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New Exploits
Bell, Book and Dyke: New Exploits of Magical Lesbians
Lesbian Magic. The best-selling quartet that brought you Once Upon A Dyke unveils four deliciously different takes on magic in lesbian lives. Reluctant witches, tempting books, and beautiful bells―and belles―delve into the mysteries of love, lust and power.
Sex Magic. Be Skyclad with Julia Watts. Do it By the Book with Therese Szymanski. Find enchantment with Barbara Johnson's Lily and lose your reason with Karin Kallmaker's Unbeliever .
Woman Magic. Black cats, haunted houses, strange brews and dancing bonfires heat up the pages of this diverting quartet of erotic, imaginative tales. Curl up with a bell, a book and a dyke and let the magic be real.
Sex Magic. Be Skyclad with Julia Watts. Do it By the Book with Therese Szymanski. Find enchantment with Barbara Johnson's Lily and lose your reason with Karin Kallmaker's Unbeliever .
Woman Magic. Black cats, haunted houses, strange brews and dancing bonfires heat up the pages of this diverting quartet of erotic, imaginative tales. Curl up with a bell, a book and a dyke and let the magic be real.
357 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Johnson
10 books9 followersLibrarian note: There are other authors with the same name
Barbara Johnson lives in a Maryland suburb with her partner of more than three decades, Kathleen DeBold, plus felines.
Barbara Johnson lives in a Maryland suburb with her partner of more than three decades, Kathleen DeBold, plus felines.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 11, 2013
I love books that are a copulation of short stories, and I hate them as well. I hate the fact that in finding a good short story the story is well, short. What I love about short story books is finding new authors that are potential favorites.
In Bell, Book and Dyke there are four short stories and each one is a good story in its own right. I will say that my favorite one was Unbeliever by Karin Kallmaker. It is the story of love lost and found again. It is the story of an ending that is a beginning. It is the story of finding life in death. It made me cry.
Sea Witch by Barbara Johnson, the first story in the book was a good story. I do have the same complaint about it that I have about many lesbian themed books, and stories. Where are all the straight people? Oh, sure there were a few mentioned in passing, but all of the central characters were lesbian women. There were no men, to speak of, nor where there straight women.
By the Book by Therese Szymanski took a bit to get into. It was not that the story was bad. It was that it is set at times in a dream scape. Out of all of the stories this one had the most action, the most danger in it. This was the short story that I used for my Teaser Tuesday post.
Skyclad by Julia Watts showed how prejudiece is out there not only against LGBT but also against those who do not practice an accepted religion. While all the stories in the book featured some sort of erotica and this one did as well, this erotica was that of waiting. Not giving into desires.
All around a great set of short stories I think I have another short story book somewhere that I need to read.
In Bell, Book and Dyke there are four short stories and each one is a good story in its own right. I will say that my favorite one was Unbeliever by Karin Kallmaker. It is the story of love lost and found again. It is the story of an ending that is a beginning. It is the story of finding life in death. It made me cry.
Sea Witch by Barbara Johnson, the first story in the book was a good story. I do have the same complaint about it that I have about many lesbian themed books, and stories. Where are all the straight people? Oh, sure there were a few mentioned in passing, but all of the central characters were lesbian women. There were no men, to speak of, nor where there straight women.
By the Book by Therese Szymanski took a bit to get into. It was not that the story was bad. It was that it is set at times in a dream scape. Out of all of the stories this one had the most action, the most danger in it. This was the short story that I used for my Teaser Tuesday post.
Skyclad by Julia Watts showed how prejudiece is out there not only against LGBT but also against those who do not practice an accepted religion. While all the stories in the book featured some sort of erotica and this one did as well, this erotica was that of waiting. Not giving into desires.
All around a great set of short stories I think I have another short story book somewhere that I need to read.
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March 4, 2024I love finding older lesbian books! Bell, Book and Dyke features four novellas about lesbians and witchcraft. The first “Sea Witch” is the most “magical” and singular in its action over romance. It follows a coven as strange storms and magic continues to pop up in their idyllic beachside town.
The second novella “By-The-Book” is about a stunt double who discovers she is a witch. This one was my least favorite by far, just felt a little gruff and complicated.
“Unbeliever” is a bittersweet tale of an agnostic twin who grapples with her lack of faith while her sister is dying of cancer. Then she meets a witch who might change her outlook.
Finally, “Skyclad” is probably the most contained story. A coven led by High Priestess Chameleon fights back after their petition for an adopt-a-highway sign is denied
All of the stories helped me feel in touch with an older generation of lesbians & had some not-bad spice
The second novella “By-The-Book” is about a stunt double who discovers she is a witch. This one was my least favorite by far, just felt a little gruff and complicated.
“Unbeliever” is a bittersweet tale of an agnostic twin who grapples with her lack of faith while her sister is dying of cancer. Then she meets a witch who might change her outlook.
Finally, “Skyclad” is probably the most contained story. A coven led by High Priestess Chameleon fights back after their petition for an adopt-a-highway sign is denied
All of the stories helped me feel in touch with an older generation of lesbians & had some not-bad spice
November 18, 2017
This was a hard book to categorize at first, but as I finished the book and looked back on all four stories, I realized it was a really well-crafted, well-planned collection of stories that examined the common intersections of lesbianism and witchcraft. The back two stories by well-known lesbian writers Karin Kallmaker and Julia Watts were the undeniable stand-outs in this collection of...novellas? Short stories? The stories clocked in at 75-100 pages each, which seems right in the middle. I loved the way the stores played off each other and the theme, but it's much more fair to review them separately.
"Sea Witch" by Barbara Johnson
This one was the most "paranormal romance" of the four, the lightest, the one that reminds you most of Buffy or Charmed. It feels right at home as a fairly simple, condensed short story. It's erotica-heavy, focuses a lot on early/mid-2000's lesbian culture a la The L Word, and has a fairly corny villainous butch with a few bad one-liners. All in all, a totally entertaining story, but nothing that got me super hyped for the rest of the book. It didn't really delve deep into the more philosophical side of magic, but that's alright.
Bonus points for a bunch of adorable kitties!
"By the Book" by Therese Szymanski
This one was...not good. Really not good. It started fairly strong with the idea of a Hollywood stunt-woman whose successful career is not due to her "by the book" attitude on the job but due to her (unknowingly) magical lineage. But it got muddled so quickly! Two love interests were introduced very quickly, and then it almost seemed to turn into a haunted-house story. But the worst part is that I just couldn't stand the main character. She's a super obnoxious butch stereotype who treats women just like a straight man would, which is totally repellent.
The ending wrapped things up much better than I thought it would, but this was definitely the weakest story of the four. It felt sloppy, hastily-written, and just not that compelling on the magic or the lesbian front.
"Unbeliever" by Karin Kallmaker
Wow. Just wow. This is probably one of the best lesbian novellas/short stories I've ever read. And here's the kicker--I've never read Karin Kallmaker before! Despite my love for lesfic and her illustrious career in the field, I've just never gotten around to her books. I have about half a dozen waiting on my shelves and now I can't wait to dig in.
If you're expecting another lighthearted story, this one will shock you in the best way--I was totally crying by the end. It revolves around college philosophy professor Hayley and her terminally-ill twin sister Kylie after Hayley receives a strange book in the mail with otherworldly properties. She then meets the beautiful girl next door, Aurora, and as she gets closer to her, she feels guilty as her sister gets sicker and sicker.
Even though magic is at the center of this story, it feels painfully grounded in realism. Hayley knows how to logically cope with the world, but when confronted with her beloved sister's untimely death, she doesn't have the real-world tools to deal. The blending of grief with a new love is something a lot of romance writers try to tackle but few succeed on, and Kallmaker makes our hearts break at the same time as we fall in love along with Hayley. She also takes magic as a subject very seriously--make isn't just for fantasy or children's stories, it's all around us, and believing in it is valid.
This is an absolutely gorgeous story. I'd recommend it to anyone.
"Skyclad" by Julia Watts
This is my second favorite story in the collection. I also have a few Julia Watts books I haven't read yet, so I'm excited for those, too! This one echoes the tone of the first story--both involve a coven of witches dealing with outside pressures, but this one takes the coven seriously as a religious group and deals with the issues of magic vs. (and sometimes alongside) religion. It's not a subject I can say I've given much thought to before, especially through this medium, and Watts tackles it in a way that makes us both think and laugh along with the characters.
There's a very cozy feeling to this story. It's very grounded in lesbian culture and emotion. There are some heavier feelings (homophobic parents, old relationships), but mainly it's about opening someone else's eyes to a new way of seeing and believing in the world. I completely adored Chameleon and Tia as a couple and wish we had about 100 more pages of them!
(I do, however, wish that .)
Conclusion
I gave this whole collection an easy four stars. The authors obviously gave the subject/theme a lot of careful thought when crafting these stories, and they all worked well one after another. They weren't all perfect hits, but the Kallmaker and Watts stories alone make it worth a read. I'm excited to read the other books in the "Exploits" series.
"Sea Witch" by Barbara Johnson
This one was the most "paranormal romance" of the four, the lightest, the one that reminds you most of Buffy or Charmed. It feels right at home as a fairly simple, condensed short story. It's erotica-heavy, focuses a lot on early/mid-2000's lesbian culture a la The L Word, and has a fairly corny villainous butch with a few bad one-liners. All in all, a totally entertaining story, but nothing that got me super hyped for the rest of the book. It didn't really delve deep into the more philosophical side of magic, but that's alright.
Bonus points for a bunch of adorable kitties!
"By the Book" by Therese Szymanski
This one was...not good. Really not good. It started fairly strong with the idea of a Hollywood stunt-woman whose successful career is not due to her "by the book" attitude on the job but due to her (unknowingly) magical lineage. But it got muddled so quickly! Two love interests were introduced very quickly, and then it almost seemed to turn into a haunted-house story. But the worst part is that I just couldn't stand the main character. She's a super obnoxious butch stereotype who treats women just like a straight man would, which is totally repellent.
The ending wrapped things up much better than I thought it would, but this was definitely the weakest story of the four. It felt sloppy, hastily-written, and just not that compelling on the magic or the lesbian front.
"Unbeliever" by Karin Kallmaker
Wow. Just wow. This is probably one of the best lesbian novellas/short stories I've ever read. And here's the kicker--I've never read Karin Kallmaker before! Despite my love for lesfic and her illustrious career in the field, I've just never gotten around to her books. I have about half a dozen waiting on my shelves and now I can't wait to dig in.
If you're expecting another lighthearted story, this one will shock you in the best way--I was totally crying by the end. It revolves around college philosophy professor Hayley and her terminally-ill twin sister Kylie after Hayley receives a strange book in the mail with otherworldly properties. She then meets the beautiful girl next door, Aurora, and as she gets closer to her, she feels guilty as her sister gets sicker and sicker.
Even though magic is at the center of this story, it feels painfully grounded in realism. Hayley knows how to logically cope with the world, but when confronted with her beloved sister's untimely death, she doesn't have the real-world tools to deal. The blending of grief with a new love is something a lot of romance writers try to tackle but few succeed on, and Kallmaker makes our hearts break at the same time as we fall in love along with Hayley. She also takes magic as a subject very seriously--make isn't just for fantasy or children's stories, it's all around us, and believing in it is valid.
This is an absolutely gorgeous story. I'd recommend it to anyone.
"Skyclad" by Julia Watts
This is my second favorite story in the collection. I also have a few Julia Watts books I haven't read yet, so I'm excited for those, too! This one echoes the tone of the first story--both involve a coven of witches dealing with outside pressures, but this one takes the coven seriously as a religious group and deals with the issues of magic vs. (and sometimes alongside) religion. It's not a subject I can say I've given much thought to before, especially through this medium, and Watts tackles it in a way that makes us both think and laugh along with the characters.
There's a very cozy feeling to this story. It's very grounded in lesbian culture and emotion. There are some heavier feelings (homophobic parents, old relationships), but mainly it's about opening someone else's eyes to a new way of seeing and believing in the world. I completely adored Chameleon and Tia as a couple and wish we had about 100 more pages of them!
(I do, however, wish that .)
Conclusion
I gave this whole collection an easy four stars. The authors obviously gave the subject/theme a lot of careful thought when crafting these stories, and they all worked well one after another. They weren't all perfect hits, but the Kallmaker and Watts stories alone make it worth a read. I'm excited to read the other books in the "Exploits" series.
January 13, 2018
Well, as the saying goes, "everything is better with lesbians". I do agree with it, but the stories in themselves were really not all that good for me.
The first one, Sea Witch, was the worst of the lot. It was a very standard story, very much similar to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but with an adult lesbian instead of a straight teenager. Because of the lesbians, it was bearable.
The second one, By the Book, was actually quite entertaining, with a nice twist.
The third one, Unbeliever, was sweet and cute. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if it hadn't been for the "past lives" element; it turned what could have been a really nice romantic story into a trope-y mess. It didn't help that the story that came right before also had the same element, but better developed.
The last one, Skyclad, was another good one, much more romantic than fantastic, but very enjoyable.
All in all, not the best stories I've ever read, but I do love lesbians.
The first one, Sea Witch, was the worst of the lot. It was a very standard story, very much similar to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but with an adult lesbian instead of a straight teenager. Because of the lesbians, it was bearable.
The second one, By the Book, was actually quite entertaining, with a nice twist.
The third one, Unbeliever, was sweet and cute. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if it hadn't been for the "past lives" element; it turned what could have been a really nice romantic story into a trope-y mess. It didn't help that the story that came right before also had the same element, but better developed.
The last one, Skyclad, was another good one, much more romantic than fantastic, but very enjoyable.
All in all, not the best stories I've ever read, but I do love lesbians.
June 16, 2022
Karin Kallmaker and Julia Watts were the winners in this collection. The first story Sea Witch was just awful, from the writing to the lack of story. It reminded me of lesbian erotica sites in the early 2000's and even those were usually more developed and amusing than Sea Witch.
The second story "By the Book" was better, but the route it took quickly lost my interest. It just wasn't for me.
If the rest of the book had been anything like the first two, this would've been a one star collection, but Kallmakers "Unbeliever" had a depth and soul to it, along with her skillful writing that bumped it up to 3 stars. Then came "Skyclad" which was the cozy cute close out that I think was my favourite.
The second story "By the Book" was better, but the route it took quickly lost my interest. It just wasn't for me.
If the rest of the book had been anything like the first two, this would've been a one star collection, but Kallmakers "Unbeliever" had a depth and soul to it, along with her skillful writing that bumped it up to 3 stars. Then came "Skyclad" which was the cozy cute close out that I think was my favourite.
May 12, 2018
can't finish it didn't get better gave up during the third story just wasn't what I expected better story telling I guess what I was hoping for and magic it was an experiment that didn't work out for me.
June 11, 2015
I have just finished Unbeliever by Karin Kallmaker., one of the (not so much) short stories in this book. I enjoyed it so much!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews