Veena’s review of Mastered: Ten Tales of Sensual Surrender by Opal Carew, Portia Da Costa, Madelynne Ellis, Marie Harte, Joey Hill, T.J. Michaels, Kate Pearce, Carrie Ann Ryan, Sasha White, Emily Ryan Davis & Jennifer Leeland
Erotic Romance published by Amazon Digital Services 21 Jul 14
So I have to admit that I’m not really a fan of short stories. I only picked this one up to read because Ms. Hill’s contribution to this anthology titled The Scientific Method features the story of two of my favorite supporting characters from her Vampire Queen series. This story for a price of 99 cents is a steal by itself, but when teamed up with all the others it’s a not-too-miss anthology for people who are interested in the latest craze of BDSM and erotic stories. From the very short to a more reasonable length, there are many new characters and authors that I might want to add to my overflowing TBR pile.
The Scientific Method by Joey W. Hill
Let me start my reviews with The Scientific Method which is what attracted me to this anthology to being with. Lord Brian is a vampire blue blood, being a natural-born vampire born to a region master. His interest is in science and his experiments have yielded many benefits to the vampire community and earned him the trust of the elders in the vampire council, particularly Lady Lyssa and Joseph. Debra is his third marked servant and a scientist in her own right, who has assisted him in many of his discoveries that have benefited his world.
She met Brian over a test tube and fell in love with him and agreed to leave her human life behind and become his third marked servant. He very brutally put her in her place the first time she expressed her love. She has since kept her feelings well hidden from him, even though recently their scientific discoveries seem to indicate that feelings and emotions hold a place in science and it behooves the vampire world to sit up and pay credence to it.
This story is delightful as we follow the dips and curves in the relationship between Brian and Debra and cheer with Debra as her love triumphs in a very unexpected very public way.
Summary:
Mastering her body was easy. Mastering her heart and soul will be an erotic science…
In the vampire-servant relationship, the vampire holds all the power. Being Lord Brian’s research assistant as well as his servant, Debra accepts that, but she craves her Master’s heart. When Brian notices his servant’s unhappiness, he uses methods they both understand to prove just what belonging to him fully means.
Grade: A
Read an excerpt.
Three Secrets by Opal Carew
This is a very very short story featuring domination, submission and triplets. There weren’t enough words to really build a relationship with any of the characters, given the length of the story. In reality it’s really almost like a single scene with some background thrown into it.
Summary:
Sharing secrets has never been so exhilarating…
Nicole and Abel met in Paris and fell in love, but Nicole believes her secret lifestyle will drive Abel away. After the vacation ends, she decides to take a chance and share her secret, but little does she know he has a secret of his own.
Grade: C
No excerpt available.
His Secret by Portia Da Costa
This is another very short story which just fills in the outline provided by the synopsis.
Summary:
Quiet storm…
Ben Chambers is the perfect handsome boyfriend. Sarah adores him, yet despite their delicious lovemaking and the fun they share, she senses he has a secret. But then, during a luxury weekend away, one casual pat to her bottom transforms everything, revealing Ben’s thrilling hidden dominance, and a world of decadent pleasure and deeper love.
Grade: C
Read an excerpt.
Remastered by Madelynne Ellis
Allegra Hutton has always had a soft spot for Spook Mortenson the bad boy of bad boys who represent Black Halo one of her favorite bands. She’s thrilled with the opportunity to do some sound work on some of their old albums and meet the band in person. Can she make a break through on all fronts with Spook? the sound tape as well as relationship?
Summary:
A bad experience with a former girlfriend caused Spook Mortensen to repress his sexual urges, but when sound engineer Allegra Hutton is called upon to remaster Black Halo’s first album, there’s only so much attitude and stubborn refusal to listen to the bands’ wishes he can take before he’s forced to break his self-imposed vow and take her in hand.
Grade: C
Read an excerpt.
Working Out by Marie Harte
Mac lusts after Maggie. He’s a commitment phobe who’s seen the ugly in committed relationships. Maggie fills all the places in his heart, but she wants a lot more from him than he’s willing to give her. The story and characters are well developed, even in a short story mode.
Summary:
When lust turns to love, who’s really on top?
An ex-Marine with a kink for dominance, Mac is Maggie’s boss. But Maggie doesn’t seem to realize he’s in charge…until he shows her that Sir is more than a title. It’s a lifestyle that could suit them both. That’s if Maggie sticks around long enough to wear his collar.
Grade: B
No excerpt available.
Juicy by T.J. Michaels
I enjoyed the author’s imagination in the Tea House where the different levels cater to different appetites. I think Solie’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend a bit strange in how she stalks him in her own way with good intentions. I also think her new squeeze is terrific in all ways and a very true depiction of what a good dominant should be.
Summary:
Twilight Teahouse ~ Choose something decadent from our menu…
Solie Shaw is a brilliant self-made woman. After managing a corporation by day, at night, all she wants is to not be in charge. The last man she’d gifted her heart to had smashed it to smithereens and then did the mambo on top of the pieces. Now, along comes the chance to get exactly what she needs. All Solie has to do…is choose.
Grade: B-
No excerpt available.
No Limits by Kate Pearce
Julia and Alex meet in a hospital emergency room when she stands up to him. He is excited by her ability to hold her own ground and sweeps her into a relationship aimed at bringing her fantasies to life. I think her fantasy is a bit too graphic and somewhat offensive to me as a woman.
Summary:
All bets are off when there are no limits…
Dr. Julia Reed deals with life or death situations at a California ER. When British businessman Alex Logan offers her a sexual bargain, she gets to share her darkest fantasies; he gets the power to carry them out. But who is the real winner in this high stakes game, and is Alex even playing fair?
Grade: D
No excerpt available.
Ink Reunited by Carrie Ann Ryan
This is a beautiful romance about young love reunited. They were so young when they first met, and even though they were so much in love and so right for each other, their love did not survive the cold reality of the world they lived in.
Now Rafe and Ian have grown up and know that they need Sassy to complete them. Determined and joined at the hip, they’re going to court to win their love, regardless of society and their families’ opinions. Can they pick up from where they once left of and truly find a happily ever after? As short as this story is, the characters, as well as the supporting characters, are well developed. This is one author and one series that I’d like to read more of.
Summary:
Only two men can give Sassy the happily ever after she craves.
Rafe, Ian and Sassy loved each other…until it all blew apart. Now both men are back for the woman they love. It will take more than apologies for these three to overcome their history. But once they take that step, the streets of New Orleans will never be the same.
Grade: A
No excerpt available.
Unfettered: An Overwatch Story by Sasha White
Ronnie is lonely and knows that she’s missing something in her life. Her experiments trying to explore her sexuality have not yielded the results that she needs, until she discovers Over Watch. Her journey here brings her face to face with her past that she’s never forgotten, even though it never progressed beyond a kiss. Is this her opportunity to find what she’s been looking for all her life? Beautifully told and well developed for the length.
Summary:
You never forget your first love
Mechanic Ronnie Lang is tired of being “one of the guys”. Chasing the fantasy of finding a dominant male to help her explore her sexuality she applies to Overwatch, a private BDSM club where her eyes are opened to a world that’s more than she ever imagined, and the man she’s never forgotten.
Grade: A
Read an excerpt.
Bondage on 34th Street by Emily Ryan-Davis & Jennifer Leeland
Tasha Sears has finally discovered that she’s submissive. Determined to submit to her old friend and separate him from his dominant, she returns home only to be surprised in more ways than one. I wish this story had a few more words to give it a bit of a longer runway to more fully explore the characters and relationships, but I did enjoy what I read.
Summary:
In knots over love
After years of searching, Tasha Sears finally finds the Master of her heart …on his knees in front of intimidatingly sexy bondage enthusiast Noah Dreyfuss. As sparks flare between the three, Noah’s ropes will either bind them together or pull them apart.]
Grade: B
Read an excerpt.
Overall Grade: B
