Sometimes love hurts

 If you thought Shades of Gray wasn't quite enough for you, you wanted more, more romance, more tension, more dark sex, then check out Michael Alexander's latest novel, "Challenge of Love", now available via Hot Ink Press from Amazon.com!

Stephanie's marriage is in shambles and past events have left her emotionally and physically stressed. Unsure of her husband's love, Stephanie enrolls them both, without his knowledge, in a BDSM reality television game show, hoping that the shock, sex, and intensity of the competition will bring Mark back to her. But the risks she undertakes are high, perhaps too high. Check out the free sample!

Get Michael Alexander's latest novel!  Now available from Amazon.com!

Review: You Do the Crime, You Pay the Time - A.P. Damine

Noosed Beauty - HangNaked

Story Codes: M/f snuff reluctant Extreme Synopsis: A slave has greatly offended her Master. As punishment, he sent an executioner to fuck her in the ass and hang her. She decides to make the best of a bad situation. 

I just finished the incredibly short story "You Do the Crime, You Pay the Time" by A.P. Damien over at the BDSM Library.  Normally I wouldn't write a review for a story like this, but since the library's rating system is still down, I find myself even more motivated to leave feedback for authors.

The first thing I want to note about the story is that it is not in a standard format.  It's more of a dialog and thought recording between the girl and her executioner.  The author, A.P. Damien actually does a decent job in separating the thoughts and dialog between the two characters, using a combination of symbols, italics, and font color.  That said, it almost feels more like a script lacking set descriptions.  Very strange.

But despite the fact that there are no narrative descriptions, the author does a good job in using his characters to set the stage.  And it's not obvious either.  There's no "Oh look!  A noose that's made of soft rope attached to a boom arm that swings, underneath a small platform."  The descriptions are sufficient to provide a basic outline and the action of the story takes the reader along without need for anything more specific.  I like authors who can allow a reader's imagination to handle so much without making it a strain.

The characters themselves are simple, yet intriguing.  No one is named, except for absent Master Damien (the author himself?) who has ordered the events of the evening.  But while neither character has a name, their attitudes define them quite well, and since the author grants us private access into their thought processes, it opens up a relationship that feels deeper than the mere dialog would have provided.  

The plot is simple.  Slave girl has messed up and is sent, unknowingly, to her execution.  Master Damien has requested death by hanging, as well as having his "former" slave girl screwed in the rear.  The executioner is a gentle man, which is a sweet irony, and he pleasures her to orgasm before finally allowing the noose to cut of her air.

The story is ridiculously short, but it is sweet, and despite the funky format, has a lot going for it.  I'm going to give it a very strong 7 out of 10, and admit this almost made an 8.  

To read "You do the Crime, You do the Time" by A.P. Damien, click here.

The Bitter End - Rue Volley

The Bitter End: Rue Volley

Bethany was born into a world of privilege and has never had to want for anything in her life. Her parents gave her everything but the one thing she desired the most...love. When Bethany’s mother dies, her Father becomes even more distant with the immediate replacement of Bethany’s mother by “Miko”, a woman who has no compassion nor interest in Bethany whatsoever.

On her own and living in a penthouse, a lavish gift from her father, Bethany ignores all responsibility as she lives on a weekly allowance her Father is sure to place into her bank account. With too much time on her hands, Bethany is free to pursue other interests such as a young man she never cared for in school named Ryan Blackwood. Ryan is a male escort for hire and has made his living on pleasuring the higher echelons of New York society women, but when he meets Bethany his game is shifted from one of hunter to one of prey and he will soon find out that she is not the easy target he once imagined.

Get it now at Amazon.com!  and check out Rue's Facebook page! 

Customer Service - By Felicity Brandon

I’m not a fan of present tense narratives under most circumstances.  The awkwardness of the prose always seems to distract, and yet there are authors who use it with skill and grace.  Suzanne Collins who wrote Hunger Games did it well, using the present tense narrative form to keep the readers in the dark about how the plot ends.  In the erotic world, author Felicity Brandon does it with style, though more from a personal preference than out of the necessity of plot.  Even more incredibly, Felicity Brandon writes from a first person perspective, forcing action, dialog, and even description through the lens of a narrator, and not just an author’s pen.  And she does it well.

Her latest short story, “Customer Service” is pure gold, balancing action, dialog, and description in a sexually tense and fascinating way.  In it, Felicity Brandon introduces us to Polly, a beleaguered waitress dealing with the dreaded customer “Rachel” who wraps her arrogance and bad attitude around herself like a cloak.  Polly discovers a note with Rachel’s phone number on it and a personal message.  Intrigued, Polly calls and finds herself willingly submitting to the dominatrix, whose attitude doesn’t change, even in the privacy of her own home.  The sex is steamy, the descriptions poignant, and the tension builds.

The only critical complaint I can give – is that I wished the story kept going.  Rachel is an amazing character with vibrant colors and an unforgiving attitude that makes me like her, despite her aggressive and haughty behavior.  I almost wish she had offered Polly a job as house maid.  It would have been totally appropriate and I would have loved to read Polly’s reaction to the humiliating uniform and demanding antics of Rachel. 

“Customer Service” is a short, fast read, filled with eroticism and romance that anyone, man or woman, would enjoy.  I heartily recommend this tale and give it a full ten out of ten rating. It's currently priced at 99 cents and I think, despite being a ten minute read, might actually be worth it.

You can pick up a copy of "Customer Service" at Amazon.com.
Visit Felicity's website at  http://fbrandonfiction.wix.com/felicity-brandon-

Follow Felicity Brandon's Twitter: @FelicityBrandon
Or follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felicitybrandonerotica

Review: Disciplinary Action Anthology

This memorial day weekend I perused Disciplinary Action, a brief anthology of short stories by several different authors linked with Xcite Books, a publisher of erotica.  There were five stories included in the anthology.  Overall the collection isn't bad, however it certainly wasn't worth the $2.99 cost.  Anthologies generally need to be used by publishers as a sort of means to introduce their pantheon of authors.  My primary issue with the price was that overall the collection was only 51 pages long.  I sell full length novels for $2.99 and in the cutthroat industry of e-book erotica, $2.99 for a 51 page anthology is a death sentence.  I'd have serious reservations about buying another Xcite book again unless I knew the author and loved their work.

The first story in the anthology is Disciplinary Action by Felicity Brandon and sets the tone for the rest of the anthology.  The plot, which is a timeless classic, involves a rather unbelievable young woman in similarly unbelievable circumstances, being blackmailed into sexual submissive by her employer.  Ms. Brandon's strength lies in the emotional content of the main character but the action is unfortunately predictable.  The antagonist (or depending on your viewpoint, the PROtagonist) Mr. Carlton explains that he has video tape of the main character: Megan, copulating with a fellow co-worker during the Christmas Party, on premises, and then proceeds to fondle her while she's watching.  With only the video hanging over her, Megan suddenly finds that not only is she submissive, but likes it, and allows Carlton to punish her with a spanking and screw her brains out.  The action is precisely what you would expect  and while readers will enjoy the description of Megan's emotional turmoil, they'll be racking their brains trying to explain away her actions, which make no logical sense.  Why is Megan willing to submit to this man with so little to sway her?  Were she being accused of theft, I could possibly understand it.  But a single video of her having fun with a co-worker, off the clock?  And before she can even come to an agreement with her employer, the man begins fondling her?  Can any one say sexual harassment?  

"Disciplinary Action" is followed up by Beverly Langland's "Sandra's Stockings" a short hash of a mess constructed with simple sentences and short prose that makes it choppy and difficult to read.  Admittedly, I'm not a foot fetishist and find the idea of sucking some woman's used stockings to be unattractive.  But that is the risk of an anthology.  The plot revolves around Lucy, a submissive who serves an older woman and happens to be entranced with her stockings, and tells of the day that her life changed as she began to "serve" Mistress Sandra.  The narrative bounces between present and past tense abruptly and the entire story is more of a journal than a story with an active plot.

The gem of the anthology is the teaser story "Who is the Keymaster and Who The Key" by Ralph Greco, Jr.  In this short tale, classic playboy Ken, who certainly has a thing for his best friend's wife Lisa, gets her to put a chastity cage on his manhood, limiting his usual antics to seething frustration.  The sexual tension in this tale is masterfully done and despite the fact that I would never, ever, place myself in Ken's position, I found myself aroused from the idea of it alone.  The prose is excellent and the narrative compelling.

We are then subjected to "Daddy’s House" by Angel Propps, a strange conglomeration that adds a healthy dose of confusion to a mix of lesbian sex and punishment.  The author does a great job describing the characters and uses adjectives almost to a fault, peppering her sentences with them almost as an afterthought.  We are introduced to a powerful dominatrix of a woman in the very first paragraph, only to stare in bewilderment as we learn that she makes her submissive house slaves call her "Daddy".  Why? No idea.  It makes no sense.  It's as if she is so dominant, so testosterone laden, she actually wants to be a man.  I always thought that being a dominant woman was about being in control, yet ALSO being a woman.  Angel Propps does nothing to explain this disparity.  Then things get weirder when either the worst repetitive typo in history rears it's ugly head or for another unexplained reason, the submissive women living with "Daddy" are called "grrls."  Yes, you might have noticed there are no vowels in the world "grrls," which made no sense to me and was instantly classified in the same category as the lesbian dominatrix being called "Daddy".  After carefully filing those two oddities in my WTF drawer, I moved on through another formulaic plot that was saved from borishness by the author's capable action scenes.  The punishment she inflicts upon the "grlls" is creative and interesting, but the sexual tension really doesn't move in any direction.

Lastly we are given "The Art Master" by J. Smith, another story with a plot concept so old and unlikely that it almost scares me.  I'm not sure if J. Smith is a woman or man, but rest assured regardless of the author's gender, there are not many men out there who are "professional dominants" and sell their services to highly attractive woman who secretly wish to be abused and ravished by their ideal man.  I'm guessing that the "art master" must formally be either an Old Spice spokesman or an Axe commercial guy.  With this questionable story base used for the foundation, we are then treated to a repeat of every other spanking sex story every written.  Rest assured, I believe that old and well-used plots can be revitalized  by a talented author, but it takes creativity to do it.  "The Art Master" brings nothing new to the table.

All in all I can't recommend purchasing this book.  To put it in baseball terminology, three strikes, one double, and one home run doesn't make the game.  Two of the authors, Felicity Brandon and Ralph Greco, Jr. are probably worth reading on their own, but that will have to be a review for another day.

In summary, I give Disciplinary Action a 6 out of 10 rating.  

Review: Kelly Gets Her Dues

Story Codes: F+/f Tit Torture BDSM bondage Rape job humiliation nc Heavy Synopsis: Kelly, a beautiful girl who can't seem to make female friends, is kinapped and put through a car wash testing facility by her jealous coworkers. 

This morning I spent five minutes reading "Kelly Gets Her Dues" by Billdo at the BDSM Library.  In the story, a curvaceous yet socially challenged girl gets abused by her co-workers on a car weathering tester.  To be honest, there are some serious plot holes in this story, despite the relative creativity of the scenes.

First of all, Kelly is described as a pretty girl with 34C breasts, perfect waist, and striking features.  Yet she seems to alienate the other female students in some way that the author never elaborates on.  Evidently despite her good looks and obvious attention from the men, she never seems to develop any specific attachments.  After getting poor grades, she decides to work instead of going to college.

At work, Kelly again mysteriously offends her female co-workers. How?  No clue.  She just does.  Is it her perfect breasts?  Is it her striking features?  Or is it merely the author's whim, needing a reason for Kelly to be strapped down on an automated testing platform and subjected to a bevy of mechanical torments?

Neither is it explained how the four (or more?) female co-workers manage to drug Kelly, strip her naked, and move her to the testing area without trouble.  Were there no other workers at the department?  Is the secretary pool just allowed to go in and start the testing procedure whenever they want?  Weird.

In the end, Kelly is bound spread-eagled to the testing platform.  Her torment starts with a scene reminiscent of Dr. Wu's Tripping With Tiffany, a fantastic story where Tiffany, on a visit to meet with her new sorority, is tied naked to the top of a car and run through the car wash.  For Kelly however, various nozzles of hot water, cold water, and soapy water are turned upon her, she ends up being "whipped" by the wet strands used to clean car bodies.  The torment from there gets both ludicrous and interesting, with some of the most deviant and unbelievable mechanical rape ever written.

The writing itself is half-decent and frankly the story suffers mostly from the disjointed explanations.  There is a total lack of empathy with Kelly, since the author doesn't provide her perspective or a description of her senses beyond a few well placed cries.  The description is decent if understated, but there is absolutely no dialog whatsoever.  There are a few spots were questionable wording, like " Recently, her female coworkers were getting more cruel."  It's not "more cruel." It's "crueler."  And adding the word "recently" makes the tense questionable in the first place.  It's not wrong per se, but it feels awkward.

The story is also short.  Very short.  As I mentioned, I had it read in less that five minutes.  That was just long enough to get aroused, and certainly not long enough or detailed enough to do anything about it.  

In summary, this tale was frustrating from a variety of angles, but the author demonstrates a creativity that is worth exploring.  With an expanded perspective, this story would easily rate much higher than a 6 out of 10 stars.

Read "Kelly Gets Her Dues"

Review: Inheriting a Daughter by Banshee

Story Codes: M+/f F/f exhibition spanking teen voyeurism Swallowing Tit Torture BDSM historical reluctant humiliation nc Forced Heavy violent  
Synopsis: A couple "inherits" a daughter, when her father passes away, while she is staying with a family in the early 1900's. She finds her new family very strange, not to mention cruel. Things get stranger with each passing day until she finds herself a prisoner to their lust.

Recently I read Inheriting a Daughter by Banshee at the BDSM Library, which seems to still be occasionally posting new work despite the forums and review functions disabled.  The plot revolves around Eleanor, who is sent to live with her ailing father's former girlfriend (now married), only to discover that her new guardian is a sadistic woman with an infantile yet grown up son and a similarly cruel husband.  Eleanor is rather quickly subjected to escalating sexual torments.  As far as plots go, this one was again pure "fuckfest" since the sex was the plot itself, but since I myself have written plenty of those kinds of stories, there isn't much room for complaint.

The first plus I can give this story is that the characters are quite three dimensional.  After a very short period you end up despising the "adoptive family", especially the mother Meg.  All sorts of normalized standards of behavior are shattered by this woman, who still breastfeeds her 18 year old, mentally deficient son, as well as regularly masturbates the boy.  Once Eleanor arrives Meg adds spankings, and eventually manages to push Eleanor into handling the masturbatory requirements of the son.  It's disturbing and yet highly erotic.

The main problem comes from the fact that the character of Eleanor is a contradiction.  The author describes her as being eighteen years old, a fact that I find ludicrous considering her behavior and reaction to being abused.  Since the story takes place during the early 1900's  (1908 to be exact), most women  matured earlier and I found Eleanor's habitual helplessness less than realistic. Worse, her responses to being sexually abused were abject despair and the classic "wringing of the hands - oh what am I to do?" all while the abuse continues.

In fact, I got the feeling that the author would have preferred to make Eleanor a little younger, perhaps sixteen, which would have made much more sense considering how the character was actually described, and would at least give SOME explanation why the girl wasn't able to just LEAVE her situation.  On the flip side, I would have loved to see some rebellion in Eleanor - perhaps an attempt to run away which would have of course resulted in even worse sexual punishment for the pretty young lady.

The various sex scenes are a bit formulaic, proceeding from one classic sex torture to another in exactly the progression you would expect, but admittedly the author does a good job with his descriptions and adds a touch of spice to each scene, giving it a fresh feel.

In summary, I thought "Inheriting a Daughter" was a pretty good tale and except for the disparity in Eleanor's age compared to her demeanor, I thought the story well constructed.  I give this one a solid 8 out of 10 stars and definitely recommend it to readers who want pure sex and a lot of wicked abuse.

Read "Inheriting A Daughter" by Banshee here.

Review: A Great Volume of Trouble by TS Fesseln

Synopsis: Erika Adams has a book that someone else wants, and they will do anything to get it. Unless Erika's captors get distracted.
Storycodes: FM/f; bond; kidnap; trunk; transport; toys; nc; X

This afternoon I had the opportunity to read TS Fesseln's "A Great Volume of Trouble".  I can't even begin to tell you how pleased I was with the tale.  There is a craft to short story telling and it involves much more than merely putting words on a page.  You must create characters, tension, and plot.  You must craft scenes and reach a climax, as well as a resolution. TS Fesseln does all of this is in "A Great Volume of Trouble" and it is a rare thing for me to see such elegance in simplicity.

Erika Adams is a bookseller who has recently acquired the collection of a deceased collector.  Svelte, elegant, and beautiful, she sets aside a certain volume that sparks her interest on title alone. Unfortunately, she doesn't have time to read the intriguing book, instead leaving it on her bedside nightstand.  She never gets the chance to delve into its secrets however, since that afternoon a couple come to the store, looking for that particular book.  They tie her up and demand the volume when it appears she isn't cooperative.

First of all, the sexual tension of this story is particularly well done.  From Erika's initial bondage scene to the finale, everything is not only tasteful, but accordingly placed so that the reader is pulled gently up the slope toward the climax.  Tension building is everything in a short story and clearly the author understands that flooring the accelerator right from the starting line is not always the right thing to do.

The story has three main characters, all of which are well defined.  While the initial introduction into Erika Adams, particularly her description, was rather formulaic and felt more as if I were reading a biography of a model, the story quickly moves into a more personal frame, leaving the reader with vivid images and well formed parameters for Ms. Adams.  The two nefarious villains of the piece; the bald headed Marx and his obviously aliased accomplice Ms. Roberts, are less defined, but still dominating.  Marx is described as a large man, bald, and strong.  Ms. Roberts changes appearance half way through the story, adopting or discarding a disguise.  Regardless, it is easy to envision both antagonists with clarity based upon their actions.

While near to perfect, there were a few instances where I felt there could be some improvement.  There were two distinct tense issues that I felt needed to be corrected and nearing the climax, there were a few sentences that I felt were awkward.  The description of Erika Adams was related, rather than the told or shown.  However, in the grand scheme of things, this story more than earned high marks.

In summary, this beautiful little tale is exactly the kind of story that I like to enjoy.  It is quick, detailed, crammed with sensory input, and well balanced with description, action, and dialog.  The sexual tension shines through and lends itself to making a great story into something that is beautiful and elegant in it's own right.  For me, ten out of ten stars is how I rate "A Great Volume of Trouble, by TS Fesseln.

Read "A Great Volume of Trouble" here, and don't forget to visit the author's blog to see more of what TS Fesseln is up to.

Review: Magical Night by Karen A. Sullivan

Reviewed by Breanne Erickson.

Romance is never something to be trifled with.  It's like making a souffle, or a good stew.  You have to be careful with what you put into it, how you season it, and most especially how it's cooked.  With "Magical Night" by Karen A. Sullivan, you'll find yourself with a delicious appetizer that well leave you wanting more.

Magical Night is an extremely short novella that describes an evening of exotic passion between Kay Maclachan and her significant other, Jim.  From the very beginning you can tell that both Kay and Jim have been hurt in previous relationships, and Kay even gives us hints about how she has trouble saying "I love you," scared of how those words might change what seems to be a perfect relationship into something that she might one day come to regret.  That evening they head to a company party and the evening's entertainment becomes forgotten as both Jim and Kay begin focusing on each other, rather than socializing.  Kay is daring, wanting to tantalize Jim and they end up leaving early.

While both Kay and Jim have similar thoughts on how the end of the day should go, Jim has ulterior motives.  He's ready to move the relationship a bit further down the road and he knows how she will respond to a bit of light discipline, forcing her body to make her mind to make the ultimate sacrifice and say exactly what he knows she feels.

Honestly, the start of this story is its weakest point, with the establishment of characters and the overall situation between Jim and Kay being rocky and in some cases oddly phrased.  But a quarter of the way into the story, as blood begins to heat up and the sexual tension builds the story craft of author Karen Sullivan begins to shine.  Description and action meld nicely and it is properly spaced with just enough dialog to keep the plot moving.

Where things are really good however, is with the deep emotion and physical account of Kay's torment.  From her bound wrists and ankles, to the delightful fingers delving into her canal, to the light spanking he gives her, we are right there with Kay, loving how she squirms beneath him and more importantly, how much we wish we were in her place.  

But evidently Jim knows her even better because when she does finally give in, saying "I love you," he brings his belt crashing down upon her breasts and bottom, striping her even as she is frantic with arousal.  In the end he takes her, melding heart, body and soul together in a flash of heat and light and love.

Check out "Magical Night" by Karen A. Sullivan, available in e-book format on Barnes and Noble and at Amazon.com and don't forget to visit her blog!

Review: Katie In Trouble by James Hunt

Story Codes: M/f M+/f spanking slavery job humiliation nc Synopsis: The new laws that allowed certain men to accuse unmarried women on their staff of 'disobedience' and 'disrespect' had not been tested more than once since they were introduced quietly over 2 years ago. Katie was about to be the second unlucky accused.

This morning I read "Katie In Trouble"  by James Hunt at the BDSM Library and I came away with mixed feelings.  The first thing that any reader is going to notice is the atrocious grammar and punctuation in the story. It's barely readable. There are missing commas, strangely compounded sentences, improperly constructed prepositional phrases, and in general, a deplorable lack of skill at the ACT of writing.

But if you are able to dig through all that, there is a little kernel of decent story buried within the detritus of grammar and questionable plot.  So let's begin.

The plot concept of "Katie In Trouble" is simplistic and old.  New laws have been established that create subjective requirements for unmarried women to be "respectful and obedient" of the men around them.  The author creates this world, expecting us to take it on faith that such laws came about legitimately.  That's fine. With this particular plot concept, this is a common tactic.  It provides a basis for WHY the protagonist (Katie) is being treated this way.

But rather than a story of abuse and slavery, it is the story of an interview between Katie's attorney, the judge charged with her case, and her actual accuser.  And rather than discussing the charges, there seems to be a collusion between the defense attorney, the judge, and Katie's boss (who is also her accuser), and with Katie directed to stand there with her hands on head, dressed in her lingerie, the accuser is asked how he plans to discipline Katie if she is found guilty.

Here is where the tired worn out plot bursts with creativity and while the described abuses to Katie are light and quite predictable, there is a tension placed into the tale that makes them seem fresh.  It is explained that she will be caned twice daily, plus be made to serve sexually.  The judge even seems to want her publicly punished as well, and Katie stands there, crying, forced to listen to these men sit around discussing her upcoming slavery and abused.  It's rather enjoyable.  

The story then ends with a strange add on scene where Katie preps for the upcoming trial, and doesn't seem to connect well, which makes me suspect that Mr. Hunt plans on making this story a serial. If so, then I'm disappointed since I don't like serials and Mr. Hunt ended "part one" at a uniquely awkward spot.

In summary, there is a tiny glimmer of gold in a huge chunk of granite so big that it might not be worth it for the common reader to even mine for it.  I give Mr. Hunt a positive 5 out of 10 stars and suggests that if nothing else, he edit for spelling and grammar errors before posting to the Library.  

You can read "Katie In Trouble" here.