Master of Magic - Angela Knight

The first half was really strong.

I liked the heroine a lot! She was reasonable, strong, but also pragmatic and not too proud.

So that really went off to a strong book within the Mageverse - but then it unfortunately all came tumbling down with very unnecessary insta-love with family planning basically 5 days after meeting for the first time.

I really really disliked this rushed HEA - it ruined the characters and most of the story for me.

So I deduct a full star for the last third of this book, because it sucked. Hard.

Insta-love-fest with a lot of sex and not much story.

I am very disappointed. I used to love her books, and even this series.

Alas, I think it is me that changed. 

Some quotes from the book, maybe you can guess why I didn't like it.

(In case you can't, I'll give the reason at the end of the quote...)

"I hate you. I really do. Every man in Avalon is in love with you, and you cook like a goddess. It's not fair. Aren't you ashamed, you greedy bitch?" Caroline to the heroine.

-> competetiveness, Mary Sue moment, illogical (Vampires don't eat, so why would they care about food), typical female occupation to excel in (cooking)

'To hide her erotic reaction, she gave him a sneer. "Does this line work on those Malibu Barbies you usually date?"'

-> competetiveness, condescension, slut-shaming (which is ironic given the heroine's occupation as "court seducer"), Mary Sue moment (better than the rest...)

'Nobody had ever kissed her like Tristan, Belle realized in that heady moment.'

-> NOPE. You have been kissed by thousands of men. And this is so unplausible, it's laughable.

My summary: It is packed with chauvinistic, bodice-ripper-images and characterization. I was interested in this book, because of the on-set with Belle, the court seducer, the ultimate mature and experienced woman. And what do you get?

A stupid insta-lovey Mary Sue who didn't enjoy the sex with all those young guys in retrospective now that she has seen what Tristan can do with his huge dick.

I think the author gave away a wonderful chance to create a love story that does not center on sex, especially given that she could have made the point that the sex can be different when you are in love with someone.

But this story followed the same recipe: instant attraction, sex and then insta-love.

I did not like it at all.

24/12 - The best story in the book was definitely Leigh's A Christmas Kiss, possibly because it made the most sense to me as I had already read a few books from the Breeds series. I better understood the world and even recognised a few of the couples from the books I'd previously read. The other story I really liked was Knight's Vampire's Ball. Kat and Ridge were fun together and I would read more from Knight's Mageverse series. Vampire's Ball was a good teaser for the full series.

Without Restraint (Southern Shield #1)by Angela Knight

Atlanta deputy Alexis Rogers and Navy SEAL Frank Murphy know all about power and restraint, necessary force, and pushing their limits. When they meet in the darkness of a BDSM club, their skills are put to use. With each successive night comes a new adrenaline rush, and while they’re falling into something perilously close to love, their games are still too private, too extreme, and too daring ever to be exposed.
But their intimate lives are upended when a fellow deputy of Alex’s is killed. It’s not a tragic hazard of the job. It’s cold-blooded murder. And he’s not the last to be taken out. Now Alex and Frank have found themselves more vulnerable than ever—and exposed to a killer with a twisted vendetta who turns desire into the most dangerous sensation of all.

My Review:
I really really loved Without Restraint.. It totally had the old Angela Knight feel to it. Totally brought me back to the days that made me fall in love with her work to begin with.
The sex was hot, the plot was exciting, however I should mention that there are a lot of major topics that come into play that may or may not cause readers to feel uncomfortable if they are content sensitive to things such as sex, race, cop killing etc.
I have to give the author credit for being brave enough to release a novel with such heavy handed topics in a time in our country where these issues are forefront on every news outlet. Nature of topics aside I felt the story was written well but keep in mind that its an introductory novel to a new series so you get a lot of extra meat in the set up I have a feeling will eventually "clean up" once we get into further installations.
One note to be added about the intimate relationship of our h/h is that as a gimme from the blurb this is supposed to be a BDSM couple but the sex is defined rather quickly and the personalities don't quite mesh with a sub/dom couple it is also rather mild for BDSM but it has plenty of "play" to keep readers enjoying the kinky treat.
I would definitely suggest and pass Without Restraint on to others that are fans of Angela's work.


My Rating:
5 Stars

Reviewed By: Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews
http://kkmalott.booklikes.com/


Note: I received a print copy in exchange for an honest review from Berkley Publishing