Sally Bend's Blog, page 11
February 14, 2025
Getting Lustspelled with The Morrigan Slumbers by B.E. Wolf (erotica)
Author: B.E. Wolf
Publication Date: Feb 13, 2025
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Various
The Morrigan Slumbers by B.E. Wolf is one of those books that catches you by surprise – and then continues to slip under the radar and subvert your expectations. There is nothing safe or predictable about this erotic romance. In fact, it walks a tightrope of taboo in many respects, making this less of a will they/won’t they kind of romance and more of a should they bit of fiction.
As the story opens, we’re introduced to Morgan Rook, a young woman who lives in her car and hangs out on the school roof with crows . . . a full-figured goth girl whose home life is a mess, and whose school life is full of rumors, innuendo, and constant bullying. When Sean O’Sullivan, a hulking football player, comes to her rescue one day, it sparks a friendship (with-benefits), but one that she’s determined will never be a relationship. His father, though? Sully O’Sullivan, the handsome, mysterious owner of a genuine magic shop? He proves to be a mentor-with-benefits, the positive father figure she’s so sorely lacking, and the one person with whom she’d gladly share a relationship – if only he would let her.
There are several things that struck me about this, several aspects that set it apart and make it memorable for me. First is the characters. Wolf always writes complex and often damaged characters whose love tends to be problematic, but which also comes with full consent. Second is the relationships between those characters, love triangles with fuzzy or indistinct sides – so much more interesting than the typical dynamic. Third, however, and perhaps most notable in this book, is the depth of the story. Behind this romance, we have a tale of magic and mythology that is carefully imagined and equal parts chilling and wondrous. I’ll tell you right now, magic is real, and what it takes for Morgan to accept that is intense.
From school hallways to hallways of home, adorned with wrestling title belts . . . from dark cemeteries to dark basements . . . from sunlit graduation ceremonies to eerily green-lit initiation ceremonies . . . The Morrigan Slumbers will lead you on a journey that you may not always be 100% comfortable with, but which is always honest about where its heart lies. There’s plenty of teasing/seduction, some intense sex, a little kinky humiliation, and even moments of comical voyeurism, but all in the context of Morgan’s graduation into a woman with a purpose. Well worth the read, with just enough mystery and unanswered questions to leave you eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.
Rating: 
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Weekend Freebies – Paranormal & Fantasy Romance
Well, if it’s another weekend, then it must be time to bend our hearts and minds around preparing for the week ahead, and how better to do that than with some Weekend Freebies!
Every weekend I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might interest visitors to the ruins. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.
Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.
Enjoy!
February 12, 2025
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Falling in a Sea of Stars by Kristen Britain
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
My choice this week is the 8th book in the Green Rider saga. No official blurb yet, but with the cover revealed last week, I had to share!
Falling in a Sea of Stars
by Kristen Britain
Fantasy
September 30, 2025 by DAW Books
Magic, danger, and adventure abound for messenger Karigan G’ladheon in the eighth book in Kristen Britain’s New York Times-bestselling Green Rider fantasy series.
Check out my review of Spirit of the Wood (the 25th-anniversary novella)
Check out my review of Winterlight (book 7 of the series)
Check out my review of The Dream Gatherer (the 20th-anniversary novella)
Check out my review of Firebrand (book 6 of the series)
Check out my review of Mirror Sight (book 5 of the series)
Check out my review of Blackveil (book 4 of the series)
Check out my review of The High King’s Tomb (book 3 of the series)
Check out my review of First Rider’s Call (book 2 of the series)
February 8, 2025
Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post
Stacking The Shelves (Reading Reality) and The Sunday Post (Caffeinated Reviewer) are both blog memes about sharing the books we’re adding to the shelves and sharing news of the week ahead.
New PurchasesNothing purchased this week
For ReviewA few review titles this week…
Dark Needs at Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole – this looks to be a reprint or a new edition, but the cover is gorgeous and who can pass up an abandoned manor, an imprisoned vampire, and the ghost of a ballerinaKinky Karrot Presents: Off The Beaten Path by Marie Sann & Yann Krehl – I absolutely adore her artwork and how it manages to be fun and happy and quirky and kinky at the same time, so I’m excited to finally be getting an English edition of this storyThe End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand edited by Christopher Golden & Brian Keene – The Stand is iconic, and if there’s anybody I’d trust with overseeing a return it’s Golden and Keene, especially with stories from Poppy Z. Brite, Richard Chizmar, Jonathan Janz, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Hailey Piper, and Catherynne M. Valente
Currently ReadingI’ve had a busy week with a novella to audit and two short stories to proof, so reading time has been scarce, but I expect to finish To Hell or High Water by Selene Kapsaski & Beth Warburton and The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig this week, while continuing to take my time with Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson.
February 7, 2025
Weekend Freebies – Bound & Transformed
Well, if it’s another weekend, then it must be time to bend our hearts and minds around preparing for the week ahead, and how better to do that than with some Weekend Freebies!
Every weekend I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might interest visitors to the ruins. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.
Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.
Enjoy!
February 4, 2025
The Dominion and the Sugilite: Episodes 14 & 15 by B.J. Frazier (erotica)
Episode 14 | Episode 15
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: Dec 6 to 19, 2024
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Various
If you are new to The Dominion and the Sugilite, then let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. This is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, set on a female-ruled planet where the power exchange is the foundation of a fantasy-themed society fueled by the magic of gems known as sugilite.
As always, I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but there’s only so much I can not say when we’re 15 episodes in.
Although the last episode took us outside the Dominion to visit the Naturalists, it was through Naqqi, an open-minded, respectful young man who doesn’t really represent the most uncomfortable aspects of their society. In Episode 14, Geo is forced to endure a meal with Obadiah, and we get to experience Naturalists’ misogynistic, patriarchal, hypocritical society in all its horror.
At the same time, we get inserted into the soap opera between Jewel, her submissive Stone, and Gaius the satyr. What we see here is coercion and trickery on the satyr’s part, altering the power exchange for what purpose we don’t know, stripping it of love and respect, and directing it towards humiliation.
These scenes have a heavy emotional impact as you’re reading them, but there’s a psychological one that only comes later, in a scene between Chip and Acacia.
“You’re saying that unintentional pain is not pleasurable.”
“Yes! That’s it exactly!” Chip smiled. “Because in the moment, there’s a pleasure to the pain. But I can’t enjoy something if I don’t know what she’s going to do.”
“Yes,” Acacia nodded. “That makes sense. You can’t ever achieve sub space in that scenario.”
In contrast to the ways in which Obadiah verbally abuses his wife and Gaius coaxes out a scene of abject humiliation, we see a Domme and a sub reflecting on a scene in an open, respectful conversation. While the uninitiated might say that whipping, flogging, and spanking are the true abuse, we’re reminded of the mutual benefits they bring within a power exchange.
By contrast, Episode 15 is more reflective and mysterious as it explores the events of the last episode and seeks to shed some light on them – even as it exposes new secrets and mysteries. Aurora and Geo have a wonderfully choreographed discussion about Obadiah within an intimate expression of their power exchange, complete with submissive rewards.
Stone’s story continues with a very uncomfortable scene with Cozima, his boss, which is not all that different from what he endured with Gaius in the last episode, except here there’s unwanted pain added to the humiliation. Again, it’s a deliberate interference in his power exchange with Jewel, but this time the counter is young Pebbles as we follow up on her training experiences two episodes ago. Here she borrows a friend’s submissive and slowly, awkwardly, adorably becomes more confident in her role. It’s a comic scene at times, very much echoing her lessons with Acacia, and it demonstrates the difference between dominance and abuse.
As for the mysteries I alluded to, one involves Stone, and for all that it makes me suspicious of his motives, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for Cozima. Another revolves around Gaius and his situation since being interrupted with Jewel and Stone. I won’t say much about that, except that my sympathy for him is tempered by my suspicion of him. The last mystery, and this is where I’m far more heavily invested emotionally, is the suggestion that Bay’s motives in helping with the preparation of futa shakes is not so innocent. I loved his scene with Dvita and Ichiniko (I’d happily read a novel about the two of them!), but his final scene in the episode left me rather cross.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 2, 2025
Seducing the Widow with Jane Walsh
Author: Jane Walsh
Publication Date: January 14, 2025 by Bold Strokes Books
Genres: Historical Romance
Representation: Lesbian, Bisexual
The latest historical sapphic romance from Jane Walsh is a pleasantly low-stakes, low-angst, low-conflict novel where the backstory is almost more interesting than the main narrative.
Fifteen years ago, Cass and Louise were young debutantes embroiled in a bitter rivalry for the affections of the same man. In an enemies-to-lovers twist, they ended up falling for one another, but weighed down by the burdens of social expectations, Louise turned her back on their love and chose the earl instead – leaving Cass heartbroken and humiliated. I really wish we could have seen more of this, because I wanted to see these young women discover one another, but what’s there is lovely.
As Seducing the Widow opens, Cass is returning to the scene off the crime (so to speak), desperate for the right patron to support her gloves and help her rescue her family’s fortunes – and that patron, the woman who she feels owes her, is Louise. It’s an awkward, uncomfortable reunion, but there’s guilt and longing there, and rather get bogged down in bickering and arguing, they opt for open and honest communication about the past, their feelings, and the present. We see them open up, reconnect, and look to make the most of their second chance.
While I’m not a fan of love triangles and generally resent the need to shoehorn a third into a relationship we’re invested in, I did like the Louise/Victor relationship because it opened up an interesting discussion into Victor’s past as Clarabel, who cast off the pressure to be the perfect young lady, but who ultimately rejected the same debut season that brought Louise and Cass together.
No surprises, no major twists or turns, just a happily-ever-after romance with two remarkable (and remarkably endearing) women.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 1, 2025
Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post
Stacking The Shelves (Reading Reality) and The Sunday Post (Caffeinated Reviewer) are both blog memes about sharing the books we’re adding to the shelves and sharing news of the week ahead.
New PurchasesTwo purchases again this week, Sword Dance by A J Demas, a m/nb romance set in an imaginary ancient world, and A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon, a reverse harem monster romance.
For ReviewA handful of review titles this week, including:
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (Gothic Romantasy with a divine prophetess and a heretical knight)
Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam (Epic Fantasy / High Fantasy with an unlikely assassin and an aging swordswoman)The Revenge of Captain Vessia by Leslie Allen (Fantasy / Romance with a Vampyri pirate transwoman)
If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You by Mae Marvel (Thriller / Romance with girlfriends keeping secrets – spy secrets)Sex Witches by Crystal Veeyant & Belle du Jour (Erotica with a brothel full of witches)
Currently ReadingThis week I’ve flipping between To Hell or High Water by Selene Kapsaski & Beth Warburton and Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson, and I immediately jumped into the pages of The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig, taking it to my pedicure appointment.
January 31, 2025
Weekend Freebies – Femdom, Feminization, Femboy, and Futa Fun
Well, if it’s another weekend, then it must be time to bend our hearts and minds around preparing for the week ahead, and how better to do that than with some Weekend Freebies!
Every weekend I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might interest visitors to the ruins. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.
Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.
Enjoy!
January 29, 2025
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Scorpion Ranch by Carlton Mellick III
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
My choice this week is a literary exploration of gender identity and emotional abuse from the grand master of Bizarro fiction.
Scorpion Ranch
by Carlton Mellick III
Science Fiction | Bizarro
April 15, 2025 by Eraserhead Press
For over 20 years, Carlton Mellick III has been writing some of the strangest and most compelling novels the bizarro fiction genre has to offer. Described as one of the top 40 genre fiction writers under the age of 40 by The Guardian and “one of the most original novelists working today” by extreme horror legend Edward Lee, Mellick returns with a literary exploration of gender identity and emotional abuse.
Daniel Munch is in a toxic relationship, but not just because his girlfriend is selfish and manipulative. She is also literally toxic-born with glands in her mouth and genitals that spew deadly poison. Every time they kiss or make love, he puts his life at risk. She could kill him at any moment and he has no choice but to trust that she would never do anything to cause him harm.
But when they decide to get married, Daniel is pressured into doing the switch-a procedure where couples swap bodies in order to better understand each other. For one month, he will become her girlfriend while she will become his boyfriend. It’s only for one month, so what would be the harm in giving it a shot? Surely it wouldn’t utterly destroy each and every aspect of his entire life…
From the Wonderland Book Award-winning author of Quicksand House, Glass Children, and The Girl with the Barbed Wire Hair.
