bondage

Best Bondage Erotica 2011

brittany — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

As the title would imply, this erotica anthology contains solely stories that involve bondage, the use of restraints for the purpose of sexual pleasure. Along with the use of bondage in sexual encounters comes the play of submissive and dominant roles. As one might expect, nearly half of stories in this book stick to standard dominate/submissive heterosexual roles, with men tying up women in various scenarios and then sexually dominating them. As a feminist with a lifelong interest in challenging gender roles, I found these stories to be a bit lackluster and predictable, though surely they might appeal to some readers. (To be clear, I'm not suggesting feminist beliefs necessarily negate interests or arousals derived from women in submissive sexual roles.) That said, the stories that I found to be the anthology’s gems did not pigeonhole men and women into clearly defined submissive and dominate roles.

Among the stories within the collection that I found to be most scintillating was “The Rainmaker” by Elizabeth Daniels, in which a married couple whose sex life is marred by the wife’s frigidity finds renewed fire with some BDSM play involving a gag and rope. Similarly, in Lux Zakari’s story “Truss Issues,” a heterosexual couple experiments with the use of restraint for the first time, and although the female is restrained it is her sexual needs that are fulfilled, rather than that of the male, as is the case with some of the other heterosexual stories in the collection.

I also liked “Reasoning” by Tenille Brown, in which a woman restrains and sexually dominates her male lover in an attempt to make amends over past transgressions. For less heteronormative narratives, I recommend “Bound Helen,” in which a lesbian couple’s use of corset by day is a precursor to their bondage play by night, and during which neither partner has complete control of the other. In “Daddy,” a lesbian couple takes the submissive and dominate roles to the extreme, with the plot’s apex centering around a trip to a party in which the submissive is blindfolded and restrained for the exploration of others.

While bondage as well as domination and submission are not sexual scenarios that will appeal to all readers, most fans of erotica will most likely find at least a few stories arousing. Those who find the subject matter more to be their cup of tea will surely find the anthology to be a gem. The most valuable attribute of this anthology is the high quality of writing in every story, scenes that are set well, and characters that are fully developed despite the short stories in which they appear. Those who enjoy books with more literary merit will surely value editor Rachel Kramer Bussel’s pattern of selecting well-written stories that sometimes trigger the intellect as well as the sex drive.

Written by: Adrienne Urbanski, February 15th 2011

Bound to Please

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:53:00 +0000

By Lilli Feisty

Forever

I haven't read a romance novel in years, and the only BDSM material I've ever read was Anne Rice's Beauty trilogy (which she wrote under the name A. N. Roquelaure)—and even then, I only browsed through the first book. One would think that from the title of Lilli Feisty's first novel—Bound to Please—the reader would know what to expect. This reader, however, did not.

Bound to Please is a supercharged, erotic, (mild) BDSM book. The back cover even warns, "Read it only if you can handle the heat." Think you can?

The book centers on Ruby Scott, an event planner in San Francisco who is so tightly wound that someone, preferably a man in her perspective, needs to seriously loosen her strings! Ruby is a raven-haired beauty whose retro style and self-limitations are more reminiscent of June Cleaver than Morticia Adams, while Meg, her sidekick and business partner, is a sassy punk with a passion for vintage clothing. Both women end up delving into a world of bondage, domination, and submission.

Ruby has dabbled with some kinky sex with an ex-boyfriend but has never been able to fully give herself or submit, until she meets "almost famous" rock musician Mark St. Crow. He's young, gorgeous, and has an urgent need to dominate—and Ruby is just the woman to satisfy his desire.

Reading through the first twenty pages or so, I had to stifle back giggles at some of the writing and the actions of the characters. Shudder, quiver, and tremble are some of the words used to describe Ruby's reactions to Mark's touches, and the reader knows immediately that he's made a deep connection with her when Ruby starts eating ice cream straight from the carton—something she's never done before! This girl is hooked!

The writing isn't Tolstoy or Austen, but it's not supposed to be, and, I admit, the story took me away. I found myself wondering: How far will Ruby go to please Mark? Will she allow herself to be dominated? Will Meg use sex to solve her marriage woes? Will Mark stay in San Francisco? And will Ruby eventually lose her June Cleaver attitudes toward relationships and her own sexuality?

Bound to Please is not a BDSM 101 book, but I did find out what a top, bottom and switch are and where to shop if I'm ever in need of a, um, paddle or whip. I guess it's true that you learn something new every day!

Written by: Su Lin Mangan, August 23rd 2009

The Other Side of Desire: Four Journeys Into The Far Realms Of Lust And Longing

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:43:00 +0000

By Daniel Bergner

ECCO Books

Daniel Bergner’s new work on sexuality, The Other Side of Desire, garnered a considerable amount of press before it was released thanks to an adapted excerpt from the book published in the New York Times under the title, “What Do Women Want?” Many feminists were disgruntled by the piece, which included University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) professor Marta Meana’s insistence of narcissism in the role of female arousal. (“Being desired is the orgasm.”) As one NYT letter writer pointed out, “For many women, it’s occasionally hard to know the difference between sexual agency and male-driven definitions of sexiness[...] we are not ‘post feminist’ yet.”

In the book itself, Bergner examines four distinct case studies of individuals with non-normative sexual proclivities, including a foot fetishist struggling with debilitating shame, a man who propositioned his adolescent stepdaughter, and an unrepentant female sadist who openly rejects the “safe, sane, consensual” mantra of the Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, Masochism (BDSM) community. Bergner alternates within each section between intimate portraits of his subjects’ lives and feedback from psychologists and psychiatrists who provide their professional take on the situation.

The female sadist is by far the most articulate subject and her chapter is subsequently the most memorable. Her practices are intense, and, to his credit, Bergner presents her actions to us without apparent judgment. The book’s greatest strength is the author’s willingness to admit moments when his own sensibilities are challenged and then do his best to set those reactions aside and continue reporting. What his interviewees confess is often stunningly honest, and the best way to respect their candidness is to simply share it.

The book ends on a weak note with “The Devotee,” a section focused on an amputee fetishist, Ron, and his amputee wife Laura. While Bergner touches on the ways disabled individuals’ sexuality is neglected (the doctors never address what sex might be like after Laura’s accident nor do they inform of the existence of a devotee community), he doesn’t linger on the subject for long. He also abandons his strategy of providing medical insight as a counterpoint to the personal experience and instead becomes strangely caught up in describing the artwork of Hans Bellmer, a man who photographed damaged-looking dolls, and Ron’s own photographs of amputees.

While Bergner does an admirable job of conveying the eroticism some men experience in sex with a disabled woman, his writing at this stage is often overly dramatic: “The body parts were letters, and their violent reordering would reinvent the body’s language and unmask its messages and lead to shaman’s wisdom.” Furthermore, there seems to be little room for Laura’s sexual needs in the relationship. She wonders what she can offer a man now after losing her conventional beauty in an accident. Once she begins modeling as an amputee her confidence is somewhat restored, yet she still doubts she could ever attract a “normal” man. It seems that Laura, like many women, grew up substituting being desired by a man in place of any desires of her own. Ron’s tastes are catered to, but Laura’s? As readers, we’re never entirely sure what she wants. Perhaps that New York Times letter writer was on to something.

Written by: Monica Shores, May 4th 2009

Kitty Spank-Her Paddle

admin — Sun, 06 May 2007 01:40:00 +0000

By Ruff Doggie Styles

The Kitty Spank-Her Paddle is a 13” paddle from Ruff Doggie Styles’ line of "sexy kitty" designs. The front is made from pink suede and has black stitching outlining the design and filling in the cat’s facial features. The back is pure black leather with no details.

The cat’s tail is the paddle’s handle. At not quiet 1½ inch across, it’s a good fit for my small hand. I like the way my little finger or my thumb (depending on what side I’m using) fits in the curve of the tail.

The Kitty Spank-Her is well made. I haven’t once worried that it’s going to break in two or fall apart mid-spank. I really appreciate that its sturdiness keeps me from fretting that it’s going to snap at an inopportune moment. The stitching appears really durable, which means that the suede and leather will not separate any time soon.

The paddle’s promotional material suggests using the suede side for “seductive body massage,” but I’m not sure that it’s really fuzzy enough for that. The leather side packs a sizzling sting that is certainly more intense than the sensation provided by the suede surface.

I like that the paddle is long enough to work well for solo play, but wish the surface area available for spanking was a bit broader. I suggest smacking with the body of the cat, rather than its head.

This paddle is a high quality toy that promises to provide spanking fun for years to come.

Written by: Chantel C. Guidry, May 5th 2007