I think I’ve said this about the last few books from Cherise but I love that they shows the characters in their jobs and lives away from the Dom/Sub situations. I know these books are fiction but they are written so it feels like you are reading real life situation that could really happen. I love that about Cherise’s writing. The characters all have flaws even the Dom’s which makes it so much more real. Virginia, “Gin,” job a prison psychologist defiantly showed the scary side of what that job would entail. It was also nice to see that even though Gin was a psychologist and was good at seeing others problems she wasn’t very good at identifying her own and needed some help. Atticus was a perfect Dom for her. He too had a few issues that needed to be worked through but had to problem owning up to any mistakes he made with Gin and apologizing. Never a dull moment with the bondage scenes, the prison scenes that had plenty of drama and suspense, and then getting to catch up with all the Mountain and Dark Haven characters. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Erotic romance novella with some BDSM elements. A fun, sweet romance that faces some really terrible real world consequences.

Opening Sentence: “You fucking…” As the inmate on the other side of her office desk alternated spitting and swearing, Virginia Cunningham fought to keep the expression from her face.

The Review:

Master of Freedom is an erotic romance novella with some BDSM elements. It features a really sweet, almost love at first sight type of romance. This novella is featured in the 1001 Dark Nights series which is a new set of love stories that Scheherazade might have told to the King of Persia each night to help prolong her life. There are some really awesome authors in this compilation, check out the list here. Master of Freedom is set in the Mountain Masters and Dark Haven series about a group of people connected to a BDSM group in Northern California.

Virginia Cunningham moved to California after getting out of a terrible relationship. She takes the first job that she can get as a psychologist at a prison. As a therapist, she can easily see and treat the problems plaguing others, so one of the things she decides to do upon moving states is to fix the problems that she sees in herself, one of which includes her need to please men. She decides that not dating will help her get over that. Virginia is also very friendly so it doesn’t take long for her to make a bunch of friends. One of her new friends sees Virginia’s choice in reading material letting her know that the BDSM world is true and invites her on an outing for BDSM newbies. Virginia is curious and agrees to go because she wants to know what it is all about.

Atticus Ware teaches at the get-a-way BDSM camp. He notices the cute girl on the outskirts just watching. He enlists her help for some demonstration purposes. He finds that she takes to orders very well but there is also something about her that he can’t get out of his mind. After a huge misunderstanding, Atticus finds himself starving for Gin’s affections and he realizes that she really is a very nice woman who people naturally gravitate towards, that she isn’t the bad therapist that he thought she was. Atticus’s sexual appetites begin to change because of Gin.

Master of Freedom had a bit of a slow start but I really enjoyed the cast of characters within and because of those characters I really do want to read the backlist of this series. There ended up being a lot more action as the story progressed, action that I didn’t really expect for an erotic romance novella. As for the sexual aspect, I was surprised by how much of their experience together includes the BDSM aspect but also does not. I really loved how the couple grew with their sexual experiences, it wasn’t something that was just a part of the book to be there. Atticus and Gin are a cute couple together, but it does take some time for the relationship to actually pan out, even though they were attracted to each other from the beginning.

Overall, I would recommend giving this novella a try. It had some cute and fun aspects along with some very terrible and dangerous real world troubles. I really hope that this couple will be revisited in a future title.

Notable Scene:

“Got Gin here,” Atticus said. “Once I return her to Serenity, I’ll meet you at the trailhead.”

He listened, and a wry grin appeared. “Hell yes, yes you owe me.” His gaze ran over her, and a dimple appeared as he said clearly, “Sweetest ass I’ve had in my bed in a long, long time.”

Gin’s mouth fell open.

After tossing the phone to one side, he rolled, flattening her with his weight.

“Did you call me…?”

“A sweet piece of ass? Mmmhmm. And if I didn’t have to leave, I’d tap this piece of ass.”

His grin said he’d deliberately tried to get a rise out of her. She could read it on his face. For being a ruthless, cynical cop, he had a wicked sense of humor. A giggle escaped as she tried to think of a way to get revenge.

His kiss wiped out any though she had left.”

FTC Advisory: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated provided me with a copy of Master of Freedom. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )