Enter the awesomely-named Fucking Sculptures (whose taglines are some of the best I’ve ever come across (pun intended): “As unique as you are. Hand-sculpted, fine fucking art” and “Where sex meets art, then fucks itself”) and their stunning soda-lime glass creations.

Scratch science lesson. Soda-lime glass, sometimes called soda-lime-silica glass, is the stuff used to make drinking glasses, bottles, jars and the like – and, generally-speaking, you don’t see many sex toys constructed of it. Why? I’m not 100% sure because it can be coloured and blown into some absolutely amazing dildos, but I suspect that manufactures shy away from it due to its greater sensitivity to heat than its aforementioned borosilicate sibling. That said, it can still be very easily and safely heated and cooled, just not rapidly or suddenly. Per the Fucking Sculptures website:

Soda-Lime glass is the most common form of glass produced.  It has all of the wonderful properties listed above. However, it does not like to be plunged into boiling water.

Temperature play is a lot of fun, but I suspect – hope!? – that there won’t be many of you wanting to stick a dildo that’s hotter than the surface of the sun in one of your orifices.

So, on to the G-Spoon itself.

My first thought when this arrived in the post?

Holy crap that’s big! C.f. the following cucumber versus dildo size comparison:

Now, I knew when I ordered this beauty that it was going to be on the large side (the G-Spoon does also come in Small and Medium) but seeing the dimensions online versus holding them in your hand is quite a bit different. Weighing in at 554 grams and with a girth and length of 14 and 23 centimetres respectively, this dildo is substantial. And I’d be flat-out lying if I didn’t admit to thinking it might be a case of eyes bigger than vagina. Thankfully, though, that didn’t turn out to be true.

While there’s not getting around the fact that this is a hefty sex toy it’s exceptionally well shaped – almost dish-like in its curvature – and it fits the body extremely well. Personally, I found that gradual introduction, a decent amount of lube and gentle use was all that was needed to overcome my initial size-fright. And for someone who likes girth and having their G-Spot stimulated, as I do, it felt bloody fantastic. The size and smaller hooked end also meant it was easy for M to hold and angle (he was in the driver’s seat first time out), so it’s a really good choice for those who want to include a partner in their play.

This dildo, as all the Fucking Sculptures  dildos are, is handblown (see the clip below), which means it’s entirely unique; while the standard designs and sizes don’t change, no created piece is ever absolutely identical. I like that. It means that my G-Spoon is unique to me. Not only that, it’s beautiful. Really beautiful. The soda-lime glass has an amazing sparkle to it when it catches the light and the green I selected is fathomless and deep, the colour of a dense, rich forest. It’s extremely easy to clean as all non-porous glass toys are (mild soap and warm water are all that’s required) and for the times you’re not sticking it interesting places, Fucking Sculptures  give you a soft, cosy pouch to store it in.

Price? There’s no getting around the fact that at USD$160.00 for the large version, the G-Spoon’s not exactly cheap. However, this isn’t some mass produced sex-toy made from terrible-for-you materials. It’s a functional – and very pleasurable – work of art. Well worth the money, in my opinion. And Fucking Sculptures offer a ‘one free replacement policy’, too.

A quick note on ordering and delivery … can I just say that Maria is a gem? I placed my order online (if you’re outside of the U.S. you’ll need to email Fucking Sculptures directly, as I did, to purchase your dildo) just after moving hemispheres and had all sorts of fun and games with PayPal due to it not liking me living in a different country to my bank. She was uber-patient as I tried to sort the glitch out and was very good about keeping me up-to-date as to the progress of my order.

In conclusion, the G-Spoon’s a gorgeous sex toy that wouldn’t look at all out-of-place on a shelf or mantelpiece. It really is a work of art and fucking, fucking good fun.

Highly, highly recommended.

Tickle your fancy? Click here to find out more about Fucking Sculptures and view their amazing range of beautiful hand-blown dildos.

The post Review: Fucking Sculptures G-Spoon (Large) appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title: 

Quiet.

That’s the word that springs to mind when I reflect upon Sorcha Black’s first solo novel, Ein. It seems like an unusual adjective to apply to an ‘erotic’ fantasy – I can’t recall a time I’ve ever thought of describing a story from this genre in such a way – but against all odds given the content (torture, sadomasochism, non-con), it just seems to fit. And this lack of literal ‘noise’ in Ein is in no way negative. Far from it. As a writer, it takes some serious, serious skill to wield a club weighed down with a heavy storyline and stop yourself from beating readers over the proverbial head with it. 

If I’m going to read fantasy, I generally prefer the urban kind. It’s not that I have a rubbish imagination, rather that I tend to enjoy those books that have some sort of link to my own reality. There’s a level of grittiness to a novel that’s only a few steps removed from real life that I just don’t seem to be able to find in one that’s infested with plagues of elves and goblins. Creatures that breathe fire and have hairy feet don’t really get my engine going. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about my limit.

So is Ein an urban fantasy, then? Well, no. Somehow, it manages to sit smack bang in the middle of an erotic fantasy no-man’s (or should I say ‘no dragon’s’) land. And that’s a place that I’ve not visited before. It’s as if Sorcha Black’s gone a hundred metres towards Graceling, hung a left up the hill towards Comfort Food, crossed the bridge towards Robin Hood’s house, and finally pitched the Ein tent on a patch of land about a mile down the road from all three. Perhaps the reason the story feels so relatable is the mediaeval undercurrent that seems to flow gently through the world that the author has created.

The mold-breaking doesn’t end there, either. Einan, our heroine (Ein for short) isn’t, despite the hellish ordeals she goes through, a damsel dishrag in need of rescuing.

Halle-bloody-lujah.

The girl has a backbone of pure steel and is able to compartmentalise the sacrifices she makes with her body for the sake of her children in a way that we rarely see. She loves her man (and her woman) fiercely but her relationships don’t define her personality or her well of inner strength. Even when they’re not there, she survives and endures.

The BDSM content is intriguing, to say the least. There are clear markers for the modern D/s lifestyle – such as Ein’s simple and beloved rope collar – however, as with her characterisation, Sorcha doesn’t go for the obvious. This is definitely not the standard male Dom, female sub story. I won’t say any more than that to avoid introducing spoilers but even if switching and F/F are not normally your bag Ein is still worth your time; the characters’ relationships are twined together so beautifully that I’m pretty certain you won’t find the time to get hung up on who is topping and who is bottoming.

The sharp-eyed amongst you may have noticed that I wrapped the word ‘erotic’ in the first paragraph in quotation marks. That’s not unintentional. Even though Ein does have erotic elements (capture fantasy, D/s, polyamory) I would tentatively suggest that if sits closer to the dragonless fantasy genre than traditional erotica. Why? Because the Gutrian/Cedesian tapestry into which Ein’s love stories are woven is just too colourful and rich to ignore and, to my mind, supersedes the sexual content.

A wonderful, albeit intense, read and the perfect book to drag me out of the erotic romance cookie cutter funk I’ve been drowning in lately.

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy:

Amazon.co.uk

• Ein – Kindle

Amazon.com

• Ein – Kindle

*Please note that a copy of Ein was provided free of charge by the author in exchange for a fair review.

The post Ein (The Dustmother Trilogy) – Sorcha Black appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title:

A huge apology to Sadey Quinn, Bad Girl Good’s author, who has been waiting super-patiently for me to post our review of this book. As many of you may be aware from my Tumbleweed post, things are slightly chaotic behind the florals at the moment and I’m rather behind on, well, pretty much everything. Hmm. Maybe I need Todd, Bad Girl Good’s male protagonist, to keep me in line…?

MICHAEL’S TAKE

Bad Girl Good is a Domestic Discipline novel. When Chloe breaks one of her boyfriend’s rules, Todd gets to spank her.

Bad Girl Good is a Total Power Exchange novel. Chloe has given control of her life to her Dom, Todd, and he disciplines her when she violates any of his dictates.

Which one of those is accurate? I am still not entirely sure.

I have to say my favourite moment was when Todd spanked Chloe after she left the house and went home. She was drunk but he didn’t just punish her for that. She was stoned but he didn’t just punish her for that. He punished her because he thought she should have and discussed things before she left. In other words, he didn’t approve of her decision-making while she was drunk and stoned. That still makes me laugh.

Personally, I thought Todd was a bit of a jerk. But Chloe liked him and I felt like she needed him. The question really came down to whether Todd loved Chloe more or loved the idea of fixing Chloe more. And did it really matter.

JANE’S TAKE

I don’t normally talk about book covers in my reviews, despite the fact that I tend to be quite swayed by them (yeah, I know you’re not supposed to judge the text by the façade but I’m quite a visual person and often can’t help myself). However, I think Bad Girl Good’s one deserves a mention. It’s sexy. Very, very sexy and – thank God! – there’s not a piece of jewellery, men’s accessory, or a piece of fruit in sight. (Apparently, nothing says ‘sex’ these days like an inanimate object. Yes, Penguin marketing department I am looking at you.)

Right, on to the book itself.

To me, Bad Girl Good is a domestic discipline (DD) novel, although I agree with Michael: it does stray close to TPE at times and I, too, wasn’t sure whether Todd’s hot button was mending the girl or the girl herself.

Let me put it this way: Coldplay’s Fix You could be the theme song to this book – and I’m not entirely sure how comfortable I am with that (no offence to Chris Martin).

Did Chloe need Todd? Yes, I think so. Did she need the discipline he could give her? Probably – and she enjoyed it. (The punishment scene with the clothespins? Hot.) But did Todd need to treat her like a naughty toddler rather than a grown up? In my opinion, no, and, as a result, the way he talked down to her rubbed on me a little.

Bad Girl Good is well written and I suspect that fans of DD are going to love it. For me? As someone who has a marked preference for more clear-cut D/s scenarios and storylines? Well, let’s just say that Sadey’s Spanktastic, which I reviewed a while back (and adored), continues to be my favourite of hers.

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy:

Amazon.co.uk

• Bad Girl Good – Kindle

Amazon.com

• Bad Girl Good –Kindle

*Please note that a copy of Bad Girl Good was supplied free of charge by the author in exchange for a fair review.

The post Bad Girl Good – Sadey Quinn appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title:

If you recall, Michael reviewed Leila’s Confessions Collection Vol.1 back in February and was left wondering just what was going to happen in the next instalment …

‘Two men. One a politician on the verge of greatness and the other a philanthropist on the cusp of corruption, each own a piece of me.’

This is a short review but this latest instalment in the Confessions series really isn’t that long.

I’ll admit that this is one of those books that took me some time to get started with but, after that, I was genuinely pulled back into the story.

The positive thing for me is that Desniah seems to be gaining more control over her life. London only plays the smallest part and Desniah makes a massive decision at the end – or at least I hope she did.

Caden makes a huge step forward as he finally realises the truth that has been staring him in the face for long.

Rhys I have nothing good to say about. Trying to create a total power exchange relationship with someone who isn’t totally enthusiastic about it is wrong. Telling someone that you intend to complete their hard limits list is also wrong.

Going in I probably liked Rhys more than Caden. I’ve changed my mind at this point.

*Please note that a copy of Bond Confessions (London Brown) Volume 2, Novella 1 was provided free of charge by the author in exchange for a fair review.

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy:

Amazon.co.uk

• Bond Confessions (London Brown) Volume 2, Novella 1 – Kindle

Amazon.com

• Bond Confessions (London Brown) Volume 2, Novella 1 – Kindle

Smashwords

• Bond Confessions (London Brown) Volume 2, Novella 1 – ePub

The post Bond Confessions (London Brown) Volume 2, Novella 1 – Leila DeSint appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

What we used: standard riding crop
From: Jack’s Floggers
Material(s): leather, glass fibre
Price: £12.00
Reviewer(s): Lizzie & Thomas

A crop is a crop is a crop. Or is it? Find out what Lizzie and Thomas think of their newest purchase from U.K.-based Jack’s Floggers.

First thoughts

Lizzie
So, can I just say that my eyes were going all over the place when I saw Jack’s line up of truly beautiful implements at LAM (the London Alternative Market), which is where Thomas and I bought this lovely, lovely riding crop a month or two back. The quality of Jack’s products was abundantly clear but, not only that, they were all, without exception, incredibly stylish. This crop stood out to me, first and foremost, because of the colour – I’m a sucker for red – but as soon as I picked it up, I thought ‘ooh!’. Our current Bondage Boutique crop, the one we reviewed a while back, is now a little worse for wear and, lately, we’ve noticed the keeper has started to part company with the shaft.

Thomas
Like Lizzie, I noticed straight away that this crop of Jack’s looked and felt far superior to our current one. And although they’re both about the same length overall (approximately 27.5 inches from end to end) the leather strop/keeper on his design is much longer (7.0 inches at the attachment point as opposed to 4.5).

Construction

Lizzie
I’ll say it again. This is an absolutely stunning crop and the quality of the craftsmanship is evident everywhere you look: the beautiful braided handle in gloss red leather; the black braided handle butts; the slim, tapered shaft; the soft leather keeper embossed with the Jack’s Floggers logo. Everything on it is neat and tidy, the finishing impeccable, and, basically, it’s just really well made. This isn’t an instrument that’s going to fall to pieces on you in a hurry.

Thomas
This crop is far whippier than our old one (I gave Lizzie a few experimental whacks before buying it and the difference was immediately evident) and it’s definitely better put together as well. The leather keeper is more securely attached to the shaft and the shaft material itself, which is glass fibre, is superior, too. I like that the handle is braided as the uneven surface helps with grip. Overall, the finish is very, very good.

In use

Lizzie
I love the crop. It’s become one of my favourite toy bag items. The threat and tease of it as it’s run or tapped over my body prior to or during a session; the sting of the tip and shaft when it’s applied to my bottom and thighs with force. The ‘smacking’ sound the keeper creates when it hits the skin, too, never fails to send a little thrill of fright through me.

Thomas and I liked our last crop a lot but, wow. It pales in comparison to this one. For starters, Jack’s creation has far (far) more bite than the Bondage Boutique version. The slim, stiff shaft really smarts when it hits and the split keeper seems to give far more sting to the wielder’s flicks and swings. Thomas had to strike relatively firmly to generate bruises with our previous crop. This one? Well, I had some truly spectacular purple keeper-shaped marks on my bottom for far less effort on his part.

If you’re someone who enjoys stingy sensations, this crop is a slice of heaven … and maybe just a little bit of exquisite masochistic hell, too :-).

Thomas
Jack’s crop is far more aggressive than our last one. The shaft is slimmer and stiffer, and the leather strop is softer and longer. This all combines for a lot more whip and a lot more snap in the end – and so a lot more sting. Lizzie wriggles about far more than usual when I use this crop, which tells me I have her undivided attention.

Any downsides?

Lizzie
None that I can think of. Although I would say that the slightly longer-than-we-were-used-to keeper dimensions caught us out a little; Thomas mis-judged a relatively firm hit by a fraction of an inch and ended up catching me between the legs before he intended to do so (he normally warms me up a bit more before going for that spot). I can tell you categorically that a firm swat with this on the clitoris will make you jump about like nobody’s business!

Thomas
As Lizzie mentioned, the only issue with this crop was that I made the schoolboy error of not practising enough with it beforehand and assuming if would behave the same way as our old one. The lesson? Always put a new toy through its paces, even if the overall style is familiar, so that you get the reach right. This one caught me out because I placed it fractionally further into the buttock than I should have (although I don’t think Lizzie minded too much ;-).) If you are used to a crop with a short, unsplit keeper, you will need to be extra careful with your aim until you get used to it.

The verdict?

Lizzie
A superb riding crop that is amazingly priced, beautifully made, and a joy to be on the receiving end of. If you like sting with style, this is £12.00 you won’t regret parting with.

Thomas
A very nice crop nice to hold and use and very effective (especially when applied to the clitoris!).

In summary

Things we liked:

• The finishing. Truly beautiful.
• The design. Sting city!
• The price. At £12.00 this is a total bargain.
• Being able to try before we bought. Jack (and his stall) were fab. But he also offers a great online service, with worldwide shipping, if you can’t make it to the London Alternative Market.

Things we weren’t so keen on:

• Nothing!

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following link to visit the Jack’s Floggers website. (You will need to navigate to the Canes, Crops and Paddles etc. page.)

• Jack’s Floggers

*LAM (the London Alternative Market) runs the first Sunday of every month. Entry is £4 per person. Full details here.

The post The cream of the crop appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title:

Oh, ho-ho. Michael knocked it out of the park with this joint read-and-review choice. Spanking, D/s, violet wands, vegetable safewords. Funny, hot and totally sexy.

MICHAEL’S TAKE

So Kaylee has been saving up for the moment of her life: a trip to The Castle, the hottest BDSM resort in Central Ohio. She gets to spend three whole days living out her fantasies.

She just has one teeny tiny little problem. She’s no clear idea of what her fantasies will be like in real life. She has never played, never been to a club, never done anything. And she is sure of one thing: if she tells The Truth, admits to her inexperience, she’ll be spending her entire stay in the kiddie pool wearing water wings.

So she lies. Not a big lie. She just wants them to think she has some experience. What could go wrong? It isn’t like they are going to drag her down to an underground dungeon and send in a Hulking Brute in an Executioner’s Mask with a Bullwhip, is it? Okay, so maybe it was a big lie.

What I loved most about this one was how patient the staff were with her. A fantasy doesn’t work out? Sure. No Problem. As soon as she’s dried her tears, they send her back to costuming and try again. (They had so many things to choose from in that department, I don’t think for a moment we saw everything it had to offer.) Not unlike Goldilocks, Kaylee just has to try and try again until she finds the kink that’s just right.

I think the most negative thing I can say about Kaylee’s Keeper is that it’s a little sad that The Castle isn’t actually real.

JANE’S TAKE

Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “Jane! Can you skydive?”
Jane: [Hell no, but you look kind of hot so I’ll give it a crack]: “Yes, of course I can! In fact, I used to be an instructor.”
Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “Awesome. Grab a parachute and get your arse in that plane over there.”
Jane: [How hard can it be?] “You’ve got it.”

6,000 feet later …

Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “Are you okay, Jane? You look kind of green …”
Jane: [Fucking hell this is high!!!] “Oh, fine, fine. I think I had a bad prawn at lunch.”

12,500 feet later …

Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “You ready to jump?”
Jane: [FUCK!!!] Totally … absolutely … er … definitely. My, that weather doesn’t look at all good, does it? Maybe we should turn back?”
Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “It’s 30 degrees and sunny with no wind.
Jane: [FUCK x 10!] “See! Terrible conditions!”
Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “Er, Jane? Are you sure you’ve done this before?
Jane: [Oh, my God. Does Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear suspect something? That I’m not, perhaps, the skydiving goddess he imagines? Act defensive! Put him off the scent!] “How dare you! What exactly are you suggesting?”
Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “That you may not know how to skydive?”
Jane: [He’s fishing! Play it cool; there’s no way he can know I’m not telling the truth …] “Now why on earth would you say that?”
Attractive Random Person Dressed in Skydiving Gear: “Well, for starters, you’re strapping yourself to the emergency first aid kit rather than your parachute.”

Have you ever fudged the truth a little? Massaged your C.V. to get that perfect job? Not been entirely honest on that health questionnaire: “How many times a week do you take regular exercise/eat chocolate/drink more than two units of alcohol?” (Never, no, every day, only at Easter, and only at weddings. (Snort.)) Well, Kaylee’s Keeper is all about what happens when a sub pretends to have a little – okay, a lot – more BDSM experience than she actually does (none).

“Have you ever engaged in BDSM play before? Kaylee checked off her answer, yes, and kept going, swallowing back that same slight twinge of guilt that she’d felt back when she first typed that lie. She had never played. Up until now, all of her spankings had been received through fantasy and daydreams.”

I loved this book for a number of reasons. It did a wonderful job of showing that the fantasies in our heads don’t always play out as we imagine they will in real life. It did a wonderful job of showing how important open and honest communication is between partners. It did a wonderful job of showing that we don’t automatically know what will turn us on, that we often discover these things over time, through experience, with patience. Oh, and it absolutely showed why it is never ever a good idea to lie to a Top.

I don’t want to say too much more and ruin this delightful tale for you, but I will confess that the violet wand scene at the end of this story is awesome, as is the one that leads up to and includes Kaylee’s first use of The Castle’s universal safeword, onion. You’ll never look at an Allium cepa in quite the same way again.

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy:

Amazon.co.uk

• Kaylee’s Keeper (Masters of The Castle #2) – Kindle

Amazon.com

• Kaylee’s Keeper (Masters of The Castle #2) – Kindle

The post Kaylee’s Keeper (Masters of The Castle #2) – Maren Smith appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title:

Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. (Well, mostly.)

How do I even begin reviewing Truth? Firstly, let me say that if you haven’t read the previous two books in the Finding Anna series, Slave and Need, you’re going to be seriously, seriously lost if you go straight in with this one. It cannot be read as a stand-alone. All three instalments are closely tied together and to truly appreciate the circumstances that Brianna and Stephan find themselves in, you need to understand how they got to where they are.

Where to start?

Stephan. Stephan, Stephan, Stephan. I want to be on your side. I do. Truly. You rescued Brianna from something truly hideous, are utterly committed to her rehabilitation and willing to protect her no matter what the personal cost. Do I fundamentally agree with your methods, though? Well, there’s the rub. Yes, you want to help Brianna. Yes, you are protective and caring towards her. But underneath all that are your own needs and desires; they’ve been bubbling away since the very beginning and, in this book, they start to seep out. No matter how benevolent you strive to be, can your actions truly be classed as selfless when they are ultimately influenced by your emotions, consciously or unconsciously? Is Brianna even remotely ready – or in the position mentally – to accept what you ultimately crave from her? Even you’re not sure:

‘Do you think she’ll be all right with this?’

‘I have no idea.’

It would be easy to say that Stephan is the white knight in of the piece but, whichever way you look at it, Briana is vulnerable – and to that end, his shiny armour has to be a little tarnished. The question is, can it be cleaned?

Just as they did in Slave and Need, the Stephan and Brianna both take turns telling the story, giving us the ability to see exactly what’s going on inside their respective heads. But crucially, their descriptions of the actions and reactions of Truth’s secondary characters with regard to their relationship – Dr Cooper, Cal, Lily, Oscar and Michael, in particular – provide the objective outsiders’ point-of-view. Give us glimpses beyond the bubble-like environment that Stephan has created for himself and Brianna to exist in. The thing with bubbles, though? They have a tendency to burst.

If you’re expecting a neat ending, to have all your questions answered, to have some light shed on the very murky circumstances surrounding Brianna’s abduction, then I’m sorry to say that you may struggle with the conclusion to this book. Truth takes you to the edge of the white cliffs of Dover and leaves you hanging by your fingernails.

I’ll leave you with this one word: felony.

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy.

Amazon.co.uk

• Truth – Paperback

Amazon.com

• Truth  – Paperback

Kobo

• Truth – ePub

*Please note that an advance copy of Truth was provided free of charge in exchange for a fair review by The Writer’s Coffeeshop and NetGalley.

The post Truth (Finding Anna) – Sherri Hayes appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title:

This joint review was a no-brainer for us. Michael and I are both big fans of Cherise Sinclair and it’s fair to say that we were both gagging to read this latest instalment in her Shadowlands series. When I suggested to him that This Is Who I Am should be our next project?

@Jane: I have been looking forward to that book for over a year:

‘”I won’t scar you. I won’t go past when you can take. If you can trust me that far, this will be much easier for you.” He met her eyes straight on, letting her read his body, hear the truth, and see it in his face. “But, Linda, I’m going to hurt you. You’ll hate me when I make you take it, and you’ll hate even more that you need it. That it fills that hole inside you and cleans away the clutter.”‘

(To Command and Collar (Shadowlands Book 6))

@Michael: CANNOT WAIT for Sam. And DeVries from Dark Haven. They both scare and tempt at the same time … *sigh*

Yep, we were pushing the download button on release day.

Did it live up to our expectations?

MICHAEL’S TAKE 

I tend to think of the Shadowlands series as one of the crown jewels of romantic BDSM fiction. Each book in it tends to be better than the last.

Last year we were treated to the most fantasy-oriented of the series. When Kim is rescued from the evil Harvest Association by Raoul, a series of improbable events causes her to assume the place of the slave he has always wanted. During the course of the story we see a moment occur between Linda, another woman kidnapped by the Harvesters, and Sam, a friend of Raoul’s, who tries to keep her safe in a rather unique way. A way that ends badly.

‘He rubbed his hand over his mouth, wanting to swear up a storm. He’d sliced into her defenses with less finesse than a baby dom with a new whip. After a glance at the attendant who still hovered nearby, Sam knew he couldn’t explain to her, to apologize–not here–but when this was over, they’d talk. Damn straight, they would.’

But they wouldn’t. At least not until now.

Linda is home. Back from her kidnapping. Recovered physically and largely emotionally. But she faces a new menace, in some ways just as destructive and self-serving as her kidnappers: The Court of Public Opinion. She wasn’t a child kidnapped from her bedroom. She wasn’t a teen walking home from her fast food restaurant job. She was a woman who had just stepped out of an S&M dungeon. That meant she deserved what happened to her, right? In fact, she probably enjoyed all of it.

Fortunately, not everyone feels that way. And foremost among them is Sam.

Linda is a masochist and a submissive. This isn’t a story about a woman who thinks that she’s become either of these things through a bad experience. What Sam provides is a way for her to work through her feelings and figure out where she wants to go with them. And she actually helps Sam do the same thing in the process. Because he’s got some experiences in his past that he’s never quite dealt with, too.

Just one minor thing: The stories are set in Tampa, a place I know pretty well. In fact, I used to live right where one of the key events in the story takes place (when Sam meets Linda’s children at the café). But I never got the feeling that they were really there, as much as the geographical references are sprinkled in, from looking at a map. Next time, I would at least like to know if we are on Fowler, Fletcher, or 30th Street.

This one is timely, both advancing the genre and the story of the series. And I can’t wait to see what happens next.

JANE’S TAKE 

Responsible.

That’s the word that springs to mind whenever I read a book from Cherise Sinclair’s Shadowlands series. Basically, I know that whatever happens, the Doms won’t behave like complete tools and the submissives, whatever their issues, will end up grinning from ear-to-ear because they’ve been done six kinky ways ‘til Sunday. And then some. Given that This Is Who I Am’s male protagonist is a Dominant sadist and the plotline revolves around sexual enjoyment through pain, both giving and receiving? Well, let’s just say that knowing the story was written by Ms Sinclair was a huge (huge) weight off my mind going in. This sort of subject matter can be pretty frickin’ scary to read about when tackled with the wrong pen but, as predicted, this book goes to all those lovely dark places you want it to without ever feeling negatively risky or dangerous.

As Michael said to me while we were reading:

‘Cherise just has a way of creating Doms that I trust implicitly to do the right thing. Not every author does that for me.’

So, the pain factor; how hardcore is the hurting? Well, personally, I thought all the scenes between Linda and Sam were handled beautifully and, while there are some things that may make certain readers’ eyes open a little wider, their interactions are written in such a way that everything that passes between them feels incredibly natural and erotic. The descriptions of masochistic pleasure and the way Linda processes it are excellent and the way Sam conducts himself and his need to hurt refreshingly unapologetic. The play never feels out-of-control or violent – just measured, sensual, exciting and very, very hot. It’s accessible S/M, in other words; I wasn’t reading and going ‘I can’t believe they did that!’ or ‘WTF?’.

Which leads me on nicely to my next point.

I really (really) loved the ‘normalisation’ of masochism and sadism in this book – and would even go so far as to say this was the aspect of This Is Who I Am that resonated with me the most. People being to able to talk openly and honestly, to accept themselves for what they are without fear and/or shame? Bring it on.

Finally, Sam.

Dear, God, but I love that man. (He’s not real, Jane. He’s not real …)

@Michael:

I love Sam.

I love Sam.

I love Sam.

Did I mention how much I love Sam?

I think if I could assemble my perfect Sadist, LEGO-style, he’d be pretty close to what I’d end up with.

I know that This Is Who I Am is an idealised, romantic version of BDSM but the core sentiments are beautiful and, ultimately, what many of us would want to find or experience in a D/s S/M exchange. The suspense plot is a little woolly but with such erotic scenes between the protagonists, who really cares?

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy:

Amazon.co.uk

• This Is Who I Am – Kindle

Amazon.com

• This Is Who I Am – Kindle

The post This Is Who I Am – Cherise Sinclair appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title(s):

Take three!

In our third joint-review outing, Michael and I debate the motivations of the supremely debonair Ramon from Kate Belle’s Master of Love series. I suspect he and Sting have been hanging out together a fair bit; Michael’s trying to decide how he’d look with a pair of Eros wings.

Now, if someone would just lend us the Sorting Hat …

MICHAEL’S TAKE

What can I say about Ramon Mendez?

Men want to be him. Women want to be with him. He’s working on a Ph.D. in Women’s Sexuality – only he isn’t a woman. He puts ladies through a real workout – without them even taking off their clothes.

And Dude’s a Rule Breaker. If he wants to be with a woman, he finds a way. It doesn’t matter if she is in a position of authority over him, like his College Adviser, or one of his students in a mid-morning fitness class. If he sees something he likes, he doesn’t hesitate.

Grace had a chance at love once. But she decided to focus on her career instead. She was happy and the last thing she wanted to do was advise a man in her speciality where he had no business being. A man who made her feel things she had given up on.

Emma had it all. A husband who was a good provider. Three healthy children. And a dog. She was just missing one teeny tiny thing. Romance. A way for the man she loved to see that she needed more than a roof over her head. Someone who would remember to keep her birthday open.

Ramon – the Licentious Lothario. Ramon – the Caring Cupid. Ramon – the Tantric Tornado.

He knows not just what these women want but what they actually need. The things he does to them and with them could destroy them. Instead they come out with their hearts intact and ready to go after the thing they only dared to hope for.

The only thing we don’t know is what he is actually searching for.

JANE’S TAKE

Breaking the terms of your employment agreement to have sex with a student.

Cheating on your husband.

Are either of these scenarios ever okay in a romance novel? Is it possible to create a love story in which the characters in a book do things that so ostensibly break the unwritten rules of the genre (no cheating, a storyline that involves the development of a meaningful and lasting relationship between the characters)?

For me personally? The second of these scenarios is a difficult one. At least as far as my own definition of romantic love goes. I know it sounds crazy, but I am far, far more comfortable reading about kink or indulging my passion for Dark Erotica than encountering infidelity in a story. Yeah, I know that probably sounds upside down to some people. What can I say? My mind works in mysterious ways.

The commonality between these two books from Kate Belle’s Master of Love series, Breaking the Rules and Bloom, is Spanish lothario, Ramon, who appears to be every woman’s sexual fantasy come to life. He’s young. He’s handsome. He’s charming. He has an unbelievably talented tongue. But in both books, he’s not actually the Happily Ever After. Not the man that the female lead in either story is destined to be with. He’s merely a catalyst for sexual and emotional change.

Grace is a forty-something university professor who has locked off her sexuality in an attempt to cope with her male-dominated career environment. Thirty-six-year-old Emma is overweight and crumbling under the weight of kids and a husband who is too busy working to notice her. In rides Ramon on his white stallion (sorry, in his red Honda), masterful tantric penis at the ready (he and Sting must be attending the same classes because he can orgasm without ejaculating) to chase away the cobwebs, restore sexual vitality and point the women towards the men they are ultimately supposed to be with.

Surprisingly, the adultery depicted in Bloom was less of a hurdle for me than Ramon himself. There was nothing I could put my finger on, nothing overtly wrong or sinister about him, he just seemed so … calculated. The way he places himself in Grace’s path. The way he handles Emma. Throughout both books I kept asking myself ‘Why is he seducing these ladies?’ and ‘What exactly is his motivation?’ It’s never quite clear – we never get inside his head – and, as a result, it became impossible for me to categorise him as either ‘hero’ or ‘villain’. I couldn’t categorically name him as ‘the man who put everything to rights’ or ‘the man who took advantage of women at their most vulnerable and it just all happened to turn out okay’.

Is he Vicomte de Valmont, Don Juan, Casanova, or an Alfie with morals?

Who knew I had such an obsession with compartmentalising characters?

Unexpected, different and quietly brave. Breaking the Rules and Bloom both felt very real. Definitely not your typical erotic romance fare and, for that reason, these novellas will likely be a Marmite choice for readers.

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase:

Amazon.co.uk

• Breaking the Rules – Kindle
• Bloom – Kindle

Amazon.com

• Breaking the Rules – Kindle
• Bloom – Kindle

Kobo

• Breaking the Rules – ePub
• Bloom – ePub

* Please note that copies of Bloom and Breaking the Rules were provided by the author, free of charge, in exchange for a fair review.

The post Breaking the Rules, Bloom – Kate Belle appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Title:

Yep. As requested, Michael and I are back once again as a book-reviewing double act. Are we less ranty than last time? I think so. But I still ended up drawing stick figures. Couldn’t seem to stop myself. He, meanwhile, took the high road and included intelligent and insightful quotes. (I think it’s clear which of us is Batman and which of us is Robin in this instance …)

JANE’S TAKE …

Before I say anything else, I just want to make it clear that I liked this book. The story was interesting, the characters likeable, and the sex hot. (Very, very hot in fact.) But it disturbed me. And I felt bad for enjoying it at times.

I’m a bit of a fan of both the non-con and D/s genres when it comes to erotica. But I see them as very separate things and when they start getting tangled together in a work of fiction, sirens, alarm bells and all manner of other emergency service warning systems start going off in my head. Consent is fundamental to BDSM. Always. And if it’s not? Well, that’s abuse. Plain and simple. As a rule, I will immediately stop reading books that portray non-consensual interactions between characters as D/s or S/M. Take Me, Break Me, however, managed to twist all the traditional rules of engagement.

The premise is intriguing. Jodie wants to make a documentary about living through the experience of a capture fantasy and asks her ex-boyfriend, Klaus, to imprison her in the basement of her house for the period of one month. He is – initially – shocked by her proposition but eventually agrees because he’s concerned that if he doesn’t, Jodie might engage the services of someone who would take advantage of the situation and truly hurt her. A very arbitrary and vague set of guidelines (The Rules), consisting of five sketchy bullet points is drawn up, a detailed ‘in case it all goes horribly wrong’ protection contract signed, and off they go. You can see where this is heading, can’t you?

Needless to say, things don’t go to plan (there’d be no story if they did) and after little more than a day or so Jodie and Klaus find themselves in a bit of a situation. Klaus discovers his sadistic side. Jodie discovers she likes to be hurt. Klaus decides to throw away The Rules (such as they are) and make new ones. Without any discussion. Oh, boy.

My Take Me, Break Me experience went something like this …

@Michael (just after starting the book):

‘RED PEN ALERT!

I had to read the first chapter twice because all the tense switching confused me. (Maybe I am just A Bear of Very Little Brain?!) Present tense, then past written in the past tense, then past written in the present tense, then back to present in the present tense. Huh? What exactly are you signing, man [Klaus]?! End-of-year finance reports or a down-and-dirty sex slave agreement? Because, you know, that distinction is kind of important!

I now have the awful urge to sing Brittany Spears’ ‘Slave for You’, btw. :-/’

I get frightened by the lack of discussion and awful bullet-pointed rules:

I get confused about what genre I am actually reading:

[Brief interlude, during which Michael and I disagree over the outfit Klaus makes Jodie wear (he thinks it’s ridiculous, I think it’s fabulously degrading) and we both start Googling Magnetic Island, the setting for Take Me, Break Me, real estate prices.]

I get distracted by the idea of green bamboo canes:

Then Jodie and Klaus go to a play party and I want to get one of these out:

All in all, I felt like this the entire time I was reading:

As I said right at the very beginning, I liked Take Me, Break Me. But it scared me. Ergo the above picture. This is a case of the reader being ‘head f*cked’ as much as the characters because you’re enjoying all the things they’re doing together but feel horrible for it because the proposition is so dangerously and badly flawed …

This is a great story, albeit an uncomfortable one.

Safe, Sane and Consensual. Take Me, Break Me certainly proves how important this mantra is.

MICHAEL’S TAKE …

“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

– Don Corleone

Jodie is a comedienne. Not the worst, but not the greatest either. Her career is just going so-so. So she gets an idea. Make a documentary. But not about the life of a so-so comedienne. No, her idea is to make one about psychological enslavement. You see, Jodie has a secret love for that particular type of erotica we call the Capture Fantasy. So her idea is to film a woman throughout the process and through to the end result. And not just any woman. Herself (with some preset automatic cameras). But who can she get to be her captor?

Klaus. Good old Klaus. Her accountant. Oh, and her once-upon-a-time boyfriend. He’s the perfect guy for this sort of thing. Except maybe a little too cautious. When she approaches him with the idea, he reluctantly accepts. But only after drawing up a Contract and set of Rules so strict he pretty much takes all the fun out of it for both of them.

After all, this is supposed to be fun. Safe, Sane and Totally Consensual but fun as well. So what happens after 36 hours or so when Klaus dispenses with The Rules and makes it up as he goes along?

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

– Lord Acton

When I read the description for this one, I actually bought it immediately. Because even though I didn’t plan on reading it as soon as soon as I did, I knew it was one I was definitely going to read. I thought this could be a fun and sexy story. Instead I found it to be a brutally realistic portrayal of two people playing around with things they didn’t understand and getting in absolutely and completely over their heads.

Especially Klaus. I am often pretty hard on male lead characters for doing the wrong thing. But in this case, I didn’t really blame him. Things were so off from the very beginning that you just had to hope they both got out without any permanent damage.

“When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you.”

– Friedrich Nietzsche

Do I think you should read this book? If you like capture fantasy and BDSM fiction, I would say absolutely, positively, unequivocally ‘yes’.

But just keep in mind this is more what not to do.

Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to purchase a copy:

Amazon.co.uk

• Take Me, Break Me – Kindle

Amazon.com

• Take Me, Break Me – Kindle

Smashwords

• Take Me, Break Me – ePub

The post Take Me, Break Me (Pierced Hearts) – Cari Silverwood appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.