cover image Master of the Game

Master of the Game

Portia Da Costa. Virgin, $14.95 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-352-34785-5

This reprint of Da Costa's 2010 novel Continuum is blistering hot, thick with tension, and drenched in titillating kink as an independent career woman narrates her introduction to the pain and pleasure of spanking. After an outburst at work, feisty Joanna Darrell is commanded to take a sabbatical at a resort designated by her company. When she arrives, her reservation appears to have been misplaced, so she agrees to stay with a friendly couple. Joanna has been fantasizing about being a sexual submissive after some experimentation with her new lover, Kevin Steel, and her fantasies become all the more vivid after she watches her hosts play out a kinky scene. Joanna soon learns she was expected and experiences her first hands-on pain and pleasure session. The affable couple is elusive about who set her up, but happy to provide information if she wants to delve deeper into submission. Joanna jaunts around London experiencing expanding sexual encounters and learning about a world of punishment aficionados. As she grapples with the emotions and sensations of sexual punishment, the small cast of characters keeps Joanna grounded%E2%80%94especially Kevin, who's eager for Joanna to become the sub of his dreams. This erotic love story is full of scenes that sizzle as well as passionate emotional depth, with plenty to satisfy fans of both romance and sensual literature. (July)