Masks

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Synopsis

After being injured, Chloe's identical twin sister, Zoe, asks her for a favor. She wants Chloe to switch places with her to meet a very important client. The only problem is that Zoe isn't the investment banker she's led everyone to believe, but actually a dominatrix. When Chloe balks at taking her sister's place, Zoe tells her it will be easy as long as she adheres to three simple rules: Don't lose control of the situation, don't have sex with the client, and don't take off her mask. Shy school-teacher Chloe has no idea how to go about dominating anyone, but as it turns out, her "client," Mark Jacobs is an alpha male who doesn't seem to mind being in charge. Soon Chloe is breaking all the rules for one night of forbidden passion with Mark and quickly discovers that they have a great deal in common. But when she decides to take off the mask and encourages him to do the same, can she accept the secret that it conceals? And more importantly, will she want to continue what they have when she finds out his real reason for being there in the first place?

Review

Masks is a stand-alone, erotic, contemporary romance novelette. Chloe is a shy, retiring, elementary school teacher who hasn't had much luck when it comes to dating. She's always felt like she's lived in the shadow of her identical twin sister, Zoe, who she views as far more elegant and outgoing. Despite knowing that Zoe is adventurous, Chloe is shocked when her sister confesses that she's a dominatrix. An injured Zoe wants Chloe to switch places with her for one night to service an important client. Zoe says it will be easy as long as she follows three rules: Don't lose control of the situation, don't have sex with the client, and don't ever take off the mask she'll be wearing. Chloe isn't sure how she got talked into such a harebrained scheme, but next thing she knows she's answering the door of Zoe's townhouse to find a tall, muscular man in a sexy leather mask who makes her forget everything Zoe told her. Soon Chloe discovers that Mark is anything but the submissive she'd been led to believe he was. Instead he's an alpha who quickly takes over the scene, sending Chloe into paroxysms of lust that scramble her brain. Before the night is over, she's broken the first two rules, but she's had the most memorable sex of her life and found that she and Mark actually have a lot in common. She decides to throw the final rule out the window, too, and take off their masks, but little does she know that both Mark and his mask are hiding secrets that could ruin her budding feelings for him.

Masks has been on my TBR pile for a long time, and I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it. It wasn't exactly a perfect story. I admit Chloe warming up so quickly to having sex with a complete stranger was a little odd for me, but I was willing to go with the flow. I decided that she could have been trusting her sister's judgment, since Zoe had interviewed Mark ahead of time, not to mention, her own body's responses to him. And Mark is admittedly ooooh, soooo sexy! He's an alpha cinnamon roll hero who is sweet and gentle while taking charge, a delightful dirty talker, and a scrumptiously skillful lover. Then he reveals why he's wearing the mask and later why he agreed to this scenario in the first place, both of which make him very sympathetic. And on top of that he's a wealthy geek. Oh, be still my heart!:-) I don't think anyone could have written a more perfect hero for me if they tried. [Swoon] I liked Chloe, too. She's sweet and awkward, totally out of her element trying to pretend to be a dominatrix, so it was probably a good thing that Mark quickly put her out of her misery so to speak. Initially she's very accepting of Mark. However, when she finds out how he ended up there, she just completely cuts him off at the knees. This is where I would have liked to see the author explain a little better why Chloe felt the way she did. If there had been more background, I might have understood her reaction, but with what little was given, it felt a bit over-the-top for the circumstances, especially since she and Mark had experienced such a deep, visceral connection in just a few hours. It wasn't a deal-breaker for me, though, because it gave Mark an opportunity to do a little more wooing. I'm glad that Chloe finally allowed him to explain and gave him another chance. Otherwise, I would have thought she'd completely lost her mind to give up a guy like him.:-D So, overall, Masks was a deliciously steamy little nugget of a tale that really hit the spot. It was my first read by Evangeline Anderson, but it's left me very open to trying more of her works.

Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations. However, for a story featuring dominatrix garb and a BDSM dungeon, the content is pretty tame, with only one relatively mild scene of bondage and a finger at the back door.

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Evangeline Anderson

Themes

Geniuses, Scholars & Scientists aka Geeks - Heroes
Physically Imperfect Heroes