Bound by passion, she was powerless to resist.
One dark evening in London, photographer Serena Folkes is indulging her impulsive side with a night-time shoot. But someone is watching her – mysterious entrepreneur Gustav Levi. Serena doesn’t know it yet, but this handsome stranger will change her life forever...
Serena is fascinated by Gustav, the enigmatic owner of the Levi Gallery, and she soon feels an irresistible pull of attraction. The interest is mutual, and Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career at his gallery, but only if Serena agrees to become his exclusive companion.
To mark their agreement, Gustav gives Serena a bracelet to wear at all times. Attached to it is a silver chain of which he is the keeper. With the chain Gustav controls Serena physically and symbolically – a sign that she is under his power.
As their passionate relationship intensifies, Gustav’s hold on the silver chain grows stronger. But will Gustav’s dark past tear them apart?
An erotic romance novel perfect for fans of 50 Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series. The Silver Chain is the first in the sexy, passionate and addictive Unbreakable Trilogy by Primula Bond.
My Goodreads Review Link
Genre - Adult/Contemporary Romance
w/ a slight BDSM theme
2.5 Acceptable Stars!
Sensual and Colorful Yet Slow and Complicated!
The Rundown:
Serena Folkes is just starting to live. In a desperate attempt to be free of a haunting past, she takes the plunge and moves to London, away from her small seaside village and against the wishes of her first love who has turned bitter at her need for more. Stifled in a childhood of neglect and outright cruelty, Serena intendeds to hit the streets of London and peddle her pictures in an attempt to make a living. On her first night out, while she’s taking pictures of little witches and ghosty goblins for her Halloween layout, she attracts the attention of a dark, mysterious man. Gustav Levi is intense, compelling and everything she never knew she craved and he’s about to take her places she never knew existed.
The Review:
This read was different. It was a good story. It was intense, sensual with a slight BDSM theme and it was a bit whimsical and I could see where the author was trying to go with it and she accomplishes it to a degree, but here's the rub. For all the character building and clever charm, the writing was steeped in flamboyant metaphors and quizzical analogies which only distracted from the essence of the main story.
The author has a certain creative and dramatic flair in her writing style. The visuals are appealing but overly descriptive, pulling the reader out of the setting and out of the book. I found my mind wandering, getting lost in all the flowery words and hard as I tried, it became a challenge to stay focused and connected to the story. A lot of the time, I felt like I was at a Mad Hatter Tea party and the guest were all knackered and running amok with cartoon bubbles floating above their heads with wild images and fanciful dreams attracting and distracting my attention.
However, though the flair continued throughout all the pages, it did tame itself after the first 55% and the story became more intriguing, more involved and I was able to look past a lot of the fluff to see the journey underneath. I started to enjoy and really dig my teeth into this read.
Characters...
As a character, I was taken by Gustav immediately upon meeting him. He was sexy and alluring and there was something mysterious and broken lurking behind his dark eyes.
Serena and Gustav both have trust issues and pasts they wished were cleaner, less riddled with pain and ugliness. They have a hard time coming together, especially Gustav, who I liked but wouldn’t fancy as a romantic interest. He seems cold and aloof most of the book and though we know differently by his actions and his reaction to Serena’s tempting, his demeanor and his words seem disinterested, like Serena is just a luxury item he’s happened upon.
My biggest complaint though goes to Serena. I didn’t care for her character. She has this armor built around her and is almost dead inside or so she thinks, because really, someone who’s dead inside, couldn’t see and capture the beauty around them in pictures. But to her, the world is a bad temper and cruel words and a quick, unemotional romp in a caravan but within the first hour of meeting Gustav, she’s telling him her tale of woe and does so openly. And when she’s telling Crystal about her past, its the same thing, an open book and she isn’t shy about it. She just came off as desperate and needy, begging for compassion in an unattractive way. She was also a bit over-the-top hysterical on many occasions and her dour attitude was cringe worthy.
Sub-Characters...
Crystal changed over the course of the book from this indifferent shrew to a fairly carefree woman and it was thanks to her friendship with Serena but also, I think, because Gustav changed and the atmosphere became less sterile and harsh. A lightness was reintroduced into their lives.
However... I found it incredibly invasive that both Crystal and Dickson knew so much about Gustav and Serena’s personal lives and what they did together. It was creepy.
The Wrap Up:
This book wasn't bad but it wasn’t my favorite. I put it down several times in the beginning, almost deciding to not finish it. But I barreled through and finally found an agreeable story buried under a pile of eccentric. There is a cliffy at the end and I may go on to read book two when its released, but it won't be a priority.
Serena Folkes is just starting to live. In a desperate attempt to be free of a haunting past, she takes the plunge and moves to London, away from her small seaside village and against the wishes of her first love who has turned bitter at her need for more. Stifled in a childhood of neglect and outright cruelty, Serena intendeds to hit the streets of London and peddle her pictures in an attempt to make a living. On her first night out, while she’s taking pictures of little witches and ghosty goblins for her Halloween layout, she attracts the attention of a dark, mysterious man. Gustav Levi is intense, compelling and everything she never knew she craved and he’s about to take her places she never knew existed.
The Review:
This read was different. It was a good story. It was intense, sensual with a slight BDSM theme and it was a bit whimsical and I could see where the author was trying to go with it and she accomplishes it to a degree, but here's the rub. For all the character building and clever charm, the writing was steeped in flamboyant metaphors and quizzical analogies which only distracted from the essence of the main story.
The author has a certain creative and dramatic flair in her writing style. The visuals are appealing but overly descriptive, pulling the reader out of the setting and out of the book. I found my mind wandering, getting lost in all the flowery words and hard as I tried, it became a challenge to stay focused and connected to the story. A lot of the time, I felt like I was at a Mad Hatter Tea party and the guest were all knackered and running amok with cartoon bubbles floating above their heads with wild images and fanciful dreams attracting and distracting my attention.
However, though the flair continued throughout all the pages, it did tame itself after the first 55% and the story became more intriguing, more involved and I was able to look past a lot of the fluff to see the journey underneath. I started to enjoy and really dig my teeth into this read.
Characters...
As a character, I was taken by Gustav immediately upon meeting him. He was sexy and alluring and there was something mysterious and broken lurking behind his dark eyes.
Serena and Gustav both have trust issues and pasts they wished were cleaner, less riddled with pain and ugliness. They have a hard time coming together, especially Gustav, who I liked but wouldn’t fancy as a romantic interest. He seems cold and aloof most of the book and though we know differently by his actions and his reaction to Serena’s tempting, his demeanor and his words seem disinterested, like Serena is just a luxury item he’s happened upon.
My biggest complaint though goes to Serena. I didn’t care for her character. She has this armor built around her and is almost dead inside or so she thinks, because really, someone who’s dead inside, couldn’t see and capture the beauty around them in pictures. But to her, the world is a bad temper and cruel words and a quick, unemotional romp in a caravan but within the first hour of meeting Gustav, she’s telling him her tale of woe and does so openly. And when she’s telling Crystal about her past, its the same thing, an open book and she isn’t shy about it. She just came off as desperate and needy, begging for compassion in an unattractive way. She was also a bit over-the-top hysterical on many occasions and her dour attitude was cringe worthy.
Sub-Characters...
Crystal changed over the course of the book from this indifferent shrew to a fairly carefree woman and it was thanks to her friendship with Serena but also, I think, because Gustav changed and the atmosphere became less sterile and harsh. A lightness was reintroduced into their lives.
However... I found it incredibly invasive that both Crystal and Dickson knew so much about Gustav and Serena’s personal lives and what they did together. It was creepy.
The Wrap Up:
This book wasn't bad but it wasn’t my favorite. I put it down several times in the beginning, almost deciding to not finish it. But I barreled through and finally found an agreeable story buried under a pile of eccentric. There is a cliffy at the end and I may go on to read book two when its released, but it won't be a priority.
Reviewers Rant: I just wanted to say that I am skeptical (and frankly, tired) when seeing all these books compare themselves to the Fifty Shades or Crossfire series. I wish authors/publishers would allow the book to stand on it's own merit instead of leaching off the popularity of others, especially when there's no comparison. Its an overly used, tiresome selling gimmick to get the reader interested and I have yet to see a book who compares itself to these popular series, actually live up to the hype. End of Rant!
Buy Links Note: There is a question on the publication date for this book. NetGalley says July 4th, Goodreads says August 15th, Amazon and B&N says January 7th, 2014. So I haven't put buy links at the end of the review, but if I find out for certain, I will add them.
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