This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️.5
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.5

First Impressions
Cuffed is the 1st book in the "Everyday Heroes" series and in this one here we have the oldest brother, who has taken after his father in the career department. This series focuses on a family of three sons who dedicate themselves to civic service and each son has a field that they go into: Law Enforcement, Fire Department and Air Rescue. In Cuffed, our hero is the son working on a career in Law Enforcement and this is also a second chance romance between him and a childhood friend and they were torn apart by circumstances and now our lovely heroine, has come back to the town that she grew up in for a fresh start and to settle down roots and for something more that she won't even admit to but knows what is drawing her back, and that is the one boy she never forgot.

First Line
My tummy feels icky, and if I look at Emmy, she'll know I've been crying.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Grant Malone
Oldest of the Malone boys, working on building his career and getting a promotion to Detective. He is driven, hard working, loves his sex, and has a compassionate heart and protective to a fault.

The Heroine: Emmy Reeves
Emmy, is a free spirit, she has never had a home to call her own. She has trauma and past abuses she is still working through, but building her own business in jumping out of planes and has no shame in never being in relationship and settling for one night stands.

Summary
Grant Malone and Emmy Reeves were childhood best friends. They were also next door neighbors. They had a deep connection even as children. But when they were seven, Grant learned a secret about Emmy. A secret he wasn't able to keep to himself because even then he was a protector and his girl was being hurt and in trouble. But Emmy saw it as a betrayal and she and her mom left town after it was all over. Now its years later, Grant and Emmy are mature adults but there are past issues between them to be resolved. When Grant sees Emmy and she runs away from him, he is determined to reconnect with Emmy and see why she is back and why she would run from him of all people. But Emmy has walls around her heart, she shields herself from anything that could risk her having to trust Grant again, she is still hurt by his betrayal and it has shaped her all of these years. But Grant is determined to win his girl no matter what it takes. But will Grant and Emmy be able to resolve the past mistakes and find a future together as both have always dreamed of?

What I Loved
This book was delicious in every way, I absolutely adored every single moment between these two! K. Bromberg definitely knows how to write such a solid story and she entertains so much. Reading this trilogy is making me realize how much I adore her books and her writing style and why she always works for me. Cuffed is a story where we really get to see the oldest in his prime and see how he and his girl are brought together. We get some flashbacks but honestly I didn't mind them at all. And I normally hate flashbacks, they were just really short and seemed to blend so well with the story that I barely even noticed them. And this is the type of second chance romance setups I actually really love to see and definitely makes sense in how its written as these two were seperated through outside forces and it happened when they were children.

I really found their dynamic so fascinating though. Their bantering was delicious, hilarious and lively. They are opposites in many respects, but they know how to fight so well and really have this healthy competition with each other that was amusing at its core. They both give and take and never back down from what they believe in. They have powerful chemistry that lights a fire on the page but have such poignant moments between them that just tie them on deep entrenching levels, which as a reader, you will become addicted to. They have serious issues to work through in this story though. There is pain and regrets that stand in the way of their HEA and I really enjoyed seeing how it all plays out in the end.

We also see a bit of a side story with Grant and a case that he is working on that really makes sense over the guilt he has over what happened with Emmy when they were children. I really enjoyed the multi dimensional layers that we see within his character and seeing him face up to his own pain that cost him his best friend because he wanted to do the right thing so she could be safe even if it cost him her friendship and love. Emmy has her own reservations to deal with, she has many trust issues that she needs to resolve and unanswered questions that being with Grant will lead to getting for her and so that she receives the closure that she needs to heal fully.

Both the characters have such solid strengths that have made them into people of drive and fortitude in their lives and seeing them let go of the barriers and show each other their vulnerabilities and be real with each other on deeper levels is what elevated this book to such a high rating for me. Their connection is so vibrant especially when they let go of past barriers and that ending....EPICALLY BEAUTIFUL!

What I Struggled With
There wasn't much that I actually struggled with. I didn't seem to understand the heroine though in some of her actions though, especially in the beginning. Her character might turn off some readers.

Overall View
Cuffed is a sensational romance that digs deep into serious issues, balanced out with charm and fun banter, and will deliver a satisfying gem of a romance!

Favorite Quote(s)
We forget the memories and just chase the moments.

Grant Malone seems to be the only one I’ll allow to upend my world. First to save me. And now to show me what it’s like to feel.

He brings calm to the chaos spinning out of control around me and within me. For the first time in a very, very long time, I allow myself to accept that. To accept him. To welcome it rather than push it away.

I stay like that for a few moments, caught between the push and pull of needing her to stay and never wanting her to feel pain again. Crushed by the realization that somehow I’m the one causing the discord in her life.

My need to show her she isn’t alone, that she’s beautiful inside and out takes hold.

I’m riding a high like I’ve never known before. Cheating death. Proving to her I trust her. Facing a fear. Everything. And all I can think about is claiming the goddamn prize of Emerson Reeves because adrenaline definitely has my blood pumping and is intensifying my need to have her.

“I’ve survived this far by closing myself off and not allowing myself to feel . . . and then you enter my life with your lights and sirens blazing, and it’s as if you’ve handcuffed me so that I can’t escape from you.

You’re not alone anymore, Emerson. You never were.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance
Character Types: Law Enforcement, Dare Devil, Alpha Mellow, Protector
Themes: All the Feels, Childhood Ties, Family Bonds, All the Heart, PTSD, Tear Jerker, Witty Banter
Tropes: Second Chance

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship Conflict is more focused on that outer plot workings

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read these as standalones if needed.

Song This Book Inspires
There You'll Be by Faith Hill

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship. ( )

DNF'D at page 139, 39%
I tried to get into it a 4th time. Had to go back to the beginning to remember any of it.
That's not a good sign.
Skimmed back up to where I had left off and
Ended up DNF'ing.


Review later ( )

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Cuffed might look harmless on the surface, but it will cut you open and drain the feels right out of you!! Emerson and Grant were best friends. But his believe that he shouldn't let anyone get hurt leads to her feeling betrayed and leaving town. 20 years later she is back and still pissed.

Emmy's childhood scarred her and her life changed forever. She has tried to run from her past and put it behind her, never telling anyone because she never wanted another pitying look. But, back in her small hometown, she has to face the past. Grant is all grown up too, and now he is a cop. These two are oil and water! Emerson has a sharp tongue, designed to keep everyone at a distance, but Grant isn't falling for it. He keeps pushing his way into her life even when she keeps trying to throw up barriers.

While they are getting reacquainted, Emerson refuses to talk about the past. Grant dances around it, but he really wants to apologize for breaking his best friend's trust. These two have so much baggage they would rack up the fees on an airline. But, it works! The way they orbit each other, dancing around issues and feelings until they are in too deep to back out...sigh. Its magical.

As if the past isn't enough for these two, Emerson is having trouble with a smarmy loan officer. The whole storyline is very apropos given the current sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood. His behavior is exactly the type of thing too many women have to deal with and they handle it just like Emerson-by saying "I can handle it" and just trying to avoid the problem. Grant is applying for a promotion but his competition is a asshat whose father was fired by Grant's father and the asshat has never moved on.

Dispersed between all the heavy is smatterings of light. Desi, Emerson's BFF brings some levity with her hilarious commentary, and Grant's brothers are a hoot!

As Emerson says, "Head up. Wings out." This book will take you for a ride! I am super excited to get the Malone brothers' stories too! Grady and Grayson seem like they will sweep me off my feet just like their brother Grant!

 

• POV: 1st dual


• Tears: yes


• Trope: 2nd chance, friends to lovers


• Triggers: Emmy was sexually molested by her father; she was a cutter for a time as well and still deals with the urge to cut at times


• Series/Standalone: stand alone


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes with epilogue

Racer by Katy Evans, Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, Salvaged by Jay Crownover...then you will probably like Cuffed!

 


Cuffed


 

See full review on The Book Disciple ( )

Sigh. This book just didn't do anything for me. :/

K. Bromberg is an author I've been meaning to read for a while. I see her name and books everywhere. Of course, I had to check her out. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy Cuffed. I had no complaints with the writing, rather it had to do with the execution of the story and characters.

Cuffed deals with heavy and emotional topics of domestic violence and sexual abuse inspired by events the author herself witnessed. However, the emotional suspense of the events didn't work for me. The build-up fell flat.

The heroine Emmy experienced abuse in her childhood and the hero told their teacher about it which prompts her to hate him for twenty years even though she admits he did it to help her. This I can understand. She trusted him. This, in turn, created a facade of her being a strong, independent woman often at times coming off as bitchy. I don't usually like these kinds of heroines, but Emmy didn't come off that strong. I just felt indifferent towards her as her background was glazed over with small hints throughout the first half of the novel to where I had to infer on what happened to her. None of it was properly stated until the second half where she had an emotional break-down, but by then, I had no emotional attachment towards her as it was not properly established for me in the beginning. I don't need three pages of backstory, but I didn't see any hints of vulnerability in the first half to connect to that big scene where I finally get a glimpse of behind the facade.

Now, the hero. Again, I was indifferent towards him. I don't have much to say about him because I don't remember much of him. Except he was a cop. And was the reason for the heroine's twenty-year-long grudge which never got properly addressed until way in the second half.

There is also this weird game of chase and control between the characters I did not like. If this was a dark romance I wouldn't have any qualms with it. The hero and heroine both try to manipulate each other trying to make the other think the other one is in control, in turn, making themselves think they have control. It is a weird dynamic and way of thinking that I wans't comfortable with. Relationships shouldn't be about control but mutual respect. I don't like mind games in relationships.

This turned out to be longer and more ranty than I had intended. If you read all this, pat on the back for you! And excuse me for the grammatical mistakes. Grammar is not my strong point.



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