“Mastered” Book Review

January 11, 2016 / 0 comments

“Mastered” Book ReviewMastered by Maya Banks
Series: Enforcers #1
Published by Berkley Trade on December 29th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: paperback
Source: Publisher
Purchase @ AMAZON  or  BN
Add to Goodreads
Rating 

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.

Liezel’s Thoughts:

I do have to admit that I am a little  late jumping on the “Maya Banks” bandwagon.  She just had so many bestsellers out there I didn’t know where to begin! I am kind of glad I waited though because I thought the first installment to her new  “Enforcers” Series was a reasonable start that sure will have me coming back for more.

“Mastered” is about a simple yet beautiful, small town girl  named Evangeline who due to financial reasons is forced to seek out employment in  New York. Being in the big city, her innocence could not be ignored. She is pursued relentlessly by a man whom she thought was worthy of her affection yet as soon as he gets what he wants he dumps her. To say her self-confidence is on an all time low is an understatement. To help her with that, her best friends send her on a night out at the prestigious nightclub, Impulse.

As soon as she enters those doors her entire life is literally turned upside down. She is thrust into a world that she never thought would never exist for her – a world that belongs to the enigmatic Drake Donovan. At first, I couldn’t understand the appeal on both parts but as the story began to unfold I could see why Evangeline was willing to give up complete control of her life to someone like Drake. For Drake, Evangeline’s sincerity and innocence was a breath of fresh air.

What kept me tethered to the story was this need to find out how this couple could possibly work. Besides this immense physical attraction they didn’t seem to have anything in common and I was glad that the author was able to eventually prove me wrong. Evangeline provided Drake something he never thought he needed before – love and in return, as long as she “Obeyed” he was willing to provide all  the care that she deserved.

All in all, I thought that the premise was good but personally I couldn’t help but feel that it was too “50-ish” – Evangeline’s innocence, Drake’s generosity, his requirements for her to “obey”, his wealth, the elements of BDSM, and, of course, the  cliffhanger at the very end were far too similar.

The question is would I recommend this book? If you are a fan of “Fifty Shades of Grey” then most definitely. I personally enjoyed it and I am looking forward to seeing how far Drake is willing to go to earn Evangeline’s forgiveness after that heart breaking ending.

The Verdict:

rating-3

My Review At A Glance
Writing Style
Story Flow and Pacing
Overall Impact
Character Development
Heat/ Sexual Tension
Overall: 3.4 / 5

About Maya Banks

Maya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.

My Review At A Glance
Writing Style
Story Flow and Pacing
Overall Impact
Character Development
Heat/ Sexual Tension
Overall: 3.4 / 5


Leave a Reply