Sally Bend's Blog, page 25
April 8, 2024
Book Review: Leather, Lace, and Locs by Anne Shade (romance)
Author: Anne Shade
Publication Date: April 9, 2024 by Bold Strokes Books
Genres: Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female
Leather, Lace, and Locs is a wonderful book that works on so many different levels. It’s a story of gender (female and nonbinary), race (Women of Color), relationships (families, friendships, and lovers), ambition (personal and professional), sexuality (lesbian and bisexual), and more. Anne Shade doesn’t rush her story, but instead allows it to develop over a couple of years, dropping in and out of the characters’ lives to show us how they’ve grown.
The story allows us time to get to know Melissa, Golden, and Zoe as women first, to understand where they’ve come from, and to appreciate what they mean to one another. They’re strong, passionate, empowered women, all of whom are on the cusp of change. By the time romance enters the story, we’re already connected to them all, so we’re immediately invested in the relationships that do develop.
As much as I loved the women, I loved the diversity of this story even more. We see Melissa discover an inner strength she didn’t know she had as a professional dominatrix, with a nonbinary client tempting her to take professional personal. Golden walks away from a steady job to pursue her dreams of dancing, building her own burlesque studio, all while she anxiously navigates the temptation of a polyamorous relationship with two women she’s afraid to admit she loves. And then there’s Zoe, who meets a woman through her hair salon who quickly shifts from client to friend to lover, but with a lot of baggage to be sorted. They’re all wonderful story threads but, for me, Golden was the heart and soul of the story, and seeing her find happiness made me happy.
As with any HEA romance, there’s no real drama or suspense in wondering if the women of Leather, Lace, and Locs will find love, but the joy of discovering how they find love is exquisite. Just an altogether lovely read.
Rating: 
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2024
Book Review: A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins (non-fiction)
Author: David Gibbins
Publication Date: April 2, 2024 by St. Martin’s Press
Genres: Nonfiction, History
Protagonist Gender: N/A
As a huge fan of the Jack Howard adventures, which I knew were inspired by dives undertaken by David Gibbins, I was excited to get my hands on an early copy of A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks. A part of me was disappointed that there weren’t more first-person accounts of the dives, narrative play-by-play of discovering and exploring these sunken wrecks, but that’s entirely okay because what is there – the history – is absolutely fascinating.
In some cases, the book explores history through long-forgotten treasures, the kind of discoveries that every adventurer dreams of. Yes, there are gold and jewels to be found, religious and cultural artifacts as well, but Gibbins explores what they mean, what they tell us about the past, as opposed to what they’re worth. Where the book gets really interesting is in the exploration of everyday artifacts, things like plates and bowls and construction equipment, using them to create a picture of what life was like hundreds of years ago.
Once I got past my initial disappointment over the emphasis on history as opposed to shipwrecks, I began to see the archaeological process involved, and that was what fascinated me most. It’s often painstaking work, accomplished in the harshest of conditions, requiring a wealth of preparation. It’s not like you can just sit on an old battlefield or in an old homestead and sift through layers of dirt at your leisure – you’re at the mercy of the depths, your air supply, the current, and the weather. Sometimes all you can do is catalog what you see, knowing that the next storm could bury it, leaving your eyes the authority on the matter.
A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks can be a dry, scholarly read, but as such it’s a remarkable one. This is a work of David Gibbins, archaeologist and historian, not David Gibbins, adventure author, so you do need to set your expectations. But, as I tell my wife every week when she asks if they found more wood on the Curse of Oak Island, I don’t watch for the treasure, I watch for the history, the little discoveries of pottery and nails, not the big ones, and that’s what this is all about.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 5, 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!
March 30, 2024
Book Review: This is Knot DomCon – Book Three by B.J. Frazier (erotica)
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: January 30, 2024
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Various
A quick recap for those who missed my review of the first two books in the trilogy. This series is like the definitive comic book crossover/team-up of the erotica genre, with B.J. Frazier bringing in characters from A Domme for Christmas, the Eli series, Perchance to Dream, The Service Sub, Mistress Managed, and others, to explore DomCon (a very real BDSM/femdom convention) through a fictionalized story. You don’t need to be a fan to enjoy this, but regular readers will enjoy seeing what their favorite characters are up to.
While the first book was mostly an introduction, giving the characters a reason to attend and introducing them to one another, and the second delved deeper into the relationships, the kinks, the fantasies, and (oh, yes) the drama, this concluding volume brings it all together for a finale that’s both intelligent and erotic.
If you’ve been reading along, then you know the second book ended on quite the cliffhanger, with one of the Dommes being arrested on false charges. Book Three doesn’t waste any time addressing that injustice, but lest you think it’s over all too quickly, there are still two dark bits of drama still to be resolved here, and they are a driving force behind this chapter.
Before I get to them, however, I want to talk to two of the femdom subplots that I think were absolutely marvelous. One sees a fledgling Domme being trained in how to give her submissive what she wants, and that includes understanding how differently they experience pain. There’s a lot of awkwardness there, including a bad habit of confronting tension with laughter, which breaks the scene. The other sees an inexperienced couple wanting to experiment with FLR without spending heavily on toys and equipment, which leads to a wonderful trip to the kitchen aisle of a dollar store. There’s a language barrier involved, but it’s handled so beautifully well, making it a part of the story.
As for the drama I mentioned, it’s all mixed up in past abuse, social media censorship, unsanctioned cruelty, and generally reprehensible behavior. What makes this final volume so compelling is the heaviness of that drama and the breaking of protocol involved in seeking retribution, with B.J. Frazier wisely leaving it to the reader and the characters to determine whether the end can justify the means. Even as a reader who trusts B.J. implicitly, some of those actions made me uncomfortable, but I was completely satisfied with how it was handled, especially with a final comment about the difference between professional and personal betrayal.
Rest assured, This is Knot DomCon is a story with a happy ending, and there are a lot of exciting BDSM scenes to be explored here, along with some wonderful relationships between Dommes, submissives, spouses, and sometimes more. As I said earlier, it’s smart as well as sexy, and if you don’t learn something about the law, finance, or professional ethics, then you’re simply not paying attention.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 29, 2024
Book Review: Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin (horror)
Author: Gretchen Felker-Martin
Publication Date: February 22, 2022
Genres: Horror
Protagonist Gender: Transgender
As we come to the end of this year’s #TransRightsReadathon, I’m exploring two of my more recent reads, exciting stories that deserve your attention.
There’s no polite way to put this. Manhunt fucked me up. This is a deep, dark, daring look at gender that somehow manages to be completely monstrous without ever descending into mockery. Gretchen Felker-Martin is bloody brilliant. She stunned me, amazed me, aggravated me, and excited me in equal measure. She raised me to such heights of hope and dragged me to such depths of despair that I found it hard to trust anyone or anything.
The concept of a plague that only infects those with high levels of testosterone is as brilliant as it is terrifying. It turns the infected into ravenous monsters who exist only to rape their victims and devour their corpses. Before you think this a simple man-versus-women tale, though, Manhunt explores the full depth and breadth of gender, looking at the impact of the virus on the full testosterone spectrum. Cisgender men who cannot escape their testosterone, and cisgender boys who face the threat of mandatory castration. Transmen who have to quit the hormones that fuel their transition, and transwomen who need estrogen more than ever to keep their hormones in balance. And the story doesn’t stop there. It also considers the fate of cisgender women with either too much testosterone or not enough estrogen, whether they have conditions like PCOS or are menopausal.
In an apocalyptic future where so many are just one hormone imbalance away from becoming murderous monsters, you’d think (hope) we could all work together, look to preserve our friends and loved ones, but fear is a great motivator, and that’s what makes the inevitable rise of militant TERFs as plausible as it is loathsome. As one character says in a moment of self-revelation, “What we’re doing to them . . . It’s just the same shit men did to use before,” and that’s where the heart of the conflict lies. Ultimately, the TERFs come to reflect everything they claim to be rallying against, embracing the very same masculine cruelties and injustices that their own memories have distorted out of fear and hate. They’re not just the same, I’d argue they’re far worse because they use, abuse, torture, and murder transwomen with a deliberate agenda of intentional cruelty, no matter how they justify it.
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of Manhunt, though, is how Gretchen messes with our emotions. There are so many layers of guilty affections, traitorous feelings, and gut-wrenching betrayals that it had me spinning. It hits us with one horror after another, each worse than the first, only to slip in a lesser horror, one that we should be sickened by, but which almost sounds reasonable by comparison. A memorable example is the “Cisterhood forcing little boys into their little crossdresser Hitler Youth and finding reasons to accuse each other of masculine-coded behavior.” When we hear the speech to the boys, when we see the propaganda, what’s being demanded of them almost seems like a reasonable alternative to dying like monsters. It’s only on reflection that we realize that’s a really shitty choice they’re being offered, and once we come to see beneath the lies and understand the truth of their fate of castrated slavery, fate, the inhumanity of it all is that much more sickening because of that moment of doubt.
It’s like a novel of psychological warfare, and if it can twist our loyalties and test our sympathies, then you can understand how the TERFs can corrupt even the most decent, innocent, well-meaning of women.
At the heart of all the politics and social commentary, Manhunt is both a romance and a family drama. Fran and Beth have such a wonderful dynamic, two transwomen who are friends, partners, and (when emotions run high) guilty sort of loves. The introduction of Robbie, a transman loner/hermit, into the mix challenges their dynamic, but they ultimately become a tragic, dysfunctional family under Indi, a cisgender woman who manufacturers their hormones. There’s another romance to the novel, one between a transwoman sexworker and a cisgender soldier in the TERF army, but if I start talking about that I’m going to start screaming and crying all over again.
This is a dark, violent book. It’s full of rape and murder, and the quest/mission behind it all involves the harvesting (and sometimes eating) of testicles from the monstrous men. It’s not for the squeamish. There’s also a significant plot that centers around pregnancy, and that is full of horrors you can’t begin to contemplate until you see what that pursuit can do to women. As the story proceeds, civil unrest gives way to war (and war crimes), and the body count becomes almost too much to bear.
There’s not much lightness or joy to Manhunt, although there is some very dark humor, but I have to give Gretchen props for the campfire tale about the death of JK Rowling (that was a very nice touch), and a nod-and-a-wink for naming the TERF’s ultimate weapon the Galbraith.
Manhunt is a brilliant piece of apocalyptic horror and social justice that’s deliberately exaggerated and over-the-top. It’s designed to make you think and feel, to open your eyes to the gender injustices of today, and where all those prejudices and hatreds could so easily lead. It’s also a character-driven story of love and sacrifice, though, and that’s what kept me reading, even through scenes that had me raging or crying. I had high hopes for this, grand expectations, and it surpassed all of them. It’s brave and fucking brilliant.
Rating:
March 28, 2024
Book Review: Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden (fantasy)
Author: Alina Boyden
Publication Date: April 13, 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Transgender
I originally published this review back in March of 2021 (and the first book in July of 2020, but they’re important enough, pivotal enough, that I want to give both equal space for this year’s #TransRightsReadathon.
Stealing Thunder was a book I didn’t just want to be good, I needed it to be good – to set the example, and to open the shelves for more books like it. I put some pretty heavy expectations on Alina Boyden, but she delivered a book I felt like I’d been waiting my entire life to read. Its take on gender and the portrayal of transgender lives was exquisite, the world-building was wonderful, and the romance was absolutely delightful.
The battle has been won, but the war is just beginning.
The tagline for Gifting Fire speaks as much to the plot of conquest and warfare as to Razia’s journey of individual acceptance. Having claimed her gender and her identity in the first book, she finds herself struggling with what it means to be accepted as a woman in a patriarchal society. There’s a sense of ‘be careful what you wish for’ in that she finally finds herself accepted – and treated – as a royal princess, expected to serve as an offering to seal an alliance, to put duty ahead of love, and to be sequestered as the perfect wife, rarely seen and even more seldom heard. Denied her autonomy, Razia fights for not just transgender acceptance but female agency, and that struggle is much what makes this story so exciting.
What else makes this second volume so exciting is the addition of Hina, a rival princess, and her entourage, all of whom are hijra sisters. Razia, Sakshi, and Lakshmi find themselves with allies, with an adopted family, and with friends who understand the conflict between expectations and identity. The dynamic between them is absolutely fantastic, with moments of humor to lighten the overall weight of the drama, and the addition of their river zahhaks adds another layer of action to the tale. As exciting as the climax of the first book was, the aerial battles here, especially with the weaponization of zahhaks who have no breath, is epic in the best sense of the word.
At first, I was a bit saddened at Arjun’s reduced role in the story, usurped by Karim, but I like that it isolated Razia and allowed us to see her as a strong, independent woman, working with a cadre of sisters who are very much her equal. As for Karim, I think Boyden did an exemplary job of exploring and developing his character, playing upon our emotions and making us question our own assumptions about him. Without wading too deep into spoiler territory, the themes of spousal abuse are almost as cutting as those of the patriarchy. Razia’s father is granted a little more depth and compassion here, even if it’s hard to reconcile the Sultan with the father, but it’s Sikander who is the biggest surprise. I refuse to say more, but his character arc had me in tears more than once.
Speaking of tears, I’ve never cried so many times over the course of a story’s final hundred pages. Joy, sorrow, triumph, pain, hope, despair, Boyden puts us through the wringer, forcing us to turn pages faster and faster to learn how it all ends. There was one moment in particular where I just had to drop the book and walk away, a sorrow I was ill-equipped to deal with, but she’s not a monster and you have to have hope for things to work out. Gifting Fire is somehow an even better book than the first, and one that’s even more important in every respect.
As yet, there’s been no talk of a third book, but I’m not prepared to say goodbye.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden (fantasy)
Author: Alina Boyden
Publication Date: May 12, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Transgender
I originally published this review back in July of 2020 (and the sequel in March of 2021), but they’re important enough, pivotal enough, that I want to give both equal space for this year’s #TransRightsReadathon.
As the first adult fantasy novel with a trans woman main character, written by a trans woman author, ever to be published by a mainstream press in the United States, I had high hopes for Stealing Thunder. I didn’t just want it to be good, I needed it to be good, to set the example, and to open the shelves for more books like it. Yeah, I put some pretty heavy expectations on Alina Boyden, but she delivered a book I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life to read. This was absolutely amazing.
Born to wealth and power as a Crown Prince, Razia Khan gave up everything to be true to her feminine soul. She ran away from home, away from the scorn and the abuse, to become a hijra. With a social standing below that of the most debased laborer, and a death sentence waiting should her past be revealed, she has still found happiness with her dera (house).
Let me pause there for a moment. Razia, Sakshi, and Lakshmi are women with personalities, backstory, and depth. They are characters you want to read about, people you come to care for very easily, and their found-family dynamic is fantastic. They are all hijra, with their own stories to tell, possessed of a strength that you cannot help but admire. Arjun, the dashing fairy tale Prince who captures Razia’s heart is perhaps a little too perfect, but one can hardly begrudge the Princess her Prince. Even Karim, the cruel, mocking, abusive monster from Razia’s past, proves to have some interesting facets, with a character arc that genuinely surprised me.
In terms of setting and world-building, this is very much a desert fantasy, inspired by the history and culture of South Asia. That means there’s a learning curve with the language and terminology, but I found it very easy to pick up on (there is a Glossary at the back). What shifts it from historical fantasy to epic fantasy, however, is the colorful dragons – or, more properly, the zahhaks. These are fantastic creatures, with the different breeds having the power of fire, ice, or acid. Sultana, the zahhak that Razia had to leave behind, is a character herself, and watching these magnificent beasts being flown in battle is simply breathtaking.
The romance between Razia and Arjun is definitely a major part of the story, and the way in which he loves her as a woman, accepts her as hijra, and defends her as a Princess, is glorious. While he has a lot to do with creating the opportunity, Razia deserves the credit for empowering herself and standing up to those who would ignore her, shun her, and discard her. She repeatedly proves herself, demonstrating incredible bravery, and manages to become a true heroine, a warrior Princess, even while still being a proud hijra. Her story arc takes her from daring scenes of thievery, to tense scenes of politics and strategy, to exhilarating scenes of battle.
The worst part of Stealing Thunder was that it had to end. I kept looking at the page numbers left, knowing Razia’s story was almost done, and I didn’t want to leave her or her world.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 27, 2024
Book Review: A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons (fantasy)
Author: Jenn Lyons
Publication Date: 2019-2022
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Various
I published individual reviews of each of these books as they were released, but for this year’s #TransRightsReadathon I wanted to explore the diversity within them that’s worthy of celebration
A Chorus of Dragons is a story where hardly anybody is who or what they seem – even without considering the mimic who could be anyone – where the affairs of gods and mortals are inexorably intertwined, and where you need a scorecard to keep track of names, roles, and relationships. It forces you to reconsider everything you thought you knew or understood, but there are fantastic revelations to be found as each puzzle piece falls into place.
There are so many familiar tropes to be found in the series – lost heirs, assassins, secret sorcerers, dragons, gods, sea monsters, fathers and father figures – but none quite where or how you might expect. I was . . . well, delighted is the best word I can think of . . . by how Jenn Lyons spun her tale. It’s an exceptionally dark story in places, with rape, murder, and torture at the heart of so much than happens, and yet there is wonder, amazement, and humor to be found along the way. It’s a complex saga, full of complicated characters and convoluted relationships, and one that demands a lot more attention than your average epic fantasy, but it’s well worth it.
There are multiple themes explored across the 5 books, and you could argue they are as much about power, corruption, immortality, belief, or humanity as it is about anything, but what the saga is ultimately about is love – love for family born, family created, and family found. From the worst case of sibling rivalry you can imagine to the most wonderful case of shared love and romance you can dream, this is a story about love. Not always with a happily ever after, mind you – despite the characters having narrative threads, pulling from a myriad of lives, there are real stakes that see some remain dead after the final page is turned.
One of the aspects I loved most about this series was the Joratese culture and its exciting exploration of gender. This is a culture driven by horse-based gender roles of stallion, mare, gelding, and foal that have nothing to do with biology. It’s may be confusing to the reader at first, and it perplexes people from other cultures, but I found it fascinating. On top of that, there’s simple reincarnation into different genders; races such as the voramer and morgage, who are born male but become female later in life; the magically gifted vane, who can alter their gender and appearance over time; and the treacherous mimics who can become anyone at will. There’s a whole question of romance, inheritance, and bloodlines that hinges upon gender, not because same-sex marriage is an issue, but because childbearing is far more problematic.
As for the characters and their relationships, how Lyons not only validates the emotional triangle between Kihrin, Janel, and Teraeth, but explores the complex romance dynamic of a bisexual polyamorous triad – one with reincarnation issues and a question of gender fluidity – is perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the novel. There is also the homoerotic tension/flirting between Galen and Qown; the sapphic love between Talea and Xivan with a story worthy of their history together; Sheloran being free to talk about her love for other women without being slut-shamed for it; Senera and Thurvishar being given space to explore their asexual dynamic as friends and colleagues with feelings; and so many other casual references to changing gender, stepping outside gender roles, and loving across gender lines that it’s honestly hard to keep track.
None of that, of course, is to say that A Chorus of Dragons is a story about sex and gender, but it is one in which their inherent diversities are acknowledged, understood, and accepted. I loved it!
Rating:
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Disobedience by Daniel Sarah Karasik (scifi)
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, tying in with the #TransRightsReadathon theme ,is the story of environmental catastrophe, a vast prison camp, and a young transwoman caught between desire and rebellion.
Disobedienceby Daniel Sarah Karasik
Dystopian Fiction / Speculative Fiction
220 pages, Paperback
May 21, 2024 by Book*hug Press
Shael lives in a vast prison camp, a monstrosity developed after centuries of warfare and environmental catastrophe. As a young transfeminine person, they risk abject violence if their identity and love affair with Coe, an insurrectionary activist, are discovered. But desire and rebellion flare, and soon Shael escapes to Riverwish, a settlement attempting to forge a new way of living that counters the camp’s repression.
As the complexities of this place unfold before Shael, Disobedience asks: How can a community redress harm without reproducing unaccountable forms of violence? How do we heal? What might a compassionate, sustainable model of justice look like?
This is a remarkable work of queer and trans speculative fiction that imagines how alternative forms of connection and power can refuse the violent institutions that engulf us.
March 26, 2024
Book Review: A Conspiracy of Ravens by Dharma Kelleher (thriller)
Author: Dharma Kelleher
Publication Date: October 11, 2022 by Dark Pariah Press
Genres: Thriller
Protagonist Gender: Female
My final new review of this year’s #TransRightsReadathon is a book I’ve been eager to read, the start of a new series from a woman who makes transwomen kick ass.
A Conspiracy of Ravens marks the launch of a new series from the godmother of queer crime as the woman who gave us Jinx Ballou (transgender Bounty Hunter) and Shea Stevens (lesbian Outlaw Biker) introduces us to Avery Byrne (transgender Goth Vigilante). Dharma Kelleher herself is an openly transgender author, and that means her stories don’t just pander to or pay lip service to diversity, they are diverse in their very bones.
What immediately struck me about Avery Byrne is her vulnerability. Jinx and Shea are both kick-ass women, either one of whom you’d be happy to have on your side in a fight. One is an ex-cop and the other an ex-con, and they’ve been tested (and hardened) by the world around them. For all that Avery does have a tragic past, and has most certainly been tested, the young tattoo artist has yet to be hardened. She’s young enough to make foolish choices and naive enough to put her trust in the wrong people, but for all the right reasons.
The plot here is pretty simple. With her girlfriend having been murdered for stealing from the mob, Avery is running from both mob vengeance and police justice, all while the stink of corruption and the allure of millions of dollars blurs the lines between the two groups. On the run, it’s only when she’s painted into an impossible corner that she finds the courage to do something about the problem.
Like all of Dharma’s books, this is an action-packed, fast-paced thrill ride with characters who endear themselves to you. These are stories about marginalized groups, about people harassed for who they are or who they love, and she pulls no punches in confronting the ugliness of hatred. Like everything else I’ve read of hers, at times this made me furious, but overall the message is one of hope, of the power of love, friendship, and fond family.
Jinx does make an appearance here, and as much as that excited me, I was also anxious that she’d save the day from under Avery. I needn’t have worried. A Conspiracy of Ravens sees Avery tested and hardened, coming out the other side stronger and wiser, and I’m excited to see where the goth vigilante turns her attention next.
Rating: 1/2
