Bound to be a Groom (Regency Reimagined Book 1)

So this ends up being a polyarmorous relationship as should be clear from the blurb, but bears repeating - Anna and Pia were lovers first, then Anna acquires Sebastian, at first because she wants freedom for herself and Pia, then she falls in love with him for real and then Sebastian's former lover Farleigh joins them at the mix.It is a lovely, feel good book. Foursome is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I certainly glad I read this one. A lot of the book is devoted to developing D/S relationship between them (two people are dominants, two submissive) and I thought the sex was scorching hot. Funnily, I was the least satisfied with m/m side of the relationship - Farleigh and Sebastian felt more like an afterthought than the fully integrated part of their lives. But romance wise I am primarily a m/m reader, so it is hard to please me. Anna and Pia were hot, scorching hot, Anna and Sebastian were just amazing, Sebastian's submission especially - lovely.Three of them and four of them together, again were okay. There is some flogging in the book, but I did not feel that overall BDSM elements were hardcore. I mean, obviously D/S play was the most important, but the elements were they used toys, tools, I did not think that was hardcore.The settings are not detailed at all, I was going back and forth trying to decide whether the characters' mentality was a touch too modern, but am still hesitant to say it one way or another.

A delightful reimagining of the regency era with poly relationships at is core. Streaming hot bdsm sex and tender love without competition between the lovers.

This review is based on the Kindle edition.The first thing that struck me as I began to read Bound to Be a Groom was what a beautifully formatted book it is. I have hundreds of books on my e-reader, and most of them have some sort of formatting error. I've grown accustomed to overlooking them, putting them out of my mind. From cover to author bio, this is easily the most beautiful book I've downloaded.The story is set in Spain and England in the early years of the Napoleonic Wars - just before Wellington joins up with Spanish partisans to repel the tyrant, who is placing his brother on the Spanish throne. But the heart of the story is the relationships being forged between two convent-raised girls, a Spanish nobleman, and an English Duke.I had a hard time getting into the story, at first. In fact, it was not until almost a third of the way through the book that I really became invested in the characters. This might have been because the beginning of the story concentrates on Anna, who has a tendency to come off as rather cold. It's not until Sebastian begins to play a greater role that I really began to care about these characters. Sebastian truly is the beating heart of this novel. It is his warmth and willingness to give Anna everything she needs that makes possible everything that follows.It is the way Ms. Mulry handles the complexity of Sebastian's character that makes the rest of the book work so well. After Anna, Sebastian, and Pia travel to England, reuniting Sebastian with his former lover, Leigh, the story flows easily and naturally to its entirely satisfying finish. Where the first third of the book often seems forced, the last two thirds are deftly written, with a keen understanding of what makes a healthy D/s relationship - and a healthy polyamorous relationship - work. Where Anna is Dominant, Sebastian is submissive - but he is submissive only in the bedroom, in a way which allows him to maintain all of the power and arrogance of Spanish nobility the rest of the time. Pia is a softer sort of submissive personality, and Leigh is another Dominant. Two Dominants, two submissives, each unique and fully realized in a balanced relationship that demonstrates the author's skill at characterization. The sex is explicit, and though the Dominants are demanding, they are also very loving toward the submissives. Ms. Mulry has crafted a believable HEA among four very different people.Ultimately, it was a pleasure to read Bound to Be a Groom. If I had picked this book up and read the first chapter, however, I would not have bought it. And that would have been a shame. For all of my frustration with the beginning of this story, I am very glad that I had an opportunity to read it, and would recommend it to anyone interested in polyamory, bisexuality, or D/s play. I was provided with a copy by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Oh how I love a bit of debauchery in the morning! *swoons* Two Kitties. Two, erm, Roosters? And lots of bits and bobbles all over the place definitely made for a steam-filled hot and sexy historical. *nods* Bound to be a Groom easily satisfied the craving for something a little bit naughty and a little bit sweet at the same time.The quick of it is that Anna and her lover Pia have a plan. A plan to escape their current surroundings and live the rest of their lives together. Yet nothing goes as planned and their twosome becomes a foursome in a glorious coupling-- erm, quadrupling?--of submissives and dominants that leaves everyone more than satisfied in and out of the bedroom.I liked all of the characters--Pia (sub) and Anna (dom) who have been together for years--and--Sebastian (sub) and Farleigh (dom) who had a fling years earlier and never forgot one another.The sex scenes were very hot--and nicely varied with m/f, f/f, m/m, m/f/f, and m/m/f/f scenes--though there were a couple spots I could have totally used a set of barbies and GI Joes to figure out exactly what was happening. lol Things got a little, erm, crowded in a couple scenes but still overall hot and smexy lovin' happening. It was interesting having two dominant's in the grouping with one being female and male. I wasn't sure how that would work but it really did. The group definitely suited one another.Overall, I enjoyed this one. There's no deep intrinsic storyline just a coming together of people to form a union of sorts and it was nice to see. Its steamy and can be oh so naughty in parts and yet overall it had a sweetness to it seeing these four each get something they never thought possible--acceptance and a chance to be with the person they love no matter their particular proclivities. I liked seeing them come together and their surprise over discovering they might enjoy and love other coupling options as well. If you like spicy historicals with a Dominant/submissive tinge this one is a nice little steamy ride.*I do think the price listed is a bit high though and while enjoyable it's one I'd personally wishlist and wait for a sale.