Blog Tour / Review / Giveaway: To Have and To Master by Sparrow Beckett

19 January of 2016 by Deb Markanton

 

 

 

Following Playing Hard to Master and Finding Master Right, Sparrow Beckett delivers a seductive tale of surrendered innocence with this third novel in the Masters Unleashed series. 

Konstantin, a powerful Dominant, is used to fast living and wanton submissives. But after years of his grandmother haranguing him to marry, he agrees to meet a girl from her rural Russian village. Naturally submissive, Varushka turns out to be everything Konstantin wants in a woman.

At first her innocence is disturbing, but her enthusiasm for life captivates him. When their relationship becomes a mutual seduction, Konstantin introduces Varushka to wicked pleasures she never imagined. His attentive care wins her absolute devotion. However, when Varushka’s father finds out about Konstantin’s past, he whisks her back home to Russia.

Will Konstantin fight to reclaim her, or will his guilt convince him to relinquish the only woman he’s ever loved?

 

Praise: TOP PICK RT Book Reviews! “Beckett’s third entry in her Masters Unleashed series is a sparkler…. The delightful pairing of Varushka and Konstantin is perfect.” (4.5 stars)

“Sparrow Beckett gives BDSM a fun, fresh, and flirty edge with TO HAVE AND TO MASTER, a refreshingly delightful take on arranged marriages in a modern twist. The humor and the banter really makes the reader feel like these are real people, and I adored every page. I could not read fast enough!” – NYT Bestselling author Jessica Clare

“I fell in love with Konstantin and Varushka. Their story was deliciously sexy and sweet.” – USA Today Bestselling author Annabel Joseph

Contemporary Erotic BDSM Romance
Released January 19, 2016
Published by InterMix
Series:  Masters Unleashed, Book 3

 

Reviewed by Deb

 

 
To Have And To Master finishes up Sparrow Beckett’s Masters Unleashed series with Konstantin’s story. Each book is devoted to one of three “brothers”.  Banner, Ambrose, and Konstantin “Kon” have been best friends since they were teens.  They’re all gorgeous, commanding, successful businessmen who want for nothing except to find that one woman to love, cherish, and live the BDSM lifestyle as their submissive and wife.  In other words, these guys are hubba hubba hot and pretty much my ideal kind of men.  Both Banner and Ambrose are now off the market, having found their perfect mates.  Kon is envious of their happiness and figures it’s time to visit his Baba Nina in Russia and meet the girl she’s chosen for him.

Originally from a small village in Russia, Kon and his parents moved to the states when Kon was a young boy.  At the age of sixteen, both parents were killed in a car accident, leaving Kon to fend for himself. Rather than go back to Russia, he lived on the streets, getting involved in less than legal activities.  Now almost 30, Kon has amassed an impressive custom car empire.  Throughout the years he has maintained contact with his Russian roots, visiting his Baba Nina often and giving generously to the village.  Baba insists Kon follow tradition and take a Russian wife.  One she has chosen for him.  This story begins with Kon in Russia meeting Varushka for the first time.

I’ll admit, this story surprised me.  Kon agreeing to an arranged marriage to a 21 year old virgin from a remote village in Russia?  Kon, the kinky, hard core Dom who routinely has two submissives at his beck and call?  All I can say is, it works.  And team Sparrow Beckett did it right.  It’s believable, it’s cute, funny, endearing, and sexy.

Varushka is almost childlike in her innocence.  She is a country girl used to tending chickens and goats. She’s learned English thanks to Kon’s donations to the village school, but she is far from fluent.  The idea of moving away from everything she knows to be married to a man she doesn’t know is terrifying.  But, she’s been given an amazing opportunity.  Besides, Kon is such a beautiful man!  So intelligent and worldly.  She just hopes she doesn’t disappoint him so much he sends her back to Russia.

When Kon meets Varushka he wonders what the hell he’s gotten himself into.  Yes, she is a beautiful little bird.  Despite the fact she isn’t a stranger to hard work, she still looks so young and fragile.  Yet, he’s made a promise and he will do his best to honor it.  Varushka will live with him, they’ll get to know each other, and if either of them feel the relationship just isn’t right, she will return to her village.

Why had he given in to Baba when she’d insisted on this? Of course, he’d always had a soft spot where Baba was concerned, but this went above and beyond familial duty. Frightening innocent young girls wasn’t his kink.

Varuskha’s initiation to the American lifestyle is quite humorous and loads of fun.  Kon is sweet and patient, and truth be told he’s actually having a good time with his little bird.  Kon takes Varushka shopping for a new wardrobe.  Hilarious.  Banner and Ambrose’s wives give her a makeover, the low down on BDSM, and some pointers on how to seduce Kon because Varushka is getting fed up with his perfect gentleman routine.  If he doesn’t touch her soon she’s going to scream.

To Have And To Master is a refreshing break from the usual kinky romance.  I enjoyed the slow build of this story, the Russian tradition, and the fact that Kon and Varushka actually get to know each other rather than falling into the sack immediately.  Once they do…Varushka is a natural submissive eager to learn and please her new Master.  And Kon couldn’t be happier.  This is everything he never realized he wanted.  I loved how Varushka transformed and adapted. She is totally believable. I also loved the fact Kon truly valued Varushka’s innocence yet saw her for the strong, capable, and sexy woman she is. Once again Sparrow Beckett gives us a thoroughly entertaining, well written story with lots of witty dialogue.

 

O Factor: Scorcher

Masters Unleashed:

Finding Master Right, Book 1

♥ All Romance eBooks ♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon AU ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon DE ♥ Amazon ES ♥ Amazon FR ♥ Amazon IT ♥ Amazon UK ♥ Barnes & Noble ♥ Kobo US ♥ Kobo CA ♥ Kobo UK ♥

 

Playing Hard To Master, Book 2

♥ All Romance eBooks ♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon AU ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon DE ♥ Amazon ES ♥ Amazon FR ♥ Amazon IT ♥ Amazon UK ♥ Barnes & Noble ♥ Kobo US ♥ Kobo CA ♥ Kobo UK ♥

The authors picked this excerpt because they wanted to bring awareness to a worthy cause they, personally, are donating to on release day. Even a small amount of money can help send much-needed supplies to third world countries, including farm animals (goats and chickens), that can make the difference between life and death to a village or family who needs it. If you read the excerpt, you’ll see how it inspired us to donate a goat and two chickens via World Vision.

Here’s what happens when Konstantin goes away on a short business trip and leaves his rural girl home alone with his credit card.

 

He wandered into the backyard, on the off chance that she was out enjoying the mild weather. A mug of tea sat next to one of the lounges on the deck. He felt like he was tracking her. What did he get to do to her when he captured her?

When he stood still on the steps leading down to the lawn, he heard a noise that seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Curious, he followed the sounds behind the stand of high, decorative hedges.

For a moment, all he could do was stand there and stare. Was The Twilight Zone airing an episode on the grounds of his estate?

Varushka, wearing one of her old dresses, her hair tied back in a kerchief, was on her hands and knees in the middle of a huge garden which had miraculously appeared in his absence. Not a decorative flower garden either. It looked like she was planning to supply vegetables to several of Everly’s homeless shelters single-handedly.

Behind her stood a wooden structure that hadn’t been there the last time he was on the grounds, and through the chicken wire, he could see . . . chickens. Actual fucking chickens in his motherfucking backyard. There was even a fenced off area where they could wander without danger from predators.

Anger tried to rear its head, since she’d basically destroyed the place without so much as a text asking for permission, or even a small hint that she was turning his yard into a fucking farm. But between the fact that he wanted her to feel like this was her home, and the fact that the situation was so absurd, he couldn’t be angry. He was too stunned.

She looked ridiculous and adorable and the only urge he had was to whisk her into his arms and swing her around.

“Varushka . . .” He made his way to her where she stood in the garden. “You’ve been busy.”

The girl whirled, eyes wide. She looked so sweet and girlish in the too-big dress, with wisps of red hair straggling out of her kerchief. Before he’d left, she’d begun to seem more worldly in the things he’d bought her, but he had to remember that she was still an innocent village girl. It wasn’t an illusion or a role-play.

“Konstantin, I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow.” She rose, putting a self-conscious hand to her covered hair. She looked down at her dress and slapped some of the dirt off, but no amount of brushing was going to help. She needed a bath. And he wouldn’t mind giving her one.

The wall he’d decided to keep between them until he could be sure of her feelings melted on the spot. He stepped closer to her and brushed some dirt off her cheek, but more was smudged underneath. They stared at each other and attraction sizzled between them in the twilight.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement. One of her silly chickens was sneaking across the lawn like a feathered ninja.

“Is that one supposed to be loose?” He pointed at the thing.

She said something that sounded suspiciously like a Russian curse word, and snuck quietly toward the wayward bird. Her quarry, however, wasn’t stupid. It kept out of her way, and every time he thought she was going to outsmart it, the silly thing dodged. He moved in, and tried to shoo it toward her. It veered off, and he followed. This was harder than it looked.

Giving up on subterfuge, he lunged at it, and it flapped and went left. Varushka was there, but it scooted between her legs. She laughed, and gave chase, with Konstantin hard on her heels. It backtracked, and Varushka tripped over Kon’s foot then sprawled into some wet muck. He helped her up, and got splattered when she slipped. It was so completely ridiculous, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud.

As though it was mocking them, the hen scooted past. With a final burst of speed, Konstantin caught up with it. He grabbed it up and hauled it, flapping, to the coop, then released it into the fenced yard. Together, they looked over the structure but couldn’t figure out how the Houdini chicken had escaped.

Konstantin collapsed onto the ground, and laid with his arm over his eyes, laughing and trying to catch his breath. “Where did you get those crazy things?”

“A farmer called Malachi sold them to me. He’s a friend of Everly’s. They’re good laying hens.” She sounded defensive, so he grinned at her to let her know he was teasing. “They might be a little too smart.”

“At least it’s not goats.”

The girl settled next to him on the lawn, and leaned on him with a familiarity that warmed him. “No, not for two weeks. I have to build the pen first.”

He chuckled, then looked up at her when she didn’t laugh too.

Oh shit, she wasn’t joking.

“Goats, Varushka? There are laws here about keeping livestock. You can’t just have chickens and goats in our yard without making sure it’s allowed by the government.”

She nodded. “Yes, that’s what Everly told me. So she helped me call City Hall, and the nice man there told me that because we live so far away from the city, we are zoned for almost any kind of livestock. I will use the money you gave me for shopping for supplies, so you needn’t worry about me asking for more. And when the vegetables come, their harvest and sales will help pay for animal feed as well as feed us.” She smiled proudly.

That face. How could he ever say no to that face?

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Two writers in two countries transform into the super writing duo, Sparrow Beckett, each night after wrangling their housefuls of children and pets. They trade the cape and colorful tights for tattoos and cups of coffee then set out to create a world where readers fall in love with heroes and the women who willingly go to their knees for them. Their books are the products of two kinky minds who don’t take themselves too seriously.

They both write under other pen names as well. Sorcha Black(on the left) and Justice Serai (on the right).

On a more personal note, here are some author fun facts:

♥  Both authors are heavily tattooed — one more than the other. Can you guess which?

♥  Justice has 2 young kids and 1 dog.

♥  Sorcha has 4 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 guinea pigs

♥  Justice lives in the US.

♥  Sorcha lives in Canada.

♥  Both authors survive on chocolate and coffee.

♥  When they write, they each take one character’s point of view. Justice is always the girl and Sorcha is always the boy. It seems to work best that way.