From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Breathless Trilogy comes the first novel in the Enforcers series—a bold new direction in erotic romance that explores the games men and women play, and the price they’re willing to pay for pleasure.
What he wants, he takes with no remorse or guilt.
She stood out in his club like a gem, unspoiled and untouched. A lamb among wolves, she clearly didn’t belong. Drawn to her innocence he watched as she was surrounded by men who saw what he did—but no one but him could touch her. He summoned her to his private quarters. He sensed her fear. He also recognized the desire in her eyes. And he knew she wouldn’t leave before he possessed her. She had no need to know his secrets. Not until he had her under his complete and utter control.
What he wants, she isn’t sure she can give him.
The moment he told her want he wanted, she couldn’t resist. Instinct told her to run, but her heart said stay and walk the fine line between pleasure and pain. Though she wasn’t sure she could ever completely surrender, the primal part of her wanted to try, even knowing this man could break her in ways she never imagined. Because once he possessed her, he owned her and it would be too late to turn back. She can only pray that he doesn’t destroy her in the end.
I am so torn. I really enjoyed the first 3/4s of this book. The story was sexy, romantic and part mysterious due to the main male character. There were a few things in the last part of the book that I didn't care for, but they did not take away from my enjoyment of the novel. Some of these things are going to pave the way for book two.
Overall, Mastered was a very enjoyable read. I loved the story and the way it was written. I have always known Maya Banks to write stories with a lot of heart conjure powerful emotions; Mastered is no exception. This is not a genre I read very often. I am not a fan of extremely explicit scenes and though Mastered has a good amount of sex, most of it does not fall into that category. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the story and I am glad I decided to branch out with this one. The story is more focused on the relationship between Drake and Evangeline and I found that aspect one of my favorite parts of the story. Drake and Evangeline have great chemistry and I loved reading about them together.
Evangeline is a wonderful main character. She's incredibly sweet, thoughtful and trusting- sometimes too trusting. I loved that she worked so hard to take care of her parents and for everything she owned. Though I do think she trusts Drake completely a little early on- it is fiction, so it doesn't bother me too much.
There are a few things that happen towards the end that didn't work for me. Namely- Drake sharing Evangeline with another man (it broke the spell I was under romance wise) and the way Drake treats her in a scene in the second to last chapter. It was hard to read, though I do understand why it was written- to protect her. With that said, I hope he has some grand plans to win Evangeline over in book two because I don't know if I could take someone back after that ordeal.
Another thing that I wanted more of was getting to know Drake's character better. We don't get a whole lot of information about him outside of his dominant personality and the fact that he's involved in some shady business. He is definitely an intriguing character and one I want to learn more about. I hope Maya delves deeper into him in book two because I have a lot of questions about him.
Despite not loving everything about the book, I did enjoy the writing and the characters. You can't help but feel for both of them. I am very anxious to see what Mrs. Banks has up her sleeves for the second book. Maybe all the heartache Evangeline- and the readers- go through will be worth it in the end!
4/5
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