Review: The feelings this book invokes....be prepared!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 27, 2014
Wow. If you’re looking for a book to be completely moved and blown away by, this is it. I’m pretty sure that nearly every emotion is invoked by the time you reach the end; it truly was an amazing book!Ryan is a career soldier. He is the divorced father of one and he goes about his days with little passion for anything, much less life. Sexual abuse at the hands of his uncle as a teen have robbed him of feeling, and have left him confused as to who he really is. He knows that he is Sergeant Major Ryan Jenkins, United States Army, and that he is daddy to Lucy, ex-husband to Joanna, but it is his relationship with his best friend Mason that is causing internal conflict and confusion. He finds himself attracted to his lifelong friend, but he’s not gay, how can he deal with these feelings while still being a friend to Mason?Mason is a movie star, Hollywood’s current flavor of the month. After having done a stint in rehab, Mason is healthy and is in town to attend an awards ceremony. He ha asked Ryan along and Mason introduces him to Stella, his “therapist”, for lack of a better word. It becomes quickly becomes apparent that Stella and Mason’s relationship is anything but ordinary, but Ryan can’t quite pin down what it is that makes it different. Mason is a whole different, happy, person around Stella, more at ease with himself and those around him. Ryan also finds himself almost instantly attracted to Stella, but can he act on that attraction with Mason in the picture? Especially when he is attracted to Mason as well?Stella is a pediatrician by day, and a domme always. She is the reason Mason has managed to remain on the straight and narrow, threatening to cut contact with him if he went back to drugs. Stella and Mason’s relationship is very simple, yet complicated to those that are not familiar with the lifestyle, and when Ryan enters the picture, things get all sorts of complicated.Throughout the book it looks as though we’re setting up to see a love triangle that is going to end badly at some point, but that is not what we’re given at all. What we see are three mature adults working through their problems and finding love and companionship where and when they least expect it. This book does feature same sex situations, so if this bothers you, this is probably not the book for you, which is too bad honestly, because it truly is a beautiful story. We not only bear witness to new love and exploration, but also to confronting the past and getting past the nightmares that keep appearing. In the story we get to see Ryan confront his abuser and we get to see him heal.The love stories in this book are beautiful and the sex is hot! But, don’t let that be the selling point for you because you may be disappointed; there is so much more to this book than that alone. Yes, there are some minor issues, spelling/grammar, and I have to wonder why on earth Ryan hadn’t sought counseling at some point (this likely would have come up at some point during his career in the Army, depending on his job he would have had a Psych screen), but there was nothing that would detract from the overall message and beauty of the book.Yes, Master is an amazing, heartbreaking, soul-searching, true love finding, five star read. It grabbed my interest from the very first page and I didn’t want to put it down. Ms. McHeyzer has given us characters with depth and courage and a storyline that is mesmerizing. This is a standalone book, but I will definitely be looking into more of Ms. McHeyzer’s work!