Servicing The Target
Series: Master of the Shadowlands #10
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Genre: BDSM Romance
Release Date: July 28, 2015
A discharged Army Ranger, Ben considers his job as a BDSM club security guard to be an excellent hobby. He’s never been tempted to join in. But everything changes when the notorious Mistress Anne inadvertently reveals the caring heart concealed beneath her Domme armor.
Now, he’s set his sights on the beautiful Shadowlands Mistress. Maybe he’d considered himself vanilla, but she can put her stiletto on his chest any day, any time. He’ll trust her delicate hands to hold his heart. And if she wants to whip his ass on the way to an outstanding climax, he’s just fine with that too.
Sure, he knows she likes “pretty boy” slaves. And he’s older. Craggy and rough. And six-five. Minor hindrances. The mission is a go.
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They’d both messed up.Oh, Ben.Why had he told her he wanted to be her slave? Whatever had possessed him? She’d known he was almost vanilla. Had cautioned him because he was so new to the lifestyle. Told him he was rushing things.Her eyes welled with tears. Her memory of that day was so clear, the joy she’d felt so brilliant. “I’ll be your slave.”And because she remembered so well, she also recalled what had happened before. How Ben had handed her the phone.Joey’d been on the line.She froze as the puzzle came together.Oh. Damn.After a long moment, she rubbed her hands over her face gently. Her skin felt fragile, as if a sudden movement might cause pieces to fall away.Joey’d asked to be her slave again, and Ben had heard enough to worry.She sighed, seeing how events had created the inevitability of this day. Because Ben wasn’t the sort of man who’d allow someone to poach his woman. If he’d been with her longer or understood more about the lifestyle, he’d have known he didn’t want a 24/7 submissive or slave relationship.But Joey had forced his hand.She’d been so stunned—“Yes, Ma’am, this is what I want”—and so filled with happiness, that she hadn’t questioned his motivation.Then, as she tumbled into loving him, she’d seen only what she wanted to see. Love might be blind, but it was also deaf, dumb, and stupid.She pressed her lips together. Her heedlessness had hurt them both.Now what should she do?A half-laugh escaped. The person she’d normally ask for guidance would be Ben. She rubbed her chest where the aching mass of bruised heart muscle hadn’t stopped throbbing. Heknew her. He’d have given her solid advice because he liked her the way she was.
With him, she’d been able to relax and not stay “on” all the time.
Was that because he didn’t need her to always be strong and invulnerable.
He was smart. Easygoing. Deadly. Competent. A survivor of the worst New York could throw at him and war, as well. He didn’t need her to make his decisions.
She blew out a breath, feeling like an idiot. Caught up in the way she always did things, she’d tried to make every choice for her, for him, for them.
He didn’t need her to be in charge.
What about her? Could she cope with a relationship where she wasn’t in control all the time?
Rather than an instant “no,” she heard only silence. As if the answer was…maybe. How odd.
I’m going to hurt you, Ben- because this is what I told you I’d do. And because this is what you obviously want me to do.”
I’m not typically a fan of Domme heroines, but when it’s Cherise Sinclair writing it, it’d be a sin for me not to at least attempt it. Well imagine my shock that I can now say that this may have easily been my favorite Shadowlands book yet. Of course it figures that it would be this author that will not only make fall in love with the story and the characters but also appreciate a strong Domme. If you’re on the fence about reading it, you need to jump off the damn fence and READ IT…or else deVries will come and spank you. Trust me when I tell you that you will to be left disappointed.
Now he’d set his sights on the woman.
And- as his team in the Rangers had witnessed- he never missed.
I think my hesitancy in reading about a submissive hero was that eventually he’d be too submissive for me. You know what I’m saying here? Like he’d lose some of his alpha, and if there’s one thing I need in my heroes is that absolute alpha vibe. Well, my friends, Ben is ALL alpha. If you don’t fall whips over stilettos for this man from the first few chapters, we’re not reading the same book. Ben has always been the man in the background of this series. The gentle giant that guards the doors of Shadowlands and absolutely vanilla, he’s always been a bit unassuming but you just knew there’s something intense brewing underneath the service. So of course it would take Mistress Anne to bring it to the surface and make him face his true desires.
Ben struggles with his desire for Mistress Anne because while it’s clear he has more…submissive desires in bed, that’s also where it ends. Anne likes the pretty boys and he’s definitely a few years and a few scars away from that, but he’ll gladly submit to her sharp stilettos and whip. But the ultimate deal breaker may be that Anne wants a slave and Ben doesn’t see himself submitting his control so fully.
I loved the power play between these two. Ben, while being submissive, never loses his intensity. Being a former Ranger this is a man that protects those he loves with a single minded intensity, and it’s hard for him to turn that off long enough for Anne to take the reins. While on the outside they seem to be the unlikeliest match, together they make a perfect kind of sense. Their chemistry together is absolutely mind-blowing.
As far as Anne goes, well it doesn’t get more kick-ass than her. A fugitive recovery agent by day, this is a woman that knows how to throw a punch to fall a man twice her size. This is not only a woman that makes men shrivel in fear in the dungeon, she certainly handles her own outside of it. What I really loved about her is the vulnerability that was so evident about her. I think that’s what truly made her as endearing as she was. And the fact that Ben saw it and did everything to try and shelter her made me fall for him even more.
Anne is tough, but beneath the leather and heels is a gentle soul of a woman that didn’t have an easy childhood growing up as an army brat and being constantly undermined by her military father. Being the only girl in the family doesn’t make it easier. But that doesn’t stop her from going after what she wants and leading a team of other agents in her job all while being constantly harassed by her misogynistic asshole of a cousin. She’s always having to prove herself, but she lets it roll off her back. I loved how protective she was of Ben too. I was worried that their relationship dynamic may come off as slightly emasculating, but it was never that. It was always this perfect power balance between them and man did I enjoy that.
“Listen, you—”
“Maybe your wimpy friends put up with you touching and hanging on their men, but I don’t. Hands off.” She twisted to put her hand on Ben’s stomach in her own claiming gesture. Why be subtle? “Mine.”
Cherise Sinclair always manages to write an incredible romance that’s laced with an erotic touch of BDSM and this book was no exception. I loved every single page of it and never wanted it to end. What I really appreciate about these books is that they’re so much more than sex or BDSM. At the heart of it, it’s a touching and emotional love story about two people that are imperfectly perfect and yet perfect together. Having read this author’s entire backlist, I can say that without a second thought and mean every word. No one writes an erotic BDSM romance quite like her.
As always all the favorite characters from the previous books make an appearance and even get a POV in this one. I loved getting a little more Z and Jessica, and of course Raoul and Kim was great as well. It felt like the added perk on top of what was already a fantastic story. If you’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, it’s pretty much a safe bet that you will love this one. And if you haven’t yet discovered this incredible author yet? I’m really not sure what you’re doing with your life.
Having to wear glasses in elementary school can scar a person for life.
Dubbed a nerd at an early age, Cherise Sinclair has been trying to live up to the stereotype ever since. And what better way than being an author?
Known for writing deeply emotional stories, the USA Today Bestselling Author has penned sixteen erotic romance novels, most with a BDSM theme. (Please do not mention the phrase mommy porn in her presence.) Her awards range from a National Leather Award to a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nomination to a GoodReads BDSM group award for best author of the year.
Cherise lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. Their two fledglings have left the nest recently to try their wings and hopefully will fly high and strong. The “ascendant erotica queen” (Rolling Stone Magazine) now spends her days writing with occasional supervision from a sadistic calico cat.
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