The Master
(The Game Maker #2)
By: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: Feb. 17, 2015
Genre: Erotica
Rating:
Everyone fears the Master…
Rich, irresistible politician/Mafya boss Maksimilian Sevastyan prefers tall, obedient blondes to fulfill his… complicated desires. That is, until the icy Russian encounters a disobedient brunette whose exquisite little body threatens his legendary restraint.
Except her.
Catarina Marín was a well-off young wife until her world fell apart. Now she’s hiding out, forced to start working as an escort in Miami. Her very first client is beyond gorgeous, but when he tells her what he plans to do to her, Cat almost walks out of the door.
If pleasure is a game, play to win.
After their mind-blowing encounter burns out of control, the lovers crave more. If they escape the deadly threats surrounding them, can Maksim overcome his past—to offer Cat his future? Only then will she tempt him with what he really wants: her, all tied up with a bow.
My thoughts…
The Master reminded me a lot of Pretty Woman. You see, Cat is a newbie when it comes to being an escort. Like, this is her first time ever, newbie. She fills in for her friend and day-time employer to cover her “date” that night when her Botox ends with undesirable results. What’s only supposed to be a one and done thing, turns into an extended deal with Cat staying with him for the remainder of his time in Miami.
Cat’s been on the run from her estranged husband for three years. She never stays in a location longer than six months and she never gets close to anyone. Her latest stop is Miami, where she makes ends meet by cleaning houses and attending college classes. However, her time is running out in Miami and she’s severely short om the funds required to get new ID’s and start a new life somewhere else. So, when her employer is unable to go on her “date” that night, Cat decides to take her spot for her in the hopes of getting enough money to leave town. However, what she doesn’t plan is for the Russian to request she stay with him a little longer than the night and offer an obscene amount of money to do so.
Maxim is only in Miami to take care of business. He’s no stranger to the escort business and always orders a woman to satisfy his needs. However, his night is forever changed when the demure skinny blonde he ordered turns out to be a fiery buxom Latina instead. Rather than turning tail and running like he told her to, she tells him that she’ll show him what he really wants. And boy does she show him. Needless to say, she rocks his world and he reconsiders his love for blondes. However, he’s not stupid and he knows she’s hiding things, even if he didn’t have the lack of a background check to go off of. However, he has no idea that his Cat is not only a complete novice at her new “job” and is married, but she’s also on the run from a murderer.
“What had I done that other women hadn’t? Well, I’d kinda been a bitch at times. I’d refused to ‘fawn.’ I’d insisted on my own pleasure.”
Sure, Richard Gere’s character was a legit businessman while Maxim is a bit more shadier with his Mafiya ties. And while Julia Roberts’ character was really a hooker who was just in it for the money, Cat wasn’t really a prostitute leading up to her encounter with Maxim, and she’s got a deadly past looming over her head the whole time. However, the relationship between them is the same. A billionaire finds love with a prostitute on a business trip. I seriously loved this story. It’s right up there with my favorite movie. Ugh, I very well may need to go watch the movie now in order to get over this book hangover.
One problem I could see arising from this is if you speak Spanish. Since Cat is Cuban, she speaks both Spanish and English throughout the book. However, instead of just having her speak in Spanish and leaving it at that, she also repeats herself in English. So, if you speak/read Spanish, I could see you getting annoyed at all the repetitive dialog. Aside from that, I loved this story.
Seriously, if you are looking for an erotica with a lot of backbone to it, this is it. I remember reading the first book in the series a few years ago and loving that one, too. I daresay that I enjoyed this one much more, though. There was just so much going on with Cat that it balanced out all the steamy scenes nicely. However, if you are in the market for just smut, no worries there because this one has it in the bag. You will not be disappointed with this story.
Favorite quote…
“This whole weekend was turning out surreal. I was at the wedding of a Russian mobster’s daughter to a cherished hit man, sitting next to a mother-of-the-bride who was tripping balls.”
Previous reviews from The Game Maker
The Professional: Part I
The Professional: Part II
The Professional: Part III
I LOVEEEEEED this book! If you enjoyed this one, I think you’ll enjoy book three as well 😉 Have a great weekend!
Wow this seems like it had a major steam factor.
I was so turned off by the first one I didn’t feel compelled to read this. Maybe I’ll give it a try since it sounds different.
Oh gah! Yes. I loved this one too. I just picked up the latest one and need to get it read soon. The multi language thing can be such a mixed bag. I don’t mind it usually when it’s a language I know and things are repeated but it drives me nuts when they just say it in another language and I cant figure out what’s being said and have to google it.