Sally Bend's Blog, page 41
April 29, 2023
Book Review: Boyslut by Zachary Zane (memoir)
Title: Boyslut: A Memoir and ManifestoAuthor: Zachary Zane
Publication Date: May 9, 2023
Genres: Non-fiction
Protagonist Gender: Male
Although I felt a little let down by Boyslut, having expected more stories of slutty threesomes and risqué Grindr hookups, I fully appreciate what Zachary Zane had to say about sex and sexuality.
If I had to sum up this book in just one word, it would be acceptance. Zane writes about the need to accept who we are and who or what we want to be. Through therapy, socialization, and life experience he explores a journey to self-acceptance that assures us it's okay (and healthy) to have questions and doubts, but also insists we don't let them get in the way of living our lives. It's not an easy journey, and not one without its detours and switchbacks, but he invites us to share in the experiences that allowed him to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally into the titular Boyslut. At the same time, he confronts the attitudes, assumptions, and anxieties that stand in the way of society accepting such an open and joyous indulgence of sexuality.
One thing that struck me about the book is how Zane explores definitions of bisexuality versus pansexuality, and how he deliberately claims the former not in spite of but because of its social stigma, even as he goes to great pains to regularly assure the reader that transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming individuals are included in his definition. And it's not in a by-the-way aside or pandering way, it's sincere inclusion that I appreciated every time.
For a book about sex, what I think resonates most is what Zane has to say about relationships, the intersection of love and sex, and how and where the two can divulge. There are some interesting explorations of polyamory and open marriage that I found encouraging, and some frank discussion of how intimacy can interfere with sexual attraction - not because we've "fallen out of love" but because our sexual attraction may work differently. Yes, there's a lot of talk about random hookups and one-night stands, but there are also feelings and emotions to navigate.
Admittedly, I was a little taken aback by the frankness with which Zane discusses drug use, and the way he so casually dismisses STIs, but I realized you can't pick-and-choose your stigmas. He's writing about an openness and honesty that you can't fairly compartmentalize or place conditions on, and the admissions about his own behavior are all part of being a Boyslut. In some ways, I wish I had his confidence, his sort of selfishness, but there are consequences within even an open marriage that I feel demand more consideration.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved
April 28, 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.
While you're on Amazon, if you'd like to support the stories that mean the most to me, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy! © 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved
April 24, 2023
Book Review: Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey (fantasy)
Title: Cassiel's ServantAuthor: Jacqueline Carey
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male
Having taken some time to think it over, I'm very much of two minds about Cassiel's Servant, Jacqueline Carey's retelling of Kushiel's Dart from Joscelin's perspective.
On the one hand, I'm a HUGE fan of Phèdre's story and was eager to have an excuse to revisit the realm of Terre d’Ange. It's a gorgeous world and an epic story, full of characters I've loved and loathed (sometimes at the same time) for two decades. Even though we start from a different place, exploring Joscelin's youth and training as a Cassiline warrior-priest, the world and the writing are wonderfully familiar. We're witnessing his youth for the first time, but doing so already knowing where his story ends, and that allows us to appreciate key moments and the meanings behind them.
Of course, that foreknowledge also allows us to anticipate the seeds of romance planted between Joscelin and Phèdre, and being inside his head reveals when and where his affections began. That's probably the most interesting (and significant) part of the book, knowing the truth behind what Phèdre could only infer from glances and mannerisms. Because of that, we get to experience his character growth and development at an earlier stage in the story, which softens many of his edges.
On the other hand, there's nothing new in terms of plot, no pivotal revelations to which we weren't privy the first time around. In many ways it's a weaker story because Joscelin is only a witness to so much of it, and his narrative lacks the urgency and self-awareness of Phèdre's. More importantly, through his voice it becomes a more traditional fantasy, sanitized and thinned out, without the groundbreaking eroticism of the original. It's interesting to experience the emotional pain behind his disdain for Phèdre's assignations as an anguissette, but it's her physical pain (and pleasure) that made the original book such a standout work of art.
Cassiel's Servant is an interesting experiment in narrative, and there's no question that reconnecting with Joscelin, Phèdre, and Hyacinthe is entertaining, but the whole book feels unnecessary (at best), and a awkward censorship of Kushiel's Dart (at worst).
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights ReservedApril 14, 2023
Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday - Putting the TG in TGIF!a
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.
While you're on Amazon, if you'd like to support my weekly efforts, could I kindly ask that you give latest erotic creations a read/review?
Enjoy! © 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved
April 11, 2023
Book Review: Making the Cut by JD Votion (erotica, femdom)
Title: Making the CutAuthor: JD Votion
Publication Date: Mar 31, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Male
Fetishes: Femdom
Making the Cut is the story of a hairdresser named Lauren Jenkins and a rugby player named Nick Thompson. If this were a traditional romance, you'd expect him to be the charmer, coming in to sweep her off her feet, but there's nothing traditional about this. Lauren is a strong, confident woman who enjoys dominating men, bending them to her will . . . and Nick has no idea what he's in for!
JD Votion does a lovely job of bridging the experience gap, providing fans with wonderful depictions of BDSM equipment and scene playing, while also holding the hand of novices like Nick, easing them into the world of the erotic power exchange. There's a lovely awkwardness and hesitation to their dynamic, a professional relationship that evolves into erotic exploration, only to discover a foundation of romance beneath it all.
The bondage and domination elements are fun, but it's the character personalities that make this such a great read. It's so easy to get invested in their relationship, and we care enough that the little moments of tension between them make us worry about how things will develop. The dialogue between them sparkles, and when you're trying to build heat while explaining the intricacies of domination, that communication is essential to Making the Cut working as well as it does.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights ReservedApril 9, 2023
Book Review: His Panty Obsession by Nikki Ruffles (erotica, transgender, bisexual)
Title: His Panty ObsessionAuthor: Nikki Ruffles
Publication Date: Apr 6, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Sissy
Fetishes: Crossdressing, BDSM
Once a happily married man, Reggie found his entire life changed after an intense cuckolding experience. Now divorced, he's an eager sissy with a hunger for the affections of dominant men, a slut for their rockhard tools and the messes they leave all over him. He's obsessed to the point of distraction, and if His Panty Obsession isn't fed regularly, his life begins to fall apart around him.
What complicates matters is the teasing attentions of his new neighbor, Maggie. She's sexy and confident, and she seems to have a genuine interest in him, even if much of it is just erotic teasing. Of course, a woman like that could never be okay dating a sissy who loves being ganged by strange men . . . or could she?
As Nikki Ruffles promises on the cover, she can . . . and she does . . . and she is the character who makes this story come alive. The story we see develop is super kinky and terrifically trashy, with scenes of group sex, public exhibitionism, and erotic humiliation, but it's also wonderfully romantic, with a loving, supportive, empowering relationship growing between Reggie and Maggie. It's a best-of-both-worlds story, one that shows you can have your cake and eat it too.
If you're a sissy, a crossdresser, or just a submissive, you'll fall deeply in love with the experience. It's thrilling and messy and intense, but there's also drama to the story, a conflict that threatens to undo Reggie's happiness. His Panty Obsession is more than just bisexual smut, it's bisexual smut with romance and a plot, and it's a fabulous read.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights ReservedApril 7, 2023
Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday - Putting the TG in TGIF!
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.
While you're on Amazon, if you'd like to support my weekly efforts, could I kindly ask that you give latest erotic creations a read/review?
Enjoy! © 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved
April 1, 2023
Book Review: Rise of the Battlebitch by Drace Domino (erotic fantasy, futa, lesbian)
Title: Rise of the BattlebitchAuthor: Drace Domino
Publication Date: December 12, 2020
Genres: Erotic Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female/Futa
Adorably queer. Beautifully diverse. Uproariously cheeky. Wonderfully heartfelt. Sweetly romantic. There are a lot of ways I could describe Rise of the Battlebitch to you, but I think you get the idea. This was a fun read that I lingered over, enjoying my visits to Homestead when I needed them most. I smiled as much as I swooned, and if I shed a few tears, they were happy ones.
Drace Domino twists and flips the usual heroic fantasy dynamics, opening the tale with a ribald introduction of a towering, musclebound warrior of incredible prowess, one with a phallus nearly as big as their sword. They're the kind of hero everyone (men and women alike) wants to tumble into bed with, and they are very aware of just how desirable they are.
Did I neglect to mention that warrior isn't a man, but a futa giantess named the Battlebitch? A woman who takes better care of the sword between her legs than the one strapped to her back? Who'd rather collect kisses than coins for a job well done? And that her companion, Tess, is a cat-woman alchemist, two parts mysterious and one part standoffish, but endearingly sympathetic? Yeah, so you're starting to get the sense of what you're in for here, but as kinky and erotic as it can be, it's always playfully so.
This is the kind of heroic sword-and-sorcery story I grew up with, but it's also a story of friendship and (eventually, I promise, be patient) romance. There are layers of mystery to it, most of them surrounding Tess, and some pretty big world-building elements to be discovered in the latter chapters. It's an exciting tale, perfectly paced, and the characters are just so damned likable you won't want to leave them behind.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ 1/2
© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights ReservedMarch 31, 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 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.
In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, this week is going to be all trans themed. That means embracing transwomen, nonbinary femmes, crossdressers, sissies, and futa. While there may not be room for them all under your gender diversity umbrella, I believe we are all just as valid, no matter how we enter the transgender spectrum or where our journey takes us.
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.[image error]
While you're on Amazon, if you'd like to support the transgender stories that mean the most to me, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy! © 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved
March 24, 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.
While you're on Amazon, if you'd like to support my weekly efforts, could I kindly ask that you give latest erotic creations a read/review?
Enjoy! © 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved
