Giving Ian Pierce His Happily Ever After

by Jocelynn Drake

Within the Unbreakable Bonds world, I don’t think there’s anyone who deserves a happily ever after more than our chef and all-around sweet guy Ian Pierce. The trauma and abuse he suffered before the series even opened meant that we had to be very cautious with how we proceeded.

The first step was finding the right guy.

Well, Ian sort of solved that problem for us when he first set his eyes on Hollis Banner, Cincinnati cop and busybody. Ian took one look at that tall drink of water and decided that he was very thirsty indeed.

That meant we had to make sure that Hollis was properly whipped into shape. He had to be a great, kind-hearted guy who was dedicated to protecting the little guy and taking out the bad guy at any cost.

It also didn’t hurt that he was tall, muscly, and sexy as hell. Yeah, Ian took on look at him and wanted to climb him like a tree. Not that we could blame him after all.

Once we had the right guy, we knew that Hollis had to know the whole truth. All of it. Ian couldn’t be allowed to hold anything back when it came to his past. It couldn’t be something that was standing between them, or they’d never make it long term. That was a big secret to reveal. It was a scary weight for Ian to place on Hollis, but it was also a terrifying thing for Hollis to deal with. He had his own emotions to process, but he was also worried about how to treat Ian after he knew. Hollis didn’t want to cause Ian any more pain than he’d already suffered.

With some time and hard work, Ian and Hollis found their balance.

But the work wasn’t done.

When Rinda and I started working on Rialto, we realized that while Boris Jagger might be dead and gone, his ghost was still haunting them both. Trauma and suffering like what Ian suffered was not something that was easily dealt with. It’s an ongoing healing process. It’s baggage that needs to be unpacked rather than hidden away and ignored.

As Ian faced an unknown villain in Rialto, we knew it was time for Ian and Hollis to face some very hard truths and start working to some healing that was long overdue if they were going to get their happily ever after. Sometimes, the steps we take to protect ourselves can be more damaging than the pain we’re trying to avoid.

And while the Unbreakable Boys are always there to support Ian, this was a step that Ian and Hollis had to take on their own.

I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about the creation of Ian and Hollis from the Unbreakable Bonds world. If you’ve not read the series yet, we hope that you make a stop in Cincinnati and meet the boys. The series is now complete with eight novels and four short story collections. Jump into the adventure today!

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