Bonded for Life

By: Sharon Buchbinder

Narrated by: Rebecca Winder

Lola Getz and Webster Bond felt an instant spark when they met as high school students in Victory Shores. But their budding romance was cut short when Lola’s parents died in a plane crash and she had to return to Mexico. There, she became a famous artist and married a man who turned out to be a fraud. Webster, meanwhile, joined the army, earned medals of honor, and came back to his hometown as a cop.

Years later, Lola’s life is in danger when armed men break into her house. She flees to the only place she feels safe: her twenty-fifth high school reunion. Webster is surprised and thrilled to see her again—and vows to keep her safe. But is she his long-lost love or a deadly temptation?

©2023 Sharon Buchbinder (P)2024 Sharon Buchbinder

Lola

Lola was sent to the US while in school, to be protected from their family business. Later she goes back to Mexico. Life goes on, and she finds out her father and (now dead husband) worked for the cartel. Needing to get away, she goes back to her high school reunion. Lola encounters Webster, a boy she knew from school, however he is no longer that skinny kid. The two have chemistry and the sparks fly. This was a good story, and a pleasure to listen to. The narration was well done. I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Great Book

I enjoyed this action-packed, fast-paced audiobook. I liked the flow and characters. I liked how Webster and Lola found each other after tweny-five years. Rebecca Winder voiced different accents very well.

Great Story

The story line for this book is unique but at the same time has some universal aspects. I do enjoy a book that explores either a different theme or setting. In her book, Sharon Buchbinder does use some of the same old tired themes such as famous artist, Mexican Cartel, high school attractions and missed opportunities. Mixed in with this is a back theme of foreign exchange student, which I do not recall ever being part of a story I have read. How the main characters meet back up after all the years apart is also maybe not unique but has a fun twist. Her play on words and names is also very refreshing. I particularly liked how she named the police chief Richard Head. Even the name of the book is a play on the last name of a main character. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

Absorbing Romance

This was my first experience with Sharon Buchbinder's work, and it was entertaining. Lola decided to hide at her high school twenty-fifth reunion while running from a Mexican cartel. While driving to Victory Shores, she was pulled over by Webster, who was a local cop, who had never forgotten Lola from their high school days. Their love story was romantic. There was some descriptive steam. Rebecca Winder's narration was great. Her performance which included a Spanish accent for Lola was pleasing to the ear and added a touch of realism to the character's voice. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Pretty fun

This is going to be a tricky one to review …

Overall, I’d say it was ‘okay / pretty good’. I got into it right away, it was suspense-y for a bit, with a hint of a budding romance … Eventually the budding romance became a bigger focus and the ‘suspense’ aspect dissolved. Not truly cozy since actual police are involved, but it had the vibe of a cozy.
For most of the book, I was very interested—to the point that I finished it in one sitting. So I’d call that ‘good’. Though, as motives were unveiled, and we got a closer look at the antagonists, it became implausible at times (at least for me).

Ultimately, I liked it. As for whether I’d be open to more from this author … maybe.

3 stars.

🎧 Audio:
The narrator was very good in tone, delivery and accents.There were just a few instances where she’d use one character’s voice/accent on another and it’d briefly confuse or take me out of the story. 4 stars.