Blurb:

Rae
Uther “King” Hills, president of the Iron Outlaws MC, wants one thing.
Revenge.
My life for my brother’s, a traitor to the club.
My sacrifice to ensure his loyalty.
But I know a thing or two about tragic kings.
They never win.
And King has no idea what this good girl is capable of.

King
Rae Miller is my enemy’s little sister.
And I intend to ruin her before I toss her back at her brother’s feet.
Even if my actions tear my club apart.
Except this Shakespeare-quoting fire-cracker has me seeing ghosts.
I don’t scare her. She outwits me at every turn and has a body I can’t get enough of.
The fact I want to kill every person who ever hurt her is irrelevant.

Only, when she’s at risk because of me, I pray the bonds I’ve broken can mend themselves. Because without my club, we don’t have a hope of surviving.

My 5* Review:

OMG – Scarlett Cole has outdone herself with this one. The Bonds We Break is book four in the excellent Iron Outlaws MC series by S. Cole. Finally we get Uther King Hills, the president and what a story it is. An enemies to lovers and opposites attract tale about two very complex characters. The betrayal by Saint affected King deeply because he regarded him as a friend so he is determined to get revenge by kidnapping Saint’s sister Rae Miller. She is his insurance policy against Saint and must comply or her brother dies. How far will King go to make Saint pay and how far will Rae go to save her brother? This really is a ride or die situation. 

To King traitors must die so he never expected them to vote against him. Saint took the punishment for his betrayal so he could return to the MC but King can’t forgive and forget so came up with his kidnapping plan. He feels let down by his friends and now has a club divided all due to Saint.

Is King heading for salvation or tragedy?

“Hello, Rae Elizabeth Miller. Younger sister of Ryker Miller,” I say as I take her in. I thought she was attractive in the image. Hot even. But she’s so much more in real life. It’s less of a looks thing and more of a presence. Like a flame sucking in all the oxygen.

Her eyes give her away. Diluted pupils mean fear. It’s so heady, I want to breathe it in. But she slips her heels back on casually, as if she had been expecting me. “Hello, Uther King Hills. Orphaned son and hereditary president.”

Rae is great, one of the best and strongest female protagonists in a long time. She is sharp witted and has forthright opinions. A psychologist and a therapist who has dedicated her life to helping others due to her experiences. She uses her intelligence to her advantage and I loved her Shakespearean quotes. She doesn’t stand for any nonsense, stands up to King  and never once shows any fear.  She questions him at ever turn and it’s so funny how she negotiates deals with him. She’s always so unruffled and has an answer for everything. Rae knows her brother protected her as they grew up, sacrificing himself for her. She never wants him in that position again so it’s her turn to step up and protect him.

King’s never met anyone like her before and gets cross she tries to get inside his head and catches him off guard so often. Hurting her will have more affect on Saint as he so protective of her but can he break Rae when she’s so clever. He sees her as a challenge especially when he learns what she endured growing up and how much it affects her still. Could they help each other? What happens when his revenge doesn’t seem so sweet anymore. 

“You’re secretly a good man, aren’t you.”

The character growth is beautifully written and superbly develops. I was cross at King at first and shocked at how cruel he was, however, just like Rae I realised he was a broken man, haunted by the ghosts of his past. All the recent events in his life have really changed him and he is trying to be a good president but doubts his decisions. I loved how he very occasionally showed her the man he really was. He knows she doesn’t belong with a man like him but he is starting to find it hard to let her go even if she only with him as part of the deal to keep her brother alive. 

There are some steamy scenes between them as their chemistry ignites and some scenes straight from the heart when they finally confess their feelings. Rae ends up having to make some big decisions and I was so pleased she found the man beneath the patch. It was great seeing Rae take matters into her own hands and chase down what she wants – girl power at its best !!

Could she be the one not to let him down and find a real connection with him. Has he unexpectedly found someone who would not only stand next to him but would stand up for him?

While most of the book is about the couple there is the continuing drama with the Righteous Brotherhood, as well as the consequences of Saints betrayal for some of the MC members. It was lovely seeing how Iris and Briar have become good friends and learning a bit more about Halo. My heart went out to Clutch and Spark trying to cope with everything going on.

Will this couple grab life by the handlebars or as Rae might say “ The course of true love never did run smooth.” This series just gets better and better and I can’t wait for the next one – The Vows We Keep, especially as it will be about the member I least expected.