Review- What the Mistress Did by Anya Delvay

What the Mistress Did

By Anya Delvay

Oct. 25, 2011

Historical/ Erotica/ f/f, m/f, f/f/m

45.8K words

Publisher: Samhain

Buy it Samhain, Amazon, B&N, ARe 

Oh, the delicious peril of deception…

Lady Marianne Gillingham has no intention of ending her affair with David Dunscombe, Earl Harrington, despite his pending nuptials. She craves his attentions, and he satisfies her deepest yearnings.

Yet, when his fiancée, the sweet, innocent and oh-so-very young Annabelle Frazier, appears on her doorstep to demand the end of the association, Marianne realizes she does not wish to be second in David’s affections. She also cannot resist issuing a warning. The earl will bed his wife with tedious regularity, but never reveal his more unusual desires.

To Marianne’s amusement, her prediction comes true, with a surprising twist. The countess is back with a new demand: repair the problem her prophetic words created. Taking pleasure in imagining the other woman’s fear and horror, Marianne rekindles the affair to demonstrate exactly how to fulfill David’s lascivious desires—while Annabelle secretly watches from the shadows.

She never expected Annabelle to prove so resilient and surprisingly easy—not to mention delicious—to corrupt. Or that the ensuing erotic tangle would be impossible to put right without heartbreak.

What a treat this book was. First, it’s extremely well written erotica. Written in first person present tense, the thoughts and feelings of the main character, Marianne, are deeply nuanced and expressed in a gorgeous way. Second, it’s a rare femdom D/s, BDSM story, which I like to read if well done. Third, it’s a historical f/f/m, which is also hard to find. What the Mistress Did was an all-around great read for me and lucky find.

The characters:

Marianne is an intriguing and complex character. I love getting in the head, very easy to do with first person present tense, of a character like her. On the surface she likes being in control of her relationship with David. She controls their sexual encounters and she knows he loves her. She’s a widow and doesn’t want to marry again, although it seemed any possibility of marriage was blocked from David’s side. When he becomes betrothed to Annabelle, Marianne knows they will not be able to continue, but deep down she’s not ready to settle on that idea yet.

When Annabelle shows up at her doorstep stating that David will be hers soon and that he won’t be coming around anymore, this becomes a challenge to Marianne to keep seducing and using her power over David. She’s not a generally good person on the surface, being deceptive and conniving and rather cool. However, as the story progresses and we get more insight into what Marianne is feeling and thinking, it’s clear that Marianne is an extremely passionate woman and she has deep, strong feelings of pain and conflict about her love of David and knowing that she will never totally be his. She’s also that rare self-reflective character who has a lot of insight into her own psychological motivations and takes responsibility for who she is. I liked that.

Marianne’s relationship with David: They have a rather complex relationship. It’s clear that they enjoy each other and he comes to her for comfort in a sexual way, although it seems more than just a sexual thing for him by their interactions. When they have sex, often Marianne won’t have an orgasm and it’s controlled but very intense sex they have at times.

I don’t know what David really feels because we don’t get into his head, but it seems that he’s not too clear how things will go once he’s married. He seems willing to let Marianne go on the surface, but keeps coming back.

Marianne’s relationship with Annabelle: Anabelle asks for help in pleasing David since she gets he doesn’t love her like he does Marianne. Marianne finds herself feeling strongly attracted to Annabelle as she teaches Annabelle about her body, what sex and orgasms feel like and how to please a man. They start a very erotic sexual affair on the side without David knowing. Over and above that, Marianne has Annabelle secretly watch through a screen when David comes to visit Marianne. It’s interesting that Marianne becomes more turned on by the idea of thinking about Annabelle watching, and fantasizes about sex with her when she’s with David.

Annabelle for her part grows and changes over the course of her interactions with Marianne. I loved her innocence and total trust and openness towards Marianne who in turn responds to that in deeply loving way.

It all culminates when David comes for a last visit and Marianne blind folds him, and she has Annabelle participate. The reaction to the deceit is interesting.

I think in most situations readers will not like the deceit part. But this is erotica, not romance, per se; it’s more about how these three people relate to each other within the sexual realm only. I felt a lot of love and passion from all of the characters was amply expressed, which actually made this story a much more positive experience.

The ending was my only complaint. Of course my expectation in erotica of an HEA or HFN is not there. However, it’s always a nice touch. In this case I felt the ending was appropriate to the people involved, but…they, all three, had an amazing chemistry, both in love and sex. I’ll leave it at that.

What the Mistress Did is a definite recommend from me. I would love to read some more (f/f, f/f/m) from this author.

Heat Level: 5  D/s, BDSM, Flogging, anal (f to m), Strap on- graphically expressed sexual situations.

Grade: Loved it!

Review- Higher Learning by Kris Starr

Higher Learning
by Kris Starr
Oct. 6, 2010
Contemporary/Erotica/Menage- f/f/m, f/f, m/f
34.3K words
Ebook- Ellora’s Cave

Buy it EC

Work on Anne’s master’s thesis is going well until her world is spun off its axis by the stunningly beautiful and very sexy Leslie. Interviewing this woman about her sexual history is turning into an exquisite form of sensual torture, but somehow Anne can’t find it in herself to stay away. On top of that, Leslie’s scorching kisses and electrifying caresses bring long-buried feelings and painful memories to the surface. And it doesn’t help that Anne’s boyfriend Michael is willing to let Anne do a little experimentation.

Anne’s obsession with Leslie begins to spiral out of control, affecting both her work and her relationship with Michael, until all that remains is a possibility that Anne both craves and fears. But not everything is as it seems and it turns out Anne’s not the only one keeping secrets.

I’ll start out by saying that this is no ordinary erotica book with lots of sex. Nor is it a love story, although it does have some of that element. This is a story about the healing of a person who has had traumatic first time sexual experience and how it has affected her adult years as well as her sexuality.

You might get the impression from what I just said that this is a heavy book. No, it’s not. It’s rather beautifully written, with nice flowing prose as well as being highly erotic. But the story does have some elements to it that really pushed some personal buttons of mine. So I’ll be honest in saying that this review will be colored by that.

The blurb is pretty accurate, so I’ll go on from there.

Anne is somewhat damaged sexually. She’s aware of how it’s affected her but doesn’t walk around with a poor me attitude. At the same time though, she’s not very clear on how to change it or deal with it. Nor is she really sure she wants to dredge up a painful past. But due to her thesis subject, things are coming up for her.

She and Michael have a loving and supportive relationship and she’s been open with him about some past desires for women. She’s told him all about her traumatic experience, so he’s well aware of what’s going on with her and he’s been open to her exploring with women. Even with that past, she and Michael do have a healthy sexual relationship, so cue the music, it’s about a woman. They also have an agreement that nothing is to be hidden. No lying about anything that comes up and it seems this is an honest, open relationship.

While doing the interview with Leslie, Leslie shares that her first actual sexual experience was with a woman, a girl in high school. This both excites Anne but disturbs her to the point of trying to ignore Leslie even though they have more to do on the interview and Anne is constantly wet just thinking about Leslie. So there was some nice tension created with that. Enough to keep the pages turning, while not being trite.

Leslie is one of those intriguing characters that is full of mystery as well as intensity. She makes it very clear that she wants Anne and doesn’t shy away from trying to seduce her.

Anne shares with Michael how hot Leslie is, that she’s attracted, and this amps up the heat in their relationship as Michael tells Anne how much that turns him on as well as Anne as she imagines it’s Leslie doing those things to her. No… this isn’t a girl with girl for guy story, although there are some scenarios in this story like that.

All along though, the constant reminders of Anne’s trauma kept me kind of on edge and angsting actually. To be honest, I didn’t want to hear about some molestation or rape or anything like that, so I kept reading with some feelings of dread, knowing it would be exposed.

I was also dreading that it would be some lame, contrived issue that I’d feel ripped off after reading, thinking, oh puleeze, really? I won’t spoil it, but it’s a very realistic situation. So I wasn’t disappointed that it was a dumb set up, nor did I get overly emotional upset about it although YMMV.

Due to Anne’s thesis being about first time sexual experiences, there are several f/f/m scenarios that get told to her from other interviewees. So Ms Starr managed to get quite a bit more sex into this story than might be necessary or needed. However, all of these stories push Anne psychologically. So I felt these stories were part of what she needed to hear even if she stayed clinical through the interviews.

The bad: Betrayal. Although this story is ultimately about healing, there are betrayals on several levels and this bothered me. I also have issues with people who think they know better than others what is good for those others. It’s rather dangerous and arrogant IRL to mess with someone psychologically to get them to a psychological breakthrough even if you love them and are trying to help, especially if they haven’t asked for help. And the way it was done in this book definitely pushed quite a few of my buttons.

In the end, it was fine. Ms Starr did make it right and I was left off with a better feeling of what went down and that Anne used it to her advantage. And the author did address the unethical way in which things were done and how wrong it was. But I still have mixed feelings about it. IRL, I don’t know that I could get over that kind of psychological manipulation to help me get over some trauma even if it did help.

Ultimately though, this is what made this book more provocative and substantive taking it outside the realm of the usual in erotica. I am rather turned on by characters who are psychologically complex and this story totally delivers on that level. I’m am tired of reading sex with no substance to it. I like to know what drives and motivates a character and Ms. Starr excelled in that. I’d love to read a story she would write that doesn’t involve sexual trauma as an impetus for character growth since it was done very well in this story.

And I’ll be honest, the sexual scenarios were highly erotic, really steamy. Although written fairly graphically, the prose is clean and fresh bringing the characters, sexual scenarios and dialogue to life in a seamless an appealing way.

I recommend this book if damaged characters and character growth mixed with hot sex is your thing. But also if you want erotica with a grounded, real story and not just sex for sex. I will definitely pick up another book by Kris Starr.

Heat level- 5- graphic sex although mainly vanilla. Sex to plot ratio is high. M/f, f/f, f/f/m.

Grade A-

Review- Through My Window by Jayne Rylon

Through My Window
by Jane Rylon
Sept. 30, 2010
Contemporary/Erotica/m/f, f/f/m
Quickie (under 15k words)
Ebook- Ellora’s Cave Exotika (Erotic Fiction)

Buy it EC

By Guest Reviewer- M.A.

“Through my window, a sea of strangers swirl and retreat like waves in an ocean of humanity. I brush my hair, fix my makeup and flip on the glaring red light in my booth before turning to face my audience on the other side of the glass.”

For Star, this is another night on the job, though no two are ever alike. Adaptable and perceptive, she becomes many things in the course of one evening—whore, lover, nurse, psychologist and friend. But above all, she’s still a woman. Join her, through her window.

Through My Window isn’t a story that would normally tempt me into the purchase/read. Rylon’s style and “voice” in the story’s excerpt won me over and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. This author’s writing is superlative and convincing with exquisite, well-timed pacing.

A sultry, platinum blonde prostitute entices readers into her world, a night shift in Amsterdam’s red-light district. In the course of the evening we witness interludes with several of her clients. Jonah, a young U.S. tourist, seeks the fantasy and comfort of pleasure with a woman without pressure to perform. Rick, a local bouncer and one of her regular customers, visits Star for a rough quickie during his break. Her final clients in the early A.M, a devoted married couple, seek an anonymous “playmate” for a very special experience.

Star entertains one and all with the skill and energy typical of a true “service-oriented” personality. Rylon imbued her protagonist with remarkable depth and complexity. An unapologetic hedonist, Star clearly views her work as valuable and productive. I’ve found that many prostitute heroines fall into particular stereotypes, the nice girl forced by circumstances into the job, the love-starved woman with various emotional problems, the rebel defying society’s expectations, the hooker with the heart of gold, etc.. Rylon deftly avoids the pitfalls of stereotype and social commentary. Star comes through as a magnetic, empowered woman willing to admit she enjoys her job:

"Customers can sense I’m different than most. They recognize I’m here not because I have to be but because I want to be ... Every thrilling encounter is unique. Each partner creates a new experience as their quirks mix with mine. I can’t wait to see what tonight will bring. To adore what you do and be able to make others happy in the process—while earning fists full of cash. What more could a woman ask of a career?"

Despite her adventurous streak, however, Star maintains appropriate professional detachment from her guests, deftly avoiding particular types of intimacy and lovemaking. It’s apparent she seeks sensation and profit, not romantic involvement, but she does care about doing right by her customers.

Above all, this is an erotic fantasy about a night in the life of a successful prostitute. Neither Star nor Rylon allow sensuous storytelling to minimize the coarser realities of the business. Rylon relies heavily upon setting to this effect and strikes an impressive balance. I never forgot Star was a prostitute, but somehow her actions never came across as sordid or degrading, nor did I feel sorry for her. Star flies above the crasser details of the skin trade and invites the reader to look beyond them into that world’s beauty.

The real treat in Through My Window is Star’s final encounter with a middle-aged married couple. It was a surprise, for one thing – the book’s excerpt and teaser don’t mention any f/f/m interaction. Best of all, though, was the author’s handling of Star’s willingness to participate in sex with another female:

“Do you enjoy being with other women?” The gentleman makes a polite inquiry. Nothing crude here.

“I do service them, yes.” I nod.

“But do you enjoy it?” He stands firm on his inquiry.

“Yes, depending on the woman.”

No overdone angst or explanation accompanies Star’s bisexuality. It simply is what it is, she chooses to accept the couple’s patronage, and it results in an exquisite threesome. For multiple reasons, the ménage is both the most emotionally intimate and the most emotionally distant encounter of Star’s narrative.

Prostitutes and prostitution are frequently romanticized in fiction to the point artistic illusion can’t compete with reality. In Through My Window, I almost believe Star and her clients could be real people. None of these characters are perfect. Not all of them are young/youthful, gorgeous, with perfect bodies and fantastic libido. Even Star’s sex-kitten glamour wanes through her shift; her high heels start to tire her out. Nor are primary motives swept under the rug. Star sells sexual services and companionship; her customers clearly employ her to that purpose for sexual relief, to satisfy fantasies, or to enjoy stress-free, anonymous, no-strings-attached sex.

Editorial and technical quality are good. I tend to grade short stories more harshly than lengthier works on these points because a short story isn’t as hard to edit and polish and track continuity issues as a novel length work. No glaring errors pulled me out of the story’s spell.

I haven’t commented much on the story’s erotic content. The story’s overall tone is so erotic, the actual sex in the book flows seamlessly through the plot without competing with narrative, something all great erotica does. The erotic scenes themselves are well-written and unique, varied to suit the moods and preferences of Star’s different customers.

Through My Window is a definite keeper. It reads a little like how an accomplished prostitute should perform (I think.) It’s a well-written fantasy, both revealing and mysterious, pure escapist entertainment for a reasonable price.

Heat Level: 5 - explicit sexuality described in graphic language.

Grade: A- great story structure, compelling voice!

Review- Last Flight of the Ark- by D.L. Jackson

Last Flight of the Ark
by D.L. Jackson
March 2010
Sci-fi/ Paranormal/ f/f/m- ménage
Novel- 45-80K
Ebook- Liquid Silver Books

Buy it Liquid Silver

Evolution never happened so fast.

Twelve hours outside of Terra II, Colonel Kaleb Titan, a molecular geneticist and commander of the Ark, faces a life or death choice that could change the fate of mankind.

The Genesis I, aka the Ark, travels with a hold full of wildlife and three crew members. When a wolf bite and genetically-altering gamma radiation transform Kaleb, he notices his senses have been heightened, his libido has gone haywire and he can’t keep his hands off his crew. Worse yet, they don't seem inclined to stop him.

When their sister ship, the Genesis II arrives early, Kaleb’s problems compound. As soon as the command crew of the Genesis II boards, one whiff tells Kaleb they’re not from Earth or who they appear to be.

When he discovers that they’ve kept the Genesis II’s crew of over two thousand alive, he begins to believe their reasons may be far more ominous than anyone could have imagined. However, he also discovers what’s holding them back. The hijackers seem to be allergic to canines.

Now they're forced to employ biological warfare against their own, but will it be enough to save humanity?
History is about to repeat and only one species will survive.

Contains: Menage (M/F/F), Lesbian sex (F/F), intercom sex

I wanted to like this book, I really did. There are so few f/f/m ménages out there that I wanted this to be really good. And for the most part it was fairly entertaining. However, right from the get-go there were some things that pushed my buttons and I’ll say they probably colored my whole view of the book.

The blurb is pretty accurate so on with my take.

Right in the beginning we are introduced to all three main characters. They are the only three manning a ship bringing in animals to start a new earth colony called Terra II. They've been stuck together for 8 months on this journey and of course all of three of them are harboring major hots for each other.

What bothered me straight away was how Kaleb muses about the two women. He’s either complaining about them in his mind calling them bitchy and hormonal females, or he’s thinking about how stacked they are with the double D boobs and cute ass cheeks that keep making him horny. And he is in his 50’s. It felt more like he was a teenage boy. And I’m really put off when men talk like that about women. You know, better behave or they’ll nag, nag you to death those bitches! Ugh. So this put me off right away.

I will say that it did change over the course of the book after they all get together. In fact, he has to put up with them running over him at times and disobeying orders to do what I thought were some TSTL things. But there was still this overall quality in the writing that came across more as a young boy getting a hold of a Playboy mag in the way that Kaleb thinks often.

Next up in what didn’t work for me was the flow of the writing. The story was disjointed in the telling and I was often confused as to what was actually going on. It jumps around in a way that I often had to go back and see if I missed something and after a while I couldn’t be bothered. There are gaps and things got glossed over for convenience I thought. And again, there was a certain quality about it that felt a bit cheesy in the way the characters act, think and speak.

What worked for me was that after the characters do get their freak on with each other, there is a cohesiveness about them and the way they relate that was very appealing. Both Jessica and Melissa were lovers before they got on the ship, with Melissa only being into women. However, they both have it bad for Kaleb and decide that neither one will be with him without the other, all unbeknownst to Kaleb.

Kaleb of course, being a full blooded teenage boy in a 50 year old’s body, has been salivating over the girls since they left earth. I will give Kaleb credit though for being a gentleman and not sexually harassing the women with lots of sexual innuendo since they were doing whatever they could to try and get his attention in the sexual arena, including wearing very skimpy clothing.

They are all quite juicy together and there were some interesting moments of jealousy when one of the women are with him without the other. But by the end it’s clear they are a threesome and that’s the way it’s going to be.

About the premise of the story, I really liked it. I thought it was pretty creative and unique in that it mixed the shape shifting paranormal genre with sci-fi. I am pretty tired of the whole fated sexual/romantic attraction thing that is caused by the animal nature in a shifter, but it worked here for me because of the intricate sci-fi element and the fact that the three characters were hot for each other before the “mutation” happens. The mutation just becomes the impetus for all three to finally let loose their pent up sexual energy with each other.

The author also focused a lot on the story and less on non-stop sex, which is something I liked. I picked this book up for the f/f/m ménage element, but also because f/f and f/f/m are usually contemporaries and it’s nice to read something a bit different for a change. So not making this about a menage with an added sci-fi element, but this being sci-fi with a menage, added to my enjoyment.

So, I have mixed feelings about the book. I think if the story telling was a bit more cohesive and the characters were a bit less horn-doggy, this would have been a hit for me. As it stands, it was entertaining and fairly easy to read even if I did roll my eyes here and there and got lost in confusion.

Heat level: 4- f/f, f/f/m, m/f. Some nicely written graphic sex, but not overbearing to the story.

Grade C+

Review- Champagne by Inara Lavey

Champagne
Inara Lavey
2009
Contemporary/ m/f, f/f/m- ménage
50K- $4.99-6.99
Ebook- Ravenous Romance

Buy it ARe, Ravenous Romance

Jeanette Wilson is an American girl on the trip of a lifetime to the wine regions of France. Unfortunately, she's trapped with her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Daryl, a self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing, self-styled wine expert bent on swirling, sniffing, sipping, swishing, chewing, swallowing and occasionally spitting his way through the wineries. Between his endless lectures and insufferable putdowns, her insignificant other is quickly turning her dream vacation into a nightmare.

But things change for Jeanette once they come to the zenith of their French road trip, the Champagne house of Chateau Roux-Dubois. Their hosts, Amaury and Marie-Elise Roux-Dubois, turn out to be both charming and attractive, and go out of their way to extend a warm welcome to her. And they make it very clear that it is she, not Daryl, who is their special guest, particularly when the striking Marie-Elise takes Jeanette down to the wine cellar for a very personal tour, followed by an unusual French lesson from Amaury.

When she and Daryl are invited to stay and participate in the harvest festival, Jeanette finds herself caught up in a ménage a trois with the Roux-Dubois, both intent on teaching her many things...and not just about wine.

Champagne is a fun, light ménage story, with an interesting backdrop for a contemporary and an eclectic group of characters. I really enjoyed reading it.

Jeanette, the main character whose POV this story takes place through, is one of those heroines you feel immediately at home with. She’s playful and easy going, while at the same time coming across as self depreciating and completely normal.

What really made me all hot and bothered about this story was the lack of angsting. Jeanette goes along with being seduced by Marie-Elise and her husband Amaury and actually falls in love with them. She doesn’t bother about that she’s with a woman or in a ménage internally even though it’s a first for her. All she knows is that she feels good with them and wants to be with them, especially Marie, and I liked that.

Marie-Elise seduces Jeanette first. How that happened was very yummy and I wished for more actually. Marie has a warmth about her that was very appealing; she was always treating Jeanette in a loving way even when she's being a bit predatory…in the beginning. Then Amaury seduces her but in a totally different way. He’s definitely a dom in that, spanking her and telling her to behave (only during sex), but Jeanette has fun and goes right along with it not taking it too seriously.

Marie-Elise and Amaury are two people who I feel are very mature and loving. And the fact that they knew they wanted Jeanette and seduced her was kind of hot. Another thing was that I found it refreshing to have characters who act in unclear and somewhat cold ways take responsibility for it and really apologize, which is what Marie and Amaury did in the end after realizing that they acted in a way that left Jeanette unclear about their intentions.

The backdrop to this story occurring in Champagne, France and the world of wine making was written in colorful detail that felt very authentic. The setting, landscape descriptions, food and wine descriptions kept this contemporary more compelling than the usual fare. It gave me the feeling of being on a fun trip with all the expectations of doing something new and exciting.

There were a few things that bothered me though about this story.

I almost got pissed off at one point by the direction the story was going. One of my most hated tropes was involved, the big misunderstanding. There was a set up by the author that introduced another character to the mix after Jeanette gets with the Marie and Amaury that had me thinking, no, no, no and why? Plus, I couldn’t stand that character. But this character is a friend of Marie and Amaury’s and they practically push him on Jeanette. This left me a bit confused as to why they would do that. Do they want Jeanette and him to get together? Do they usually include him in their little manage trysts and want this become a foursome of sexual games? I was confused because Marie and Amaury don’t come across as this type in the beginning.

The other thing that bothered me in this story was the lack of build up and follow through with the relationship between Jeanette, Marie-Elise and Amaury in the beginning. I felt teased by a delicious seduction that had me wanting more. But then the story shifts to Jeanette and Marie and Amaury’s friend. The author makes it very clear that Jeanette really wants to be with Marie and Amaury so I was disappointed that there wasn’t more interaction or tension created between those three before the end. But it was still an engaging read with a very satisfying ending.

Champagne is a definite recommend for a sweet f/f/m ménage. One in which all the characters really want each other and it’s clear they will work it out.

Heat level: 4 – some graphic sex scenes with some minor D/s play. M/F, F/F, F/F/M

Grade: B+

Review- What She Needs by Lacey Alexander

What She Needs
by Lacy Alexander
Nov, 2009
Contemporary/Erotica/BDSM/m/f, f/f
304 pg.- Penguin Group

Buy it Amazon, B&N, Borders

By Guest Reviewer- Jill Sorenson

The author of "The Bikini Diaries" now invites readers to an erotic hotel where sensual satisfaction is the main amenity...

Mild-mannered Jenna Banks never considered sex a recreational sport-until she wins a two-week stay at the notorious Hotel Erotique, where every sexual fantasy comes true-in room after room, with stranger after stranger. Even more unnerving for Jenna is Brent Powers, her wildly sensual personal guide who can't wait to put his degree in sexual psychology to work. But with the steady seduction of Jenna come feelings that neither expected. Where will the ultimate fantasy take them?

I’m going to preface this review with a confession. LVLM asked if I wanted to be added to the sidebar, and I said yes. But I don’t know if I belong there. I’m an infrequent contributor, and most of the f/f I read is in m/f books. I’ve never actually read a lesbian romance! I have a few in my digital library, but I’m not a big ebook reader. I also tend to gravitate towards straight or bisexual female characters, because I think I’ll be able to relate to them better. I’m new to this subgenre and just sort of experimenting with it. I hope to read and review of a “real” f/f novel sometime in the future. Stay tuned?

Okay, so even an ingénue like me knows that good f/f is hard to find. I’m always looking for m/f erotic romance with f/f scenes or ménage situations, but the blurb rarely hints at that kind of material. Reviewers don’t mention it. Authors keep quiet. Shhh! It’s dirty. ;)

I got an f/f vibe from a review (can’t remember where) of What She Needs. Really, a person has to be psychic to figure these things out. Anyway, I ordered this book hoping it might have some light girl-on-girl, and I was pleasantly surprised. The f/f content is a good portion, maybe 25%. Although the type of contact isn’t as intense as I’d have liked, and the emotional connection between the women is nonexistent, I really enjoyed this story.

To set it up, Jenna Banks wins a surprise vacation to the Hotel Erotique, where all of her sexual dreams can come true. She intends to turn down the sex and enjoy the beach, but her handsome guide, Brent Powers, is impossible to resist. Jenna admits that she wants to relinquish control, and Brent is happy to direct her. If you’re squeamish about BDSM, group sex, m/m, or multiple partners, this story is not for you. It’s all a bit of a smorgasbord, to be honest, and plays out as more of a spicy fantasy than a deep-seated need for Jenna. She acts as the submissive, and is aroused by Brent’s orders, but this is not a permanent lifestyle switch for her.

Most of Jenna’s contact with other women is orchestrated by Brent. There’s a harem scene, a sensual massage, and a very sexy encounter at a private pool. The turn-on, for Jenna, is performing for Brent. At times, I found her lack of engagement unsatisfying. She’s okay with receiving oral sex, but not giving it. During the pool scene, there’s a third woman hanging around for no reason, and Brent watches from a distance. I wanted Jenna to get her groove on without these distractions, to find pleasure in another woman for herself.

The romance portion is well done. Jenna and Brent negotiate the sexual relationship like reasonable adults, use safe words, and constantly reevaluate each other. It turns out that Brent needs to change just as much as Jenna, if not more. I appreciated that the story wasn’t just a “good girl gone bad” meets “all-knowing sensual master.” Brent isn’t perfect, and the concession he makes at the end totally worked for me.

All in all, What She Needs is a very steamy read with some nice f/f scenes.

Grade: B+

Review- Heart of Change by Roxy Harte

Heart of Change
by Roxy Harte
March 23, 2010
Contemporary/ Bisexual/ Lesbian/ f/f / m/f
60+ K- $5.50 currently $4.95
Ebook- Samahin

Buy it Samhain (MBaM)

True love hides where you least suspect it.

After the truth comes out about her age, forty-something porn star Simone Sinclair is handed her walking papers, ending a career that has become more extreme sport than art form. The final straw is her long-time partner’s idea to start their own international studio with a marriage proposal tossed in to sweeten the deal. After two decades of waiting for him to deliver the white picket fence, it’s not exactly the offer she was expecting.

At least she doesn’t need a man to answer the alarm of her biological clock. And when she shares a dance with Geri, one of her lesbian gal pals, she discovers she doesn’t need a man to fulfill other fantasies, either. But Geri’s not interested in touch and tease—she wants more than Simone is ready to give.

Torn between three dreams—a post-retirement career, a family, or lasting love—Simone retreats to get her head on straight, coming to one conclusion. She can’t have everything. But two out of three is worse than nothing at all…

Heart of Change was a surprisingly good find for me. While not a perfect story by any means, the author managed to keep this contemporary interesting enough for me to keep reading and care about the characters. The overall feeling I had about this book was that it was enjoyable and affected me on many levels. It’s mainly a story about growth and opening up to new possibilities through love.

What I liked:

Heart of Change started out great for me. I’m partial to a female protagonist who works in a profession considered immoral (sex trade) and who openly enjoys it. I especially like it when there’s no stereotypical justification given for it either to make the reader more sympathetic or comfortable like: using funds for school, an abusive past, they are psychologically damaged, etc. I’d rather read a character who unabashedly loves being a whore, stripper, or in this case, a porn star and makes no excuses.

So right away, I really liked Simone since I felt that she actually enjoys being a porn star and owns her sexuality.

Second, I felt that Simone is a very self aware person. This story is written in first person present tense, which normally is hard for me to read. However, this gave significant insight into Simone’s head. She’s a deep and real person, not some fluffy bimbo. She gets that her relationship with Simon is hurting her. But she also has an attachment to him that she just can’t shake. Simone also self reflects about her life in general and how she acts, taking full responsibility for her actions, which is a character trait I admire.

She loves being a porn star and has been able to compartmentalize that sex as just work having nothing to do with love and relationships. And it really hasn’t made her jaded about men and sex, although at the same time, because of it, she won’t date. I felt it good that she wasn’t portrayed as a flaky sex maniac, but as someone who has some self discipline and makes her own choices.

Simone has been meeting up with a group of lesbians at a bar for 6 years every Friday night. This I liked also because I think it’s unusual that a group of lesbians would befriend a porn star, the very type of woman who perpetuates woman as sex objects, which those lesbian friends find objectionable. However, personally, I love the idea that people can meet as humans and go beyond differences like that to be friends. So this is also something I got off on in this story. Simone is made to feel welcome and comfortable even if she’s doing something they detest and she doesn’t hide or make excuses. They all accept each other knowing exactly what’s going on.

Thirdly, another break in the usual is that Geri, out of all the lesbian friends, is the most serious and intimidating and she scares Simone because she’s been the most outspoken against what Simone does. And yet, it’s Geri who Simone starts feeling something for and thinks is the most beautiful. Since we don’t get into the head of Geri due to POV, it’s hard to tell where she’s coming from. But she’s written as having some gender identification issues, which I also enjoyed because she wasn’t just a stereotypical butch type of lesbian.

Geri herself is a top who likes to pack (wears a strap-on while going out), but feels self conscious about it. She’s very male-ish in her appearance but she never comes across as an aggressive butch type. In fact, she’s got her own stuff going on and is more insecure and tender than aggressive, even when she’s being dominant. She’s as complex a character as Simone and is vulnerable with relationship issues as well. So none of this is stereotypical, but came across as real. I feel most people are usually complex with huge contradictions so I like to read characters that don’t act in stereotypical ways. In this book that’s what we get.

How Geri and Simone get together is very sweetly written. It’s rather poignant and emotionally honest, both of them feeling something for each other but both in foreign worlds; Simone never having been with a woman or even attracted to a woman, and Geri having feelings for a straight woman and a woman who does something Geri detests.

Because of the attraction and love both women feel, they are forced to re-evaluate their own personal reality and what is true for them. For instance, not knowing the “lesbian” rules, Simone does something sexual to Geri that normally as a top she would never allow, but feels OK to let Simone do. And for Simone, being with Geri gets her in touch with that part of her that wants sex to mean something deep and spiritual.

I think because both women are so out of their normal element, they can allow themselves to change and open up to new things about themselves that they normally wouldn’t do when operating in their normal worlds. The idea that change and growth can happen in love is big in this story, which was a positive for me.

Now to the things I had issues with:

I felt the story got bogged down with too much emo stuff at times. I get Simone. I get dysfunctional and co-dependent relationships. I do. But in a story I don’t want to read pages and pages of that back and forth, trying to break away, yet keep coming back thing. This gets annoying after a while. It’s also too much reality for me and my issue with contemporaries often.

This is what went on between Simone and Simon for most of the book. He knows he can push her buttons and he does. I did feel that he himself thinks that he loves Simone and that she loves him on some level. However, it’s not a good kind of love. It’s a manipulative kind of love and throughout the story, Simone keeps giving in to Simon even as she fights for some independence. After a while I was like, “please, just dump that guy. Why do you keep staying involved with him, WHY? It’s been 20 effing years of this.” Especially since they’ve really never had a love relationship.

Then there’s Geri and Simone’s relationship. There was way too much of the misunderstanding and lack of communication trope going on. At times, I just didn’t get these two. Especially Geri. Yes, the author makes is clear that Geri has relationship issues and that she’s never been able to go far in one. But it went too far for me at times. Simone and Geri meet up, have great sex, and it’s clear they really want each other, that they love each other. And yet, they each keep taking off, dealing with business stuff without communicating what’s going on or how long they will be away. Or saying hurtful things out of fears that other doesn’t want them. What is that?!

Simone even makes huge life decisions like having a baby and moving to a foreign country without sharing with Geri first. This is no foundation for a long-term relationship.

When this type of back and forth goes on I really wonder about the relationship long term. If they’ve started out with what seems to be a complete lack of that “I want you and I need you” energy enough to stay in touch, I have my doubts about a long term deal. Although for the record, this is an HFN with a bullet to an HEA. And Geri, fortunately, is also a self reflecting type who admits she has issues but wants to work on them and through them with Simone. So no worries that they are left off in ambiguity about their relationship.

Then there’s the old “am I a lesbian?” thing that is starting to push my buttons in these kinds of stories. I do get that an up-till-now straight woman would start to question her sexual orientation when suddenly falling in love with a woman. It’s normal and natural to do so I think. But in this case, I wondered why Simone was so uptight about it initially.

Until Geri, Simone has never been with a woman. OK, first off, I had a hard time believing that she’s never, ever been with a woman sexually as a porn star. I mean it’s practically a given that as a porn star you’re going to be with a woman at some point. Especially after 20 years. But OK, let’s pretend she never was. Simone realizes after being with Geri and wanting and needing her so much that she’s never actually felt that towards a man. But she also loves cock and feels that she’s had some feelings for Simon who is a man. So is she, or isn’t she a lesbian?

We get her angsting about it for a short while. Even almost getting angry that she might be. She decides that she’s a lesbian in the end, even if she still wants cock. Why, why is this an issue that a character has to be one or the other?

Simone hangs out with lesbians. She has no sexual hang-ups really. She’s in love with a woman after a lifetime of fucking men all the time and enjoying it. Why this stressing over fitting into a specific category? Especially, why a negative fear that she’s a lesbian. What’s so wrong about being a lesbian? And what’s so wrong about loving cock, men and loving a woman as well? Fortunately, this only goes on for a short time and it’s not discussed any more for the rest of the book.

Obviously since this review is really long, there was a lot in it for me. It touched me on several levels and was not a easy breezy fluffy love story. While there is lots of sex in this story, I was more affected by the relationship dynamics and feelings between the women. I definitely recommend Heart of Change for anyone who wants a good f/f story that's not just about the sex.

Sex rating: Orgasmic- many graphically written sexual scenarios. F/f, m/f, strap-on, slight hints of D/s and BDSM

Grade: B+

Review- Secrets Revealed (Eldritch Legacy I) by Katrina Strauss

Secrets Revealed (Eldritch Legacy I)
by Katrina Strauss
2009
Historical (Medieval)/ fantasy/ BDSM/ erotica/ m-f/ f-f (bi-sexual)/ f-f-m/ m-f-m/m-m
60K- $6.99
Ebook- Publisher: Loose-Id

Buy it Loose-Id, Fictionwise, ARe, Amazon (Kindle)

The king's fiercest warrior, Lord Eldritch, hides his face behind an iron mask, and his tortured past beneath a hardened shell. For nineteen years the Black Magi have ruled the land; the evil king's knights enforcing the ban on all forms of magick once practiced by the common populace. And none have been more feared than Eldritch.

A young peasant, beautiful in body and soul, Inga was orphaned as child and raised to hide her healing gifts in ordered to stay free. She is plagued by nightmares of Eldritch--and shaken when her dreams take an unexpected sensual turn.

Rumors of a practicing medicine woman reach the Magi and Eldritch must investigate. He finds a strong-willed maiden who ignites his passion and stirs memories of a love long lost. Self-protective, he imprisons Inga in the castle dungeon where he may possess and keep her forever. In time Inga learns that, even in submission, she wields power over her captor. Can she inspire Eldritch to face his past and challenge the king while she, herself, resists the seductive lure of dark magick?

Publisher's note: This book is a re-edited, revised version of a title previously released by another publisher, and contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, BDSM them and content (including/not limited to tethering, voyeurism), dubious consent, homoerotic sexual situations (f/f, m/m), menage (m/f/f and m/f/m).

Wow, this story grabbed me right from the get-go and was good to the last page. I’ve mentioned before that I often use the bookmark feature on my eBookwise to highlight passages that are off to me or that I want to review later. The worse the writing, the more the bookmarks. I read this book with nary a book mark. It means that for me, the writing and story-telling was very clean, engaging and lacking in any issues that normally bog down a book for me.

I will also admit that I didn’t know that this book contained some f/f in it. That was a huge bonus! I bought this book because I happened to enjoy Katrina Strauss’ writing and wanted to try one of her m/f stories as I’ve only read her m/m. The same crisp, evocative writing, complex character development, and imaginative story-telling that I’ve experienced in the past was very present in this book as well. This book was just a pleasure to read all around.

Right, to the story. Basically, the blurb is very accurate, so I’ll go from there. The characters: all of them are so rich and juicy, especially, of course, the two main ones, Lord Eldritch and Inga.

Lord Eldritch is one of those tortured heroes, but not in that over the top “oh puleeze, get over yourself” way. In the beginning of the book, he’s cruel and powerful; he takes what he wants without consequence and he wants Inga. He puts her in a dungeon straight away and keeps her there chained to the bed. For more than a year it’s like that even though he loves her and they have sex all the time. There’s a vibe about him that is so intense and dark, and yet, there’s a spark of something else in there that comes through once in a while, hinting at something deeper, but less sinister in him.

He wears a mask at all times because he’s been cursed; his face severely disfigured from it. This is part of his vulnerability and we learn that while he’s a dominant with Inga and the most feared knight in the kingdom everyone cowering in front of him, he’s kept in his place by the current evil King who has seen his face uses it against him.

Inga is one of the most real characters I’ve read in a while. She’s riddled with contradictions and yet, there's nothing off about her in that. I really got off on her willingness to go into her dark side and be real in every moment. She calls that part of her “the snake,” that part of her that allows her baser instincts and desires to rule her. I loved it. Absolutely loved it as she goes with it without personal judgment. No Mary Sue’s in this book.

Inga starts out by becoming rebellious and using her magik abilities to heal. She stopped caring that it’s against the king and that she can be killed for it because she sees her people suffering needlessly. So right from the beginning we see her strength and inner goodness. Inga also cannot get enough of Lord Eldritch. She readily becomes his submissive sexually even as she wonders why she is so attracted and doing such things.

As the story progresses, she is asked to do things, to make moral decisions that could end up getting people killed and yet, she does so without flinching, like a samurai sword coming down swift and hard. And she easily takes the position of being a domme with Thelise, the captured daughter of a rebel leader, who plays a role in Inga and Lord Eldritch’s lives. Inga’s only vulnerability is her love for Lord Eldritch and the passion of that relationship consumes her.

The story itself is also so provocative. There are several things going on that all mesh together that create a lot of tension and mystery as fiery emotions and power shifts erupt constantly. At its core, this is a story of passion and true human emotions and what it makes people do.

The title of this book, Secrets Revealed, is very apropos. There are secrets within secrets and as the story unfolds, shocking truths reveal themselves. This kept the story moving along at a nice pace with just the perfect amount of revelation to keep the reader guessing and intrigued at the same time.

The fantasy part of this story is complex and intricately woven throughout the story. Many people of this time have magic abilities but not all have the same kind. One that plays a huge role in this is the ability to read another’s thoughts. This leads to quite a bit of power play and intrigue between the characters as they often have to deal with trying to keep secrets even in their thoughts. Inga also has dreaming abilities and as the story unfolds, she sees past events in dreams, which causes her to disobey Lord Eldritch at a certain point, creating even more edginess to this story.

OK, now for the BDSM part. I’ve said before, I’m not too much a fan of BDSM. Much of what I read in this particular genre is more or less power tripping faux BDSM written by people who are clueless just for the titillation factor, which is a huge turn off for me. However, Katrina Strauss is one of the very few authors who can take me into this world and I get it. There’s nothing offensive at all about her way of writing BDSM. Not only that, I enjoyed reading it.

I also got off on the fact that while these characters all have qualities about them that are offensive and despicable to some degree and it’s tied in to some degree with the BDSM sexual aspect to it, Katrina Strauss never crosses the line that implies that BDSM and negative character traits go hand in hand. Really, it’s amazing writing when your characters can have evil characteristics and yet, the reader can easily fall in love with them, admire them as strong, powerful beings.

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that I would have liked more character development on Thelise. She’s a fascinating character, who, like Inga, acts on pure passion, but is incredibly selfless, selfish and vulnerable. I guess the story is pretty much perfect as it is and to develop her more would have maybe even cost the story some. But she was someone whom I wanted to know more about why she ticked.

For those who would read this book because of the f/f in it, well, all I can say is that the scenes between the women do carry a BDSM theme to them. It’s clear that Inga and Thelise share something very intimate and loving between them. They are very respectful of each other, but it’s not an f/f/m HEA. It’s still worth it to read for that alone, even if the main love story is between Inga and Lord Eldritch.

All in all, Secrets Revealed is a well written intense and passionate story set in a violent but colorful world. For any person who is into fantasy, dark m/f love, BDSM, and medieval stories, this a definite recommend. But I also recommend this book to people who like f/f and or those who are normally not into BDSM.

Sex rating: Orgasmic- while there are graphic sexual situations, the language used is more sensual and soft around the edges. There are many sexual scenes though and of all combinations. BDSM, flogging, anal, lots of m/f, some f/f, f/f/m, very minor m/m, and minor m/f/m.

Grade: A-

Review- Svetkavista by Kayleigh Jamison

Svetkavista
by Kayleigh Jamison
2007
Historical/ (m/f), (f/f), (f/f/m)
50K- $4.99
Ebook-Tease Publishing LLC

Buy it ARe, Amazon (paper), B&N (paper), Fictionwise

Trapped within a life where she has always been an outsider, Karina dutifully follows the wishes of her father by day, and secretly pursues her dreams by night. Raised within the strict, patriarchal society of the Rom at a time when discrimination and fear are at their peak, she is forced to hide both her love of music and her passion for those who encourage her dreams.
She seeks comfort in the arms of her dearest friend and mentor, who shows her that love and lust rarely confine themselves to the ill-conceived notions of normalcy.

When a lie, spoken in a moment of desperation, threatens to shatter everything Karina holds dear, she must choose between those she loves and her own reputation. Will the truth set her free or destroy her? Does she have the courage to follow her own heart?

Damn, I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I’ve read in a while that has interesting and complex characters with an engrossing, and actual, plot. Set in the colorful world of gypsies, the characters are forced into crisis and action by their passions, cultural restrictions, and past wounds, which I have to say, totally turned me on.

Long review ahead, sorry. This was a hard review to write for me though since there was so much that grabbed me about this story.

It’s the 1700’s in Hungary and Romanian gypsy tribes have banded together and are on the run, hiding from the Empress Maria Theresa’s people who are clamping down on gypsies and their lifestyle. In the midst of all of this, Karina, the daughter of the leader of the Argintari tribe, gets caught in a web of current and past passions and deceits. She is different from the rest of her clan, having blond hair and being a 23 year old who isn’t married, which means she’s an outcast.

Fitting into the strict lifestyle Karina’s father has created for her is not her cuppa and she sneaks off to the Lautari camp every night for fun. Unlike the Argintari, the Lautari are more easy going and love to party, drinking, dancing and playing music well into the night. Karina hangs out with her best friend since childhood, Papusza, and has caught the eye of Brishen, also a Lautari and a well liked man who is a virtuoso with the violin.

Although Karina and Papusza have a sexual relationship, Karina is both attracted and fearful of Brishen, who shows unabashed desire for her. Unfortunately, even though Karina and Brishen fall in love and become betrothed to each other, several factors come into play that could destroy their love:

• Karina still loves Papusza; still wants to be physical with her and this causes rage and jealousy in Brishen. And Papusza is jealous of Brishen.

• Although Karina’s father has agreed to this marriage, he hates the Lautari and the bad blood between he and Vesh, the Lautari leader and Papusza’s uncle threatens their love.

• One night just before marriage, something happens between Karina, Papusza and Brishen that causes Brishen to be banished from the tribe.

Does this sound a bit like a soap opera? Well, it did feel a bit like that. However, Kayleigh Jamison did a fantastic job of creating a passionate, realistic, juicy story that didn’t go overboard. This is, however, mainly a love story between Brishen and Karina.

First I’d like to say that Ms. Jamison did an incredible job of describing the gypsy world, social conditioning's and lifestyle during those times. I know nothing about gypsies, but the way it’s written, it’s all very clear and without a lot of info dumping. In the beginning there is a small amount of explanation but quickly gets on track with the characters taking center stage within this world.

I loved that the impetus for character interaction was caused just as much from social mores as from normal, and sometimes stupid, human reactions.

Papusza seduces Karina first. What they are doing is severely frowned upon by their society, but they don’t seem to care or be too worried about it. I didn’t understand this really since these communities seemed very tight knit. Karina just seemed to go along with being seduced by Papusza without thinking about it too much. I didn’t feel that what they had was really a love story, but it is clear that Papusza is more in love with Karina. Their sexual relationship came across as more of a convenience and an extension of their friendship, both needing some comfort from their miserable lives.

Since Karina and Papusza’s relationship was not as well developed as Karina and Brishen’s, it was clear that they are weren’t going to be a focus of this story even though their interactions are cause of what happens. This did disappoint me a bit. I would have liked if their relationship wouldn’t have been treated as second class. But that’s how it’s written and in the end it is what it is.

Fairly quickly, Karina falls really hard for Brishen. On the eve of their wedding announcement, Karina does something really stupid, which catapults these three people into a huge tangled mess that will be hard to get out of. I did wonder what Karina was thinking. It seemed a rather stupid and callous thing to do, but there was a running theme of characters acting out of their own jealousies and passions with ill regard for others’ feelings initially.

Ms. Jamison did a great job of showing that Karina and Brishen really love each other, even though there was no tension or build up to their relationship other than eyeing each other here and there. Their first sexual encounter is beautifully written, including a realistic portrayal of Karina’s loss of virginity. There’s no orgasm upon first entry or lack of pain, which is so common in romance. Nope, it’s painful, but Brishen is very loving with Karina and doesn’t rough shod over her in his own need. Another common trope. This created a very deep intimacy between them, I thought.

I also enjoyed the very realistic attitude of Brishen in his jealousy. He flies into a rage over Karina and Papusza being together. He feels threatened by Papusza and trash talks her to Karina before he and Karina even get together. After Brishen is accused of a heinous crime though, things change drastically in all their relationship dynamics.

This situation causes a deep rift between Karina and Papusza, which pains Papusza, but not Karina so much. Because of what’s happened, Karina is forced to take sides until she owns up to her part in what’s happened and gets the other two to own up to their part as well.

All three do work things out and finally come to an agreement. At this point, Brishen becomes that typical male agreeing to Karina and Papusza being together if he can watch. Yeah, that didn’t sit well with me. It felt a bit skeevy since Papusza had no interest in Brishen, nor Brishen in Papusza. I felt it was a bit weird that she agreed to have sex with Karina in front of Brishen.

Although, I will say that the sexual encounter with all three didn’t come across as written just for titillation, but was very loving. And outside of that reaction, I really liked Brishen as a character. He’s an all around good, honorable guy who really only has eyes and love for his woman.

Outside of these three main characters, there are some interesting characters who’s actions and reactions enter in prominently. Nicolae, Karina’s father and leader of the Argantari and Vesh, have some old, unsettled business with each other, which has a huge impact on all three main characters. When the truth finally does come out, it’s both painful and relieving for both Brishen and Karina.

I will say that some things got a bit glossed over or forgiven a little too easily to finish this story in an upbeat way. What Nicolae did was truly awful and he got an unrealistic pass from Karina who forgave him a little too easily for my taste. He and some other characters, like Vesh’s wife, act against their characterization at the end as well, which, felt a bit too to pat for me.

I have no idea of the reality of gypsy life, but everyone was sneaking into each other’s tents all the time without other members of the tribe knowing. This bothered me throughout the whole book because I would think that a community as close knit as a gypsy tribe would be aware of who was coming and going in other’s tents, especially since things could be heard and these characters were people who were outcasts and probably would have had extra attention on themselves.

I also had mixed feelings about Papusza’s ending in this. I won’t say much since it will give info away, but how things panned out with all three made me wonder why Papusza was even a made a factor in this story.

At any rate, this is a well written, engaging story. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone because it’s a passionate love story even if the story between Karina and Papusza was lacking.

Sex rating: Orgasmic- graphically written and frequent sexual scenarios. f/f, m/f, f/f/m, minor anal.

Grade: B+

Review- Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill by Susan Holloway Scott

Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill
by Susan Holloway Scott
Aug 1, 2006
Historical Fiction/Romance (M/F, F/F)
Novel- 384 pgs. (over 60K words)

by Guest Reviewer M. A.

Buy it Amazon, B&N, Penguin

London:1673. With her family ruined by war, penniless thirteen-year-old Sarah Jennings is overjoyed to be chosen as a maid of honor at the bawdy Restoration court of Charles II. She soon wins the trust of Lady Anne of York, a lonely princess who becomes one of her staunchest allies. And though Sarah’s beauty stirs the desires of jaded aristocrats, she wants a grander future for herself than that of a pampered mistress. Only one man possesses ambition and passions that match her own: John Churchill, a dashing young military hero. He would ask for her hand—and win her heart for a lifetime….

But Whitehall Palace is ripe with ever-shifting alliances and sexual scandal, and Sarah will need all her cleverness to succeed. Titles, power, and wealth are the prizes, while an idle whisper in the wrong ear can bring a cry of treason, and the executioner’s ax. Will Sarah’s loyalties––and her dreams––falter when a king is toppled from his throne and a new queen crowned? And will she dare risk everything when her one true love is tested by a passionate, dangerous obsession?

Brimming with the intrigue and sensuality of one of history’s most decadent courts, Duchess brings to vivid life the story of an unforgettable woman who determines her own destiny––outspoken, outrageous, but most of all true to herself.

Wow. What a great read.

The Stuart Dynasty represents an intriguing study to anyone pondering the possibilities of sexual orientation being more a result of genetics/heredity than environment. Numerous Stuart royals were known to support same gender favorites, and it’s debatable they “learned” these preferences from their parents since their parents did not raise them. Housefuls of servants raised them instead. The tendency was noted and re-noted throughout generations of the family.

Sarah Churchill, a gentry commoner who survived the court intrigues of the Glorious Revolution and retired Duchess of Marlborough, enjoys a notorious reputation as a woman ahead of her time. Ambitious, politically astute, a great beauty according to the times, she was also the intimate friend – some say the mistress – of Anne Stuart, the last Stuart monarch to rule Great Britain.

This book has so much going for it. Excellent editorial quality and first-rate writing. Despite the novel’s length, Sarah’s story flies off the pages. Scott’s style combines detail, fascinating subject matter, and sufficient variety of structure to keep readers entranced. Even if you’re already familiar with Sarah’s story this novel’s worth reading.

I felt like Scott presented Sarah’s characterization honestly. Sarah is a flawed character and very much a product of her day even as she struggles to “break the mold” concerning her own expectations and reach beyond possibility. That said, I’m unsurprised that I disliked Sarah at times. Sarah was known to be manipulative, avaricious, an opportunist and a bully. Since she lived in an era where nice girls often finished last, I understand her bitchiness and self-centeredness. Sarah’s “voice” in this story is very genuine, revealing an ambitious woman who knows all the cards are stacked against her and behaves accordingly. When she recognizes potential benefit to herself in doing her duty or going beyond her duty, she acts without hesitation, even at exceptional personal risk. Unfortunately, because she is equally capable of deceit and betrayal to promote her interests, her heroism is less admirable. It’s understandable -- her principles and her actions demonstrate hypocrisy and self-interest typical of the times – but not likeable.

Sarah’s “fatal flaw” is her inability to admit her own shortcomings. She is capable of justifying or denying pretty much anything to rationalize her behavior. Again, this isn’t a likable trait, but it’s consistent with what’s known of Sarah. I found my feelings about Sarah comparable to the typical “self-starter power coworker/boss.” The kind of person who understands “office politics” and manipulates that knowledge for personal advantage. Before you know it, this kind of person’s playing golf with the CEOs even if their work ethics and productivity don’t measure up while other employees take up the slack.

The novel revolves around the two serious relationships of Sarah’s life, her friendship with Anne and her marriage to the dashing war hero, John Churchill.

Anne and Sarah meet as young girls in the York household. Sarah, a few years older, enchants Anne (a lonely, unhealthy child) with her brutal honesty. Anne recognizes Sarah doesn’t resort to white lies and sycophantic flattery typical of courtiers wishing to suck up to the Royals. Since Anne trusts Sarah, the normally stand-offish princess welcomes Sarah into her intimate circle.

Sarah, recognizing potential value in intimacy with Anne (third in line for the crown) does not hesitate to cultivate the friendship. Before long, the two are spying on courtiers’ indiscretions and enjoying regular card games. In between, Sarah fends off sexual harassment from various big players in the palace, including the Duke of York (the future James II) and the Duke of Monmouth (King Charles’ ill-fated illegitimate son, doomed to suffer brutal execution after Culloden.)

It was difficult for me to evaluate whether or not Sarah sincerely loved Anne in any capacity. The entire story is told in Sarah’s POV and so much of Sarah’s time is spent criticizing and faulting Anne. Again, this is very in character with the real Sarah Churchill (by the end of her life her critical disposition had alienated her from her adult children.) I suspect, however, that Sarah’s contempt for Anne as a defense mechanism to soothe her own inferiority complex related to her lack of rank.

At times, though, I had a good sense of internal conflict in Sarah. Too often, she is quick to minimize her own feelings for her girlfriend and emphasize Anne’s love for her. Sarah really is the girlfriend from hell, ruthlessly competitive, eager to compare herself to Anne and find Anne lacking. When Anne exhibits undesirable characteristics, Sarah is quick to label her in the wrong, conveniently overlooking her own comparable failings. Sarah tries too hard to convince the reader – and herself? – that Anne really needs her and loves her more than Sarah returns those feelings. Never mind the incredible benefits Sarah and her whole family enjoy as a direct benefit of Anne’s generosity. Sarah begins her illustrious Court career as a maid of honor with neither rank nor dowry. By the time Anne dismisses the Churchills from service, Sarah and John have been ennobled (the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough), awarded numerous court positions, pensions, and salaries, and Sarah is widely known as a key player and “power behind the throne.”

I suspect Sarah needed Anne to love her a good deal more than she needed to love Anne.

Throughout the decades of their closeness, Anne is pitifully frank, heart on her lace-edged sleeves. A steely inner core strengthens Anne. Sarah recognizes it, to some degree admires it, but assumes to the bitter end she is somehow exempt from Anne’s “dark side.” Anne lives the life of a Stuart princess, not half so glamorous and romantic as a storybook alternative. By order of the British government, Anne is raised in the Anglican faith. Due to the significance society placed upon religion at the time, she is estranged from her father and her stepmother (both Roman Catholic.) Her main value to her family is her value in a political marriage, and her elder sister, Mary (later Queen Mary II) is more attractive and promising. Conservative, quiet, distrustful, and lacking conventional attractiveness, Anne is an overlooked, undervalued appendage in the “Merrie Monarch’s” licentious court despite her popularity with the English public.

Sarah perceives Anne as dull and stupid, but later discovers she’s quite intelligent and politically adept despite her awkward shyness and plain looks.

Enter John Churchill during a theatrical presentation the two young women perform to entertain the Court. Sarah’s thoughts linger on the differences in her feelings for her bosom friend and a handsome young man:

(SPOILER) (To read spoiler highlight text) Just as I was Mercury, Lady Anne played the nymph whom Mercury desired, and while this might seem a pretty conceit between friends, it also taxed me mightily. Anne had accused me of preferring John Churchill to her, and as I declared Mercury's undying passion, I did indeed think of him, even as I smiled into her adoring face. As I took her plump little hand to lead her through our dance, I couldn't swear which partner's hand I imagined in my own: Mercury's nymph, or Lady Anne, or the handsome young colonel... (END SPOILER)

Chemistry between Sarah and John ignites at once. They’re two of a kind, poor and proud, of common birth and possessing sufficient brains and ambition to lead an insurrection against a country. Except they’d rather not, because both covet rank and recognition for themselves too much to eliminate them. Both are anti-Catholic and permit it to affect their politics (although their bigotry doesn’t extend to them refusing to serve their Catholic employers until the rest of the country rebels against them.) While Sarah is cultivating intimate friendship and favor from Anne, John has been the tirelessly devoted on-again off-again paramour to the Duchess of Cleveland who has compensated him most generously for his devotion.

After a whirlwind courtship, they marry secretly, with York’s approval, so that Sarah may continue to attend the Duchess and Anne at court (an unmarried woman’s “job.”) Their marriage is presented as idyllic throughout the book, rife with passion and mutual affection whenever the two are able to meet. I think the simplicity of the marriage description extends from the historical reality that, while married a long time, the couple rarely spent time together. Sarah was often attending the Royals and John’s military obligations meant he frequently left the country for several months or years at a time.

Sarah and Anne’s relationship is more complex due to its growth and evolution. Their childhood friendship evolves into their adulthood where they share each other’s triumphs and sorrows. They become lovers shortly after Anne’s wedding and the transition, is tender, slightly awkward, and true to both characters. Each woman enjoys a happy married life. Each revels in the joy of motherhood and bears the pain of loss common to a period of high infant mortality (tragically, Anne would endure eighteen pregnancies and not see a single child survive childhood.)

The two women watch each other’s backs, too. When King James attempts to arrest Anne and hold her hostage to prevent an Anglican uprising, Sarah and Anne flee together. When Queen Mary orders Anne to dismiss Sarah due to Sarah’s “scandalous undue influence,” Anne steadfastly refuses. The queen orders Anne out of the palace and deprives her of her palace guard. Anne shrugs off the incident, borrows a London town house from a loyal courtier…and welcomes Frances Aspley into her service. When King William attempts to restrict Anne’s allowance to force her to heel, Anne addresses the matter with Parliament who promptly rules in her favor. Anne collects her income…and raises Sarah’s salary.

(To non-history buffs: Frances Aspley was Princess Mary’s long-term attendant and, if not her lover, a deeply romantic confidante. Mary wasn’t permitted to bring Frances with her to the Netherlands when she married. The unhappy queen wrote lengthy love letters to Frances addressing Frances as “my husband” and even went so far as to refer to her unborn child as a “bastard.”)
Through it all, Anne is deadly calm and dry. Sarah criticizes her as a “true Stuart” for coldly turning her back on her closest kin, but again, has no problem benefitting from Anne’s stubbornness. When Anne ascends to the throne, the Churchills are close at hand to bathe in reflected glory.

Ironically, bisexuality isn’t presented as a major obstacle in the narrative as far as the public eye is concerned. The novel implies bisexuality within discreet limits was tolerated, if not lauded, among women. Major objections to Anne’s attachment to Sarah appeared to be Sarah’s “commoner” background , her Whig politics, and simple jealousy of the various honors and benefits Anne heaped upon her favorite. I found it refreshing.

This is not an erotic novel, but one love scene captures beautiful imagery of the two women making love:

(SPOILER) (Anne) liked to be teased, perhaps because as a princess she'd always been granted every wish...I'd learned many, many things about her.
Frantically she pulled at my own clothes, our hair coming unpinned around our shoulders and the pearls swinging from our ears. Her flesh was pale and soft as doeskin, revealed to me as our skirts tangled around our limbs. Our actions made the warm afternoon even warmer, until at last I gave her what she sought,..We lay together afterwards, pressed thigh to thigh in drowsy contentment as she combed fingers through my tangled hair.

"Oh love," she murmured happily... (END SPOILER)

I should warn you that Anne and Sarah do not enjoy a HEA. Sarah’s fall from Anne’s good graces is abrupt, brutal, but wholly deserved. If you’re unfamiliar with history, suffice it to say Sarah did not learn from the past, and she forgot why Anne loved her in the first place.

“Duchess” is an excellent story of a volatile time, lovingly written. It would satisfy the “sweet tooth” of any reader interested in or curious about the Restoration.

I can only think of two peeves I had with the book. The book is written from Sarah’s POV in first person. First person POV is always more restrictive than third person and it seriously handicaps this tale because Sarah must tell us about many of the more noteworthy historical events instead of Scott being able to show them to us. Or someone else tells Sarah about them. Sarah is a female courtier. Many of the relevant events discussed in the story are not directly witnessed by her. This caused the book to “drag” a bit in places.

My other peeve was I got very tired of reading and re-reading Sarah’s rationalization of her love affair with Anne. She claims to enjoy it, but keeps reminding us she’s not participating for enjoyment, that she is not in love with Anne and could never love her as much as John, and that her main motive is personal advancement and reward. In the course of the novel, Sarah does many things suggesting to me she does care about Anne, and it starts to feel confusing. I was left with the impression that Sarah did love Anne, but did not want to admit it, and so trotted out a litany of excuses to “explain” her affair.

Beyond that, “Duchess” is a solid read.


Heat Level: Damp panties. This probably qualifies as a sensuous. Sex/lovemaking, both M/F and F/F, is described in non-explicit terms with some detail.

Grade: B