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Once upon a Dyke

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Once upon a time, four of your favorite lesbian novelists embarked on a magical journey to bring their favorite fairy tale characters out of the closet and into the sheets. The result is a highly erotic and deliciously tongue-in-cheek collection that brings a whole new meaning to the term "bedtime stories."
Lie back and let these fantasy femmes – and a butch in wonderland – take you deep into the forest, high into castles, and through the looking glass. You’ll be enchanted as Rapunzel lets down more than her hair, the Little Mermaid gets soaking wet, and Snow White proves that Sleepy and Bashful are neither. Whether you grew up wanting to be a princess, or wanting to rescue one, Once Upon a Dyke is the book for you!

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2004

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341 people want to read

About the author

Various

455k books1,323 followers
Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

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5 stars
41 (27%)
4 stars
52 (34%)
3 stars
37 (24%)
2 stars
12 (8%)
1 star
8 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Lacey Louwagie.
Author 7 books69 followers
August 16, 2008
So, I could get all mathematical and do an average of the 4 stories in this book, some of which were 1-star material, others of which were 4-star material, but I took the easy way and just gave it a simple 3. But I'm going to review the stories independently because it seems most fair. Although, to speak of the book as a whole: I didn't realize until this book arrived that it was classified as erotica. With that said, most of the stories were character-driven enough that the sex didn't steal the show. Which is good because the sex wasn't really my cup of tea; clearly I find different activities sexy than these four authors. So, without further ado:

Story 1 - La Belle Rose by Julia Watts: This story was incredibly light on the sex and the most "innocent" of the four stories here, with its main character fairly innocent about love and sex and not really getting corrupted in the course of the story. I appreciated the reinterpretation of "the beast" as a bearded woman at a carnival. Beauty and the Beast set amongst a cast of carnies? I could get down with that. (***)

Story 2 - A Butch in Fairy Tale Land by Therese Szymanski: This was the most sex-driven and least story/character driven tale, and it was super lame. I would've put up with it if the sex was hot, but an orgy with the 7 dwarfs isn't really my ideal fantasy. Basically, this story leads a butch lesbian through a series of fairy tale dreams in which she gets to rescue and screw a lot of fairy tale characters. Then she wakes up and, hm, maybe I shouldn't give away the lame ending to this lame story in case someone actually wants to read it? (*)

Story 3 - Charlotte of Hessen by Barbara Johnson: This is a retelling of Cinderella, although you have to read fairly far in before realizing that because it starts before the stepmother and stepsisters arrive and there's nothing recognizably "Cinderella-ish" in it before that. I liked the premise of Charlotte falling in love with the prince's sister instead of him. But the whole victimhood / persecution part of this story grated on my nerves. When I was a kid, I remember Jessica asking, "Why doesn't Cinderella just tell them off?" and I've sort of wondered that ever since. But now as an adult, I know, of course, that there are all sorts of psychological factors at play in an abusive relationship. But in this particular take on Cinderella, it wasn't an examination of victimization, it was a romanticization of it, and that's annoying. (**)

Story 4 - A Fish Out of Water by Karin Kallmaker: This one is a retelling of The Little Mermaid. And at first I was annoyed that the writer used the names Ariel and Erica in it and gave them similar physical characteristics to the Disney versions, because the Disney version is a retelling in itself, so I like other retellings to stay closer to the source material. But, once I got over that (and the fact that the merfolk all had legs, but lived underwater, and the fact that the underwater scenes didn't feel like they were taking place underwater), it became clear that in this anthology, they'd saved the best for last. Karin's examination of Ariel's and Erica's attraction as a result of a "curse" laid by mersong and her gentle coaxing of them from lust and despair into love over the course of one voiceless year was really beautiful. And once Ariel was out of the ocean, this was the most visceral of the stories, with the strongest and most compelling sensory details. Out of all four authors, Karin Kallmaker is the one I'd consider reading again. (****)
Profile Image for Dide.
1,489 reviews53 followers
May 13, 2017
The Little Mermaid was a sweet story but i personally didn't find her tattooing herself as a form of amorous expression....she was already loved before her tattoo why feel hurting yourself will get you closer ? I give it 3 stars

Snow White was a really sappy read, i found it silly in many wsays but i did find the erotic side of it entertaining. I give it 2 stars

Beauty and the Beast was just sublime. Erotic and captivating and a wonderful fairy tale read. I give it 4 stars

Fish Out of Water, this author was the reason i purchased this book and her story was no disappointment....it evoked some heart wrenching emotions just imagining the longing that just couldn't be fulfilled. I give it 4 stars
Profile Image for Eva.
12 reviews
January 3, 2023
While the idea behind this book is brilliant, the execution is far from it. The second story, A Butch in Fairy Tale Land, is nothing short of excruciating. It is so badly written that it's taken me almost five years, and about half a dozen attempts, to get past it. And even then, I had to skip the second half of the story. It is truly terrible. I had such high hopes from this book. Somehow, even with all the smut, this one doesn't hold a candle to Kissing the Witch.
2 reviews
Read
October 18, 2023
unbelievably badly written, too many underage sex scenes, took months to gather the will to finish it. 11/10
Profile Image for Maddie Von.
22 reviews
May 5, 2024
Cool in concept, 3/4 were very “my first gay wattpad fic” vibes. Felt very much a Plot, what Plot? Why is everybody fisting people they just met??? Totally sped through the last bit, would not recommend or read again. One star for the best chapter and the concept.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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