ... Only those who have read Hildred will probably understand what I mean by that.
But anyway ... It raises quite interesting questions like racism, sexism and the question of not knowing where to belong when you come across a community that is not yours.
Nathalie is an American, but she looks completely Taiwanese because of her father. Because of this she finds herself lost between two worlds. The world in which she was created (America), but that doesn't accept it completely because her genetic traits. And the world she has never known (taiwan), but that she is so physically compatible that she could blend in (but then only physically).
Apart from these issues, the book brings with it quite interesting speeches about domestic violence in a family of high power and money and child abuse. Obviously, one of the main themes is the gender issue.
And that's where my negative points start .:
Eric / Erica is introduced at the beginning of the story as a man to whom Nathalie is drawn. In a certain part of the story Nathalie discovers that Eric / Erica is biologically a woman. Eric / Erica at one point tells Nathalie that they doesn't know who he / she is.
However, after a while the character begins to call Eric / Erica as a woman in her head. No matter how many times Eric / Erica says they doesn't know their gender, Nathalie sees them then just as a woman.
This made me very uncomfortable with the Nathalie's character . On one side I understand the author's choice, for she is writing from Nathalie's point of view and by no means do we know at that moment what Eric / Erica is thinking about their genre. So I understand how the author wrote Nathalie's thoughts and that's what makes me not like the character.
Nathalie makes decisions for Eric / Erica in her own head, she decides which genre of their lover without consulting them before. She deals with the press without asking Eric / Erica. And Nathalie is a bit arrogant as hell.
I would like to make it clear that I have read the author others books and therefore I can afimartively ensure that Nathalie's thinking about not calling to check with her lover the pronoun as he / she wants to be called is definitely something of Nathalie's character, not of the author.
In Ren'ai Asai series, the character Aiko is completely different when found in the same position.
Anyway ... This is my explanation for the rating I'm giving, 3.5 stars, for this story.
Ah yes, it is worth mentioning that this author always writes very interesting books with very important subjects such as sexism, gender identity, racism, among other things. All this in an interesting way and with good doses of sex and cuteness.
It's interesting to see how the author writes love relationships and how they are never perfect and in a way, I'm okay with it. Because in reality nothing is, right?
365 reviews42 followers
April 23, 2018
Bound is a book chock full of thematic potential.

Natalie narrates a complex and perplexing story. She has unbounded enthusiasm for business and means to work her way up the ladder to the top. She landed a plum internship in the employ of her professional inspiration. The confounding but aptly named Eric Mann commands Natalie's attention on all fronts. Her job, though ill defined, brings her in close contact with Eric and the inner circle around him. She doesn't have to scratch or claw her way to her own place at Eric's side. In part one, she works hard at her job, but plays the sub to Eric's Dom. Cliches abound only to be unwound.

Part two unveils the big secret which really isn't much of a secret since this book is a lesbian romance. The opening scene and the author notes also slam home the central theme of Bound. Eric was born Erica. She and her twin brother Eric were raised by an abusive father, Charles Mann, and an indifferent mother. Eric died at age five and Erica was tapped to be his lifelong impersonator. Undear old dad, and his staff of professional child manipulators, trained Erica to fool everyone. At thirty and with dad now dead, Eric Mann tries to peel her false identity off like layers of an onion. Natalie witnesses firsthand that her lover Eric is a woman. As the narrator, she has the job of telling this weird and shameful story. She shows and tells what happens with a lover's heart. At first too shocked and too heterosexual to take a bite from Erica apple, Natalie embraces her need to be with the one she loves.

Bound plays around with the theme of bondage. Eric tells Natalie, during their first time together as lovers, that he is into bondage. Obviously, Eric routinely binds her breasts to hide Erica. All the games people play because they are bound by sex roles, sexuality and racial identity are woven into the story. The nature vs. nurture conundrum greatly confuses the characters as they deal with their issues. Eric turns, from therapists and prostitutes, to Natalie for help to bring Erica back from the dead. She knows that she was born a girl, but doesn't know what that means after so long living as Eric. Personal and societal history also binds the characters in restrictive ways. Old friends, past lovers, coworkers and employees manage to reinforce self destructive patterns. The family acts as the institution which imprints false, damaged and harmful limitations on the psyche of these characters. How are they able to survive and grow, instead of giving into the madness that underlies this novel? Wound could easily replace Bound as the title for this book. The image of ripping off the band aid comes up repeatedly. Can the truth set them all free from the false constructs which bind them together or will things fall apart for the business and the relationships that have been built on the seminal lie?

In the end, this girl meets boy and boy is a girl story is a trip. It's a trip worth taking. As a feminist, lesbian and progressive reader, Bound had too much unfulfilled potential for me. Forgetting these filters, I did enjoy reading this book. A second book told from Eric's perspective is possible. I clicked on the survey in the back of the book and voted yes. Who knows what will come of that from these prolific authors? Stay tuned.
Profile Image for Cindy Stein.
789 reviews13 followers
November 7, 2017
Natalie Chen lands a highly competitive post-MBA internship at Mann-Garrett, a large company run by the mysterious billionaire Eric Mann. As her highly competent skills become recognized, she gains the attention of Eric and the two soon become sexually involved. But all is not as it seems with Eric. Natalie soon discovers inadvertently that Eric is really Erica, the twin sister of the boy who died at the age of 5 and who was raised by her autocratic father to become Eric.

This book explores in depth issues of gender expression, gender identity, gender dysphoria and sexual orientation in a way that doesn't detract from the plot or the characters. It's actually a pretty steamy romance. Natalie is a strong main character who doesn't tolerate either sexism or the racism directed at her. As a Taiwanese-American, she is faced with subtle and not so subtle prejudice, experiences that lead her to understand some of what Erica has to endure.

While the book on the whole is very strong, there are a few flaws that bring my real rating to a 4.5, though I've rounded up because overall the book deserved it. While about the first 3/4 of the book is about the growing relationship of Natalie and Eric/a, the book takes a turn toward corporate intrigue toward the end when the plot seems to need some new tensions. Not everyone will find the gender politics and analysis here comfortable (e.g., does Erica really have to evolve to be so feminine?), but the book raises a lot of points for discussion.
Profile Image for Paula.
72 reviews18 followers
June 26, 2019
I was a little reluctant to read this one but I'm glad I did because it's really good.
It's a different kind of reading for me, cause it's not usual for me to read just one side of the story, I thought I might get bored, but turned out I didn't.

The thing that I didn't like it was the whole thing in France, with the ex (aka PA), it felt like Erica still had some kind of fillings toward her, but I don't know.

I love all the books I read by theses two writers, they really write very well together.

Also, the hot stuff is really good and it doesn't take so long for them to be together, which I appreciate a lot, and it's really sexy.

F/f explicit.
Profile Image for Lisa.
33 reviews
October 31, 2017
Wow

The latest book from the authors is just Wow! I'd give it more than five stars if I could! One of the most compelling and interesting stories I've read in a while. I was intensely angry at what Erica went through but elated at how Natalie responded when she realized the truth.
2 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2023
AN actually REAL book!

What I mean to say is - this is a real piece of literature. It has a complex and interesting plot. There are real characters to favor or not. It's not an ideological screed but a true ringing tale of human need. The authors extract the quintessence of love and romance, often tongue in cheek, and portray the perseverance of a persuer lover in pursuit of her authentic object (i.e. Freudian) of enduring love laced with the libidinous energy of our species, shorn of rat trap postmodernism of gender and the political rubbish that ruins any current discussion of our species. Here, as Newman said: Cor ad Cor loguitur," which is why I'm genuinely partial to emotionally mature lesbian stories.
Profile Image for Babi.
22 reviews2 followers
January 11, 2024
This book is a bit of a gender-bender and the first one I've read that deals strongly with body dysmorphia. I think one of the reasons I rated this book so highly is because it made me think about these topics in a way I never had. I enjoyed reading the different perspectives - Erica, who is struggling with her identity and wonders if it's nature or nurture, then Natlie, who is working through understanding Erica's struggles as well as coming to her own realizations about herself. Outside of those inner struggles, there's some steamy romance and a workplace sabotage plot to keep your attention.

Bonus, you'll get a minor cameo of some other characters from the authors overarching series, namely from Hard to Get.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
243 reviews11 followers
November 22, 2017
Different than anything I've read in a while

I'm trying to think of something to add that the description and other reviewers have left out. The subject matter of this book is heavy, but I'm so glad they did this. Identity can have a unique meaning for each of us. So what happens when you feel that you don't really have one? A lot of self a exploration, therapy, and heartache. Not just heartache of the person trying to figure out who they are, but also the people that try to love that individual. This is an amazing story of how two people on two separate paths to same destination meet and help one another figure things out. I highly recommend this book.
572 reviews5 followers
November 29, 2023
Holy smokes this is one intense read and Hot, Hot, Hot!

Ms Billings and Ms Dane have stirred up a pot of sizzling, intensity with some laughs thrown in just for kicks. I absolutely loved this book! The characters are full, the locations beautiful and did I mention it is HOT? There is intrigue, and a brutal old history that is slowly leaked and needed to be dealt with. All in all a very strong tale is told with sensitivity and some heart breaking moments. Boy is this one going on my to be read again and again shelf!
Profile Image for Carolyn G. Manuel.
1,070 reviews
November 3, 2020
Heart wrenching drama.

Erica “died” when she’s five years old and Eric her twin has to live on. The horror of the life Erica is forced to live when her father decides she must be the son he needs to take over his empire. A chance to survive and share love is only a remote possibility. The story of Nature vs Nurture is told thru the eyes of Natalie Chen, a lowly intern, in the web that time has weaved. Marvelous performance. Recommend.
Profile Image for J H.
526 reviews12 followers
May 11, 2022
Incredible story

SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO: bet or dare, butch character, erotica; UNICORN: 400+ pages, twins, BDSM, safer sex, period (possibly other categories)

This was a unique and original story for me. I've never read a book where a daughter was forced to live as a male when her twin brother died when they were ten, and her father wouldn't let her take over his company in the future as a daughter. It was quite a bet more complicated than that, though. The story was told from the other MC's perspective, and her life had its own complications to add to the mix.

It was fascinating to read how the authors wrote a character that had to deal with their own duality after deciding to remain living as a man, or sacrifice the family empire and affect its numerous international employees. There were secrets and some espionage, passion and erotic romance, and some unusual circumstances where difficult choices by both women had to be made. I was absolutely enthralled, and it was the most intriguing book I can ever recall reading.
Profile Image for Rein.
217 reviews1 follower
May 31, 2025
complicated

While it was definitely a new type of story it just didn’t do I for me. There was this whole build up of secrets and plots and infiltration then it all does on a bridge in Paris. I feel like if you’re going to tackle a hard subject matter such as this then it shouldn’t be convoluted with all the extra stuff. Also the relationship of Erica and Natalie sort of fell flat.
49 reviews
June 6, 2019
Bound discusses everything from murder to gender dysphoria. An interesting and easy read, with an unexpected happy ending. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down, but I expected no less from Billings. She’s becoming one of my favorite authors, and I love her Easter eggs! Loved seeing Eva, Stella and Nadia!
Profile Image for Maryp.
62 reviews8 followers
September 15, 2020
Absolutely loved it. It's ruthless, witty and unraveling.

I love how the characters are unapologetic in their choices the world be damned.

Cynthia Dane | Hildred Billings have a way of twisting characters in the books that keeps you on the edge of your sofa till you read "The End" And you still want more.
Profile Image for Crystal Wren.
58 reviews1 follower
January 31, 2021
Excellent

I have become addicted to the characters of Ms. Dane and Ms. Billings. This one was wonderfully thought-provoking and no less sizzling than their other books. I have to be careful when I read one if their books because I know I will accomplish nothing from start to finish. I will be completely encompassed by the world they create. Thank you.
Profile Image for Marty Preslar.
Author 3 books14 followers
May 4, 2018
Stunning

A fantastic story, with plenty of plot twists. However, it's the character development and the way the two main characters have such fantastic chemistry that really stands out.
872 reviews3 followers
January 16, 2019
A woman forced to behave as a man.

The complications that arise when you are told by your father that you will be a man even though you were born a woman. A different style of writing for the author but I think she pulled it off and wrote a sequel to follow. Enjoy!
394 reviews7 followers
May 8, 2019
Intense and worth it

Having read many of the authors' F/F books, I am a huge fan. This couple is a huge part of their universe, but I put it off because of the issues faced in it. Glad I finally got around to reading it. Bound Reflection is next!
109 reviews
December 31, 2019
Hard too resist.

I love everything about the story of how Natalie and Erica got together although when she got the job as and intern she was crushing on her boss because she was idolize by how he make too be CEO off the company Natalie was going too work.
745 reviews3 followers
February 9, 2020
Incredible

Incredible book! Lots of intrigue,twists and turns. Really kept me engaged... I couldn't put it down.
Definitely recommend it you're looking for something out of the ordinary.
Profile Image for Susan.
671 reviews3 followers
October 23, 2020
Wow!

This was quite the exploration into a subject that not too many authors touch, much less, do well. Is the gender dysphoria suffered by Eric/Erica a result of nature or nurture? This well written book belongs on your must read list!
3 reviews
February 19, 2023
Wow!

This was such a great love story! So original and engaging. I shed tears from both happiness and sadness! I've read a ton of books in the last few weeks and this one has become a top favorite!
Profile Image for Pauline Smith.
59 reviews
August 17, 2024
This book made me think so many things. I can't imagine the mind f**k of having to live that kind of lie for practically my whole life. It stirred a lot of emotions so I suppose that was the point. Quite the subject to tackle. Can't wait to read the reflection. Good writing 👍
Profile Image for Heather Henkel.
1,404 reviews23 followers
May 2, 2018
Good book

I liked the gender issues that were discussed in this book. I liked that most things weren't cut and dry but somewhere in the middle.
20 reviews
January 31, 2019
Gripping and heartbreaking

There were quite a few plot twists that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the entire book.
816 reviews8 followers
May 25, 2020
I passed this book over several times before finally reading it. It is a much different story than I was expecting and totally enjoyed it.
1 review
March 30, 2025
Great read

Can't wait to read the next book in the series, such an inspiring story of a woman overcoming such trauma and finding love in the process
Profile Image for Daryl.
149 reviews
September 6, 2020
I was expecting a very different book, which is my own fault for not reading the summary.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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