Review of Doll, by Nichelle Gregory

 She is only allowed to say, ‘yes’ and ‘please’…

Rena Venoy has finally become a sex doll. For the next forty-eight hours, giving and receiving pleasure is her only purpose, fulfilling sexual fantasies her primary goal.

That’s until she sets her heart on becoming Raiden’s one and only doll. To get her wish, he must bestow the ultimate honour she seeks and claim her as his.

When she breaks a rule, Rena is devastated. Will Raiden choose her after all?

Reader Advisory: This book contains a group lesbian scene, voyeurism, controversial BDSM toys, power play and scenes which some may find offensive.

 

 

I give Doll 4 Strong Shots 

I’m going to start this review with an explanation as to why I gave it four strong shots here, but five stars on Goodreads. To put it simply, I’m not crazy about short stories. I always find them a tease, like going to the bakery and getting a sample of the most divine concoction. The taste of decadence is just enough for you to want more, enough to leave you salivating at just the idea of another bite, but they won’t give you more. Actually, you had the last sample and the baker’s gone on vacation.

The four shots for a short story is me sulking. If Ms. Gregory cooks up a sequel, I give her another shot—hell, I’ll probably give her a bottle. She’s just that good.

From page one, the utter surrender of the main character to her flagrant desires drew me in. You have to admire a woman who, despite some brief moments of uncertainty, decides to go after what she wants. I absolutely loved this line:

This was her gift to herself. She wasn’t backing out now.  

With sexual tension thick enough to smother the unsuspecting, this story explores the sensual side of BDSM, the pleasure of being at another’s mercy, the thrill of being denied until pure need just about tears you apart. Rena Venoy is a naughty little sex doll, but it’s fun watching her antics and I enjoyed seeing her learn her lesson. The toys and tools of the lifestyle are used in a way that’s both sexy and fun, and I really enjoyed the TPE (total power exchange) of the dolls’ role.

Despite the fact that this book was short, the ending was quite satisfying. This book is sweet, sexy fun with a bit of an edge—a perfect read at the end of a hard day, before you curl up to…sleep, that’s it, a nice bedtime story. So long as your prepared for erotic dreams.  ;)

To buy this book, click on the cover.

Review of Comfort Food, by Kitty Thomas

It’s been awhile, but I’ve finally found the time for another review. Compared to this book, Deadly Captive is a sweet romance. Those of you who’ve read Deadly Captive will understand what I mean, but if you enjoyed it, I would definitely recommend Comfort Food. And a therapist. *

DESCRIPTION:

Emily Vargas has been taken captive. As part of his conditioning methods, her captor refuses to speak to her, knowing how much she craves human contact. He’s far too beautiful to be a monster. Combined with his lack of violence toward her, this has her walking a fine line at the edge of sanity. Told in the first person from Emily’s perspective, Comfort Food is a tale of erotic surrender that explores what happens when all expectations of pleasure and pain are turned upside down, as whips become comfort and chicken soup becomes punishment.

DISCLAIMER:
This is not a story about consensual BDSM. This is a story about “actual” slavery. If reading erotica without safewords makes you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. This is a work of fiction, and the author does not endorse or condone any behavior done to another human being without their consent.

Warning: This book contains BDSM elements, master/slave dynamics, nonconsensual sexual situations, psychological conditioning, and oral and anal play.

I give Comfort Food 4 ½ Strong shots.

From the moment I powered off my ereader at this stories end, the strangest thing stuck in my mind. In reading this book, I had been conditioned, probably not permanently, but it’s there. Just the idea of chicken soup turned my stomach—I actually took it out of a scene I was working on because I couldn’t stand to recall the smell.
Any book that affects me this way occupies a space in my mind for a while. Disturbing, a little twisted, but the artist in me craves extreme reactions from words woven together, and appreciates the skill that goes into the weaving. My own little trigger, one of many Ms. Thomas exploits.

And all this by the end of chapter one.

To be perfectly honest, saying ‘This book is not for everyone’ is a gross understatement. This book is for those people who love a story for all its intricate details, for the power it has to move you. It’s for those people who hear lyrics like ‘I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel’, and understand, whether they’ve experienced that level of numbness or not. Because experiencing it isn’t necessary to understand the pure horror of feeling nothing.

Locked in a room, denied everything but bland sustenance—chicken soup and crackers, uck—the psychological manipulation of Emily is done slowly and carefully. I actually got to the point where I wanted her to give in because I couldn’t take the deprivation anymore. Some may say she didn’t ‘hold out long enough’. Bull. One of the most severe punishments you can give a child is to ignore them, to cut them off from your affection, to refuse to respond to them. They can feel when they’re not reaching you anymore and a normal reaction is for them to scream and cry and tell you anything you want to hear. ‘I’m sorry, mommy. I’ll be good, daddy. Please look at me!’

That people actually believe that we become immune to such punishments as adults amazes me. I think we’re probably more susceptible; we’ve had the illusion of control for years.

This is a book I will definitely reread, probably for the same reason I treat myself to tequila every once in a while. I’ve made myself real sick with the drink, but my inhibitions were gone, and in that moment, I felt free. I could never surrender my life like the heroine in Comfort Food, not in real life. But the author gives me a safe place where I can live out the warped fantasy.

I’ve given Comfort Food 4 ½ strong shots because I would have like the sex to be a little less detached. In part, I understand why it was, but I found myself wanting a bit more of a connection.

I was tempted to take off another half a shot for the ending, but it didn’t feel right. Part of me hated the ending because I’m supposed to, because that’s the strong, modern-day woman way to feel.

In the world of Ms. Thomas, in the sanctuary her hero created, there could be no better Happily Ever After.

To buy this book, click on the cover.

*disclaimer. I have a weird sense of humor, please don’t take anything I say personally.