The first Club Angelus novel from Marilize Roos, Michael was an interesting read that initially had me a little uncertain . . . somewhat unsettled . .The first Club Angelus novel from Marilize Roos, Michael was an interesting read that initially had me a little uncertain . . . somewhat unsettled . . . conflicted even as to how I felt about it all, but the more I have thought about it, the more I came to appreciate how realistic and genuine it felt.
The first few chapters were absolutely fantastic, the first time I have ever seen a medical procedure (stitches without anaesthetic) drop a man with no BDSM experience into subspace. With that unique scene, Roos had my attention. That doctor turned out to be an experienced Dominant, a bisexual man who finds himself tempted to cross professional boundaries with this novice masochist and his beautiful wife.
What I found so genuine about this was really three things. First was Dr/Master Michael’s vulnerability, something not often seen explored in a Dominant. He desires this straight man to be his, to submit to him sexually as well as for punishment, and he is hurt time and time again by Tristan’s rejection. Second was Tristan’s conflict between submission and desire, between love for his wife, respect for their Master, and fear of his own hard limits. It would have been all too easy to just have him suddenly declare himself bisexual, but the story makes him earn that self-revelation. Last is Judith’s awkward position between the two men, wanting them both, loving them both, and wanting to bring them together. She is not a selfish cuckoldress or a wanton slut, but a housewife who is navigating a new kind of polyamorous BDSM relationship.
The emotional element of Michael was fantastic, and the power exchange was beautifully done, with as many scenes of bondage and punishment as exhibitionism and voyeurism. Just an altogether lovely, realistic, romantic work of polyamorous power exchange erotica.
The first Club Angelus novel from Marilize Roos, Michael was an interesting read that initially had me a little uncertain . . . somewhat unsettled . . . conflicted even as to how I felt about it all, but the more I have thought about it, the more I came to appreciate how realistic and genuine it felt.
The first few chapters were absolutely fantastic, the first time I have ever seen a medical procedure (stitches without anaesthetic) drop a man with no BDSM experience into subspace. With that unique scene, Roos had my attention. That doctor turned out to be an experienced Dominant, a bisexual man who finds himself tempted to cross professional boundaries with this novice masochist and his beautiful wife.
What I found so genuine about this was really three things. First was Dr/Master Michael’s vulnerability, something not often seen explored in a Dominant. He desires this straight man to be his, to submit to him sexually as well as for punishment, and he is hurt time and time again by Tristan’s rejection. Second was Tristan’s conflict between submission and desire, between love for his wife, respect for their Master, and fear of his own hard limits. It would have been all too easy to just have him suddenly declare himself bisexual, but the story makes him earn that self-revelation. Last is Judith’s awkward position between the two men, wanting them both, loving them both, and wanting to bring them together. She is not a selfish cuckoldress or a wanton slut, but a housewife who is navigating a new kind of polyamorous BDSM relationship.
The emotional element of Michael was fantastic, and the power exchange was beautifully done, with as many scenes of bondage and punishment as exhibitionism and voyeurism. Just an altogether lovely, realistic, romantic work of polyamorous power exchange erotica.
Leather, Lace, and Locs is a wonderful book that works on so many different levels. It’s a story of gender (female and nonbinary), race (Women of ColoLeather, Lace, and Locs is a wonderful book that works on so many different levels. It’s a story of gender (female and nonbinary), race (Women of Color), relationships (families, friendships, and lovers), ambition (personal and professional), sexuality (lesbian and bisexual), and more. Anne Shade doesn’t rush her story, but instead allows it to develop over a couple of years, dropping in and out of the characters’ lives to show us how they’ve grown.
The story allows us time to get to know Melissa, Golden, and Zoe as women first, to understand where they’ve come from, and to appreciate what they mean to one another. They’re strong, passionate, empowered women, all of whom are on the cusp of change. By the time romance enters the story, we’re already connected to them all, so we’re immediately invested in the relationships that do develop.
As much as I loved the women, I loved the diversity of this story even more. We see Melissa discover an inner strength she didn’t know she had as a professional dominatrix, with a nonbinary client tempting her to take professional personal. Golden walks away from a steady job to pursue her dreams of dancing, building her own burlesque studio, all while she anxiously navigates the temptation of a polyamorous relationship with two women she’s afraid to admit she loves. And then there’s Zoe, who meets a woman through her hair salon who quickly shifts from client to friend to lover, but with a lot of baggage to be sorted. They’re all wonderful story threads but, for me, Golden was the heart and soul of the story, and seeing her find happiness made me happy.
As with any HEA romance, there’s no real drama or suspense in wondering if the women of Leather, Lace, and Locs will find love, but the joy of discovering how they find love is exquisite. Just an altogether lovely read.
It’s no secret that Rachel Kramer Bussel has long been one of my favorite erotica editors. Books like Crossdressing (2007) and Yes, Ma’am (2008) were It’s no secret that Rachel Kramer Bussel has long been one of my favorite erotica editors. Books like Crossdressing (2007) and Yes, Ma’am (2008) were as much comfort as inspiration for me as I navigated my identity and sexuality, and having a story of mine accepted for Coming Soon (2021) is one of my proudest accomplishments.
Despite all of that, I’m almost ashamed to say I’ve read far more of what she’s edited than written, so Lap Dance Lust was the perfect excuse to indulge and enjoy. There’s a wide range of stories here covering various fetishes and pairings, different POVs, and even different writing styles. Rachel has a voice that carries through them all – a sex-positive voice of acceptance and empowerment – but no two stories read alike. There’s a variety there, a uniqueness to each story, that really needs to be celebrated.
I won’t review all 20 stories in the book, but it would be a sin not to call attention to a few of my favorites. The opening story, Lap Dance Lust, is just wonderful, and almost guaranteed not to be what you’re expecting from the title. Doing the Dishes was a masterpiece of fetish, a story that manages to make an ordinary chore extraordinarily erotic. spoke deeply to the submissive in me, an entirely captivating story that doesn’t contain a lick of dialogue.
The End is, far and away, the most emotionally powerful story in the collection, a story quite unlike anything I expected – it gutted me and made me pause. Special Request completely turned the tables though, a delightfully hedonistic story where appearances, expectations, and roles are fluid. Better Late Than Never was a delightful surprise, a coming-out story of realization and discovery that felt genuine and exciting.
My absolute favorite, though, was Secretary’s Day, a story of fantasy, daydreams, perseverance, wish fulfillment, and female domination. Caught in the Act was a close second, a bookstore exhibitionist story with more than a little domination. Between the two, I want to go book shopping and change careers!
That’s only scratching the surface, though, and hardly even paying the cover charge for a little Lap Dance Lust. If you already know Rachel’s tastes, then you’ll love this, and if you’re just discovering here, what a wonderful place to start!
I had the sincere pleasure of watching this story take shape, and I am genuinely delighted by the story Natasha has told here. It's a story of female I had the sincere pleasure of watching this story take shape, and I am genuinely delighted by the story Natasha has told here. It's a story of female sexuality and female empowerment, of claiming one's future and of reclaiming one's past. Charissa is a wonderful character, and her erotic awakening is almost as satisfying as her emotional one. What could have been just a fun tale of sexual exploration is given meaning by the past that leaves her so conflicted and confused.
There are so many exquisite visuals within the story, encounters so vivid you can almost touch them, and the dialogue (especially when it's painful) is vibrant and genuine. Love triangles can be tricky things, but I loved how it was navigated here, and how we don't really know until the very end which way her heart will lead....more
There are four aspects of The Story of Simon that stood out for me and, together, they make this essential reading for anybody with even a passing curThere are four aspects of The Story of Simon that stood out for me and, together, they make this essential reading for anybody with even a passing curiosity about the world of BDSM.
The first thing that Rachel Loewen does – and does very well – is to isolate submission from sex. So much erotica treats the power exchange of BDSM as sexual foreplay, as something that inevitably leads to an orgasm, but anybody who has been immersed in a deep, proper scene knows that submission, restraint, and pain are a release all on their own. I love how she keeps that distance playful here, with Mistress Alannah teasing Simon about his arousal even as she sometimes becomes exasperated with it, but he comes to learn that lesson.
Realistically putting us inside the head of a newbie submissive is the second thing The Story of Simon does well, and it’s a wonderful change of pace from erotica where such characters become seasoned kinksters too easily and too quickly. Simon spends so much of the story trapped between fear and desire, wanting to run but needing to stay. The total immersion in his fantasy is too much for him at times, and his use of the green/orange/red safeword scale is explored perfectly, especially in scenes where he blurts out “Red!” only to backpedal moments later, changing it to “Orange,” and admitting he doesn’t know what he wants, just what he’s feeling. There’s no simple linear progression of experience, just fits and starts and loops of anxious submission that feel absolutely genuine.
The third thing Loewen does so well here is to contrast the submissive with the Dominant, putting us inside Mistress Alannah’s head as much as Simon’s. I loved how she allowed Simon to wonder what a Mistress gets out of the power exchange, and I adored how we got to be a part of Mistress Alannah’s appreciation for things like sensual touching, the moans of her submissive, and the artistry of delivering pain. She talks honestly of the amount of work required of a dominant, of the focus and the responsibility required, and the story explores some very dark corners of the human psyche as she imagines the bloodlust of seizing total control even as she works to responsibly break Simon and earn his trust.
Finally, in contrasting the power exchange fantasy scene of Simon with the 24/7 slavery of Sarah and Danny, we get to experience two very different extremes of BDSM. I freely admit, I cringed at some of what the slaves endure (and enjoy), and I wondered more than once if Loewen was touching too deeply on themes of dubious consent and physical scarring, but there’s a scene between Mistress Alannah and Simon that says it all. She reminds him it’s about other people’s preferences, it’s about consent, and “when your fear is gone, it’s easier to watch others draw pleasures from their kinks.”
The one area where I felt the book fell a bit short, where I wish more time had been spent exploring certain plot points, is with the deeper story of Master Richard and Danny. There’s something sad there, something in need of medication and therapy, and it leads to a flash-forward epilogue that feels like too much is being said after the fact, but I love that these characters had lives and cares outside of the power exchange itself – I just wanted more. That aside, The Story of Simon is a wonderful read, genuine and exciting without ever feeling safe or predictable.
Reading the reviews of Silk Fire, it's very clear I'm in the minority here, but I loved the story, the characters, and the world that Zabé Ellor has iReading the reviews of Silk Fire, it's very clear I'm in the minority here, but I loved the story, the characters, and the world that Zabé Ellor has imagined here. I struggled a bit with the writing (I'll get back to that), but I was fully engaged. I cared for the characters, and I worried for them as one betrayal led to another, throwing their world into chaos.
Koré a young man in a (deeply flawed) matriarchal world, cast into ruin and despair when his father puts politics and ambition ahead of family. There's so much he blames the man for - and legitimately so - that it propels him into a coldly calculated life as a male courtesan looking to manipulate the system from behind the scenes in order to seek vengeance on his father. Ria is a young woman with problems of her own, looking to prove herself to her father and earn her place in their world, Faziz is a young man who has adopted his own problems, seeing it as his duty to care for the neglect and discarded of the underground slums. Their intertwined relationships are a madcap mix of will-they/won't-they attraction, lies and subterfuge, repressed feelings, anxieties, and more. They drive the heart of the story - and rip it out on more than one occasion.
The world itself takes the post-apocalyptic, dystopian themes of science fiction and blends them with the fantasy themes of fallen gods, lost magic, and (of course) dragons. It's very much an urban fantasy, taking place entirely in, below, and above massive cities where slums lay tight against palaces. It's a claustrophobic sort of world that often feels overwhelming because, let's face it, it is. This is not a world where people live and laugh and love, it's one where they plot, scheme, suffer, and survive.
In exploring this flawed matriarchy, Zabé Ellor does a lot of things that excited me greatly, with my aesthetic appreciation often directly in contrast to my psychological understanding. This is not just a matriarchy, but a feminine world, one where men are the second-class citizens, dressed in skirts and jewelry, bound to tithe magical essence to their wives, raise their children, and otherwise stay silent. As a non-binary reader, the aesthetics were delightful, making me swoon with jealousy every time Koré dressed to seduce, woo, or please the women above him, but I fully appreciate the satirical element of the story and how it points out the ridiculousness of gender discrimination. It's also a very queer world, one where a great many characters are bisexual and polyamorous, and I loved that aspect.
As for the writing (I promised I'd get back to that), I did often struggle with the breakneck pace of things, the abrupt transitions between scenes, and the myriad of names and titles. There were times I had to reread a page more than once, and others where I just accepted that I'd missed something and continued on. If you're not invested in the characters and their story, the writing could be more of an issue (which it seems to be for some reviewers), but if you find yourself hooked as I was, then it's a challenge, not a roadblock.
Silk Fire does have its long pauses amidst the chaos, and there's a lot of political maneuvering to navigate, with alliances, compromises, and moral grey areas, but the last 50 pages or so are absolutely intense! I had whiplash from all the betrayals and reveals, with twists I did not see coming, but it just kept ratcheting up the tension until I was clutching the book hard enough to leave marks on the page. If you're prepared to be patient, think, and read closely, I recommend it.
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