Review: Servicing the Target (Masters of the Shadowlands #10) by Cherise Sinclair

A discharged Army Ranger, Ben considers his job as a BDSM club security guard to be an excellent hobby. He’s never been tempted to join in. But everything changes when the notorious Mistress Anne inadvertently reveals the caring heart concealed beneath her Domme armor.

Now, he’s set his sights on the beautiful Shadowlands Mistress. Maybe he’d considered himself vanilla, but she can put her stiletto on his chest any day, any time. He’ll trust her delicate hands to hold his heart. And if she wants to whip his ass on the way to an outstanding climax, he’s just fine with that too.

Sure, he knows she likes “pretty boy” slaves. And he’s older. Craggy and rough. And six-five. Minor hindrances. The mission is a go.

Serving the Target had me on an emotional bender, I cried tears of angst, tears of worry, tears of fear and finally tears of happiness.  Although the main focus of the story is on Ben and Mistress Anne (and WOW do they make a hot couple), we are also updated on the rest of the Shadowlands gang. Including Master Z and Jessica who are still my favorite couple. (Okay, I'll admit I have a fictional character crush on Master Z)

Mistress's Anne does not want life to change, she has enough change as a child.

"The earth is about change. The seasons move from summer to winter. The continental plates push up mountains that the weather slowly grinds back down. On this planet, in this universe, nothing stands still." (Linda)
Change. Just the though set up a queasiness inside."Some of us prefer to stay in summer." She (Anne) managed a half smile. "And prefer that our scenes don't shift under our feet."

Although change is inevitable, Anne does her best to keep the status quo. She's a Domme who wants a slave, a "pretty boy" or does she really? Is it possible for her to accept that she's changing. She's discovering a different side of her. Ben decides Anne is the one for him, although he's not a pretty boy but a older craggy, rough, six-five submissive. He marks her as his target and will do what he needs to do to win her over.

There are several misunderstanding in this story that hit close to home. It's very easy to misconstrue a situation. What I love about the Shadowlands Doms is that they know when to accept fault. Ben was introduced in the very first book and made it clear he only does 'vanilla'. I love that Ben discovers he does do kink and Mistress Anne brings out the best of him. Anne really surprised me, she's softer than I anticipated. She as a big heart, only needing to learn how to open it up again. The story is not only about fearing change but also about fearing pain and rejection. I love when stories are relatable. And finally, I love the character updates as much as I loved Ben and Anne's story!