Review: Dark Grove Plantation

I'm not really new to the world of erotica, but am a super novice when it comes to the darker shades of sexuality. I am, however, extremely glad that one of the first guides into this new territory was Julia Sykes' Dark Grove Plantation series. I've omitted the spoiler tag because it keeps screwing up my post, so if you don't want to learn about what happens, please stop reading!

Anyhow, what I appreciated greatly about the Dark Grove Trilogy is that its first offering, Awakened, didn't just throw me in the deep end and expect me to swim. I was introduced to Holly and her dinky boyfriend, as they progress to the forbidden club and eventually meet the very seductive Holden. Taken was super sexy, and I will admit that there was something so very primal about Ella being broken - I've typically come to associate that word in a negative sense, but with Brandon, it turned out much, much differently. I think a lot of us can relate to Gwen - especially those of us who are comfortable with our sexualities or bodies. Her and Damien really seemed to click in a sweet way that was neither artificial, or offensive; the latter seems to be a lot of peoples' ways of dealing with BDSM and that's just a shame. But thankfully for us, Ms. Sykes isn't a lot of people :)

My only real complaint, and I hate to even bring it up, but on my machines (and later, my husbands, when he wasn't around) the formatting was slightly off. Perhaps I'm a stickler, but tidying this up (as boring as it may be) would really give this a crisp, professional edge. Then again, it may just be how it's showing up on my machines, so c'est la vie.

Haleigh Cookson Clark gives this effort 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: How to Really Self-Publish Erotica: The Truth About Kinks, Covers, Advertising and More! by Dalia Daudelin

Here's a new little thing that I thought I'd try, while cooling my heels between bouts of my own writing. Dalia Daudelin has the fortune (or not) of being the first authoress that I'm reviewing. Here, I'm looking at her recent release, How to Really Self-Publish Erotica: The Truth About Kinks, Covers, Advertising and More!, published earlier this week. I should note that this post was not paid for, nor did I serve as a beta reader for Ms. Daudelin - I merely happened to be at the right place, at the right time.

 

Within the pages of her latest effort, accomplished authoress of all things smutty Dalia Daudelin has given us a wonderful guide to the shifting and often uncertain world of erotic self-publishing. Dalia extensively examines that process of writing, sales, advertisement, and design, in addition to an extended discussion of some of the more risqué, yet financially rewarding stories that readership crave.

And after all, that’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? While most of us, barring the greenest newcomer, are entirely aware that the days of the ebook “gold rush” are long past, leaving us only their fond, painful memories, we at least put pen to paper in an effort to aid in the day to day of our lives, financially, emotionally, romantically, and otherwise. Too, the book doesn’t pull any punches about the bittersweet realities of living the often thankless life of a self-published writer, the long hours, the sometimes heartless critics, and the uncomfortable smiles when we’re invariably asked “what exactly it is that you write about?”

She ably covers the ins and outs of writing (good writing, mind you) in a way that’s accessible and fair, but veteran hands may find themselves bored in these discussions. But to be fair, Dalia did set out to write a comprehensive guide to self-publishing erotica, so perhaps I’m just being picky in assuming that it’s primarily meant for a semi-vet like me. This is well balanced by the fact that a great deal of the book has some helpful hints and clues that will appeal to seasoned hands. There is something for everyone within this book, and newcomers would be hard-pressed to gain the knowledge that Dalia has painstakingly amassed in her own experiences.

My only concerns, barring my own personal issues with the scope and aim of her content, are that some of the formatting came through on my PC-based kindle app as a little weird, but then again, I run a cinematic widescreen, so your mileage may vary.

Haleigh Cookson Clark gives this effort a 4.5 of out 5. Those so interested may find Ms. Daudelin at her site, here.

Review: The Straight Girl's Guide to Sleeping with Chicks

Let me clearly say that this is the kind of book that, if it were possible to go back in time, I would give to my 17 year old self, as I patiently and calmly explained to her that there was nothing wrong with her, and that she'd end up married to a devilishly handsome guy anyhow, but everything that she is feeling is valid, normal, and frankly, going to be a heck of a lot of fun!

The Straight Girl's Guide to Sleeping with Chicks is fun and sassy. Most refreshing is that there's a certain realness to the playfulness that she uses when discussing girl-on-girl sexuality. I suppose I'm saying that her book comes across as being really authentic, and that's refreshing. She teases out the nuances of our culture, and points a lot of curious (pun definitely intended) gals down avenues that they themselves may have only considered in secret, or really late at night, while drunk, on the Internet. She's very entertaining and you'll definitely find that certain parts will be more dog-eared that others. That's okay, and kinda the point.

She also doesn't leave out the silly and funny details of shacking up with another gal. As has been mentioned, just because you're a woman, doesn't mean that you magically know exactly what all other women necessarily need, or want. Yes, there's an element of a second wave sisterhood in here, where we begin exploring our own bodies, so as to understand just how they work, but I don't think that's entirely a bad thing. We were all born as beautiful, sexual beings, and all Sincero is asking of us is to live up to our birthright by fooling around (drunken or not) with a female friend.

p.s. If you ever want to piss off your Mother-in-law in a way that she won't soon recover from, be sure to leave this one out in plain sight next time she's over. :P

Haleigh Cookson Clark gives this book 5 out of 5 stars.