Customer Reviews

The Pleasure Master

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"Men. Cars. Great form, no function, and they both overheated at the wrong time. Who needed them?" And so begins Kathy Barlett's thoughts as she stands stranded at the side of the road on Christmas Eve with only her purse, backpack of hair products, and a bag of children's gifts. When she wishes to for a peaceful vacation without stress and with a subservient man, Kathy receives the exact opposite. She's thrust into the year 1542 with a testosterone laden "Pleasure Master" who's vocation is to teach women the secrets of sensual pleasure.

In the first moments of her time travel escapade, Kathy finds herself lying on the ground looking up at two fantastic sets of buns. Of course, men don't wear BVDs under their kilts in the sixteenth century, so the view can't be helped. Fighting them off with a can of mouse on their "love guns" leaves the third brother, Ian Ross, impressed with her spirit.

On one hand, no man has ever created sizzle in Kathy with just a look. Ian, however, leaves her with "the unspoken promise that nothing will ever be the same." On the other hand, no woman has ever looked beyond the title of Pleasure Master to see the heart of the man beneath. Kathy's presence in his life promises to force him to examine emotions he's kept tightly controlled since he was eight years old.

Add a couple of brothers who want to the position of the Pleasure Master, a cell phone that miraculously spans the centuries, and the lack of caffeine and chocolate, and the result is a scorching tale of attraction. With interactive toys and hair styling items from Kathy's bags of goodies, this impossibly fun plot never slows down.

Witty eroticism reaches new heights in the hands of author Nina Bangs in her latest novel, THE PLEASURE MASTER. Prepare to suspend your disbelief, because this improbable, rollicking tale of time travel is worth the walk on the edge of ridiculous. A remarkable blend of extremes, including charming, endearing, and exciting, THE PLEASURE MASTER lends a new definition to the word tease as it titillates the reader. Running the entire gambit of emotions, it even brought tears to my eyes with its touching conclusion. Indeed, this erotically intense, wildly imaginative romp is remarkable in scope, humorous to the extreme, and a keeper! Very highly recommended.

First of all, this book has one of those covers that cause you to cringe when you go to pay for it - enough with the nearly naked couples in bed already! The title itself is bad enough.

Having got that off my chest, if you are a time travel fan who likes to have at least a bit of scientific reality present to ground the story, this book is going to drive you crazy. An electronic toy seems to act as a gateway to the past specifically to the Scottish Highlands of the 1500's, a cell phone still works and is able to reach the 21st century - you get the picture. If this kind of thing trips you up, then you'll probably just be annoyed with the story.

However, if you can suspend your disbelief about the whole time travel thing, this is a cute and amusing book. This is one of those feisty women meeting up with a gorgeous stud who's never had a woman turn him down in his life kind of books. The cultural clashes are amusing, sexual tension is nicely maintained, the romance is sweet, and the book is actually better than the title and the cover would lead you to believe. I'd rate it higher, but the whole cell phone bit, while a central device in the story, aggravated me.

I never expected to find a witty tone when I picked up this book but I was pleasantly surprised. Kathy is a strong, fiercely independent New Yorker who finds herself in Scotland in the 16th century confronted with a charming and breathtaking Pleasure Master. Ian is a man who lives for his title and has never tasted love, until...

This novel made me laugh, cry and fall in love. The story is a journey of magic and a time travel adventure. Kathy is a unique heroine who has a great sense of humor, and this story is a paranormal delight. The pacing is fast and fun. The ending is sweet and makes you ache for more of these lively characters and their special story filled with magical toys and a loyal cat.

I'm so glad I found this novel and decided to read it. Once you pick this book up, be ready to suspend your disbelief and go on a witty ride through Scotland with the Pleasure Master.

While Christmas shopping, Kathy Bartlett's car overheats along an isolated stretch of I-95 in New York. The hairdresser concludes that cars and men are alike as both overheat at the wrong time. As she starts to freeze, she grabs a toy she dubbed Peter and wishes she was somewhere else, preferably warm.

The next thing Kathy realizes is that two men in Kilts speaking with deep Scottish accents are argueing their sexual prowess. Afraid they may accost her to settle their debate, Kathy takes a can of mousse out of her bag and sprays the duo on their love guns. As the twosome flee from their attacker, a third Scot appears who is not afraid of the mousse because he noticed that some safely landed on Kathy. Ian Ross introduces himself as THE PLEASURE MASTER. He explains he is in competition with his two brothers, who just fled from Kathy's wrath, over who is The King of Sex. Kathy is even more stunned when he proves to her that it is 1542. As Ian turns up the seduction, Kathy begins to fall in love, but to his amazement so does Ian because for the time since he began pleasuring women, a female cares how he feels.

THE PLEASURE MASTER is a wild, amusing and often-satirical time travel romance that stars two wonderful lovers and a fabulous magical matchmaker. The story line is hilarious as the competition between the brothers heats up the pages almost as much as the relationship between Kathy and Ian does. As she did with AN ORIGINAL SIN, Nina Bangs commits sub-genre heresy by adding humor and irony to a torrid historical romance.

Harriet Klausner

The Pleasure Master is a romp from beginning to end. Every woman can relate to Kathy Bartlett, disappointed by her husband and yet blamed for everything. When she lands in 1500 Scotland with a movie quoting toy, the fun really begins. Enter the Pleasure Master, a man devoted to bringing women to sexual nirvana. Kathy thinks she's not interested, but who could resist? Nina Bangs does a fantastic time travel. Her unique twists make me look forward to each new book. Don't miss The Pleasure Master.

Time travel is my favorite romance subgenre and unfortunately there are a lot of duds out there. Usually, IMO, a time travel is a dud because the author spends too much time on descriptive prose, makes the story too serious, and/or does not spend enough time on character development.

The saving grace of this book was its humor; if not for the humor (largely from Kathy's toy deus ex machina Peter and not from the characters themselves)this book would have been a dud. The sizzling sex scenes one might expect from the set up never materialize and one is left wondering just how the hero, Ian, obtained and retains the "pleasure master" title. Although most readers prefer the hero to remain faithful to the heroine once she enters the picture and therefore we don't want to see Ian cavorting with his customers once Kathy arrives, some foreshadowing would have been helpful to establish his title if the author is going to tease the reader throughout most of the book.

I must say something about the stinkin' cell phone: clearly, the only reason the cell phone works is to allow Ian's brother Neil to communicate with his challenge, Kathy's lawyer Coco. This plot device is (1) too transparent and annoying and (2) should have been carried to its natural conclusion by having Neil go forward in time with Ian and Kathy to deal with Coco. (If this book had been better, I would want the author to write a sequel with just that plot.) the book could have been a blast if the author had taken more time to fully develop the story.

I found the characters well-formed and the story quite enjoyable. At times, I had to laugh out loud at some of the more comical, humorous aspects in the story. I would highly recommend reading this book. Although it is the first I've read by author Nina Bangs, now I will be checking out her other titles as well.

The Pleasure Master is a man who knows his business; pleasuring women. He gives women just what they want and more. Kathy Bartlett traveled back in time with her cell phone and some very unusual toys to 1542. The people she first met are unusual, and highlanders. As they advance on her, she sprays mousse on their "love guns". The first of them, Ian Ross, isn't so easy to frighten, as his two brothers run away in terror. Later they issue him a challenge that he can't let go. He must give Kathy his best. If it proves that they can meet their challenge before he does, the one that does becomes The Pleasure Master. Ian isn't one to back away from a challenge, and seeks to win the bet. In the end, though, it is Kathy who wins, especially with her heart. As their blood heats up and the men in Ian's family try to win the title, the one thing they never counted on was love.

Ian is arrogant, yet truthful in his arrogance. He also has a deeply hidden vulnerability and a need for reassurance. Kathy pretends to be strong when she really is scared inside. She never bets on Ian shaking her up and stealing her heart. They are two very special characters. THE PLEASURE MASTER is fun, exciting, and comical! I can't wait for Ms. Bang's next book!

Romance At Its Best

An sweet, amusing tale of love across time and air space. Kathy Barett's had a rotten end to a hectic day, when her car breaks down in the cold. After asking the powers that be to give her warmth, comfort and a subserviant male Kathy Bartlett instead finds herself, her cell phone, her hair supplies, and her bag of toys (including an odd number she dubs Peter) traveling back through time to meet a sinfully sexy Scotsman, The Pleasure Master, Ian Ross. The love scenes in this book are delicious, and the reactions to Kathy's bag of toys, particularly Peter, are wonderful, making me laugh out loud. It wasn't until the very end that Peter, the troublemaker's, secret is revealed, but he's been seen before...sort of. (See Nina Bangs', An Orignal Sin) Nice nod back. I'd definitely read her work again.

This is the first time i've read one of Nina Bangs books.. I am a lover of time travel romance and enjoy the twist and turns that most time travel books provide.. This book however was a tad too weird even for my taste.. Parts of the book were hysterically funny and had me rolling with tears in my eyes and a drastic need for oxygen but the unbelievable Mechanical Peter... and his movie one liners were not even remotly believable... I found the end very lacking and the lack of anything truely physical and steamy until the last chapters a real let down... Overall the book was amusing but not a keeper on my shelves and certainly not one I would pass on to friends.. I think i would be too embarassed ..