Master of the Mountain

In the first book in the Mountain Masters and Dark Haven series, Rebecca thinks her boyfriend Matt is perfect, but their sex life stinks. When he suggests she joins him and his swingers group for a long weekend in the mountains, she thinks it’s the only way to save their non-exclusive relationship. As Matt swings with another woman, Rebecca finds herself alone with a bunch of groping, sex-addicted strangers. If not for the lodge’s owner, Logan, she would’ve been miserable and left out in the cold. Literally.
Logan Hunt and his brother Jake own the rustic lodge and cater to all sorts of kinky people who rent their cabins. Though they never sleep with any of the swingers that come up the mountain, Logan is fascinated with shy, show more modest Rebecca and wants to help her as she unsuccessfully tries to “swing” like the others. He soon realizes she’s a submissive. As both a Dom and a man, he finds in Rebecca the perfect blend of a responsive sub in the bedroom and a feisty woman in everyday life. They’d agreed to a no-strings-attached affair, but will they be able to say goodbye when it’s all over?
Both Logan and Rebecca are well-rounded characters with emotional problems from past trauma. I felt their happiness and pain, and teared up when they did. The romance and sex developed quickly between them, but their whirlwind relationship felt believable and the start of something permanent. Fear and miscommunication, however, threatened to ruin everything.
I really enjoyed this book and it kept my attention. It’s well written in third person and properly alternates POVs between the H/h. Jake and Simon were also great, and I would love to read their stories.
4 Stars show less

March 14, 2011

OH. MY. GOD. I really loved this book. What a wonderful story and one that didn't feel phony or forced. I loved the setting for the story. The mountains have always drawn me like the ocean draws so many others. I loved the characters. I have a soft spot for tortured bad boy Doms. I also have a soft spot for well written Domination/submission stories. I am hoping that Ms. Sinclair will write a story for Logan's brother, Jake. I am looking forward to reading other books by this author.

February 24, 2015

It has been almost three years since I read this book for the first time. It affected me just as strongly as it did the first time always a sign of a wonderful book. Ms. Sinclair was a new author to my must have list at the show more time. I think I devoured every book she had written in that time. I continue to buy each new book and enjoy them with much joy and anticipation. I of course didn't read this series in order the first time so I am going to do this right this time around.

This story opens in Rebecca’s bedroom where her boyfriend Matthew is trying to get her to orgasm. It isn't working and Rebecca is unhappy. When Matt invites her to a swingers weekend at a mountain lodge she reluctantly goes to see if some wild sex will help her relationship with Matt. At the lodge she meets Logan and they get together. During the weekend Becca discovers she is a submissive and that she is very much attracted to Logan. Logan isn't looking for a permanent relationship because he is afraid to sleep with anyone. His nightmares about the war caused him to injure his brother and he is determined to not harm anyone else. Becca catches his attention and he just can’t leave her alone. She is everything that he has ever loved in a woman and Logan wants her.

Logan is a tortured hero that is all dominant. He has dealt with his nightmares for years and doesn't realize that they are getting better. He is afraid for hurting someone and he is shy of forming a permanent relationship because of his divorce. The mountain lodge that he and his brother Jake own is the perfect place to ease his soul. Logan also has a big heart. The dog at the lodge was his idea. Thor was a homeless dog living on the streets of San Francisco when Logan found him. Jake and Logan took Thor home and took care of him. This little tidbit was frosting on an already perfect cake.

Rebecca is like so many women that can’t seem to get down the perfect size two body. She has suffered ridicule all her life for her weight and then when she is attacked by a dog and left with scars things got worse. Matt isn't helping matters with his reminds that she needs to lose weight. I understood Becca very well. I know how hard it is to live in a world where a size 10 or more is considered a plus size. It was very nice to see the journey she takes to finding that an orgasm can indeed be earth shattering. Ms. Sinclair does such a go job of showing the emotions that come with the realization that you want to give up control to someone that you can trust not to hurt you. Becca isn't a shrinking violet though. She is intelligent, creative and very courageous. She is caring and giving as well.

This story is one of the better examples of the BDSM genre. Ms. Sinclair writing reminds me very much Joey W. Hill which is one of the reasons I have read so many of her books. She writes endearing characters and fantastic locations. She also writes with emotion. Her stories drag you in and won’t let you go until the story is over and you feel a little lost. These are best type of books in my estimation. show less

Rebecca feels insecure with her boyfriend Matt, a feeling that intensifies after he tells her of the swingers group he belongs to. He encourages her to come with him to the mountain top retreat where they are planning a long w/e. Rebecca reluctantly tags along, but as anyone could have predicted, she has a terrible time. However, the retreat owner, Logan, is something else. He talks to her in a way that she hasn't experienced before, and they have the remarkable 4 day w/e, very intense, very hot. I liked it, liked Logan, the intensity, Rebecca's feelings. Felt real and grounded and that Cherise Sinclair knows her way around the world she describes. I count it a good new find and a keeper.

Reread 2022
I enjoyed this one on the reread. I love Becca and her reactions, they seemed very real to me.

Good

3.75 to 4 ⭐️
I’ve been meaning to try this author for a while now and I have finally worked my way around to trying one of her books. I enjoyed it even with the few little issues I had. Which is making it hard for me to rate. It’s ranging about 3.75 to 4
I really liked Becca and connected well with her. I liked that she wasn’t a stick thin woman but had curves and also issues with those same curves. As a woman who carries a number of curves myself, I fully appreciated and understood her issues with her looks. I also really liked that once she got back to the city she tried to find out wether her attraction was just to show more Logan or if she did really enjoy being a sub. She didn’t take it on face value and used her brains to arrange a guide, who would both show her around and at the same time look after her.
Logan I both liked and at times hated. At times he was the big bad Dom -don’t question me we’ll discuss it later. But they never did. Becca was new to the world and yet he never really discussed in detail with her what she was getting into, it was more a show than tell. But at other times it was hot. And outside of the bedroom I loved that he enjoyed Rebecca feisty and encouraged her to gain her confidence with Thor
I’ll definitely continue on with this series and see how it goes show less

Rebecca thinks she has the perfect life - a city girl with a well paying job as a graphic designer, a handsome boyfriend, they just moved in together ... the only problem seems to be the lackluster sex. To "save" their relationship, Matt tells her he'll be joining his "club" on a vacation in the mountains. The real blow comes when he tells her it's a swingers club. He convinces her to give it a try and she reluctantly agrees. She quickly establishes that that lifestyle isn't for her. Of course a certain lodge owner named Logan has a lot to do with turning her world upside down. Rebecca is intimidated and attracted to the intense male. When she finds out that he's a Dom, He shows her a new side of herself that she never knew was there, show more but can he tear down the walls she's built around herself at feeling inadequate, and in turn can she help him overcome his own insecurities?


*** Possible spoilers ahead***


I really liked this story because for once the heroine isn't a size 0 babe. She's a real woman with curves, and like anyone else she has her insecurities. Ever since her father walked out on her mother claiming that she was fat and boring, she's had it drilled into her that the only way to keep a man is to be skinny. I can understand why she might feel that way, however i failed to grasp how she ended up with Matt if she freezes up every time she's seen without her clothes on. When they arrive at the lodge, it's obvious Matt is very well acquainted with everyone, which eludes to the fact that he has been cheating on her for a long time. Yet she's still willing to give this lifestyle a try to save her relationship? WTH? I say kick the asshole to the curb! The jerk didn't even come to her defense when his "pick of the lays" cuts her down and calls her frigid.

Logan, the owner of the lodge, is an Iraq war veteran and he suffers from PTSD. He has nightmares that lead him to act violently when he's caught up in a bad dream. He's even responsible for nearly killing his brother, Jake after a particularly bad episode. Aside from that, he's also a Dom which gives him control in other areas of his life. I loved Logan for his intensity but also for the incredible sweetness that simmered beneath his tough exterior. That man can really make a woman feel good, and I don't mean just physically. He's instantly drawn to Becca's gentle and submissive nature, and it doesn't hurt that he thinks she has a body to die for. I also loved how he made it a point (at least twice) to hint at her fiery passion to the swingers. He eases her into the BDSM lifestyle. She struggles to cope with the revelation that she finds aspects of it enjoyable, but she soon finds herself falling for her mentor. Can they find a HEA in just four days?

I'm glad the swingers too a backseat for the majority of the story. I didn't have a problem with the scenes in this story. I accept the BDSM but not the swingers. To me, they were a very unsympathetic bunch of cheaters who get to be with many different partners. BDSM, on the other hand is like a sexual position. When done correctly, there is trust between a Dom and his Sub, they talk openly about everything and try things together that heighten their experiences. Swingers are just in it for the sex without having to worry about getting caught. I chuckled a lot throughout this story because it reminded me of those teen movies, where the haves snub the have nots. In the end, it seemed that everyone took a sudden interest in Becca just because Logan saw something in her that no one else did.

The BDSM scenes in this story weren't shocking, and you'll probably want a few ice cold drinks to go along with it. Just sayin'. show less

Master of the mountain is another book by Cherise Sinclair that I loved. It was angsty, it had romance and it was hot and it was a quick and easy read. The book is a great beginning of the series and I am on for the stories of Jake and Simon. Rebecca was a very good heroine and I will be looking forward to seeing her and Logan in the next books.

I tried to read one of Cherise Sinclairs novels a couple years ago, but I couldn't got into it. Still, I kept hearing good things about her, so when Allromance offered this one as a free e-book a couple of weeks ago I decided to take the chance.

I am glad I did.
This book sizzled. Yes, there were a lot of sex scenes. Normally, I have a lot of problems with that since they often feel like fillers and doesn't add anything to the book. Not this time. Each sex scene felt like they had an intent. But, I appreciated the non-sex scenes as much as I appreciated the sex scenes.
And the reason for that is the characters. The Swingers... well.. I didn't like Max. Actually, I thought he was a jerk. I wanted to strangle him when he hurt Rebecca's show more feelings. I digress. Back to the review.
The point is that Both Logan and Rebecca has scars. Physically and on their souls. Gradually, they work through the scars through the book.

I admired Rebecca for having the guts to leaving after Logan behaves like a jerk. But, it was something they both needed. They needed to know that it was they that had the chemistry. Not the BDSM aspects.


There weren't anything that I specifically disliked with it, but I didn't feel the tug I feel with really good, really memorable stories. Still I'll buy the sequel the next time Fictionwise has a good discount ( since a 170 pages story isn't worth 5 dollar. Sorry, Loose Id.) show less