Bonded by Laura Wright – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
Bonded
The Cavanaugh Brothers series – Book #4
by Laura Wright
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository
Description
Ranch hand Blue Perez’s once simple life is spinning out of control. He’s discovered he has three half-brothers, and they’re not ready to accept his claim on the ranch. Also, Blue’s girlfriend may have betrayed him in the worst way possible. And after one evening of drowning his sorrows at the bar, there’s someone he can’t get out of his mind, a woman who says she’s carrying his child.
Following a night of breathtaking passion in the arms of the man she’s longed for all her life, waitress Emily Shiver is contemplating her next step. With everything that’s going on in Blue’s life, she doesn’t want to force him into fatherhood. Yet as hard hearted as he may seem, Blue can’t turn his back on her, particularly when she becomes the target of someone’s dark obsession….
Review:
Bonded by Laura Wright is the 4th book in her wonderful Cavanaugh Brothers series. This is Blue’s story, and the closure to the ongoing mystery of their sister’s murder years ago. In each of the previous books, each brother found their love, and a clue to move them closer to what happened to Cass.
Blue Perez is the illegitimate son, and half brother to the Cavanaugh Brothers. Blue could not handle that his mother never told him the truth about his father, and throughout the series, he has been distant, angry and cold to her, as well as Mac and the brothers.
In the last book, Blue discovered that the woman he was beginning to trust and care for, though through the internet, was in fact someone who knew Cass, and after finding Cass’s diary, he begins to suspect she knows more then she claims. Broken some more that he was lied to once again, Blue gets drunk and wakes up after a one night stand with the local waitress, Emily Shiver. As much as he tries, he finds it difficult to forget that passionate night with Emily.
Emily is our heroine in this book, and she is sweet and very well liked. Emily can’t forget Blue either, and when she finds out she is pregnant, she is forced by her brother to tell Blue.
What follows is a sweet slow to build romance. Once he found out Emily was pregnant with his child, Blue began to change. He pushes himself into Emily’s life, as he does not want his child to be abandoned, like he was. Throughout the earlier books, Blue was one angry young man, and it was so nice to see him slowly melt and try to fit in. He opens himself again to Mac, and slowly to his three half brothers, who have been trying to show him acceptance as one of theirs. Now with the baby coming, all the Cavanaugh’s plan on forcing themselves into Blue’s life, as they consider the baby their niece. This was a very n ice and fun part watching them show up, and include Blue and Emily into their lives.
They will all band together, including Emily’s cop brother to find the proof that Blue’s is right in his insistence that he knows who killed Cass. There are some exciting parts, especially when Emily’s life is now in danger.
This was a very enjoyable story, a nice couple, a great family, sweet romance, and exciting. Bonded was a fitting end to this series, as the Cavanaugh Brothers will be missed. I suggest you start with the first book, Branded, since each book gives you more information about the mystery of who killed their sister.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
He was standing in one corner, head down, boots crossed at the ankle. He looked dirty. But the good kind of dirty. Cowboy dirty. Jeans caked in mud, boots worn and caked in mud. Faded red shirt. He looked up then and caught her standing there, staring. For one brief moment, Emily hoped she might see something in his eyes that said he was glad to see her. But instead, his face was dark with anger, like he’d had a lot of time to think.She swallowed hard and wished she was anywhere else.He didn’t move. Just crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her. “Emily Shiver.”“I’m so sorry about this,” she said, coming over to his cell.“I believe your brother’s gone crazy.”“I know.” She thrust the key in the lock and opened the door. Maybe she really wouldn’t forgive Steven. Blood or no blood.
“What does he think happened between us?” Blue asked, remaining where he was, despite the open door. “What did you tell him?”
Her gut churned. “What do you mean?”
He gave her a look that said, Come on, now. “I should be online paying a speeding ticket, not hanging out in a cage.” He stared at her, his gorgeous face all hard angles, his eyes an incredible shock of blue. “This was personal.”
“He just thinks we hung out . . . ,” she said with forced ease.
“Hung out,” he repeated.
“He’s protective,” she continued. “Overly protective.”
Blue was watching her as she spoke, and she could see it in his eyes. He knew she wasn’t telling him the truth, and it pissed him off more than his ass being stuck in jail for fifteen miles over.
“It’s a brother thing,” she finished stupidly.
His eyes flashed and he looked past her, down the hall. “Yeah, well, wouldn’t know about that.”
Her heart stuttered. God, she was really screwing this up. And she didn’t want to. It was the first time she was seeing him in weeks, since . . . “I’m so sorry, Blue. It won’t happen again. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Appreciate that.” He pushed away from the wall and walked up to her. For just a moment, his gaze rested on hers and a strange softness touched his expression. “It’s good to see you.”
Her heart pinched inside her ribs. “Yeah. You too.”
It was in that moment that Emily remembered how it felt to be close to this man. To be touched by him, regardless of the reason. How his skin smelled and had felt under her hands.
“You all right?” he asked, his gaze concerned.
The question caught her by surprise. Lord, was she all right? Probably not. She was pretty much a confused and scared mess. Tell him. Tell him, you moron. “Sure. ’Course.”
“And work?”
“Same,” she said, her voice near to a whisper. “You should stop in sometime.” God, she was an idiot.
His eyes darkened and his lips parted. “I don’t know . . .”
“I just mean if you’re thirsty,” she rambled on stupidly, then instantly wished she could take it back—or crawl into one of the cells and lock herself in.
“I should probably steer clear of bars for a while.”
Her gut tightened. Right. Sounded wise. Sounded like a pretty clear message too.
“Then again,” he amended, “it was nice having you take me home.”
Or a mixed message? “It was nice being there,” she offered.
“And yet, you left.”
She watched the shadow creep across his face. He didn’t trust her. Hell, he didn’t know her. Had slept with her, but didn’t know her. “I . . . It was a confusing situation. I felt—”
“It’s fine,” he cut her off, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it. We all make bad decisions, right? Rash decisions—”
His words bit her heart, causing pain to flicker inside her. She didn’t think he was meaning to be insulting. Granted, he didn’t know what was going on. He was angry about the arrest. But it hurt to know he thought that night was a mistake.
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