When I got the invite to review Masters’ Promise from the author’s publicist, I was on the fence about reading it. I had read Jake’s Redemption and Masters’ Mistress (never reviewed), but there was a gap between those reviews and now. So, I was worried that I would be lost. I ultimately decided to review this book, hoping that I wouldn’t be too lost while reading it. Thankfully, that was the case, and once again, The author pulled me into this complex dystopian society that I had enjoyed pre-pandemic.
Masters’ Promise is the 3rd book in the Angel Eyes series. It is technically the 4th book, but Jake’s Redemption is considered a prequel to this series. I cannot stress this enough; you need to read the previous books before starting on this one. If you read Masters’ Promise without doing that, you will be confused. I am not over exaggerating this. I was a bit lost after skipping one book, so imagine what it would be like going into this series cold at book 4.
Masters’ Promise is the continuing story of Bret and Angel’s budding romance, as well as the threat that Carrie and Darla hold over their lives and the lives of their allies. Angel and Bret need to overcome jealousy, anger, and trauma to present a united front to those witches. They also need to learn to trust each other, which is challenging in a society where all males are slaves, with the women being their masters.
I was surprised at how well Masters’ Promise flowed. Why was I surprised? Well, typically, a book with more than two POVs has problems with keeping the plotline flowing well. But in this case, there was no problem, and I enjoyed that. I also felt that the book’s pacing had much to do with it. It was a medium-paced book that picked up in parts. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book, but it didn’t throw the pacing off or affect my reading.
While I like Angel, I was not a big fan of her for 85% of the book. She was such a strong woman in the previous books, but she came across as weak in this one. I know that is a harsh thing to say, but I didn’t particularly appreciate seeing her like that. I get why the author wrote her the way she did for this book. She was highlighting PTSD and its long-term effects. But still, I wanted to see more of the kick-butt woman who would do anything to protect her people. There were glimpses of that when Carrie’s henchwoman was beating Bret with a barbed whip and Angel beat the crap out of her with it, but it was few and far between.
Bret got on my nerves big time while reading the book. He was such a jerk to Angel during crucial scenes that I wanted to reach through the book and smack him. There were certain situations that I could understand why he was so grumpy. Angel called him Michael after they had sex, and when he thought that Angel didn’t do anything, Carrie started whipping him. I also got why he’d get grumpy when Angel refused to talk about Michael or what caused her PTSD. But, it was also draining to read. I hope that in the next book, he calms down some.
Carrie was the ultimate villain in Masters’ Promise. She got so much pleasure from torturing her male slaves that my skin crawled in certain parts of the book. She does have a backstory that explains why she’s the way she is but still. I hope that she gets what’s coming to her in the next book.
The romance angle was well written. I liked seeing both Bret and Angel acknowledge their feelings (to themselves) and eventually each other. But I was sad that they had to keep it to themselves. Carrie would have had a field day if she found out about that (another black mark against her in my book).
There is sex in Masters’ Promise, and it is explicit. Surprisingly, I can count on one hand how many times Bret and Angel have explicit sex. Because the author did that, she was able to keep their chemistry going. I enjoyed that.
The dystopian angle was well written also. A world that has been ravaged by war and the females gained the upper hand? Fine by me!! But I am not a big fan of the slavery angle, but I understand why the author wrote it the way she did.
There are a few trigger warnings in Masters’ Promise. There is rape, and there is explicit abuse of the slaves. I was a little disturbed by some of the things I read, and I have thick skin. So, if you are triggered easily, don’t read the book.
The end of Masters’ Promise drove me insane. What Angel said to Bret broke my heart. I understood why she said it. I also am beginning to think that the rebels will become a bigger problem for the homesteaders. The author didn’t wrap up any of the storylines. Instead, she left it with an understanding of what will happen in the next book (which I want to read).
I would recommend Masters’ Promise to anyone over the age of 21. There is explicit sex, explicit violence, and language.