Article: What is it about Erotica?



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 What is it about Erotica
by Annette Gisby


I've written in lots of genres, from sweet romances to erotica, from murder mysteries to horror, from fantasy to historical, about witches, wizards and aliens and everything in between. But there is one genre that I get asked about time and time again and that is erotica. People who you barely know might ask you things like, "So, you like to be tied up?" Or "You like to be spanked then?"

Not necessarily. When I write a story, whatever genre it is, the story is about the characters of that story, not about me. I have to ask myself, "Does this character like to be spanked or tied up or whipped?" Whatever it happens to be. The characters define what they like, I just write about them. Just because I write about something doesn't mean I do that in real life, and even if I did, whose business is it but mine and my significant other? I wonder sometimes if people understand the word 'fiction' any more.

When I've written murder mysteries, no one has ever asked me, "Oh, so you like to kill people, do you?" No one has ever asked if I am a witch or a wizard or if I believe in aliens or ghosts. No one has asked if I'm a time traveller because I've written something historical or can I travel to alternate dimensions because I write fantasy. But write anything with a sex scene in it and somehow people want to know if you really do that.

It's as if by writing about any sort of sex in your books, people somehow think that you are open to talking about your own sexuality. That's different, that's a personal private thing. I'm quite shy in real life, so people asking me questions about it can get very uncomfortable. I can write about it no problem, but talking about it to strangers? That's a different thing altogether.

I write fiction, I make up stories, including the sexual practices of my characters. I don't think writers necessarily write what they know any longer, you can also write what you research. And researching erotica, like I did for my latest short story, The Prince's Guard,  can be lots of fun ;)

Book Review: Bound by Deception by Ava March

Reviewer's purchased copy
Bound by Deception
by Ava March
Loose-Id
M/M Historical/Erotic Romance
4.5 Stars

Blurb:
Lord Oliver Marsden has a secret. He's been in love with his childhood friend for years, though Vincent's never shown an interest in him beyond friendship. Ruggedly handsome, wealthy, and successful, Vincent is everything Oliver is not. And Vincent doesn't prefer men.

Then Oliver discovers Vincent hires a man during his visits to a London brothel. Desperate to be with Vincent, Oliver orchestrates a deception, switching places with the brothel's employee. When Oliver arrives at the bedchamber, he's in for another surprise. Restraints and a leather bullwhip? Apparently Vincent isn't as conservative as he appears.

Lord Vincent Prescot has a secret of his own. One kept locked away and only indulged once a month. But this month's appointment is different. The mysterious man is so perfect, so beautiful in his submission, rousing protective instincts Vincent can't deny. Yet he refuses to believe he might truly prefer men, for it could mean the end of his hopes of earning his father's respect.

Will betrayal destroy them or will they be bound together by deception?

Review:

This is a very hot and sensual novella, peeking into the lives of Oliver Marsden and Vincent Prescot, both second sons of the aristocracy who met and became firm friends at boarding school. As the years moved on, however, Oliver fell in love with Vincent, who shows no hint of sharing his friend's preferences for men. That is until Oliver discovers that Vincent goes to a brothel once a month, in order to avail himself of the services of a male prostitute, the same one Oliver uses.

Oliver devises a very ill-informed plan, wherein he will take the place of the prostitute and have Vincent, even if it's only for one night. But the reader knows, long before Oliver does, that one night is never going to be enough and what happens when Vincent discovers the deception?

Although a short novella, you don't feel cheated of storyline and characters. Oliver and Vincent are both well-drawn, rounded characters, Oliver has a bit more depth than Vincent, I would say. Vincent is quite well-to do, but Oliver's families fortunes have waned due to his father and grandfather's gambling problems and the contrast between their two lifestyles is well done. Oliver's house has gone to seed a bit, as he has no maids or valets, unlike Vincent and I had to laugh at the scene wherein Vincent tries to convince him to get a maid, but Oliver doesn't want her to wonder what the hook in the ceiling is for. Vincent says that Oliver doesn't have a hook in the bedroom ceiling. "No, not yet."

The love scenes between our two heroes are scorching and who knew there were so many sex toys around in the Regency era? - Oliver has quite the collection! Some people might be put off by the BDSM elements, but though it is there and is quite sexy in my opinion, you also see the emotional connection between the two characters, it's not all just physical gratification. I don't think Oliver would have been that interested in it if it hadn't been with Vincent. It works for these two characters and that's what's important.

You have to suspend your disbelief a little during that first scene, where Vincent doesn't know it is Oliver he is with. They'd been friends for years, surely he would have recognised his voice even if Oliver had been trying to disguise it? Anyway, I was reading it for the romance, so I can forgive that and it is an interesting way for our two heroes to get together at first. I don't think I've ever read a book with that premise before, so kudos to the author for originality. I think Ava March has cornered the market with Regency M/M erotic romances, she does it very well and you can tell from the writing she loves the era she is writing about, but her books never turn into a history lesson.

A great read.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby.

Book Review: Amy Red Riding's Hood

Amy 'Red' Riding's Hood
by Liz Adams
Adult Fairy Tale/Erotica/Short Novella
Barany Publishing
Available for Kindle
Review copy supplied by author.

4 Stars

Now, first off, I don't normally go for shifter stories and I've avoided M/F erotica for a while as a lot of it just seemed to be thinly disguised porn. So, why might you ask, did I read Amy's 'Red' Riding's Hood? Well, I do have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings, especially adult retellings. After all, fairy tales were originally written for adults, not children.

And I have to say with Amy's 'Red' Riding's Hood, I was pleasantly surprised. Amy Riding, our heroine, is fed up with being a virgin and after a disaster with the blacksmith's son, who failed to rid her of it, she sets her sights on Sean, her childhood friend who also happens to be a Lycan. Sean is the epitome of the Alpha male and very hot to boot. Amy is not some trembling wallflower, though, far from it. She knows what she wants and goes right after it.

But there is a lot of prejudice against Lycans and humans getting together, so if they want to be together, they will need to fight for it.

The story is well-paced and the characters have depth you don't expect to find in such a short story. Even the side characters are well-drawn, Amy's parents and her aunt mostly. Most of the time the writing gives a very old-fashioned fairy tale flavour, but there were some words that jarred me out of it a bit, such as using OK. I also didn't like the use of the word (children close your eyes here!) 'pussy'. I just kept thinking of a cat when it appeared. Not what you need in a love scene. The love scenes are erotic and fit in with the characters, with emotional depth, not just physical reactions. Bodice-ripping could have been invented for this book.

Sean and Amy were distinct characters in their own right, not just a male and female body who have sex. I was glad we got to see some parts from Sean's point of view as well as Amy's, which gave the story a more rounded feel. There's even a bit of humour laced throughout the story too.

If you're looking for a romantic, erotic story without too much angst, then try this one. I'm glad I did. You'll be rooting for Amy and Sean.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review No Lady and Her Tramp

No Lady and Her Tramp
by Kristie Leigh Maguire and Mark Haeuser
Genres: Humor, erotic romance
5 stars
Review copy supplied by authors.
Buy Link

Blurb:
No Lady and Her Tramp will have you rolling in the aisles as you follow the exploits of the residents of President Park, the trailer park to top all trailer parks. When Beth Ann Dixon buys herself a computer and decides to write a steamy erotic novel, her husband, Billy Ray, can't do much of anything right, not even shoot a gun. Janet Higgins is the resident Peeping Tom - and Troy Finkmyer is the guy we all love to hate. Everybody gets into the act and there are showdowns all over Grapevine - Grapevine, Kentucky that is. Shirley Snodgrass is the local gossip columnist for the Grapevine Gazette and records it all in her column, 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine'.