Sandy M’s review of Mastered (Enforcers, Book 1) by Maya Banks
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Berkley 29 Dec 15
I’ve been anticipating this new book from Maya Banks for a while now. Actually, I anticipate every book of hers, but lately it’s been for a different reason than I know I’m going to be in love with the characters and their story by the last page. No secret I’ve been critical of the change in Ms. Banks’ writing over the last year or so. I refuse to give up on her, because she is a high-caliber writer and I know how darned good she is. So how did this newest story from Maya work for me?
I’m so very happy to say that the redundancy in her writing has been experiencing over the last four or five books is not in evidence in this book. The story doesn’t feel padded will filler and the characters don’t say the same things over and over. At least not often. This time when it happens, I can see it from Evangeline’s point of view, and that occurs only a handful of times. From early on I kept thinking it’s good to have the old Maya back.
Evangeline believes herself to be an ordinary, mousy woman – nothing to look at, nothing exciting. Seems her ex-boyfriend felt the same way. After he wooed her and bedded her, he dumped her. And she’s still feeling the effects. Her three roommates are determined to help her get back at the jerk by sending her with a VIP pass to an upscale club where she can thumb her nose at him, forcing him to see what he gave up too soon. They all have a clear vision of how things should go down if Evangeline comes face to face with him. Unfortunately, life and jerks have a way making things go very terribly wrong.
While she’s living out her nightmare on the club floor, Drake Donovan, owner of the place, has been watching Evangeline through the video system and has been taken with her from first sight. When he realizes what’s happening, he and his men move in to rescue her from certain injury. Going from watching to wanting this beautiful woman, Drake takes what he wants in his office and that only amps up his attraction. Nearly dragging Evangeline unwilling into his life and world, he doesn’t care – he wants her and he’s going to have her.
So far so good in the story. Evangeline is a very kind and naive woman, having come from a small town to The Big Apple. She’s never come across anyone like Drake, but she is attracted to him, alphaness and all, even if it all happens faster than you can blink. And he is quite alpha. He’s king of his world and he knows it. Acts like it too. In fact, he’s pretty darned rude in the beginning, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like him much. Evangeline is just the opposite, liking and trusting nearly everyone, especially Drake’s men as she meets them one by one. While Ms. Banks does give her a backbone to keep her from being TSTL, she still has her moments – even after Drake’s anger and punishment – and I found myself shaking my head when she decides to defy him more than once.
I do like all of Drake’s men – Silas, Jax, Maddox, Zander, and a few more. However, about halfway through the book after all these men, including Drake himself, soften toward Evangeline, warmth shining in their eyes and all that, what came to mind is the Colter men from Ms. Banks’ earlier series of the same name, one I really enjoyed. Suddenly, though, it was like reading that series all over again with these characters acting in the same way in like circumstances as those previous. One by one, Drake’s men fall under Evangeline’s innocent spell, and I saw each set of Colter brothers in the older series doing the same with their heroines.
Unfortunately, I do have another nitpick, one I’ve mentioned in a couple of recent reviews. Dialogue is not frequent in Ms. Banks’ books, so when it does happen, I always hope it will be fairly dynamic. In this book, however, nearly every time characters are talking to each other, one of them has a sililoquy instead of a normal conversation between two people. Too much in one spot instead of more character interaction in the discussion going on while moving the scene along.
I am surprised there’s only a few sex scenes in this story. All but one, of course, involves Drake’s dominance and teaching Evangeline about submission and how to please him when he’s pleasing her. Maybe I’m getting a little jaded with all the erotic romance lately. There’s really nothing new as far as the sex goes. Even the scene where Drake brings another man in left me…unaffected. Which doesn’t work well with my thought of why would an alpha like Drake want another man’s hands and mouth on what he thinks is his. Just because he can? Most of it’s just unrealistic, even in Drake’s world.
Both Evangeline and Drake are likable enough, to a point. You have to take them literally as they’re described and act. I kept thinking of Gideon and Eva and Nathaniel and Abby at times while reading these two and they just aren’t up to par with the other two couples. Evangeline doesn’t really change at all by the end of this book. It’s Drake who does the changing, and when the huge cliffhanger comes at the end, he’s ready to move heaven and earth to keep the best thing that’s ever happened to him. If you’re not a cliffhanger kind of reader, you’d better wait till the next book is released. This one’s a doozy.
So while the old Maya is back in one instance, my feeling is she needs to find her way back to a few other points as well. I’m still full of hope that will happen, taking readers back to the glory of The Darkest Hour and those first few books of the KGI series or the first two books in the Slow Burn series. That’s the complete old Maya Banks, and that’s who I want writing stories again.
Grade: C+
Summary:
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.
Read a Mastered excerpt.
Other books in this series:
Dominated – May 2015
Kept – 2016
