Awesome! Consider the hatches battened down! ...Nah, you run a cool ship. And I really did mean to leave this over there! But then it broke the comment character limit, so I thought better of it.
Agreed -- hell, I'm *into* BDSM, and I don't think that the book should be banned or that people should be shamed for enjoying it . . . but I'm also side-eyeing the fact that most *other* erotica for women is considered to be non-mainstream, and that making a sincere effort to find "romance with healthy relationship dynamics in a sexy kink context" was actually quite difficult when I went hunting (there are a lot of books that say "Read this instead of 50 Shades, it's hotter/better-written/kinkier," but there aren't as many that *also* offer the "healthy romance" dynamic -- they're straight-up fantasy with slaves and ownership and 24/7 kink
( ... )
I honestly wish it had been shittier, less consensual, and more abusive, if for no other reason than to separate the arousing parts and the romancing parts. At least if he'd chained her in his basement or abducted her to some private island forever, it would have made the whole thing more fantasy and less part of practical expectations. Like ... I remember getting hold of a romance novel when I was ~12, and in it a noblewoman abducted some kind of landed guy and tied him to a bed for sex, and then once he was let go, he came back did the same to her, and they fell in love, the end. I can't remember if it was any good or not (probably not), but its sexiness and romance definitely went hand-in-hand with how very, very few of us have the resources to make our servants kidnap someone and tie them to a bed for our own sex-slave purposes
( ... )
As a librarian (and reader in general), I would like to see that "romance with healthy relationship dynamics in a sexy kink context" list--where can I find it?
Late response, but I enjoyed Cherise Sinclair's "Doms of Dark Haven" (sounds cheesy as hell, I know) series -- you'll want to read them chronologically, because they have continuity between various characters and plot developments.
I enjoyed the combination of romance, healthy communication, and hot kinky sex -- and they're also nice for featuring body and age diversity, as well as some prominent characters of color.
Some characters are abuse survivors, others come from untroubled backgrounds (it's nice seeing women who have had bad experlences reclaiming their sexuality, without the implication that anyone has to be "broken" or damaged to be into kink.
Some books contain violence or nonconsensual acts, *always portrayed as being very different from consensual kink.
I also enjoy the fact that the books portray various types of D/s -- sadists/masochists, subs, slaves, brats, etc. -- as being part of the relationship dynamics and various characters' needs and wants.
I tend to agree with your caveats. It's difficult as heck to find healthy relationship sexy romance [or porn or kink] with women in charge of their own sexuality or even treated as equals
( ... )
Comments 12
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Also, great post and comment thread, all!
Reply
I enjoyed the combination of romance, healthy communication, and hot kinky sex -- and they're also nice for featuring body and age diversity, as well as some prominent characters of color.
Some characters are abuse survivors, others come from untroubled backgrounds (it's nice seeing women who have had bad experlences reclaiming their sexuality, without the implication that anyone has to be "broken" or damaged to be into kink.
Some books contain violence or nonconsensual acts, *always portrayed as being very different from consensual kink.
I also enjoy the fact that the books portray various types of D/s -- sadists/masochists, subs, slaves, brats, etc. -- as being part of the relationship dynamics and various characters' needs and wants.
Highly recommended!! :D
-- A <3
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment