bitter bondsRating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novella


The guardian angels are back in Bitter Bonds by Lex Valentine, this time to try and bring two broken, musical souls together.

Everyone close to Finn Decker has turned their backs on him. On the brink of starvation and sleeping on the streets, Finn is trying to get up the nerve to sell his body, if only to have money to eat for the night. Lucky for Finn, he was looking to sell himself at the leather bar Dominants at Darkness. Even luckier, Ray, part owner of Darkness, found Finn and learned his story. And Ray has just the plan.

Burned by the submissives in his past and dedicated to his career, Jake Conrad has sworn to never collar another man. It would be his luck that his friend Ray would bring the perfect boy to his doorstep. Finn is everything that Jake would want as a submissive, but he’s sure he can’t give the Finn what he needs. But he agrees to give Finn a job and to house and feed him for as long as he needs.

The attraction is immediate and intense between Jake and Finn. One man carries trust issues, afraid that he will be thrown out at any moment. The other has commitment issues, afraid to trust himself to give his lover what he needs. Both men have to learn to trust themselves and one another before they lose the only chance either of them has for happiness.

Bitter Bonds is the second book in Lex Valentine’s Souls in Bondage series.

What a sweet story. I really liked this book. Bitter Bonds is a story of healing past hurts and focusing on the future. It’s a heartwarming story that I enjoyed from the very beginning. It’s well written and flows well.  It is well paced and honestly, it didn’t even feel like I’d been reading for hours by the end of the book.

Valentine presents two characters with two very different, very painful pasts, and together they help heal one another. Finn is young and alone. He’s been used and cast aside by everyone he’s cared for in his life. Jake’s history with submissives has left him feeling like a poor excuse for a Dominant. He’s quit trusting his instincts. Together they’re quite the pair, but the healing that they bring out in one another is beautiful. I truly adore these characters.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in the story as well. The two submissives, Micah and Haven, are amazing friends to Finn – supportive and loving. They add to Finn’s strength as a character. And then the other Dominants – Ray, Nick, Kellan, and Gavin are all wonderful friends to both men. All of these men make this story so much better. I love them all.

The BDSM aspect of this book is subtle. Readers don’t really get deep into the couple’s kinky life, as most of the book is the individual healing of the characters. But I can’t help but wish there had been a little more kink, because we all know I love kink. Also, I’ll be honest with you. I usually don’t read books with angels. They’re not really my thing. But the angels aren’t main characters here and they hold a very small role in the overall story.

This is the first book I’ve read of Lex Valentine’s. I’ve not read Broken Bonds, which is the first book in this series, but it has joined my to-be-read list. I adore the characters and I enjoyed the heartwarming story. From the end of the book, I’m assuming that Gavin’s story is not next, and I really want to read his story. So I’m guessing the next story is either Ray’s (which I’m hoping for) or a new, unknown character. Either way, I can’t wait to see what Valentine has coming up next. And I’m hoping to read Nick and Micah’s story someday as well. I highly recommend Bitter Bonds by Lex Valentine.

crissy sig