| Delilah Night: Sweet and Spicy Stories

Review: Alchemy XII February

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Delilah Night

Tamsin gives us boiling hot sex when Harry and Olivia’s relationship continues to evolve in this installment of Alchemy XII.

In my review of Alchemy XII: January I made a point of talking about how Olivia–a strong independent woman who came of age during third-wave feminism–struggles with submission. In February, we see this struggle continue internally for Olivia and externally in and out of the bedroom with Harry.

We get a glimpse of Olivia’s life outside of erotica, and learn that Harry knows all about it–her twin, where she works, and more. Harry even slips into a lecture and raises his hand to tell Professor Olivia Roux that her formula on the board is wrong. Olivia is furious and points out that what he’s doing could be classified as stalking. Harry shrugs and hands her an envelope with orders to be ready at midnight and to be dressed like a slut.

Olivia made a rash promise to Raf in the New Year’s Eve chapter (review here), and now she has to keep it–that she will submit to him. Harry takes her to Master Blasters where Raf is waiting for them in a private room. We already know that Raf washed out the training program, but we don’t know why. The scene that follows gives us a hint of what might have gone wrong for Raf when Harry has to intervene.

In the wake of her encounter with Raf, Olivia becomes torn between the ecstasy that pain can bring and her struggle with submission. Her feminist principles are at war with what Harry has to offer her.

Man as drug. Dependency ensues.

This scares me because Harry isn’t even pretending to be my boyfriend. He’s got three other subs, whom he’s putting through the same training. Does he kiss them? Yes, of course he does. And fuck them? Presumably. These thoughts are making me cranky. I want to talk stuff through with someone. With Harry. But he’s not available to me and, even if he were, he controls where all our conversations go.

Oh, I like the pain but do I want to submit to him? Call my lover “Sir”? Interact from a kneeling position on the floor? Is becoming a sub the only way to fulfill my needs?

Today I don’t want to do this. Not the submission. Perhaps I could find myself a man who’s willing to give me what I need without being kowtowed to in exchange. That’s all. No more training or clubs or sub-bating. I’m going to duck out of the program and find another way.

I’ve made up my mind, so this will be my last diary entry.

Olivia wants to tell Harry that she is quitting in person. She goes to the building where Alchemy is located, and is told that there is no such place there. The concierge denies knowing who Harry Lomax is. So Olivia tries to send Harry a letter. It’s sent back “Not known at this address.”

She is fuming by the time a note arrives with her instructions for their February training session. She doesn’t do any of the things she’s been ordered to, except to get into the car where Harry is waiting. He distracts her with his particular brand of addictive kisses until they arrive at a small airport where a private jet awaits them.

I’m not sure I want to continue training with you.”

The words all spilled out in a rush.

Harry laughed. Laughter was the last thing I expected and my temper got the better of me. Without a moment’s thought of the consequences, I slapped him across his left cheek. Hard. Hard enough to show him the depth of my anger.

He put a hand up to his cheek but the smile never left his face.

“Jesus, I adore you, Liv,” he said. “Come on the plane and if you can convince me you want to leave, I’ll have pilot come back here straight away. But if I can convince you to stay, we’ll carry on and you’ll take your punishment for that slap.”

Will Olivia quit Alchemy or can Harry convince her to stay? You’ll have to read Alchemy XII February to find out.

***

Alchemy XII is a serial written by Tamsin Flowers. Each chapter will release on the first day of the month. February is available for pre-order on Amazon, or you can subscribe from Tamsin directly.

Filed under: BDSM, book reviews | Tagged: Alchemy xii, BDSM, book review, Deliah Night, Tamsin Flowers | 1 Comment »

Review: Get At Me AND Gina’s Do-Over by K. A. Smith

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Delilah Night

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 | 4 Comments »

WIP: RJ and Megan’s Story

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Delilah Night

Here’s what you need to know about my work in progress.

Six years ago Arjun (RJ) and Megan each broke the other’s heart. Even with the passage of time, they’re still not over each other.

RJ crashes Megan’s vacation in Siem Reap, Cambodia with the assistance of her sister. Due to delayed canceled flights, Megan is there for only one day instead of her planned four. He’s got 24 hours to show her that he’s grown up and is worthy of a second chance. Megan decides that what she needs is one last fling with RJ so she can get him out her system once and for all.

Will he win her back, or is she too scared that he’ll just break her heart again?

Photo credit: me

When I saw a call for stories set in different cities throughout the world, I immediately thought of Siem Reap, Cambodia. I fulfilled my dream of seeing Angkor Wat in May of 2014, and fell in love with the city in the process. I drew heavily on my experiences there when writing this novella.

I finished the first draft late last week and will be editing it over the course of the next few at which point I’ll be asking friends to beta read (friends–poke me if you think you might want to) while I send off the pitch and first 5k words to the call.

In the excerpt below, Megan is reeling from the surprise of seeing RJ. She’s just arrived in Siem Reap, and has rushed to Angkor Wat to shoot the temple at dawn (see my photo above). She’s taken refuge in the tent stalls next to the lake. (See below) The wedding mentioned is Rachel’s–her sister, and one of his closest friends from college–the person who introduced them in the first place.

photo credit: me

I can’t believe he’s here. This is almost as bad as if he were at the wedding.

“Oh. My. God. The wedding.” The bottle froze halfway to her lips. “Where is he?”

Meg scanned the crowd of tourists that were now crawling over Angkor Wat. Where had he gone? Was he invited to the wedding? She pulled out her cell phone to ask Rachel the question she’d never thought to ask before now. There was no signal.

Rachel, did you invite Arjun to your wedding? How could you?

Picking the bottle back up, and suddenly wishing it was a beer, Meg took a swig of the soda.

“Want to share that?”

She choked on the liquid, coughing and gasping. RJ’s hand pounded rhythmically on her back.

“Stop that! I’m—” Meg fought her way through another coughing fit. “Fine!” She tried to pull it together. Panting a bit, she took another cautious sip. What had been blissfully cool relief was now cloying sweetness. Disgusted, she put the bottle down.

“Why are you here? Don’t feed me any of your charming bullshit.”

He gave her a lazy smile. “Rachel told me you’d be here.”

Traitor!

“And you decided to just gate crash my dream vacation as a way to catch up? If you wanted to get in touch with me to warn me you’d be at the wedding, you could’ve just used Facebook like a normal person.”

“This wasn’t just your dream vacation, remember?”

RJ and Meg curled on his bed, daydreaming about where they would travel. They had always ended up in Asia—scuba diving in Indonesia, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, the Golden Temple of Amritsar in India, the elephant sanctuary in Chang Mai, Thailand, and more.

Junior year he’d given her a poster of Angkor Wat at dawn as an end of term gift. It had lived on walls in dorm rooms and apartments ever since. Angkor Wat had come to symbolize all their dreams for the future. When they’d talked of getting married, spending their Honeymoon in Cambodia had been a given.

After the break-up she’d burned the poster.

“You’re unreal.” Meg shook her head in disbelief.

“Spend the day with me.”

“Why should I?”

“Because if you don’t, you’ll always wonder what it would have been like. I’m not going to pester you during Rachel’s wedding. Besides you’d be too busy to flirt with me if I’m a welcome surprise. And too much of a lady to curse me out in front of everyone if I’m not.” He flashed her an impudent smile. A dimple winked at her from both cheeks.

He knew her too well.

You know you would’ve been picturing him here with you even before you knew he was here. Now that he is, can you really walk away? Have you ever had much willpower when it came to those dimples?

“Just because I agree to hang out with you today and let you try to sweet talk your way into my panties doesn’t mean you’re going to succeed, RJ.”

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Just remember that I’m not the one who brought up the idea of me getting into your panties. You are.”

I hope you’re curious to know what happens next…

Filed under: In Progress, Writing | Tagged: cambodia, Capturing the Moment, delilah night, Erotic Romance, Novella, Siem Reap | 5 Comments »

Review: Alchemy xii January

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Delilah Night

For my review of Alchemy xii: New Years Eve, go here.

The January chapter of Alchemy xii begins the series proper. While New Year’s Eve was written from Harry’s point of view, January and the rest of the series will be told from Olivia’s. While it marks a shifts in tone, the reader in no way loses Harry’s perspective while gaining Olivia’s.

While Olivia is hungry for the man and the sexual pleasure he brings her, submission doesn’t come easily to her.

“Rules,” said Harry.

“More rules?”

“What d’you mean? We haven’t even started with rules.” He frowned at me.

“Like, already I can’t orgasm. I can’t choose my own food. I have to call you Sir, Sir.”

“Holy fuck! Do you know anything at all about submission or domination?”

“Not a lot,” I said.

“But you agreed to launch yourself headlong into it?”

“You didn’t exactly give me much time to decide, Harry.”

At least he had the decency to look contrite when I said this.

“We need to start with basics. You first weekend’s training will have to be Subbing for Dummies.”

When I’ve talked about Alchemy xii as opposed to other BDSM works, I’ve discussed why I prefer Olivia to other heroines. She is a fully formed woman with an existing interest in BDSM. She was always going to explore kink, the question was with whom. But the sexual desire to participate in kink does not mean that one is a natural all-knowing submissive (or dominant).

The reality of kink is that it is a set of skills, and no one can go from zero to suspension play without a lot of training. I really like that Tamsin includes a scene in the library (which makes for an excellent read-aloud, for the record) where, among other things, Harry loads Olivia up with books about BDSM. Subbing for Dummies, indeed.

Olivia is a strong and independent woman who doesn’t come across as particularly submissive. Partially this is set up for her to train as a switch, but it is also an honest reflection of what is like to enter into submission as a woman who came of age in the age of third wave feminism. If you were to meet me in person, you would never guess that I enjoy submission as my personality is anything but. I submit to whom I choose and when I choose. Which doesn’t mean that it always flows naturally–and in my situation that means there are weeks, even months when I don’t play. Olivia is in a contractual relationship (by her own consent) she is trying to enter submissive headspace and behavior on a set schedule. Whether she is struggling with submission or rejoicing in that, she feels familiar.

However, this is also erotica, and thus fantasy, so her struggles and experiences are far sexier than mine ever were. I appreciate the balancing act necessary to add the realism while maintaining the fantasy.

I looked around any my mouth fell open. Opposite the elevator bank, illuminated in pools of soft golden light, a row of beautiful, naked girls, stood, cuffed and collared, attached to a burnished chrome latticework on the walk behind them. As they saw Harry, they all broke out in smiles. One blew kisses, a couple of them writhed against their restraints, one called out his name. Harry returned their smiles with a wide grin.

“Evening, girls,” he said.

“Evening, Harry,” they trilled in reply.

Harry turned back to where I stood, stock still and staring.

“These are my wall-flowers.”

Some of the things I mentioned anticipating in the New Year’s Eve review did come true. We don’t see Dick Glass directly, but his presence is felt. We do get Belladonna and Olivia’s first encounter. It…doesn’t go well.

This is a great opening chapter for what promises to be a year of sexual adventure. Read New Year’s Eve, and then get ready for January. Each chapter will release on the first day of the month. January is available for pre-order on Amazon, or you can subscribe from Tamsin directly.

Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: Alchemy xii, alchemy xii January, book review, delilah night, Tamsin Flowers | 5 Comments »

2014 Book Reviews/Recommendations

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Delilah Night

If you’re a last minute shopper, here’s a round-up of my book reviews for 2014, including a few new micro reviews as I’m running out of time before the end of the year.

Put these books in the hands of your loved ones…

A reminder–If I don’t love a book, I won’t review it here. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time on books I didn’t like, or to throw around bad karma by ripping apart someone else’s book.

Books I’ve reviewed this year, with best of awards given by me

Twisted, edited by Alison Tyler

Those Boys by Alison Tyler **Best Novella, 2014**

Summer Loving, edited by Alison Tyler

The Sexy Librarian’s Big Book of Erotica, edited by Rose Caraway **Best Anthology, 2014**–my top anthology

Zombie Erotoclypse by Tamsin Flowers **Best paranormal, 2014**

Skirting the Issue by Alison Tyler, Sommer Marsden, and Sophia Valenti

Roll By Lynn Townsend **Best LGBT, 2014**

The Mighty Quinn by Sommer Marsden **Best novel, 2014**

Chemical [se]X, edited by Oleander Plume **My husband’s top antho, 2014** (runner up as best antho from me)

Alchemy xii: New Years Eve by Tamsin Flowers **Start of something amazing for 2015**

Books I haven’t gotten around to reviewing at length, but wanted to review before the end of the year are

Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors, edited by Delilah Devlin. If you like your erotic heroes alpha and carrying swords, you’ll love this one. My favorites included

“The Promise of Memory” by Regina Kammer is a sexy and poignant story set in ancient Rome.
“To Love a King’s Man” by Emma Jay features a strong woman who isn’t about to let love walk away from her.
“The Squire” by Cela Winter has our heroine pretending to be a male squire and all the awkward that happens when she falls in love with her new knight. (If you loved Tamora Pierce’s books when you were younger, this story is for you.)

Sex and Cupcakes by Rachel Kramer Bussel. I really enjoyed Rachel’s essays. As a plus sized woman, I found her piece about dating a plus sized man (“My Boyfriend’s Fat”) particularly poignant. I also really liked “What kind of submissive are you?” because it gets to the heart of how aroused I am by a specific kink is affected by who I’m playing with, what else is going on in my life, etc. This was my favorite non-fiction piece on sex this year.

Coming Together: For the Holidays, edited by Alessia Brio. My story “New on the Naughty List” (excerpt here) is part of this anthology (and I have 5 pdf reviewers copies), but I want to talk about which stories I enjoyed reading the most.

“Holiday Hours” by Lynn Townsend is the tale about a bored convenience store clerk on Christmas and the unexpected gift she receives.
“Fox’s Holiday” by Leigh Ellwood was an enjoyable shapeshifter story that made me want to read beyond the end of the story–what would happen next?
“Accosting Santa” by Sommer Marsden is the story of a neighbor who attacks the man she sees sneaking into the yard next door and combines her trademark hilarious banter and sizzling sex.

Other Days, edited by Jessica Augustsson. Not erotica, but if you have a speculative fiction enthusiast on your list, this is a great one. (Yes, I’m in it).

My favorite story in the book is “Lessons Learned” by Jessica (which I excerpted here) in which we learn the identity of Jack the Ripper (full disclosure, I beta read the story, too).
“Crux of a Faded Soul” by Jennifer Silverwood is a suspenseful ghost story narrated by a someone who insists she isn’t a ghost.
“The Karelian Egg” by Robert Young is the story of Anna, who is tasked to go back in time and steal one of the Faberge eggs for a mysterious man holding her brother hostage.

My story Choices (excerpt here) is included. I have pdf reviewers copies if you would like one.

I have only just begun to read Coming Together: Among the Stars, edited by Lynn Townsend, but I’m still going to tell you to buy it if you have a sci fi fan on your list who would enjoy some kick in their Tea, Earl Grey, Hot. I’m sharing pages with Rose Caraway, Lynn, Jade A. Waters, and Malin James among others, so I know it’s going to be awesome. I have one pdf reviewers copy available.

******

If you want a reviewer’s copy of Coming Together: For the Holidays, Coming Together: Among the Stars, or Other Days, leave a comment here or email me at delilahnight at gmail

***

Also, there’s less than a week left to read my story, “Baby it’s Hot Outside” for free. It’s a Christmas story set here in sweltering Singapore.

Filed under: BDSM, book reviews, LGBT | Tagged: Accosting Santa, Alchemy xii, Alessia Brio, Alison Tyler, best books of 2014, book reviews, Cela Winter, Chemical [se]X, Choices, Coming Together: Among the Stars, Coming Together: For the Holidays, Crux of a Faded Soul, Delilah Devlin, Emma Jay, Fox's Holiday, Holiday Hours, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors, Jennifer Silverwood, Jessica Augustsson, Leigh Ellwood, Lessons Learned, Lynn Townsend, Oleander Plume, other days, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Regina Kammer, Review's Copies, Robert Young, Roll, Rose Caraway, Sex and Cupcakes, skirting the issue, sommer marsden, sophia valenti, summer loving, Tamsin Flowers, The Karelian Egg, The Mighty Quinn, The Promise of Memory, The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica, The Squire, Those Boys, To Love a King's Man, Twisted, zombie erotoclypse | 6 Comments »

Book Review: Chemical [se]x, edited by Oleander Plume

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Delilah Night

When I first heard about Chemical [se]X, I was intrigued. An entire book of erotica with the common theme of chocolate? Yummy. I bought it, but had not gotten around to reading it. Then, a few weeks ago, I listened to Rose Caraway interview Oleander Plume and Tamsin Flowers about the book. Once I heard the podcast, Chemical [se]X moved up to the #1 spot in my to-read queue.

I’m so glad I read this book.

During the podcast, Oleander talks about how she wrote a story about aphrodisiac chocolates and posted it on her website for free. Then she thought about writing a sequel. The idea then evolved into an anthology with the erotic chocolates as a common theme.

Much like Tamsin’s Alchemy xii erotic serial, Oleander’s idea is something I haven’t seen before in erotica. While anthologies have a common theme, there’s nothing tying the individual stories together. With Chemical [se]X, while each story works as a stand-alone, the connecting thread took the collection as a whole to a new level. I want more anthologies like this.

My husband and I often read different erotic books as we have different turn-ons (with a few exceptions, like Alison Tyler), but our shared kindle account means that we can see and read the books that the other has bought. When I was reading Chemical [se]X, my kindle account would tell me that I was last at a different page because I learned that my husband was reading it at the same time I was. Much like the way we eat chocolate in real life, I devoured Chemical [se]X and my husband is slowly savoring it.

I’ve mentioned before that I read a LOT of erotica. With some exceptions (basically anything I review on this blog or authors I squeal about on a regular basis) this means I have zero issue reading erotica in public because I’m a bit desensitized. I read using my kindle app on my phone which means I’m likely to read anywhere and everywhere.

I started reading Chemical [se]X in a very long line of Christmas shoppers waiting to be checked out, beginning with the story that started it all; “Chemical [se]X” by Oleander Plume.

“You really don’t find it hot in here?”

“No, the air conditioning is really cranked up today. If you’re too warm, blame yourself for wearing those dopey socks.”

Despite his protests about the temperature, he shrugged out of his lab coat, then stood up to sharpen his pencil. I checked out his butt, it was cute, taut, and round enough to fill out the back of his faded jeans quite nicely. Another fantasy filled my head, this one of Wyatt’s naked ass bent over my knee, slightly pink after a paddling by my hand.

I was feeling a little flushed by the time I was checked out. I knew I should stop reading Oleander’s story in public. But it was so good I couldn’t NOT read it and I had to hit the grocery store in the basement of the mall I was in before I could go home. I’ve never been so turned on while riding an escalator before in my life. I don’t expect to ever have that singular experience again, either. Gold star for you, Oleander!
Oleander also contributed one of my other favorite stories–“Coffee Break”

My brain screamed at my mouth “Spit that out, some weird shit is happening,” but I literally could not stop, the chocolate had a hypnotic effect on me. Once I finished the entire piece, I stared at Zak while I licked the melted bits off my fingers. That’s when I noticed his skin was the exact same color as the chocolate, and I had the overwhelming urge to lick him, too. All. Over.

Zak and Ryan have the best banter in the book. They are an odd couple of co-workers with Ryan just NOT GETTING half of what Zak means when he uses words like “pansexual.” But by the end of the story there is an electric m/m/m threesome. Bonus point for an interracial coupling–there aren’t enough of them.

Jade A. Waters’ story “The Connection” was the story that resonated the most for me.

“The Connection” is about a couple who have lost their way from one another. Aubrey buys the aphrodisiac chocolates, hoping that they might help her and Terrance find that old spark.

Aubrey wanted to wait for Terence, but she ached to know what these chocolates could do. Lifting the lid, she admired the six candies inside, each piece waiting for her in a black and white polka-dotted foil cup. The store clerk had explained this decorative packaging as specific to the premium box, “guaranteed to satisfy” or her money back tomorrow.

How could she resist?

I’ve been married for almost nine years, and I’m the mom of two children. One of the realities of a long term relationship like this is that there is a lot of ebb and flow to the sexual connection, especially post children. Jade nails how frustrating the isolation is, and how scary it is to reach out.

When I read this story, all I could think about was reading it out loud to my partner with some chocolate truffles nearby.

“Bittersweet” by Malin James is the most lyrical story in the anthology. Malin has a talent for paring a story down to its most essential elements that is almost poetic.

I study Iain’s strong, broad back and wonder if I should stay for one last fuck. My head is all for leaving, but my cunt…my cunt wants a final go. Absentmindedly, I pop a truffle in my mouth. It’s smooth and dark with a spikey, citrus finish. Not at all what I’d expected—more bitter than sweet. Not really to my taste. And yet…each receptor in my mouth shivers.

I loved the flow of the story from the narrator’s ambivalence to the way that her sexuality is taken in a new direction with the chocolate stimulus.

“The Stranger” by Tamsin Flowers is special for many reasons. I knew to expect hot sex–that’s a given with Tamsin. What I hadn’t expected was a story set in the deep South with such a pitch perfect voice. A Southern voice is easy to screw up and hard to get right. She nailed it.

I didn’t know how to say it to him. He was a stranger and eating the chocolate had made me desire him. I was suddenly overcome by a longing more intense than I had experienced in years. I put my hand to his groin to see if he was hard. Of course he was, and through his pants I could feel that he’d fill me up and then some.

Tamsin leaves ambiguity in the story that made my imagination run wild–why was he there? where did he go from there? Did McGrindle’s carry the special chocolates or were the women the stranger left behind praying for lightning to strike twice?

Honorable mentions go to

“Dinner for Three” by L Maretta for a really hot f/m/m threesome.

“Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer” by Ella Dawson for writing the finals week hookup I wish I’d had as an undergrad

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then I should confess that when I finished the anthology I had a craving to write a story with Oleander’s aphrodisiac chocolate. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that she decides to do a sequel so I can write and submit one.

Filed under: book reviews, LGBT | Tagged: Bittersweet, book review, Chemical [se]X, Coffee Break, delilah night, Dinner for Three, Ella Dawson, erotica anthology, Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer, Jade A. Waters, L. Maretta, Malin James, Oleander Plume, Tamsin Flowers, The Connection, The Stranger | 12 Comments »

Book Review: The Mighty Quinn by Sommer Marsden

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Delilah Night

I’ll be honest. I didn’t read a lot of erotic novels in the past because I found it really hard to sustain interest. Even the ones I’ve liked–like The Ninety Days of Genevieve or The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty–don’t generally merit a full re-read. I’ll go back to the sex scenes I liked best and generally skip the rest. I feel like a lot of what I read in the late 90’s and early 2000’s was wall to wall sex with only a thin narrative thread and that turned me off. I switched to anthologies because they gave me sex and a more fleshed out narrative (or at least the ones I’ve been drawn to have).

What I learned earlier this year from Alison Tyler’s book Dark Secret Love (review here) and Lynn Townsend’s book Roll (review here) was that erotic novels have changed a lot in the past 5-10 years. I’m so happy to find books that have a strong narrative thread and well written sex scenes. Or maybe there wasn’t a shift and it’s that I’ve finally found the right authors and publishers? Regardless, I am now slowly starting to dip my toe back into the world of erotic novels.

When Alison shared an excerpt from The Mighty Quinn, I immediately downloaded it to my kindle app. I have adored every short story that I’ve read by Sommer Marsden, so I was eager to read her novel.

I have always loved chick lit, but one of my biggest issues was that the sex scenes were poorly written or fade to black/lights up on the next morning. Sommer has managed to write something that could fit into the chick lit, romance, or erotica shelves.

The book opens with Quinn getting dumped. As she attempts to crawl out of her post breakup funk, her neighbor/former burlesque queen Frenchy gives her a talking-to.

“I see you with your men,” she said lowly. “You’re all poofy and swishy and like-me-like-me-like-me.” She waved a wrinkled hand as if shooing a fly. “That’s crap. You need to figure out who Quinn is. Embrace yourself. Figure out what you want. What makes you happy? In life, in a job, in a man, hell, darling, in bed. Id’ say that’s number one. Because when you’ve had a good lay with a good man who wants you…” she grinned in the dark as if savoring a particularly delicious memory, “everything else just falls into place.”

Quinn enlists Frenchy’s aid to revamp her wardrobe, her walk, and her attitude. After only a few days, she finds herself out to dinner with her best friend and her best friend’s drop dead gorgeous cousin Keaton. She’s floored to discover that he likes her.

Frenchy is a brilliant character who has a low tolerance for bullshit and a high regard for high heels and hot sex. Picturing an elderly burlesque dancer rasping out her lines never failed to give me a smile. I wish I had a Frenchy in my life–someone who would give me a talking to when I needed that, and lessons in how to twirl a tassle when called for.

I relate to Quinn. I have fallen prey to the same personality flaws in the past–I’ll be whatever you want me to be/like whatever you like without any regard for whether I am those things/like those things. She goes through the kind of transformation that I always imagined going through. That Hollywood-esque take off the glasses and everyone sees all along that she was hot shit transformation. It’s better than any movie though, because Sommer ensures that we see Quinn struggle with it. Fail at it. Still babble when nervous.

The chemistry between Quinn and Keaton sizzles. He’s an alpha male, but not in a mansplaining let-me-fix-you way that I find so grating. We get to peek under the alpha male and see that he is just as uncertain as she is. Does she like him for real, or will she break his heart?

The sex scenes made me squirm in my seat—in the best possible way. But unlike those early erotic novels, I want to read the whole book again. I want to go through the journey that gets me to those sex scenes because they’re not just hot, I’m emotionally invested in the relationship.

The Mighty Quinn is funny, compelling, and erotic. Sommer gets an A+++

Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: delilah night, sommer marsden, The Mighty Quinn | 3 Comments »

Happy Holidays

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Delilah Night

Two days ago I had the honor of being included in Tamsin Flower’s Superotica Advent Calendar. If you like erotica (and why else would you be here, darling?) you should be reading this. My entry is an excerpt from “Plunder”, aka the pirate story I’ve shared a snippet from before.

The sexiest pirate on tv…

Here’s a snippet from what I shared with Tamsin

This would be far more comfortable if they weren’t standing. Bree looked up at William. “The bed?”

“Yes, there is a bed. Very good. What would you like to do on it? Recite a sonnet?” He was a bit breathless, but apparently he wasn’t going to give her any quarter.

“At school they didn’t mention sonnets. Something about closing your eyes and thinking of your duty. Would you like me to close my eyes and think of my ship while declaiming a specific sonnet?”

William picked her up and tossed her onto his bed. “I wonder what perversion causes me to find you more enticing with each insult you lob my way.” He paused to remove her boots and then his own.

When William leaned over Bree, she pulled him down to her. The feel of his skin against hers was more intoxicating than grog. Her legs parted and his thigh pressed against her. The insistent pressure of his rod at her hips sent another wave of desire through her body.

William’s mouth was everywhere. He possessed her lips. He nibbled and nipped at her neck. He feasted at her breasts. He pressed kisses against her arms, her stomach, her face.

“William,” she gasped. “Parlay. My breeches. Remove them. Touch me.”

“No truce,” he growled. “Make your choice. Are you mine?”

Brianna reached down and grasped him through the rough material of his breeches. “Why not say you’re mine instead?”

Finish reading the excerpt here

Tamsin’s wonderful project got me thinking. What gift could I give all of you for Christmas? (Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah, Thursday, whatever you like.) I’ve decided that between now and December 26, I’m going to make my story “Baby it’s Hot Outside”–a Christmas story set here in sweltering Singapore–free to you on the website. You can scroll to the top of the page and select “Free Stories” or click here.

As we joined the thronging Christmas Eve crowds along the retail mecca of Orchard Road, Erik took my hand. The electric shock that flew from my fingers to my clit could’ve powered the Christmas lights displays that stretched as far as the eye could see. Had to be my imagination that his thumb was caressing my palm.

Cannot.

We stopped to people watch and enjoy ice cream. It wasn’t the dessert I pictured as my tongue lapped at the dripping cream.

Licking. Stroking. Suck—

“Is that band playing ‘Let it Snow’?” Erik interrupted my train of thought.

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t snow on the equator be a sign of a nuclear winter?”

I snickered. “One of the malls does a nightly show where the Christmas tree shoots soapy foam out of the top, and they call it a snow storm. It’s a big—but, likely chemical-laden—hit with the kiddos.”

Maybe you’d like to discuss dengue fever as an encore, Carrie? No wonder you haven’t been laid in forever. Cannot.

I have one final Christmas themed news to share. Coming Together for the Holidays is now available. My story “New on the Naughty List” is included.

Gemma cleared her throat.

‘What?’ Kendra snapped.

‘I have a Naughty that can’t be video verified,’ Gemma said cautiously.

‘Repeat Naughties don’t need video verification,’ Kendra rolled her eyes. ‘It’s not like there’s variation at this point.’

‘It’s a new Naughty. The rules require physical verification,’ Gemma replied.

Kendra heaved a sigh and rubbed her temples. ‘Take Blitzen. Go down and do the verification yourself, but get it done tonight… It’s already the 23^rd.’ She made a shooing motion at Gemma. ‘Give the rest of your list to Andrew; he was bragging that he’d finished his. That should shut him up.’

Gemma stammered, ‘But I’ve never done a field assignment. I’m—’

‘Are you kidding me?’ Kendra’s head whipped up. ‘You’re going to bitch about a field assignment on the twenty-third? THE TWENTY-THIRD? Get your ass down there, do the verification and get back here. GO!’

Gemma wrung her hands as she trekked out to the reindeer complex.

Every stall but one was buzzing with elves as they attended to the whims of Santa’s team.

Blitzen was alone in his stall, watching Star Wars. She saw a bag of potato chips half-hidden under some hay.

‘Um, Blitzen?’

Blitzen grunted, but didn’t look up from Leia’s pleas to help her.

‘I have to go South and verify a new Naughty? The video system isn’t working? Kendra suggested that you give me a ride? To Boston? I know it’s the twenty-third, but it’s a new Naughty?’

A long-suffering sigh was his only response.

Gemma twisted her ring around her finger. She couldn’t screw up her first field assignment. She pleaded, ‘Come on, Blitzen, please?’

From the next stall, Dancer began to shriek that the bells on her harness were tarnished. ‘DOES NO ONE CARE ABOUT STANDARDS ANYMORE?’

Blitzen rolled his eyes at her. ‘Fine. Let’s get the hell out of here,’ Blitzen said.

Filed under: Published, Submitted, Writing | Tagged: baby it's hot outside, Coming Together: For the Holidays, New On the Naughty List, Plunder, summer loving, Superotica Advent Calendar, Tamsin Flowers | 2 Comments »

Alchemy XII New Year’s Eve by Tamsin Flowers (Review)

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Delilah Night

It’s no secret that I love Tamsin‘s writing. (Click for my reviews of Zombie Erotocylse and Pow! Shibari Girl)

What is Alchemy XII? Tamsin has come up with a unique concept. Right now you can read New Years Eve (the series prologue) for free. Starting January 1, 2015 a new chapter will be published each month, unfolding in parallel to the year Olivia will be trained by Harry. You can subscribe and get each chapter monthly, an omnibus each quarter, or a single volume at the end of the year. As a big fan of the Serial podcast, I think it’s a brilliant way to tell the story–even though I’m dying to know what happens next and I’m pouting that January first is still weeks away.

Harry is the reigning prince of Alchemy–an elite club that inhabits a Chicago sky scraper. As December draws to a close, Harry must pick his fourth trainee for the upcoming year. Olivia Roux catches his eye and stirs more than his cock. Will she consent to a year under his tutelage?

“Listen, darlin’, if you’re going to give submission a try, there’s one thing we need to get straight. You submit. I command.”

Olivia’s eyes dropped to the floor.

“Give me a safe word.”

“Palindrome.”

“I intend to make you use it.”

“Good.”

Feisty worked for him. He’d never been one for totally subservient subs. It took all the fun out of it.

As a fan of BDSM erotica, I’ve run across a lot of Doms and Dommes. The only one who has ever made it onto my #fictionalcrushes list is Sandy from Those Girls and Those Boys (review here) by Alison Tyler. Harry just joined the list. Although I’ve only had 35 pages to get to know Harry, I’m ready to take Olivia’s place if she were to turn him down.

In Alchemy xii, I’ve tried to create a Dom who’s a person first and a Dom second. Harry’s mischievous and funny, irreverent and charming, and, when he’s in the mood, a skilled Dominant. Olivia, his sub, is an experienced woman who’s already seeking out the world of kink when Harry discovers her. But she’s not the least bit interested in submitting and has no intention of calling anybody “Sir”.

–Tamsin Flowers on her characters Harry and Olivia in an interview with Go Deeper Press.

What makes Harry compelling is that he’s not the ALL POWERFUL SERIOUS YET MAGICAL DOM WHO KNOWS ALL WITHOUT YOU SAYING A WORD that I find so tiresome. He is a complex character with more going on in his life than just topping.

Harry has a good friend and mentor in Belladonna, who won’t hesitate to take him down a peg or two. Their body language and snappy banter show that they have a history in bed and out of it. I can’t wait to see more of Belladonna, especially once she takes Olivia’s measure.

His nemesis is Dick Glass, Alchemy’s pony play trainer and a member of their board. Tamsin uses one direct encounter and two further mentions of Glass to hint at the impending explosion betwixt the two men. I want to know what happened between Dick and Raf to get the latter kicked out of the training program. How Harry will handle Olivia going to pony camp one month?

When it comes to Olivia, Harry swings between confidence and uncertainty. Olivia isn’t like his other trainees who are described as “pretty little subby types who were simply gasping to get their asses whipped and their wrists bound by a hard man with a big, bad cock.” They have an amazing night together, but will she sign on for the training program? He has the arrogance to ask her to do so just hours before midnight, but isn’t sure that she’ll accept before the deadline.

One of his four trainees is male, which excites me–there aren’t nearly enough bisexual doms in quality erotica. Sandy is the only other one to come to mind.

One of my favorite things about Tamsin’s writing is the way she finds just the right words to paint a picture in your mind, and New Year’s Eve is no exception.

“Wiping her eyes, she turned her attention back to the spanking scene like a vicar confronting a plate of oysters.”–pg 4

“Who wouldn’t want to be dominated by an Amazonian Domme with a waterfall of blonde curls and thighs that could crack your skull?”-pg 8

“Welts rose like the red tails of comets across a dawn sky.”-pg. 12

Give yourself a reward for getting through (most of) 2014–read Alchemy XII: New Year’s Eve and then subscribe. I’d be shocked if you don’t agree with what I told Tamsin upon finishing it…

Filed under: book reviews | Tagged: Alchemy xii, delilah night, Tamsin Flowers | 10 Comments »

My first book (part 2)

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Delilah Night

Yesterday I shared the first half of a book I wrote in third grade. I was obscenely proud of this work, which I guess goes to prove why I still have it 28 years later. Today I’ll share the second half. All spelling and grammar errors are as written.

So one day the princess started to build a boat, a steamship, that was humongously huge that would hold billions and trillions of Unicorns to take them to Colorado and California and Florida.

Having that happy thought, the princess started on her merry way. The princess started to sing a little song that went like this:

Hi ho hi ho

It’s off to Unicorns I go,

And off we go to Colorado

And I sing hi ho hi ho hi ho.

Off we go hi ho hi ho,

Hi ho hi ho hi ho hi ho hi ho

Hi ho o o o o o o o o o.

And finally after many long days and nights she found her people, the Unicorns, but this is not the end. The Unicorns visited Colorado and they found nasty Pegasuses that thought only Pegasuses were the best.

They had a terribly bad war between the Unicorns and the Pegasuses. One day something happened, a baby Pegasus and a baby Unicorn met each other and became friends and the grown-ups did too.

The End

*mic drop*

No I did not skip pages or switch in other stories. That is it in all of its confused and inconsistent narrative glory.

Questions that I would love to ask my 8 year old self after reading this

What were the special powers that the Queen/King/Prince have and how did the Magicians overpower them?
Wait, how did the Princess find them when yesterday you told me that she never found them because they were on the Disappearing Island. TELL ME MORE ABOUT DISAPPEARING ISLAND.
If Colorado didn’t work out, what about California and Florida.
And while we’re at it, how did they get a massive ship to the mountains of Colorado?
Tell me about the war!
How did two babies hammer out a peace agreement?
Aren’t you scared that Disney will hit you with a copyright infringement suit?

I’ll be back later this week to rave to you about Tamsin Flower’s new project, Alchemy xii

Filed under: Published, Writing | Tagged: delilah night, primary school story, the last unicorn, third grade writing | 3 Comments »

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