Sally Bend's Blog, page 18
October 3, 2024
Book Review: The Dominion and the Sugilite: Episode 8-10 by B.J. Frazier (erotica)
Episode 8 | Episode 9 | Episode 10
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: July 12 to Aug 26, 2024
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Various
The Dominion and the Sugilite is a serialized erotic science-fantasy soap opera by B.J. Frazier, one 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. If you missed my review of the first 7 installments, you can catch up here and here.
I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but if you’re new to the series, I strongly suggest you go back and start at the beginning, episode by episode, so you can appreciate the characters and how their lives are becoming so deliciously intertwined. A lot has happened at this point.
One of the aspects I wanted to address in these latest episodes is something I teased in my last review. There’s a rather – let’s say, petulant and assertive – woman whose daughter has seemed to be in a rebellious submissive phase (scandalous for such a society), but who increasingly seems less rebellious and more genuinely submissive. When you pair that with the fact that her boyfriend experiences something of a submissive awakening in these episodes, the two-sided portrayal of the ‘natural’ power exchange becomes even more fascinating.
I talked about satyrs and nymphs in my last review, but this time I have to address the long-teased, long-awaited, long-endowed futanari whose futa shakes have caused so much trouble. Of all the magical touches to the planet of Cybele, these may be my favorite. Big, buxom, and beautiful, the very well-endowed women work in colored pairs, with the erotic mixing of their colors determining the taste and color of their creamy shakes. There’s so much delicious (pun intended) detail to their scenes, it’s just a shame that poor Geo is in no condition to enjoy them.
And that brings me to the big soap opera twists of the final episodes in this first season, which I can’t say much about, but which involve Aurora, Geo, Acacia, and Petronel. There are major OMG moments here as we get answers to certain behaviors, a challenge to the natural order, and a surprise reveal that has my genderfluid soul supremely curious! There have been a lot of characters and plot threads throughout the season, but Miss Frazier really brings them together here, even as she teases so much more to come.
Rating: 
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Tour: Whiskey and Warfare by E.M. Hamill
E.M. Hamill has a new queer women-led space western out (pan, lesbian, aro/ace), Team Huntress book one: Whiskey and Warfare. And there’s a giveaway!
Running on caffeine and spite with nothing left to prove. GOLDEN GIRLS meets FIREFLY in this rollicking space opera adventure.
Maryn Alessi retired from mercenary service after her last assignment went horribly sideways and settled down on a quiet planet with the love of her life. Unexpectedly widowed, Maryn must fulfill a promise to return her mate’s ashes to zer home planet for funeral rites, but a brutal civil war has destabilized space travel.
Former Artemis Corps sisters-in-arms and their sassy ship, the Golden Girl, are up to the task, counting on luck and their rather sketchy cargo business to get Maryn passage through the contested star lanes. But when the crew of the Girl rescues survivors of a ruthless war crime, Maryn and her ride-or-die friends must take up their old profession to save the lives of innocents from a genocidal dictator.
Warnings: violence, genocide, aging, chronic illness, grief (death of spouse), PTSD
Praise for the Book:
“This is the story we all need now — filled with so much love and respect and genuinely fun adventure.” –KD Edwards, author of The Last Sun
“Every element of it just SANG. The story was *chef’s kiss*. This book is truly special.” –Sarah Chorn, author of The Necessity of Rain
“A fantastic read, a thoroughly delightful romp through space with an all-female main cast that blends crazy action scenes with deep reflection on what it means to grow older. This isn’t your parents’ Golden Girls.” –J. Scott Coatsworth, QueerSciFi.com
Universal Buy Link | GoodreadsGiveaway
E.M. is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour:
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47318/
Excerpt
Jac regarded Col with an arched eyebrow. “What happens to your species as you age? I don’t see you looking any different than the last time we got together.”
“You can’t tell?” Col stroked her furry cheeks. “I have more hair on my face.”
“Don’t we all?” Maryn gave a shaky laugh. “I look like I just hit puberty. I think my moustache is glorious.”
“I have also developed lower breasts,” the Boshi said, revealing her catlike teeth in a silent snarl of disgust.
“Mine are heading south too.” Jac cupped her tits, staring at them in contemplation.
“No. Lower breasts.” Col motioned to mid-abdomen beneath her tunic when it became clear they did not follow. “My second set.”
All three humans stared at her with varying degrees of curiosity. “What are they for?” Scylla asked.
“In my society I would be expected to help nurse the litters of my children. If I had any.” Col’s furry ears flapped as she shuddered. “Mewling, damp little things. Why anyone would want them is a mystery.”
“Ours turned out okay, and I didn’t have to get cozy with anything but a syringe,” Jac said with a laugh. “But I’m pretty sure Maya doesn’t expect me to breastfeed our grandkids.”
“Don’t look at me. I got rid of the plumbing a long time ago.” Scylla slapped her flat chest with both hands.
“How old is Maya now?” Maryn was chagrined to realize she hadn’t asked after her honorary niece.
“Twenty-one. She finished her first degree and she’s in medical residency on Telluride Station.” Jac beamed with pride. “Her gene dads still practice in New Denver, so she’s living with them. They’ve been trying to convince us to settle down there, where it’s safe and boring, but we’re not ready for that.” Something Maryn couldn’t name flitted through her expression before Jac’s face softened. “She sends her love, by the way.”
“Sweet kid. I owe her a graduation gift. What a lousy aunt I am.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue.
“You’re not.”
“I haven’t even seen her since she was six, when you came to visit.”
“She gets it, Mar.” Jac’s voice was gentle but firm, trying to head off Maryn’s slide into self-recrimination, but it was too much.
“I hate this. All of it.” She balled up the soggy paper in her fist. “I have six days left to take Andelek to Xyri before the scheduled rites and I have got to pull my shit together. I could check interplanetary express freight pricing, I guess. They’ve probably raised the rates because of the war, but I can afford it.”
Her eyes grew hot again. “But it just seems so wrong. Ze isn’t a box of supplies to be shuffled off world by a robotic pilot like so much cargo. But I don’t know what else to do.” Maryn made a frustrated noise as her voice snagged on the words. Tears came again whether she wanted them or not, and she swept the back of her hand over her eyes. “I’m running out of time.”
“About that.” Jac exchanged a long glance with Scylla before she continued, “We were talking. We want to take you to Xyri.”
The warm burst of astonished gratitude faded against an electric-jolt corkscrew of anxiety drilling into her chest. Shame came next, as always, and self-disgust filled her mouth with a sour, acetic burn.
“Are you sure?” she stammered. “It’s such a dangerous flight plan right now. It won’t complicate your business?”
“Nah. We’re still freelance.” Scylla shrugged. “Mostly private transactions. We’re our own bosses.” Her husky voice softened. “And you know the Girl would love to see you.”
“I miss her too.” Golden Girl was the well-loved privateer cruiser they’d pooled their end of tour bonuses to purchase when they left the Corps. The ship had been their home, their means of independence, and she had a definite personality. Its AI learning interface had picked up more human nuance with every mission until they treated it like a fifth crew member.
“The Girl’s small enough she doesn’t attract much attention on sensor sweeps. We need to go through Konecthedot system anyway on … business.” Jac traded another secretive nod with Scylla, and Maryn wondered what they weren’t saying.
“That is next to the front.” Col wasn’t fooled by the innocence act, her peridot eyes narrowed.
“Doesn’t mean it won’t be risky, but we can get you there in plenty of time for the remembrance rites.” Scylla cocked her head and her deep brown eyes, so dark they were almost black, glinted with hope and mischief. “Whatcha think, Mar? We can make it a girls’ trip if Col wants to tag along.”
“Yes!” the Boshi exclaimed in her sweet, breathy voice. “I have been bored out of my skull. I can work anywhere since CosBank gave me remote branch equipment.”
What her friends offered was too generous to turn down. She took a deep, steadying breath. “I don’t know what to say, except—” she gestured helplessly. “Thank you.”
Scylla gulped the rest of her wine, her enthusiasm building. “Konecthedot sector might be close to the front, but we haven’t had any issues yet. It’s less dangerous than anything we did when we were mercs. We’ve got two stops to make on the way, but after that, we head straight for the wormhole and Xyri. We can transport you faster without picking up passengers at every station like the star liners do.”
“Globney said the Qetish fleet is blocking the Pashni.” Maryn twisted her fingers together to keep them from shaking.
“They don’t bother flights that originate anywhere other than Khepra, from what we heard,” the pilot assured her, and amended with a skyward glance, “Leastways, not much.”
“I haven’t been off world since …” she faltered.
Terror. Black, endless space. Isolation. The memory threatened to overwhelm her already fragile composure.
“We know.” Jac stroked her forearm.
Of course they did. They’d saved her life.
Author Bio
E.M. (Elisabeth) Hamill writes adult science fiction and fantasy somewhere in the wilds of eastern suburban Kansas. A nurse by day, wordsmith by night, she has sworn never to grow up and get boring.
Frequently under the influence of caffeinated beverages, she also writes as Elisabeth Hamill for young adult readers in fantasy with the award-winning Songmaker series.
She lives with her family, where they fend off flying monkey attacks and prep for the zombie apocalypse.
Author Website: https://emhamill.wordpress.com
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/EMHamill
September 30, 2024
Exploring Trans Horror in ‘All the Hearts You Eat’
Author: Hailey Piper
Publication Date: October 15, 2024 by Titan Books
Genres: Horror
Protagonist Gender: Various
All the Hearts You Eat is stunningly good. It’s macabre, poetic, disturbing, and beautiful – a trans horror tour de force. My first experience with Hailey Piper reminds me in many ways of my first encounter with Clive Barker. She has a way with language, a mastery of imagery and theme, that draws you in and demands you read every single word. This is a stunningly good story, but it’s an even better telling, the likes of which I have not encountered in years.
I mentioned trans horror because that’s exactly what lies at the heart (pun intended) of All the Hearts You Eat, but part of what makes it so powerful is how carefully crafted the trans identities and experiences are, and how their place in the world imbues the story with so much meaning. Piper introduces us to four characters who came out in their own ways and at their own time, transitioned differently, and encountered very different reactions from those around them. While there is love and a sense of shared identity here, there’s also fear, longing, hurt, and (oh yes!) anger.
What’s most interesting about the anger is that it’s so often felt on behalf of others, an intense emotional reaction mirroring that of the reader.
The story transitions as well, starting out as a sad tale of death before shifting into a very gothic sort of ghost story, a viscerally unsettling vampire tale, and a surreally beautiful story of monsters and mythology, only to circle right back around to a story of death – the death of lives, friendships, loves, and families. It’s jarring (and I suspect deliberately so), but it’s all connected, part of the theme of the underlying transformation. Everything about this story is, in some way, transformed along the way, including two of my favorite aspects – the transformation of doorways between worlds (I’ll never forget that living room) and the transformation of bodies (you’ll never think of oral sex or green sea glass the same way again) – not to mention our perspective on who or what a monster really is.
One of the most subtle things that Piper does with the narrative comes in the final part of the book, and it’s nothing more than the haunting presence of a pronoun. You’re reading it, wondering if it’s a mistake, a reference to someone off the page, a hint of someone waiting ahead, or (most frightening) a deliberate slipping of gender. It’s one tiny word, repeated over and over, but the power it has over the narrative and your experience is precisely that which it has over lives. Paired with it is the breaking of a character, the removal of their awareness, transforming our anger at someone to anger at the world.
For all that All the Hearts You Eat is a story of trans characters and themes of transformation, and while you can’t remove the trans experience from the story any more than you can remove it from the characters, it’s not just about that. There’s a line near the end that I love for its simplicity:
“You boiled her down to one thing, like that’s all she’s ever been, but Cab has a whole universe inside.”
I think the best way I can sum up the book is this: I questioned some of the transitions along the way, lamenting the loss of some aspects and chafing against the introduction of others, but once I understood why things changed and appreciated that what I thought lost was still very much there, I was blown away by how deftly Piper enlightened my experience, transforming my anger into something more akin to sorrow, while simultaneously strengthening my love and compassion for Cab, Xi, Rex, Ivory, and even Honey.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2024
Freebie Friday – Putting the TG in TGIF!
Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Freebie Friday!
Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. 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!
September 25, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone (fantasy)
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 for this week brings back pulp heroine, Red Sonja, and takes her from the pages of comics to the pages of a novel with Gail Simone still very much in charge.
Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone
Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery
384 pages, Hardcover
November 19, 2024 by Orbit
Red Sonja, the iconic, fiery, she-devil with a sword, is reinvented for a new generation of readers in this action-packed epic fantasy by legendary comic book writer Gail Simone.
The gutsy, wild, tortured free spirit, forged in pain yet unafraid of life or death, Red Sonja, the famous, fiery She-Devil and barbarian of Hyrkania has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She’s taken what she wanted, from treasure to drink to the companionship of bedfellows. She’s fought who deserved it (and sometimes those who didn’t). And she’s never looked back.
But when rumors start bubbling up from her homeland–rumors of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths–and a strange voice begins whispering to her in her sleep, she realizes she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. And finally do the only thing that has ever scared her: confront her past.
September 24, 2024
Reservations: A Fun and Quirky Romance Novel
Author: Donna Jay
Publication Date: September 26, 2024
Genres: Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female
The first date that opens Reservations is one of the funniest, most awkward scenes I’ve come across in ages. It was so clear that something was wrong with both the date and the rescue from it that I was instantly drawn in, desperately curious to find out what other surprises were in store. Of course, it helps that Donna Jay is such a wonderful author when it comes to establishing strong, likable, endearing women. By the time true motivations we revealed, I already cared so much for Alex and Rose that my curiosity deepened into need.
Unlike Rose, I haven’t been sworn to an NDA, but I’ll still keep my secrets to myself and avoid any spoilers.
The first third of the book is all about establishing the characters and planting the seeds for the forced-proximity romance. The second third explores setting up the women’s only hotel, designing the kink-themed rooms, and struggling with the flirting, teasing, and temptation. The final third then explores the lives and loves of the hotel’s guests while seeing the romance realized . . . and, of course, tested with a wild twist I so did not see coming!
While there is some darkness behind the lives of the women, mostly to do with secrets and family, the overall theme of this is playful and fun. It’s a delightful read, from beginning to end, that not only takes a positive approach to kink, but beautifully redeems the theme of family. I always enjoy Donna’s work, but this is my favorite since Arms Wide Open or The Temp.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Reservations by Donna Jay (romance)
Author: Donna Jay
Publication Date: September 26, 2024
Genres: Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female
The first date that opens Reservations is one of the funniest, most awkward scenes I’ve come across in ages. It was so clear that something was wrong with both the date and the rescue from it that I was instantly drawn in, desperately curious to find out what other surprises were in store. Of course, it helps that Donna Jay is such a wonderful author when it comes to establishing strong, likable, endearing women. By the time true motivations we revealed, I already cared so much for Alex and Rose that my curiosity deepened into need.
Unlike Rose, I haven’t been sworn to an NDA, but I’ll still keep my secrets to myself and avoid any spoilers.
The first third of the book is all about establishing the characters and planting the seeds for the forced-proximity romance. The second third explores setting up the women’s only hotel, designing the kink-themed rooms, and struggling with the flirting, teasing, and temptation. The final third then explores the lives and loves of the hotel’s guests while seeing the romance realized . . . and, of course, tested with a wild twist I so did not see coming!
While there is some darkness behind the lives of the women, mostly to do with secrets and family, the overall theme of this is playful and fun. It’s a delightful read, from beginning to end, that not only takes a positive approach to kink, but beautifully redeems the theme of family. I always enjoy Donna’s work, but this is my favorite since Arms Wide Open or The Temp.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 20, 2024
Freebie Friday – Putting the TG in TGIF!
Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Freebie Friday!
Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. 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!
September 18, 2024
Time and Tide: A Sapphic Regency Romance to Anticipate
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 for this week is a sapphic regency romance for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Alexis Hall, and Olivia Waite – and I check all the boxes.
Time and Tide by J. M. Frey
Romance, Historical Fiction
408 pages, Paperback
November 12, 2024 by W by Wattpad Books
Historical fiction with a touch of time travel, for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Alexis Hall, and Olivia Waite’s Feminine Pursuits series, where a modern bisexual woman is thrown into Regency England and must figure out how to survive, while she falls in love with a woman who will become a famous author.
Just a twenty-first century gal with nineteenth-century problems…
When Sam’s plane crashes catastrophically over the Atlantic, it defies all odds for Sam to be the sole survivor. But it seems impossible that she’s rescued by a warship in 1805. With a dashing sea captain as her guide, she begins to find her footing in a world she’d only seen in movies.
Then Sam is betrayed. At the mercy of the men and morals of the time, and without the means to survive on her own, she’s left with no choice but to throw herself on the charity of the captain’s sisters. She resigns herself to a quiet life of forever hiding her true self. What she doesn’t expect is that her new landlady is Margaret Goodenough–the world-famous author whose yet-to-be-completed novel will contain the first lesbian kiss in the history of British Literature, and a clever woman. Clever enough to know her new companion has a secret.
As the two women grow ever closer, Sam must tread the tenuous line between finding her own happiness in a place where she doesn’t think she’ll ever fit in, and possibly (accidentally) changing the course of history.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Time and Tide J. M. Frey (historical romance)
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 for this week is a sapphic regency romance for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Alexis Hall, and Olivia Waite – and I check all the boxes.
Time and Tide by J. M. Frey
Romance, Historical Fiction
408 pages, Paperback
November 12, 2024 by W by Wattpad Books
Historical fiction with a touch of time travel, for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Alexis Hall, and Olivia Waite’s Feminine Pursuits series, where a modern bisexual woman is thrown into Regency England and must figure out how to survive, while she falls in love with a woman who will become a famous author.
Just a twenty-first century gal with nineteenth-century problems…
When Sam’s plane crashes catastrophically over the Atlantic, it defies all odds for Sam to be the sole survivor. But it seems impossible that she’s rescued by a warship in 1805. With a dashing sea captain as her guide, she begins to find her footing in a world she’d only seen in movies.
Then Sam is betrayed. At the mercy of the men and morals of the time, and without the means to survive on her own, she’s left with no choice but to throw herself on the charity of the captain’s sisters. She resigns herself to a quiet life of forever hiding her true self. What she doesn’t expect is that her new landlady is Margaret Goodenough–the world-famous author whose yet-to-be-completed novel will contain the first lesbian kiss in the history of British Literature, and a clever woman. Clever enough to know her new companion has a secret.
As the two women grow ever closer, Sam must tread the tenuous line between finding her own happiness in a place where she doesn’t think she’ll ever fit in, and possibly (accidentally) changing the course of history.
