Masquerade

by Marija Elektra Rodriguez

Gaetano and Emilio are in search of La Dolce Vita—wealth, fame, and beautiful women. They encounter the Contessa di Aubria, a mysterious woman with a dark bloodline and penchant for erotica. Will she fulfill their desires, or bring about their destruction?

Masquerade & Other Stories is a collection of macabre and erotic tales.

Marija Elektra Rodriguez is an award-winning writer of horror and erotica fiction. Her stories have been widely anthologized in Australia and internationally.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2013

About the author

Marija grew up in a delicatessen, with a multi-ethnic family, where pickling cabbage and knife throwing were taught at an early age. She would scribble stories on butcher’s paper which would then be passed on to unsuspecting customers when they received their groceries.

Marija has a degree in Economics from the University of Queensland and has completed postgraduate studies in this field. She has also completed studies in Literature and Classical Greek History. She has worked as a foreign currency trader, economic analyst, and history tutor.

She currently lives in Sydney with her husband (el carnicero), her daughter, and a bunch of pirate pets.

Reviews

[Anari]

The Masquerade is a series of enchantingly crafted short stories, each of which draws the reader in from its very first page. From the delightfully detailed descriptions of love and beauty to the macabre flights of fancy featuring death, murder, vampires and more, I found that Rodriquez writes with an expert hand that imparts charm, suspense and a taste of both the erotic and the exotic. The book tackled the bloodiness of violence and death, in a multitude of instances, with breathtaking skill.

My favourite tale was, 'Violet,' which was very cleverly written, so much so that I had to go straight back to the beginning and read it again. I'm not surprised it won the 'Women On Writing winter 2013 Flash Fiction Contest.' Within this book you can find historical fiction, ghost stories, Greek lore and moralistic tales. Each features well-defined characters that burst from the page with a myriad of emotions, wants and needs.

The trouble with this book is that each little taster is not enough. I found myself desperately seeking the rest of each story and the details that would surround it. Thankfully, the good news is that each short story has its original version printed at the end, allowing you to purchase the whole.

My Verdict? A 5 star read, stunningly executed and almost hauntingly brilliant.