The Pleasure Master by Nina Bangs is a time travel which takes place in sixteenth century Scotland.

Hairdresser Kathy Bartlett has just broken down on Christmas Eve.  Laden down with toys she fumes about her car and her ex-husband and wishes for a man who will do what she says and not argue with her.  A subservient man.  She also wishes for modern conveniences and warmth etc.  Pity the only being listening to her was the toy robot Peter who promptly sends her back in time.

Those who have read An Original Sin can guess who Peter really is.  Those who haven't...let's just say he is not the most helpful of beings...

Hearing Kathy's plea he does transport her to a man but instead of the man she requested she gets Ian Ross, The Pleasure Master.

Ian Ross is one of three brothers.  Triplets who are not identical they are the sons of the last Pleasure Master and one of them must now take over that duty in his stead as he has chosen to marry.  Ian is the eldest of the brothers but both Neil and Colin believe that they should be allowed to be the Pleasure Master and they decide that the man who is best for the job should have it.

To determine who is the best Neil and Colin are going to pick the woman who Ian must seduce into bed and he will do likewise for them.  Cue the entrance of Kathy and her assortment of toys and modern gadgets.

Colin and Neil quickly realise that Kathy is the perfect woman for Ian to seduce and he sets about the task with pleasure.

Kathy finds that her links with the modern world are not entirely gone when she discovers that her cell phone is working, at least partially.  Keeping updated with how things are back in her own life through her lawyer Coco, Kathy finds that time is moving far more swiftly in the future than it is in the past.  She is desperate to get back in time for her court case against her ex-husband but is trapped in the past with a man bent on seducing her.

Ian has women queuing around the proverbial block for his skills.  Whether it is merely advice they are seeking or more practical instructions the women come to him from afar.  However he knows that it is not him they are coming to see...rather they are coming to see The Pleasure Master.

The duty he is bound to means that his life is a lonely one and he will never know love.  At least this is what he believes until the day Kathy pops into his life.  But he is not ready to give up his duty and will do whatever it takes to win the contest with his brothers, even going to far as to challenge Colin to win the heart of Mad Mary, a local woman with a penchant for talking to her chickens and challenging Neil to get Coco to agree that she would let him bed her using nothing but Kathy's cell phone.

Kathy is amazed to find herself in a bygone century and although her cell phone links her to the modern world she has no idea how to return back where she came from, although the longer she stays there the more she believes that the robot with an uncanny habit of quoting movies has something to do with her problem.

This novel is a lot of fun and has a lot of surprises.  It also has several unique twists compared to other time travel romances.  The link Kathy retains through her cell phone for instance, and also the outcome of the brothers' challenges were not entirely predictable. 

My only quibble is a loose end in the form of Kathy's court case...curious to know whether she won it or lost it, since she was so desperate to get back for it.

However despite this The Pleasure Master is an enjoyable and entertaining story with a unique twist for time travel romance readers.

One final thing - one of the quotes in the book is driving me mad.  Although most of them have the movie reference this one did not. I know I have heard it but can't recall the film.  If you know what it is do let me know..."life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage".  Been trying to remember for a week and all I can recall is that it was a woman who said the line. 

RATING : 
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Also by Nina Bangs: An Original Sin and Night Games

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