Bodice Rippers
BODDICE RIPPERS, BY ANASTASIA DAY
I'm not sure that's the actual cover for this book. It was the only result I had when I searched for it on Google, though.
I feel a bit self-conscious reviewing this... The book consists of three erotic short stories about BDSM. But then, I did read it, and I said I would review it, so I'll do my best. I'll try to keep it short.
I bought this on a whim. It was on sale for less than $0.50, and according to the teaser, it was erotica with an interesting story and engaging characters, unusual (fantasy, historical fiction and sci-fi) settings, filled with strong women and a light touch of bondage. I would sue them for false advertising if the book hadn't been so cheap.
Synopsis: Bondage, the Beauty and the Beast is an erotic retelling of the fairy tale. A Question of Pleasure is about a beautiful Confederate spy being erotically tortured by her betrayed fiance, who is a Union major (set in the American Civil War, obviously). The Bloodslave tells the story of a human girl lost in an alien world and capture by three vampire pirates.
Overall enjoyment: Meh. As good as a sex scene may be, I'm always a bit freaked out by lack of consent, which means that the first two stories were a turn-off for me. And honestly, the sex scenes were a bit crappy... I would have expected something about BDSM to be a little more imaginative. It's just the exact same fuck, over and over again.
Plot: I'm not sure if that was a big concern while writing these... I was a bit worried at how she seemed to relish the idea of rape as punishment. And how she loves to generalize, with actual lines like "all women secretly hunger to be dominated" and "it's not just me, all men feel pleasure on inflicting pain".
Characters: They're all as poorly developed as possible. This feels exactly like a porn movie: a few introductory lines, and suddenly everybody is fucking.
World/setting: Ditto the last category.
Writing style: It was all about "throbbing shafts", "moist petals", "liquid pleasure" and "puckered orifices". And everybody purrs all the time.
Representation & political correctness: I think I'll just skip this part...
Fanfiction has spoiled me for professional smut.
Up next: Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty