Friday 20 January 2012

Book review: Immoral Views


I have seen the future of erotica. Or at least, what I hope is the future of my erotica... and it is ILLUSTRATED!

Sweetmeats Press, a relative newcomer to the scene, first pinged onto my radar screen with The Candy Box, which is part fiction (two novellas) and part fascinating memoir. What makes Sweetmeats stand out from other erotica imprints is that the texts are illustrated. Really well illustrated. Scorching hot pictures, XXX-rated, that take the story to a whole new dimension of heat. [See pics at bottom of post]

I love that. I'm a really visual person. My own stories are always played out as movies in my head before I translated them into words. I love graphic novels too. So hell yes, I want to see pictures with my smut!

Now Sweetmeats have published Immoral Views, a new collection of short stories on the theme of exhibitionism and voyeurism, with a great line-up of author names.


The Circus by Kay Jaybee - When Carrie is bought a ticket for a circus-themed BDSM show, she finds that the line between audience and participant is somewhat blurred...
Lots of fun with female exposure and submission.

Inside Looking Out by Lexie Bay - Izzy becomes fixated on watching her sister's handsome boyfriend fuck, and throughout her sexual encounters over the years, she's always trying to recapture that special feeling. Over a decade later and on another continent, she meets him again... 
A mixture of intensely romantic and dead kinky!

Alloted Views by K D Grace - Rose discovers night-time intruders in the next door vegetable allotment, having a good hard go at some fertility magic...
Earthy, evocative, well-written and a great story for gardening fans :-)


Painted Pussycat by Rebecca Bond - Innocent Poppy starts with one little tattoo and then is initiated into the Circle of Ink where she discovers her true self...
A fairytale (ordinary girl becomes beautiful princess) with tattoos and threesomes.

Caught in the Act by Lucy Felthouse - A young policeman becomes obsessed with the practice of Dogging, and eventually tries it out for himself...
Hot, dirty, and funny. The only story in the collection with a male protagonist, and interestingly the one requiring least suspension of disbelief.

It's quite noticable, I think, that the collection has a real UK vibe to it - not just in language but in setting. The stories are upbeat, warm-hearted and - except for the last one, which has no romantic element - what I'd describe as written for a female readership. "Alloted Views" stood out for me as the most unexpected because of the magical realism elements, but for sheer horniness I particularly enjoyed "Caught in the Act."

But if you're in London this weekend, you don't have to take my word for it. Come and hear the authors reading extracts from their stories instead! It's all going on at the wonderful Sh! emporium on Portobello Road, on Saturday.



And finally, full disclosure: This week I signed a contract for Named and Shamed with Sweetmeats Press. I couldn't resist - I just so want to see my fairies, witches, trolls and  illustrated in glorious black-and-white!
Brace yourselves for the filthiest fairy book ever...




3 comments:

Kat Black said...

Great review and congratulations on the contract, Janine! How long until we get to see this tasty fairytale treat of yours, then? (You know how bad I am at waiting!)

Janine Ashbless said...

Hi Kat - not sure yet about the timings. It's paper print so not as fast as e-pub, and of course pictures will have to be commissioned and created.

But there's always my vampire book in Feb to tide you over!

Janine Ashbless said...

News update - Kojo reckons "Named and Shamed" will be out in the first half of this year!!! Now that's magic!