Review: Two Spirits: A Story Of Life with The Navajo by Walter L Williams & Toby Johnson

Continuing the recent trend of doing something a bit different here, this week I'll be giving you my thoughts on a historical novel; Two Spirits: A Story of Life With the Navajo by Walter L Williams & Toby Johnson.

Shaun's rating:

Two Spirits tells the story of the removal to, internment at, and subsequent release of the Navajo (Dine) people from the Bosque Redondo reservation in New Mexico which occurred in the 1860s immediately following the U.S. civil war. This is one of the most shameful (among many shameful) examples of the Euro-Americans treatment of Indigenous Americans. As with most historical novels this one is loosely based on historical facts, with plenty of liberties taken for the sake of the story, but the essence of the actual history is there.

The truly interesting thing about this novel is the authors attempt to tell of the acceptance of gender variations and differing sexual preferences by the Native Americans (At least the Navajo and some other Native Americans). One of the main characters is homosexual and the other is transgender. Of course like most real people these are not absolutes, both gender and sexual preference generally exists along a spectrum and such is the case with both of these characters. There are other characters in the book with varying genders and sexual preferences as well. 

The story of the Navajo and the Bosque Redondo is certainly an interesting one, and one that we as a nation must never forget and hopefully will learn from. The authors do a credible job of telling this story, and of course of getting their message of gender and sexual acceptance across. I did find though that the writing was just a bit simplistic. I honestly felt that this book, perhaps minus the few erotic scenes, would be much more appropriate for a preteen/teen audience. It just never gripped me, or truly drew me into the story, and I am a huge fan of historical fiction.

Since I normally do discuss and review erotica here, I will mention that there were a few short erotic scenes in this book and that those scenes were pretty well done.

The book was well edited and very readable.

I'm giving Two Spirits three and one half out of five paddles. If you are interested in historical fiction and/or books that show gender/sexual preference acceptance in a positive light I think you will enjoy this novel.

Review: Femdom Alchemy by Jim Lyon

Something a bit different this time my friends: I'm going to give you my thoughts on an audio book, Femdom Alchemy by Jim Lyon.

Shaun's rating:

I really enjoy audio books. I spend a lot of time in a vehicle over the course of most days and I find audio books to be a pleasant way to pass the time as I drive.

 Femdom Alchemy was a very enjoyable book. It was two hours eighteen minutes long, a collection of short stories that are all very well written and fantastically narrated. The author manages to draw the reader into each of the stories, setting the scene well and creating characters that are quite likeable. This is something that is not easy to do in such short stories, but all the stories in this book are well done.

I found all the stories to be hot without being what I would consider edgy. While kinky, the stores are not extreme in my opinion. If you're looking for extremes this book is probably not for you but if you enjoy quality femdom writing with themes of corporal punishment, chastity, and pegging this would be a good choice. There is also a bit of lesbian femdom included which I enjoyed very much.

The narration, performed by Kathryn LaPlante was outstanding. Her smooth and sexy voice brings the stories to life and makes the listening experience an absolute joy.

I definitely recommend Femdom Alchemy and am giving it four and one half out of five paddles.

I recieved this audio book free in exchange for an honest review. 

I looked in the mirror

The past few days have been rather... frustrating for me. For the most part things are good. I've been having fun, spending time with my family, connecting with my Mistress/wife. I'm happy.

Yeah, you can hear the 'but' coming can't you? 

The thing is I have been experiencing gender dysphoria in a huge way. It's freaking driving me crazy! 

I am not a woman trapped in a male body. However, being gender fluid, there is a female part of me that shares space in this male body. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I know that is me looking back, well a part of me anyway.  

There's another part of me too; I struggle to see her, and sometimes I just can't. I can feel her; she wants so desperately to be seen, but she's invisible. She's hidden behind this six foot two inch, two hundred fifty pound, masculine looking wall. I feel her so strongly; she is me after all, and it is just so disappointing to not be able to see her. It is even more disappointing to feel that she cannot be seen, either by myself or by others. 

Sometimes I hate my body and the way I look. I wish I had been blessed with a body that could pass as feminine, masculine, or androgynous depending on what gender I feel at the time. 

I'm actually just biding my time until molecular redistribution machines hit the market. You haven't heard of molecular redistributors? Oh yeah, they're these cool machines that you step into and push a button; a few moments later you step out with the body you chose for that day, or hour, or whatever. No more of this nonsense of having to live in the body you were born with.

Anyhow, 'it is what it is' and I've been living with it all my life. I will continue to live with it, but it is frustrating and a bit disheartening at times. I'm not sharing this so anyone will feel sorry for me, please don't. I just hope that through my sharing it might help someone to gain a bit of understanding about what a transgender person deals with. 

I Looked In The Mirror

I looked in the mirror this morning, but I could only see part of me

I checked the mirror; it seemed whole but the picture it showed was quite incomplete

That man looking back, I know him; but I wonder... where is she?

She’s in there I know, I feel her, a part of my soul

Yes, that man is me, but so is she

I feel her sometimes, crying inside

She wants to come out, she wants to be seen

The man looking back is who the world sees

But she’s in there too, hidden it seems

Acknowledged by few, sometimes not even by me

She wants to be touched, she wants to be seen

She needs to be loved, especially by me

She’s tentative and scared, afraid of the pain

She’s worried she will be lost

She’s frightened of being scorned once again

Review: Bionic Lover: An Erotic Lesbian Romance by M. Christian

In this review I'm going to be discussing a book that is a little off my usual reading shelf; the book is Bionic Lover: An Erotic Lesbian Romance by M. Christian.

Shaun's rating:

This book was fantastic! It is set in a futuristic San Francisco during a time when the poor may be drafted into the military and sent off to a brutal war if their worth falls below a certain level. People will do almost anything to avoid being drafted and that includes selling their limbs and organs. Technology has reached a point where there is a market for the donation of living limbs and organs; these can fetch a price high enough that the donor can afford a bionic replacement and still have a bit of money left over, maybe enough to save them from conscription.

Pell is an artist who is teetering on the brink of poverty, and the conscription that would follow if she falls below that monetary line. Arc is a person of the street doing what she can to survive. When they meet at an art exhibit Pell is intrigued by Arc's cybernetic eye, but even more mesmerized by her strength and fire. Arc goes home with Pell and a relationship of sorts begins. Pell only sees Arc occasionally and each time she does there is a little less of her that remains truly Arc.

Prepare to become fully immersed in this story.

This was an amazing read. The author does a masterful job of not just showing you this story but of engaging all of the reader's senses through his descriptions. You don't just see this story; you smell it, you taste it, you hear it, you feel it. The author embeds the reader in this story; you don't just read this book, you experience it.

To be honest I was a bit surprised at just how much I enjoyed this book. The book is scifi with a bit of steampunkish flavor, not usually my thing... I enjoyed it immensely though.

The book is well edited, the reader can skate through the pages with scarcely an editing hiccup. Oh, and the erotic scenes are wonderfully hot and sultry.

I am giving Bionic Lover: An Erotic Lesbian Romance four and one half out of five paddles, I definitely recommend this book.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this ebook for an honest review.

Review: Female Domination Sessions In My Dungeon by Mistress Benay

Life has been keeping me so busy lately that I haven't had much time to read or write, not to say get a review posted here. I have managed to finish a book, Female Domination Sessions In My Dungeon by Mistress Benay, this week though and so I thought I'd share my thoughts regarding it.

Shaun's rating:

This book contains descriptions of three scenes from Mistress Benay's dungeon. The first scene involves Mistress Benay and her slave as well as a male dominant/female submissive couple, the second scene involves medical play, and the third scene is a kidnapping/abduction scenario.  The themes include impact, medical, and chastity play among other things.

I just wasn't drawn into these stories. This is very much a case of the author telling rather than showing the reader the stories. I found it all rather dry and bland, which seems rather unlikely given the subject material. The author just kind of gives us a play by play of the scenes, but there's no real color commentary offered. The stories almost struck me as being told as if they were a list of what actions were involved in the scenes without giving us a real taste of what was involved in those actions.

The editing was fine, the book is quite readable.

The hotness factor was quite low for me, your experience may vary. I just couldn't get into the stories the way the author told them even though I would generally find the themes quite arousing.

I'm giving this book two out of five paddles. There are better femdom themed books out there.

 

Review: The Definition Of Normal by E.S. Carpenter

Sometimes you find a book that just reaches right into your soul and grabs a hold of you in a most wonderful way. This week I read a book that did just that for me, this book is titled The Definition Of Normal and was written by E.S. Carpenter.

Shaun's rating:

Allow me to touch on three things very quickly here and then we will get to the meat of my review.

 First off you are probably wondering why, if this book touched me so deeply, am I only giving it four paddles rather than five? Please just bear with me a bit and I'll get to that.

Second, even if you don't feel like reading any more of this review please click on the link above; buy a copy of this book and read it.

Third... This book is not erotica. I know I usually review erotica here, and this book does have a few erotic scenes (which are very well done by the way), mostly though this is a love story and a story that conveys a wonderful and thoughtful message. 

I'll try not to divulge too much below, but beware there may be some spoilers.

The Definition Of Normal tells the story of two boys, Jacob and Steven, who grow up together as best friends from the age of five. Jacob outwardly appears to meet the societal definition of normal but Steven does not and he struggles with this. The story tells of Steven's struggle and of Jacob's support and love for him through this struggle. Steven struggles with gender issues and eventually is able to become Stephie, her true self. At the same time Jacob is not as 'normal' as he might appear, he is in fact in love with Steven/Stephie. Steven/Stephie is in love with Jacob as well.

We are brought along on Stephie and Jacob's journey as their love and understanding of themselves and each other grow. We also see how they face the challenges of sharing these parts of themselves with family and with facing a culture that is not always accepting.

The author does a wonderful job of leading us along this path and giving food for thought regarding just what normal really is.  What is gender, and why has society decided that there are only two? Do the body parts we are born with really define our gender? What about those who are born intersexed? 

The author also challenges us to think about why something that might be outside our own definition of 'normal' is therefore wrong?  Why is it wrong to express the way we feel inside through the way we dress just because society says males shouldn't wear dresses or females should be all femininity?  Why is it wrong to love someone of the same sex?  Why is what is between someones legs more important than what is in their heart?

 The roles that society, and religion have played in determining what is normal are also brought into this story in a very thought provoking way.

As I said above this story really touched me. I could relate so closely to the characters, especially Stephie, I found myself totally involved in the journey that she was experiencing. I felt her emotions, I was brought to tears, both of sadness and of joy, for her. 

Now for a bit of critique and the reasons why I am giving this book four rather than five paddles... 

The authors writing style, especially when writing dialog, seemed a bit contrived and stilted at times.  I realize that the author was trying to convey a message, a very important and powerful message, but some of the dialog just didn't ring true; I mean I just have a hard time imagining anyone speaking quite the way the characters spoke at times. 

There was some angst and conflict in the story, but in a way the story was a bit too idealistic.  I suppose that the acceptance that Jake and Stephie were shown by their families is not completely beyond imagination, but I felt it was a bit far fetched. It would be wonderful if all families were so accepting, but that's not the way the world seems to be in reality.  I loved these families for being so welcoming as Jake and Stephie went through these changes but I also kind of felt like the story might have been even better if we had seen a bit more of the struggle that many of us go through in accepting what is outside of our definition of 'normal.'  One of the parents did have a bit of a struggle accepting everything, but I thought that could have been explored more in depth.

Editing was not perfect in this book, but it was not a deal breaker by any means. The book is very readable.

 I wish that everyone would read this book, but I especially hope that anyone who has every felt that they might be a different gender than that they were assigned at birth, or who might feel like they fall somewhere rather than at the very ends of the gender spectrum, or who in anyway feel that they sometimes are not quite what society deems 'normal, will pick up a copy. I think that this book will touch those people especially. 

This book has a powerful message and provokes thinking about issues which we should all give serious consideration.

I'm giving this book four out of five paddles, I highly recommend it.

Review: Make Him Your Sissy by Mia Fire

Well I missed getting a review in last week but I'm back at it this week with a review of Make Him Your Sissy: 30 Rules For Getting Everything You Want by Mia Fire.

Shaun's rating:

I'm really not sure where to begin with this short book. Interestingly it is listed on Amazon in both fiction and non-fiction categories. I suppose my main problem is it's non-fiction listing; that is ridiculous and obviously just a marketing ploy by the Author.  If we were to take this book seriously and look at it as actually being a guide for making him your sissy then this book would not even deserve the one paddle I am giving it.

The book is simply a list of thirty rules that will supposedly turn a man into a sissy. Rules such as; controlling his orgasms, placing him in chastity, taking financial control from him. Yeah, okay, as fantasy that's fine but in reality if a woman tried this with most any man he'd be out the door and gone in seconds.

First there is no mention in this book of the man's desire or consent to be turned into a sissy. The rules do suggest and promote non-consent, coercion, and blackmail. 

This book is simply a piece of fantasy fluff, and not particularly good fluff at that.  It's silly and ridiculous and not even hot if just looked at as a piece of erotica.

The editing is okay, there are some mistakes but it's readable.

Thankfully I picked up this book from Amazon when it was being offered for free, I certainly would not pay for it. I am giving Make Him Your Sissy one paddle out of five. Your time can be better spent.