Cocktails and Books
Written on Aug 2, 2015
Initially, I received Bonded to review but once I read the synopsis I realized I wouldn't be able to understand the key plot or truly enjoy Bonded without reading the first three books. With this series, I strongly advise to read the entire series in order.
Branded is the first book in this series about the eldest brother Deac. I won't say much about it but here is where what I believe is the key plot of the series begins- the death of their sister Cassie. A little something about her murder is revealed in each book and how it affect each of the brothers. Broken, I would say had the most interesting sibling, James. The one who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and refuses to forgive himself. In this one, the Sheriff of the town in implicated in the death of their sister. Also a villain is introduced here who is strongly connected to the death of Cassie.
Brash, this one was about Cole and I liked this brother best. He's Cassie twin brother and the one literally fighting his demons. He's willing to go to any extent to find his sister's murderer. But when eh ends up falling for the Sheriff's daughter, he's stuck on the fence also looking for evidence to exonerate the sick man. Following the death of the villain in Broken, their number one suspect, Cassie's secret boyfriend comes to town for the funeral. I was sure Cole was going to rip this guy's head off without so much of an how do you do.
I enjoyed this book most because the heroine Grace, she wasn't so forceful in getting Cole to deal with the aftermath of Cassie's death. The heroines in the first two, even the last really rubbed me the wrong way. The wanted things done their way and at their time. I loved that Blue, the main character in Bonded pointed this fact out, about Mac in book one, "I'm done feeling the way you want me to feel".
Bonded, the final Cavanaugh brother. He finds out that his boss was actually his biological father and he'd been living a lie all his life. It doesn't help that his brothers treat him like a bastard. Blue has some serious issues and the fact that everyone around him that he loved lie and manipulate him for their own gain doesn't help much. Even worse when the girl he thought he loved becomes the center focus of the murder of the sister he never knew. Blue has some serious anger and resentment and knocking a girl up ends up being the one thing he needed to bring his life back in focus.
In Bonded, we finally learn who killed Cassie and why. It was difficult for me to old off jumping straight to this book. I wanted to follow the story, see each clue about the murder unfold and reveal something more. I must say the murder mystery embroiled in each book, and the suspense created in the ending with new revelations was what I liked best about this series. The romance stories were okay but they felt a little rushed, brash and not very intimate. I felt no emotional connections between the characters and it also did not resonate with me. Cole's was the only romance that I was interested in. A little more effort was required in the romance side of the stories.
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