Master Of Obsidian

Master Chronicles #1

by Jamie Craig

Jesse Madding has been working for Gideon, a vampire fighting to maintain the balance between good and evil, for two years, and has loved him for nearly that long. When Gideon slams him against an alley wall and demands sex, Jesse is too happy to oblige, but it opens doors in their relationship that Gideon isn't sure he wants to enter. Especially since he suspects he was under the powerful influence of an unknown substance, and Jesse is his best friend. As they try to negotiate a new relationship involving Jesse's willing submission to Gideon's darker desires--including bondage, pain, and bloodplay--they learn that a new drug is being distributed in the city. Known simply as "obsidian," this drug unleashes a vampire's demon, destroying any sense of self-control. Widespread use of obsidian could bring chaos to Chicago and turn the city into a bloodbath, but even as Jesse and Gideon race to contain it, they're consumed and distracted by their own growing passion and burgeoning emotions...

Genres: BDSM, M M Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Erotica, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy

157 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Jamie Craig is actually a pen name for the collaboration of authors
Vivien Dean http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/... and
Pepper Espinoza http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

ABOUT JAMIE CRAIG

Vivien Dean and Pepper Espinoza have been writing and publishing together as Jamie Craig since 2006. They have published with Juno Books, Samhain Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, and multiple titles with Amber Quill Press.

Pepper Espinoza has been writing and publishing erotic romance since 2005. She grew up in Utah and lives there now, where the landscape and history provide a great deal of inspiration for her work. Besides writing, she enjoys playing video games, watching movies, and going to concerts.

Vivien Dean returned to writing in 2005, and has published with Liquid Silver Books, Samhain Publishing, and Amber Quill Press. She currently resides in northern California with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Bookwatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!! I love this book! I REEEEEEALLY loved it!

About the story

Gideon, a 400 years old vampire, is the owner of a private investigation agency in Chicago. With his human partner, Jess (Jesse or Jessy, Gideon call him by this 3 CUTE names) Gideon is trying to solve a murder. The case will be complicated by the fact they find a new drug affecting vampires.
Both will narrate, and certainly this add a more complete view of the facts.

About the BDSM topic
Ok guys, I know that the cover tell A LOT about this book

BUT IT'S NOT ONLY THAT! I guarantee that there is mystery and suspense, and obviously a lot of romance! Gideon is a reformed killer (his past is not well explained, but you will get he was a merciless vampire, and change after he fall in love with a human) BUT he is incredible tender and is the master all slaves would want in their lives!
So, just to be VERY clear there is a sharing scene in a BDSM club, and a M/M/F scene always in that same BDSM club Gideon take Jess... BUT Jess liked, enjoyed and ADORED every single thing Gideon did to him, and in my view there is no humiliation, but only a proud Master (Gideon) with his VERY HAPPY Slave (Jess). It's clear that Gideon love Jess so don't worry, there is only great and incredible HOT BDMS scenes

Attention: it's hard core BDSM, so if you are not used maybe this book is not a good start... try more light S&M stories, like Kim Dare's or (great Slave/Master stories!), then read a book like Master of Obsidian.

Have fun!

5 stars, and CERTAINLY I'll read more!
<--- this is the second of the serie! YEY!

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
While the characters are nice but I mainly don't like the idea of sharing. If I know this is a m/m/f kind of book, I will stay away. I prefer my relationship to be one and only. So yeah, nice read but not for me.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, it's a very fast read. Gideon is a 400-year-old vampire, who was once bad and cruel, but now he protects the city of Chicago investigating murders. Jesse is his friend and partner, but he's also hopelessly in love with Gideon. At the beginning of the book, very unexpectedly, Gideon has sex with Jess in a dark alley. This is all Jess has been waiting for, especially because Gideon is a very domineering vampire, who literally seduces Jess into submission. Gideon seems to have seconds thoughts, he doesn't want to ruin his friendship and partnership with Jesse and most of all, he can't quite understand why he felt he had to have Jesse in that alley.

The premise of the book is very interesting and I wish it had started a little before the alley sex, because the most important moment of the book was the seduction, in my opinion, and how out of character it was for Gideon to attempt it so out of the blue. We later learn the reason why the vampire felt compelled to have his deliciously wicked ways with Jesse. Intentional or not, the sex sets in motion a change in the relationship between Gideon and Jesse, because the attraction that they tried to conceal before is now out in the open.

I feel that the first part was better than the second, because I liked seeing Jesse's confusion and his doubts about Gideon, especially because Gideon seemed a bit distant and heartless, it was as if he was only using Jesse. It's also true that Gideon is not a creature that knows compassion and caring, so he tries to push Jesse to his limits to see if Jesse still wants him after seeing his true nature. It's a very risky plan, and I wish the authors had explored this possibility a little more, because I'm sure it would have given a little more depth to both characters.

The second part of the story had a little too much sex and not enough character development, because Jesse's loyalty and devotion to Gideon was considered as a given. I would have liked the authors to give more importance to the finding of the photo-book which showed the more cruel part of Gideon and to see the conflict it elicited in Jesse with more depth. I enjoyed it, but I think that it could have been perfect with a larger focus on the pre-sex relationship between the main characters.

[Ula'ndi Hart]

Overall book rating: DNF
Audio Book: N/A
Book Cover: 3.5

I’m sorry guys, I just can’t get myself to finish this. And this is my main reason:

I READ MM FOR A REASON. I DON’T WANT TO SEE A MF DETAILED SEX SCENE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY MM ROMANCE.

I was pretty excited about this book, up until the part where Gideon takes Jesse to “the club” and I have to work through him shamelessly sharing poor Jesse with a line of vamps. I read BDSM so I can work with that to a certain degree. But then it just went too far.

He actually makes poor Jesse service a WOMAN???? WTF?? I was so disgusted I put the book down and now, months after, I still can’t pick it up again.

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was disappointing. It had high star ratings from many of my friends, I've really enjoyed other things I've read by Jamie Craig, and BDSM is one of my favorite subgenres. But I felt like this book was lacking in some key areas.

- The BDSM scenes were definitely hard core, but they were missing a crucial psychological element. There was a particular club scene I'm thinking of where Jesse got passed around like a party favor, and we just never got any insight to how Jesse felt about it. I mean, even if you were into that, wouldn't you be nervous? Scared? A little uncomfortable? Sort of excited but also really freaked out? We got none of that. To me the psychological element of BDSM is by far the most important and this book just didn't go there the way I needed it to, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to.

- Jesse and Gideon's relationship was underdeveloped. We are just expected to accept that they have a deeply rooted friendship and partnership before their physical relationship begins. We're not given any scenes to see this connection. It's just sex, and then "here, put on this leash and service my vampire friends." What we saw of Gideon and Jesse I liked - Vivien & Pepper write relatable characters, I think - but I didn't feel that we were given an opportunity to really connect to either of themm, and thus the romance lost its relevance and urgency.

I still plan to continue with the series, I just hope it gets better.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it should be noted before you start reading this book that there is nothing "safe, sane, and consensual" about the BDSM aspect of this book. There is no talking about what they both want, there is no safewords, and there is a lot of stuff done that one of the MCs wasn't really onboard with.

Now that I've said that, the book itself isn't half bad. Gideon was a cutie, all guilt tripping over sexually assaulting his best friend (who was all for it might I add). So why not more then 3 stars? First off, the book is short and 1/2 of it is sex. Now that isn't always a bad thing I just prefer the mystery to take a bigger role in the plot. Secondly, the drug was never really dealt with fully, and the description at the end as to what they did to solve the problem didn't leave me satisfied.

All in all, it wasn't bad book. If you don't mind a little non consensual sex or vampires who have split personalities I'd say give it a go.

[Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent m/m bdsm vampire detective novel set in Chicago. Similar set up to 'Angel' from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' Great partnership between 400 year old vampire Gideon and his human assistant Jesse. Straight onto book two..
'Gideon's eyes widened. Jesse had more than a few teeth marks marring his body. He looked like... well, he looked like somebody who had spent all night in bed with a vampire. A vampire who wasn't terribly concerned if his bedmate was entirely conscious.'

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.25 stars

This book has all the charm and atmosphere of the late ‘90s, when vampires were all the rage. Think of Buffy and Angel, shows where brooding vampire heroes walked the line between monster and man, kept sane by their only connections to humanity, their friends. However, while the story takes place in that comfortable world, this book offers a darker look with scenes of sadomasochistic sex, blood play, master/slave dynamics, and one character participating in both group and public sex. This is not a book for the squeamish.

Jesse is described as brilliant and beautiful; Gideon considers him the brains of their operation and takes great delight in watching him work. Whether it’s Jesse lost in a book or working on the computer, there’s a sense that the vampire respects Jesse’s abilities. While Jesse fantasizes about Gideon, he’s not blind to the fact that Gideon is a vampire and that he’s had a long and violent past that involves sleeping with, feeding from, and killing other people. But that doesn’t bother him. When the drug, obsidian, causes Gideon to lose control and fuck Jesse against an alley wall, Jesse is all for it. More, he’s not willing to pretend it didn’t happen; he wants to move forward and at least give a relationship a try.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, this was a very difficult book for me to rate.
The first third of the book was really good and was going towards a solid 4 star. I love Vampires and I love them when they have a human mate. Gideon and Jesse were right up my street and the mystery was shaping up to be really good and interesting.

However as we started the second third of the book it all fell apart for me. I only really have 1 hard limit when I read, and that's cheating. If I know its going to happen I stay clear. Now if you have read this book, some of you might not classify what happened within the club as cheating. However, as Gideon shared Jesse out amongst some of the other vamps and also with Eric that to me is cheating, although sanctioned cheating.
The second thing that happened nearly made me DNF, was MF sex. I HATE MF sex in my MM books. I buy MM for a reason. I don't want to read about sex between men and women. I am a woman and I know about that. I want to be in my fantasy world reading about men have hot and heavy sex, stuff I am not likely to experience in real life.

I felt in the club that Gideon treated Jesse like a whore and was pissed at Jesse because he took it and didn't complain as he wanted to please Gideon. This made me lose the respect for both MCs.

The sex they had between them was hot and heavy and delicious. There was blood play, but Gideon was a Vampire and they bite as they have sex.
Its a shame as the mystery played out quite well and I enjoyed that part.
I didn't realize that this was book 1 in a big series. However, having read further on, it becomes MMF , at least book 3 does, so I won't be continuing with the series.

I really wanted to give this book 1 star but was generous in the end and gave it 2.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to a series. I loved both Gideon and Jesse. I thought that the murder mystery was new and interesting. And I liked the BDSM relationship that Jesse and Gideon were just starting.

However, I didn't like the scene at the club where Gideon shared Jesse with several other vampires, both men and women. G and J were just beginning their relationship and I thought it was too soon to be sharing. I think that if they had a more established relationship, then the sharing wouldn't have bothered me so much, but it was just too soon.

I also wish there was just a tiny bit less sex (I can't believe I said that) and more focus on the murder mystery. As it was, I would say it was 80% sex/relationship and 20% mystery. Maybe 70/30 would have been better?

Anyway, now that they are a couple, I look forward to further investigations and I am anxious to see how their relationship grows and develops.

[Chappy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like I was watching an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Gideon is like the vampire "Angel" with his ability to transform from human-looking to vamped-out with yellow eyes, fangs and ridged forehead. Jesse would play the role of the nerdy side-kick who does research on the cases their working on and comes up with far-fetched magical antidotes.

The relationship that develops between Gideon and Jesse is pretty hot although quite hard-core.

One thing they don't mention is how Gideon is going to deal with Jesse as he ages, gets old and dies...what's a 400-year old vampire to do?

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I liked this book, I probably won't be reading the rest of the series. The scene in the club was a little too much for me. Also, after reading reviews for the next two books I decided that I don't like the way the story plays out by adding another main character.

[Gwengwel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much sex can kill a story. I endup bypass the sex scene to just read about the (thin) plot. I didn't have problem with the scene in the club since everything was consensual and not a lot of thing in the BDSM lifestyle shock me but I'm not to confortable with the lack of barriers (safe word). Strangely maybe, the sex scene that bother me the most is when Jesse masturbate himself in front of the 'porn picture' of the four dead peoples. Yeak!!
It's a book that tell but don't show or explain. They tell us that they are friends, but we don't see their story, their common pass, it's like being pull in the middle of a story. They tell us that vampire and demon exist but you don't have an explication about the how and why. Etc... Not my favorite kind of book.
All that make it that I didn't feel for the perso, they were not real not me.

3 stars because the sex scene that I read were well documented on the BDSM aspect and denitivively hot and sexy.
2 stars for the scenario

[Justacat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me multiple tries to make it through this and I'm not sure why I bothered: the potentially interesting characters and storyline that seemed at least somewhat promising at the start were rapidly subsumed beneath an avalanche of never-ending pages-long sex scenes that added nothing but porniness. The story was ultimately shallow and could be boiled down to about ten pages, and the characters and relationship were equally shallow and remained completely undeveloped. Painful and disappointing to read, despite the decent writing quality.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. The characters were engaging and the sex was hawt and the good guys were just a little bit bad, just the way I like them. I wish that we could have come into this story a bit earlier to get a better feel of the dynamic between Gideon and Jesse before it changed, but I'm already looking forward to what comes next.

[M'rella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad murder mystery. 3.75-4 stars for that.

Taking 2 stars off for the rest:

- a very possessive vamp takes his absolutely smitten new lover to a BDSM vamp club and proceeds sharing him with e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e. Both get off on it, and it's cool - consenting adults and all that. But considering a budding relationship, it's a huge turn off. Actually, considering most relationships, it's a huge turn off.

- MCs talking and analyzing and over explaining their feelings and sexual preferences to each other gets old really fast. Give me sex or give me crime, but keep you chatter to 2-3 pages . It's not a long book, so it does get in the way of the actual story/hot sex.

- Nowhere does it say pussy is involved. Not in the tags, not in the description. Too much for my MM book.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book 1 in the "Master Chronicles" series. Jesse Madding has been working for a vampire Gideon Keel for two years helping him with his investigations. Their current case is the bizarre death of a city councilman's son it is the most difficult case they've ever worked on. While checking out a warehouse Gideon suddenly begins acting strangely, demanding sex in an alley. Jesse who has loved Gideon for years agrees. When Gideon realizes he was under the influence of a powerful substance, he feels guilty and angry at himself. I liked both of these characters it was some hardcore scenes in this book. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to begin? Not very well written - plot is thin - characters weak. Sex is sparse and not terribly hot. Poor editing/proofreading - typos abound. Would not recommend. If you want really well done vampire/human erotica - may I suggest the Vampire Queen series by Joey W. Hill? Not heavy on the M/M - although several books feature threesomes with 2 males, one female - but there is BDSM and the sex is HOT. Plus, they are well written and carefully edited. Just saying.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was freaking hot!
Loved the trust that Jesse has in Gideon. The only bit I wasn't a fan of was the sharing

[Pansy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old favorite that has been read more than once. Still love all of it's outlandishness.

[leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written vamp tale with an interesting premise and plenty of rough, BDSM-style sex. The plot was serviceable but ordinary, and the romance nicely tense until the last quarter or so where it lost a bit of steam. The vampires themselves are straight out of Buffy—dusting, “vamping out,” forehead ridges—and it was occasionally jarring to encounter these references in a work which didn’t otherwise feel like fanfic.

Gideon is a vampire who has abandoned his killing ways (except in his line of work) and assists police and private clients in investigating crimes perpetrated by “evil” vampires and demons. Jesse, his human assistant, has loved him from afar for years without any signs of reciprocity. This all changes in an eyeblink when, during an investigation in a dark but public alley, Gideon is suddenly upon him with the kind of dangerous and masterful seduction Jesse has fantasized about.

The two men discover afterwards that Gideon was unwittingly drugged, with a new and insidious substance that dissolves moral inhibitions and allows the vampires’ “true natures” to be expressed. It’s spreading through the city’s demon population, and they must find a way to contain it before the tenuous mutual tolerance between vampires and humans is destroyed.

The plot of finding the drug’s origins and purpose takes a back seat to the relationship development, which in the first half of the book is fascinating. Gideon is hardcore, dominant, and demon, and he makes sure Jesse experiences all of this in order to make him understand what he would be getting into. Once it becomes apparent that Jesse is a match for him, some of the tension dissipates as there is no longer much uncertainty about where the relationship is going.

This is book one in a long series which, beginning with the next book, becomes M/M/F menage.

3.5 stars

[Elisa Rolle]

Jess works since two year for Gideon, a four hundreds years old vampire. Gideon was a rogue vampire until forty years before he falls in love for a woman, Mary, who teaches him to do a better person, and to puts his skill on the site of justice. Working for the Gideon Investigation allows Jess to be near this vampire he adores since he was fifteen years old. But Gideon has never shown an intereste on him until one night, during an investigation, when he suddenly corners Jamie in an alley and mades love to him in an passionate and violent way. Now Jess and Gideon are involved in a vicious case but also in a steamy relationship, where Gideon will free his most darker desires.

Jess is an interesting character: willing to leave the strong hold to Gideon, he is not at all frightened from the scary past of Gideon. He trusts completely Gideon, and knows the vampire will not allow to nobody to hurt him. Gideon on the other side, is wildly attracted from Jess, but he will do anything to destroy the friendship between them. Only an uncontrollable situation will free his desires and from that moment on, Jess will be his and his only. He will protect him and will mastered his body and soul in every way.

An interesting vampire tale where the vampire character, Gideon, is not so perfect like most of the vampire hero we know. He is dark and complex, he is not always controlled, and his dark nature could put Jess in dangerous situation, but he likes that, he likes the thrill of fear.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/059523111X/?...

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.75 stars

This story is strong from beginning to end. The second scene is one of the most intense scenes, emotionally and sexually. And the story remains on that level. Whether the author is focusing on romance, mystery, action, drama, and so on, the level of intensity in this story only deepens as the plot thickens. It’s spellbinding and perfect.

Jesse is this bookish geek, who—let’s be honest—we can all probably relate to. And he’s in love, head over heels with his best friend, who also happens to be a vampire. Jesse is the kickass part of this team, believe it or not. Never mind being geek sexy, he’s strong and hard headed, but he’s also the brains and heart of the operation. Gideon is simply the face, muscle, and reputation. But what a reputation it is. I am not gonna give anything away, but Gideon’s past is… messy is a good word for it. Where Jesse is the golden boy, the picture of innocence in this story, Gideon is the dark and gritty side. He’s done and seen things that make him feel that he has things to make up for. And for those reasons, he doesn’t feel worthy of Jesse. This is the great thing about these two. They are literally night and day, vampire and human, good and not so good. But when they come together, they are fire and passion and intensity in one big ball of lusty goodness.


Read Crissy’s review in its entirety here.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly liked this and wished there were more to it. It starts with the main characters already having known each other for several years so they had a comfort level with each other that I never felt for them or their new relationship. The progression didn't make sense to me, and lots of things were left unexplained, including how vampires and magic work in this world—the non-vamp part of the couple no doubt knew but I didn't and it distracted me. (The proofreading also distracted me; at one point, two characters are entering a rare book room and one hands the other "latex clubs" to handle the books with.) I'll probably read the next in the series even though a couple scenes in this one really squicked me out because some of the other scenes were very good indeed. (Unfortunately I got spoiled for a major development in the series by reading comments to someone's review of this installment, but maybe it won't be quite as major as I think it will.)

[Kari Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way, way hot. Unabashed kink and truthfully, kink outside my typical comfort zone, but it works inside the story for these characters, which made it work for me. Wonderfully intricate plot -- and yes, this book does actually have one outside the romantic/erotic thread. Jamie Craig created a complex and intricate story world that I was blissfully eager to sink into and didn’t skimp on the emotions of the characters, either. I felt really connected to these characters, from page 1.

Book 1 in a series with later books adding a female 3rd to this two-some, which breaks this m/m fan’s heart, but for the other m/m’ers out there, this book is stellar. Save Master of Obsidian for when you have a yen for the wild. Highly recommend, two thumbs up.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am new to this style of books, so sexually explicit.
My first book was from Jourdan Lane.
I like Jaimie's writing style much better: i find it more eloquent, fluid and varied, more professional so to speak. But on the other hand, I find Jamie's plot weaker and without much background.

I still have to learn who really Gideon or Jess are. I really have no clue. What bothered me the most is that Gideon could have been human and nothing would have changed in the story (aside from a couple of time that he bites Jess and he gets high on Obsidian). There is nothing that makes Gideon "cooler" for being a vampire which is really what I was looking for.

Maybe I should not be looking for elaborate stories into erotic books? I don't know. I will check out the next book and see how this goes.

[BlackMamba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davvero carino!
Molto "Angel" style, e io ero una grande fan di Angel quindi, ho apprezzato.
Non do le 5 stelle perchè avrei preferito vedere più "angst" fra i due MC (due amici e colleghi, uno vampiro con un passato oscuro, l'altro umano).
La storia è incentrata sulla relazione fra i due, che passa repentinamente tra l'essere un rapporto di amicizia/lavoro ad uno molto più profondo, intriso di sangue, sesso, lussuria e bondage. Di contorno, un'indagine che porta i due a lavorare fianco a fianco non più solo come colleghi ma come amanti.
Gideon e Jesse mi sono piaciuti, Gideon molto di più ma che ci posso fare? I vampiri sono sempre stati i miei preferiti da sempre.
Continuerò questa serie, ovviamente!

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a vampire book. You have a vampire that is trying to do good things. He has a young assistant who is very much in love with the vampire. but they have been best friends and they do not want to ruin that realatioship. They are also partners in a detective agency. They hunt down bad vampires. It is a time when vampires are known to exist and everyone is ok with it if the vampire acts like a human. Its when one acts like a demon that our two characters step in. They are hunting a drug that causes vampires to let go of their human side. This is the first in a series. It is worth the read.

[S.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually quite enjoyed reading this - I liked the fact that the relationship was already established as friends and the reader was instantly thrown into the story. Also liked the sex - very steamy!! Unfortunately I won't be reading anymore as it appears from book 2 or 3, it turns from m/m to m/f/m which isn't my thing. I shall have to read through the other stuff written by Jamie Craig!

Recommended

[Joie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Jesse and Gideon were both really hot in their own ways. I loved their relationship and that they had such a special friendship. I really liked the style of this writing team alot. The characters had great chemistry and the story got really steamy in all the right places. The storyline was great as well I breezed right through this book before I knew it. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.