Masters' Promise

The Angel Eyes #3

by Jamie Schulz

He swore he’d protect her.
But can they ever trust each other enough to fall in love?

Bret Masters is as good as his word. Following through on his pledge to nurse back to health the woman who owns him, the rugged ranch-hand showers her with care while still guarding his heart. But as he spends hour after hour by her side, the stubborn cowboy feels his resistance crumbling.

Angel Aldridge fears she won't recover. Seized by the horrors of her past, her handsome foreman is the only comfort she knows. But when a frightening incident results in an intimate confession, the curvy rancher worries she’s pushed him away for good.

Stung by Angel’s words, Bret struggles to believe love could ever be possible in this broken world. And with Angel’s enemy returning to exact revenge, she’s frightened she’ll never again feel her hero’s embrace.

With danger on its inevitable way, is this the end for the star-crossed couple?

Masters' Promise is the steamy third book in The Angel Eyes futuristic dystopian cowboy romance series. If you like captivating characters, forbidden desire, and dark twists, then you’ll adore Jamie Schulz’s riveting read.


This book has a HFN ending with a slight cliffhanger that leads into Book 4 of the series. The books in this series must be read in order as the story builds with each book.

★Please note: Intended for mature audiences. Trigger warning. Reader discretion is advised.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

430 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2021

About the author

Jamie Schulz is a contemporary western romance and dystopian cowboy romance author. She loves to write about heroes with vulnerabilities and strong, feisty heroines who are a match for the men they love. To her, every one of her stories, no matter how dark, must have a happy ending, and she strives to make them impossible to put down until you get there.

Jamie has been writing and making up stories for most of her life and hopes to one day reach the bestsellers lists. Her book Broken Cowboy has won the Global Book Awards Gold Medal for romance and was a finalist in the RONE Awards. From her other series, Jake’s Redemption was also an award-winner in the Global Ebook Awards.

Cowboys, ice cream, and reading almost any kind of romance are among her (not so) secret loves. She balances her free time between reading her favorite romance authors—in genres ranging from erotica and dark romance to sweet historicals and contemporary romance—and spending time with those she is closest to. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family and their fur babies, and she enjoys hearing from her fans. You can follow her at:

* Website: thejamieschulz.com
* Amazon Author Page: Amazon Author Page
* Facebook: thejamieschulz
* Twitter: twitter.com/TheJamieSchulz
* Instagram: instagram.com/thejamieschulz
* Good Reads: www.goodreads.com/thejamieschulz
* BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jamie-schulz

Reviews

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

MASTERS’ PROMISE is the third full-length instalment in Jamie Schulz’ adult ANGEL EYES post-apocalyptic, dystopian, dark romance series. This is ranch owner Angel Aldridge, and Bret Masters’ continuing story line. MASTERS’ PROMISE should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book two MASTERS’ ESCAPE

NOTE: Due to the graphic nature of the story line premise including rape, torture, slavery, violence, and abuse, there will be triggers for more sensitive readers

SOME BACKGROUND: Several years earlier a catastrophic war destroyed cities and towns throughout the world, and ‘changed the social order’ between men and women. In the ensuing aftermath, a second civil war, between the sexes in America, resulted in women becoming the dominant, deviant and controlling sex, while men were reduced to slaves to be used and abused.

Told from several third person perspectives including Bret and Angel MASTERS’ PROMISE continues to focus on the tempestuous relationship between ranch owner Angel Aldridge, and her slave Bret Masters. Bret Masters has struggled in the years since the social order of the world upended itself making women the dominant sex in a world controlled by torture and abuse. Trust was difficult, and trusting his ‘master’ Angel Aldridge went from bad to worse when Bret found himself fighting for his life, believing the woman with whom he was falling in love, would protect him from further suffering and pain. Angel had promised never to hurt Bret, or the other ‘slaves’ that worked and lived on her ranch but hurt came in many forms, and Bret was constantly on the receiving end of heart breaking pain, both emotional and physical.

Angel Aldridge is a woman struggling with the new social order of the world but to not follow the new dictates means lives are on the line including the men and women who live on her ranch. Angel is emotionally and physically weak, and mentally unprepared for the horrors of the abuse inflicted by others, and in this, Angel has left Bret Masters open to be hurt, once again. Having loved and lost, Angel battles between head and heart, leaving Bret Masters in the direct line of fire.

MASTERS’ PROMISE is a graphically detailed and violent, heart breakingly painful, and complex story of power and abuse, betrayal and vengeance, obsession and psychotic cruelty. Each story line delves deeper into the inhumanity and barbarity of the women now in control-an almost giddy depravity of a mindset that is desperate for vengeance and retribution for sins of the past. One has to dig deep into the darkness to find the trigger that allows for such a need to hurt and destroy. MASTERS’ PROMISE ends on a cliff hanger-NOT a happily ever after for now, as stated in the online blurbs…MASTERS’ PROMISE ends with one sadistic woman’s need to humiliate, defile, and abuse, and Angel claims to be powerless to help the man that she loves.

[Amy Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intimate and personal

Schulz pens a steamy story in Masters' Promise. I am a big fan of this author! Whatever this author writes, I read. This author brings the story to life. The characters had a lot of depth, and were very real, and I like the cowboy angle, and how Bret Masters has his owner, but to him, she's more than that. I read a lot of stories, and I love the different writing styles and storytelling abilities. I love it when a Legacy author sends me more of their work! I read the other three books in this series, The Angel Eyes Series, and enjoyed them. This is book three, but there was book 0, the prequel, and I recommend reading all of them. They are standalone, but to get the entire picture of the story, especially about Masters, it helps to read the books, and they are all very enjoyable and well written. The stories are unique, and I am glad that Schulz is still telling Bret's story. The characters are so engrossing. Secrets, and hidden feelings, including trust is key in this story. And according to the author, there will be another book, so even if this ending seems like one, the story is not over. This one was of my favorites of the stories, so Masters' Promise is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.

[Leslie OBrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie Schulz’s Masters’ Promise is the next book in her Angel Eyes series and it is just as dramatic as her earlier books. Set in a dystopian world where the women hold the power, Ms. Schulz gives readers an in-depth view into the different lives of the women and their slaves. Both Monica and Angel are fantabulous as women forced to live in a world where they can’t show their true emotions for their partners, or risk losing everything. Then there’s their partners—Brett and Jake. The horrific antagonists (yes, Carrie) that will have you cringing with each swing of her weapon of choice. There is so much angst in these stories that I sometimes have to take cat-video breaks because the emotional turmoil Ms. Schulz INSISTS on putting readers through is incredibly well-done and it leaves me eager for something to calm my rattled brain. If you’re looking for your next read to be a large book, where the background and story lines are indepth, the characters’ emotions, fears, desires are palpable; and you desire your story to have a dystopian flare, then start with Jake’s Redemption and get reading.

[Alex (Bri's Book Nook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Masters’ Promise throws readers back into the post-war setting where women won the gender war against men and now all men on the planet have been enslaved as punishment. Angel is one of the good women who try to protect the men from the abusive women in power who only want to beat and control them. Her own demons are at their peak in this book, especially when she receives a reminder that she cannot protect her men from everything. Will Bret and Angel make it through the trials of this book and Cassie’s continued pressure?

Brett had finally started to come out of his shell with Angel in this book. He has to help nurse her body back to health and then eventually, help her start to heal her own mind. Angel is still nervous about letting Bret into her heart. She doesn’t want to get him hurt and also doesn’t want to give any of her enemies an easy weakness of hers to exploit. These two characters go back and forth romantically a LOT in this story. Every time I thought that they were going to finally give in to one another, they found a new reason why their relationship would be a mistake. Even though I don’t think their relationship is necessarily toxic, but the actions they take hurt each other often. The hurt is almost always done by mistake, but they need to make some real decisions about their relationship QUICKLY. I hope that these decisions hold fast during the next installment of this series.

The side stories in this novel were also quite compelling. I wanted to learn more about Dean and his secrets, as well as a check-in with Jake and Monica to see how they were doing. There was usually enough else going on in the story for me to be entertained outside of the slow-burn romance plot. I can’t discuss too much about these side stories without spoiling anything, but just know that this universe is full of surprises.

When I originally started to read this series with the prequel, I thought that each book was going to cover a different couple in this universe. I feel like so many books focused on Bret and Angel could definitely bring a lot of depth to their relationship, but I am a little concerned about the thought of reading 3 more books just about them. I think changing things up to focus on a different couple could definitely make me more interested in the series. Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Would I read the next one? Maybe. Am I going to read 3 more full books of back and forth between Bret and Angel? No. The setting is great and the plot is amazing, but the repetitive romance between the two main characters will get boring, especially as each book so far has already been over 400 pages long.

I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 books.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a well-written read that is difficult due to the subject matter. In a dystopian world where women rule enslaved men, Bret Masters is owned by Angel Aldridge. Unlike other slave mistresses, Angel has established a ranch in which everyone is treated fairly and as equally as possible. Outnumbered on The Council by incredibly cruel women, Angel balances a political reality in which she has to work clandestinely to forge alliances while not triggering an outright attack in which her ranch is seized by her enemies and everyone taken as slaves on other ranches. Bret's story to this point has been one of cruel abuse by other mistresses, a slave auction, and a gradual yet tentative trust of Angel. This love story is tempered by previous baggage for both MCs.

Angel is a strong woman, but she suffers from PTSD caused by events in the war and depression. Throughout the book, she cries a lot and withdraws, so as not to let spies see her weaknesses which could cause those closest to her to suffer outside attacks. In this book, Bret and other men experience intensely cruel abuse (described, but not is excruciating detail) at the hands of outside mistresses. For that reason, it is difficult to read.

Bret and Angel's love story is also difficult and cautious, yet beautiful amidst the backdrop of a cruel society. This book has a HFN ending (like only for the next few hours) and cliffhangers. It's necessary to read the previous books in the series to fully understand the story. As there are three more books in the series, readers will have to wait for their HEA.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bret's continued growth of trust surprises even him when a promise of safety is broken. Bloodied, bitter and betrayed, his ability to try again only possible because of his friendship with others. Angel's lack of revelation of her past is a sticking point in her relationship with the man who saved her life. Her horror is denied while awake, but in the depths of sleep it cuts through her like sharp daggers. Can their tenuous relationship survive the outside forces that only want to tear apart any concept of normalcy? Will the hatred that is laser focused on them break the thin line that ties them together?

[Tom Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book from this author and I found it an enjoyable read, great characters and a wicked plot. You won’t want to put it down.
I received this book for free and wanted to leave an honest review.

[Lisa Pain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

I absolutely love this series. I've read them all and every time one ends I wish I could just keep reading. I love the style of writing and the way the book has made me so anxious for Bret. I am so invested in the characters and the story I never want it to end and I so want it to be a really good HEA I don't think I can bear it if it's not. Hurry up with the next installment I'm waiting with baited breath. Great book, very well written.