Rating: |  Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

“A Turning Point in the Chicagoland Vampires Saga”

Zelda’s Two Cents…

I would call this a book of change for Merit and the Chicagoland vampires. After three hot hot hot Chicagoland Vampires novels, I feel like Chloe Neill is allowing her audience to breathe a bit with this installment. While it is arguably as action-packed as the previous books, it is very light on the romance side, a bit of a let-down for those of us who’ve grown accustomed to the steamy suspense between Ethan and Merit. Of course, Merit still kicks ass while supporting her House and the well-being of the vampire community as a whole, and there may be some stirrings of a relationship with Jonah around the corner, but one can’t help but feel a little lost without the heat.

As far as the rest of the plot is concerned, old villains haven’t quite disappeared and new villains are seemingly minor. Merit’s best friend Mallory and her boyfriend Catcher only have ancillary roles. The leader of the North American Central werewolf pack Gabriel only shows up once in the entire novel.

All this being said, the ending of the novel packs enough punch to carry the rest of the book on its coattails.

Spoiler Alert!!!
(Continue reading only if you don’t mind spoilers!)

So, yeah…. BIG changes erupt at the end of the book. Such big changes that I didn’t see them coming at all. The first huge plot twist is when Merit is told that her father had commissioned Ethan to assault her and turn her into a vampire as a political ploy. Of course, this throws everything that has happened between Merit and Ethan in the previous books into question and dashes hopes that they will ever be happily in love. Even though Ethan is exonerated in the end for not accepting the proposal from Merit’s father, we still experience the heartache with Merit and it stings. This is also just further evidence that nothing is ever as it seems and calls into question just who in Merit’s life is actually trustworthy.

The second showstopper? Ethan dies! Holy shit, this completely floored me. Whhhyyyy!?!?! I really liked Ethan as a character and was truly hopeful that we would get to see further romancing between him and Merit, but it is just not to be. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I started thinking about this twist from the author’s perspective and see that it was probably a necessary move in order to keep the plot moving forward in the series and avoid becoming stale. I mean, the push and pull of Merit and Ethan couldn’t go on forever, right? Plus, this now opens the door for many potential plot developments in future books: a real possibility for Merit and the Red Guard, a possible future for Merit and Jonah, the evolution of Cadogan under Malik’s lead… who knows?

Regardless, Neill still has a great story on her hands and I’m looking forward to seeing in what direction she decides to take it. The next installment of the Chicagoland Vampires series, Drink Deep, is due out in November 2011!

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Rating:   |  Genre: Erotica, BDSM

“Quintessential Kinky Fantasy”

The Download… Straight from the Cover From bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquleaure. In the traditional folktale of ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind’s unconscious. Now Anne Rice’s retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince reawakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation. His reward for ending the hundred years of enchantment is Beauty’s complete and total enslavement to him as Anne Rice explores the world of erotic yearning and fantasy in a classic that becomes, with her skillful pen, a compelling experience.

Zelda’s Two Cents…

WARNING: This review contains graphic representations of fictional non-consensual torture and captivity and highly sexual content. Please proceed with caution.

This book had me at “hello” and makes me wonder why on earth I had never read it before now. Note that it is not written for your average audience and is a pretty hardcore representation on non-consensual captivity and sexual fantasy. The story would most appeal to a reader with kinky preferences or at least a fond familiarity with BDSM. That being said, as a member of the kink community, I truly appreciate that it was written as a fantasy for kinksters and not aimed at the mainstream crowd for shock value. I LOVE that it was so unabashedly kinky. Seriously. Some of the kink in this book makes you gasp and then blush when you realize how much it actually turns you on.

Especially interesting is the mental and emotional development of the slaves as they are forced to endure this hardship or right of passage. Throughout the book, the elements of force and humiliation set the scene for pretty much every interaction, from Beauty’s initial capture and forced nudity to all of the trials that the slaves in the kingdom must endure. It is essentially a lesson in humility — a chance for the priveleged to experience what it is like to be down-trodden and inferior.

They enter their terms of service from lives of entitlement and wealth. They are used to getting their way and ordering others to bow to their whims. What they receive is an education on how to be subservient and submissive. They learn to dig deep into their own psyches and overcome preconceived notions of what is right and wrong, fair and not.

Some of the finer points of force and coercion that stick with me are:

• Arousal. The slaves were kept at such a point of arousal throughout the story with repeated edging and stimulation, making them always ready. For women, they are always wet and well-lubricated. For men, they are always standing at attention. I find the thought of being forced into a state of arousal to the point of having no control over it is such an incredible turn-on. And, to some extent, I find this quite realistic. The mind is a powerful thing and repetition and suggestion can indeed force physical responses, whether you want them or not.
• The Hall of Torture. The hall of torture where slaves are hung so that their bodies are folded in half with their genitalia exposed and repeatedly edged and tortured for weeks on end was intense. Add to this, the description of using honey on female genitalia to attract insects made my heart skip a beat, yet also held some sort of sick fascination for me. For anyone with torture, genitorture or orgasm denial fetishes, these scenes alone will keep you up at night.
• Impalement. The method of impaling, specifically anal impalement, is used throughout in a lot of the scenes for mounting a slave to be placed on display or used in some other fashion. The forced vulnerability and humiliation in this terrifies me, yet at the same time turns me on.
• True and complete submission. I must admit that the thought of being fully removed from normal life and forced into a life of submission holds such a great fantastical appeal to me. To no longer have responsibility. To be taken care of. To be “claimed” and “kept.” This is one of the reasons that I love to read fantasies like this. I know that it is not possible for me in my own life, so I can at least live vicariously through the characters in my books.

There is a point later in the book where the plot starts to drag a bit in the retelling of Prince Alexi’s history. That being said, it is from this section that I found what I felt was the most poignant quote.

“I love it. I loathe it,” Alexi said. “I am humiliated by it, and recreated by it. And yielding means to feel all those things at once and yet to be of one mind and one spirit.”

This is almost a mantra of submission to me. Where else can you find such diametrically opposed psychological effects — love and hate, degradation and creation, the concept of destruction creating peace. It is really a compelling journey, and despite the fantastical nature of Rice’s Sleeping Beauty series, laced throughout is a truth and reality that has a profound effect on its reader.

While the Sleeping Beauty series is in no way going to appeal to most readers, I found it utterly fascinating and cannot wait to continue reading.

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Rating:   |  Genre: Erotica, BDSM

“A Dancer’s D/s Dream”

The Download… Straight from the Cover Lucy Merritt has always defined herself by her body, whether dancing in a small avant-garde company or posing for art. But she has always felt as if something is wrong with her, as if something is missing. She has never been in love. Suddenly, in the darkness of the theater wings, a strangely affecting man enters her life. Matthew Norris, rich, handsome patron of the dance company, has decided that he wants Lucy for his own. He makes her an offer that both frightens and compels her, and they soon begin an affair characterized by only two requirements, beauty and truth. But how truthful are Matthew and Lucy? How much of Matthew’s strenuous brand of love can Lucy endure? And how long can their rigid Dom/sub relationship stay frozen in time, never growing, never moving forward?

Zelda’s Two Cents…

Mercy is another great BDSM and ballet novel from Annabel Joseph. For those who follow my reviews, I have what you could call a weakness for ballet and dance mixed in with my BDSM erotica. Really, the two just belong together in my eyes, through and through. And Mercy does not disappoint.

When Lucy first meets Matthew, sparks fly. Before she can even understand what it is that compels her toward him, she knows that it is something special. And Matthew is hard to resist. Confidant. Assertive. Wealthy. Successful. Just what a ballet dancer who is nearing the end of his/her dancing career needs; someone to provide for them when their bodies fail. But Lucy finds she needs something more than just financial support in a partner… she needs to be dominated and taken care of.

I love that Mercy depicts a very realistic relationship that experiences growing pains and imperfections. Neither Lucy nor Matthew are perfect, though they try to make things work for each other, through thick and thin. They discover that “Even if it’s not perfect… if you enjoy it, if it makes you happy, then it’s a good thing.”

I also appreciate the realism in their BDSM play, in the activities they engage in and the emotions they experience — from the desire to please and be controlled on Lucy’s part to the jealousy and ownership that Matthew feels for her. I will say that at times things get almost too realistic and commonplace, as the couple deals with their daily lives, relationship issues and even pregnancy. Though, in true romance novel fashion, Lucy’s and Matthew’s love for each other prevails despite their disagreements and troubles. I must admit that I did find the Happily Ever After in this novel to be a bit of a stretch. In my eyes, without revealing too much of the plot, I find some of the deceit that these two commit on each other (specifically from Matthew’s end) to be insurmountable. I get that it’s a fantasy and you need to suspend disbelief to some degree, but I just can’t imagine rising above what happens and maintaining a healthy relationship without resentment over the long-term.

Despite this, Lucy’s and Matthew’s courtship throughout is sweet and sexy. I yearn for domination with Lucy and feel for Matthew’s struggle over falling in love. I enjoy their dynamic, Matthew’s rules and Lucy’s submissive power over him. I love the struggles they have with their limits and just how much they are willing to give to each other. All in all, it was a very enjoyable read.

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Rating:   |  Genre: Erotica, BDSM

“A Hot Submissive Fantasy”

The Download… Straight from the Cover Vivian Delaney leads a life of privilege, but behind closed doors she feels isolated and trapped in a gilded cage. Unable to achieve sexual pleasure with her husband, she finds herself in the capable hands of Anton, a massage therapist intent on awakening her to her full sexual potential. By any means necessary. As their secret meetings progress, she falls farther down a rabbit hole where the line between rape and illicit affair grows increasingly blurred. Anton will accept nothing short of her complete surrender as he molds and shapes her to be sold to the highest bidder.

Zelda’s Two Cents…

In Guilty Pleasures, Kitty Thomas’ second novel, she has once again produced a wickedly arousing tale of nonconsensual submission that turned me on, satisfied me and left me wanting for more.

Trapped in an unsatisfying marriage, Vivian has not enjoyed sex or achieved an orgasm in years. The passion she and her husband had felt when newly married had been fleeting and long since been replaced with disgust and regret. When her husband sends her to a sex therapist out of frustration, Vivian must know in her heart that this is the end, but what she finds is only just another beginning.

Vivian’s journey to submission and slavery is an unconventional one. While her circumstances find her blackmailed, kidnapped and forced into submitting to Anton and his staff, she also discovers her latent desire to be dominated. Her discovery starts slow and is accompanied by a great deal of shame – both in dealing with disgust over her newfound desires as well as for her complicit role in her infidelity to her husband. Vivian’s internal struggle is an interesting one throughout. Most individuals discovering their submissive tendencies go through similar insecurities and upheavals, however, the fact that Vivian’s are accelerated and out of her control adds a definite element of arousing coercion to her adventure.

What I loved most about Guilty Pleasures is the element of force and nonconsent. Of course, as is clearly stated in Thomas’ disclaimer at the beginning of the book, it is a work of fiction and she does not endorse or condone any activities done to an individual without his or her consent. But, from the perspective of an active submissive who has fantasized about kidnapping, captivity and torture from a very young age, reading a book about just that is quite titillating. But Guilty Pleasures is less about evil people doing bad things than it is a tale of undeniable sexual allure. It is the equivalent of forcing someone to take a sip of the best hot chocolate in the world (oh, the torture) and then luring them in with a “you know you like hot chocolate… why don’t you follow me into my lair where you can have all the hot chocolate your heart desires?” Who could resist?

That being said, to truly appreciate Guilty Pleasures, I think that it is important that the reader suspend their moral outrage over the aspect of nonconsent and simply submit, as does Vivian, to their feelings — to submit to the hedonistic pleasure of sex and arousal that Vivian finds in the house, to submit to being out of control along with Vivian as she proceeds in her journey.

Aside from the aspects of nonconsent (more an element of titillating fantasy than horror) and the glamorized reprisal of Kitty’s “mansion of kink,” Kitty Thomas has done an especially good job at making Vivian’s adventures and the characters in them believable and realistic, even to an audience well-versed in kink. Vivian is lost and confused as one would expect a sheltered housewife to be under these extraordinary circumstances. Her reactions and emotions are very real. Her responses to captivity, pain, seduction, arousal… all are very believable. My favorite metaphor in the book is the repeated reference to Vivian’s banshee – her superego self – freaking out inside her head. At the risk of sounding schizophrenic, I also often refer to my own superego as if it’s an entity unto itself… one that, much like Vivian, I have my own struggles to calm and control.

In addition to this, Vivian’s husband comes off as just the right mixture of helpless, aloof and irritated over the situation with his estranged wife, and the treatment that Vivian and the other submissives in the house receive from the various dominants is also very believable. Specifically, Anton, Lindsay and Gabe are the perfect combination of heartless bastard and sensitive romantic that, at least for me, is the recipe for the perfect dominant.

All in all, I found Guilty Pleasures to be a great and titillating read. I enjoyed Vivian’s ride to submission and am hopeful that Kitty Thomas’ decides to keep the story alive so that we can learn more about Vivian’s life with her new Master.

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Rating:   |  Genre: Urban Fantasy

“A Dark, Complex World with a Non-Traditional Take on Heroes and Heroines”

The Download… Straight from the Cover THE AFTERLIFE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water. Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

Zelda’s Two Cents…

Stacia’s Kane’s new Downside Ghosts novels have been all the rage this year. For many months I heard the trumpeting about Terrible and couldn’t help but wonder just what the fuss was all about. This dreamy character named Terrible had driven a number of my friends to daily swoons and desires for t-shirts that said “My Other Boyfriend is Terrible” across the front. I figured I must get myself a piece of this Terrible action.

After finally picking up Unholy Ghosts I admit I was completely thrown for a loop! Terrible, this man of my friends’ dreams, was big, oafish and… unattractive? Wha?!? Okay. So Terrible didn’t do it for me right away. Completely not my idea of the hot, hunky, swoon-inducing hero. But was there still something here?

The book takes place in a futuristic world driven to crime and ruin after ghosts rise and massacre a good portion of the human population and the Church must step in to keep order. It is a world run by druglords, populated by thugs and prostitutes, and ruled by the iron fist of the Church. The heroine, Chess Putnam, is a streetwise orphan addicted to drugs and beholden to her dealers. The heroes of the novel are gang members with battle scars and stilted dialects. Ghosts are mean and there really are no happy endings.

What Stacia Kane has done here is brilliantly turn the character mold of urban fantasy on its head. She has created such fascinating and complex, flawed characters in Chess, Bump, Terrible, Lex, Slobag, etc. etc., that it’s hard not to recognize how truly unique the Downside Ghosts series is. To add to this, the plot is also beautifully complex and captivating, with enough action-packed suspense to keep readers on their toes. My only complaint in reading Unholy Ghosts is the fact that I really wanted more sex (what can I say? I like my UF a little naughty!).

I think that the only thing holding this book back from a higher, 4-book rating is the fact that I simply had a difficult time getting into it. Perhaps it’s that I’m just a vain person and prefer to read about beautiful people… Perhaps I was suffering from PMS that week… who knows why it didn’t grab me and shake me around like it did others! In fact, it is only after marinating on the book for a while that I came to really appreciate it for being such an unusual and well-crafted piece (the benefit of waiting a while before writing a review!).

Regardless, I am anxious to see how the storyline progresses in the second and third books… and whether I can ever truly fall in love with Terrible… after all, I really would like for my other boyfriend to be Terrible.

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In the meantime, though, I thought I’d share with you all the beauty that is Prufrock’s love song — the poem that had us all measuring out our lives in coffee spoons at one time or another…

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

by T. S. Eliot

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question . . .
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions
And for a hundred visions and revisions
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
[They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!"]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"]
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

For I have known them all already, known them all;
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
And how should I presume?

And I have known the arms already, known them all—
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
[But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!]
Is it perfume from a dress
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
And should I then presume?
And how should I begin?
. . . . .

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? . . .

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
. . . . .

And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep . . . tired . . . or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet—and here’s no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.

And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
Should say, “That is not what I meant at all.
That is not it, at all.”

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
“That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.”
. . . . .

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.

I grow old . . . I grow old . . .
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think they will sing to me.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

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Rating: (4 Books)

“All Aboard for the BDSM World Tour!”

The Plot: I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that Carrie’s Story is a story about a girl named Carrie, but what you might not know is that Carrie’s story is really quite fascinating. Carrie is a student and part-time bike messenger who, through a wanton encounter at a party, finds herself innocently recruited into a demanding Master/slave relationship with a weathly business-man named Jonathan. Carrie is smitten with Jonathan and his quirks, and they quickly fall into a routine of dominance and submission that Carrie finds at once challenging, arousing and endlessly compelling.

When one day Jonathan mentions that he is interested in auctioning Carrie off, their relationship turns into a complex effort to school Carrie on the ways of a true slave — complete with a week in the stables, countless “Uncles” and “Muffies,” slave conditioning abroad, and the pièce de résistance… the auction itself.

Zelda’s Take: I’ll admit that I was hesitant to pick up Carrie’s Story initially because the description on Amazon references pony-play, and, frankly, it’s just not my thing. But I was so pleased that I did end up reading it, because I found Carrie’s experiences really captivating — even the small section that covers her week at the stables! I appreciated her matter-of-fact attitude, her inexperience and her endless desire to submit and succeed. In a way, I see a lot of myself in Carrie… sans the whole rich dom with a housekeeper thing.

I loved the process of the book — hence, the “Tour” — the discovery of Carrie’s kink, how she’s taken in and trained by Jonathan, the point when Jonathan’s demeanor cracks a bit, the changing of their relationship, Carrie’s exposure to pony-play, the auction tests, the prelude to the auction and, finally, the auction itself. BDSM is a process. Most people don’t go from vanilla to collared in the blink of an eye, so I found Carrie’s introduction to and tour through the world of BDSM quite realistic. I admired her resolve throughout to please and to submit, but also that she never failed to recognize and acknowledge her own intelligence. Carrie was very deliberate in her submission and did so with her eyes wide open, despite the fact that her intelligence and cognizance often got her in trouble.

I think the most fascinating part of the book is the auction process in itself. I loved this fantasy world that Molly Weatherfield has created… it is a fantasy, right? ’cause if this really exists, I want to know about it ;) But from the training and scening to the computerization and the general mindfuck, it was very well-concocted. I loved the scene especially between Carrie and Margot. I thought the sexual undertones (and overtones) between the two were just so titillating that I couldn’t help but cry for more, more, more.

In fact, it isn’t often that a particular quote in a book inspires me to utilize the highlighting feature on my Kindle, but this one did it for sure. From Margot to Carrie:

“What gets to me and you is power, coercive power. Force, directed. I make you do something, go somewhere, be as I wish. You, your flesh, your prazza. And what I especially like, what has always fascinated me, is making you work at it. I love the fact that you get around here on your own, that you deliver yourself to me, that it is always a stretch, an effort of will and intelligence, to become an object.”

A stretch. An effort of will and intelligence. This kind of embodies what a D/s relationship is, for me, in such a beautiful way.

I also love that the ending left so much promise and intrigue, which is why I’m especially excited to read Weatherfield’s follow-up novel to Carrie’s Story, Safe Word, to follow Carrie’s journey further into slavery.

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Rating: (3 Books)

“A Classic Story Eclipsed by Contemporary BDSM Erotica”

The Plot: The Story of O, originally Histoire d’O, is a classic novel that elicited quite a stir (not to mention obscenity charges against its publisher) when it was originally published in 1954. The author, Anne Desclos, writing under the pen name Pauline Réage, wrote the story as a series of love letters in response to her lover, who challenged that a woman could not write erotic literature similar to that of the Marquis de Sade. In fact, Desclos did not even publicly admit to being the author until several decades later, shortly before her death.

Desclos had written the tale of O. O is taken by her lover without her consent to a chateau in France called Roissy, where she is stripped of her clothing and her self and trained to be a sexual slave to any man who is trained in the ways of Roissy — complete with regular beatings and a mandate to make herself available to any Roissy affiliate upon command. She is released from Roissy weeks later with another view on life — one complete without undergarments and an iron ring so that she can be recognized by Roissy affiliates anywhere she goes.

But O’s lover, René, is not done with her yet. He decides to give O to his more dominant half-brother, Sir Stephen, where she is to become Stephen’s personal slave. Initially, Stephen is a cold stranger compared to René. He uses and abuses O as a detached owner, putting her through beatings and sexual escapades with little love or concern. But even Stephen begins to develop feelings for O and René eventually fades into the background.

In the end, O finds herself at the mercy of a sado-masochistic cycle of dominance and submission from which she discovers she has no desire to escape.

Zelda’s Take: Reading The Story of O was a strange experience for me. In some regard, reading the book is a bit of a right of passage in the world of BDSM literature. Many people have admitted that it was reading The Story of O (or watching the documentary) that set them on their own path to discovering their kinky preferences For me, I discovered BDSM erotica after having discovered my kink, so in a way I am playing catch up with the psychological and emotional mindfuck that can be BDSM erotica. Because of this, The Story of O may have been less meaningful to me, or less life-altering, than it has been for others.

Throughout, I couldn’t help but feel that The Story of O was a bit elementary and shallow as compared to other more recently written novels I’ve read. Sure, perhaps it was the progenitor of those novels, but I just couldn’t get over some striking disappointments.

Most notably, I had great difficulty connecting with the characters, most of which are virtually devoid of emotion throughout. O barely reacts at all to her situation. When René first captures her and carts her off to Roissy, she does not exhibit fear, confusion or anger as one would expect. Despite the fact that René gave her no indication of his desires previous to this point, she is not surprised either. Every step of the way, O takes her situation in stride, as if simply her love for René alone is enough to make everything okay for her. She even admits to liking what he puts her through, but we see no character development that even makes this pleasure believable. She loves René and is willing to submit to him in any way he sees fit. In fact, this love for René is pretty much the only strong emotion we get from O throughout the entire story.

René, himself, is a shell of a character as well, although admittedly one with slightly more intrigue than that of O. What brings René to Roissy in the first place? What is his deal? Why does he willingly subject O to Roissy and then discard her without, seemingly, a second thought? Why is René fearful of going further with O? There are so many questions that go unanswered about René that it’s more of a frustration than anything else.

Sir Stephen is another enigma. We know that he is a strong dominant and that he likely does develop true feelings for O. He is also a sadist to the extreme, forcing O to accept his irons and brand, and then, depending on which translation you read, apparently tires of her and ditches her in the end regardless.

I couldn’t help but read the story and get irritated with O for being so weak and vapid, at René for being so manipulative and empty, at Sir Stephen for not caring more. In the end, my reaction to the story is probably driven by the fact that participating in BDSM and power exchange is very much an act of love for me — both on the receiving end, as well as on the giving end. The fact that neither René nor Stephen ever exhibit true caring or concern for O or her well-being is endlessly frustrating for me. And the fact that O hangs on to René despite his obvious mistreatment of her breaks my heart. For me, the return for an individual’s total submission is to know that the dominant has the submissive’s best interests in mind. I felt that René and Stephen could not have cared less about O, as evidenced by their treating and playing her like a vapid fuck-toy without a care for maintaining or nurturing her psyche.

Now, if you are a voyeuristic reader looking for a step-by-step, how-to illustration of sadism and the domination of a woman, The Story of O will satisfy. The techniques used at Roissy and by Stephen and René are textbook D/s-M/s, complete with psychological, emotional and physical domination and ownership. The story is made even more colorful by its somewhat Victorian feel, with complex undergarments and makeup, and the pomp and circumstance of a society far removed from our modern, 21st century world. It is remarkable for being revolutionary for its time — giving the world a glimpse into a lifestyle unheard of by most, and opening many individuals’ eyes to their own repressed or hidden desires.

But, for me, the fascination that O’s world inspires was not nearly enough to keep it afloat. In the end, The Story of O is simply a story about nonconsensual slavery without the safeword of love or tenderness to pull it from the depths of despair. It is simply a story about the hapless shell of a victim of two sadists who have their way with women without reason aside from the gratification of their own selfish desires — a tragic, shallow tale of cruelty as illustrated in the context of BDSM.

I gave The Story of O a 3-book rating and do recommend reading it, but only as a method of better understanding the origin and progression of BDSM erotica in the past half a century in order to gain a greater appreciation of more contemporary titles.

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Rating: (4 Books)

“Ballerina in Bondage… Need I Say More?”

The Plot: Jackson is a choreographer from Chicago who is on temporary assignment with the Townsend Ballet in New York to produce Firebird.

Prosper is a corps ballerina at the Townsend with no chance of making principal. Day in, day out, she lusts over Jackson as he scours the company to cast his Firebird. She dreams of his dominating her, but knows that her dreams are only a fantasy. But, when Jackson casts Prosper as Firebird over the company’s prinipal ballerina, sparks begin to really fly between the two.

Knowing that no good will come from a relationship between a choeographer and his lead, Prosper timidly turns to personal ads for a sexual outlet, in search of a willing dominant to whom she can submit, no strings attached. Little did she know that Jackson was searching, too.

When the fates bring the two together at last, the Firebird learns to sing.

Zelda’s Take: I must admit that I’m a sucker for dancing. I’ve wanted to be a ballerina since I was four years old. I even dance very casually now in adult classes with a local company, but it’s pretty clear that I was not meant to make a living in leotards and tights.

When I stumbled across Annabel Joseph and found that she wrote erotic novels about kinky ballerinas, I melted a little at the chance to put myself in a ballerina’s pointe shoes and get tied to a bed by a hot choreographer. *swoon*

Firebird did not disappoint. It is a beautiful love story that is the perfect mix of thrilling seduction, grueling training (in choreography and submission), company politics, sexual tension and totally hot sexual release. I love that Jackson controls her. I love how he drills her and demands her compliance, both on the stage and in the bedroom. Their passion is palpable as they share moments dancing together, the pressure of his firm grip moving her in his steps, in the lifts… hot damn. Oh, how I wish I was a petite, fragile, powerhouse of a ballerina like Prosper. *sigh*

I think the greatest scene in the whole book would be the final, glorious night before Firebird opens to the public. Can you say… costume porn? It’s enough to make me want to go on a mad search to find a Firebird costume of my own.

And, let me also just take this moment to gush a bit about the awesomeness that is the “Hall of Hotness” on Annabel Joseph’s website. Of all the places to find erotic photography online, Annabel has totally got my number here. Um… men in tights, ballerinas in bondage and costume porn — definitely a must-see. Through her Hall of Hotness, I also discovered the beautiful fetish photography of John Tisbury, who brought us this lovely en pointe and in cuffs shot, so thank you, Annabel!

Now, I’m going to go put on my own ballet shoes and practice counting my fouettés.

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Rating: (2 Books)

“Sexy Contemporary Mythology, Over-the-Top HEA”

The Plot: Fantasy Lover, the first book in the Dark-Hunters series (almost a prequel, really, since it does not actually feature any of the Dark-Hunters), is the story of Grace Alexander, a psychiatrist who just can’t seem to find a boyfriend. When her best friend, the unflappable psychic Selena, sets out to try to change that, Grace finds herself chanting incantations into an ancient book in hopes that her “fantasy lover” will come to life and fulfill her desires. Lo and behold, Grace soon finds herself with an ancient Macedonian houseguest!

Julian of Macedon is the son of Aphrodite and a heartless and unforgiving warrior who is imprisoned inside a book after having put a spell on a woman to make her fall in love with and marry him instead of her lover. Julian’s only temporary escape from his prison is when lustful females magically call him forth for single months at a time to grant them their every sexual pleasure. He is used and abused, and then cast back into his abhorred blind and motionless existence inside the book.

Even in the 21st century, Julian finds himself at the mercy of the immortal gods and goddesses that are his family as he tries to bargain and fight his way to his freedom and a return to his previous life. But, despite the call of the old world, the siren call of the gentle and caring Grace may just be enough to keep him in modern times.

Zelda’s Take: Well, I must say that I picked up this book with high hopes of vampire romance, given all the Dark-Hunters chatter that I’d been hearing. I am a sucker for hot vampires. Period.

But I was SOOOOOO disappointed with this one! There were NO vampires. Not one! And, to boot, there were a bunch of mythological characters that I just couldn’t get into. It’s funny, I’ve never been a huge fan of mythological gods and goddesses, but I love supernatural creatures — go figure. Anyways.

So Fantasy Lover, unfortunately, never got off the ground for me. In addition to the vampire withdrawal I was experiencing, I felt that the relationships and backstory were a bit weak throughout — the plot contrived. I personally had a hard time relating to Grace and Selena; their lives seem a bit too “exotic suburbia” for my tastes. Not to mention the random, crazy-stalker subplot that is thrown in to create a sense of danger and need for Julian’s protectiveness. Of all things, I think what irritated me the most was the ridiculous HEA ending — they’re free and together… ooh, now they’re rich, too! Gag me.

At this point in the review I’m supposed to turn to what I did like about the book. Well, I can say that I finished it. It was captivating enough that continued reading it to the end. Despite the fact that I’m so not interested in mythological characters, tired quickly of the sexual tease, got irritated by the fact that Julian felt sorry for himself too often (not that I wouldn’t if I’d been stuck in a book for centruries!), and hated the HEA, mommy-comes-to-the-rescue ending, I did make it to the end. Phew.

I’m told that the second book in the series is the true introduction of the Dark-Hunters, and that I will fall in love with them at that point. But, my dislike of this first book may have been enough to turn me off the entire series. I mean, my TBR pile is loaded as it is with books that I’m stoked to read — why bother torturing myself? Only time will tell whether I pick up the second. In the meantime, I think I’ll find my own fantasy lover, thank you very much.

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