TITLE: THE SILVER CHAIN
AUTHOR: PRIMULA BOND
Pages: 369
Date: 19/08/2013
Grade: 4
Details: no. 1 Unbreakable Trilogy
Received from Harper Collins UK/Avon
Through NetGalley
Own/Kindle
The blurb:
“Bound by passion, she was
powerless to resist.
One dark evening in London, photographer Serena Folkes is indulging her impulsive side with a night-time shoot. But someone is watching her – mysterious entrepreneur Gustav Levi. Serena doesn’t know it yet, but this handsome stranger will change her life forever…
Serena is fascinated by Gustav, the enigmatic owner of the Levi Gallery, and she soon feels an irresistible pull of attraction. The interest is mutual, and Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career at his gallery, but only if Serena agrees to become his exclusive companion.
To mark their agreement, Gustav gives Serena a bracelet to wear at all times. Attached to it is a silver chain of which he is the keeper. With the chain Gustav controls Serena physically and symbolically – a sign that she is under his power.
As their passionate relationship intensifies, Gustav’s hold on the silver chain grows stronger. But will Gustav’s dark past tear them apart?”
One dark evening in London, photographer Serena Folkes is indulging her impulsive side with a night-time shoot. But someone is watching her – mysterious entrepreneur Gustav Levi. Serena doesn’t know it yet, but this handsome stranger will change her life forever…
Serena is fascinated by Gustav, the enigmatic owner of the Levi Gallery, and she soon feels an irresistible pull of attraction. The interest is mutual, and Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career at his gallery, but only if Serena agrees to become his exclusive companion.
To mark their agreement, Gustav gives Serena a bracelet to wear at all times. Attached to it is a silver chain of which he is the keeper. With the chain Gustav controls Serena physically and symbolically – a sign that she is under his power.
As their passionate relationship intensifies, Gustav’s hold on the silver chain grows stronger. But will Gustav’s dark past tear them apart?”
==============================================================
Aspiring
photographer Serena Folkes leaves behind the lover of her teenage years when
she travels to London,
convinced that she is done with men. It is a conviction that will last less
than 48 hours.
While she is out
about town on Halloween night she meets an intriguing man. She knows she should
be careful about engaging with strangers but something about this man cuts
right through her reservations. This man, Gustav Levi, doesn’t send of a
dangerous vibe - well he does, but in an intriguing way, not one that makes her
feel threatened.
“But Gustave Levi is not just
any old company. I have the weirdest feeling that he’s picked me.”
While Serena cuts
her evening with Gustav short, she can’t get him out of her head. And when they
meet again because she has left her camera in his care he offers her a deal
that will ensure that the two of them will get to spend a lot of time together.
He will show a collection of her photographs in his gallery if she signs
herself over to him until all the pictures have sold. Delighted to be given
this opportunity and intrigued by and attracted to the man, Serena doesn’t have
to think twice before she signs on the dotted line. A deal Gustav seals by
locking a silver bracelet around Serena’s wrist. A bracelet to which he can,
and will, attached a silver chain; proof that she is fully connected to him.
“But the instant I’m chained
to him, I’m anchored.”
While Serena is
mesmerized by Gustav there is a lot about him she can’t explain. He obviously
has issues that stem from a past he is reluctant to share – issues that keep
him far apart from her even while the chain seems to imply they’re very close.
As Gustav’s past is slowly revealed it feeds into Serena’s issues. Having never
felt loved or wanted in her life, it is only too easy for Serena to believe
that she is not what Gustav wants or needs. And worst of all, his actions seem
to confirm that she is not what he is really looking for. Misunderstandings,
mistrust and miscommunication appear determined to keep these two characters
apart. It will take a lot of pain and confusion before Serena realizes that:
“At last it’s me he’s seeing,
Nobody else.”
This was a very
enjoyable read. There is a lot to like in this story. Yes, it does resemble a
lot of other books in that it features a young girl falling under the spell of
an older, more experienced man. This is certainly not the first time I’ve come
across a relationship haunted by dark pasts and deep seated insecurities. But,
while similarities like that have irritated me in the past they didn’t so much
this time around. I liked that Serena is a girl who knows what she wants and
how to get it. She is not the poor little girl who needs the older and richer
man to make her way in life. At all times, while reading this story, I felt
that Serena would have made it on her own – that Gustav only fast-forwarded the
process. I also liked the fact that although there definitely are some aspects
of bondage and domination in this story it shows both sides of that particular
coin – how it can break relationships just as easily as make them.
Having said that,
there were times when Serena’s character was a bit too volatile for me. Serena
seemed to jump from one, strong, emotion to the exact opposite emotion from one
paragraph to the next. While her insecurities made perfect sense, I would have
preferred it if the changes in her state of mind had been a bit less sudden and
frantic. There were pages where I had a hard time keeping up with what exactly
she was feeling and why.
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