Mastered by Maya BanksMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Michellle
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
“He tasted —and smelled— divine. Hot, alpha, badass male. Arrogant. Confident. And so yummy looking she couldn’t fathom that she was standing in his office while he was thoroughly kissing her in a way she’d never been kissed before.”
It's no secret that I am Maya Banks fan ever since I read her Breathless Trilogy. I was so excited and couldn't wait to get my hands on Mastered and meet Drake Donovan. While I know there are some mixed reviews on this book, I happen to agree that yes there were scenes that had me questioning the heroine's judgement and how realistic the story is BUT I did happen to find the story entertaining, sexy, hot, and suspenseful.
Evangeline is a good girl from a small town, who moved to New York in order to financially support her parents, whom are not able to support themselves due to their health and circumstances. Evangeline's life consist of work, work, and more work. So with a non-existent social life, she has her guards up. But when she finally decided to take a chance on dating, she was humiliated when her boyfriend dumped her right after she gave him her virginity. So when her friends decide it was time for Evangeline to let loose and show her ex-boyfriend what he had lost, Evangeline never expected her one night at VIP exclusive club in NYC will lead her to Drake Donovan.
“The price is you. All of you. I’ll own you. Every inch of you. I’m a man who is always in control of everything in my world. My world, my rules. And you have to play by my rules. I especially demand control when it comes to the women in my bed. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Drake Donovan is your sexy, very dominant and controlling alpha male. He likes things to be done with order and precision. So when Evangeline catches his eye, he wants her and won't stop till he claims her. Instantly, he takes control of Evangeline's life. He moved her into his apartment, provides for her financially, and has her monitored 24/7. Suddenly, Evangeline's whole world is shaken when she instantly trust Drake to take care of her.
“I do, Drake. God help me, but I do. I feel safe with you. I’ve never felt so safe in my life.”
Drake and Evangeline instantly falls into this "relationship" that was insta-lust and insta-trust. Drake made it known to Evangeline that she must obey his orders and in such he would provide for her financially and open her sexually. Their relationship is very one-sided in such that Drake holds all the power and Evangeline is swept up in this whirlwind of money and obeying and trusting Drake. Evangeline doesn't know what to make of this new found relationship because she was so used to providing for herself. Little by little, we see Drake stripped down Evangeline and parts of the old Evangeline gets lost as she tries to submit and let Drake take over. But what happens when Drake destroys the trust that Evangeline had for him? Can Evangeline go back to the man who made her feel like just a property?
“I only meant that our lovemaking won’t always be as it was tonight. I enjoy a variety of methods of sex. Rough, soft, hard, sweet. Bondage, spanking, you at my complete mercy, me in control at all times. I enjoy kink. I like the idea of my woman being available to me at all times. ”
Mastered may not be the book for everyone since the heroine is not very strong but I feel confident that Maya Banks will showcase a new strong Evangeline in the second book. While the sex scenes were hot, there were some scenes that had me on the fence since I wasn't expecting it. But other than that, I really enjoyed reading Mastered and getting to know the secondary cast of characters, whom will I assume play an integral part to the storyline. The writing as always was sexy and addicting. I wanted to know more about Drake Donovan and his business. I will just say the last 20% will definitely have readers devouring the book so fast and that cliffhanger ending had me intrigued and I can't wait to see what awaits for Evangeline and Drake.
Maya Banks
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