It’s been almost two weeks since I started this book, and admittedly, I don’t recall everything about it. Here’s what I do remember, though:

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Fetish is a fairly loaded word, and it is too easy, too throw-away a word, to use for this novel, which appreciates a continuum of sexuality, with no derision.

The humanity of this novel was why it was so rewarding. Tolerance, lack of prejudice, curiosity, liberation, indulgence - so many words could describe Merry and her embrace of Rob.

Her background is a gay father, an independent mother, growing up in San Francisco - it's the good side of American culture. There's also a lot about wilderness, solitude, aloneness, nature - which is a nod to another good side of California.

There's a purity to the novel, and Merry's and Rob's reactions to their discovery of each other - that is other-worldly, like an Eden, thanks to the setting in the Scottish Highlands, and the lack of intrusion of the outside world. The only thing that looms menacingly is their upcoming separation and the implications for Rob's addiction.

Unbound will count as one of my most memorable and heart piercing reads of 2022 for sure.

Every now and then I read a romantic drama that doesn't rely on the cleverness and wit that characterises romantic comedies - which seem to be having a heyday and are the best of romance literature at present.

This was published in 2013, not quite 10 years ago, and according to one blogger I read, the explicitness that makes this story possible was around for about a decade before this book, which she reviews: https://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/the-vanishing-closed-door-rom...

This explicitness certainly passed me by until I took up romance literature about 2 years ago, and I'm very sorry that I didn't know it existed.

This revolution playing out in popular romance fiction is on the scale of the sexual awakening of the 60s! and I wish everyone knew about it, both men and women - so they can participate in it, passively if not actively - but hopefully, act it out in their day to day lives!

Nov 2023: Looking back on my reading I saw the score on this one. Unfortunately, I didn't recognise it at all since I wrote nothing about the circumstances of the novel - the 'tramping' through the Scottish countryside and refuge in a remote cottage ... The blurb fills in this gap in my memory nicely:
"Merry's lost a lot recently--first her mother, then close to a hundred pounds. Feeling adrift, she strikes out in search of perspective. A three-week hike through the Scottish Highlands was supposed to challenge her new body and refocus her priorities, but when disaster strikes, she's forced to seek refuge in the remote home of a brooding, handsome stranger."

The narration is by Lucy Rivers - don't think I've heard her before, or since, yet her casting is perfect. Her voice - slightly husky, quiet - it exactly suits the material, and I love the voice she gives to the introverted Scottish Rob. I see that she has narrated 3 other novels in my libraries, two are historical fiction and I can see that would work very well with her style. Yet on Audible it comes up with the figure of 230 books read by her, when I do a search for her name!!

I wish there were more audiobooks by Cara McKenna in my libraries - but this is the only one - and two on Audible.

Dec 2023 - I borrowed this again given how impressed I was by it. OMG, the power of this book! It's very long, at 10 hours, so at times I wished it would hurry along. But the emotional connection that develops between these two characters over a week is so raw and powerful. They are ordinary people who have both fought demons, but the empathy and honesty between them turns each into a gorgeous spirit, a diamond. I've upped my score from 4.5 to 5 - a rare rating in my catalogue. ( )

4.7 stars

I read this for the # TBRChallenge, previous updates with my full thoughts, comments, and quotes can be found:
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Reading Update: 100%

In it's outline, this is a grumpy + sunshine (with a life saving doggo!) with a heroine taking a trip to Scotland to find herself. She comes upon a hermit (who's hot!) and ends up having to stay with him when she gets sick.

In author McKenna's hands it becomes so much more with characters who have layers and layers. Rob our hero is an alcoholic which is partly caused by his personal kink of needing to be tied up and wanting to be submissive and feel used in the bedroom. This ends up fitting perfectly with our heroine Merry as she is in the process of discovering who she really is and wanting to exert her power. Notice those dynamics, a big strong manly man who is submissive in the bedroom and our less physically powerful heroine alone but wanting to feel powerful? Brilliant.

Along with the character layers there is depth and emotion. I had endless lines, quotes, and scenes to highlight and discuss in my reading updates. I did think Rob held back from telling Merry he was an alcoholic for too long as it gave a little bit of a rushed feeling to the end. I was disappointed we didn't get to "see" Merry and her friends have a moment or Rob with his brother.

Overall, though, this hit me in the feels and if you can handle some sexy SEXY times, Unbound is a book you need to read, then come talk to me about it :) ( )

Unbound by Cara McKenna is a highly erotic journey of self-acceptance, redemption and love.

Neither Merry nor Rob are comfortable with who they are. Both continue to define themselves by their respective pasts and the people they used to be. Merry still sees herself as the overweight person she has always been. While she is happy with most of the physical changes from her weight loss, she still struggles with her self-image. The negative reactions of some of her friends lead her to a better understanding of herself and the realization that she has been settling for less than deserves in both her personal and professional lives.

At first glance, Rob appears to be the more together of the two. But as the story progresses, it soon becomes clear he is emotionally crippled by his troubled past. Filled with loathing and shame by his self-destructive past and what he considers deviant sexual desires, Rob is virtually a recluse who rarely leaves his cottage. His retreat has allowed him to stop his downward spiral, but he has not dealt with the underlying causes of his issues.

Rob is at first closed off and standoffish, but Merry slowly draws him out of his shell. Merry is attracted to Rob, and despite his mixed signals, she realizes the attraction is mutual. It does not take long for her to discover she will have to take charge of their sexual relationship. Merry assumes the dominant role in the bedroom and when she uncovers the kink that Rob is desperately hiding? She is not only accepting of it, but she relishes helping him act out his darkest fantasies. Their resulting sex scenes are intense, deliciously kinky and scorching hot.

Rob and Merry are brutally honest with themselves and their assessments of their pasts are sometimes harsh and unflattering. They both own their pasts and never try to push the blame for their actions off on other people. Rob is unable to forgive himself for his past and he is tortured by the damage he inflicted on the people he loves. He does not give up his secrets easily or freely but once he reveals what he considers to be his deepest and most shameful secret, Rob is finally able to take steps to truly heal.

Unbound is a complex, gritty and emotional read. Rob and Merry are flawed and a little bit broken but they are beautifully redeemed by the novel's end. Cara McKenna deftly balances heartbreak with hope and the end result is a delightfully non-traditional romance that is incredibly moving and not easily forgotten. ( )

ayyyyy

v readable. smart! cute! sometimes i didnt agree w/ the writing or the characterisation, but i skipped those parts bc life is TOO short.

a fun read. ( )