Bound by Your Touch Book

Viscount Sanburne, James Durham lives to be a rebel, to live life on the edge but mostly to be the torn in his father's side. When he purchases a Egyptian artifact only find out it's fake, he finds it leads back to a well known expect in the Egyptian field and the expect's daughter Lydia Boyce. Lydia not only supports her father with his works and discoveries of Egypt but it a well known study of it as well, but when she finds out that someone maybe trying to tarnish her father's good name, she finds unlikely help from a silver tongued Viscount, who starts to see behind her social mask and the wall around her heart, she also sees there's more to Sanburne then meets the eye....

It was hard for me to relate to the leads in Written on Your Skin, Phin and Mina, with Bound by Your Touch it was easy to be drawn in by James and Lydia.

James comes across as very contrary, if you say right, he'd say left just to make fun of you. The first chapter in the book you find James drunk at a rowdy house party. Which only shows you how he lives his life, in a drunk, contrary state. Another part of James life is always being a thorn in his father's side. Whatever his father hates, James love etc etc Behind that devil may care persona he shows to society, hides a dark and deep storm raging on, filled with hate and rage and anger. James blames not only his father, but himself for tragedy that befell his sister. To find release from his emotions he gets drunk.
James is one of those characters that hits a deep cord inside of yourself, making you think "I felt that way" or "I know someone like that" James lived behind the rage and anger and the excuse to do good or bad because of what happen to his sister and what his father did. He needed someone to blame, even if it was himself. I felt for James deeply, but when he finally lets go of that hate and that crutch he's lived on all these years, it's through Lydia and his sister he was finally freed.

Lydia brings a sort of innocence back into James life, while James brings reality and takes off the blinders Lydia has put on her eyes after being hurt by love in the past as he lived only for her father's work. Lydia draws you in because we all have blinders on when it comes to our family and our love ones. Although cruel, Lydia sees the reality of things, places and people around her. It's difficult to read when the truth comes out about Lydia's father, but it's another life lesson that the world gives us to learn, understand and forgive one another. The bondship between James and Lydia just deepens more because of what happens, both know the heartache when someone they love does something so wrong.
Lydia grows through this, she has James there to help her heal, while Lydia helps James forgive what his father did but mostly bring peace to himself and let the hate go.

The tension in this book could be cut with a knife between James and Lydia, even their kisses are red hot, but the sex takes a back seat for the deeper intimate romance between them. They start to pick apart each other's armor to revel the human being underneath who is just that a human being, a person who makes mistakes, who needs to heal. James and Lydia heal each other's deep wounds with love and understanding.

There are not true villains in this book, only a people who've made mistakes, who were selfish and didn't think ahead in their actions. BBYT showed basic human flaws in people, but also showed something greater: forgiveness. James finally forgave himself for not being able to help his sister and Lydia finally understood no one is perfect no matter how much we love them.

The ending had it's HEA, but it showed something more, all wounds take time to truly heal, everything wasn't tied in a happy ever after bow with all forgiven and a wedding at the end. No, Lydia's wounds would take time, and James was still making peace with himself and his father but that's what made it so beautiful, they had each other.

Overall: a beautiful book showing human flaws in each other but also showing the greater power of forgiving oneself, understanding another's pain and just loving someone for whom they are.