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Mastering Stefan
Three years and Stefan's yet to find that certain someone who can take him to the precipice of lust, dangle him over the abyss, and shove him headlong into the darkness of his own desire. Someone who drives him to the edge but won't let him fall. Someone he can trust completely, body and soul, someone he can lose himself in. When a local gay bar called the Code hosts a fetish night, Stefan goes looking to be conquered. There Stefan meets the man of his dreams, known only as "Master." But when put to the test, can he prove himself worthy of such a man? This story appears in the anthology "Best Gay Bondage Erotica" published by Cleis Press and in my print collection "Eight."
ebook
First published March 4, 2009
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127 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Snyder
302 books567 followersAn author of gay erotic/romantic fiction, J.M. Snyder began in self-publishing and worked with Amber Allure, Aspen Mountain, eXcessica, and Torquere Presses.
Snyder's highly erotic short gay fiction has been published online at Amazon Shorts, Eros Monthly, Ruthie's Club, and Tit-Elation, as well as in anthologies by Alyson Books, Aspen Mountain, Cleis Press, eXcessica Publishing, Lethe Press, and Ravenous Romance.
In 2010, Snyder founded JMS Books LLC, a royalty-paying queer small press that publishes in both electronic and print format. For more information on newest releases and submission guidelines, please visit JMS Books LLC online.
Snyder's highly erotic short gay fiction has been published online at Amazon Shorts, Eros Monthly, Ruthie's Club, and Tit-Elation, as well as in anthologies by Alyson Books, Aspen Mountain, Cleis Press, eXcessica Publishing, Lethe Press, and Ravenous Romance.
In 2010, Snyder founded JMS Books LLC, a royalty-paying queer small press that publishes in both electronic and print format. For more information on newest releases and submission guidelines, please visit JMS Books LLC online.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 19, 2016
That was a hot short.
Freaking nice latex kink with some imaginative play. Very sweet and fun. Definitely shows how investing in a good night out can pay off.
3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up for the joyous nature and kinkaliciousness.
FREE on All Romance
Freaking nice latex kink with some imaginative play. Very sweet and fun. Definitely shows how investing in a good night out can pay off.
3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up for the joyous nature and kinkaliciousness.
FREE on All Romance
August 28, 2016
This is a short short. Stefan, the sub, drank many cocktails and then went with a perfect stranger to his place without telling anybody. And as I wrote before, in my mind someone who goes to a bar dressed in rubber shorts and a mesh tank top is very probably not a dom but a sub. And if someone approached me and put his hand on my genitals before he even opens his mouth, he risks to get my fist somewhere. Or, at least, I would firmly withdraw his hand and tell him not to touch goods that don't belong to him and that, as I am not HIS sub still, he has no right to touch me without my verbal consent.
So no, I did not really enjoy this story. But it might appeal to those who have never set foot in a BDSM bar and don't know how it works there. OK, of course, there are misguided or drunk people who dare to touch you just because they know you're a sub, but NO, that's not how it's supposed to work. And you better not let them do that to you if you don't want to get into trouble later.
So no, I did not really enjoy this story. But it might appeal to those who have never set foot in a BDSM bar and don't know how it works there. OK, of course, there are misguided or drunk people who dare to touch you just because they know you're a sub, but NO, that's not how it's supposed to work. And you better not let them do that to you if you don't want to get into trouble later.
January 11, 2017
Overall book rating: 2
Audio Book: N/A
Book Cover: 2
I didn't jump up and down about this one. It can be because it was really short...I don't know. I like a good BDSM and this was something else.
Hot? Yes, but so irresponsible. Lots of red flags here by hey, it's my opinion.
I think all the red flags made me focus on the wrong things and I missed the fun.
Audio Book: N/A
Book Cover: 2
I didn't jump up and down about this one. It can be because it was really short...I don't know. I like a good BDSM and this was something else.
Hot? Yes, but so irresponsible. Lots of red flags here by hey, it's my opinion.
I think all the red flags made me focus on the wrong things and I missed the fun.
July 4, 2009
From the beginning of Mastering Stefan, I was caught by J.M. Snyder’s mastery over our language to bring to life a story in a reader’s mind. Not only, does she vividly create images through her use of analogies and metaphors, but she follows through with them until the entire scene is fully actualized. For example, on the first page she writes, “But when he enters the bar, he’s just one more body in the crowded sea that undulates over the dance floor. Music pounds around him like the surf, washing him up to the bar with the rest of the driftwood.” I just had to share that!
As an author, I was inspired by what I can only describe as her ‘word designs’ to better my own craft, to work harder. Especially when I conceive that “bodies” can “meld” like a “primordial animal…gyrates obscenely… masturbating to the beat.” And, these phrases are all due to a little dim lighting and some dancing. As a reader, I am simply swept away, not only seeing the scenes in my mind, but becoming lost in the movie itself.
This experience is heightened by the way Snyder crafts two very distinct characters each with different thoughts, mannerisms and voices. Add in the erotic imagery shaped in her same style with appropriately fabricated language; and this story is too hot to read this summer!
Turning on the AC!
As an author, I was inspired by what I can only describe as her ‘word designs’ to better my own craft, to work harder. Especially when I conceive that “bodies” can “meld” like a “primordial animal…gyrates obscenely… masturbating to the beat.” And, these phrases are all due to a little dim lighting and some dancing. As a reader, I am simply swept away, not only seeing the scenes in my mind, but becoming lost in the movie itself.
This experience is heightened by the way Snyder crafts two very distinct characters each with different thoughts, mannerisms and voices. Add in the erotic imagery shaped in her same style with appropriately fabricated language; and this story is too hot to read this summer!
Turning on the AC!
March 24, 2011
Really more of a 3 star story, but latex is a kink of mine and though it's entirely too short it packs a mighty punch. I HAD to bump it up a star. Deal with it. :P
May 23, 2018
This was just a short story I picked up for free. I guess it would be hot if you’re into latex and having your head covered during sex. I’m not interested in either of those things so it wasn’t really a win for me. It was well written.
December 14, 2010
This is a short short read but super intense, just like the encounter Stefan has.
Normally I'm not a fan of present tense writing, but in this case, possibly because there are only three scenes, the immediacy adds to the feeling you're totally "in the moment" with Stefan.
While some might find the brevity a problem, I think it was the only way to write this story. Anything longer and the explosive intensity would have been shot to pieces.
The tension in the reader builds from the very first words, along with Stefan's. This beautifuly written paragraph shows the strength of J.M.'s writing:
This is a book that is best to take slowly and savor. Don't rush it, even if it's short. Let Snyder be the Master, and you be the Boy.
Yes, you'll be left hanging at the end, wanting more. Now you know exactly how Stefan feels.
Normally I'm not a fan of present tense writing, but in this case, possibly because there are only three scenes, the immediacy adds to the feeling you're totally "in the moment" with Stefan.
While some might find the brevity a problem, I think it was the only way to write this story. Anything longer and the explosive intensity would have been shot to pieces.
The tension in the reader builds from the very first words, along with Stefan's. This beautifuly written paragraph shows the strength of J.M.'s writing:
Minutes pass, each one an eternity. Stefan sits on his hands as Master told him to, palms down to keep from rubbing his fingers along the crack of his ass. He watches the clock on his VCR and the green numbers blink at him like staring cats. Seven o’clock comes and goes, eight running to catch up behind it, nine looming on the horizon like a death sentence. By nine-thirty every part of him beats in time with his heart. How much longer? Another moment more and he’ll explode.Then Snyder sums up the needs of the Dom (usually stories just deal with a sub's needs, this gives a glimpse of the other side of the equation):
I want someone to spoil, Stefan. I want someone to worship, someone to protect. I want someone who wants me, who wants every part of me. Someone who trusts me enough to know that I will never, ever let them go. That sort of relationship isn’t easy to come by.”Each word is chosen with exquisite care. I love this sentence:
Still, it takes years for Master to stop fondling him and stand.There's been no hint of hyperbole in the preceding section so the use of the word "years" makes a huge impact.
This is a book that is best to take slowly and savor. Don't rush it, even if it's short. Let Snyder be the Master, and you be the Boy.
Yes, you'll be left hanging at the end, wanting more. Now you know exactly how Stefan feels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2009
This is my book so I'm not going to write a review.
November 11, 2009
This was a very short read, but fun and written in beautiful sentences at times. So it was a pleasant quickie.
January 28, 2010
Not really my cup of tea -- I think this is the very few of J.M. Snyder's story that I don't really like. I just don't feel the emotion between the two. Like something is missing ...
March 30, 2010
This needed to be so much longer. It was a nice little sex scene, but it left me wanting to know about the characters. Why did Master single out Stefan? Does Master even have a name?
November 29, 2011
this was pretty bad...and not in a good way. I truly enjoy a good bdsm story. I think I have been forever ruined by Chris Owen. I want the connection between dom and sub...not just the sex scenes.
December 26, 2019
Great
As with all the reviews this book is way to short. But boy it caught my attention. Its driving me crazy that I just can't read more to this story. Its D/s with no impact play at all, but the whole time I was enthralled. I've got to read more by this author. I hope there's more to this book in J.M.'s books. This is the 1st I've read. Loved it.
As with all the reviews this book is way to short. But boy it caught my attention. Its driving me crazy that I just can't read more to this story. Its D/s with no impact play at all, but the whole time I was enthralled. I've got to read more by this author. I hope there's more to this book in J.M.'s books. This is the 1st I've read. Loved it.
March 28, 2018
Sexy..short read
Quick and HOT short read. Latex huh. Interesting. I wish the story were longer. The MCs connection started off mysterious and intense. A longer, more in depth storyline would have been even more intense to sure.
Quick and HOT short read. Latex huh. Interesting. I wish the story were longer. The MCs connection started off mysterious and intense. A longer, more in depth storyline would have been even more intense to sure.
October 29, 2017
Interesting but short. Not as satisfying by how short it is, though definitely good for short story/book. I can't say it's completely upsetting as it's definitely hot and amazing.
December 31, 2022
Well that was horrific. Apparently this was around way back in 2006, although the ebook was I guess published in 2009? Either way it was misrepresenting bdsm and kink and making everybody in the scene look like a serial killer or a naive dolt long before Fifty Shades.
It doesn't help that on top of feeling rushed, being written in a weird style that reads like an outline, and using unsexy language that distracts from the sex scene, it just feels so so cringe. The dom is an overbearing weirdo who comes off as melodramatic, invasive, high off his own drama, etc, and the sub Stefan comes off as someone who would be easy pickings for a serial killer. I guess this was before there were two known serial killers operating on Grindr and I know a ton of gay and bi guys still take risks - I write cruising stories myself so I know you also have to suspend disbelief, but with nothing else quality here to distract from it, I couldn't help but focus on how absolutely fucking stupid Stefan is and how he's going to get robbed or stabbed. And this guy came across so fully American Psycho it seemed like comedic past a certain point that Stefan was still into him!
The amount of heavy kink they got into requires so much trust and putting yourself in a hood, handcuffed, with a stranger in your house, whose name you don't even know, who isn't initiating any real communication except cringe monologues about what he wants from you? You're in danger, girl!
I gotta say at least in Fifty Shades Ana knows who Christian is, he lays out his specific kinks and interests on the table, starts with smaller play and works his way up, and negotiates interests and limits with her, at least in the movie version. When Ana and Christian Grey look like wise, mature, experienced people with a healthy relationship in comparison to you, uh, maybe cancel the hookup?
Idk, man, I just found the dom guy to trip all of my survival instincts, my serial killer radar was going insane.
It's definitely a no from me babe.
It doesn't help that on top of feeling rushed, being written in a weird style that reads like an outline, and using unsexy language that distracts from the sex scene, it just feels so so cringe. The dom is an overbearing weirdo who comes off as melodramatic, invasive, high off his own drama, etc, and the sub Stefan comes off as someone who would be easy pickings for a serial killer. I guess this was before there were two known serial killers operating on Grindr and I know a ton of gay and bi guys still take risks - I write cruising stories myself so I know you also have to suspend disbelief, but with nothing else quality here to distract from it, I couldn't help but focus on how absolutely fucking stupid Stefan is and how he's going to get robbed or stabbed. And this guy came across so fully American Psycho it seemed like comedic past a certain point that Stefan was still into him!
The amount of heavy kink they got into requires so much trust and putting yourself in a hood, handcuffed, with a stranger in your house, whose name you don't even know, who isn't initiating any real communication except cringe monologues about what he wants from you? You're in danger, girl!
I gotta say at least in Fifty Shades Ana knows who Christian is, he lays out his specific kinks and interests on the table, starts with smaller play and works his way up, and negotiates interests and limits with her, at least in the movie version. When Ana and Christian Grey look like wise, mature, experienced people with a healthy relationship in comparison to you, uh, maybe cancel the hookup?
Idk, man, I just found the dom guy to trip all of my survival instincts, my serial killer radar was going insane.
It's definitely a no from me babe.
July 23, 2011
This offering of JM Synder surprised me. Maybe I've read too many that were softer, without the BDSM element, but I can honestly say I didn't expect too much. What I got was the very hot fetish story of Stefan, looking for the right Master.
The book begins with Stefan, in bright blue latex boy shirts and a tight vest, hitting a club. He really isn't too optimistic about finding what he needs. This leads him to the bar and several White Russians. It is here that he finds the compelling stranger sitting next to him. With hardly a word spoken, the man is peeling up those boy shorts to expose Stefan, stroking and licking him. The scene is scorching, and other than leaving a business card in Stefan's shorts, the stranger never says a word or gives a name.
It takes Stefan a few days to work up the courage to call the number on the card. The name given is Master. I admit to rolling my eyes for a second at that. Master cuts to the chase and finds out Stefans fetish for latex. Master imposes a test on Stefan, wow.
This book is definitely not for everyone, but it's a short, well written foray into the making of a Master and his boy.
The book begins with Stefan, in bright blue latex boy shirts and a tight vest, hitting a club. He really isn't too optimistic about finding what he needs. This leads him to the bar and several White Russians. It is here that he finds the compelling stranger sitting next to him. With hardly a word spoken, the man is peeling up those boy shorts to expose Stefan, stroking and licking him. The scene is scorching, and other than leaving a business card in Stefan's shorts, the stranger never says a word or gives a name.
It takes Stefan a few days to work up the courage to call the number on the card. The name given is Master. I admit to rolling my eyes for a second at that. Master cuts to the chase and finds out Stefans fetish for latex. Master imposes a test on Stefan, wow.
This book is definitely not for everyone, but it's a short, well written foray into the making of a Master and his boy.
January 17, 2011
This is another one that I simply HAD to buy because of the cover. Just an incredibly beautiful and hot image. However, I wasn't sure I was going to read this. I'm glad I did. The writing was lovely and the characterization seemed intricate with deft use of believable, if unusual, psychology. I did think it was a bit too brief, but hopefully I'll find more about these characters later. I've recommended it to two friends, and they both enjoyed the sex and the cover!
March 28, 2010
This is just one chapter from the book EIGHT. It was very hot and not long enough. I will continue to look for Eight.
January 1, 2017
Not really realistic (Stefan's behavior seems odd and not very safe and sane), but well written.
February 7, 2017
Short MM erotica.
March 31, 2017
Well written Kinky m/m latex domination. What more can I say?
November 17, 2018
Extremely hot and sexy! A short story that brings Stefan to Master. Wish the story went a little further.
May 12, 2021
A very kinky short read, Stefan was a likable but lonely man craving a kinky partner, instead he found his master.
February 2, 2022
Ce livre se lit bien mais ne m'a pas laissé un souvenir impérissable. Mais il est bien écrit et intéressant.
June 30, 2023
So it violated all the protocol of a meetup and a first date, but it was a well-written snippet of hot erotica. JMS has a way with words and writes them in the briefest way possible.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews