**Season 1's first collection, containing episodes 1-5***
I didn't see it coming, didn't realize how different everything would be within the space of a month.
I would fall in love with one man, I would kill another, and I would lose my body, my mind, my soul - my freedom to them. I was an operative, a strong woman, someone sent in to save others, but under these two men I became weak - or pretended to be. I didn't like being weak, it angered me. If I had free rein I could cut my masters in two. But I wasn't there for pride, I was there to free those women and to take down the two men who sold them as sex slaves.
Those men needed to be punished
And I would do it
No matter the cost
Or how much I lost
Because I am Rita Kovak
MY MASTERS' NIGHTMARE
I am finding this review difficult to write
because I like a lot about this book at the same time I’m conflicted about some
parts. Love it or hate it I challenge any reader to read this book
without experiencing strong emotional reactions.
Before continuing it is important for anyone considering this book it is very dark, graphic sex including rape (m/m, m/f, f/m), abuse, and general mistreatment of captives.
First and foremost the writing is very good. The author keeps the reader on the edge with the suspense and twists and turns. Just when I think I know where the story is going—BAM—there is another hill to climb or another pit in which to fall.
I like a book that has the ability to keep the reader emotionally connected. The concept of the story bundled as episodes is a ruse to cover up a serial but it is well planned and executed like a nighttime, cable channel soap opera.
I’m a little confused about the characters. I go all over the place with my feelings about some of
them. It is possible that is the author’s intent to have this confusion because the mission itself is confusing.
Rita is a kick ass character. She keeps her head and her focus in a very bad operation. Rita’s character development is very good. My question at this point. Why would the FBI send in a rookie into this hot bed? That part of the story line doesn’t ring true. Rita has skills but still…. She makes a lot of mistakes. Her inexperience coupled with her need for revenge makes her dangerous to herself and others. Even so, I like her and I like when her desire for revenge rears its not so ugly head. Rita is strong but has a soft side. It is a good mix.
The D’Angelo men run the gambit. Jagger starts out as a despicable man who trains women as sex slaves. As the story goes on we find out that he isn’t in this role of his own choice.
He is an abuse survivor and Alberto D’Angelo threatens to return him to his
abuser—a fate worse than death for Jagger. It allows the reader to make a
connection with someone who is normally reprehensible.
The jury is still out on Frano D’Angelo. There are hints that he might have a good side but I don’t know how good that can be in his line of work. I don't like the attraction that Rita feels for him. This story arc has me a little flustered and I'm interested to see how it plays out.
The villains are terrible, terrible men. These characters are some of the baddest of the bad and
some of the women are despicable too. They are hardcore Mafia. Usually when pick mafia themed books to read I know the men do some evil things but they have some good qualities too. All I see among these men is a challenge of who can be more evil. It often make my stomach turn.
Alberto D’Angelo is a villain without conscience. He is cruel, well more than cruel he is a
sadist and enjoys inflicting pain. He hates being second in command and tries to finds ways to gain more power. I hate him.
The entire Donatelli family are evil personified. It surprises me that this entire family appears to be
gay. In general I think that only two to three percent of the general population are gay but this whole family is gay or bi-sexual. Is that believable and still wield so much power within the Mafia? Could they really be accepted as Mafioso? I’m not sure. This family enjoys sadistic gay sex that is without question. They rape men as punishment and for their personal enjoyment. Some of the scenes with any Donatelli are really hard to get through.
As far as the story concept goes my emotions are all over the place now that I’m at the end of episode 5. I am not a fan of serials. For me it is good that the episodes are now packaged in a
bundle of five. However, I’m not clear that the end (episode 15) is really the end. I don’t like serials that don’t end even episodic television has a season end even if it includes a hint to the theme for season 2.
Surprisingly Frano and Jagger are vying for Rita. At this point Frano is the stronger character but I’m not sure I will be happy if he and Rita are together. Jagger has my heart because he suffers so much. I want Rita to help him. It feels like she has the ability to heal some of his hurt but I fear the story is going to take me down another path.
The Donatelli family needs to be in prison at the least and, more to my liking, need to get a dose of their own medicine at some point. I want to see them gone.
I don’t know where the story is going next but I’m hooked right now. I need to read the next installment in the hope that I will get a better feel for these characters and the direction the story
is going to take. If you are in a place that allows you to read very dark and violent stories you will like this book. If any of these dark topics are triggers stay away. It is very hard to read some of this.
4 STAMPS
NATIONALITY: I am a New Zealander with Croatian heritage.
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