Evangeline and Drake are back in the wrap-up of their story. The ending of Mastered was an enormous cliffy so I was anxious to dive in and figure out what the hell was going to happen. Let me start with stating that it's a process before we get the important conversations between Drake and Evangeline. We get their inner thoughts and then see it all played out in conversation. These scenes although detailed are wordy and dragged on for me. There's this push and pull between liking that they're not impulsively or emotionally reacting with their words, but I also want them to just spit it out. Go with their gut. And next-Evangeline...dear, sweet Evangeline. She is dependent and naive and I don't like this in a female lead character. Finally-Drake. He is secretive and refuses to tell her about his line of work and she just accepts this...WHAT?! No. No, no, no, no way!! BUT how Evangeline brings Drake and his "enforcers" together as a family-feeding them, including them in their holiday celebrations melted my heart. I want a strong-willed woman who lives for her own happiness, not one who bends to meet the needs of others becoming dependent upon them. And then another bomb goes off. And I'm cheering so hard for Evangeline to just walk away. Buh-bye!! Ugh this book made me feel so much and the feelings were extreme. So it's a good read for that, but when quite a bit of that is directed towards the characters-from what they say or how they act-that's me getting an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I'm anxious for Silas' novel, which is next. I loved Silas in Dominated and how he stood up to Drake...so I can't wait for his story.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of Spoilers*

This book picks up where the previous installment, Mastered, left off. Evangeline has just left Drake after he humiliated her in front of a group of strangers he brought to their home. With the help of her doorman, she was able to find a hotel to work at until she earned enough money to fly home to her parents.

Drake had no choice in what he had done. He didn’t want the Luconis gang to know how much his Angel meant to him as it would make her a target to them. He knows what he has done is unforgivable, but he made his way back home as soon as he could to beg for forgiveness. However she was already gone.

Drake enlists the help of his men to find her. However they were at a loss until Drake’s doorman came forward with her location. Drake goes to her and takes her back home, begging her forgiveness. Which she eventually grants him.

But right when everything seems to be perfect, their trust and relationship will be tested when they least expect it. Will their love be enough to salvage everything they’ve worked towards?

Okay, first of all I absolutely HATED the first book of this series, Mastered. Drake was a total domineering jerk and Evangeline was too much of a pushover to stand up to him. I never could get past their character flaws to actually enjoy the book. So why did I pick up the second installment? Because Mastered had one redeeming quality. That Evangeline finally left Drake at the end. I knew that they would eventually get back together, I had no delusions about that. However, I had hoped that Evangeline would grow a backbone and make it hard for him, to make him really have to work and fight to win her back. So imagine my disappointment when I picked up this book and she took him back in FIVE DAYS!! Five days! That’s it! They both acted like it was an eternity, but no five days … boy he really suffered (note the sarcasm).

The beginning of Dominated was very repetitious, especially while Drake was trying to convince Evangeline to take him back. What I did was unforgivable, but I hope you’ll forgive me even though I don’t deserve it blah blah blah, I’ll never let you leave me again (controlling much?) despite the fact he’d already said if she’d just hear him out she could leave if she wanted and he’d take care of her the rest of her life regardless. Not to mention while he’s doing all this pleading he had thoughts of not being able to wait to get her ‘back under his dominance’. This relationship is still screaming, in the words of Brittney Spears, Toxic! But Evangeline predictably gives in to him, taking him back, and going back to the scene of the crime of that horrible night, Drake’s apartment to live with him once again.

Half the book Drake kept telling her what a horrible person he was and she would defend him and tell him he’s not and that he is in fact a great person, wonderful even (barf city). But I kept finding myself nodding my head and adding in a “Yeah ya think?” or something similar every time Drake talked down about himself and what a horrible person he is.

“I’m not a good man at all. I’m selfish and possessive and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you happy so that you stay with me. That doesn’t make me good. It makes me a self-serving bastard.”

On that, Drake Donovan, you and I are in perfect agreement!

And what’s up with when she asked what he does and he told her to let it go instead of giving her any kind of real answer. And, worse she does. You deserve getting caught up in legal trouble with him when you allow that to happen.

I do, however, like Drake’s men. It’s a shame they’re caught up in such a crappy series because I would like to get to know them better, maybe even see some romances of their own. But at least, it seems, they know how to treat a woman.

“I need help,” she said breathlessly. “Can you zip me up?”

“This has got to qualify me for sainthood,” Silas muttered. “A man can only take so much, for fuck’s sake.”

And of course, Drake, being the douche-knobber he is, eventually messes up … again. Evangeline does grow a little backbone then. FINALLY. But don’t worry it turns to mush by the end of the book as she goes back to her pathetic self by the final pages of the book.

“He gave her an impatient look that suggested he didn’t buy her dimwitted act. Only it wasn’t an act!”

*Shakes my head* This is the kind of crap throughout this whole book. Wimpy lead female admitting she’s an idiot. What more can I really say?

This book was slightly better than the last one, but really it doesn’t take much. It was still a major disappointment. I really think that Banks does an injustice to herself with this series. I’ve seen much better writing out of her than this sad excuse of storytelling. I think this series shows how little she knows about the lifestyle, not that I know from personal experience mind you. However I have read other books of the genre. Books where the female is strong, but is willing to submit to her man to give him pleasure and take pleasure as well. I feel the characters just show what people stereotypically think of the lifestyle instead of the reality…. A very hard dominate male, and a wimpy pushover sub that will do anything he wants. I sadly do not think I can continue with this series. It’s just too painful to read. However, the next book is about Silas so perhaps I can give it one more try … we’ll see.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*