Customer Reviews

Master Of Desire

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Lady Emily has dreamed of being carried away from her father's castle by a knight on a white horse, for her father who is over protective will not allow his remaining three daughters to marry for fear that they may die in child birth like his wife and other daughters.

Draven de Montague, Earl of Ravenswood arrives at the castle to carry away Lady Emily but not for love or passion. He has promised King Henry that he will take away Lady Emily for one year as a peace pact with Hugh, Emily's father but he will not touch her during that year.

Lady Emily is immediately smitten by Draven and vows to marry him for her own purposes and also to create peace between Draven and her father. She does everything in her power to tempt Draven but Draven will not touch her because because he is haunted by his past and also he knows that the King will order his death if he does not return Emily intact after the year has ended.

This was a smouldering love story. You could really feel Draven's passion reaching boiling point but he continues to resist the charms of Lady Emily. Draven was such a gentleman and it was fun to watch Emily chase after him. Kinley MacGregor also writes paranormal romances under her real name Sherrilyn Kenyon. I really love her paranormal romances and decided to find historical romances she has written under the name Kinley MacGregor and I am not disapointed. Both styles of writing are as equally good as the other.

Lealing

Master of Desire was the second book I have read by Kinley MacGregor and while I liked it - I did not think it was quite as good as Born In Sin which I rated 5 big stars!! Draven Lord Ravensood was another tortured rouge and determined to never allow love in his life. He felt he did not deserve love and when Emily is forced by the king to become his ward for a year everything he ever believed of himself is challenged by this lovely female. It is a romantic tale and I truly enjoyed it. Kinley does have a real ability to bring characters alive and make you really care about how their lives unfold!! I would recommend any book by this author.

I have read hundreds and hundreds of romance novels. Kinley Macgregor is one of my newest favorites. Here is what I LOVE about Kinley's writing:

The [love] scenes are sensual, passionate, explicit-but NOT flowery, drawn out, or without emotion.

Macgregor makes words work for her. Instead of going on and on about mundane things, she uses her words to paint pictures, create emotions, and describe characters that move me. I don't skip over whole sections of her books because she doesn't bore me to tears with details that I don't care about.

There is no subplot. I mean, yes, there are other things going on than just the romance. But the romance is the biggest and most important part of the book. Instead of trying to be a murder/mystery novelist, Macgregor sticks with romance. Thank goodness an author who can build a whole story on romance and not feel the need to elaborate on boring subplots!!!

This book was beautiful and I found I had butterflies in my stomach throughout most of it. Draven is one of the the most sexy, dark, passionate characters I have ever read about. I love that he wasn't used to being touched...that made the sensuality of the whole story that much more powerful.

Emily is a truly lovable character...I cared about her and thought her personality was so complex and true to reality. I wanted her and Draven to fall in love and to help heal each other's pains. I rooted for them throughout the entire book. I absolutely loved these characters and the whole story surrounding them!

I would give this book 100 stars if I could! It's a must read!

OMG what a beautiful love story.
This is exactly the reason I love to read!

I really loved the style of this book. It truly centered on our main characters Emily and Draven and not much on what was going on around them. I found that fascinating. You lived every moment through their eyes (and emotions). The romance was one of the most touching I have read in a long while. I had to keep peeking ahead to see how it all would work out! The love scenes were breathtaking.

I did feel Emily was a bit too bold for the times she lived in. Her "bravado" should have been portrayed a bit more subtly. Draven was a poignant example of a tormented hero. The handsome man on the cover drew me in but the words warmed my heart. I couldn't put this one down --

You'll love the heroine of this book. I didn't. I found the story severely disappointing, particularly since I'd so thoroughly enjoyed everything I'd read by Ms. McGregor both under this name and under Sherrilyn Kenyon. In fact her book, 'Fantasy Lover' is my favorite romance novel ever. This one, however, landed in my trashcan around the time I reached page 90. The hero was sympathetic but dreary and repetitious; the heroine was spritely and sparkly but not very bright. And abominably intrusive. The supporting cast with the exception of the hero's brother is lackluster. The writing felt forced. I don't think even the author liked this one much.

Lady Emily dreams of her great love, the man who will come claim, her husband. All she wants is a man who will love and cherish her. But as the daughter of an English Lord, fate deals her a different hand. Draven de Montague, Earl of Ravenswood comes for Emily, but not as she assumes, as the man of her dreams. A Famous night who intimidates everyone, he has come to kidnap her! At the orders of the King, he comes to steal Emily, hold her for a year in order to stop the two houses from continuing their bloody feud. Despite his plans, Emily is determined she knows the right of it and he will marry her and they will live happily ever after.

A faint touch of purple prose mars the effort. It's well balanced with angst and humour in proper portions, but the characters just seemed a wee bit two-dimensional.

Still a wonderful read, and showing she has a voice in historical romances that just keeps improving.

I am normally a big fan of Kinley MacGregor books, but this one was such a huge let down. I felt that the characters were weak and the chemistry b/n the love leads was severely lacking. I kept rolling my eyes everytime I read something along the lines of "I can never have her, but there's just something about her, but I will not allow myself to succomb to my desires." blah,blah,blah... After reading this basic sentiment for the 20th time, I was thoroughly bored. I was never attached to the characters or yearned for them to come together. I won't be completely negative though, I enjoyed the scene that took place at the Lincoln Fair, but that's about it.

This is the first, of many, Kinley MacGregor books that I read ... the first of many because this book was exceptional!

Ever had an over-protective father who just didn't want you to get married, or leave home? Well, Emily sure has one! Given a prime opportunity to find herself a husband, Emily grabs it with both hands .... the only problem is that the man Emily grabs is her fathers hated enemy! Draven and Emily's story is humorous, sweet, and unusual ... poor old Draven doesn't know what's hit him when he meets Emily, and right from the start you know that he's fighting a losing battle ... you can expect laughter, compassion, and a sweetly haunting tale that you will never forget. Both Emily and Draven resolve issues, both present and past, to find true love together.

Why are other reviewers comparing this novel to the Wolf and the Dove? The Wolf and the Dove is one of my all time favourite books and I see no comparison in story lines here ... Master of Desire is completely different but just as good (I don't generally believe in comparing different writing styles because it is like comparing apples and oranges ... doesn't work at all): Woodiwiss has a far more serious, intense writing style; MacGregor has a more humorous, hauntingly deep (on the emotional level) kind of writing style. For example, main men: we're talking staunch, warrior who at one point chained and threatened to rape/beat Aisleen in the Wolf and the Dove COMPARED WITH an aloof warrior who goes out of his way to protect, nurture, and please Emily, the daughter of his hated enemy, in Master of Desire ... no comparison at all!

Anyways, definitely worth a read, you will no doubt do so more than once! Kristina

Draven de Montague, Earl of Ravenswood had no desire to be guardian to his enemy's daughter. He can't refuse his king however, and reluctantly heads to the home of a man that he will never turn his back on. Expecting to find a wilting flower that will cower at the sound of his voice, Draven is beyond surprised to find Lady Emily is the exact opposite of what he expected her to be. Instead of timid, she is bold, instead of cowering, she stands up to him. She is unlike any woman that he has ever known, and the one woman that he can never touch, for he has sworn on his honor that she will be returned to her father in the exact state that she was given to his care in.

Lady Emily has spent her life sheltered by her father. After her two older sisters died in childbirth, Emily's father vowed that he would not let any of his remaining daughters marry. Sequestered in her childhood home, Emily longs for adventure, and love. For the only way for her to have children is to find a husband. She finds the perfect man in Draven, she only has to convince him that they could be perfect together.

In her normal blend of romance and humor, MacGregor delivers in this heartwarming historical romance that will be hard to put down. With family feuds, blossoming love, and raging lust, Master of Desire is a book that you will love.