Cherise Sinclair’s Club Shadowlands series has always been on my top ten list. Each book in the series surpasses the last with multi-layered characters and intriguing plots, steamy sex and accurately portrayed BDSM. But when I discovered Servicing The Target was about Mistress Anne and Ben I was skeptical. Mistress Anne never interested me much. From the little we saw of her in previous books she is a scary Domme who preferred pretty boy slaves. No thanks. Ben, other than making the occasional guest appearance manning the desk at the club, hadn’t garnered my interest either.

Ms. Sinclair, a thousand apologies for my cynicism. I should be soundly flogged by a sadist. I’m sure many of you will say That’s no punishment! but I’m not a masochist so yeah, it is. This book yanked me in fast and held on tight beginning with the first scene. Anne’s job as a skip tracer has left her battered and bruised, her “skip” having taken out his aggression on her body. Although she’s in pain, Anne still shows up for her gig as dungeon monitor at Shadowlands. However, pain meds and alcohol render her unable to drive at the end of the evening so Z sends Ben to escort her home. Whoo boy, this opening is riddled with sexual tension and showed a Ben I never imagined. It also sets in motion a relationship of seemingly opposites and things take off like a rocket.

I loved everything about Ben. Ms. Sinclair skillfully reveals him, layer by layer, as the story progresses. Each new discovery about this multifaceted man had me loving him more. He is quite accomplished to say the least. I won’t give away any details. It’s more fun that you discover them for yourself. His attraction to Anne is all encompassing. He respects and admires her for the talented Domme she is, marvels at her strength and courage in her chosen profession, and is willing to take a chance that, with her, he might possibly be more than vanilla.

Anne has been Mistress to many a pretty boy slave. She loves the respect and control they adoringly hand over to her but has never wanted anything more. Now that she’s turned 35 she begins to reevaluate her priorities. She finds herself envying Jessica’s role as a new mother. As a matter of fact, many of the Shadowlands Masters and subs have taken their relationships to the next level. What satisfied Anne in the past no longer has any meaning. So when vanilla Ben offers himself to her as a sub she’s curious. He is the antithesis of her usual type. He’s huge; six five, bulked up and scarred. And has no experience with kink. But what the hell, right? Anne figures she will give him a taste of what she dishes out as a Domme and that will be the end of it. What she discovers not only surprises her, it begins eroding her defenses. She learns her past as a Marine, a cop, and now a skip tracer, meshes well with Ben’s and he has enormous respect for her experience. They have quite a lot in common, not the least of which is a scorching chemistry.

Servicing The Target is sexy, emotionally charged, suspenseful, and best of all, real. The BDSM dynamic between Anne and Ben is hot as hell but no more than what is believable for this couple. Thank you, Ms. Sinclair, for another wonderful addition to the Masters of the Shadowlands series.