One of my favorite parts of erotica is that the community is so supportive of one another.  We find our community online.  I met K. A. Smith sometime last year when she commented on my blog, and I checked out hers.  K.A. writes books that feature women of color.  Her blog regularly features reviews for books written by authors of color/ that feature characters of color.

Recently I had the opportunity to read two of her stories; Get At Me and Gina’s Do-Over.  I’m sad it’s taken me so long to get around to reading her stories, because I’m now definitely a fan of hers.

There are lots of people on my #fictionalcrush list.  C.J. from K.A.’s novella  Get At Me has joined them.  In my pre-parent days I was a teacher, so characters who work with kids and genuinely adore them charm me. (See also my #fictionalcrush on Ann-Marie, the aspiring teacher in the Rainbow Connections series by Lynn Townsend.)  C.J. works at a Community Center before/after school program.  Her willing be goofy and pal around with the kids, and she’s very protective of the kids and the program.

The combination of C.J.’s bravado (and my god, the bravado is sexy) and her softer side are so well done.  I couldn’t help but be drawn in by her.

“You see that man?  She was checking me out.  Hard.”

“Butch, please. She was trying to figure you out.  As in, what is this little boy chattin’ to me about.”  Ricco rolled his eyes.

“Don’t hate.  Just cos I got the skin of a newborn baby, yo.  I’m too smooth and too good.  All the ladies go for this.” She but out into some funky dance moves, twisting and shaking her rump.  Her dance made Ricco laugh until he was wheezing and out of breath.

Fatima is a beautiful but remote local artist who’s been hired to paint murals at the community center.  When Fatima drops her sketchbook, C.J. finds an erotic drawing that gives her a glimpse behind the cool façade.

Fatima was hurt before, but even she can help but be drawn in by C.J.

She shook her head, more at herself than at C.J.  Turns out she liked the attention she was throwing her way.  But it didn’t change the fact that she had four murals to knock out in three days.  Fatima told herself to concentrate as she climbed a run higher on the ladder.  She took her eyes off her work for just another second to watch C.J. walk away.

I won’t spoil the story for you, but will tell you that  Get At Me was the sexiest story without explicit sex that I’ve read in a long time.  I was far more invested in C.J. and Fatima than I’ve been in most mainstream romances in a long time.

Buy Get At Me on Amazon 

 Gina’s Do Over is a short story that takes place at the wedding of a friend/one time lover.

Standing there with Shonda and and the ghosts of orgasms past, I realised how amazing my life was.

I was going to tease the super hot sex, but I love the images that “ghosts of orgasms” brings to mind.

Told in a flashback, we see Gina’s relationship with the bride, and her moment of clarity that she’s a lesbian.  The story is at turns erotic and wistful, spicy and bittersweet.

Buy Gina’s Do-Over on Amazon

Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: delilah night, erotica book reviews, Get at Me, Gina's Do-Over, K. A. Smith |