Randy Reading #5: Carrie's Story

And we're back, after a rather crazy few weeks.  It has been a while since I wrote about an erotic book, and this is one I found really enjoyable.  From the intelligent-sexy people at Cleiss Press, Carrie's Story is a modern take on the classic Story of O written by Molly Weatherfield.  She writes herself about how she struggled to harmonise her love of the de Sade style pornography she'd enjoyed in her youth with the Sex Wars era feminism developing around her.  I've seen it a lot myself in people new to the fetish scene, women especially, feeling guilty for a presumed betrayal of their gender by letting a man control them, and while I find it quite easy to resolve such inner conflict thanks to way too much time spent reading philosophical texts dealing with the master and slave dynamic - in a non-sexual context, but it frequently applies - it's something that does rear its head often, and I'm glad to have been able to read something dealing with this in such a positive light, as well as providing a believable modern portrayal of the 25-7 lifestyle.

Randy Reading Re-scheduled

Given I'm reviewing books faster than I can read them, and I have way too much college work on the horizon to guarantee I'll keep to the bi-weekly schedule, I'm now returning to regular haphazard reviews, published once a week on a Friday. However, I've enjoyed sharing some works of erotic fiction - and hopefully encouraging a smattering of folk to try it themselves at least - and I definitely intend to keep that up. Therefore, I'm declaring the last Friday of every month to be the scheduled next installment of my Randy Reading focus. If anyone has any recommendations, I'm always open to suggestions, especially when it comes to word-porn.

BB
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Randy Reading #4: Teasing The Devil

My first review of an Xcite book, and the first in my Randy Reading focus to be a full-length novel, Teasing The Devil by Monica Bell is a rather clever little tale of supernatural horror that could still just be shadows and an easily-influenced imagination.

There is a hint of the wicked about Julian d'Alveda, 

a darkness that fascinates pretty student Chloe Anthony.  

Keen to learn more about his scandalous activities, she joins him 

at Candle Street Hall in Norfolk, a house with a reputation darker still.  

Once there, she quickly finds herself drawn 

like a moth to a flame, first as his lover, then more deeply 

as the full scope of his strange obsessions and desires become clear.

Randy Reading #3: Enchanted: Erotic Fairy Tales

After last week's short story double-up, I thought it was time to look at something of a gateway-book to the more lengthy novels.  This one I picked up a couple of years ago, back when I was still getting to grips with erotic literature myself, and I found it much more fulfilling than some of the shorter Black Lace collections, as well as being slightly more in tune with my own draw to the paranormal-slash-supernatural style of fiction.  Black Lace's Enchanted: Erotic Fairy Tales is a trilogy of not-so-short stories focusing on the concept of adult fairy tales.  Now, as I mentioned in Randy Reading #1, I find Black Lace stories to be a little too eager to find the happy ending and have every couple ride into the sunset (take that how you wish!).  That failing is probably exactly why I find these stories to work so well: that fairy tale mentality is exactly what's needed in a genuine fairy tale.

Be Careful What You Wish For.

Three writers from the best of Black Lace 

show there's nothing 

childish about fairy tales.

The three pieces, spanning 272 pages in all, are each long enough to explore their own tale, but not so long as to forbid getting distracted lest you lose the thread of the narrative.  There was overall enough plot and character development to prevent me getting testy about lazy writing as I'm prone to with the shorter BL stories, whilst still keeping things brief.

Randy Reading #2: Yes, Ma'am - Erotic Stories of Male Submission

Following on from my review of the newbie-friendly collection of short stories, Black Lace Quickies 6, I thought I'd explore a collection that I personally found more appealing: Yes, Ma'am - Erotic Tales of Male Submission.  I do enjoy short stories, not least because, once something whets my literary appetite, I find it impossible to do anything until I've devoured the book whole, and short stories allow me to live a normal life despite how good they are.  Why, just the other night I stayed up until 5am to finish a novel, when I then had to get up two hours later.  Not fun.  So, yes, short stories are a thumbs up as a format.  I do also like a bit of spice to my erotic fiction, preferably either a bit of kink or the supernatural (or both), depending on my mood.

But, not all short story collections have the same umph.  Yes, Ma'am is published by the impressively elegant Cleis Press, who, to me, stand out even just by their Twitter bio as a company who try to keep a bit of class in with the ass.

Cleis Press publishes provocative, 

intelligent books in the areas of sexuality, 

gay and lesbian studies, erotica, fiction, 

gender studies, and human rights.

Sounds exactly like the kind of attitude I can get behind!  Intelligent and sexy is pretty much the best combo I can think of.  Add that to how well-received the counterpart to this anthology - Yes, Sir - Erotic Tales of Female Submission - I had rather high expectations of Yes, Ma'am.

"No" is not an option...

Randy Reading #1: Black Lace Quickies 6

"Inaugurated in July 1993, Black Lace has emerged as the leading imprint 

of erotic fiction for women, selling over four million books worldwide. 

It has without question been an enormous success, 

 and the success looks set to continue. 

In publishing a series of attractive, strongly branded books aimed at women, 

we have created a new genre."

Whether or not you agree with how big an impact Black Lace have had on the erotic fiction market, they certainly are a household name (depending on your household, clearly!).  Even though they've taken a back seat in the past year, with their publishing house, Virgin Books, making the decision to focus more on their non-fiction texts, the vast BL catalog means most, if not all, erotic literature stockists will still carry a decent selection.

The main selling point of Black Lace books is that they're 100% written by women, for women.  This probably links closely into why, in all the books I've read, the stories have to resolve with some form of fairytale ending.  I know that many women can write without resorting to such clichés, but I get the impression that Black Lace specifically seek those whose writing leans more towards the fluffy hetero-normative fantasy. Now, personally, while I can handle a happy ending with the best of them, I rail against one being shoehorned in against all logic simply to satisfy some publication guidelines.  Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed many BL books, and some I actually see as having some literary value.  But, overall, I've seen too many of their stories as designed purely for someone who is unsure as to what they like, and wants a story that cares more about delivering an evocative, yet mild-mannered, sex scene than about finding the next The Canterbury Tales.

The book I've chosen to be the first in this series of reviews is exactly that: it is lightweight and accessible, but relatively insubstantial.  As someone who is confident of what she does and does not enjoy in a piece of porny prose, and is a little of a literary snob, it didn't do all that much for me, but I can see that I am clearly not it's target audience, and since I know many people who might be out there in internet-land browsing around fit perfectly into that category - new to erotic literature, not willing to spend a lot on something they may not like - I thought it would be a good jumping-off point.  So, let us jump off and have a peek at Black Lace Quickies 6.

Welcome to Randy Reading Review Focus!

I love myself some erotic fiction.  I don't love all of it, and even the books I've re-read until the spine cracks merged together into one tattered fray of overuse, I've found myself distracted by some niggling little quirk.  Right now, I've just finished yet another book, and have two more sitting on my bedside table calling out to me.  As soon as I see an online retailer start a sale, I'm right into the erotic fiction section, seeing what gems I can winkle out to keep my imagination-fires well stoked.  But I'm relatively new to these kind of books, which is why I thought I should do something to convince others to take that first toe-dip into the rich world of erotic fiction.