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Identity Crisis #4
Assumed Master
We may be born to the lifestyle,
Julie Stevens and Dante Larson always knew their tastes were a bit more eccentric than those of the average person, but acknowledgement of their chosen paths came at different times. While their lives have run parallel for the last twenty years, destiny always came knocking at the wrong time. Julie was a closeted edge player and before Dante could pull her free of her fears, Mason came along and dragged her kicking and screaming from her self-inflicted darkness, leaving Dante wanting. Although Dante’s been in love with Julie since the day he first laid eyes on her, he's happily married to Blake. But the tides are turning.
But Lady Fate dictates how it should be lived...
Still mourning the death of the only Master she’s ever known, Julie finds herself forced to live with the one man she’s been terrified of for years, Dante. While she has to admit something between them feels right, just as many things feel very, very wrong, starting with the fact he’s married to her gay best friend. Before she even has time to sort out her current predicament, another man catches Julie's attention. But after losing her mother, her sister, and her husband, can Julie come to grips with the fact that Keegan D’Amate jumps out of perfectly good helicopters for a living, rescue diving for the Coast Guard? And where exactly does that leave Dante, who knows for sure he needs a woman to complete his unconventional marriage? Quite frankly, he's tired of waiting.
Julie Stevens and Dante Larson always knew their tastes were a bit more eccentric than those of the average person, but acknowledgement of their chosen paths came at different times. While their lives have run parallel for the last twenty years, destiny always came knocking at the wrong time. Julie was a closeted edge player and before Dante could pull her free of her fears, Mason came along and dragged her kicking and screaming from her self-inflicted darkness, leaving Dante wanting. Although Dante’s been in love with Julie since the day he first laid eyes on her, he's happily married to Blake. But the tides are turning.
But Lady Fate dictates how it should be lived...
Still mourning the death of the only Master she’s ever known, Julie finds herself forced to live with the one man she’s been terrified of for years, Dante. While she has to admit something between them feels right, just as many things feel very, very wrong, starting with the fact he’s married to her gay best friend. Before she even has time to sort out her current predicament, another man catches Julie's attention. But after losing her mother, her sister, and her husband, can Julie come to grips with the fact that Keegan D’Amate jumps out of perfectly good helicopters for a living, rescue diving for the Coast Guard? And where exactly does that leave Dante, who knows for sure he needs a woman to complete his unconventional marriage? Quite frankly, he's tired of waiting.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2012
46 people want to read
About the author
Lila Munro
21 books26 followersLila Munro currently resides on the coast of North Carolina with her husband and their two four-legged kids. She’s a military wife with an empty nest and takes much of her inspiration for her heroes from the marines she’s lived around for the past fifteen years. Coining the term realmantica, she strives to produce quality romance in a realistic setting. Her genre of choice is contemporary romance that spans everything from the sensual to BDSM and ménage. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, trips to the museum and aquarium, taking field research trips, and soaking up the sun on the nearby beaches. Her works include The Executive Officer’s Wife, Bound By Trust, Destiny’s Fire, Salvation, Three for Keeps, the Force Recon series, the Slower Lower series, and the Identity series. She’s a member in good standing of RWA and Passionate Ink. Currently she’s working on sequels to several series to be released throughout 2012. And has a brand new line scheduled for winter 2012-13. Ms. Munro loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted via her website http://realmanticmoments.blogspot.com Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Lila_Munro Pinterest at https://pinterest.com/lilamunro/ Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/... You can also contact her via email at lilasromance@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 14, 2012
Julie Stevens is dealing with the death of her husband and Master, Mason. If grief wasn't enough, Mason has left Julie in the care of Dante, a fellow Master and friend. Dante Larson is just as surprised as Julie when the will is read. Mason had never mentioned nor asked him to take Julie on at his death. Dante is in a committed relationship with his husband, Blake, but Dante takes Julie on hoping to have her join their family, including Dante and Blake's twin sons.
Wow, that is a lot to say about a book, but not enough to convey the entire story and the nuances as you go along. The one downside I had in reading this was it was a the fourth book in the series and I felt like I was an outsider to deep secrets that were revealed in the first three books. Book three in this series is Julie's story, so I did miss out on some of Dante's and Julie's past. Along with fact that Blake is Julie's gay best friend. It just seemed I was lost through parts.
One problem I had was in Mason's handling of the entire situation from the grave. While he though he was taking care of Julie in the best way possible, he never consulted Dante. He just gives Julie to Dante. Mason did know once he was gone, there would be a sea of Doms wanting Julie so his way to protect her was to give her to Dante. Dante had start from scratch learning how to deal with Julie while also being the Dom of the house.
Now just because Dante and Blake have a Master/slave relationship doesn't mean that Blake and Julie ever become more than friends who share the same Master. Blake is gay and he loves Julie but not as a woman. Dante is bi-sexual and loves them both. So this is a relationship of Dante being he Master to two slaves, Blake and Julie. Dante does give Julie time to get used to him. It isn't an instant "I am your Dom, kneel for me" type of relationship. Julie grieves a lot. She cooks a lot. It takes a few months of living with them before it ever gets into a sexual or BDSM scene type of relationship. Dante does have her sleep with them.
I loved how the author handled that Dante and Blake have children, twin teenage boys. They are quite protective of Julie. Their relationship with Julie blossoms in to a beautiful thing through the book. The children are never exposed to anything inappropriate, but they aren't dense either and know the type of relationship their parents have.
There is another Dom, Keegan, who gets to know Julie and makes Dante jealous. Allen, a Dom friend, makes appearances and has his own book next.
What I liked most was the unhurried feel to getting to know each other without jumping right into things. They took things in steps, growing and learning. It wasn't instant love, but a growth of friendship. It felt right even when I felt Julie was being a little over the top bratty. But then again, I couldn't always fault her on her feelings given the situation.
While I recommend this book to you, I would suggest reading at least book three first, if not all the books in the series first. It isn't totally necessary, but it might fill in the holes I found in the story from not reading them first.
Wow, that is a lot to say about a book, but not enough to convey the entire story and the nuances as you go along. The one downside I had in reading this was it was a the fourth book in the series and I felt like I was an outsider to deep secrets that were revealed in the first three books. Book three in this series is Julie's story, so I did miss out on some of Dante's and Julie's past. Along with fact that Blake is Julie's gay best friend. It just seemed I was lost through parts.
One problem I had was in Mason's handling of the entire situation from the grave. While he though he was taking care of Julie in the best way possible, he never consulted Dante. He just gives Julie to Dante. Mason did know once he was gone, there would be a sea of Doms wanting Julie so his way to protect her was to give her to Dante. Dante had start from scratch learning how to deal with Julie while also being the Dom of the house.
Now just because Dante and Blake have a Master/slave relationship doesn't mean that Blake and Julie ever become more than friends who share the same Master. Blake is gay and he loves Julie but not as a woman. Dante is bi-sexual and loves them both. So this is a relationship of Dante being he Master to two slaves, Blake and Julie. Dante does give Julie time to get used to him. It isn't an instant "I am your Dom, kneel for me" type of relationship. Julie grieves a lot. She cooks a lot. It takes a few months of living with them before it ever gets into a sexual or BDSM scene type of relationship. Dante does have her sleep with them.
I loved how the author handled that Dante and Blake have children, twin teenage boys. They are quite protective of Julie. Their relationship with Julie blossoms in to a beautiful thing through the book. The children are never exposed to anything inappropriate, but they aren't dense either and know the type of relationship their parents have.
There is another Dom, Keegan, who gets to know Julie and makes Dante jealous. Allen, a Dom friend, makes appearances and has his own book next.
What I liked most was the unhurried feel to getting to know each other without jumping right into things. They took things in steps, growing and learning. It wasn't instant love, but a growth of friendship. It felt right even when I felt Julie was being a little over the top bratty. But then again, I couldn't always fault her on her feelings given the situation.
While I recommend this book to you, I would suggest reading at least book three first, if not all the books in the series first. It isn't totally necessary, but it might fill in the holes I found in the story from not reading them first.
September 27, 2015
3.75 stars!
July 24, 2012
After 17 years of devotion to her husband and master Mason Seidler, Julie thought the hardest thing she’d ever do in life would be to watch him die. She was wrong. Julie must not only deal with her husband’s death and the loss of the special D/s relationship they’ve shared, but now she also must come to grips with the will request he’s left behind. Knowing his wife’s needs and anticipating her emotional state, Mason’s ‘gives’ his wife to Dante Larson, a friend and fellow Dom who has always loved Julie despite the fact she chose her husband over him years early. Dante’s love for Julie does not endanger the ‘marriage’ and family he’s has with Blake, Julie’s best friend. The D/s relationship and love between the two men is strong enough to include Julie in their household which includes adopted twin boys. However, Julie’s acceptance of the situation is not assured. She initially balks at her husband’s last demand as her Master, but in acceptance of their D/s relationship and the code they’ve loved and lived by she moves in with Dante and Blake and struggles to adapt. Dante struggles, as well, as he walks the emotional and physical mine field to learn what Julie needs and wants to truly make her a part of their unconventional family. It’s an alternative lifestyle that doesn’t work for everyone , but just when Julie begins to drop the physical and emotional barriers hindering her happiness, the destructive acts of neighbors critical of their lifestyle catapults Julie to run away to a safe haven and unexpectedly into the arms of a younger Dom drawn to her feistiness and independence. It’s up to Dante, with Blake’s help, to bring Julie back home to all the men who love her as lover, friend and mom. It’s up to Dante to find within himself the lover and Master he needs to be for Julie and his entire family.
This story has many emotional layers. It’s not just a story about Dante and Julie. It’s a story about an unconventional but very loving functional family that adjusts to the introduction of a new member….how refreshing! There are two things I liked about this story. The first, the author took her time conveying the emotional states of all the characters. Though everyone, accept Julie, is for the new arrangement there are still adjustments to be made. The twins have always known her as Aunt Julie, now her role in their lives is changing. Blake welcomes Julie with open arms and understands the D/s relationship that her husband wants her to have with Dante and though he isn’t jealous, he won’t be used as a sexual substitute for Dante’s frustration or sexual desire for Julie. Limits have to be set and understood. Everyone is affected and adjustments have to be made. Now that’s real life, not romantic story telling. The second thing I loved about this story is that these people aren’t young twenty and thirty- somethings. Julie is in her late 40s, still sexual, sexy and these mid-forty, older and younger men are attracted to who she is…an intelligent, funny and feisty woman. These characters acknowledge and deal with the effects of age. It’s easy to kneel on the floor when your twenty-something but a lot harder in your mid 40s and you’re reaching for the “joint juice” while your lover takes extra care to massage your knees and ankles after a session. ASSUMED MASTER has emotional depth, wonderfully ‘real’ characters, an intriguing plot and a very satisfying ending. I will definitely be making the time to read the other books in Ms. Munro’s Identity Series, because this one is a winner
This story has many emotional layers. It’s not just a story about Dante and Julie. It’s a story about an unconventional but very loving functional family that adjusts to the introduction of a new member….how refreshing! There are two things I liked about this story. The first, the author took her time conveying the emotional states of all the characters. Though everyone, accept Julie, is for the new arrangement there are still adjustments to be made. The twins have always known her as Aunt Julie, now her role in their lives is changing. Blake welcomes Julie with open arms and understands the D/s relationship that her husband wants her to have with Dante and though he isn’t jealous, he won’t be used as a sexual substitute for Dante’s frustration or sexual desire for Julie. Limits have to be set and understood. Everyone is affected and adjustments have to be made. Now that’s real life, not romantic story telling. The second thing I loved about this story is that these people aren’t young twenty and thirty- somethings. Julie is in her late 40s, still sexual, sexy and these mid-forty, older and younger men are attracted to who she is…an intelligent, funny and feisty woman. These characters acknowledge and deal with the effects of age. It’s easy to kneel on the floor when your twenty-something but a lot harder in your mid 40s and you’re reaching for the “joint juice” while your lover takes extra care to massage your knees and ankles after a session. ASSUMED MASTER has emotional depth, wonderfully ‘real’ characters, an intriguing plot and a very satisfying ending. I will definitely be making the time to read the other books in Ms. Munro’s Identity Series, because this one is a winner
June 18, 2012
In this erotic BDSM novel, we see people with Master-Slave relationship. While Julie was living in such a relationship with Mason, Mason died. Without a master, Julie feels scared. But Mason's will states that Julie is handed over to Dante's slavery. Julie is now clearly terrified, as she had heard about Dante's abusive ways. Dante is already having a gay relationship with his slave, Blake. But, soon she starts trusting Dante, and the three (Dante, Blake and Julie) have a trusted relationship.
Dante compromises some of his ego for his slaves, so that he can make them happy. And Blake's character was adorable at times. There is nothing to say about the plot or characters, as the novel doesn't concentrate on it. Lovers of BDSM novels will enjoy this.
Dante compromises some of his ego for his slaves, so that he can make them happy. And Blake's character was adorable at times. There is nothing to say about the plot or characters, as the novel doesn't concentrate on it. Lovers of BDSM novels will enjoy this.
July 26, 2012
another outstanding menage story from Lila Munro!
To see my full review: http://marywhispers.blog.com/?p=1051
To see my full review: http://marywhispers.blog.com/?p=1051
August 8, 2012
Far different than a traditional romance in that the author deals with the issue of losing a lover readers have met in a previous book. Now the heroine is learning she can move on. Powerfully moving.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews