If I Were A Lady... by Bryl R. Tyne

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Call Me Sir, Too by Stormy Glenn

THE PAGAN & PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title:  Call Me Sir, Too
Author:  Stormy Glenn 

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher:  Noble Romance Publishing LLC

Genre: Contemporary/Gay/Erotica

Length: 146 Pages: 
Other:  M/M/Discipline-Spanking/Kidnapping

Pagan & Pagan Elements: None

Reviewed by: Russ Allen

About The Book: Dante knew Daniel was the man for him the minute he said his first curse word. He was everything Dante could ever want in a sub: gorgeous, spunky, and totally into the lifestyle Dante enjoyed most. But nothing's ever as simple as it should be. When Dante gets called away on business he expects to be gone for a couple of weeks. He figures to claim Daniel when he comes home, but two weeks quickly turn into six months.

When Dante finally returns, everything he'd been looking for in a mate is gone. Daniel's been assaulted and beaten by a Dom out of control. He no longer trusts anyone—including Dante.

Determined to find the man he knows Daniel can be, Dante moves Daniel into his home and his life. But along with Daniel's insecurities and lack of trust, Dante has to fight the

Dom that assaulted Daniel in the first place and a host of other misunderstandings before he can prove to Daniel that what they have is worth fighting for.

The Review: This is a moderately well-written, if a little on the long side, story that conveys the nature of a specific aspect of the gay lifestyle. It has its drawbacks, but overall, it succeeds.

The author introduces some elements that prove undeveloped or unnecessary to her story, while leaving others unresolved. Among the former are the reference to Joey’s father and the 23-year old still-in-school son of one of the street thugs [that section is not convincing]; the latter includes, importantly, the reasons for Dante’s six month disappearance and details regarding the abuse experienced by Daniel. Also, somewhat convincing are the actions of the fake policeman who kidnaps Daniel.

Unfortunately, the key characters come across as two-dimensional, almost stereotypes for some types of homosexuals. That makes their stories somewhat unbelievable, more fantasy than factual in their fictional presentation.

That being said, the real plus in this story is its insight into an aspect of the gay lifestyle, which is not really BDSM, but D. A better understanding of the dynamics, rules, limitations, and actions of gays involved in orchestrated sexual scenes is to be gained from this story, as well as an appreciation of the way by which love developes between men within this context. 

For that alone I recommend this story.

Pagan Elements: None  

Cover (Rated 1-10): 8. The cover aptly suggests the main characters as well as the homoerotic nature of the story, though not its key element of discipline.  I would be interested in examining the book further based on this cover.

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Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & The Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.

A Perfect Game by Reno MacLeod & Jaye Valentine

The Pagan & The Pen Reviews

Title:  A Perfect Game

Author:  Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine 

Author Site

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Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing, LLC

Genre: Contemporary Erotic/M/M

Length: 150 pages 

Other: BDSM/Spanking/Gay Lifestyle/Relationships/Teacher/Student Relationships/ Parent/Child Conflict

Pagan & Pagan Elements: None

Reviewed by: Russ Allen

About The Book: Twenty-year-old Christopher "Kit" Pennington dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. He has the talent and the drive needed for the sport, but finds his lack of interest in formal education barring his way. Under threat from his wealthy father, an important alumnus and contributor at the private Christian college Kit attends, Kit has been barely muddling through. Not until the very handsome Liam Dalton replaces one of Kit’s regular professors at the exclusive school does higher learning take on any real meaning.

The Review:  This is an interesting and very readable story of how a relationship between a college professor and one of his students grows from reflecting the fringe elements of homosexual activity to love and marriage. There are a few flaws in its telling, as well as some unresolved problems or unanswered questions, but they do not distract from the overall narrative. The story sheds light on the more extreme aspects of the homosexual lifestyle [called “The Scene”], which might arouse some readers and turn others off.  However, even straight men, as well as gays and bi-sexuals, may find themselves reacting enjoyably to the erotic, and somewhat graphic nature of the descriptions it offers of homosexual activity.

Among the aspects that reduce the quality of the story, in part because of their limited believability or unresolved nature, is Kit’s use of his father’s credit card to fund his sexual exploits, seemingly without his father ever becoming aware of it; the coincidence of Kit running into Liam in an erotic store in Provincetown days after they first meet; the way the story seeks to resolve Kit’s shaky relationship with his father; Liam’s experience with an anal vibrator while teaching his class; the occasionally unfulfilled promised sexual activity, and the idea that a sexual relationship between teacher and student could actually end up in marriage. 

More positively, the way that the story shines light on that part of “The Scene” that includes domination, discipline, ownership of one person by the other, sexual slavery, exhibitionism, physical abuse, and purely physical sex is actually educational for anyone unfamiliar with those practices. This aspect is complex, for while both Liam and Kit are supposedly into these activities, Kit has carefully avoided being dominated, (he is an anal virgin when he meets Liam), while Liam, for all his talk, has very real limits when it comes to these activities. How emotional and physical intimacies interact in the context of this extreme form of homosexuality is not fully resolved, for Liam and Kit move back and forth toward the edge without ever fully engaging in what they say they want. 

More details as to how Liam and Kit came to be who they are when they first meet, especially in terms of their sexual interests, might have helped flesh out the story and enabled the reader to understand why in time their growing personal relationship established limits on their sexual activities.

Nevertheless, taken as a whole this is a revealing look into the dynamics of homosexuality, the difficulties and the risks facing those who engage in its more extreme practices, the prejudice that gays encounter, and the steps men take to achieve a loving and committed relationship.

I recommend this story especially to non-gays as a way of gaining an appreciation for the differences and commonalities that exist between straights and homosexuals.

Pagan Elements: None

Cover (Rated 1-10): 3.  The cover is attractive, but this book is not about baseball, which the cover might lead one to believe.  “A Perfect Game” is actually about the interplay of two people exploring a gay relationship, not the national pastime.  I would not be drawn to, much less purchase or read the book based on the cover.

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Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & The Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.

A Cup Of Sugar by Jenna Byrnes

The Pagan & The Pen

Title:  A Cup Of Sugar

Author:  Jenna Byrnes 

Author Site

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Publisher:  Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: Contemporary erotica

Length: 28 pgs.

Other:  M/F/Swinging/Wife/spouse-swapping

Pagan & Pagan Elements: None

Reviewed by:  Russ Allen

About The Book: Lisa Porter's been in love with her husband for twelve years. Brian was her high school sweetheart, and their relationship has grown stronger with time. But when Lisa spots their neighbors having sex, she starts fantasizing like never before.

Rod and Kathy Stevens not only live next door, they’ve been the Porters’ best friends for practically their whole lives. Lisa never realized Rod was so well endowed, until she caught a glimpse of him. Now she can’t get the man out of her mind. Will her obsession be the end of normal life as they know it, or the beginning of something new, kinky and wild?

The Review: This is a pleasant and well-written story about two couples, long-time friends, who become sexually involved with each other. There are a few weaknesses and one obvious [if minor] flaw, but overall it is interesting, erotic, enjoyable and satisfying.

The one flaw: when Lisa Porter tells her husband, Brian about seeing their next-door neighbors and friends, Kathy and Ron Stevens having sex on their dining room table, she directs him to “Pause” the football game he is watching, having already made clear that Brian is not taping it, and after hearing Lisa’s news he turns the game back on. But perhaps they have DiVo?

Among the positive elements are the portrayal of the couple’s pre-pubescent teen Tabitha, the playfulness of the banter between Lisa and Brian as they process what she has seen and her evident desire to see [and experience] more. The revelation that Brian and Ron at some time had gay sex is a little startling, but overall there is a positive and healthy aspect to the sexual dimension of both marriages, individually and together. This is especially true in the scene where, the next morning, Brian asserts his primacy in Lisa’s sex life, which may be a key to the successful development of their new relationship with Rod and Kathy.

The description of Lisa and Ron’s sex is sensitive and at the same time arousing.

The rationale that having sex with their friends would enliven both marriages is a little lame, since the real motivation is Lisa’s lust for Ron’s bigger than Brian’s cock. 

There is an inconsistency in the employment and sports interest of Brian and Ron, for their overall characters come across as more educated and sophisticated than might be expected given that information.

The story does raise some questions:

Would a couple move so quickly and easily into swapping sex partners [more accurate than wife swapping]?

Lisa wants to experience being fucked by Ron; Ron and Brian want to get laid by someone other than their wives without getting into trouble. But what is Kathy’s motivation?

Wife swapping carries several pitfalls that lie outside this story, and the reader is obviously given no insight as to how the future will play out. Lisa’s fantasies of threesomes and foursomes, possibly involving gay sex, are just that-fantasies. There is a real challenge to the relationship of these old friends in their new sexual arrangements, and all four will need time to work out how to engage in group, or shared sex, without damaging that basic connection. The rapidity by which the couples’ second sexual episode happens challenges their ability to process what is occurring.

None of the above really detracts from a delightful story of two couples, four friends, who trust and love each other enough to let each into the sex lives of the others, with humorous, caring, and physically satisfying results.

Pagan Elements:  None  

Cover (Rated 1-10): 3-There are several weaknesses in the cover.  The phrase “Naughty Nibble” is not explained [I discovered its meaning on the publisher’s website]. The two couples portrayed on the cover are much younger than those in the story [at first glance I did not even see one of the couples], and, frankly, the two largest figures could be mistaken for two women. While the theme [wife swapping] might be considered as kinky, “Extreme Kink” exaggerates the nature of the sexual content of the story. I might be interested in reading it based on that phrase [and disappointed], but overall the cover suggests more of a teenage love story than one about swinging.

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Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & the Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.

Airborne by Belle Sloane

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title: Airborne Author:  Belle Sloane 

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher:  Carnal Passions

Genre: Contemporary Erotica/Quickies/Fantasy

Length: 16  pages Other:  M/F

Pagan & Pagan Elements: None

Reviewed by: Russ Allen

About The Book: When Candice boards her flight to Hawaii, wrestling with her fear of flying, she doesn’t count on finding a hot mystery man sitting in her seat. He guarantees her he can make her flight worry free with his mouth-watering distractions. Much to her delight, he more than proves himself a man of his word. 

The Review: This brief story is an enjoyable read that adequately conveys the episode it seeks to describe: an in-flight anonymous sexual encounter between Candice and Mark.

There are, however, a few weaknesses. The author does not acknowledge the realities of contemporary airplane security and ignores the fact that a couple would not be allowed to do what they are described as doing during take-off. It is doubtful that the cabin crew would be so oblivious, especially when she yells out during her bathroom orgasm.

Given Candice’s dislike of flying, and even more, her reluctance to interact with people, one wonders why she would so willingly accept the advances of her seatmate Mark. At two points his language is sexually coarse, which does not fit the overall impression of perfection given of him. 

The ending, when they both discover they are going to the same family wedding and staying at the same hotel, leaves uncertain whether their excitement is over the prospect of a developing love relationship, or having more great sex.

What I enjoyed most in this story was its ability to communicate a fantasy sexual encounter, culminating in wonderful sexual intercourse. I could even imagine Candice waking up upon landing and realizing it was all a dream. The problem is in its reality: Is it everywoman’s dream to have anonymous sex in a tiny bathroom flying 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean?

Pagan Elements: There are no pagan elements.

Cover (Rated 1-10): 6 – the cover effectively reflects the fantasy tone of the story and its romantic element, though not its sexual.  However, the man and woman portrayed on the cover are too young to fit the actual characters in the book.  I might be curious about the story based on the cover.

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Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & the Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.