Cousins

Masterson #1

by Lisa Lang Blakeney

Our passion is incredibly intense. The connection between us borders on the possessive. Our feelings are absolutely forbidden. We're cousins…The question now is…what the f*ck are we going to do about it?

After Elizabeth Hill is brutally attacked in her apartment by an intruder and then unceremoniously dumped by her ex-boyfriend, she moves in with her wealthy aunt and uncle who assign her older cousin the task of keeping an eye out for her. All she remembers about her cousin Roman is that he was the moody mean boy who played a cruel trick on her when she was just six years old; but soon learns that he is now a complex and multi-layered man who has the ability to protect her, ignite her, and challenge her like no one ever has before.

Wealthy Roman Masterson makes his fortune by fixing celebrity problems for big money and by any means necessary. He is a foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, manwhore who doesn't have the time or inclination to babysit a gullible little brat from the suburbs…until he unknowingly spots her in the middle of a crowded dance floor and decides right then and there to claim every one of her orgasms from that moment on. Little does he know that the woman he's laid claim to is his…cousin.

Genre: New Adult Romance
Book 1 - Series

Content Warning: Contains adult themes, explicit love scenes, and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+.

Disclaimer: All characters in the book are 18+ years of age, non-blood related, and all sexual acts are consensual.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotica, Amazon, Ebooks

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2015

About the author

Enter my world of possessive alpha billionaires when you read the first book in my forbidden romance series, MASTERSON. Or join me for some hot, bad boy, pro ball players when you read the first book in my sports romance series, SAINT.

About me: Hi, my name is Lisa and I am the USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. I grew up an only child gorging myself on daytime soaps, night time dramas, and romance novels. I'm a wife, mom of 4 daughters, mom of 2 labradoodles and a houseplant hoe!

Be sure to join my VIP list to be notified about all my new releases and sales: https://LisaLangBlakeney.com/VIP or shop all books at: https://LisaLangBlakeneyBooks.com

Reviews

[Nanci **Warning**IWasASailor⚓️MyMouthisDirty · Rating 2 out of 5]

The synopsis had me sold, it sounded juicy and hot. Than it starts and within those first pages I knew this was going be bad.
Why do I continue. Curiosity. It'll be the death of me.


Inconsistencies.
First Elizabeth's mom and Roman's step mom are sister. Than it turns in to Elizabeth's dad and Roman's step mom.
Roman sees Elizabeth and for 7 days she's on his mind. Than he sees her again and it turns into the next day.
The synopsis talks of a brutal attack....I'm confused? Her attack isn't even explained


Elizabeth drove me to drink. Ugh she was crazy annoying. All she said was Frack. What the Frack, oh frack, frack this. Every time that word came up I I was ready to throw my kindle.


She was weak. The whole I'm trying to be a "virgin" but my cousins hot so here my panties.. Um why? That part had me scratching my head. ( for the record, she's not a virgin).


She went to a psychic to get her palm read to see if her business will flourish. Bwahahaha what!


THEY ARE NOT COUSINS!!! They saw each other once when she was 6, and never again. There is no blood relation and yet they both acted like God was going strike them dead.

Her BFF irritated me. I'm not sure why she was part of the story.

The cliffhanger! I'm not even going to explain it because I'm not sure what happened. I'm not sure if I'll read book 2.

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have reservation regarding Masterson. I think I need to read the next book to decide whatever I like this series or not.

As for first book, I want more. More chemistry, more twist, more sizzling hot sex. More, more and more. I feel Miss Blakeney did not do her characters justice. BDSM romance needs intense chemistry to make the story burn.

For now I rate this book 3 stars.

[I.Heart.Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️

*May contain some spoilers*

♦️BOOK: Part 1 of 2 - Less than 150 pages.

♦️EDITING: some errors found - missing punctuation

♦️POV: dual first person

♦️SETTING: Philly

♦️HERO: Roman Masterson, 27--A fixer for the rich & famous, provides the muscle. Dark, mysterious, gorgeous, tattooed, dangerous, confident, arrogant, dominant.

♦️HEROINE: Elizabeth "Bitsy" Hill, 23--app developer, budding entrepreneur. Petite, curvy, a little on the weak side, a so-so h.

♦️WHAT DID NOT WORK:
➖a bit slow and hard to get into.
➖Elizabeth's constant use of the word frackin' drove. me. nuts. "Everything he says is frackin' sexy." It's used 30 times!
➖Roman's pet name for Elizabeth is Duchess. Don't know why but I rolled my eyes each time he used it. Didn't really fit his type
➖OW drama: Roman's latest ONS angrily confronts Elizabeth. Ugh.
➖the constant reminders of how experienced Roman is, how well he knows a woman's body, how exceptionally skilled he is. Ew.
➖Roman tries to fuck Elizabeth out of his head. It's before they are a "couple" but I just don't like it when the H does that.

♦️HEAT LEVEL: moderate, 3/5 - a couple sexy scenes including spanking, domination

♦️ENDING: CLIFFHANGER

♦️TAGS, WARNINGS & OTHER STUFF: h sex scene with OM, H uses OW to forget h, manwhore H, h goes on a date with OM but fools around with H

[★¸. • * ° * ༺*Blanka*༺*°°*•.¸. ♥★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was definitely an interesting read.
The hero was very alpha, which of course I loved..
The heroine however needs major work.. she is insecure, wishy washy and unsure of herself.. I wish she had been more confident in herself and everything..

Her best friend Jade was a piece of work, that should have been dumped years ago, but again the heroine is a insecure girl so she isn't the one to do any dumping..

[Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I frackin' DNF!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a while ago and need to follow up with the other books as this one has captivated me, I want to follow the story.
Meet Roman and Elizabeth, family dynamics with this is that the family class them as cousins even though they're not, Elizabeth,s aunty is married to Roman,s father but Juliette is only the step mother to Roman so no blood relationship between Elizabeth and Roman. Roman,s mum is bipolar and other issues went on with her so his dad got custody of him.
Elizabeth,s now ex got her beaten up by a drug deal gone wrong and in steps Roman to the rescue.
Well onto book 2 I go to see what's going to happen with these two and this family.

[Jo - •.★Reading Is My Bliss★.• · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book may indicate that this is going to be a bit of a forbidden romance story right? Let me reassure you first that the two main characters are ‘cousins’ only through marriage, not blood so you can put aside any fears you may have about reading this book.

Elizabeth has moved in with her Aunt & Uncle after a particular brutal break up with her ex-boyfriend. She is in the midst of setting up her own business and appreciates them taking her in as she gets back on her feet.

She is in fact on her feet, dancing at a night club, when a sexy, dark eyed man come to her rescue one night. He is the kind of man you could get completely lost in, his looks and just his presence put her hormones on high alert.

"I am even more drawn to this man's imperfections, because they make him unmistakably beautiful, as well as a lot more interesting than any other man I've ever seen in my life." - Elizabeth

Roman Masterson is having trouble getting the gorgeous girl he met on Saturday night out of his head. He is a ‘one night only’ kind of man and never goes back for seconds but there is something about this mystery girl that him wanting to know her.

The mystery is dissolved when he discovers that his mystery girl is in fact his cousin, Elizabeth. He is having very ‘un-cousin like’ feelings towards her and the attraction between them is incredible.

His father has forbidden him to go anywhere near Elizabeth but the temptation is just too overwhelming.....

"If I'm going to slip down the rabbit hole, I need to know that she's falling right along with me." - Roman

This was a great beginning to this new series from this debut author. I cannot wait to see more from Lisa.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book…I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been addicted to stepbrother books this year, so when I saw this, and had the opportunity to review it, I jumped at it. Step-Cousins…sold! The premise was definitely an interesting twist on the genre.

While the book started out decent, it quickly went downhill for me. First of all, I had questions. The synopsis talks about a “violent attack”…now, I’m not saying it wasn’t, but it was never fully explained as to what happened besides her being knocked out. Second, during said attack, she was robbed…ok, I can believe that. However, what I can’t believe is that someone would keep as much cash in their apartment as she did. She had thousands (17 to be exact) hidden in empty tampon boxes…and yet she didn’t go to the police. Now granted, even if she had gone to the police, they mostly likely wouldn’t have recovered her money…it was cash, but still…who doesn’t go to the police after being attacked and robbed!?

So, after she meets Roman at the club, he can’t stop thinking about her and she can’t stop thinking about him. Here’s something I found interesting…when she went to her aunt’s house, she said she’s the spitting image of her aunt. So…if that’s the case, why didn’t Roman recognize her since her aunt is Roman’s stepmother? It’s not like he hasn’t seen his stepmom in forever. He sees her quite often. So how would he not look at Elizabeth and think “She looks like Juliette”…but they were shocked to find out they were cousins.

Another issue I had…Roman’s nickname of Duchess for Elizabeth. I’m not sure where it came from but it came off sounding douchey and creepy to me. It just didn’t fit. And when he said “I give all my friend’s nicknames.” It just didn’t jive for me. He knew her name, he should use it. It was only the second time they’d met…don’t just presume to give her a smarmy nickname that comes off as if you don’t remember her name and you don’t want to call her by the wrong name so you call her a generic nickname.

One of the things that I thought would be most interesting was their connection as step-cousins. I expected them to know each other, having seen each other over the years at family functions. But that wasn’t the case. They met once as children, he played a horrible prank on her and they never saw each other again…flash forward 20-some years and they meet as strangers. The premise could have worked, with some tweaking but as it was, the book was just ok for me.


Book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (7/18/2018)!💝

Blurb:
A dangerous professional fixer.
A sweet computer nerd.
A passion that borders on the possessive.
An attraction that’s completely off limits to explore…

After Elizabeth Hill is brutally attacked in her apartment by an intruder and then unceremoniously dumped by her ex-boyfriend, she moves in with family that she barely knows for protection. All she remembers about her aunt’s stepson, Roman, is that he was the moody, mean boy who played a cruel trick on her when she was just six years old; but soon learns that he is now a complex and multi-layered man who has the ability to protect her, ignite her, and challenge her like no one ever has before.

Wealthy Roman Masterson makes his fortune by fixing celebrity problems for big money and by any means necessary. He is a foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, manwhore who doesn’t have the time or inclination to babysit a gullible little brat from the suburbs…until he unknowingly spots her in the middle of a crowded dance floor and decides right then and there to claim every one of her orgasms from that moment on. Little does he know that the woman he’s laid claim to is the same girl he’s been sworn to protect.

[PT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teetering that very fine line of trying to discern whether or not I'm a fan of Lisa right now. I don't have the patience to wait for book two! I need answers NOW! Debut? This is probably one of the best debut books I've read in a long time. Writing in dual POV can be a struggle, but transitioning from Elizabeth to Roman was a breeze. And if I'm being honest, Lisa really captured the male POV. Definitely looked forward to Roman's chapters.

One problem I had while reading was that in my book they actually aren't cousins. But...that wasn't enough to spoil the story for me. Needless to say, this is definitely a book that I enjoyed and an author I will be following.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who want taboo but not off the wall taboo. Just taboo enough to make you question how gritty you want your read. And for those who love dominant dirty talkers....Masterson is your man ;). This book packs all the sexual tension.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/29/2020)! 🎁

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I "frackin" wanna scream every "frackin" time the "frackin" h uses this word. I don't care if it was a swear word in some nerdy show!!!! It doesn't fit with the book. It doesn't make sense. It detracts from the story and ruins everything she says. I almost gave the book 2⭐️ Because this was so annoying, but I'm not that frackin mean!!!

[Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cousins is a mess.

The writing is clunky AF, with truly shoddy sentence structuring. The plot events were bizarre and over-hyped, perhaps intended to distract from the fact that the taboo that the book hinges upon is no taboo at all. The "cousins" share absolutely no blood whatsoever.

Who the fuck cares if you fuck your step-cousin?

The distraction was ineffective, because the events were so apathetically created that I forgot about them in seconds. I couldn't believe in "a brutal assault" that seemed to consist of just one punch. I couldn't care about an attack in a nightclub that the heroine forgot about herself two pages later while gazing into the "magnetic, black sable" eyes of her step-cousin.

If the plotting was underwhelming, the characters themselves were all the more so. The hero's entire persona seemed to consist of having lots of tattoos and fucking lots of women - but only once, you understand. Otherwise he'll turn into a pumpkin. Or they'll become crazy stalkers. I forget which.

The heroine spends a little time referring to other women as slutty, or fearing that she might seem frigid whilst protecting her non-virginity. A little more telling us how clever she is and that she was on the Dean's List and blah blah blah despite 1) having ginormous credit card debt which for some reason she chose not to pay off with the >$17000 she had in cash under her bathroom sink to avoid paying bank fees. Emphasis on the word "had" because of course she loses it. 2) generally acting like a blithering idiot at all times. But most of all, her time is spent being a snob, describing expensive things and places, lusting after status symbols, judging people in cheap clothes and so forth. Likeable, she surely is not.

So when the hero panicked about her doing something really reckless namely, getting a flight to a business meeting by herself, oh the horror! and started thinking about smuggling guns and various other disproportionate measures, instead of feeling compelled by the cliffhanger to pick up the next book, I just felt mildly irritated that I even bothered to finish this one. Thank God it was free.

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man I was really getting into this book and then the author had to go and through in that cliff hanger. Oh I should have seen it coming. I mean I knew when I started this book that there was going to be another one. But really stopping it there, that's just cruel.

So yes this book is about two cousins that have an attraction to each other and decide to act on it. However they are not 'blood' related and the cousin thing didn't really put me off that much. I have read way more taboo books than this one. If you want to start out reading some taboo books then maybe this is the one for you.

I actually liked Elizabeth and Roman together; they just seemed to click really nicely. Thou it was funny watching them think about each as strangers before they found out who the other really was. The dual POV worked really well for this story. I would have liked more from Roman, but otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

Can't wait to get the next one now.

[Clarice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good read. Fun and had a little but of everything in it. Our hero is a hot alpha male, who is also a henchman for his father. So there is also a story, behind the romance. Our heroine is his cousin by marriage and has experienced a traumatizing event in her life, that leads her to meeting our hero. I can see this book leading to happening in the story and am now on to the next book to see what happens. I enjoyed the writing by this author, and look forward to reading more from her.

[My Little Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

So these two are cousins but not bloody related...the hero is the stepson of an aunt that the heroine saw only once in her life. So I don't understand all these drama about them dating.

[Dolores 💜 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for Free to Give My True & Honest Review

This was originally the awesomely brilliant Cousins book 1


Oh wow what strong emotions Roman and Elizabeth even when her new employee Blake you can see is WANTING her and is doing that underlying chipping by encouraging Elizabeth to meet up with her abusive ex Ethan who messages her AFTER she heard her attacker's voice even she was out with Sloan but what Elizabeth does is keep it tí herself WITHOUT telling Roman about it as she knows what he'll do & she didn't want to be responsible but oh what a bad mistake ESPECIALLY when it comes down to them NOT talking & things take a pretty dramatic turn and THEN ANOTHER completely different turn for then both. 💕💕💕
Here we also start to see more of Jade and Camden, which looks great when it comes down to their own book to read more about them 😚
(I only have one tiny negative and that's, when there were small areas at time where things were repeated about how things were)

[Sana Zameer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premises was interesting enough to pick this up. Forbidden romance, Alpha hero- sounds good. The beginning was really slow. A lot of discrepancies in plot, editing mistakes. I could have ignored them but I just couldn't stand Elizabeth. She needed a lot of character development. Her use of 'frackin' drove me nuts. Every other sentence was about how sexy Roman is. And Roman's lame nickname for Elizabeth - Dutchess, doesn't make any sense. I'll think about reading book 2.

[Kathleen R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall Stars: 5 STARS

Cousin
Alpha Man


Will forbidden love remain just that, forbidden?

After Elizabeth Hill is brutally attacked in her apartment by an intruder and then unceremoniously dumped by her ex-boyfriend, she moves in with her wealthy aunt and uncle who assign her older cousin the task of keeping an eye out for her. All she remembers about her cousin Roman is that he was the moody mean boy who played a cruel trick on her when she was just six years old; but soon learns that he is now a complex and multi-layered man who has the ability to protect her, ignite her, and challenge her like no one ever has before. Wealthy Roman Masterson makes his fortune by fixing celebrity problems for big money and by any means necessary. He is a foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, manwhore who doesn't have the time or inclination to babysit a gullible little brat from the suburbs…until he unknowingly spots her in the middle of a crowded dance floor and decides right then and there to claim every one of her orgasms from that moment on. Little does he know that the woman he's laid claim to is his…cousin. (Amazon blurb)

Now, before everyone starts panicking, let’s make this really clear, well actually, let’s make two things really clear: 1- Elizabeth and Roman are not blood related, but related only through marriage, so their relationship has no ‘ickiness’ or taboo to it, so all that sexual hotness that simply makes us all sweaty and jealous, yeah, we really are allowed to feel it. 2- This book ends in a CLIFFHANGER. It’s a two part series, so be aware that you need both novels to really enjoy the series. Trust me you won’t be disappointed one single bit whatsoever. Really. I’ve read stepbrother-type novels (which I already have admitted are my guilty pleasures), but cousins-type are my first, and quite frankly, I LOVED it! Lisa Lang Blakeney’s style of writing is amazing, fascinating and downright sexiness and hot! Considering that the Alpha Bad Boy Romance series is the first novels from Blakeney, I really cannot wait for the next works from this author as I was impressed with the tempo, the direction and plot of the novel.

.
**Received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Read and reviewed by Kathleen for Alpha Book Club**

[Melissa Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received a copy in exchange for an honest review

“Of course my traitorous eyes are magnetically drawn to Roman’s bare sculpted pecs, lean torso, and his well-defined abs, but his lack of boundaries infuriates me enouh to snap out of it.”

4 crazy, crazy stars!! I love a great taboo story and well this one definitely was taboo!! I loved Roman and all his bad boy attitude!!

After Elizabeth Hill is brutally attacked in her apartment by an intruder and then unceremoniously dumped by her ex-boyfriend, she moves in with her wealthy aunt and uncle who assign her older cousin the task of keeping an eye out for her. All she remembers about her cousin Roman is that he was the moody mean boy who played a cruel trick on her when she was just six years old; but soon learns that he is now a complex and multi-layered man who has the ability to protect her, ignite her, and challenge her like no one ever has before.

Roman Masterson makes his fortune by fixing celebrity problems for big money and by any means necessary. He is a foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, manwhore who doesn't have the time or inclination to babysit a gullible little brat from the suburbs…until he unknowingly spots her in the middle of a crowded dance floor and decides right then and there to claim every one of her orgasms from that moment on. Little does he know that the woman he's laid claim to is his…cousin.

After being brutally attacked, Elizabeth moves in with her wealthy aunt and uncle. They are concerned for her well being so they have her cousin Roman look after her. Roman is the epitome of a bad boy with a nasty attitude and the last thing he wants is to “babysit” his cousin Elizabeth. But that all changes after one fateful night. This book was definitely different but I won’t deny the heat that comes from this book!!!

**Received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Read and reviewed by Melissa for Alpha Book Club**

[Deb Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dick of an ex with a drug habit Elizabeth is left without a place a live. Feeling that her friend needs some serious fun, Elizabeth's best friend talks her into hitting a popular club. The night takes on an unexpected twist when someone sprays a good dose of pepper spray in the club and a hotter than sin man rescues Elizabeth. The heat between them is instant. But much to this stranger's dismay, Elizabeth refuses his advances and leaves him standing on the corner.

Knowing that Elizabeth needs a safe place to live, her aunt offers for her to come and live with her and her uncle.

The night that Elizabeth comes to live with them she finds out that it's her uncles birthday and her aunt has put together a party that Elizabeth must attend.

As Elizabeth is taking a breather away from the party she runs into the delicious stranger again. After a little dirty dancing that leaves both of them (and me) breathing hard and wanting more, they are introduced. Elizabeth this your cousin Roman.

Of course they are not cousins by blood and Elizabeth is still holding a grudge against Roman from when she was 6 and he buried in the garden and told her it would make her grow, only to leave her there alone.

These 2 are all about instant heat, enough so that somebody needs to break out the hose....for me!

Roman is a man whore to the extreme, 1 night no repeats! But with Elizabeth things are different. But what happens when Elizabeth's ex the douche who put her in danger, decides he wants to take back his girl? How will Roman prove he's a changed man?

Only book 2 can answer those questions!

[K.A. Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cousins is similar to the stepbrother craze that’s been sweeping our kindles lately, but on a side note, the author makes it clear that they aren’t blood related. It was somewhat of a slow start, but definitely leads up to a whirlwind of events that had me hooked on finding out what will happen next.

Elizabeth has been through a traumatic experience with her douche bag boyfriend, that has left her homeless and broke, and wondering what life will throw at her next. She gets somewhat of a break when is offered to stay with her aunt, who she hasn’t seen in years. This turns out to be the most life changing, mind blowing situation she has ever faced.

Roman is an alpha to beat all other alphas, with some interesting quirks to boot. He gets what he wants, when he wants it, plain and simple. While out at a club one night he sets his sights on Elizabeth, which is the start of absolute chaos, confusion, and forbidden love. They soon find out that they are more than just strangers who have an undeniable attraction to each other, and the consequences that could come of that attraction.

These two are hot and cold, innocent and dirty, and somehow this makes them the perfect match. I enjoyed the sexiness and aggression that Roman brings to the table, and the innocent girl next-door vibe from Elizabeth. Can these two make something of their attraction or is it too far to grasp? Can’t wait to sink my teeth into book 2 and find out what becomes of them, and the people standing in their way of what could be a HEA.

[MG *Bury Me with My Kindle.. & a REALLY Long Charger* · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars
I didn't look at this one the first time it came across my "freebies/sales" feed bc I thought it was about incest which is definitely NOT my thing, but when I read the description out of curiosity when it crossed my path again, I saw that it the MCs were not related by blood and hadn't played together as kids growing up (which would also be super weird if that were the case, imo), so I gave it a try. Glad that I did bc it is actually really well written! The plot is interesting and unique, and the story is full of humorous moments. I really like the h because she isn't wishy-washy and stands up for herself vs just giving into the clearly more aggressive guy who keeps pushing her for more. The H is a damaged bay boy who "doesn't so seconds" (his words) when it comes to women, but he can't get his mind off the sexy woman he saw dancing in a club... then he realizes she is his cousin by marriage. At first, that holds him back, but he realizes that there is much more to her than just her sex appeal and starts to care more deeply about her as he comes to know her. Some ex drama and other external issues come in to make things a little more interesting, and when they DO hook up, it's very, very steamy (throughout the 3 book series).

The story is a trilogy, so this book ends in a cliffhanger, and, of course, I had to get the next one along with the final installment.

[Michelle Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will grab you right from the beginning.

After a robbery and assault, Elizabeth (Bitsy) moves in with her aunt and uncle. When Bitsy sees her cousin Roman she realizes that he is the hot, dark and mysterious man from Club Lotus. Whenever their eyes connect you can feel the chemistry between them.

Can Roman keep his promise to his dad to stay away from Bitsy?
Who keeps calling and hanging up on her?

This is a great bad boy and good girl book that ends in quite the cliffhanger and will leave you wanting more.

Thank you Lisa, I will definitely be following you for more great reads.
"Book was received for an honest review"

[Fatavia · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*


3.5 stars....I love forbidden romances and this one did not disappoint. Elizabeth is attacked in her apartment and is pretty shaken up. While letting off some steam at a local club she's rescued by a dark brooding yet handsome stranger. She then moves in with her aunt to get her life back on track. Only to find out her handsome stranger his her new cousin. The chemistry between these two was explosive. I loved how he was possessive and protective of her. The push and pull of wanting each other but jot wanting to act on it kept me on the edge of my seat. Sad that it ended so quickly but I already purchased part two so I'm good.

[Blanca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love taboo stories and this book was definitely up my alley I couldn't get enough of Roman Masterson he is extremely dominant, sexy and his tattoos are an added bonus!
He is your typical playboy doesn't do seconds but once Elizabeth walks into his life everything changes. They can't help but be attracted and drawn to each other they are each other's weaknesses although they are cousins it's extremely difficult to not be drawn in by their off the charts sexual tension.
I know it's a wrong type of love but it was simply a fascinating read, I can't wait to find out what happens in the next installment!!!

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, but won't be able to say anything nice here.
Ignoring the tons of missing commas ('What's wrong with her, asshole' has a totally different meaning than 'What's wrong with her asshole' and might make for a different kind of book too...) I am once again wondering why the two MC's are interested in each other. There is no chemistry. He is an alpha-idiot AND a doormat. She is only a doormat.

Did not know this would end in a cliffhanger or I wouldn't have even bothered finishing. Will not bother with book 2 obviously.

[Tracie Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to be honest, this one made me nervous to read because of the title.

But I am so flipping glad I did!

This was a honest to goodness sexy book!! Holy Moly!!

I love me some Roman!!

[Kumiko Lei ~Lost In A Book~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed at Lost In A Book

Okay, so... there are two reasons I got this book. The first was that it was a freebie. The second was the title. Masterson. There ya go, Miss Blakeney, you get an automatic star for that.

When I got this I didn't know it was originally titled Cousins. Thank goodness it was changed, I feel like Masterson fits it much better and to be honest, I don't think I would read a book titled Cousins.

Consistency is important to me, and I don't always pick up on inconsistencies... But when a character takes out contact lenses in a room filled with pepper spray and then escapes with 20/20 vision, I notice (and I laugh). And nowhere throughout the rest of the book is there mention of contacts or glasses. There must've been some magic in that pepper spray...

Now, I usually don't pick at character names, but I feel like the heroine in this book got done dirty. All of the other characters have memorable names: Roman, Camden, Cutter, Jade, Sloan, Jagger, even Julliette and Joseph. But her, she gets Elizabeth. Maybe it was done on purpose... but I'll be honest, I sat here for 5 whole minutes trying to remember her name.

I like Roman, possessive asshole that he is. And Elizabeth is smart and can stand her ground when she wants to. I find it a little hard to understand how she didn't know Ethan was a druggie. But as my husband says, there's a big difference in being smart and having common sense.

Roman and Elizabeth as a couple, I really did enjoy. They have a sexual chemistry that can't be denied. And I feel like the cousin thing is a non-issue and to be honest, it put me off a little. It was the obstacle that wasn't. Because even though the characters said it was wrong, their actions said otherwise. First of all, they aren't blood related cousins. Second of all, they met once when they were six and ten. If they'd have grown up constantly around each other, that would've made it a little different. Nonetheless, I would've read the book without the step-cousin angle.

Newsflash: It ends on a cliffhanger!

It didn't take me long to read this, so I thought... "oh, a cliffy, damn it". But then I looked and Amazon said it was 243 pages. Huh? I read 243 pages in less than a day, while at work? No fucking way! That there speaks to the flow of the story. It was written well enough for me to get through it quickly and not even realize it. I was a little disappointed that I read 243 pages and got absolutely no closure. Add to that, there are two more books to finish out Roman and Elizabeth's story. I might've been invested enough to read a second, but not three.

So, all in all, it was ok. It's still free, so if you try it, no harm, no foul.

[April Symes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main couple in this series is Roman & Elizabeth. They are cousins by marriage and Roman is a guy who loves women. He is not the type to stick to one, he tends to wham, bam and leave. But Roman’s first meeting with Elizabeth changes all that. From the moment they meet up again as adults, they have this fire, this sexual chemistry that is electric and hot. Only issue is because they are cousins by marriage, many would consider their attraction taboo. Roman didn’t care but Elizabeth is a harder nut to crack. This sets the tone to how the series goes. There is a past for Roman and for Elizabeth. Roman is very interested in the beautiful Elizabeth, who his father made crystal clear is off limits to him. Why does Elizabeth have to be his cousin? Roman feels super possessive over his step cousin Elizabeth and yet it made sound crazy but deep down, Roman knows she is HIS. Only someone hasn’t taken notice and is determined to take Elizabeth from him thru any means necessary. The story ends on a huge cliffhanger. I cannot wait to read book 2----Roman is one man who is an alpha male –powerful, sexy and seductive. Elizabeth is innocent, sweet and at times submissive. Oh I loved these characters and there is a secondary couple that emerges (Camden and Jade). This is one emotional rollercoaster ride full of humor, heat, drama, tension, passion and romance that you will not be able to put down. I cannot wait for book 2- Masterson Unleashed.

My Rating: 4.7 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."