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Mastering Love (The Hampton Road Club 4) by Morticia KnightGay Erotic Romance
Series: The Hampton Road Club
Paperback: 234 pages
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing (June 9, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1784306134
ISBN-13: 978-1784306137
Amazon: Mastering Love (The Hampton Road Club 4)
Amazon Kindle: Mastering Love (The Hampton Road Club 4)
Evan sees a Master who could be his whole world and Ned sees a beautiful boy in need. But shattered trust and broken hearts could keep them apart forever. Evan landed on his ex-Master’s doorstep after Master Gabriel dumped him for a virgin. He’d hoped Thomas would take him back, but he’s moved on with his new submissive, Linus. Evan has nowhere to go and barely a penny to his name. Fortunately, Master Aaron and his boy, Sam, invite him to stay at their guesthouse. Alone and abandoned, Evan aches for a Master who can give him more—if only he knew what ‘more’ meant. Master Ned has finally decided to settle down in one place after traveling on the road for years. He’s always loved the Hampton Road Club—it’s a private sanctuary for men such as himself. The roaring twenties might be freer than ever, but the decadence of the sadomasochistic club could put its members in danger if they’re not discreet. Ned’s on the lookout for an untried boy who’s ready to fully submit to him on a daily basis. In return, he plans to train and care for his submissive. If he can also find love, then his life will be perfect. After Evan is introduced to Ned at the club, they have an intense encounter that catches them both by surprise. What should lead to a possible future for them as Master and submissive is destroyed when Ned mysteriously casts Evan aside. Evan wonders if he’ll ever be good enough to keep a Master, and Ned fears he may have lost the best thing that ever happened to him. Shattered trust and broken hearts have to be repaired before Evan and Ned can find their way to each other—if it’s not already too late.
What a beautifully, erotic, and loving story that gives the reader a chance to imagine how BDSM relationships began before they were officially labelled, before the leather daddies, and before the grand surge of heterosexual influences. This book is another glimpse into the birth of what would become a movement, and Ms Knight did an exceptional job with the entire thing, from start to finish. As a member of the community being written about, it was interesting to see the author's imagining of how the community began, formed, and grew, how the ultimate care and longing for permanency for their submissives turned into the basic tenements of safe, sane, consensual (SSC) and then to risk, awareness, consensual, kink(RACK). The plot was very well done, each character was delightfully and wondrously explored and delved into, from the main characters to the secondary characters. The settings were fresh and alive, described so vividly they were like a movie running across the screen of my mind. This can all be attributed to Ms Knight's writing style. The emotions the characters displayed were splashed across the words of the page in bright, emotionally, gripping colors. It was an amazing read and I can't wait to read every other book in this series.
