Soul Master

Soul Master
Reese Gabriel
ebook, 76 pages
Published July 20th 2007 by Ellora's Cave
ISBN 9781419911378
This book is the sequel to Chaining His Heart

Beautiful, sassy Cindy wants the handsome mercenary Conrad DeWitt in the worst way. She has the perfect opportunity when Conrad's brother marries her best friend Chelsea on a romantic and remote Caribbean island.

Over a glass of wine, Cindy confesses her desires to Conrad. He tries to warn Cindy away, telling her that he is an incorrigible sexual Dominant who will accept nothing short of total obedience and submission from his bed partners. To his amazement, Cindy confesses that a taste of sexual slavery is exactly what she's been craving in the lonely hours of the night — but without the whips and chains.

A bargain is struck and the two plunge together into an unforgettable night of passion and surrender. Conrad claims her body and soul, but little does he realize that his heart and hers will be swept away in the surge of desire.

My second read of Reese Gabriel and I'm developing quite a weakness for these arrogant jerks. Why? Because no matter how high minded and controlling these Doms are, they always seem to have marriage or a long term commitment on mind. Oh yeah, a romantic like me is way too easy.

While his brother enjoys bondage, Conrad delves into the more mental approach of dominating his women. And role play is just one of his tools of seduction. Now the whole prostitute/customer deal is rather cheesy, but with the subtlety it kinda worked. Then with all stereotypical one night stands, Cindy wants more and Conrad just wants to slip out before dawn. The sex is a nice tease and definitely sets the mind up for some serious fantasies but the chaos of Cindy's feelings and Conrad's 'You've had the best of me' mentality throws some serious punches against the previously crafted mood.

The beginning is good. The ending is better. Everything in between was, for lack of a better word, crap. After Conrad dips, suddenly Cindy's the one at fault. She didn't rise to the occasion of knowing exactly what Conrad needed and conseqently fails in giving it to him. It falls to the female to figure out what the male needs and conforming in order to make a relationship work. For what I believed to be an erotic novel, the smut, to my own disappointment, isn't worth investing in when paired with the rest of the story. 2 out of 5 stars.