Her Master's Courtesan by Lily White

You must know this fact to understand my story.

I capture women.

I break them down.

And I rebuild them.

If they are lucky, they are sold into the professional hands of another Master. If they are less fortunate, they are buried beneath the ground, never to be thought of again.

I lust for the control, I demand absolute submission and my body yearns to warp the minds of those I train.

Power is the only thing I’ll ever need and I am addicted to the feeling of ultimate control.

I am wealthy, good-looking, educated and charming.

And I am - in no way - a good man.

I do not want love.
I do not want kindness.

She thought she could change me by giving me the two things I knew I never wanted.

She was wrong.

I found this new author to be right up there with my favorite writers who provide us with a twisted, dark story that leaves us thinking and wanting more. When I read the synopsis of this book I thought there is no way I could understand the actions and motives of such evil people, yet while reading I started to see a bit of myself in these characters. I am not proud to admit that, but I have to confront that deep down inside I could understand their motives for what they did. The only difference is we as the majority of society, don’t act upon our thoughts of revenge and control of other people in such extreme ways. 

Rebecca was enjoying her life, going to college, being with her “friends”.  She had a bad experience in her youth, she gave her virginity to the wrong man and it cost her dearly.  While she is trying to put it behind her, she lives with the daily thought of who knew what happen and were they making fun of her behind her back. She is trying to erase the past and her own desires to be a proper young woman that any respectable man would want. One day at an art show she met the handsome Aiden.  Doing everything right, staying in public places, never being alone with this man she was enjoying his company, till she woke up in a dark cold room chained to a bed.  Her life was never going to be normal again.

Aiden is a Master.  He makes no excuses nor does he paint a pretty picture for the reader on how he earns his money. He kidnaps women, breaks them emotionally, teaches them that they want to be whores and their thoughts and wishes don’t mean a thing.  Their only goal in life is to please their masters who pay him handsomely for what he does.  While he knows Rebecca fits the requirements that Duke had asked for, he is going to find she can’t be totally broken.  She will fight back, that is her only chance she feels at surviving this turn of events. 

Aiden rapes and tortures Rebecca in an attempt to make her the empty vessel he needs.  He is evil in his attempts, using her own body’s reaction to his touch against her.  If he can conquer her mind, he has won the fight.  What he doesn’t realize is she never stops thinking.  It isn’t a matter of being happy ever again, it is a matter of survival, at any costs.  Rebecca begins to believe that the only way to stay away from Duke and the horrible rumors that he kills his courtesans frequently, she has to make Aiden believe that she loves him and would do anything he ask of her.  While Aiden isn’t capable of feeling love, the idea that she is still trying to manipulate him forces him to come up with a new plan. 

This plan will include her former friend Kelsey.  Aiden believes if he can train Kelsey to be Duke’s courtesan then he can keep Rebecca longer, not that he loves her, but she intrigues him.  When the plan backfires and he sees Rebecca is not only still feeling and thinking but that her secret is out, he is confronted with a mentally destroyed woman who even in the middle of a break down is still manipulating him and his emotions.  With the firm belief that once you let another person affect your emotions you have given them power over you, it is time to say goodbye to Rebecca for good, or is it?

By the end of the book I hated Aiden for pushing Rebecca away.  At the very end with the reality is explained, I felt he was brilliant.  The plan he came up with solved so many issues that would have been disastrous if left unchecked was totally outstanding.  I was absorbed in seeing the real Rebecca finally come out and to know that not only did she have an evil streak of her own, she had been struggling this whole time with the knowledge that she really wanted to give Aiden what he demanded, she just needed to accept this is who she is.

This book will have you thinking and questioning your own belief system by the end.  As I said, at the beginning none of this made sense, it was evil and not something I could truly understand, but I had to admit after finishing the book, I get it.  I understand the anger regarding taking something so special from you and using it as a joke.  The feeling of having to accept your body will betray you and you have little control over it.  The need to strike revenge against someone who has destroyed your life and everything you knew.  What frighten me the most was I could understand how she could love Aiden after all he had done, she accepted him for who he was.  That acceptance was not something she was familiar with in her own life, so for her to not only understand it but extend it to an evil man was mind blowing.  I might mention love but don’t think this is a romance because it isn’t. 

I highly recommend this book, I must warn you again, there are scenes that could be very triggering to a lot of people so go in knowing this is dark and abusive and twisted.  I look forward to reading more from this new author, I have a feeling she has a lot to teach us about life and the minds of human beings that we are surrounded with daily.