Masked

Dan was badly burnt in his last mission and has withdrawn from most of his family, friends. colleagues and the lifestyle he loves. Prior to the mission he used his good looks to complete his missions successfully. Now that he is scared he has withdrawn from life and hides in the shadows. Tess has always had a thing for Dan and when he was injured she finally had an opportunity to be noticed and became the friend he needed, even though Dan remained in a vanilla sexual relationship with Brynn. Dan and Tess are very good friends and have emotionally connected.  Brynn has no interest in the BDSM lifestyle than Dan has lived and so he turns that side of himself off. I felt he casually discarded Brynn and that is not something I would have expected from Dan. Tess on the other hand is intrigued and desperately wants to submit. So much so that she has read “all the books”. She actually asks Dan if he will be her Dom and he refuses. Intent on exploring the lifestyle she goes to Catacomb, a club run by one of Dan’s friends. Tess meets a masked Dom who reminds her of someone, but as his voice is as masked as his face, she has no idea that it is in reality Dan. Tess is desperate to experience submission as it is calling to her very soul. Dan cannot stand the thought of another Dominant touching her and so he connects with Tess offering her one night. Tess accepts and is led off to a themed room. Her masked Dom hands her the key to unlock the room (symbolic on so many levels) and so begins their night. Perhaps if Dan had left it as one night I might not have minded so much but he contacts Tess again arranges another intense night at Catacomb with Tess to continue their journey together into Dominance and Submission.  Sadly it is based on a lie. Tess really has no idea that it is Dan even though at times the masked Dom seems familiar. I have to say I really didn’t feel that Dan’s actions were appropriate. I truly understand his desire to give Tess what she so desperately needs but I really felt it went against his character which has been shown to be so honourable throughout the series. But then that is just my opinion. Perhaps it is because they had emotionally connected as friends on such a deep level I was incensed that Dan would contemplate masquerading as someone else. I felt that Dan was being dishonest, not only in lying by omission to Tess but to his own integrity and hiding who he really is, not just physically but emotionally. Both have scars from their pasts that need to be addressed before either of them can move forward. The sex is certainly intense and being honest it was scorching. But I kept thinking “what will happen when Tess finds out it was Dan all along?” and that distracted me a bit. I was fully invested in Tess’s feelings and her submission. As always these scenes of BDSM were beautifully and sensually written, so much so that I wished to be Tess, I freely admit. When danger rears its ugly head in the form of a group of assassins hired to take out all of the men and their families from the last mission, Dan has no choice but to destroy his friendship with Tess and admit that he was the masked Dom at Catacomb. Tess is totally devastated and feels betrayed and rightly so. I felt that this section let this book down. The danger and subsequent outcomes seemed rushed and when Dan announces to the world publicly that he is taking over his families company and leaving the CIA I felt it was all a bit too hurried. Tess suddenly forgives Dan (all because he holds a rose at his press conference, s symbol that only Tess would understand) for his behaviour and goes to him and all is forgotten. A bit too easy for me. Having said all of that, I love catching up with these men and their women and I enjoyed Masked and cannot wait to more books in the series. 

Really enjoyed the book