Liz Everly's Blog, page 32
March 10, 2017
Why don’t you? The appeal of Fifty Shades of Grey
“Why don’t you write something like Fifty Shades of Grey?”
We romance writers get asked this question by friends and family. I have to admit this question puzzles me. Each time I’m asked I wonder:
Do you mean, why don’t I write something about two people seeking love and connection?
Do you mean, why don’t I write something erotic?
Do you mean, why don’t I write something that pushes the boundaries of relationships?
I only wonder these things because me asking them aloud would draw attention to the fact that the person asking the question hasn’t read any of my books. Of course, I don’t care whether or not the person has read my stuff but …well, I don’t want to make things awkward by pointing that out. Besides, as a writer, here’s the question that makes the most sense to me:
Do you mean why don’t I write something that sells millions of copies and creates just as many devoted readers and fans?
That one I don’t have an answer for. Nobody does. Many–many–of us writers have tried to figure out why that series in particular took off like that.
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In my other life, I teach freshman composition at a college. We write essays, the standard sort that college freshman have been writing for years. Thesis statements, MLA formatting, research. All the usual stuff. One place where I get to mix things up is in the prompts. So, wondering what my students think of the 50 phenomenon, I include a prompt about the widespread popularity of the series. The prompt encourages the students to question the contrast between the book’s content, the relationship between the two characters, and the current wave of new feminism. Bottom line–why do women connect this book?
As you might imagine, the prompt generates interest. After reading seve[image error]ral essays I’ve found a distinct difference between the younger, 18-20, and older, 25-30 women in regard to Mr. Grey’s relationship appeal.
The younger women find him super romantic. They are drawn to the idea of having a man so dedicated to you that he is “interested” in every aspect of your life. They don’t find him stalky or boundary-crossing, they find him devoted. These younger women write very little about the sex; they write almost exclusively about the attentive relationship. It seems that while young women view career and societal contribution as essential and validating, they still long for a dedicated partner.
The older women write about the sex. They are drawn to the idea of an extremely intense almost completely sexual relationship that has no emotional commitments. These women reflect that while they hope to have an emotionally intimate relationship in the future, they are, at present, busy with school and work and don’t have time to develop “that sort of thing” right now. This staying-single-longer, waiting-for-real-commitment life plan is on the rise, but as noted above with the younger set, this older set seeks devotion. They simply define devotion in a different way.
If you’re one of the thousands, maybe millions, of people who’ve had this conversation–why is 50 so compelling–we’d love to hear what you think. Give us a shout in the comments.
And – follow us here at Lady Smut. We’re always here to inform, entertain, and keep you up to date.
Isabelle Drake writes erotica, erotic romance, urban fantasy, and young adult thrillers.
March 9, 2017
NEVER SWEETER: The Sweet Darkness in Charlotte Stein’s Dark Obsessions Trilogy
This one is going into my “special” kindle folder. ; >
by Madeline Iva
We posted a fun excerpt from Charlotte Stein’s story NEVER BETTER last Sunday. NEVER BETTER is the final book in her Dark Obsession trilogy, so of course, I read it first, and then worked my way backwards, cause I’m perverse like that. I gobbled down Never Better: A Dark Obsession Novel[image error]NEVER BETTER like a chocolate chip cookie and advise you to do the same. Now I’d like to take you on a journey through the open-mouthed, kindle-clutching, eye-squeezing moments I had while reading Never Sweeter: A Dark Obsession Novel[image error]NEVER SWEETER, the first book in the series. How to do so without delivering any spoilers is gonna be hard, but here I go…
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE GOES TO THE DARK SIDE
What really keeps a man and a woman apart these days if they want to be together? Not much. After plundering the treasure chest of meet-cutes and other fabulously quirky ways to bring two people together and then keep them apart for two hundred odd pages, contemporary romance has gone to the dark side.
I personally blame paranormal romance. Let’s face it–paranormal romance is just so much easier. Look at the obstacles a heroine faces—Example: “He’s a vampire who’s killed THOUSANDS of people and he’s hundreds of years older than me. How could we ever be together?” it’s a really messed up situation.
CRAZY-WRONG “I’D HAVE TO BE INSANE TO BE WITH SOMEONE AS EVIL AS YOU” SITUATION= STRONG ROMANTIC ROAD BLOCKS = LOTS OF ROMANCE FEELS & GREAT TENSION
After all, 50 Shades was based on a paranormal romance, wasn’t it? E.L. James just fished around for a modern day ‘real’ equivalent for a evil-but-not-really, self-loathing, brooding hero. She came up with a billionaire sadist, around the same time other authors were also plonking down flags into anti-hero territory. Do we want to blame 50 Shades for all the motorcycle clubs, hit-men, crime families, and other anti-hero-ish trappings that are so popular these days? No, but I think the E.L. James phenomenon illustrates a sweeping trend, and Charlotte Stein has taken some steps down the same path.
BUT CHARLOTTE STEIN ISN’T LIKE THAT! SHE’S SO SWEETLY DIRTY…
But maybe sometimes she isn’t. INTRUSION and some of her other works have strayed from abused heroines into more plum-colored territory. Which brings us to NEVER SWEETER. Let’s look at the blurb:
Letty Carmichael can’t believe her eyes when she catches a glimpse of her high school tormenter, wrestling champ Tate Sullivan, on campus. College was supposed to be her escape from Tate’s constant ridicule. Now he’s in her classes again, just waiting for his chance to make her life hell.
skipping, skipping, skipping…
Loving him is impossible. Craving him is beyond all reason. So why can’t she stop?
Falling in love with your high school bully is messed up, people. Kids, don’t try this at home.
However, line by line Stein just sucks you in. Great dialogue, great side-kick friend, very specific descriptions of torments she endured and then Tate — a classic Stein-i-an hero, just takes over.
What do we like about Tate? We like that he’s open, agreeable, and fast on his feet. We like that he’s hotness plus, and can read people–especially the heroine–quickly. We like that he’s a sexual beast wrapped up in a Nice Boy package–but is he really trustworthy? It’s that last part that keeps readers furiously turning the pages and riding all the highs and shocking lows.
Why was he such a monumental dick? This is the big answer we need to know. Stein gives you answers, and then sweeps on by. Do we believe these answers–ah! This is where she’s brilliant, because doubts may linger, and she plays upon these same doubts later.
I just went through such a roller coaster of emotions with this book. It really was so incredibly sweet at points–which is what I do look for from Stein–and so sweetly filthy at others–which is what I relish about Stein–and at other times it was kinda like a horror movie. There’s a Carrie reference and it’s seriously well earned.
I think at one point I shouted “No!” in shock. At another point I kinda cried, almost. The whole time I felt as guilty as the heroine for being so sucked into a kind of situation that I would NEVER EVER EVER!!!! endorse in a million years in ‘real life’.
Never Sweeter: A Dark Obsession Novel[image error]So go buy it already.
Meanwhile, I got the skinny from Charlotte Stein about RAW HEAT — her so good it hurts post-apocalyptic romance that’s out of print right now. Talk about bullying! It’s really unfair clobbering my friends and even total strangers over the head for not having read RAW HEAT if it’s not even in print. Stein has said she’s going to re-pub it in a collection with some of her other post-apocalyptic/paranormal stuff. So happy about that. Soon none of you will have any excuse.
Okay, I’ve started going into Charlotte Stein withdrawal, so I’ll sign off for now.
Follow us at Lady Smut–if you want to. It’s your own choice. Really. We’d never bully you about it.
Madeline Iva writes fantasy and paranormal romance. Her fantasy romance, WICKED APPRENTICE, featuring a magic geek heroine, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and through iTunes. Sign up for Madeline Iva news & give aways.[image error]
March 7, 2017
Dancing In A Cage And Other Fantasy Jobs
Looking sexy and dancing in a cage
In my day job, I talk to a lot of people who come in my office just to vent. They plop down in the chair across my desk, lips ready to explode with frustration, and let it all out. I listen and nod and offer whatever guidance I can, but mostly they’re not looking for advice, they simply want a sounding board. They need to know that someone out there in day job world actually isn’t an insane corporate soul sucking lunatic nightmare but rather someone who’s well-balanced. Rational. Someone who actually gives two cents about what happens to them. That’s me. In the daytime world.
Once several years ago an exasperated employee who held a very senior-level job gave me a call. After ranting about this or that for several minutes he said to me, “I mean, f**k it, I’m like everyone else. Sometimes all I want is to just be a bicycle messenger.” That conversation stuck in my mind because I knew exactly how he felt. When Monday through Friday means spending essentially every waking minute imprisoned in the mind-numbing world of a corporate day job, your mind starts drifting into fantasy land. You envision how much better life would seem if only you could be a ____ (fill in the blank).
The guy who called me wanted to be a bicycle messenger. He said he’d get his exercise in every day, feel great about being outside, and – most importantly – not be stuck behind a desk and computer. That actually does sound pretty darn good. But for myself, I envision something a bit more…titillating. More decadent. And I’m not talking about writing erotic romance. I already do that, and love it, but since it actually is part of my reality it doesn’t count. No, friends. When I’m secretly thinking about my fantasy day job, it’s all about dancing in a cage.
This idea first took root when I saw a rock video featuring cage dancers. Well, it actually featured the band, but my focus wasn’t on the screaming lead singer or the heavily tattooed drummer. I don’t even remember who the band was, because for me it was all about the babes in the cage. Like this girl:
See, I want to be her. Gorgeous, fit, with moves and a body to match. She’s not in the least intimidated by the photographer getting up close and personal as he’s snapping shots. No way. She’s working it, baby. Smiling and dancing, swishing her hair and looking beautiful without a care in the world. And that’s me! Or so goes my fantasy. Why in a cage? Why not in a cage! It brings out the sexy, prowling animal in us all. Well, in me, anyway.
If one were to actually talk to that girl, we might find out she was paid all of a hundred dollars for that little dancing gig and that it’s the only one she booked that month. She might be living in a studio apartment with three other girls and having to share a single hamburger between them – mostly to stay thin, but also because it’s all any one of them can afford. She also might not be particularly educated. (Just sayin’. It’s only a guess). Global matters or an appreciation for art or literature may be denied my young beautiful cage dancer. But that’s not part of the fantasy. No way. My cage-dancing fantasy life also includes possessing intellectual horsepower and enough money so I don’t have to stress about finances. Cool, right?
I looked up what the top fantasy jobs were for other folks. A poll in the online U.K.’s The Telegraph posed the question to British workers, and their top fantasy was to be a pilot. Those big dreamin’ Brits! Pilots was followed by charity workers and writers. A poll over at Ranker lists movie critic as top fantasy job. But totaljobs.com is singing my tune. The number one job on their list is rock star. Yeah! As Nickelback front man Chad Kroeger sings in Rockstar, “well we all wanna be big rockstars, and live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars.” Exactly.
Of course, if you’ve really got it going on, you can be a cage dancer and a rock star. Like Shakira in her She Wolf video.
Now, that’s what I call a fantasy.
How about you? Cage dancer? Pilot? Or something completely different. Make your fantasies a reality – at least on paper – and tell us about it in the comments below.
Elizabeth Shore writes both contemporary and historical erotic romance. Her newest book is an erotic historical novella, Desire Rising, from The Wild Rose Press. Other releases include Hot Bayou Nights and The Lady Smut Book of Dark Desires.
“Naked is normal”: Playboy restores the nude pictorial
Nudity might be normal, but what about shame?
By Alexa Day
I remember writing about Playboy’s decision to remove the nude pictorial from their print issues. At that time, the pictorials had already been removed from the online issues. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at the time, in large part because I read Playboy for the articles. I’m just not that interested in the nude female form. If I want to see female nudity, I’ll take my own shirt off.
I thought I’d heard that nudity had returned to Playboy, and on Saturday, my colleague Elizabeth Shore confirmed my suspicions. This was just a couple of weeks after I named Playboy one of the three things that was getting me through a bit of a creative slump. So now I’m presented with another opportunity to examine my feelings about the presence of the nude pictorial in Playboy, and I think I’m finally able to pick a lane.
I don’t care. I don’t care whether the nudity is present or not.
On the one hand, the restoration of nudity isn’t affecting the reasons I show up to the metaphorical Playboy party. (I mention the metaphor to emphasize that I am absolutely available for a real Playboy party.) I took a quick look at the website before I began to write this post and found an article about a hormone that improves sex (and isn’t testosterone or oxytocin), an advice column explaining what exactly a fuckboy is, and a short story about a young woman taking charge of her sexual awakening. The last time I visited, when I found a story in praise of sex with unattractive partners, I noticed how many women are contributors to Playboy. In fact, all the stories I just mentioned were written by women.
Here’s where it gets complicated for me.
If, indeed, the reason for bringing nudity back to Playboy is to increase readership, are we to believe that nudity is the only reason people will pick it up? That’s a little depressing. Playboy is bringing it right now. It should have a solid, dedicated audience of sex-positive people looking for the sort of content it supplies in abundance. I wonder if it might not benefit from more time to draw that audience. My suspicion is that a lot of potential readers are being scared away by their perception of Playboy’s reputation. Those folks are going to stay away now because they’re going to see this decision as a commitment to boobs before content.
Having said that, if the editorial staff stands to benefit from this decision, I will find a way to support it. After all, if nudity gets more eyes on the pages, at least some of those readers will stay for the stories. Nudity might sell that magazine, but strong content sells subscriptions. We’ve all seen what strong content is doing for Teen Vogue right now. I imagine Teen Vogue has picked up a lot of readers who don’t mind flipping past the story on six quick dorm-room breakfasts to get to the political coverage.
Don’t flip past that breakfast article, by the way. It’s sound advice. I actually eat two of the six featured breakfasts regularly, and I haven’t lived in a dorm in almost 30 years.
But what about the nudity itself?
I’ve always thought that a woman’s decision to pose nude for a magazine is just that — her decision. I can’t police that for her. I wouldn’t police it for her if I could. I’m never going to do it because nudity is a hard limit for me, but if it gives another woman pleasure to be photographed in the buff, I say go for it. Sure, people might point and leer, but I myself want to preserve the freedom to point and leer at unclothed men. Besides, I’m not sure we should let our presumptions about What Other People Think govern other women’s decisions. That position isn’t moving any of us forward.
The return of the nude pictorial is announced in the March/April issue with a cover announcing that “Naked is normal.” But if that raises the spectre of that one creep everyone seems to know, the one whining that “naked is normal” when he’s trying to convince you to cross a boundary, take heart in this month’s short story. In “Supercops,” an 18-year-old girl makes the decision to lose her virginity to an older man, so that she’ll know what sex is like before heading to college. The encounter is not described in any detail — indeed, the protagonist reflects on it with some regret — but her thoughts on the matter are significant.
“[A]fter graduation,” Meredith muses, “a woman not only had the right, she had the responsibility to use her body the way she saw fit—or what was feminism for?”
If feminism isn’t a woman’s decision to do what she damn well pleases, whether that’s choosing the princess life, attacking the glass ceiling, or posing nude for Playboy, then what is feminism’s purpose, in the final analysis?
Playboy’s official position is similar (careful, that link comes with music). In a world trying to decide “what freedom is, and what it looks like, for all of us,” the magazine wants to examine “how freedom, feminism and nudity intersect.” The new issue includes an essay on the topic from Scarlett Byrne, whose nude pictorial is also featured this month. Scarlett Byrne’s fiance is the magazine’s chief creative officer, but if you think she got here on her cup size, you might be part of the problem, she says.
“[W]hen women associate themselves with anything involving ownership of their sexuality, they’re often perceived as having abandoned their intellect,” Byrne writes. There’s a great deal of truth to that. It’s an accusation leveled against many a romance writer, especially those of us writing erotic romance, and we are in turn quick to point prudish fingers at others. Byrne goes on to say that she was hesitant to appear topless on this month’s Playboy, heralding the magazine’s return to nudity, but that she changed her mind when she considered a longstanding double standard.
“Was it just me who thought it was absurd that if Playboy published a topless woman on the cover and Men’s Health put a man on the cover in a similar pose, Playboy would be the one to be put behind blinders?” Byrne asks. “When I considered that fact, it became clear in that moment that it didn’t have anything to do with Playboy. It was about the double standards still being applied to gender roles.”
I wish Playboy a long and happy future. And if nudity is what it takes to secure that, then I guess I support the nude pictorial as well.
Still, I’m curious to see what lies ahead.
Follow Lady Smut. We promise to keep it tasteful.
March 5, 2017
Edge of Power by Megan Crane: A Review
by Kiersten Hallie Krum
The highly anticipated, third installment of Megan Crane’s EDGE series, EDGE OF POWER, is finally here. Okay, technically, it releases tomorrow. Allow me the dramatic flourish.
This is Wulf’s book, the charismatic, fear-inspiring, panties-melting, ruthless leader of the raider brotherhood. Fans of the EDGE series have been greatly anticipating his book since he first appeared sprawled on a beach with lazy deception in EDGE OF OBSESSION and all readers sat up and said “hel-lo!”
Look! A blurb!
The ultimate Viking warrior meets outlaw biker: Wulf, the Raider King. He rules a future, destroyed world with the force of his will alone. Now he will meet the one woman who will change…everything.
Wulf is king of his clan and the ruthless head of the raider brotherhood.
Every foe in his path surrenders to his will. But when his mortal enemy’s beguiling daughter gets under his skin the way no one else ever has, a whole new intensity from the Raider King is unleashed…the fiery strength of dark passion and hard-hitting lust.
Kathlyn is no fan of the life she’s been forced to live under her savage father’s unforgiving rule. But the bold and powerful barbarian who steals her innocence—and her heart—is a dangerous bet. There’s nothing safe about a man who wants to destroy everything she knows and burn it to the ground. Except if Wulf can set her free, maybe safety is overrated…
Will the overwhelming heat of her warrior-king lead to something more powerful than either of them can imagine?
Strewth!
EDGE OF POWER has a lot going on betwixt it pages. But for all that, it is a slower book than the three that precede it. Let me qualify: it doesn’t read slow and the pace doesn’t drag. You’ll be hooked and unable to set it down without finishing first. I read it in one big gulp. It bulges with Crane’s signature sexy scenes and ribald, earthy language, and creative descriptions. Her world building continues to be imaginative and engaging, with increasingly more than a touch of prescience. I’m constantly struck by the relevance of this world’s structure and politics, and it, I think not accidentally, regularly calls to mind The Handmaid’s Tale. In EDGE OF POWER, a noble woman’s sexual status is noted by the color she wears. Kathlyn can only wear gold, which not only marks her publicly as a virgin princess, “but the particular property of the king.” Her virginity is considered her father’s to own and dispel as he sees fit. Kathlyn’s worth, like most women in this world, is solely equated with her sexual status. Beyond that, she has no value to her father or her world at large. Given our current political climate, a large part of which is unduly concerned with policing the sexual and reproductive rights of women, this seems like a particularly uncomfortable insight to our possible future. With or without Viking raiders.
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Click on image to buy!
EDGE OF POWER is a long burn of a story. Despite being action man, take-what-he-wants, never apologize, battle loving, Viking raider clan leader, for most of this book, Wulf is forced to bridle his instincts and usual modus operendi for a long wait and the messy, bloody dance of politics with his enemy. It’s totally against his nature. He wants to main and pillage and plunder and exact righteous revenge for the sins and insults the king has waged against Wulf’s clan before Wulf and the brotherhood were even aware of his existence. This juxtaposition simmers through the entire narrative, building a tension along the way that is almost gleeful in its release, once all things align and Wulf is finally set free of his self-imposed restraint.
This is a book about patience, not a prized virtue among the brotherhood. Wulf has to be patient and resist his instincts to rip his enemies apart and just get the job done. He knows if he makes the wrong move, all of his people will be at mortal risk. He has to taper his usual methods and play the long game, consorting with known enemies, weaklings and fools to his eyes, in order to gain the advantage and have his plan come to fruition. Kathlyn is one woman, a woman who is not under his protection. He cannot risk his clan for the daughter of his greatest enemy, a woman whose loyalties and ambitions are still a mystery. Yet, as the story goes on, his instinct and need expands to include Kathlyn. Wulf struggles to make decisions he knows will benefit his clan and his detailed, complex plan, but these are choices he also knows for which Kathlyn will, and does, suffer. He wrestles with that dual edge of being the leader when the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the king.
But Kathlyn has been at this game far longer than Wulf can initially imagine. Her patience is epic and her ability to survive the most heinous of circumstances is far beyond Wulf’s expectations. “I’m a princess, not a raider,” she tells Wulf in their first encounter. “If I launched myself into battle every time someone insulted me, I would’ve been dead long ago.”
Since the brutal death of her mother at the hand of her sociopath, psycho father, King Athenian, Kathlyn has existed in a living hell, staying as quiet and unobtrusive as she can manage, enduring unfathomable humiliations and dangers just by being the yet virginal daughter of the king, a commodity her father plans to auction off to the highest bidder at his convenience. It’s a carrot he’s dangled before the nobles for so long that Kathlyn herself is seriously tired of the wait. She wants to wear anything other than the gold dresses that define her, and not only because she’s desperate for a wardrobe change. At her level of nobility, the deflowering of a noble virgin is a public ceremony, done on a large bed in the great hall before all the world. Nothing like performance anxiety, yeah? Kathlyn wants to control at least this one thing in a world where being a princess is more of a prison than the lowliest offender has ever seen.
This is a world, remember, that had deemed sex only necessary for procreation to repopulate the world. People here enter into winter marriages where, if a child is conceived, they may stay together for a year until that child is born. If there is no child, both parties go their own ways. Pleasure doesn’t come into the matter at all. No foreplay, no fun. Just copulation for procreation.
Or, at least, for the women. The men indulge in sex for pleasure all they want (naturally). Kathlyn knows all too well how rampant this hypocrisy is among the men of the court. Finally deeming her virginity a burden she can no longer bear, she decides to offer it to the Raider King, a barbarian she’s sure won’t quibble over defiling his “host,” the king’s, daughter. Doing the deed puts Kathlyn’s life at enormous risk, but she’s reached the end of that long stretch of patience that’s kept her alive this long. Whomever she’s bargained off to in the end, she wants first to be able to make one choice for herself, especially about so intimate an event. Because, for the first time in a lifetime of restraint, of not allowing herself to want or need anything only to see it wrenched away, of living a quiet half-life always aware that her father could kill her in the next moment, Kathlyn wants. Wulf awakens in her a pulsing need, not just for sex, but for the wild freedom he represents to her. The crazy idea of choice and desire, of a life spent living and not enduring.
Here again, though, Wulf must resist his urges and instincts as he knows screwing Kathlyn will put both her life and his mission in danger. Obviously, since this is a romance, that resistance doesn’t last, but there is genuine, uncharacteristic struggle in Wulf about what he does to and with Kathlyn. He takes time with her, not only sexually, protecting her in his limited way and when he can’t, working to at least make their sins worthy of her punishments. They also take great risks to be together, and eventually, this leads to their (temporary) downfall. Even when forced into humiliating situations together, designed to denigrate and demean Kathlyn especially, Wulf does what he can to protect her, always keeping in mind what risk it may or may not pose to his mission. He strains against the inability to shield her from her father’s unreasonable and unpredictable wrath. Wulf’s burden of failure grows as he and Kathlyn’s situation becomes more and more perilous. Ultimately, he has to choose between his clan and his woman, perversely giving Kathlyn the life he thinks she wants by taking away the man she’s discovered she needs. Heavy hangs the head of the king.
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Author Megan Crane
Yet Wulf has the advantage of knowing how this game ends, or at least how he expects it to end, given his faith in the superiority of his brotherhood and confidence in the soundness of their strategy. Kathlyn takes these risks with him fully expecting to pay the ultimate price. She is so weary of her life, so tired of being afraid, so done with being victimized by her savage, sociopath of a father, even death is a relief, death on her terms, making her own choices, and, for once, feeling bliss with a barbarian who turns out to be the only man in her life to ever give a damn about her. Her strength of spirit in mind-boggling. She not only endures, she triumphs in her resolution. Kathlyn may bend and submit as she needs to in order to survive, but she is far from beaten and defeated, even when physically, she is both. Crane sketches her with such deft and layered strokes that Kathlyn resonates with the emotional authenticity of real-life abuse victims.
EDGE OF POWER is richly drawn with a fascinating dystopian world that is not so far out of our reality. Wulf and Kathlyn’s slow burn of a relationship amidst the perils and pitfalls of a ruthless, unforgiving, brutal court and king is a careful tap dance of sexy subterfuge beneath which lies the delicate waltz of conflict between duty and desire, where a woman with no hope who is accustomed to being betrayed by those closest to her falls for a man whose stalwart faith in his brotherhood and his own purpose cannot be shaken. EDGE OF POWER is sexy and sensual, fierce and touching. A fitting fulfillment of the Raider King’s story.
EDGE OF POWER is available for pre-order and will be on sale March 7, 2017.
A copy of this book was provided to the reviewer by the publisher via NetGalley. You can see more Lady Smut reviews of this series, along with a guest post from Megan Crane about the EDGE series, here.
P.S. If you join Megan Crane’s Clan Facebook page and/or check out her website, you’ll see the absolutely stunning map that her animator (as opposed to animated) husband drafted. As a visually oriented person, having the colorful, detailed map definitely helps me to picture this new, greatly changed world.
Writer, singer, editor, traveler, tequila drinker, and cat herder, Kiersten Hallie Krum avoids pen names since keeping her multiple personalities straight is hard enough work. She writes smart, sharp, and sexy romantic suspense. Her debut romantic suspense novel, WILD ON THE ROCKS, is now available. Visit her website at www.kierstenkrum.com and find her regularly over sharing on various social media via @kierstenkrum.
Sexy Sunday Snippet: Charlotte Stein’s Never Better
Click to buy
What if your worst nightmare was the only thing you wanted?
Lydia worries she’ll never recover from a violent assault at the hands of an intruder. Therapy isn’t working and her friends aren’t a comfort. All she can think about is how helpless and afraid she was.
Then she meets Isaac.
He’s everything she wants to be: cool, calm and controlled. Trauma doesn’t seem to affect him. Emotions don’t bother him. And best of all, he’s prepared to teach her. He shows her how to fight. How to defend herself. How to guard her heart.
But Isaac soon finds he can’t guard his heart from her. She’s starting to make him see all the things he’s been missing, in his closed off and far too brutal life. The only problem is:
He has a terrible secret.
And if he lets himself give in to the desire that’s building between them, her world may well be torn apart again.
Here’s an excerpt:
It wasn’t a shock when he stopped replying, this time. But it was about a hundred times more annoying. He was the one who’d set the tone of their conversations—she’d just let him. Yet, somehow, here she was, in the near darkness, with a silent phone in her lap.
In fact, the phone was so silent that when it suddenly rang she almost screamed. She came pretty close to hurling it across the room. She had to calm herself down before she could answer, just so he wouldn’t think it was him who’d gotten her all out of breath.
“Well, this is the very last thing I expected you to do,” she said, as breezily as she could. And then she heard that voice, and breezy immediately started to slip away.
“I didn’t just want to cut off in the middle of a conversation.”
“Yeah, but talking like this is probably going to be a lot worse than texting.”
“Nothing could be worse than texting. I thought it would be safe, and instead, it just feels like I’ve been freed to say whatever I want. Do you know how close I came to asking you what your body was doing? The answer is very,” he said.
And suddenly, she was very glad he couldn’t see her right now. His voice kind of dipped on that last word, and when it did, her toes actually curled. She had to fan herself with one hand.
But she managed to keep her voice somewhat under control.
At the very least, she kept some amusement in it. “And you think calling me is going to stop that happening?”
“I did when I hit your number. Now, I have my doubts.”
“You should. Because the urge to say is getting bigger by the second.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to do my best to dissuade you.”
“You can try, I suppose.”
She could almost hear him mulling it over.
And it didn’t take much to picture, either.
That look to the heavens. The way he ran a hand through his hair.
Then finally, finally, “Yesterday, I found a dead rat under my sink.”
Though unfortunately for him, it didn’t quite hit the mark.
“That was a good effort. But the words are still on the tip of my tongue.”
“Fine. So maybe I should tell you about the documentary I watched on soil erosion.”
“Go ahead. Just hearing your voice say those words is enough to get me started,” she said, and the best part was: she didn’t even have to lie. He said soil the way most people said sex. The tip of his tongue just seemed to caress it.
But he wasn’t having any of it. “Then I’ll be completely silent.”
“So I can hear nothing but your breathing?”
“Yeah. But the breathing is perfectly ordinary.”
“It doesn’t sound ordinary now. God knows where it’ll be when I start telling you all about the teeth I’ve sunk into my lower lip and the hands I’m currently pretending are yours.”
“If you want to really pretend they’re mine you should be clenching your fists so tight you can feel your pulse beating in the middle of them. And then, once you’ve got that down, try hitting yourself in the thigh until you stop any desire that tries to get a hold of you.”
Now it was her turn to fall silent. Though possibly fall silent was the wrong term.
It felt much more like someone had just ripped any and all words right out of her.
Suddenly, all she could do was picture him, like that.
Picture him, so desperate to restrain himself.
And when she did finally speak, she knew she sounded stunned.
“Is that really what you’re doing right now?”
“I’m gonna have a bruise the size of a grapefruit tomorrow,” he said.
Then somehow she just couldn’t help herself.
“Oh fuck, that’s so hot. Oh, my god that’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“You can’t be serious. Lydia, tell me you’re not serious.”
“I would, but I’m too busy picturing you seething with repressed lust.”
“I’m hardly seething. I just want to punch myself a lot, and I feel sort of like I’m wearing twelve invisible sweaters and talking is getting kind of hard, and oh Jesus, yeah, I see it now. I see what you’re saying.”
She nodded firmly at nothing. Though, she was pretty sure that firmness showed in her voice. “Great. So now you can describe it in full to me.”
“I just did. And now I want to take it all back.”
“Why? Nothing can happen here.”
“Things are already happening.”
She pictured his fist again, thumping into his thigh.
Her own hand, now somehow almost covering her breast.
But it just wasn’t enough to suggest they should stop.
It wasn’t anywhere near enough.
“Yeah, but none of them can ever include physical contact between us, Isaac. You’re not going to accidentally fall dick first into my vagina. I can’t fling my clit at your face.”
“True, but you can say it. You can say crazy bullshit like that and still make me go out of my mind—simply because the word clit was in there. It was there and I heard your voice curl around the word, and now all I can think about is what it would be like if you did some sane version of that. If you pushed my face between your legs or climbed up until your pussy was right there, right against my mouth and tongue, and oh fuck, fuck.” She heard sounds following the cursing. Like maybe he was banging his phone against something. Then a second later, “I have to hang up.”
Just like that. I have to hang up.
After those words.
“Don’t you dare hang—”
“I’m sorry honey but I can’t control myself with you.”
“I don’t need you to control yourself. I need you to—”
“You don’t need me to do anything. You’ll be fine, I promise,” he said, and that was pretty much her limit. Just hearing that one word: promise.
Like he was her kindly babysitter sending her off to school.
She simply couldn’t let him carry on like this.
“Not if I die of unfulfilled desire, Isaac. Goddamn it, are you really going to do this to me again? I’m shaking so hard my teeth are rattling in my head. If I get any hotter I’m going to melt through the bed. And I know, I know I could let you go now and just make myself come and then pretend everything is cool, but oh my god, it would be so much sweeter if you let me hear you while I do.”
Silence, then. Enough of it that she was sure she’d gone too far.
That he’d hung up, just like he’d said.
Then he spoke, and she breathed out again.
“I think it would be sweet, too, honey.”
“Then why the fuck can’t you just—”
“Because I don’t know how much of that feeling is for you, to give something to you, and how much of it is for myself. How much of it is just this selfish desire to hear what happens when I talk dirty to you. If it was seventy/thirty I think I could go with it and still live with myself. But the truth is, it isn’t even close. It’s fifty/fifty at best. And that’s not good enough.”
Now it was her turn to be silent.
And when she could finally summon words, they were shaky. “Jesus, Isaac. Only to you, the most amazing man to ever exist outside of my imagination, could fifty/fifty be not good enough. I’ve been with guys where I’ve prayed for fifty/fifty. Where fifty/fifty seemed like an impossible dream that you might have to use wizardry to achieve. There have been times I’ve settled for ten percent, for fuck’s sake, and you think half is bad?”
“No.” He paused, and she could practically hear him considering his words. She could see his expression, when he did it. The way his gaze always seemed to search the empty air for answers. Then, slowly, “I think…I think no one has ever seen me the way you do.”
“I don’t know why. You never make it difficult.”
“Not even when I’m refusing to do this with you?”
“Especially when you’re refusing to do this with me. Because as much as I hate it, I understand why you’re doing it so fucking deeply that I will never forget it. It will probably be my last memory on my death bed—that time Isaac Morales was so fundamentally kind and decent that he thought twenty percent of extra wanting was way too much,” she said, then waited for his silence. She expected his silence, for that.
But none came.
“If I was there, I would kiss you.”
“Well, that is definitely a start.”
“It would only be a start if it was on the lips, honey. Where I’m thinking of kissing you is more like the place most people save for last.”
Charlotte Stein[image error]Charlotte Stein is one of Lady Smut’s favorite erotic romance authors. Buy NEVER BETTER on Never Better: A Dark Obsession Novel[image error]Amazon, Kobo, or iTunes, follow her on Twitter and Amazon–we do!
And if you’re looking to join our Charlotte Stein obsession, we also highly recommend the following:
March 4, 2017
Congratulations Giveaway Winners – Owned, Collared, Er, Bedazzled?
Congratulations to our four winners of the “Owned & Collared” giveaway in conjunction with our interview with real-life BDSM lifestyler, AJ Renard. She graciously donated jewelry from her boudoir. The winners are:
LiseKim: leaf earrings
Carrie: chunky bracelet
Kat: rope necklace
Bonnie: heart necklace
Winners, ping Elizabeth at ElizabethLoveStory@gmail to claim!
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March 3, 2017
Sexy Saturday Round Up
[image error]Spring is winding up. Daffodils are springing open in my yard, people. In a few short weeks young people will become incapable of rational thought. Meanwhile, we’ve got some great links for you. Kick back with a chocolate croissant and soak in the joy that is SSRU.
From Madeline:
The Vaginal Infection that lasted a year.
Knaves, one and all—The King’s Court at Oxford During the Plague Years
Victorian gender before straight and queer.
Remember Hot Mug Shot Guy? His modeling dreams came true and he’s walking the runway…
Rotten Tomatoes list of Top Romantic Movies. How many have you seen?
From Thien-Kim
Who says sex toys can’t be cute and functional?
Do we really have measure everything we do, even the speed of his thrusts?
A domme shares how to get your husband to dominate you in the bedroom.
Patrick Stewart tells a hilarious story about his penis. Could he be more adorable?
Sexy black men modeling Calvin Klein underwear? Yes, please.
From Elizabeth Shore
Wearing a virtual condom. 10 rules for safe sexting.
So many dildos, never enough time. Here’s your guide to picking the best one for you.
Newsflash – sex sells! So Playboy’s back to putting naked girls in their mag.
Cue the eeeeew. Camel toe underwear.
And if that doesn’t do it for you, how about a clit pendant?
Fantástico! Sex doll brothel opens in Barcelona.
Working out without underwear – what you need to know.
Have an orgasm from a dating app – before you even meet anyone.
It’s Time to Make a Sex Bucket List
New Year’s Eve kisses are a distant memory. The Valentine’s Day afterglow has faded. Now that we’re in the lull of winter-spring, how do you keep the bedroom fires burning?
Might I suggest creating a sex bucket list?
The sex bucket list is exactly what it means. Make a list of naughty, sexy things you want to try (or do more of) this year. Imagine the smile on your face when you cross off “Have sex outdoors” or something equally adventurous.
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Why you need a sex bucket list
When it comes to bedroom play, we often get stuck in a rut without realizing it. Sex and orgasms isn’t usually top of mind after a long day of work, kids, and household chores. A bucket list creates low-stress but mega-fun goals. Even if you don’t quite hit the goal, you’ll have fun trying.
Prioritizing fun in the bedroom means you’ll have something to look forward to that evening (day, night, whenever you decide). Did I mention it’s fun?
Tips on making your list
Making your list doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some things to keep in mind as you make your list:
Try new to you locations: take the sex out of the bedroom. How about a blow job in the shower, sex in the woods, or test out a remote control egg during an action movie?
Take it off: Include or remove clothing or toys. Go out to a fancy dinner with no underwear or wear some vibrating panties during a road trip.
Play with yourself: Include items that don’t need a play buddy, unless you count a rabbit vibe as your play buddy. You’re more likely to accomplish them if you’re not dependent on a partner and their mood.
Include your play buddy (if you have one) when you make your list. You’ll have fun making the list together and they might come with ideas you’ve never even considered. You can even include some sex toys for couples into the challenge.
Experiment with BDSM. After all, we’ve read all about it in our smut, why not give it a go? If you’re not sure how to bring up the topic of domination and submission, Domme Mona Darling offers some tips.
You’ve made your list, now what?
It’s time to get busy! Close the blinds (or not) and start crossing off the challenges you’ve chosen.
I figure, by the time I come up for air, spring will have finally have its foot in the door and we can take things outside. Live dangerously, right?
What would you put on your sex bucket list?
Thien-Kim Lam is currently writing romances about Asian American women who have mega hot sex. She is the founder of Bawdy Bookworms, a subscription box that pairs sexy reads with bedroom toys and sensual products. Batteries included. Check her Pleasure Pairings guide with buzzy recommendations for the adventurous reader
February 28, 2017
If You’re An Alpha Female Looking For Love You’re Totally Doomed
[image error]By Elizabeth Shore
Are you an alpha female? Do you, for instance, always need to be right? Are you a perfectionist or overachiever? Are you a drill sergeant?
If you’ve answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are, according to author and frequent Fox news contributor Suzanne Venker, an alpha female. And if you’re an alpha female, and you happen to be married, well, good luck with that, honey. Your marriage is screwed.
See, according to Venker – the niece of rabid conservative anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly – in her new book, The Alpha Female’s Guide to Love and Marriage, “If you took the alpha wife quiz and determined you’re an alpha, I have some news that at first will be hard to swallow: you’re going to have to cede control. If you don’t, your marriage or relationship will continue to be one giant fight.”
Yowza! That sounds ominous. I don’t want a bad relationship. Or “one giant fight.” Who does? Well, apparently, all those evil feminists, that’s who. Feminists are the cause of all relationship ills. Did you know that? Me, neither. But Venker’s book includes former Fox news anchor E.D. Hill’s assertion that her need for self-reliance led to a “power struggle” with her husband and that, “along with other issues” (who knows what those were), led to her divorce. This leads Venker to the following conclusion:
“Thanks to feminism, this ‘power struggle’ Hill describes is par for the course. Women today are effectively at war with the men in their lives, sometimes unknowingly. Even women who don’t consider themselves feminist have a feminist mind and as a result don’t understand men and marriage. The idea that the sexes are “equal,” as in the same, has supplanted what past generations have always known: that men and women are vastly different creatures. And that dismissing those differences makes marriage hell.”
Huh. So, wow. There’s a revelation for you, right? Men and women are vastly different creatures. Who knew! Well, apparently only past generations and not the dim-witted alpha females of today. So asserts Ms. Venker. And if you’re not bright enough to acknowledge those differences – and cede all control, let’s not forget that – then you’ve just punched your ticket to relationship purgatory. Take that, alpha female.
But, wait. About that quiz…above I only pulled out 3 of the 13 questions that help you determine whether you’re an alpha female. To help you out, the whole quiz is listed below, taken directly from Suzanne Venker’s website:
Do you feel nervous or out of control when you’re not the one in charge?
Are you a perfectionist or an overachiever?
Do you sometimes feel superior to your husband, as though he needs you to show him how to do things? (How to dress, what to say, how to grocery shop, how to parent, etc.)
Do you take your everyday frustrations out on your husband as though he’s the cause of those frustrations?
Do you generally expect your husband to go along with your plans, as opposed to the other way around?
When you listen to your husband, are you immediately formulating a response in your head before he’s finished speaking?
Do you roll your eyes when your husband says something with which you disagree or disapprove?
Do you frequently contradict your husband? (If your answer is no, would your husband agree?)
Are you a drill sergeant?
Do you tease your husband in front of others in a manner that could be construed as disrespectful?
Do you need to be right?
Do you frequently interrupt your husband or talk over him, even in public? (If your answer is no, would your husband agree?)
Does your marriage feel like one giant power struggle? (If your answer is no, would your husband agree?)
The more questions to which you answer in the affirmative, says, Venker, the more alpha you are. Well, hold on there, missy. Here’s my quibble with the damn quiz. In my world, if someone publically humiliates her spouse, or frequently contradicts him, or rolls her eyes when he’s speaking, I wouldn’t call her an alpha female. I’d call her an a**hole. Behaving like that isn’t asserting your alpha, it’s just being rude. Call me crazy, but to me an alpha female is a strong, confident, hard-working woman who knows what she wants and has the courage to pursue it. You know, kinda like an alpha man.
Some additional relationship insight from Ms. Venker: “insisting that a woman doesn’t need a man is a terrible precedent for marriage.” Again, I’ve gotta disagree with you there, Suz. I don’t think the basis for a good marriage is “needing” a man. I think it’s wanting him. Wanting the love, respect, support, and partnership that we should all receive in a relationship. Isn’t that the reason for having one in the first place? What it doesn’t mean is having to “cede” all control and letting the man always be in charge. Sometimes he is; sometimes you are. You find the balance that works for you both.
Elizabeth Shore writes both contemporary and historical erotic romance. Her newest book is an erotic historical novella, Desire Rising, from The Wild Rose Press. Other releases include Hot Bayou Nights and The Lady Smut Book of Dark Desires.
