Book Review: Mastered by Maya Banks

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.

 

I am a big fan of Maya Bank's Sweet Series and I was very excited about Mastered. Mastered definitely has a darker undertone with a group of alpha, badass, arrogant men.

Evangeline is a simple girl from the South. She needed a better job to help support her family so she moved to NY. When her first real relationship she has while in NY ends badly, her friends encourage her to get back on the saddle and send her to a club with a  rare and precious VIP pass in hand. The pass gets into the club and soon into the heart of a very dangerous alpha Drake Donovan.

The story is Evangeline's struggle with her self worth. She doesn't see her own beauty, she's humble and innocent. It's her innocents that attracts Drake and his men. Drake is all alpha and has the need to protect Evangeline, she's already been hurt once. Drake claims Evangeline as his. The question becomes for how long? Is she just his plaything?

Evangeline begins to discover her self worth, she's building herself confidence. She doesn't hesitate to challenge Drake.  It's Drake who is hiding a secret from Evangeline. In the end it's the secret that leaves us with a cliffhanger. I enjoyed the story, although there is a lot of repeat description that could have shortened the story. 4 Stars.

Review: Darkest Before Dawn (KGI, #10) by Maya Banks

The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the U.S. government can’t...

The enigmatic Hancock has been both opponent and ally to the KGI teams for as long as they've known him. Always working a deep game, Hancock's true allegiance has never been apparent, but one thing is for certain—he never lets anything get in the way of duty.

But now, his absolute belief in the primacy of his ultimate goal is challenged by a captive he's been ordered to guard, no matter how much she suffers in her prison. She's the only woman who's ever managed to penetrate the rigid walls surrounding his icy heart, but will he allow his perplexing feelings for the beautiful victim to destroy a mission he's spent years working to complete or will he be forced to sacrifice her for “the greater good.”

Buy Links

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I've have enjoyed Maya Banks books in the past, however this is not one my favorite. The story starts off slow with the expected background information, but soon becomes redundant and over the top. Honor, our heroine,  however is what keeps the book interesting with her strength to overcome the challenges that have been set forth. She's almost invincible until she let's her guard down and allows herself to have feeling for the man she thinks is going to save her, Guy Hancock.

Guy Hancock is a mercenary, he's part of an elite team that has been disavowed by the US government. He was hired to capture Honor, she was going to be used as a pawn. After Hancock finds Honor he leads her to believe he's been sent to save her, not by his words but by his actions. Overtime Honor gains the respect of Hancock and his team. They all begin to grow a conscious and find it hard to continue with the plan of turning over Honor to her inevitable fate because she is being sacrificed for 'the greater good'. The relationship between Honor and Hancock quickly develops but will it be enough to help set her free. Will Hancock move past his mercenary ways save Honor from an inevitable death?
 The story at times becomes unnecessarily complicated, entwined with characters from previous books. The story line is already complex with the current characters, Bristow, Maksimov and ANE. I almost put together a road map to follow with all the characters and relationships. Honor was the highlight of the story, and the reason I moved past all the complexities and enjoyed the story.