2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Loving the Master by Lynn Kelling (67-03-26-2016)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

1) At 10%, I was ready to throw in the towel, but I persevered. At 25%, I had to take a break from reading, and truthfully, I considered calling it quits. I found the violence in the first quarter of this novel unbearable, but I trusted it was crucial to the plot development, and I was already fully invested in the characters, so I read on. The author paints a vivid setting through scant description, allowing the reader’s imagination to take over. The characterisation is rich and consistent. The story unfolds at a perfect pace (although the last 10% felt a bit like ticking boxes for readers). This is not the book for me; nor is it the kind of book I would usually read. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do so.

2) The characters really put this one over the top for me. I enjoyed the fact this author didn’t completely ignore setting, adding details about the world in which the characters moved around in—I could have used more of that. I could have done without some of the sex and still enjoyed the story just as much, but that is a personal taste thing. I didn’t always ‘believe’ what was happening within the story, but the characters themselves felt real to me. All in all, I’m not much of a BDSM fan and that didn’t matter in the least with this story, the characters were well-drawn and I cared what happened to them, which allowed this story transcend the BDSM subgenre ties(no pun intended) to become a really nice romance. Two thumbs up.

Loving the Master (The Manse) by Lynn Kelling
Gay Contemporary Romance
Series: The Manse
Paperback: 342 pages
Publisher: Fantastic Fiction Publishing (February 8, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1622342763
ISBN-13: 978-1622342761
Amazon: Loving the Master (The Manse)
Amazon Kindle: Loving the Master (The Manse)

David Davenport is, by most standards, a very successful man. He has money, influence, and the Manse, his private gay club. Still, that’s not enough to make him happy. Despite all his privilege, David is a lonely man. While at lunch with an old friend, David finds himself enchanted by the charming young waiter, Shea Whittier. Unlike David, Shea does not have wealth or influence. He does have problems, though, and David is more than willing to help. As the men grow closer, Shea’s submissive nature responds to David’s dominance, bringing a powerful intensity to their relationship, and leaving them vulnerable to an unexpected danger.

Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2016.html