Review- First Blood by Bryn Colvin

First Blood
by Bryn Colvin
Contemporary/ Lesbian
13K words- $3.50
Ebook- Loveyoudevine

Buy it ARe, Loveyoudivine, Fictionwise

Cassy is in love with an older woman – the boss of a company she delivers to, who probably doesn’t even know she exists. Totally inexperienced, she has no idea how to express her desire and win the attention of this strong, high powered woman. When the chance arises for her to learn about love, Cassy takes it only to find nothing works for her. If she can’t have Velvet Aston, she doesn’t want anyone else.

Oh, where to begin. First, I got this book on sale when Fictionwise was having its holiday sale or I wouldn’t have bought it since it’s a Loveyoudivine pubbed book, which are outrageously priced for content. As per my past experience with Loveyoudevine books, the writing quality is not that great. I do have a lot of mixed feelings about this book though.

Cassy is a young woman who’s totally inexperienced in sex. She’s a simple person that seems to be socially awkward with one on one, but gets on OK in general. She delivers food daily to an office near the bakery where she works and one woman has caught her eye. Being shy, she manages one day to get noticed by offering a menu and daily delivery to this woman.

Velvet is a high powered, workaholic career woman and completely stressed out. She’s also socially dysfunctional having no life outside of work. It takes her a while, but she does start to respond to Cassy and they go out for a date.

The trouble is that events, and the fact that both women are so out of touch with each other, could mean that having a future together might not be on the plate.

Unfortunately, this story fell way short for me. The stilted and disconnected ways in which the characters communicate with each other left me wondering if they are really into each other. It read to me like thoughts uttered with no connection to actions, kind of like a foreign film that’s been dubbed with all characters speaking different languages. There was also a lot of telling, which came across as if the author just didn’t want to deal with expanding or having the characters actually interact.

This is the first story I’ve ever read in which a character cannot have an orgasm and it’s a huge deal in this story. Cassy has never had one. Seriously though, she’s never had sex, nor has she ever masturbated, so it is kind of hard to have one in that case. But she’s sure it’s because she’s incapable. Velvet disappears after their first date leaving Cassy feeling like a sexual/ social misfit, so she gets with this woman who tries to teach her about her body.

The magic G-spot gets mentioned over and over as if it was equal to having an orgasm and I suppose that’s so for Cassy since she can’t have one. No matter what this woman does, Cassy cannot let go and feels inadequate.

The way these two women related though, came across as very clinical to me and I could see why Cassy would not have an orgasm; there’s no emotional connection between these two women. Plus, Cassy’s just too self conscious during sex. She does learn how to please a woman though, which she enjoys, and she accepts that this might be all she will have in sex. Of course, this other woman gets tired of an unresponsive Cassy and that story goes south really quickly.

Enter Velvet again. She just shows up apologizing for not being in contact but doesn’t seem to be really concerned about what Cassy might have been feeling. But then again, Velvet is a bit out of touch.

On that one date they went on before she left and not knowing Cassy too well, Velvet took Cassy to an adult video/ bar/ gaming place to watch lesbian porn and drink cocktails. Ok, that was a bit odd for me. Cassy describes that the only other occupants are men sitting randomly around, but not together. Oh really, you don’t say? Even more odd was that after this date of watching porn, Velvet offers Cassy a ride home as an after thought because she doesn’t want to leave her in a sketchy neighborhood at night. Huh? Then she just kisses her goodnight and leaves. Yes, definitely out of touch. Next…

Velvet and Cassy both establish that they are social loner types and end up spending days together getting to know each other. Velvet does tell Cassy that an orgasm isn’t everything and whatever they do is fine, which relives Cassy. On this point I will say that Velvet is kind of cool. She doesn’t push anything, giving Cassy a relaxed atmosphere during sex.

It’s easy to see what’s coming though, the magic vagina cock trope in which finally, being with the woman she loves, Cassy will have the big O. But you’d be wrong. Cassy still cannot have her big O moment because there is yet one more kink to their HEA. You’d think at this point that these two women, being dysfunctional, would have realized that they’ve both found a kindred spirit to get on in life with, but no. Once again, Velvet’s complete and utter lack of connectedness and ability to empathize interferes.

Velvet gets flaky again and acts rather ambivalent to Cassy when a new situation comes up and at this point, I felt these two are doomed. Even though, yes, it all gets worked out, she’s just way too flaky for me to believe these two will make a go of it. I know how I’d feel if someone I really loved just kind of agreed to be with me as an after thought. Uh… no. Sorry. Where’s the passion and intense need to really be together?

And then there’s this, the reason for the title: a spoiler

Yes, Cassy does get her orgasm. She not only gets her orgasm, she’s also gets marked on the forehead by Velvet with her own blood from her broken hymen. See, she was a virgin and her hymen never broke even though this other women Cassy was with fingered her as well. But magically, it’s only Velvet who deflowers her with her fingers. To say this was a bit weird is an understatement. I have read other blood ceremonies in lesbian erotica but I must say, this kind of takes the cake.

Bottom line, this was too weird a book for me. It did inspire in me though some feelings of pity and empathy for these two characters who seem like they are working against huge odds of being inherently socially awkward. It also gave me a softer feeling toward this book as if it, by itself, were some unfortunate being having no fault in its execution. Weird, huh?

Sex rating: wet panties- vanilla sex written in semi graphic terms. Low sexual activity.

Grade: C-

Review- Beyond Curious by Paisley Smith

Beyond Curious
by Paisley Smith
Jan 8, 2010
Contemporary/ bi- lesbian
Quickie- up to 15K--$2.49
Ebook- Ellora’s Cave

Buy it Ellora’s Cave

Annie’s dreading the piano lessons that her grandmother’s will demanded she take…until she meets her teacher, Emily. Far from the elderly cat lady Annie had envisioned, Emily is sexy, blonde and completely irresistible.

Emily has never been with a woman, but Annie attracts her in a way that no one else has. Despite Emily’s initial misgivings, it doesn’t take long for their relationship to move from teacher and student to something much more than either of them expected—something that might lead to the love of a lifetime.

Get your fans and cold showers ready ladies; Paisley Smith has done it again! This is one really hot story. Not only is this story as sexually delicious as deep fried ice cream, it’s also a beautiful love story. Somehow, Paisley Smith, as before, managed to write a well-rounded short story that from beginning to end left no gaps, lingering questions, and made me feel like these two women will only have eyes for each other forever.

Annie is a 29 year old student going for her veterinary degree. To honor her grandmother’s memory, the only family member who totally accepted her being a lesbian and loving her, she’s decided take the piano lessons her grandmother wished her to.

Annie’s dreading her first lesson and walks up to the old Victorian house thinking for sure the widow Granger is probably some old hag with a hundred cats, but finds herself lost for words and immediately smitten when she sees that her teacher is a woman not much older than herself and drop dead gorgeous.

Emily is a young widow whose husband came from a traditional, wealthy, influential family. She’s still grieving his death by cancer while trying to live up to the family name and reputation by doing all things proper. When she sees Annie for the first time, she finds herself strangely attracted to this unusual but appealing androgynous woman dressed like a man and starts to fantasize about what it would be like to be with a woman.

Over the next few weeks, at every lesson, Annie and Emily get it on in every which way possible both starting with the idea that this is just sex since Emily is not gay and Annie is taking off for school in a few weeks. What really happens is that both their hearts start to open and they have to decide to go for broke or not.

Wow, just wow. I just loved everything about this book. The first thing that got me was the atmosphere that Paisley set up in which the girls first meet. The old Victorian house in the middle of two frat houses, the ambience of old family money with a beautiful young widow. I kept picturing Emily as a Catherine Deneuve character, cool, distant, elegantly beautiful and yet vulnerably sensual. That piqued my interest straight away.

Then there’s Annie who knows what she wants, doesn’t care what people think and she dresses and looks androgynous. The contrast between the two women is very dynamic. Again, something very appealing to me.

Annie’s also a bit of a dom and an alpha. As the sexual relationship develops between her and Emily and she feels a mix of hesitancy and attraction from Emily she starts acting like this:

Brazenly, Annie’s eyes held hers as she stepped over the threshold and pushed the door closed behind her. “Take your panties off.”

At first, Emily thought she had not heard her correctly. “Pardon me?”

“Take ’em off,” Annie said, unsmiling.

Emily swallowed thickly. She gaped.

“I want you to teach my lesson without any panties on,” Annie said, and blithely moved toward the piano.

Damn but that is so hot. What’s really nice about the way this book is written is that it creates an interesting power dynamic in which the women don’t go the way of being egalitarian. Clearly Annie is in control of the sexual encounters but isn’t overbearing. She acts with just the right amount of assertiveness to keep the tension and excitement up, while still being soft enough that Emily feels OK to explore. And Emily is so turned on for the first time in her life that she gets off on it, doing things she never would have thought she’d ever do, totally in awe of discovering amazing sex for the first time.

This, of course, is a story about a lesbian and a woman who’s never been with a woman before, so there are some issues that come up for the characters about their intense attraction and budding love.

I thought the development of Emily’s feelings over the weeks is so beautifully done. She questions herself, if she’s really a lesbian, and what that would mean to her and her uptight in-laws if she openly has a relationship with Annie. And there are a few instances in which her immediate reaction to going public with their relationship is fear and resistance, which I thought only natural. But she also doesn’t deny herself what she really feels and I liked that.

Even though hurt at those flinch reactions of Emily, Annie always come back with an I love you and am not leaving attitude, which wakes Emily up making her realize how much she’s loved and wanted and how deeply she loves Annie. I totally love Annie’s energy here as her desire and frustration mounts:

“Goddammit,” Annie said and tossed her rolled-up piano book to the floor. She stalked across the carpet, hauled Emily against her and before Emily could utter a sound, Annie’s mouth claimed hers.

The best part of this story is that at its core, it’s a love story. Yes, it starts out with incredible sexual chemistry and the book has a fair amount of sex in it, but when the women start falling love it’s so clear and profound; I felt these two women really adore each other outside of the sexual realm.

Like the last two stories I’ve read of Paisley Smith’s, the pacing, character portrayals and general plot came together so smoothly. And of course, the sexual scenarios are so intense and juicy. For me, at this point, Paisley Smith can’t write fast enough. I want more!

Sex rating: Orgasmic- yes, there’s graphic sex, very light D/s, butt plugs but no anal sex, dildo. Mostly it’s vanilla sex though.

Grade: A-

Review- Windrow Garden by Janet McClellan

Windrow Garden
by Janet McClellan
1998
Contemporary/ Lesbian
45K- $5.95
Ebook version- ArtemisPress

Buy it OmniLit, Fictionwise, Amazon-Kindle/ paperback

As a bitter, January wind whips through Leavenworth County, Kansas, Sally Windrow prepares for another hectic year of farming on the five-acre spread that has been in her family for seventy-five years. Unfortunately, her hired hand and chief mechanic is seriously injured in an accident. Frantic because all the skilled labor in the area has already been hired at neighboring farms, Sally puts an ad in the local paper, hoping a good man will turn up.

To Sally's surprise, her ad is answered quickly... by a woman. Forced out of the Army by an anti-gay witchhunt, Master Sergeant Nicole Jaeger is a trained mechanic and at a crossroads in her life, trying to find a place to start over. New to the area, and with no ties to bind her, Nicole convinces Sally she will be a loyal and hard-working employee. As Sally and Nicole work side-by-side to make the farm and roadside restaurant successful, the women develop a strong and trusted friendship that soon blossoms into romance.

Windrow Garden was an odd book for me. I don’t even know quite how to classify it or even describe it. It had its good points and did appeal to me in some strange way but I think the way it was written and presented might bore people who like a bit more action and character interaction.

The blurb is fairly accurate for this story, so onwards and upwards.

Right out of the gate, this story started out with a few pages of actual gardening techniques. I mean, it literally read like a Gardening for Dummies how to, giving explicit instructions for building a cold frame.

I feel this will be a matter of taste and or what turns you on whether or not this will bother you. Personally, gardening and everything around it is, for me, about as fun as getting a tooth pulled. I hate gardening actually, so I was kind of bored straight away. What kept me reading was the unusualness of starting a book or supposed romance with a step-by-step guide to gardening and wondering how it would proceed from there.

Just for reader edification, the author interwove pages of different gardening instructions and information throughout the book as what I supposed were metaphors or correlations for the actual process of the relationship growth between the two women. Surprisingly, sometimes I found them kind of interesting. Especially the section on pruning trees, since I know next to nothing about pruning and my rhododendrons need some major help. Mostly though, I skipped through them.

The next issue I had, and maybe you’ll all have noticed that I haven’t talked about the characters yet, is that this book is 90% telling. Where’s the dialogue you ask? MIA. I’d say about 1/5 of this whole book included dialogue and didn't happen until about a third of the way in. Ergo, I didn’t get intimate knowledge of either of the two women, what they are feeling inside, what they are thinking, or how their relationship affected them on a visceral level; it's all told.

This is supposedly a romance. Again, when there is no dialogue really, I’m just being told that a character feels this, and the other feels that. The actual romance part, the part that should have been the most important as far as development, got glossed over by telling the reader that they like each other. No action really, nothing except that they meet for private liaisons. For those of you who don’t like explicit sexual scenarios, you might like this book, since only one sexual encounter is expressed and in the vaguest of terms. There was just no real heat between these two women.

Ok, for the characters. What did come across about Nicole is that she’s one of these types of people who just goes along with the program. She likes the comfort, routine, rigidness, no need to think for oneself quality of the military and wanted to spend her whole life in it. However, she’s a lesbian. She knew she was a lesbian when she joined at 18 years of age, so there was never going to be the ability to have a long term romance with a woman.

The trouble with the character of Nicole is that while I really get off on a character like her in general, she spends her whole life having fuck buddies. It seems that she’s never really cared about anyone and came across as almost bragging that she loves them and leaves them. Not really a quality that I can warm up to in a character.

This would be fine if her growth, due to her love of Sally, would have been developed. But it’s not. She just seems to go from being a love’em and leave’em type to suddenly wanting a long-term deal with Sally without much internal reflection about that. Yes she does freak a little bit about the thought of a long-term deal, but I wanted to know how she got from point A to B in her being.

And Sally. I kind of liked Sally as a character, but understood her even less than Nicole. She was married and lost her husband, but there was an incident with a girl when in her teens. She’s a straight up person and good business woman and falls for Nicole. However, she was so easily influenced against Nicole and treats her like she’s never met her after they've fallen in love. What the hell? That was kind of flaky to me. Then without any explanation she’s suddenly coming to Nicole as if she hadn’t ignored her for a while. Missing information? You betcha.

There was also a plot to this story, which stood out more than the romance. Some bad guys trying to ruin Sally and so on. I think it was more interesting than the love story, but didn't have too much depth to it.

For those who dislike the stereotypical portrayal of gay haters, this story does have some of that. Realistic for sure, but I didn’t feel it went into that political area too much, which was a blessing. Still though, it was used as antagonistic foil for the women getting together.

I will admit though, that I get off on a style of writing that is very logical and precise, which is how the writing/ story telling felt in this story. Even with all the telling, there was something very smooth about Janet McClellan’s writing that turned me on. When there was dialogue, it was very nice and clean and real. Her how to’s were very easy to understand and kind of interesting if you like that. It did have the comfortable feeling of being a child while having an adult read to you, which I liked.

I would recommend this book to someone who wants to read something just out of the ordinary in presentation. Or someone who wants to read about lesbian women without the explicit sex or eroticism. Or, if you’re really into gardening.

Sex rating: Dry panties- no real sexual situations.

Grade: C+

Beyond Curious by Paisley Smith is out today!

Paisley Smith's Beyond Curious is out today- you can get it here.

The Blurb:

Annie’s dreading the piano lessons that her grandmother’s will demanded she take…until she meets her teacher, Emily. Far from the elderly cat lady Annie had envisioned, Emily is sexy, blonde and completely irresistible.

Emily has never been with a woman, but Annie attracts her in a way that no one else has. Despite Emily’s initial misgivings, it doesn’t take long for their relationship to move from teacher and student to something much more than either of them expected—something that might lead to the love of a lifetime.

Review- For the Love of Laura by Cassidy Ryan

For the Love of Laura
by Cassidy Ryan
2008
Contemporary/ Lesbian
10K+ words- $2.49
Ebook- Torquere Press

Buy it ARe, Fictionwise

Grace, from the popular Sip, What the Heart Wants, and Laura are in a loving and committed long-term relationship. As Laura’s thirtieth birthday approaches, her beloved god-mother Sarah arrives to help her celebrate. Grace is nervous about meeting the other most important woman in her lover’s life, but her concerns are quickly swept aside when she realizes that they have a lot in common -- not least of all, their love of Laura.

Unfortunately, Sarah brings with her a secret that will test the strength of Grace and Laura’s relationship. Grace finds herself placed in the impossible situation of having to keep that secret from Laura. Will Laura understand that Grace acted out of love, or will the magnitude of the lie tear them apart?

This is the second book of Cassidy Ryan’s that I’ve read and I really enjoy the way she writes. While this story wasn’t as satisfying to me as her other book, mainly due to subject mater, I was still happy with it because of the writing and characters.

The blurb is pretty much just about what this book is about, so I’ll go from there.

For the Love of Laura is basically about a brief time period in the relationship between Laura and Grace. They’re already an established couple, so this isn’t a budding love story really. It’s more about the testing of Grace and Laura’s relationship from an outside force.

Right from the beginning, although it’s not shared until further in the book, I guessed what’s going on and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go there. I kept reading with some trepidation because it’s not a subject matter or plot device that floats my boat really. There is a happy, although poignant, ending in case anyone is starting to wonder at this point, so no worries there.

The one thing that did save this for me is that this is a short story so things aren’t too developed. Or more to the point, not talked to death enough to break your heart. I know I gripe like hell about short stories that aren’t developed. However, in this case, due to what could be a downer plot device, I was happy that Cassidy Ryan stuck mainly with the positive side of it for the characters, leaving out details that might have disturbed me.

What is clear is that both Grace and Laura really love each other and although Grace is forced to make a lose-lose decision that could jeopardize them as a couple, she does so and faces the consequences. The situation that is going on this book, and what Grace is asked to do, made me think a lot about what I’d do in the same situation. So this is a story in which some deep thought might occur for the reader.

As in In My Skin, I had the same feeling of deep intimacy with the characters; they are very comfortable in their own skins and with each other. I find there’s something really pleasurable and comforting about reading or hanging out with characters that I could be good friends with. Cassidy Ryan does have a way of writing that is very easy and pleasing and for this I kept reading even knowing where the story was going and not really wanting to go there.

For the Love of Laura is ultimately a sweet story about love and being there for a partner through thick and thin. And I actually liked that it’s not one of the more common plot foils to love in a contemporary since lately all the contemps I’ve been reading have been sexual run-ons with no focused plot. And speaking of contemporaries, this book was just the right length for that to keep it interesting and on track without superfluous sex or long, drawn out emo discussions.

Sex rating: Wet panties- semi graphic sexual scenarios, mostly vanilla.

Grade: B

I'm a lazy bum- and the G-spot

Well, my holiday has come and gone and I had a whole month to read until my eyeballs fell out, and yet, I effed around online or did other crazy things like organize and file last year's paper trail and other sundry non urgent important stuffs. And to be honest, I just can't do much of anything when the Mr. is home. He's been off almost all that time as well, so not much gets done. That said, I thought I'd do a post about an interesting article that's been buzzed about on Twitter about a new study that proclaims that the famous G-spot is a myth.

The article here



That's right. First we are given that special spot, which was so nice since it's supposedly the only way we can get pleasure out of sex without any clitoral stimulation. And we've all been there, where we've been with that one dude who was clueless or didn't give a damn about helping us get off. So now, just like that, it's taken away and it doesn't exist.

Several things:

1. They did this study by questionnaire. Seriously? "They asked 1,804 women aged between 23 and 83 filled in questionnaires. All were pairs of identical or non-identical twins."

2. One of the authors of that study is a man. Nuff said.

3. The other author is a woman who "'said she was concerned that women who feared they lacked a G-spot were suffering from feelings of 'inadequacy or underachievement'."

"'It is rather irresponsible to claim the existence of an entity that has never been proven and pressurise women – and men too.'"

So basically, because not all women have been lucky enough to have a man willing to go looking for that sweet spot, lets say it doesn't exist so we don't give other women complexes. That's a good reason to say it's NOT THERE, right?




What do you all say?

Personally, I think there is a G-spot. Telling you all how I know is a bit TMI, but it was quite by accident that it happened and it was amazing. Not more amazing than clitoral stimulation with vaginal sex or simply clitoral stimulation, or umm.. oral sex, but just a different, extremely pleasurable feeling.

I think even with finding the G-spot, it's still hard to have an orgasm without clitoral stimulation. So why do these researchers feel the need to make women and men feel better about not finding it? It's not like women are missing out on some uber orgasmic state or anything if it's not found. What's the big deal really? Maybe what they really should be researching is what stimulating that G-spot actually feels like. I think there's a huge expectation around that stimulating it can send a woman to that ultimate nirvana, which I don't think is the case.

I do think though, that women are all built differently and maybe someone's spot is not in the same place or in another area. Actually, I think many women can find their own G-spot since I think it's located just inside the first part of the vagina and feels rough, like with ridges. It's just easier and nicer if someone else is doing the research on you. *g*

I agree with another Proff, a woman, who pointed out that she "found G-spots in a study of 400 women, and described the new British study as 'flawed'.

If you really want to study G-spots, get in there and feel around. If women let researchers put sensors in their ho-ha's to gauge arousal during testing for sexual issues, why not let researchers, or their partners in there in a scientific situation to really test this instead of asking women if their partner's have found it.

This other professor also "said it did not look at lesbians and failed to take into account the prowess of different men." heh.

What I have to wonder is, why do women and men feel so pressured or inadequate if they cannot find that spot? What's wrong with just how nice it feels to have something inside the vagina plus clitoral stimulation and communing with your partner? What's so bad about just that? And that's easy to do. I think you have to be a total idiot or completely ignorant not to find the clitoris or know that it needs a little loving during sex to see stars.

I also wonder what lesbians or women who've been with women and are willing to take the time to find what feels good on a partner and knows exactly what another women feels, have to say about this?