The Mastering

Death Row #4

by Jaid Black

Part of the Death Row series. August 8, 2250 Abdul Kan is dead. After enduring twenty-five years of a forced polygamous marriage, Nicoletta Kan is free to leave the harem bed and make her own choices.But someone is watching Nica, someone is hunting her like prey. Someone Nicoletta had never thought to see again in her most terrifying nightmare…or her most fevered fantasy.

Genres: Erotica, Erotic Romance, Romance, Ebooks, Mystery, Futuristic, Paranormal

Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2003

About the author

Jaid Black is the pseudonym of Tina Marie Engler—the founder/owner of the former Ellora's Cave Publishing. Engler has been featured in every major news outlet such as Forbes, Publisher's Weekly, Salon, and Time Magazine. Ms. Engler was officially recognized by Romantic Times Magazine with their first ever Trail Blazer award for being the mastermind of adult (erotic) romance as you know and love it today, as well as for the pivotal role she played in popularizing the e-book.

Writing as Jaid Black, her books have received numerous distinctions, including a nomination for the Henry Miller award for the best literary sex scene written in the English language. Most of her novels and novellas are a hybrid of sci-fi and adult romance. She is a proud member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA.)

Also writing as Jasmine LeVeaux

Reviews

[Jane Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay.
This is a continuation of the story in Death Row The Trilogy, and I suggest reading that first. Jaid Black fans will probably like The Mastering but it wasn't one of her best. It is set in the future where there are subhumans who kill and eat humans. Nicoletta is kidnapped by some men who plan to rape her and keep her. One of the subhumans rescues her from them. There is a relationship between her and the subhuman.


The author used my pet peeve of vague communication and inaccurate assumptions between the two lovers. Because Abdul was infected, he would change back and forth between being human and subhuman. When he felt love or strong emotions he became subhuman. He loved his wife but had to act like he didn't and caused her to hate him. He obtained a harem of wives during this time. This went on for 25 years. After he rescued her and she spent time with him as a subhuman, he told her the truth and then they stayed together and loved each other no matter what form he was in. I wished he would have told her this 25 years earlier instead of both of them living with emotional pain for all those years.

DATA:
Story length: 54 pages. Sexual language: erotic. Number of sex scenes: eight plus. Setting: 2250 Central America. Copyright: 2003. Genre: erotic science fiction romance.

This short story is also published in the anthology Enchained.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Jaid Black books, see my 5 star review of One Dark Night.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about Nicolleta, Nellie's adopted mother after her own mother died. We have seen glimpses of her story and his husband, Abdul in the first three books. There have been some revelation about Abdul before and this story explains more about him and the truth about his identity.

This story also gives shed to the light on why Absul is the way he is and makes the reader put him more on the lighter side of things instead of the evil mastermind that is describe in the first books. Anyway, this is a short read which I hope is longer. It only scratches the surface of the inside corruption of the corporation and why the do the things they've done. Anyway, this is an enjoyable read, and I'm happy that Nicolleta have her good ending.

[Irene Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

totally predictable, but whatever... it was a nice, short distraction from the usual!

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short and predictable.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

[Dawn ♥ romance]

This is essentially a few chapters that follow up one of the characters in Death Row Trilogy. See my review there.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[GuisBell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vayaaaaa y se supone que este libro es el final, porque parece que faltó más, y se supone que el protagonista de este libro era el malvado y donde quedo su harem, puffff :(

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice conclusion to Nicoletta's story.

[Cyndi Dorsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shorter story.