MasterStroke

by Dee Ellis

He is a stylish man about town with a sharp mind and a wicked past. She is bright and bookish with a wanton future. Together, they are bound for adventure.

Sandrine always considered herself the shy, retiring type and working in an antiquarian bookshop wasn’t exactly living on the edge. That is, until tall, dark and handsome Jack Lucas walks into her life at just the right time to protect Sandrine and her friends from danger.

But is Jack everything he seems?

To make matters even more confusing, Jack unlocks a side to Sandrine that she finds as exciting as it is troubling. As she embarks on a voyage of sexual self-discovery, the pair join forces to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the art world and take on a slew of ruthless enemies who will stop at nothing to achieve their aims.

Dee Ellis lives in Sydney, Australia, and has more than 30 years’ experience as a journalist and magazine editor. A world traveller, lover of books and music and the finer things in life, this is her first novel. She eagerly anticipates continuing the adventures of Sandrine and Jack.

Note to readers: the subject matter and descriptions in this novel are detailed and highly-charged. MasterStroke is suitable only for adults.

Genres: BDSM, Romance, Erotica

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2013

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know an 'adult romance' is awful when the sex is yawningly boring and all the bondage in the world could not save it. There are writers in the genre who think their defects as writers can be disguised by pilling up the sex scenes -the heroine in this one has swallowed Barbarella's orgasmotron-, so here's a word of advice, HONE YOUR WRITING SKILLS, FOR NOTHING CAN COMPENSATE FOR BAD WRITING. Are those capitals big enough?

I won't go into details, for this book does not even deserve this one-star review, I can only say that this is one of those books that when the writer remembers she has to write a story around the lifeless depiction of sex acts, she drops chunks of music and art history references -Wikipedia level. Moreover, having realised that her book and its characters are boring beyond belief, she decided to inject it with a bit of a 'suspense' plot, to 'spice' things up and generate some conflict, drama and what have you. The result is painful to read, if she cannot write sex and romance once she cannot write suspense twice. The most ludicrous plot, which I gladly skipped, skipped and skipped, unfolded with the customary turning of the heroine (who was not the brightest bulb in the box in the first place) into the most stupid bird in the world: after an explosion in which she's hurt, she insists on following the hero -supposedly a trained SEAL and a decorated hero of some sort or other- into a most dangerous mission where only training and experience could see you through. And, of course, he lets her join in, for you know, stupid cow is, according to the hero, 'feisty', 'spirited', etc. I can't begin to imagine what kind of women he'd met before the heroine. I deleted this from my kindle at that point, I don't care what happened to the protagonists, I hope the villain killed them both and saved us from ever reading about them again.

[Leeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I thought it was a great read. The characters are genuinely likeable (which can't be said for every romance / bondage title) and you really care about what happens to them. The sex is hot, and I wouldn't mind finding a Jack for myself. He has just the right mix of mastery and sensitivity to make him every (submissive) girl's dream. Without spoiling the plot, when we find out what his real job is, it just makes him hotter. Who wouldn't want to be protected and cherished (and pleasured) by such a man? I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a sexy, fun read, about characters they can really relate to and care about. I am hoping to see more from Dee Ellis in the future!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dee Ellis is one smart cookie. She's taken the 50 Shades genre to a whole new level. Classy story, clever protagonists and very sexy sex. She didn't compromise on the sex but she also didn't make concessions on the story, and isn't that what we want as readers? Jack was one cool dude that we would hope that Christian Grey could become when he grows up. I look forward to another book by Dee Ellis soon.

[Texas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Lucas has a games room ie Play Room!!!
Sandrine is learning all kinds of new things.
this story has some mystery, intrigue and suspense.
and I have ordered some Monyette..the reviews were awesome!

[Mike Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had the potential to be a very good book, but I'm sorry to say that it fell flat for me in a few areas. I do wish the characters were more developed, especially the lead female, Sandrine. I just did not understand some of the things she did, especially in the last third of the book. Speaking of the end, it just did not feel right to me. I am not going to spoil anything, so I will only say that I was a bit disappointed by it.

I like the idea of mixing in a suspense story with the romance, but I think the book would have been better if more attention had been paid to fleshing out the two main characters and their motivations, and setting the suspense plot aside.

I'm not sorry I read the book, and I would still recommend it to you if you enjoy BDSM romance with some suspense thrown in, just don't expect it to be the next Fifty Shades.

[Kay D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I was bored and the writing didn't seem to flow for me. It got confusing at times, because of the rambling.