In Love with a Master
(Interview with a Master #2)
by Jason Luke
How high a price will one man pay to know love?
For Jonah Noble, life has always been his world - his way. But now, confronted with his own mortality, and staring certain death in the face, he realises his one regret...
Will Leticia be his last chance? He knows she has feelings for him, but can he ever feel the same strength of emotion for her?
Can Jonah make the leap of faith that will put his heart in danger?
It's his world. His way. But now his life is on the line...
OK, I gave it a 3.5 Stars because Jason Luke can write and most of this story is pretty good.
I find his philosophy on the sexes very interesting, what arouses them, how they approach sex from different angles, and what it takes to have a great sexual relationship. Let's agree ... a lot of what he says is common sense once you understand that men and women are wired differently. If you are willing to approach the opposite sex without selfishness and apply yourself to "listen" for the hints your partner is sharing, anyone can excel at this.
Now for the plot line. This is where our author lost one of my stars. This book is pretty much the same as Interview With a Master. Still the cynical approach to life and love, still the control Jonah must have over his life, still his fear that he will not be able to love anyone. Because it is told from Jonah's POV, it is all very one-sided. There is no "foil" to shine reality back to Jonah when he is too full of himself. What would have been interesting was to find out why he really became this way. There are psychological implications that are left unexplored. Whether the author intended this or is willingly skirting around these issues because of self preservation, Jonah's character is incomplete. Outside from that, what is happening to Jonah is not realistic. Let's face it, if you are facing brain surgery, you do not drink whiskey the night before unless you have a death with (was this Jonah’s ultimate control of his life?); there are blood tests to be done; and what doctor picks up a new patient without reviewing old MRI's or ordering new ones to make his own assessment of the condition of his patient? Suspension of disbelief can only go so far. A lot was accepted in the first novel because we all took it as an introduction to these characters. Once the author ventured into the second novel, we expected not more of the same, but just more about the characters and the realism we were expecting. What makes a character act the way it does makes for a thrilling and interesting plot line. Without it you just have more of the same old stuff.
Life is what it is and nothing is promised to us. I love a book that looks at this realistically and does not sell me a lot of hogwash simply because it is a romantic novel. I have no issue with the ending our author has offered us in this novel. I just wish Jason Luke would have used his gift of writing to develop a more cohesive story, maybe a little more thrilling such as dealing with Tripp just like the "real" Jonah would... he would definitely seek revenge or seek to control the situation and have her experience a little Hell.
To our author, I respectfully suggest more time writing and developing his plot and less time as a publicist. You had a great beginning here... why blow it?
About the author
Jason Luke enjoyed several years involved in the BDSM lifestyle - but he is quick to point out that his experiences don't qualify him as an expert, any more than knowing how to drive a car makes him a qualified mechanic. 'Interview with a Master' is a novel about how one man became a Master. The book is a work of fiction, but Jason has drawn heavily on encounters from his own real life. He won't say which parts of the book are fictionalised, and which parts are auto-biographical.
Erotic BDSM fiction written by a man from a man's point of view.
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