Jenna Jacob

If you are looking for an emotionally draining, tear-jerking, BDSM romance, look no further! Not having previously read the other books in this series, but being drawn in by the psychological focus of this plot, I was extremely surprised and happy to find that MASTER OF MY MIND cleverly delivers on many of my favorite fronts: passion, suspense, mystery, and romance! Additionally, although there is some carryover and continued development of previously introduced characters, MASTER OF MY MIND show more works well as a standalone, if you, like me, want to skip ahead to this one. Of course now, that I have learned of some of the other characters, my interest has been piqued and I may just have to go back and read their stories as well!

Having watched her from afar, when she was collared by another, Tony Delvaggio, one of the Club Genesis Masters, constantly found himself dreaming of one day teaching Leagh Bennett, the "brat" of the club, the true meaning of submission. When her prior Dom passes away, Tony finally has his opportunity and is determined to take full advantage of it, even if it means he will need to possess an inordinate amount of patience while Leigh recovers from her grief. Fortunately, he is well equipped as a psychologist to help her work through her turmoil.

Leagh, however, has a lot more to conquer emotionally than just her grief. She hasn't even left George's (her past Dom) funeral, before she is quickly made to realize that she is the target of her past Dom's ex-wife's and daughter's revenge plot. With a large estate at stake, the extremes to which they will go to is unlimited, and their first strike is to evict Leagh from the home that she shared with George and to destroy all of her personal belongings in the process.

Completely alone and with nowhere to turn, Leagh goes to Club Genesis where she is welcomed with open arms by the family she and George had been living the BDSM lifestyle with. Chief among her rescuers is Tony. But Leagh is reluctant to open up to Tony, something which he demands prior to taking another step with her, even while he fights his undeniable attraction to her. Leagh is also conflicted, as there are some secrets from her past that are just too deep to share. Moreover, what scares her the most is that she shouldn't be feeling anything for Tony when her heart is still breaking over George's death. How could she, the Club brat who isn't even sure if she is truly a sub, ever find happiness with Tony, who is one of the Club's hardcore sadists?

What a fascinating read! I loved the way Tony identifies and works through Leagh's various stages of grief, and how he instructs her in the ways of the submissive lifestyle. Putting aside his needs to cater to Leagh's and completely swarming her in his protectiveness and overwhelming care, Tony exemplifies some of the best Dom traits!

All in all, I found MASTER OF MY MIND to be a highly enjoyable BDSM romance with a good dose of suspense and mystery! If you are in the market for a BDSM romance, MASTER OF MY MIND may just be a great pick for your next one!

Source: Review written by me and originally published in The Romance Reviews. show less

What is Liam doing for most of the book? I'll tell you what he does. Being jealous, insecure, having second thoughts and being moody. He ruined a good book. Just when I thought I could like him and this new installment in the series, he is all about how Raine and Hammer will no longer need him and how he isn't an important part in their relationship. After what Raine said about her thoughts on the possibility of being pregnant with Hammers baby and her feelings for Liam, I felt sorry for show more Hammer because he is the one who should be the insecure here. He might be the one who had spend six years knowing her, but Liam was in a committed relationship with her and they were living like they already had their happily ever after. I still feel like Hammer is the one who keeps on missing things out. The only good thing Liam did in my opinion was his intention on telling Raine the truth from the beginning instead of keeping it a secret. Otherwise he is just awful. Hammer ends up feeling guilty for the return of the old nemesis from the blurb, but if it weren't for him plenty of things wouldn't have happened. The end in this installment isn't a cliffhanger exactly, but it gave me the urge to begin the next book immediately. Some scenes in the book are not for the light hearted and are rather dark. I will recommend this book and honestly if I could I would recommend to skip the first two books and start with this one. show less

Note: I have read all the stories in this book but two. I skipped Falling under you by Laurelin Paige because there is no way I am touching a book by this author for the next 10 years. I still haven't forgiven her for what she did to Gwen and JC's Story. So, I skipped this novella without a second thought. Second I didn't read American Queen by Sierra Simone because I know that this story ends with a cliffhanger and I don't have the time to read the second book. Also, I am waiting for the show more third book to be released so I can read them all together. *The reviews for the last 2 novella's are kind of spoiler-ish)

Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey got 2 stars from me. It's my second least favorite novella. There was so much talk about James and his dark desires and how he wasn't the best option for Lita, but what we got was not as hot and dangerous as it was supposed to be. It lacked some sexiness and I didn't like the characters a lot. They didn't have the chemistry I am expecting from the main couple of in the book I am reading. I was happy to see the heroine chasing after the hero though because it's always the other way around.

Devoted by Lexi Blake is the story that was published a couple of months before Dominance Never Dies, the first book I got my hands on in the Masters and Mercenaries series and I was very happy to fill one of the gaps I had about the characters. I saw some familiar faces even if my favorite one was only mentioned. I have to add Bridget's book on my TBR-ASAP right behind Ian and Charlie's. I loved that woman. Amy and Flynn were the best couple out of the four. I loved seeing them together and they had great chemistry. Flynn might have acted like an a-hole by not telling Amy the truth, but I understand his reasoning. He also made one of the grandest grand gestures I have read over the years and he was able to win me over and make me think of him as one of the greatest book boyfriends I had the pleasure to read about. Amy is a very good heroine. I liked her quite a lot and she is definitely a good example of a strong woman in a novel. 5 stars for this story.

Z by Larissa Ione needed to be a full length novel. The characters needed more time to develop and mature. Vex is a strong heroine I'll give her that and normally I would have been on her side, but she wasn't able to convince me. Zhubaal is kind of weak for a hero. I felt like he had to give up his beliefs for the last 140 years while Vex never accepted the truth. I would have liked seen Zhubaal going out with someone other than Vex and make the novella more angsty. The twist was a little predictable, to be honest and I would have preferred it if it wasn't included. I wanted to see Vex trying to understand Zhubaal and his vow as much as she wanted him to leave the past behind and move forward. The only reason I am giving 3 stars to this novella is the first ten chapters or so, when the story had a good pace and I enjoyed reading it.

Finally, we have Craving His Command by Jenna Jacob the worst novella of the four. The worst book boyfriend of the year goes tooooo ..Kellan! The dude who is still in love with his wife and goes on "dates" with her at the clinic she has lived for the past five years since she got hit by a drunk driver and became a vegetable. They also happen to have a daughter who is 5 years younger than the heroine aka Mercy. Who gave her back hole to a dude who ended up abusing her. I don't know why we needed to read that. I also don't know why we had to read about Kellan having an emotionless arrangement with a woman whom he uses for his release. I didn't want to read about them doing it. He couldn't keep it in his pants for 5 years while he was still loving his wife. Just use your hand dude. He tried to keep some distance from Mercy because she was threatening his feelings for his wife, but he was ok with the other woman. Sure dude, whatever you say. I am giving 1 star to this novella. It wasn't for me and I wanted to give it up by the time I was reading chapter three. If it wasn't for my curious nature I wouldn't have finished the book. show less

I will add to this review as I read the separate stories during the time that I read the series that they are from.

Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey
I have had Bundle ten 1001 Dark Nights on my Kindle forever because of this Novella. I figured I would need it when I finally read the Made in Jersey series that was on my kindle. It was well worth it because this might have been the best book of the series.

I was intrigued by James and Lita after reading about them in Sarge and Jasmine's story. They show more were so much more than I expected them to be. For many, this story might push their boundaries but I embraced it because it is not my place to judge them for what they like. It was consensual and it was hotter than Hell. Great chemistry, great characters, and a plausible storyline.

The only complaint that I have had about most of this author's works is that her epilogues always seem to be more of a HFN instead of a HEA. That is just my preference. However, it doesn't stop me from reading her stories with some of the dirtiest talking men around. show less