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Master of the Abyss - Cherise Sinclair 4.5 stars

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Cherise Sinclair. So when I realized that I hadn’t read this book yet, I immediately thought WTF? and opened the book. Right from the get go, I remembered why I adore her writing so much. Cherise Sinclair writes emotional BDSM books. Yes, they are sexy as hell. Yes, they are original and thought-provoking. But what Cherise excels at is making readers feel the same emotions that her characters are feeling.

Kallie Masterson is a tough chick, but she has a vulnerable core that she guards every day and night. It isn’t until the very end that you get her full blast of emotions, but that’s because Kallie is so damn good at hiding what she truly feels. She is a survivor. But when she crumbles, you see the dark spaces hidden within her soul before she picks herself back up.

But first, let’s backtrack a bit and talk about Jake Hunt. A sexy guy needs a sexy name, right? Jake is Logan’s brother. He is scarred and harboring his own dark feelings about his ex-slave, Mimi. Mimi was a woman who craved to be submissive 24/7. However, that didn’t fit Jake’s lifestyle. When he uncollared her, she grew distressed and killed herself. Jake holds himself responsible for her death and vows never to allow himself to feel something for another sub in case that another repeat happens. When Kallie and Jake meet, there is instant attraction, but both want to keep things as casual as they can. That is, until their passion overrides their restraint…

I loved all the BDSM moments of this book. Sinclair just knows every trick of the trade when it comes to BDSM. However, what really shot this story from great to OMG-THIS-IS-SO-FREAKING-AWESOME is the latter half of this book where the serial killer plot kicks in and takes you on a crazy ride. I loved the little twists here and there but it was the way Sinclair used that serial killer plot to coincide with Jake’s internal battle with guilt that made his resolution. A lot of authors use guilt in their stories to create angst and a lot of the time it works. They are able to show the journey of overcoming that guilt by the end of the story. However, Sinclair employs the suspense plot in a way makes his achievement of overcoming that guilt more justifiable and believable. He learns that a serial killer killed Mimi and she didn’t commit suicide because of him. It makes the healing process more genuine for me as a reader.

Similarly, Sinclair spends a lot of time at the very end of the book revealing Kallie’s conflicts and taking the time to show that she actually heals herself. No matter how brief the scenes were, they were necessary in closing out the book.

I really loved this book. Well-written with a stroke of passion in it, MASTER OF THE ABYSS truly felt like a love story that overcame its conflicts.