Review & Giveaway: Mastered by Maya Banks

Title: Mastered

Author:  Maya Banks

Publication Date: 12.29.2015

Series: Enforcers#1

Source:  ARC from publisher

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

Review:

I am a huge Maya Banks fan and when I saw that she was delving into a new series, I was 100% on board. If Maya writes it, I reads it. That’s how we were. So when MASTERED landed on my doorstep, I was beyond excited.

Here’s the thing, this book is full of Maya’s telltale awesomeness – hot scenes that will leave you blushing and biting your lip and a cast of characters that sets up a delicious new series.

My problems were with Evangeline and Drake, mostly Evangeline. Drake is a total Dom—controlling and demanding and always in control. Sometimes he was a bit more of an ass than he needed to be, but I was OK with it.

Evangeline was a bit too self-absorbed for me. She had her moments where I genuinely enjoyed her as a character, but I also felt a lot of frustration at her forced naiveté. No one is that ignorant. And while I can allow some leeway because she’s fumbling through this new relationship, she makes some major missteps that I’m still shaking my head over.

But this book ends on a massive cliffhanger that I simply must know the end to, and there is a cast of peripheral characters that you know are going to get their own books later on down the road and I can’t wait to read their stories. That’s why I gave this book 4 stars. Because it’s a hopeful start to a new series by an author I really love.

The lovely people at Sullivan and Partners are letting me give away 1 finished copy of MASTERED. 

US & Canada Only

Winner must be over 17

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Review: Call on Me by Roni Loren

Title: Call On Me

Author: Roni Loren

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: 7.7.2015

Pages: 448

Genre: Adult, Romance, BDSM

Series: Loving On the Edge #7

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: 4 ½ Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

Oakley Easton wants two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock ’n’ roll......

Review:

IS THIS PIKE’S BOOK IN MY HANDS?! IS IT?! IS IT?!?!?!?!

Those were my exact words as I clutched an early copy of CALL ON ME in my fingers. And then I hugged it. And I loved it. I pet it. Because it’s Roni freaking Loren. I have a serious author crush on this woman – she writes the hottest, sexiest, steamiest books ever. They have prime real-estate on my bookshelves—front and center on my adult romance shelf. So I can see them every single day.

Wait – you probably want a semblance of a review, don’t you?

OK. Let’s do this:

We first met Pike [insert: *sigh*] several books back and he and his rockstar awesomeness have toyed on the fringes of a few books but now is my boy’s time to shine. (Yes. MY boy. Stand down, Krista.)

From the second he meets the brilliant and enigmatic Oakley, he’s consumed and so am I because Oakley is just awesome. She’s a mom of this kickbutt little girl who is a talented as she is quirky and Oakley is doing everything to make sure her child wants for nothing. They have an incredible relationship and Pike never pushes his way between them. He’s like that missing piece of the family puzzle that just fits.

This book was about two grown-ups learning to compromise as they fall in love—learning how to give and take and love. It was one of the healthier relationships I’ve seen in a romance novel.

This book also gave us Devon and Hunter. Let’s all swoon together for a second, shall we?

Look, this is a 7^th book in an amazing series, but you can jump in here! Loren writes these so that each book can stand up all by itself (but seriously, would you eat just 1`chocolate chip cookie at a time), but together they’re a formidable force of a series.