Erotica Book Reviews
Sunday Smutday is where we get naughty, nasty, and NSFW between the covers. If that doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, then you should most definitely stop reading now.
Seriously.
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Okay, great!
Then let’s get kinky!
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
Protagonist Gender: Female
Sexuality: Straight
Kink/Fetish: Femdom
One of the things that B.J. Frazier does so well with their stories is establish characters as people with pasts, people who've grown and evolved, and who you can believe have a life outside the story. Such is the case with Belinda, the protagonist of The Lesson, who we're introduced to in flashbacks that show her finding her way in kink.
Those first two encounters are brief affairs, one in an airport bathroom, requiring nothing more than verbal dominance and physical control, and the other in a hotel room, involving improvisational BDSM with repurposed household items. The scenes establish history, personality, and kink evolution, all of which make the story's main classroom encounter feel both natural and authentic.
While there is a soft sort of taboo nature to the teacher/student dynamic, with just the right amount of risk, the story is careful to establish maturity and consent, while avoiding any deep moral conflicts. The encounter itself is wonderfully plotted, with a fantastic shift in the nature of the tension and the source of the associated fears as surprises are revealed that illuminate who Derek is and what motivates Belinda.
Frazier takes us from gasping to cheering, entertaining and arousing us along the way, as we learn not just a lesson but The Lesson.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: July 21, 2021
Protagonist Gender: Female
Sexuality: Straight
Kink/Fetish: Femdom
Closing The Deal is another fabulous example of B.J. Frazier's plot-driven erotica, a story that establishes Teddy as a successful saleswoman, motivates her to change her dynamic, and evolves her sexual personal, before leading us into a fantastic scene of teasing exhibitionism that ultimately culminates in a twist that brings the story full circle.
The first chapter, in which we see Teddy's jealous peers slut-shaming her for outperforming them, is surprisingly powerful. The whole story has a lot to say about gender dynamics, the double standards of promiscuity, and the interplay of professional dominance and personal submission, but the way that chapter forces her initial revelation is superb.
One of the things Frazier does so well in their stories is offer up a variety of sexual situations that evolve naturally from chance encounters, as opposed to being carefully structured around genre cliches. The dance of teasing and seduction is different every time, and the responses of her lovers are never the same. There's a fantastic contrast between the anxious newbie of the first chapter and the comfortably experienced submissive of the second but, in both instances, we see Teddy as a woman directing things to demand her own pleasure.
The second half of the story reminds us there's a plot behind the fun. It expands on Teddy's character, suggesting a personal alienation of friends that parallels her professional one from coworkers, and that's where I first began to suspect this wasn't going to be just another femdom happily-after-after. The erotic element, the prolonged tease at the bar and rushed hotel rendezvous, is something entirely different - I loved the verbal sparring, the bratty challenges, and the utter confidence that belies Noah's submissiveness - but there's so much more to it, with Teddy's frustration and anxiety having a deeper meaning than we initially expect.
As a submissive who only wants to see the Domme get everything she desires, Closing The Deal doesn't close the way I'd hoped, but as a reader who appreciates plot and theme, I applaud Frazier for that final twist.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ 1/2
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