Sally Bend's Blog, page 30
January 10, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Lap Dance Lust by Rachel Kramer Bussel
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 an exciting one as my favorite editor of erotica compiles her best stories of the last 25 years – including some new ones!
Lap Dance Lust by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Adult, Erotica
Paperback and eBook, 228 pages
February 13, 2024 by Cleis Press
Get reacquainted with lust in Bussel’s latest collection. . .
This time around, award-winning erotica maven Rachel Kramer Bussel delves into her own archive of sexy tales from the past twenty-five years to bring us Lap Dance Lust: A Collection of Erotic Stories. Featuring Bussel’s most popular pieces as well as brand-new ones, this salacious set of fiction offers portraits of modern sexuality that are sure to turn you on.
Dive into this book of the dirtiest deeds imaginable, and you’ll discover there’s something for everyone. Splashed across these pages are BDSM practices of all kinds, polyamorous adventures shared amongst couples, pansexual exploration and more. Characters embark on a wild adventure in “Sexathon,” while a restaurant offers an oral sex treat for those in the know in “Secret Service.” Bondage goes public in “Hands Down,” a carefully planned orgy comes to fruition in “A First Time for Everything” and a woman’s special fetish takes center stage in “Doing the Dishes.”
There is no question that Bussel has earned her reputation as one of the biggest names in the literary world of erotica; just flip open this must-read and see for yourself!
Curious about what you’ve been missing? Read my previous reviews of Rachel’s work HERE.
January 9, 2024
Book Review: Dressage by Bernard Montorgueil (erotica)
Author: Bernard Montorgueil (translated by Irene Clearmont)
Publication Date: 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Male
The French works of Bernard Montorgueil began appearing with underground sellers and printers back in the 1960s. They consisted of hand-drawn erotic illustrations that echoed the style of the 1930s, accompanied by text that could have been written at any time in this century. It’s completely unknown who Montorgueil was, much less whether he was the author, the artist, or both. Original editions are rare collector’s items, with the content varying (sometimes wildly) from one edition to another.
Since there is no definitive English edition of his work, Miss Irene Clearmont set about putting together a translated version of Dressage that not only tells and shows the complete story, but explores the mystery behind it.
This new edition opens with a fascinating introduction by Miss Irene that is worth reading even if you’re already familiar with Montorgueil’s work. In it, she explores her first encounters with the book, the history behind it, her thoughts on how it came to be published, and why she feels it’s an important work to preserve and revisit. As a long-time fan of Miss Irene, it was exciting to get a glimpse of the woman behind the stories, and to share in her thoughts on fetish and fashion as it relates to Dressage. She also explains her approach to the translation, and her footnotes throughout explain why she made some of the choices that she did.
As for Dressage itself, it’s a story within a story within a story, accompanied by gorgeous black-and-white illustrations. At its heart, it’s a story of the images and the experiences to which they relate. At a layer above that, it’s a story of a young man being punished by a group of older women for having dared to peek at the images. And then, at its final layer, it’s the story of a Master and his slave discussing their reactions to the deeper stories as they enact their own scenes of domination and punishment.
Whether it’s 60 years old or 90, the activities and costumes of Dressage are still immediately familiar to anybody who has even dabbled in BDSM. It has elements and male and female domination, whipping and spanking, the use of toys, feminization, and fetish gear including stockings, boots, and corsets. It’s easy to look at the images and lose yourself in the scene, and Miss Irene’s translation makes those scenes come alive in a way that’s accessible to modern English readers.
I think what’s most marvelous about Dressage, no matter who is behind it or how it came about, is how authentic it feels, grounded in activities that feel more genuine than fantasy, and how wide of an audience it speaks to. The layers of the story allow Dom/mes and subs of all genders to find something to which they can relate, making this feel timeless.
Rating: 
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 7, 2024
Book Review: The Secret Duchess by Jane Walsh (romance)
Author: Jane Walsh
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Genres: Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female
The Secret Duchess and I got off to a bit of a rough start because I didn’t initially care about either of the main characters. They seemed rather shallow, self-indulgent, entitled women, and while I felt bad for their rude awakenings, I wasn’t prepared to be particularly sympathetic to them. Had this not been a Jane Walsh novel, I’m not sure I would have kept reading.
Of course, I did keep reading, and I did soon come to understand the careful undressing of layers here, and how deftly Walsh built not just a romance, but the women within it. They start out seeming shallow and self-indulgent because they were raised to put social standing and appearances before all else. Neither Joan nor Maeve have ever had the opportunity to know themselves, much less be themselves, so being stripped bare of their social standing is indeed a rude awakening.
That rude awakening is a darkness that looms over much of the story, with sorrow, grief, uncertainty, and even horror that colors every moment. It’s heavy, but it’s also necessary for us to shift from understanding to accepting to empathizing with Joan and Maeve. Their struggles reveal the strength of the women inside, and an acquaintance forced upon them by circumstance slowly blooms into friendship before flowering into romance – which is where the book shines brightest. I loved getting to know these women, seeing how they treated others when there was no longer a social ladder between them, and witnessing how they became far more than the roles they’d cast aside.
I quickly came to adore Maeve, and to feel for Joan. I wanted them to be together for Joan’s sake, perhaps even more than Maeve’s, and I loved how Walsh navigated the first stirrings of love between them. Joan is so innocent, so naive when it comes to affairs of the body, and Maeve is the perfect woman to guide and instruct her. Their first fumblings are so sweet in the language and lessons learned, and it’s a delight to see passion and love develop almost simultaneously. As courtships go, this was one of my favorites in the genre!
The story does sort of race towards a climax in the final chapters, but it’s the perfect culmination of the entire story, with people coming together out of a sense of family and love, regardless of role or position, to see to it that the right thing is done – even if (or especially if) it’s not what we expected.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 5, 2024
Fetish & Fantasy 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 Fetish & Fantasy 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.
While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy!
January 3, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: A Change of Place by Julie E. Czerneda
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 the 3rd book in an absolutely beautiful, breathtaking, cozy (Canadian!) fantasy saga that has me excited to visit Marrowdell once again.
A Change of Place by Julie E. Czerneda
Adult, Fantasy
Paperback and eBook, 512 pages
June 18, 2024 by DAW
Return to the Aurora Award-winning, cozy romantic fantasy Night’s Edge series and the rich and atmospheric world of Marrowdell
Spring in Marrowdell is a time to celebrate. Life stirs, the air warms, and Jenn Nalynn and Bannan Larmensu couldn’t be happier. But spring is also fraught with change, and nowhere is this truer than the edge, where the Verge, the magical realm of dragons and sei, touches that of snow and roads. The spring equinox marks the final turn before Marrowdell’s sun starts to dominate the sky and Jenn, turn-born and sei, feels the pull to cross to the Verge.
Marrowdell’s river floods, and Jenn knows she is needed at home, but deep within the Verge a perilous force is calling her away from all she loves. For the house toad’s mighty queen has waited for the first equinox with the powers of a turn-born in the edge, and now she is ready to make her move against it.
Caught up in plots they cannot understand, Jenn and Bannan find themselves separated, and to reunite they will have to outsmart the queen herself. But even if they can foil her plan, will Marrowdell still be there when they return?
January 2, 2024
Book Review: Flowers and Flourishing by Kara Jorgensen (paranormal romance)
Author: Kara Jorgensen
Publication Date: January 27, 2023
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female
My first thought upon finishing Flowers and Flourishing was that this is a Victorian paranormal romance about gender . . . but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that’s too narrow a definition. It’s better described as a story about roles and expectations, of which gender and sexuality are just a part.
Louisa and Felipe are lifelong friends in a marriage of convenience, one that covers for the fact that she’s a lesbian and he’s a gay man, roles that society was not prepared to accept in the Victorian era. Agatha, on the other hand, is a bisexual transwoman, embodying roles of gender and sexuality deemed unacceptable in polite Victorian society.
The Paranormal Society for which Felipe and Agatha work cannot fathom that Louisa could have value on her own, so they pressure her to work alongside her husband – and to do so for free! Speaking of work, Agatha also doesn’t measure up to the Society’s professional expectations, so they’re burning out her magic by forcing her into situations for which she’s not suitable.
Taking the issue a layer deeper, both Louisa and Agatha question their own roles and expectations, judging themselves against the opinions of people around them. They’re so used to disguising their roles to fit expectations that it takes days of mutual flirting for either to realize their mutual attraction. Ironically, just as they’re coming to acknowledge it, Louisa takes a bold step that would allow them to deny expectations and live out their own roles, but Agatha panics and retreats because she can’t yet accept that her role is worth playing.
Wrapped up in all of that, of course, is a wonderful friendship-turned-romance that makes you genuinely feel for the characters. Kara Jorgensen defines their thoughts and emotions so well, you can’t help but feel drawn to them, finding yourself invested in the magic of romance. It’s a story that manages to be bold, confrontational, sweet, sad, and sensual, with a lovely thrill of erotic discovery that’s wonderfully sensitive to Agatha as a transwoman. Kara is always a delight, and this is a perfect entry into her fictional worlds.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 31, 2023
Book Review: This is Knot DomCon – Book One by B.J. Frazier (erotica)
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: December 25, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Various
Not to sound all literate and scholarly, but This is Knot DomCon – Book One is a magnificent example of the kind of narrative command that B.J. Frazier has over her stories. This is like the definitive comic book crossover/team-up of the erotica genre. She brings in characters from A Domme for Christmas, the Eli series, Perchance to Dream, The Service Sub, and Mistress Managed (among others), and through their interaction we’re reminded just how well she defines and differentiates their personalities. Not only will fans immediately recognize their favorite characters, but newcomers will have no difficulty following along.
What brings them all together is DomCon, the annual BDSM/femdom convention held in Los Angeles. The event is real, as are some of the players, but the story itself is reality-infused fiction. That means we get to experience the culture DomCon, as enjoyed by Miss Frazier over the years, but through the eyes of her characters – and that means we get to attend vicariously as novice submissives and experienced Dommes, as those learning to navigate FLR and those working the professional side.
This is more than just a self-indulgent exercise, though, it’s also a story with plot, drama, suspense, and tension. The characters come to the story with their own motivations, fears, hopes, insecurities, and desires, and how they interact with one another is wonderful. As the first book in the series, this is mostly about introductions but, by the end, we have at least one major plot point established. Similarly, the actual BDSM is rather light here, mostly centered around protocol and costumes, but it’s only the first evening of DomCon, and we know dungeon spaces are being set up, so there’s more fun to come.
This is Knot DomCon – Book One is a story about the BDSM community, from the community, as experienced through the eyes of an author who has been there and lived it all, brought to life through her characters. There’s guaranteed to be at least one character readers can latch onto as their personal POV, the Domme/sub who reflects their personal experience and interests, and likely more than one through whom they can enjoy the fantasy of whom they’d like to grow into. It’s a wonderful, exceptionally well-crafted introduction, and I’m really excited to see where Book Two takes us!
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Of Iron and Gold by Lexa Luthor (fantasy romance)
Author: Lexa Luthor
Publication Date: July 23, 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female
Of Iron and Gold is the first book of The Kingdoms of Gyldren by Lexa Luthor, and if you’re new to her work, there’s a lot to unpack here. This is an F/F Omegaverse romance in a medieval fantasy setting, and that probably doesn’t explain much, so let me break it down.
Omegaverse stories feature Alphas, Omegas, and Betas. Betas are the common folk, average men and women; Alphas are bigger, stronger, and generally dominant; while Omegas are smaller, weaker, and generally submissive. There are pheromones and animalistic urges involved between Alphas and Omegas, with one rutting and the other in heat, driving a need to breed (complete with knotting) and mate for life. It’s a powerfully erotic dynamic, and one that crosses gender lines into both F/F and (more commonly) M/M relationships.
Whereas M/M stories introduce an MPreg (Male Pregnancy) aspect that allows the Omega male to become pregnant and carry children, F/F stories make use of a G!p (Girl Penis) element that allows Alpha women to impregnate their mate. If you’re familiar with the futa/futanari genre of transgender fiction, then you can probably already visualize this. Depending on the story, these relationships can be anything from the norm for society to something illicit and taboo.
Here, Luthor takes the taboo approach, with Aubrey’s crude dismissal as a degen (or degenerate) a key aspect of how she came to be a slave, presented to Princess Kinsey as one of four possible Alphas from whom she is to choose someone to impregnate her. Kinsey’s father (the King) is outraged by the implication that his daughter be sullied by a degen, but the Princess’ aversion to male Alphas makes the She-Alpha, Aubrey, a curious temptation.
There’s a lot going on behind the story, with personal and political motives clashing as much as responsibility and romance. Even though Kinsey is permitted a choice in Alphas, it’s an arranged breeding for political reasons that she cannot escape. As for Aubrey, she’s been forced to subdue her Alpha nature to survive years of slavery, a situation caused by Kinsey’s father’s conquest of her homeland, and she’s fighting herself almost as much as she is the attentions of Kinsey. There is a romance here, but it’s necessarily slow to develop, with both characters having to navigate a mess of conflicts to find their way to one another. That allows Luthor to explore her characters, endear them to us, and give their friendship the strength to generate passion.
If you’re into lesfic or WLW romance, then the dynamic between Kinsey and Aubrey will melt your heart, and if you’re more into Omegaverse or futa erotica, then the passion between them will have your heart racing. It’s a wonderful blending of genres, and Luthor does a fabulous job of writing as well to curious newbies as to diehard fans of the genre. I raced through this, needing to know that they’d be all right, and I loved how they overcame the obstacles to find their HEA.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2023
Book Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (fantasy)
Author: Shannon Chakraborty
Publication Date: February 28, 2023
Genres: Epic Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female
Having never read Shannon Chakraborty before, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, except I loved the idea of pirates, sorcerers, mystical artifacts, and a legendary woman out to end her career with one last score. I was kind of expecting a 1000 Arabian Nights sort of tale, and that’s precisely what I got – to my delight.
Amina is a fantastic character, a woman who stands tall alongside both heroes and scoundrels. Yes, she’s a pirate who has done some horrible things, but she’s also a mother who is haunted by that legacy. She’s a multifaceted character, and she only grows more complex as more friends and allies and woven into the tale. Speaking of friends, Dalila is a definite highlight of the story, and so long as we get more of her (and more of her backstory) in the next two books, things will be great.
The plot seems simple at first, but it too grows more layers as the story goes on. This is neither a simple heist nor a simple rescue story, it’s also a tale of second chances, found family, gender roles, dangerous plots, and deep mythology. It takes a bit to get going, but it’s thoroughly entertaining, which just the right amount of humor to contrast the anger, the sorrow, and the danger. With that said, I felt like the book took a sharp turn into magical fantasy in the final third, which I wasn’t at all prepared for (despite the magic and monsters to that point), but it grounds itself in time to nail the climax and give us a reason to keep reading.
My only regret with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is that I waited so long to give it a read, but that also means the wait for the second book will be a little bit shorter. Fun stuff!
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2023
Fetish & Fantasy 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 Fetish & Fantasy 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.
While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy!
