Master of Obsidian

This is a well written and exciting series. The characters are developed through out and grow in depth. A great blend of vampires, occult and eroticism.

Jess works since two year for Gideon, a four hundreds years old vampire. Gideon was a rogue vampire until forty years before he falls in love for a woman, Mary, who teaches him to do a better person, and to puts his skill on the site of justice. Working for the Gideon Investigation allows Jess to be near this vampire he adores since he was fifteen years old. But Gideon has never shown an intereste on him until one night, during an investigation, when he suddenly corners Jamie in an alley and mades love to him in an passionate and violent way. Now Jess and Gideon are involved in a vicious case but also in a steamy relationship, where Gideon will free his most darker desires. Jess is an interesting character: willing to leave the strong hold to Gideon, he is not at all frightened from the scary past of Gideon. He trusts completely Gideon, and knows the vampire will not allow to nobody to hurt him. Gideon on the other side, is wildly attracted from Jess, but he will do anything to destroy the friendship between them. Only an uncontrollable situation will free his desires and from that moment on, Jess will be his and his only. He will protect him and will mastered his body and soul in every way. An interesting vampire tale where the vampire character, Gideon, is not so perfect like most of the vampire hero we know. He is dark and complex, he is not always controlled, and his dark nature could put Jess in dangerous situation, but he likes that, he likes the thrill of fear.

Jesse Madding has been working for vampire Gideon Keel for two years, assisting him in his investigations. Their current case, the bizarre death of a city councilman's son, is the most difficult case they've ever worked on. While checking out a warehouse, Gideon suddenly begins acting strangely, demanding sex in an alley. Jesse, who's loved Gideon for years, gladly agrees. Later, when Gideon realizes he was under the influence of a powerful substance, he feels guilty and angry at himself. Can the two men prevent the vampire drug Obsidian from destroying the city while coming to terms with their feelings for each other? I'm going to preface this review by saying that Master of Obsidian is a not for the faint of heart. If you don't like hardcore BDSM, torture, blood play, group sex, and the like, then you won't like this book. Any and all sensitive readers should stay far away from this one. If, on the other hand, those things don't bother you, then read on! I found the storyline of Master of Obsidian fascinating. The idea of a drug that tears away all of the vampires' inhibitions was unusual, and Gideon and Jesse's quest to uncover the origin of the drug and stop the city's descent into chaos was suspenseful and entertaining. Intellectual, caring, and secretly submissive Jesse was an interesting character. Gideon's many contradictions made him interesting as well, but not always likeable. His dark past and sometimes violent present were contradicted by his care for Jesse and his determination to do the right thing, even if he had to do some wrong things to get to the right thing (and believe me, he does a couple of very wrong things in the process of saving the city). Jamie Craig did a very good job of portraying the many contradictions of the characters, as well as the dark atmosphere of the tale. Even though I very much enjoyed the overall story, however, I didn't enjoy the sex scenes all that much. The first scene, in the alley, was just too rough for me. I like to read a bit of light BDSM now and again, but Master of Obsidian shows a lot more pain than I like to read about in a sex scene. I wanted to see more evidence of love, or at least some level of caring, from Gideon. Near the end of the book, the sex scenes begin to take on a more loving tone. While the storyline and characters of this book were enthralling, several of the sex scenes and a few of the other scenes left me feeling a bit uncomfortable (and, at one point, downright queasy). Ms. Craig has created a fascinating world that is a worthwhile read, but please be sure you know what you're getting before you buy. Cassie Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed