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Bound #5

Bound to Liberty

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As if life isn’t tough enough for James Coker, rejected and nearly killed by family, he is also a closeted gay man in a country where being gay is outlawed. So when the first man he's ever loved gets engaged to a woman, James’s solution to heartbreak is to indulge in a holiday fling.

In contrast, Ethan Eze has had life relatively easy. Born in the 'Land of the Free' and nurtured within a family where he can be whoever he wants to be, he's a military veteran who is not afraid of going for what he wants. When he meets James, Ethan wants him.

Desire burns between them and soon blurs into devotion. But James is not ready to lose his heart again, certainly not to another man who can eat his cake and have it. Ethan has fought for his country. Now will he fight for love?

Bound to Liberty is a story about breaking free from mental chains and living a life of boundless love.

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First published January 26, 2020

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About the author

Kiru Taye

59 books317 followers
As a lover of romance novels, Kiru wanted to read stories about Africans falling in love. When she couldn’t find those books, she decided to write the stories she wanted to read.

Kiru writes sensual stories featuring African characters whether on the continent or in the Diaspora. When she's not writing you can find her either immersed in a good book or catching up with friends and family. She currently lives in the South of England with her husband and three children.

Kiru is a founding member of Romance Writers of West Africa. In 2011, her debut romance novella, His Treasure, won the Book of the Year at the Love Romances Café Awards. She is the 2015 Romance Writer of the Year at the Nigerian Writers Awards and 2017 Author of the Year at the Ufere Awards.

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5 stars
13 (56%)
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5 (21%)
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3 (13%)
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2 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
52 reviews3 followers
January 27, 2020
Finally! I have been waiting patiently for this book for ages and it didn’t disappoint. Kiru as usual did justice to this book.
I have loved James character from Henry and Gloria’s story and I was so rooting for him to find his own love amidst all the obstacles he faced.
Ethan could not have been more perfect for him. He was truly worth waiting for.
Love transcends all and everyone deserves to find that true connection with whoever their heart desires. Good one Kiru ❤️
Profile Image for Empi Baryeh.
Author 10 books57 followers
June 28, 2021
This is book 5 in the Bound series. I was interested in James Coker’s story since reading Bound to Ransom (which is about his older brother, Henry). Since same-sex relationships are considered a crime in Nigeria, I was very interested in how an MM romance set in Nigeria would play out.

James Coker is a gay man living in Nigeria and craves a life where he can be open about his sexuality. Unlike his friends, he isn't willing to engage in the usual acts to actively cover-up his sexuality. When his boyfriend gets engaged to a woman, James is heartbroken.

Ms Taye pens a well-written and engaging story. I felt it highlighted the plight of same-sex couples in this part of the world well. I liked James and his determination to live as true to his sexuality as he can in a country where being gay is against the law.

This story has some dom/sub play. Disclaimer: A relationship where one person gets to be the constant dominant and gets to punish the other for acts of non-submission always rubs me the wrong way. Even though I believed Ethan cared for James, that would always detract from the story for me.

One of the things that drew me to the book was finding out how an HEA for a same-sex couple would work in Nigeria - especially for a man like James who doesn’t want to pretend. The story doesn’t fully deliver on that. The bulk of the romance happens in London where they can be open about their relationship, and the book ends just when they get back together in Nigeria. There’s an epilogue that assures us they’ve found a way, but readers have to use their imagination a little on that count.

As a fan of the series, I’d hoped for more between James and Gloria (heroine of Bound to Ransom). However, there was enough of the Danladi family drama arc to make things interesting.

Overall, this was a good read. Fans of the series and of Ms Taye would enjoy this instalment even if they usually wouldn’t read MM romance.
Profile Image for Nana Prah.
Author 23 books272 followers
June 7, 2021
This story had everything that I look for in a good romance: wonderful characters, a great plot, an intriguing conflict, and of course a lovely romance. I was so happy to read James's story. Watching him go through what he did was heartbreaking, but it all ended up the way it was supposed to.

I have now read all of the stories in the Bound series and am looking forward to more.
Profile Image for Jite.
1,135 reviews66 followers
May 13, 2021
This is possibly my favourite book of the entire series. Maybe joint favourite with Book 4. I don’t think I’ve ever read a proper M/M Nigerian romance before. If anything will fuel your heart with empathy and upset about how grown consenting adults are forced into untenable situations where they must hide or inflict hurt on others in the forced pretense of being someone other than themselves... it is this absolutely gorgeous romance of the M/M dom-sub variety.

The premise is that James has been in a secret, closeted relationship with his best friend Kezie, for years. So, it’s a rude shock when he finds out that not only is Kezie more or less a public peen, he’s also getting married to one of James’ closet female friends. To add to this, he’s suddenly getting threatening notes. In a world of heartbreak, James decides to go on vacation, too bad he has to lug his new security specialist, Ethan, along.

As much as this hurt my heart, this also made me smile. Ethan and James were perfect for each other. Ethan was exactly what James needed emotionally and he was not going to take any nonsense over his man. I also like that the Danladi story arch about James illegitimacy was sorted out in this book. It was lovely to revisit Gloria and Henry as a couple again. If anything I wish we had gotten more James with them, but I thought this was very well done. This would already have been a 4-star read for me but the fact that it captures a smidge of the zeitgeist of the impossible conditions experienced LGBTQ people in Nigeria, in an unproblematic romance, with some dom-sub vibes and rebel against the system unashamed, unwavering support thrown in, makes it absolute 5 stars for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Amaka Azie.
Author 19 books98 followers
February 20, 2020
I enjoyed this book. Kiru has done it again. She’s broken boundaries which many have not dared to.
First of all, I want to commend this author for her boldness.
She’s one of the pioneers of contemporary erotic Nigerian romance literature. And now, she’s even gone a step further and written a lovely same sex love story.
This is my first contemporary M/M romance novel and I must confess, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Yet, I enjoyed James and Ethan’s journey to love.
Same sex relationships are forbidden in Nigeria and even considered criminal.
I loved the way Kiru addresses this issue without loosing focus on the love story.
I’d have loved to see more of the life of Ethan and James romantically in Nigeria. Especially the struggle of hiding their love in public (Because that will have to be the case or else they could both go to jail)
For me, that would have aced this book.
Never the less, I enjoyed it. I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Love Africa Book Club.
449 reviews25 followers
February 9, 2020
We read romance novels for the fun, emotional journeys and the reassurance of happy endings. Yet sometimes we yearn for stories that also push boundaries and take us where we haven't been before. Bound to Liberty is the latest in the Bound series and boldly takes us to where we didn't know we needed to go as African romance readers.
Profile Image for Malcolm Katta.
52 reviews2 followers
April 5, 2023
Its been a long time since i read a "smut" queer book. I'd have to say this one got me going. It had this fairytale ending which i guess is needed once in a while in this gloomy landscape.

James is indeed lucky to have bagged Ethan. In my own secret way, I want that idyllic fantasy that James painted for his life and eventually got.
Cues Wedding song: “No Ordinary Love by Alaine”
Profile Image for Lo-chan.
15 reviews
October 22, 2020
The book started well enough but became too cheesy for my taste. The end felt rushed and, it wasn't instalove but it felt like it. Interesting story otherwise.
Profile Image for Love Africa Book Club.
449 reviews25 followers
February 9, 2020
We read romance novels for the fun, emotional journeys and the reassurance of happy endings. Yet sometimes we yearn for stories that also push boundaries and take us where we haven't been before. Bound to Liberty by is the latest in the amazing Bound series and boldly takes us to where we didn't know we needed to go as African romance readers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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