Review: An exceptional start to what is to be a great series.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2013
"I want your submission," he continued, "absolute ownership of you and your body.  That's what I want."I didn't think it possible, but it is.  I have finally found the ultimate anti-hero, and his name is Gage Channing.  Ultimatum by Gemma James is a novelette that can easily be read on your lunch hour, not only because it is a novelette, but because you won't put it down.  I haven't read a book with this calibur of evil in a master since...ever!Gage Channing is a successful businessman who has had his eye on his employee, Kayla Sutton, for a while.  But Gage isn't interested in Kayla romantically.  She is a conquest for him in some ways.  He wants her as his slave and will resort to any means to achieve his goal.  This man is beyond cruel.  He is pure evil.  He IS the Devil in the series title, The Devil's Kiss. *shiver*  He is a jealous master and will not under any circumstances share what he deems to be his own....and he plans to claim Kayla as such.Kayla Sutton is a sweet woman who has been on the receiving end of all the bad Karma life has to offer.  With a history of physical abuse, a child at death's door, and medical bills piling up, she is desperate to see to the medical care for her daughter, Eve.  Unfortunately, Kayla can't afford the necessary care to prolong her daughter's life, so she decides to embezzle thousands of dollars from her handsome employer, Gage.  Her problems continue to mount when she is caught for embezzling and is given a choice ..... a choice that is really no choice at all.  Kayla cannot risk going to jail and being separated from her young daughter, so she reluctantly signs a contract with her boss, Gage Channing, to bend to his will.  As if her troubles weren't enough, Kayla has just reconnected with her first love, Ian, at the hospital where her daughter is inpatient, only to know she cannot see him or rekindle the flame that still burns in her heart for Ian.  This would mean certain pain and punishment for Kayla, as Gage is a possessive master.  Kayla is a very strong woman, so it is not easy for her to submit, yet she finds the strength within her to do so....if only to help her daughter.  But when Kayla's mistakes lead to cruel punishments that are not only physically abusive, but also mentally taxing, she quickly learns that she must play the master's game ... until something happens within her.  Her body and mind begin to betray her, and she doesn't recognize nor like what she is feeling."He kissed like he smiled -- with a devilish edge that was too tempting to ignore.  He delved deeper, and I lost my mind as he thoroughly possessed my mouth.  For a few blissful minutes, I forgot how he'd forced me there, forgot about the beating, the humiliation.  For the first time in years, I felt alive."Gemma James has written an erotic novel with BDSM themes that will have you glued to the pages.  While there isn't really a huge build from the beginning that will grab your attention, as you read past the first chapter, you will be hooked and will continue to read...and cringe....the remainder of the book.  Ultimatum is a good story packed in a few words with a strong heroine and an anti-hero you will easily hate.  Ultimatum doesn't end on a cliffhanger, so to speak, yet it is not really a completed story, either.  It is just enough that will have you wanting more of Kayla's story.  I have to know what happens with Kayla, Ian and Gage.  Will she be free to rekindle a relationship with Ian?  Will Eve survive her terminal illness?  Will Gage's demeanor soften as a master?  I have to know!  While this is not completely a romance novelette,  I can envision the romance coming in the next installments.  I recommend Ultimatum to those who enjoy erotica laced with potential romance and can handle a BDSM theme with physical/mental abuse of a strong heroine.