Don't Miss this Super Ending to the Series

This is one of Stephanie Laurens best books! In my top 5 of romance books. Never a dull or slow moment, as in some of her other books. The characters and little sub-plots are wonderful The Grand Dames are hysterical! Hammish, Royce's half-brother, is great too, as are Royce's sisters. The book paints a delightful picture of life on the castle estate with Royce's handling of situations showing a different, softer, side of Royce. The sex scenes are sizzling, and the dialogue and dynamics between the lovers is some of Laurens' best.

Laurens brings in many of the characters in the series, as well as reveals who the Last Traitor is. It would be best if one had read the other books in the series first, although the love story is strong enough, the book would still be great as a stand-alone. Part of the fun of the book, however, comes from knowing Royce's personality and history, as well as the wrap-up of the Last Traitor sub-plot. Without having read the other books, it would be hard to understand this part of the story.

Crossley does a good job with the narration, but the female voices are not as good as Simon Preble's. I particuarly didn't like Minerva's voice (the lead female character), but after awhile you get used to it.

The book is compelling and a super read! I had read the book before listening to the audio, but still stayed up half the night not able to take a break. Get this one, you won't be dissapointed.

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AWFUL voices

What would have made Mastered by Love better?

Narrator!!!! Honestly I am only about an hour into this 15 hour novel and so disappointed. I do not think I can finish it due to the narration. The narrator himself has a nice voice...but the characters...UGH. Minerva (the heroine) is AWFUL. He makes her sound (very hard to explain) whiny, stupid, choppy, etc. It sounds like they are trying to portray her as one of the characters they want you to dislike. Even the hero sounds stupid at times. I love ALL of the Bastion novels and love love love Simon Prebble. I took a chance and bought this novel based on the reviews but I do not forsee "getting used to" Minervas voice. I can normally envision the heroine immediatly as such when Rosalyn Landor or Simon Prebble are the narrators....this one, i want to throw her out the window into the lake praying she shuts up. What a waste of money :-( And this novel above all else should be awesome as it is the finale to the Bastion novels....but I cannot listen anymore. Trust me, SAVE your MONEY and hope they record it later with a better narration. If you do not believe me go ahead and buy it and you get your first taste of Minerva at 25 minutes and you will agree...

What could Stephanie Laurens have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I dont know because I cannot finish it because of narrator.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Steven Crossley?

Simon Prebble or Rosalyn Landor or Susan Erickson (just about anyone)

What character would you cut from Mastered by Love?

did not get that far

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So irritating!

I love Stephanie Lauren, she is one of my favorite authors of all times, so I was looking forward to listening to this book another one of the Bastion Club but Steven narrating was so distracting and horrible I was finding it very hard. Oh goodness, I don't know what to say! I am not sure what it is about his voice but it was just so annoying!! I listened to the end with a tired heart. I hope to never listen to another book that he narrates. This could have been a lot better with say Simon Prebble whom I absiolutely love listening to.

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the best Stephanie Laurens

This novel could easily be read as a stand alone. I have read most of the Cynster novels and think they are good - some better than others - but this one is my favorite. Her characters are always strong and domineering, but she pairs them with strong and independent women and she creates very credible tensions with real relationship issues to sort through.
Her technical writing skills are superb. My only (very minor) complaint is that her love scenes go for a long, long time. I just skip forward a few minutes to cut out some of it.
The narration on this novel was excellent. He's not the same one who did most of the Cynster novels, which was fine with me. I think since this is a different series (even though there are some appearances by some Cynsters) a new voice makes sense and he did a great job.
Highly recommend this novel, even if you haven't ever read anything by this author before. But, be forewarned, she does write fairly explicit love scenes and this is first and foremost, a romance.

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annoying narrator

What made the experience of listening to Mastered by Love the most enjoyable?

I LOVE STEPHIE'S stories, but this narrator has got to go!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dalziel, because I waited thru 8 books to learn about him. He is the ultimate mystery man.

Would you be willing to try another one of Steven Crossley’s performances?

I love all of Stephanie's stories, especially the Bastion club series, and I probably will purchase the rest, (I already own 3 of them) but I do not look forward to another recitation by Mr. Crossley. I much prefer Jill Tanner or Simon Prebbles.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I couldn't tolerate the narrator's voice.

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Great Ending To A Wonderful Series

Where does Mastered by Love rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high up there because I've read the entire series and was waiting to listen to the very last one.

What other book might you compare Mastered by Love to and why?

I'd have to compare it to other books written by Laurens. I enjoyed all of her books, some more than others, but, throughout all the other books was the question..

What about Steven Crossley’s performance did you like?

Now, this was a disappointment, especially after enjoying Simon Prebble. I tried so hard to keep an open mind but his rendition of Minerva just didn't fit the character I envisioned. Also, the male characters, especially Devil Cynster, didn't sound strong enough.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Well, I've read the book several times but I still got emotional at the ending, knowing that all the Bastion Club members have had their stories told.

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Passable

Would you try another book from Stephanie Laurens and/or Steven Crossley?

Maybe. This is the first time I have tried a book from both Stephanie Laurens and Steven Crossley. If you enjoy a lot of sex scene this will be good for you, otherwise I suggest you should look for another book.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

No big surprises.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Steven Crossley?

Holter Graham or Rosalyn Landor.

Was Mastered by Love worth the listening time?

No. I found it extremely painful to finish listening to Steven Crossley narrating the book.
He was fine with certain male characters, but for the main character Steven Crossley made him sound like a dead bore and not powerful enough. The worse thing is him narrating the main female character's voice. She came out sounding whinny and annoying.

So, the story it self is passable and perhaps easier to read. Paired with Steven Crossley's voice, I have to say I did not enjoy the characters very much.

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Horrible narrator!!!!

What did you like best about Mastered by Love? What did you like least?

The story was great!! Finally Royce's story. The narration was just horrible!! I will never listen to another book narrated by Steven Crossley!

What three words best describe Steven Crossley’s performance?

Down right horrible!!

Any additional comments?

Jill Tanner and Simon Prebble are great narrators.

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another keeper

I LOVE this series. As usual, Stephanie Laurens captures the many facets of life and the period beautifully. The strong lead characters only add to the the richness of the story. She has a dry sense of humor at times and a tender heart at just the right time, without being overly so.

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Some nice steamy scenes

The story could be a little boring at times. Not much angst or misunderstandings which is a nice change from so many other regency books. I loved his character. And the best part was that there were some very nice steamy love making scenes!

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