Dr. Mikhail “Misha” Budnikov takes one look at fellow fencer Ryan O’Connor and instantly knows his type. The undisciplined hothead is all ego with no finesse and even less control. In short, Misha’s pet peeves personified. To put the arrogant kid in check, Misha challenges him to a sparring match, which he predictably wins.Not so predictably, Ryan asks him to be a mentor and show him how to … fence. Startled by the moment of humility, Misha agrees.What begins as fencing lessons becomes something much hotter, and before they know it, Misha is giving Ryan an entirely different kind of education. Dominance, submission, pain, pleasure–at the hands of an older, experienced man, a whole new world is opening up for Ryan.As the trust deepens and their bond strengthens, though, Ryan retreats because that sham called love left him jaded long ago. Cynical beyond his years, he’s not letting his guard down again, least of all for a thrice-divorced man twice his age.Now Misha has to find a way to crack through those defenses…or accept defeat and walk away from the submissive who might just be the love of his life.
more
Another fantastic story by Ms Witt. Told from dual POV, it describes an incredible journey of two men, who are complete opposites, falling in love. First-rate Age gap BDSM romance. The characters are wonderfully written, even the fencing between them is enthralling. I loved them both.
Mikhail Budnikov is a romantic at heart. Despite three divorces he still believes in love and devotion. He loves his job and his fencing lessons. In fact, he is considered one of the best in the area. When he decides to teach a fellow arrogant fencer a lesson, never in a million years does he think that it will change his life forever. I really liked him – his stern demeanor in the piste and his gentle caring manner when in private. But Misha wielding a whip was magnificent. I loved his scenes with Ryan. Besides them being hot, they were always so heart-felt even in the beginning.
Ryan O’Connor is a very conflicted young man. His life has been spent between two parents who always made him unworthy. He has never seen love or people caring about anything but money and power. When he meets Mikhail, at first there is animosity between them. But Misha sees under all the attitude to the lonely young man in need of someone loving him fiercely. A chance encounter that brings Ryan to his knees, gives both men an opportunity to explore Ryan’s sexual desires and fantasies. What starts as simple s*ex arrangement, swiftly grows into strong feelings on both sides. But where Misha knows and acknowledges them, Ryan readily denies them.
It was hard to read Ryan struggle. He genuinely couldn’t fathom Misha’s intentions and any chance that love can be real. His family did a number on him. Poor jaded Ryan. His parents kept punishing him for their own sins. I just wanted to give him a hug. When Misha makes Ryan’s fantasy come true, it backfires spectacularly on them both. The magic of the night dissolves under harshness of reality. I really felt sorry for Ryan. His inability to see how toxic his family was, his inability to let himself believe in love kept him from truly leaving everything behind and being happy. He might have moved to another coast to escape his family, but they still had their claws jabbed deep into his psych. He hurt both Misha and himself. I am glad to say that through a lot of soul-searching Ryan was able to see that Misha’s feelings were honest and real and gave himself a chance.
The ending was so sweet and romantic. I loved where both men were as a couple. Ryan has come so far in life. I really liked this book, and I highly recommend it.
I do not listen to many audiobooks, so I do not have many to compare to but I really enjoyed this book and the narrator! The narrator did a great job of channeling both characters and each of their differences. While it is easy to differentiate between the two MCs because Misha has a Russian accent, there are so many personality differences that are perfectly displayed in the narration.
There is a lot of character growth from Ryan from the first time we meet him until the end of the book. His arrogance that we first see from him really does not ring true at all to his personality. Little by little, we learn about Ryan’s background and where he gets his insecurities from and then we see those unfold throughout the book. I loved sassy Misha and once him and Ryan get together more, we see his sweet side which I also really liked. There is obviously a big age gap between these two main characters and I think Ryan really needed someone like Misha, who was older and more mature. Misha was the perfect person to help Ryan change his mind about love and relationships.
This book was really well paced and for the most part, this was a pretty relaxed book. There is no insta-love and not much angst but this book had so much depth. There are many aspects to Ryan and Misha’s relationship from the fencing to the D/s that are covered well in this book. Overall, this was a solid story that ended perfectly for me!
Romantic and passionate and wonderfully erotic, L.A. Witt’s The Master Will Appear has claimed the top spot on my all time favorites list. This story has everything I love: smoking hot BDSM scenes, a bit of angsty drama, and a steamy romance… Oh, and that age gap? Yes please! This book is perfect.
Even if you’ve read this one before, you’ve got to experience the audio edition of The Master Will Appear. Michael Ferraiuolo’s Russian accent is absolutely the sexiest thing I have ever heard. Sensual, seductive, *shivers*, I just can’t get it out of my mind (and believe me, I’m not complaining). His performance adds so much to this intimate and emotional story.
What I enjoy most about Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration is the way he brings the characters to life. He uncovers aspects of their personality, facets I didn’t see, which enhances the whole experience for me. Hearing the way the characters change and grow over the course of the story is amazing. When it’s done as beautifully as this it’s so much better than reading alone.
So, have I tempted you with promises of a sexy Russian accent? There’s a scene at the beginning of the story where Misha is coaxing Ryan to give BDSM a try. He explains what makes a power exchange so erotic for both parties, how it feels to dominate someone, and what it gives him personally. His voice is so soothing, completely seductive and alluring… and when he murmurs, “‘When I’m your coach or your Dom, you’ll still call me Mikhail… but like this, call me Misha.’” (oh damn, that’s hot).
The part of Misha’s story that really resonates with me is the depth of his appreciation of Ryan’s submission. Prior to Ryan his relationships with submissives were all about the challenge, bratty subs testing limits. Misha finds complete fulfillment in giving Ryan what he needs, and the way he describes Ryan’s responses are simply breathtaking.
The alternating points of view work so well in The Master Will Appear and hearing Ryan’s intimate thoughts as he experiences everything as it happens to him is intense. As he grows to understand what submission does for him, how it makes him feel to please Misha; watching him find his center and get some peace in his life. When he calls it “‘cathartic’”, that’s exactly what it is.
Ryan has his share of deliciously erotic narration, and his descriptions of the S&M scenes are incredible. The running commentary when he’s taking the single-tail for the first time are vivid and intense. Not to mention his emotions as he embraces each sensation and seeks to understand what it does for him. I don’t know what was more erotic, Ryan’s account of his fantasy as it’s happening to him, or Michael Ferraiuolo’s sensual voice as he narrates it. All of it is amazing!
The dynamic between these two men is intense and comes across so well in the audiobook. I could feel their connection changing as the story progresses, in both their D/s relationship, and simply as two men who are falling in love. If you’re in the mood for a steamy, toe-curling BDSM romance, listening to The Master Will Appear narrated by Michael Ferraiuolo is the book for you.
i loved it