The Master by Kresley Cole
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: February 2015

 

Catarina Marin needs money now. Enough money to start again on the other side of the country. A random sighting of her estranged husband has her on edge and ready to run. Forced to live under the radar and deal with aplenty of people willing to exploit her, she decides to escort to make some quick cash. Her first "client" is a “drop dead gorgeous” Russian billionaire with mafiya connections. The one problem is she is not the girl he requested from the agency. She doesn't even work for the agency and fulfilled her friend's booking.

Cat only has the most basic idea about escorting and would really be doing anything other than catering to snotty rich dude. Max did not get the woman he booked but decides to go outside his comfort zone.  When Max thinks Cat is trying to trap him, he goes full mafiya on her. Now that she has a husband hunting her and a billionaire mad at her, we get a little more of Cat's back story and see how she ended up in her current situation.  We also learn more about Max and his family and why he reacts to her the way he does.  Gradually, we see them growing on each other and realizing that they have feelings for each other.

The Master was an enjoyable read. It gets sexually explicit very fast. Even though the book is called The Master, it isn't really any bondage or BDSM - basically it's not a 50 shades clone.  Compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, the ending seemed a little rushed. Granted the main male character being a billionaire helped the action along as he would have money to get all the loose ends tied up quickly.

Just a note, this is actually the second book in The Game Maker series and has spoilers of the first book in the series. You might want to read the first book to avoid being spoiled and have a full scope of the series.  Although based on the snippet in the book, the first book seems like a pretty good story of its own.

This review copy was provided by the publisher.

Review: The Keepers of the Rose

 

Title: The Keepers of the Rose by D. J. Dalasta
ASIN: B004U2VCII
Available via Amazon Kindle Store


    Hidden for three centuries on Oak Island off the Canadian coast, Captain Kidd's bounty has taunted treasure evaded treasure seekers.  Captain Kidd failed to hide the treasure prior to his capture for piracy.  He was able to pass the mission on to his son Captain Robert Ryder.  Ryder assembled a crew of architects and workmen to build a enclosure to ensure the treasure remained hidden from humans until the year 2012.  Why  2012?  Part of the treasure is vital to humanity's fate.  Several organization -- the CIA, Delega Corporation, and the Keepers of the Rose -- would love to be people with the knowledge and thus the most powerful on earth.  A path of bloodshed, betrayals, and clues that span centuries lead to the point where we begin to understand the secrets of the rose.
    I'm sure you've heard of the ancient Mayan predictions regarding the year 2012.  Rock and his crew realize that the bounty has clues to what the Mayans really meant with their 2012 predictions.  The immense power of the knowledge is further reinforced by the lengths the three groups go to secure the knowledge for themselves.  Who should possess the information that decides the future of humanity?
     If you like suspense and mystery with a touch of  Mayan prophesy lore, this is the book for you.  The book delves into Mayan prophesy and origins and gives an interesting idea of what could be if we were able to understand and harness the Mayan prophesy.  Makes you think.
  
*This book was provided by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.  *

An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy

Title: An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy
Publisher: Free Press
Published: April 2011
ISBN: 9781451608625
Pages: 336

An Atlas of Impossible Longing follows three generations of men in India from post World War I postcolonial period to after the Partition of India and Pakistan.  The book is divided into the story of Amulya, his son Nirmal, and an orphan Mukunda.  The title comes from a palm reading that Mukunda receives on a whim.

Amulya is a man before his time.  He moves his family (a wife and two sons, out of Calcutta to a Songarh, a town bordering on the jungle.  Here, he has all the space for his factory where he creates herbal remedies and medicines from plants he cultivates and studies.  Scorned by his relatives and prodded by his wife for moving to the wilds of Songarh, he predicts the town will one day be a important region where everyone clamors to love.  Though he loves the solitude and quiet provided by the slow pace of life, his wife Kananbala is slowly going mad with loneliness.  One morning one of his workers shows up with a local woman and a baby.  The worker begs for help with the baby; the woman claims it's his married son's child.  Amulya sends the child to an orphanage and pays fees for his sustenance.

Nirmal, the second son, studious and hardworking, is a mama's boy who keeps his mother company every evening.  After he gets married, Kananbala realizes he is withdrawing and would rather spend time with his new wife.  Shortly after, she develops fits of profanity and the family shuts her away to avoid talk.  Nirmal's wife Shanti dies in childbirth.  After her death, Nirmal travels and takes work as far from Songarh as possible to not have to deal with her death or their child. 

Mukunda, an orphan supported by Amulya, is adopted into the household after Amulya's death.  He isn't really treated as part of the family, more like an elevated servant.  Nirmal provides a home and education, but is unable to get any of the others, other than Bakul, to treat him as a member of the family.  As he and Bakul grow up with only each other as playmates, they are extremely close.  The family begins to worry about where the relationship will lead.  Nirmal decides to send Mukunda to school in the city to provide some space in the relationship.  Although very bitter about his treatment by Nirmal, Mukunda realizes as a grown man why he was sent away.  He is able to help Bakul and Nirmal several times.


The best novel I have read this year  -- actually in a couple years.  Each section is great with just enough action and pacing to keep the story moving.  With the amount of characters, it could get very confusing.  However, the way Ms. Roy uses each character helps the flow of the story without distracting from the plot.  She manages to make us aware of some of the cultural limitations placed on the characters -- mistreatment of Mukunda due to his unknown caste status, barrier to the development of a relationships Nirmal and Meera, a widowed distant cousin, and the strife between Nirmal & Kamal his brother towards the end.

** This review is based on a review copy provided by the publisher. **

The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

Title: The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
Publisher: Free Press
Published: March 2011
ISBN: 9781451621747
Pages: 416

Fjallbacka, Sweden is an idyllic fishing village.  Rich city folk pay tons of money for summer homes here.  People that live there rarely want to leave.  All is not as it seems though.  Small towns can hold big secrets.  You know the saying, "Two people can share a secret -- if one of them is dead."  Someone has taken that to heart.
Erica Falck returns to her hometown to settle her parents' estate after their death in a car accident.  She didn't expect to find the frozen corpse of her childhood best friend.  Despite all signs pointing to suicide, Erica feels like Alex wouldn't and didn't kill herself.
Patrick Hedstrom is the officer assigned to the case.  Hobbled by an incompetent supervisor,  he tries to uncover why someone would kill, and in Fjallbacka.  With ingenuity and some prompts from Erica, he works slowly but surely to solve the mystery.
The mystery is complicated by the fact that in a small town like Fjallbacka everyone seemingly knows each others business.  Can there be any secrets worth killing for?  Who would have such a secret?  Why murder now?  Horrific deeds come to life despite the best efforts of several people including the murderer to keep them hidden. 
There was lots of extraneous info  in this book.  The characters constantly repeating each others ideas or withholding information from each other.  There are several sections showing either Erica's or Patrick's angst regarding the other.  The multiple viewpoints, one of which isn't revealed until later in the book, can be very distracting.
Overall,  the book was well done.  The main characters were pretty well done and had pretty clearly defined personalities.  The plot was suspenseful and had several interesting twists.  It's a great beach read that keeps you interested but is low maintenance.  I look forward to reading the rest of the series. 

** This review was based on a book provided by the publisher.**