Sally Bend's Blog, page 43

Book Review: Who Am I? by Diana Jayne (romance, lesbian)

Title: Who Am I?
Author: Diana Jayne
Publication Date: August 22, 2022
Genres: Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female
Sexuality: Lesbian

Who Am I? is a lesbian romance about love, family, and parenthood that challenges the reader's emotions the whole way through. It's a sad, sorrowful story that starts with the death of a loved one and the reveal of a painful secret, but which finds its way to a happy ending.

When Georgina (George) Wilkes loses her mother in a tragic accident, she doesn't imagine that her dying words will open an even deeper wound. Not only is she forced to confront the revelation that her dad is not her father, but she has to deal with the fact that her siblings have been party to hiding that secret for years.

Her fiancée, Tania, is her rock throughout the ordeal, the one woman on whom she can always rely. The emotional turmoil does put some stress on their relationship, but their love is so strong and so beautiful that it really is a joy watching them pull one another through. They undertake a journey of discovery together, and even if their search doesn't have the happy ending they hoped for, it ultimately brings them full circle to an acceptance of those who love them.

Who Am I? is equal parts family drama and lesbian romance, with a supporting cast of siblings, spouses, cousins, and characters who give it color and life. There are two more tiny characters introduced before the end who transform the final chapters, and while there is still an element of uncertainty to it, the happily-ever-after ending is delightful.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀  ♀

My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler (fantasy)

Title: Ashes of the Sun
Author: Django Wexler
Publication Date: July 21, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male/Female

I'm going to buck convention and skip right to the end of Ashes of the Sun to share something from Django Wexler's afterword that I think sums up the novel better than I ever could:

“This is not a Star Wars novel, but it definitely originated, back at the beginning, in a series of conversations about Star Wars."

This is epic fantasy, no question about it, but the magic is definitely used to evoke a Star Wars feel in the weaponry and even (to some extent, the races/monsters). Gyre is equipped with a blaster, which is precisely the Han Solo gun you're imagining, only it fires magical energies instead of lasers. Maya, his estranged sister, wields a haken, which is basically Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, but fueled by her inner magic rather than a kyber crystal. I'd rather not say much about the races/monsters, because there are way too many spoilers attached, but ghouls and plaguespawn definitely owe as much to the aliens of science fantasy as the races ofepic fantasy.

There are even some Star Wars elements to the plot, with a corrupt empire, an all-powerful Order, plucky underground rebels, scoundrels and rogues, and an underlying mythology of hokey religions. So, yes, the feel of it will be familiar to genre fans, comfortable even, but what Wexler does with it all is what makes for such a memorable read.

I loved the relationship between Gyre and Maya, along with the perspectives they provide into the larger conflict. Forcibly separated by an act of violence in their childhood, they've been raised on opposite sides of the war, taught to believe opposing philosophies about the empire and the Order. Both seem like good people, and both seem like they could be the hero of the story, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of room for compromise. That balance does shift towards the end of this first book, and we do begin to question one of them, but I suspect reader allegiances will shift again in the next book.

The cast of supporting characters behind them is fantastic as well, but I felt as if they were a bit stronger on Maya's side, especially with Varo and Beq. Varo provides much-needed comic relief, always telling stories of previous traveling companions who met with misfortune in a way that has you rolling your eyes, yet looking forward to the next tale. Beq is something of a steampunk arcanist (only with magic) who seems comfortably neurodivergent, and whose slow-burn romance with Maya is the most wholesome part of the story. She was very much my surrogate, my representative in the novel, and I will be very upset if she doesn't make it through to the end of the series.

Without spoiling anything, I really appreciate the world-building here - not just how Wexler slowly reveals what the Elder races left behind, but exactly what he reveals as well. I had this feeling of dread about halfway through that it was going to be exposed as another post-post-apocalyptic tale, one where all the talk of skyships, unmetal, and the Core Analytica had roots in our contemporary technology, but what we get instead is fantasy and fantastic.

With Blood of the Chosen already out, and Emperor of Ruin coming later this month, now is the perfect time to catch up with Ashes of the Sun. It's a comfortably familiar blend of epic and heroic fantasy that offers something new at the same time. I wish I'd gotten to it sooner, but there's something to be said for creating timely anticipation.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀  ♀

© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Perchance to Dream by B.J. Frazier (erotica, femdom)

Title: Perchance to Dream
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: March 30, 2020
Genres: Erotics
Protagonist Gender: Various
Fetishes: Femdom, Orgasm Denial, BDSM

The first Perchance to Dream bundle collects the first three stories of B.J. Frazier's six-part saga of medical and female domination. It's a story that might strike readers as a bit odd at first, and one that's almost guaranteed to make them feel deliciously uncomfortable at one point or another, but the way it develops, becoming deeper and darker as each story continues, is incredible.

Dr. Frankie is the Doctor/Domme of the series, a confident, assertive, and sometimes cruel woman who runs a rather unorthodox sleep clinic. While she is very interested in her patients' sleeping habits, she's even more interested in the fantasies, inhibitions, and buried fetishes that cause their nocturnal unrest. She takes pleasure in finding out what drives them, even (especially) if they're not consciously aware of it, and then forcing them to embrace it.

And, yes, that means watching a lot of porn, being monitored for their responses to the 'accidental' erotic touching of the staff, and participating in kinky new sexual adventures.

The scenario is fun and the sex is hot, but it's the dynamic between Dr. Frankie and Sayo, her alpha submissive, that I found most fascinating. Here we have a very intense BDSM power-exchange relationship that involves total ownership and total submission, but one that's tested when Sayo gets too forward with a virgin patient. Betrayed and denied, Dr. Frankie punishes her submissive roughly, humiliates her with another submissive, and really tests her promised obedience. It's an emotionally heavy backstory that slowly shifts our perception of the story as a whole, giving the fun sex dramatic consequences.

If you're willing to continue in the good doctor's care, then might I prescribe the second bundle? While you're at it, the seventh and final book is available as well.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀  ♀  ♀

My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Panty Shopping by Nikki Ruffles (erotica, transgender, femdom)

Title: Panty Shopping
Author: Nikki Ruffles
Publication Date: Feb 1, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Transgender
Fetishes: Crossdressing, Femdom

Panty Shopping, the latest from Nikki Ruffles, is such a fun read. It's a simple little story about a crossdresser's excursion to buy himself a pair of fancy Saturday Night panties, but the level of detail, along with the personalities, is what makes it memorable.

The femdom element of the story is perfectly embarrassing, a little humiliating at times, but never cruelly so. We feel the narrator's anxiety, share in his confusing mix of dread and desire, and as much as we may fear exposure, the thrill of the experience is so worth it. Barbara, the older saleswoman who takes him in hand and insists he be a Good Panty Boy, is just wonderful. She's mature, attractive and assertive, but she's also caring - she doesn't force her subject along so much as she guides him to what he craves.

If you've read Nikki before, then you know they have a knack for capturing the thrill of feminization, and that's once again on display here. From the styles to the textures to the colors of the panties, it feels as if we're standing right there, running our fingers through the piles of panties, and feeling them slide up our legs. Panty fetish, crossdressing fetish, or both, Panty Shopping will leave you very satisfied.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀  ♀  ♀

© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved

Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday - Putting the TG in TGIF!

Before we get to this week's freebies, I'd love it if you voted for either of my books (Gurls Gone Wild: Naughty in Nature or Lost Ladies of the Nightmare) in the 2022 Golden Pigtail Smut Awards!

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.[image error]



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

I'm a 2022 Golden Pigtail Smut Award Nominee - Please Vote!

I'm so excited to share that I'm a 2022 Golden Pigtail Smut Award Nominee and I would dearly love it if you'd take a few moments to cast your vote. You don't need to log in or provide any personal info, you just need to vote. Simple as that!

Under the "Everything's Better in a Group" Award for Best Erotic Anthology, I'm part of an exciting anthology that I'd love to see get some recognition:

Heckin' Lewd: Trans and Nonbinary Erotica - Mx. Nillin Lore
In the "All Love" Award for LGBTQ+ Erotica you'll find a story that's very near-and-dear to my heart, a tale I put so much of myself into:

Gurls Gone Wild: Naughty in Nature - Sally Bend
And in the "Things That Go Hump in the Night" Award for Paranormal/Horror Erotica , my dark pseudonym has a story it's taken me 3 years to get just right, and which I believe is one of the best things I've ever written:

Lost Ladies of the Nightmare - S.B. Medina 

Please take a few moments to cast your vote - and if I'm so lucky as to be a finalist, I'll ask you one more time. :)

© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Going Out by Nicola Atherton (erotica, transgender, bisexual)

Title: Going Out
Author: Nicola Atherton
Publication Date: June 27, 2022
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Transgender
Fetishes: Crossdressing, Maledom

In many ways, Going Out is very much like its protagonist - two stories, two genres, and two perspectives in one pretty little package. 

Nicola Atherton has crafted a novel that does an absolutely superb job of capturing the crossdressing experience and those first tentative steps into gender exploration. The allure, the thrill, the excitement, and the anxiety of embracing femininity are all represented here, allowing the reader to experience the complete process of becoming  a woman. We not only feel the caress of satin or the pinch of heels, but we also feel the joy of seeing 'her' in the mirror . . . and the dread that, if we step outside, others will see through to 'him' instead,

In many ways, the early chapters of the novel remind me not just of stories I read in my youth, but my own first forays into gender exploration. So much of Adam's experience is real and relatable, even if it does make me jealous of things like self-checkouts and online shopping. Seriously, I remember when Amazon was just a bookstore, and you had to tell the old lady at the mall you were buying sexy lingerie for your girlfriend (who just happened to be your size). It makes me sound super old to say this, but kids these days have it so easy! That said, Atherton does throw in some challenges, one of which turns out to be rather opportunistic, but I won't spoil it.

There is a definite element of fantasy to the novel as well, however, especially in how easily (and completely) Adam passes as Amy. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of effort put into passing - wigs, fake boobs, tucking, cosmetics, etc. - but Adam also has an already androgynous body to transform.  Personally, I still adore that sort of fairy tale of feminization, but it's important to acknowledge that fantasy because that leads us into the fetish elements.

Let me be clear, Adam is not the fetish. The transformation into Amy is something that feels genuine and heartfelt from the very beginning. For all the protests and promises of never again, the happiness and comfort that come with being Amy are very clear. This feels like a transgender journey from the start, and I loved how the realization of that identity was so drawn out. Where the fetish element comes in is with the erotic encounters with various older men, most of which fall into the naughty girl or slutty sissy. There's nothing necessarily wrong with those sexual explorations, but given how authentic and relatable so much of the book is, some readers may find the clichés a bit of a turn off.

Ultimately, Going Out is a wonderful story of gender exploration that feels as if Nicola Atherton has either lived it or loved someone who has. It's beautifully written and almost perfectly paced, taking its time where it needs to, and getting frantic and rushed where the story demands it, with a small cast of key characters who give it life. The ending comes on a bit suddenly, with the epilogue leaving a few unanswered questions, but as fairy tales go, it's everything the reader could ask for.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀  ♀

© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved

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.[image error]


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

Book Review: The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington (fantasy)

Title: The Shadow of What Was Lost
Author: James Islington
Publication Date: May 9, 2017
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male/Female

I'd had this bad boy sitting on my shelf for quite a while, but our winter vacation gave me an excuse to pluck it from the TBR pile. It came highly recommended by a few friends whose opinions I trust, so I decided to give it a chance . . . and I'm glad I did.

The Shadow of What Was Lost started out with a bang, taking the coming-of-age and chosen-one tropes of epic fantasy, then slapping an immediate layer of danger and death upon it. It's clear from the start that there are huge stakes to this struggle, proper save-the-world storytelling, peopled by characters who are as unique as they are compelling.

While I wouldn't say I found it dry, there was a sense of distance to the narrative that I find is common to the current batch of epic fantasy, and that's probably my only complaint. It's a raw sort of realism, a desaturated thinness between the world of the author and the reader, that lacks the wonder of the pulp fantasy I grew up with. It's not quite grimdark, even if it has elements of that sub-genre to it, but there is death and destruction galore to go with the hope and heroism.

Aside from that, the narrative comes closer to my memories of epic fantasy than most stories I've read over the last few years, making it worthy of the World of Time comparison on the cover. There's magic, mystery, and monsters within it, cosmic fates and human struggles combined that drive us through quests and battles alike. There are key characters who are more than they seem, other than they seem, and even though we get one very big answer before the end, it opens up a whole new world of questions.

Davian is clearly the protagonist here, the character who drives so much of the story forward but, for me, it's Asha who gives it meaning and significance. Hers is a story that starts out tragic before becoming heroic, and there ares deep hints that she's destined for something more. That, coupled with the development of the Caeden mystery, and tagged with the curious foreshadowing of Davian's future, has me excited to see what James Islington has planned next.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀  ♀

© 2022 Bending the Bookshelf All Rights Reserved

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.[image error]



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