Friends (Mastering the Virgin, #1)

I enjoyed this steamy and original virgin auction turned BDSM adventure novel told in short episodes. This box set gets you introduced to the two friends, James and Michael, one a Dom, the other a handsome but caring player, and Charlotte, the 22-yr old virgin they buy for a week of pleasure. The POV alternates between Michael and James’ POV so we get inside their heads a bit, so we get to observe how one week turns both of their hearts upside down. But Charlotte and her sexual awakening is the most surprising bit and I found myself craving her POV as well (which is available – it’s called Buying the Virgin). A mystery about her past is carefully laid in these first episodes, and I definitely want to find out what happens next. Will James and Michael be able to resist falling in love with Charlotte? Now that Charlotte has gotten a taste for the dark fantasies and sexy men who claimed her virginity, will she be able to stay away? An original and hot read delivered in bite sized doses that will have you turning the pages.

A Story Of Friendship Formed By James And Michael, Two Very Different Bachelors Who Somehow Balance One Another Out.

This is part one of eighteen in the Mastering the Virgin series (collectively known as Mastering Charlotte). It opens seven years ago and works its way forward, ending in the present. This book tells the story from James and Michael’s POV. It is heavy on the erotica, but the storyline is engaging.

Michael Summerford is young, blonde, well-built, and very popular with the ladies, who throw themselves at him. He is easy-going as well as easy on the eyes. He loves women, as evidenced by his sweet and considerate way with them, and they love him. He is growing his sport and leisure center, a business that takes nearly all his time, so he likes things uncomplicated. A few nights a week of no strings pleasure at one of the local clubs fits his bachelor lifestyle perfectly. He has his choice of partners at the clubs he frequents and often opts to perform with a couple – sharing a woman rather than choosing one for himself.

James Alexanders, a dominant through and through, was burned by love. When his daughter Georgetta left for college, his wife Marlene announced their marriage of over twenty years was over. Looking back, he and Marlene were always incompatible; James likes it rough and she didn’t. He opted to give her everything in the divorce and walk away, severing all financial ties, but that meant he was left with only his retirement funds. A consulting engineer by profession, James works hard to rebuild himself financially. He is an itinerant, taking work wherever he can find it, but he has his eye on a big future project in the city that will have a huge payoff, so he has made it a point to come often and get his foot in the door, so to speak.

James is tall, dark, and when he chooses to use it, has a hypnotic voice that makes women want to kneel before him in submission. The clubs he frequents since his divorce, in the city and elsewhere, suit him well. No attachments. No feelings. Just women who agree to let him dominate and test them. James loves to test their limits – he forces most subs to safeword out before he finishes with them.

James, quiet and observant, notices Michael at the club and studies his technique. When he returns a few weeks later, Michael introduces himself and later asks James to assist with a woman who wants it rough, marking the beginning of a long and important friendship. The story ends with a cliffhanger.

This story is about the friendship formed by James and Michael, two very different bachelors who somehow balance one another out. James – divorced, introverted, and older, is father to an adult daughter. Jaded, he has turned off all emotion. Michael, conversely, is an extrovert. He is in touch with his feelings and has empathy for others. With his youth, good looks, and professional success, he has a lot to celebrate in life.

Ages are not given unfortunately, but it may be deduced that James, married over twenty years, is as young as forty and perhaps as old as fifty when the story opens. To have a thriving business, Michael is probably at least thirty when the story opens. He is meant to be noticeably younger than James, so I presume there is a roughly fifteen year age gap between the two. If Michael is thirty and James forty-five, that puts them at thirty-seven and fifty-two in the present.

James and Michael’s story of friendship tells just enough to get you hooked and ready for book two. The POV alternates between James and Michael. The writing is engaging but does contain errors. It would benefit from a good scrubbing. The plot is intriguing. The story about the friendship between two men who share is an interesting angle. The characters are nicely developed given the length, although it would be nice to learn more about Michael. I rate this book four stars.

I received a free advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book gives all the details of how James & Michael become friends, sex partners in their BDSM games at the club and ultimately the buying of Charlotte. This is a must read for anyone reading Simone’s books. You won’t be disappointed