Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 June 2020

For the Shame of It



This is so great! At a time when I'm struggling to even remember the joy of writing fiction, LN Bey shoots me broadside with a huge post about writing Plague Porn, Consent and Dub-con ... which happens to include an enthusiastic (and very detailed) review of Named and Shamed, my most outrageous erotic novel. 😊😵😳😊

"Relentlessly filthy" is how LN describes it! Also "It’s a tricky, tricky thing to pull off—and many fans of more cozy erotica will probably not approve. Let them. I fully understand that this novel might not be everyone’s proverbial cuppa."

Here's the link to THE POST IN FULL  ('ware spoilers)

"Named & Shamed is not about a viral invasion of Britain and Europe, with its accompanying medieval cultural trimmings. It portrays an invasion by those horrific legends and myths themselves. In this world created by Ashbless, all the once-supposed causes of human suffering—the witches, fairies, and ogres of the Middle Ages—have come back, from the netherworld, from whatever dimension they’ve been in, and they are causing societal havoc. People are self-isolating, afraid to leave their houses—and let me tell you, they are no kinder than a mindless virus. They just have a far more wicked sense of humor. Named & Shamed is not only one of the most outright filthiest erotic novels I’ve ever read (possibly the filthiest—that’s a compliment, btw), it is primarily about how those old stories linger, even into our modern age—there’s something in our collective psyches that has never quite let go."

Thank you LN - I am all wibbly with delight! 💖💖💖

Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Out now! Hot to the Touch


Hot news!

There's a brand new anthology of stories out today, edited by Cole Riley. A collection of polyamory erotica, Hot to the Touch includes a new story of mine: Meet My Husband 😍😍😍

This new collection from well-known editor Cole Riley propels readers into the heads, hearts, and libidos of lovers committed to the Poly Life, open relationships, open communication, and open bedroom doors. With stories from those just beginning to explore the poly lifestyle to those that have years of experience pleasing multiple partners—in or out of the bedroom, together or separately—this collection will arouse your senses and make you yearn for your own menagerie of sexual partners, lovers, and so much more.
 Publisher's Weekly reviews it:

"Janine Ashbless’s playful “Meet My Husband” and Sommen Madsen’s high-tension “Him” showcase the power of combining the erotic energy of three different lovers.  ...Though not a definitive collection of poly erotica, this anthology will appeal to those who want well-crafted, cheating-free stories that explore sexuality beyond the couple."

Table of Contents

Meet My Husband - Janine Ashbless
Ghost Swinger - Amanda Earl
The Dinner Party - Remittance Girl
Because of Bingo - Rebecca M. Kyle
Bob & Carol & Ted (But Not Alice) - M. Christian
Homecoming - Teresa Noelle Roberts
Snakefruit - Anne Tourney
Him - Sommer Madsen
Speed Play - Abigail Ekue
Between Two Lovers - Thomas S.. Roche
Reminder - Jeremy Edwards
Sleeper Car - Max Lagos
The Benefit of the Doubt - Cole Riley
One Last Fling - Kristina Wright

You can buy Hot to the Touch at:

Simon and Schuster 
Amazon US :: Amazon UK 
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Monday, 1 July 2019

Lust in the Dust is "enthusiastically recommended!"


 It's out on FRIDAY 5TH!


And Lust in the Dust has garnered a fabulous review from Erotica for the Big Brain:

"The ten stories in this consistently engaging anthology take readers through a broad range of mood and emotion, from the sardonic to the heartbreaking, the breezily tongue-in-cheek to bullet-in-the-brain pan serious. Each and every one of them is finely-crafted, thoughtfully conceived, and damn sexy to boot! An embarrassment of riches, to be sure, yet no less a lambent example of something all too rare in our present throwaway age of planned literary obsolescence; an anthology that prioritizes quality over quantity: This is a credit to editor Janine Ashbless, whose introductory notes before each story lend a sense of unity to what could have been a rather rambunctious undertaking."
You can read the rest HERE

Thank you TAS! 💖💖💖



It's the end of the world as we know it. 

Peace and plenty are ideals barely remembered. Everything we used to rely upon has crumbled away, and pleasure is something few can afford. Every joy has to be fought for. When all the trappings of a civilised life are taken away, all we can hope to truly call our own are our bodies and our hearts. In the ashes, we make alliances where we can, and find solace and humanity in unexpected places. And maybe even a little hope for the future…

Lust in the Dust brings together ten erotic short stories set in times where civilisation and the rule of law have crashed and burned. The aftermath of a terrible war, a zombie invasion, a cityscape over-run by nature, a medieval fortress. Wherever there is life, there is lust.

Edited by Janine Ashbless - with stories by S. Nano, Elizabeth Coldwell, Raven Sky, Sommer Marsden, Cara Thereon, Jones, Gregory L. Norris, Nicole Wolfe, Janine Ashbless, Quiet Ranger.

Wednesday, 12 December 2018

Winter Chills


Ooh - my horror story Special Needs Child gets a listing in Winter Chills, Simon Bestwick's seasonal list of 10 recommended creepy stories:


Special Needs Child does have a certain sexual theme, but it is in No Way Erotic. As Simon says:

The narrator, a hard-bitten Iraq veteran, takes part in the clean-up that follows the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and discovers a pregnant woman’s decaying corpse. The body’s surely too far gone in decay to have a living child inside it… and yet it does. She adopts the child, but despite her best efforts at denial, it slowly becomes clear that there’s something very wrong with him. It’s a belter of a story, and with an ending that definitely isn’t for the easily shocked.

Full review / list here

Amazon UK - Kindle and paperback
Amazon US - Kindle and paperback

Emmanuelle de Maupassant's not-really-erotica collection Cautionary Tales  - which I reviewed here - also gets enthusiastic mention BTW!

Thank you so much, Simon! XXX

Wednesday, 26 September 2018

Show me Moore!


The uncropped version of this photo is definitely NSFW - and you can find it over at Molly's Daily Kiss where she recounts her experience reading my novel The Prison of the Angels, one afternoon when she should have been making the beds.

I'm not going to spoil that particular Masturbation Monday for you - just go on over and see for yourselves!

There is a bit at the end of the post, mind, that is the most luscious review/writer's compliment:

"I have never really been into fantasy erotica but then a few years ago I went to book launch at Sh Woman’s store in London. Janine introduced her newest creation and proceeded to read the first chapter. I was hooked. The moment the interval started I got up from my seat went straight to the counter and bought the book. I took it home and stormed through it then waited (im)patiently for Janine to pen book number two and then book number three. If I had never gone to that reading I probably would never have read these books as I truly thought that fantasy was not my thing. Janine totally converted me with her brilliant storytelling. I highly recommend you let her do the same to you sometime soon. Although you might find it takes you much longer to get things done than usual."
A HUGE thank you to the bold and beautiful Molly Moore!

And you can find buy-links for the whole trilogy here:
1) Cover Him With Darkness
2) In Bonds of the Earth
3) The Prison of the Angels

Wednesday, 23 May 2018

The Erotic Writer's Thesaurus


Okay, okay - despite all my protestations, this is me doing a book review.

The Erotic Writer's Thesaurus, a true labour of love* by Terrance Aldon Shaw, deserves to be the exception to my rule. 513 pages in PDF,  10,000 entries, countless cross-references (okay, I didn't count) and several pages of notes on such tangential topics as lists of gun-types, the strange modern dislike of the word "moist," and the difference between "demur" and "demure," as well as a beautiful little opening essay on the usage of the word "ass" - this is such a useful resource for anyone writing about sex or romance that it feels like a huge relief to have it at my electronic fingertips at last.

What it is not is just a list of filthy words, although GOD YES we all do occasionally need a synonym for "cock" at some point in our sex scenes. A sprawling range of um, relationship-related terms, covering everything from Mascara to Yawn is presented for our educational delight (and now that I have this book, hopefully I will never have to bash out such a clunky descriptor as "relationship-related" again!). It also functions as a dictionary, so you can look up the meaning of, say, "Irrumation" should you so desire, and includes nearly 2000 usage examples. Just browsing it is inspirational.

It rocks.

Some caveats: it is an idiosyncratic work in which the author's voice and opinions comes across strongly in the expanded notes and topics, take it as you like. Reader opinions may differ on, say, whether a particular word is derogatory, or biologically accurate. I'd always avoid describing an adult woman as a "girl," say, except within dialogue, but of course many people do that and intend no slight. Language is a living, mutable, constantly evolving thing and one of the skills an author must have is choosing the right words to convey not just meaning, but also nuance and character.

TAS is also American, and although there are many inclusions from different sources (Hindi, African-American, Portuguese, Yiddish, Elizabethan, etc - all helpfully flagged as such) and he's done his research, I noted in my uncorrected review copy some question-marks when it came to British slang (which have been fixed in the latest PDF).  That's probably inevitable in a single-author work, and to be honest it's probably all but impossible to write accurately in another culture's idiom. This book will hopefully help you flange it, though. (See!)

 The Erotic Writer's Thesaurus is the dog's bollocks 👍👍👍 and I will absolutely be buying it in paperback. It will become a well-thumbed treasure.




* Love (n): adoration; affection; ardor; attachment; beyond admiration; caring; craving; devotion; Eros...

Friday, 11 May 2018

Heart of Flame is on sale!


I got buy-links!

Well, one actually - here's the UNIVERSAL BUY LINK that takes you to the shop of your choice - more are still being added but Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple are up there already.
A romantic Arabian Nights adventure

The most beautiful woman in all Arabia has been abducted by a djinni - and only forbidden magic can bring about her rescue.

Taqla the sorceress lives in comfortable secrecy, until she agrees to help the handsome traveller Rafiq find the kidnapped daughter of the Amir. They set off together on a journey fraught with magic and peril, though a landscape of ancient desert ruins, terrible monsters and deception. With so many secrets to keep, Taqla cannot afford to trust Rafiq – and yet she must, with her life.

In the meantime, the captive Ahleme must try to fend off the attentions of the terrifying djinni who wishes to father upon her a new saviour of the Djinn race. Can Ahleme survive her imprisonment? Can Taqla really bring herself to help Rafiq win Ahleme back, when she is hopelessly in love with him herself? Can she trust him not to betray her, when sorcery is a crime punishable by death?  Passion may yet betray them all.

Originally published by the late-lamented Samhain Books, this re-worked version of the novel comes with lovely reviews:

“This lush fantasy will bring to mind the tales of the Arabian Nights. With sorcery, djinnis and a seemingly never-ending list of tasks that leads heroine Taqla and Rafiq, the object of her affections, through the desert, Heart of Flame is a book you can’t put down. The two burgeoning relationships in the book are achingly perfect in their development, as each completed task brings both Taqla and Rafiq — and the amir’s daughter and her djinni — closer to their ultimate meeting. Even when you think you know how the story will end, Ashbless keeps the surprises coming” – 4.5 STARS - RT Book Reviews

“With so many elements mixed together it’s a fantastic read for any genre lover. Heart of Flame gets better and better as the tension builds page after page.” - Sizzling Hot Book Reviews

"What a tale it is, with twists and turns and adventures galore. There were times when I honestly had no idea of what would come next and instances when I gnashed my teeth at whatever it was that interrupted me from reading the next page. Had I gotten off my duff and read it last year when I got the book, it would definitely have landed on my top ten list for the year." A- RECOMMENDED READ - Dear Author

Wednesday, 17 January 2018

"A conclusion with a bang of near-apocalyptic intensity"

The Other Side (1918) Dean Cornwell

"The cold, hard, commercial truth of the matter is that without reviews, a book simply languishes on the shelf and ultimately dies for want of notice" - How to Write a Review and Why, Maybe, You Should


And I'm particularly delighted that TAS of Erotica for the Big Brain should write a review of The Prison of the Angels, because it's FABULOUS!
"As always, Ashbless ties it all together with such style, such flare, conveying a sense of inevitability—of ineluctable right-ness—with the plot’s every twist and turn, it’s hard to imagine all hell breaking loose in any other way, Or near half so excitingly, for that matter! Of course, throughout, the sex is wicked hot...
In The Prison of the Angels, as in the books that preceded it, Janine Ashbless has created an extraordinary new world, a “real realm of the spirit” that is a sheer pleasure to visit. Enthusiastically recommended."
FULL REVIEW HERE

Thank you TAS!

Buy-links for The Prison of the Angels

Friday, 22 December 2017

Blogtour roundup #3

Frantisek Kobliha, Cosmic Vision (1946)
So, falling through the vast and starry void, I come at last to the end of The Prison of the Angels blogtour - and what a way to end it, with this wonderful 5-star review from author Kate Douglas:

"Of course, my main thought was, “How the hell is she going to pull this one off?”

I should have known that an author this talented would find a way, and she does. Perfectly. The trip to the finish is like a roller coaster ride through Hell as, one by one, the cadre of fallen angels are released from their bonds; creatures not human, and yet guilty of so many human foibles. As the story played out, scene by heart-wrenching scene, I wondered how it would end, how the author would pull together so many terrible events. I really shouldn’t have worried, but I’m not going to give any hints of anything, other than to say this entire series is something that will stay with you, and might, in some ways, even change the way you think about heaven and earth."
THANK YOU KATE!

Full review on Amazon 


This week's blogtour organised by Writer Marketing Services

On Monday I was hosted by the Brit Babes for a post about how to use your writerly "mistakes" to expand your characters.

Pick a Genre has an exclusive reveal of the preface of The Prison of the Angels, so you can get a headstart on the book!

Here come more pantsing confessions: at Erotica 4 All I list 10 things I didn't know when I started writing the trilogy.

Jacqui Brocker has interviewed ME (not one of my characters, lol!)

And today at K D Grace's blog I talk about using the filthiest verses I could find in the Bible.



DON'T FORGET - all the Writer Market Services blogposts above  have a Rafflecopter Giveaway going on too - enter to win an Amazon Voucher!



And on the 23rd Day she rested 😜
(because she had an awful cold and she hadn't got any of her Xmas prep done yet, AARGH)

Monday, 18 December 2017

Blue Monday - the award-winning book

Every Monday I post an excerpt for your entertainment!

Today I'm posting an exclusive excerpt from the newly-republished Named and Shamed, because it has just been named a winner in Erotica for the Big Brain's BEST OF 2017 💝💖💝
(As was In Bonds of the Earth, btw - that's TWO accolades for me and Sinful Press!)

"Since its initial publication in 2012Janine Ashbless’ Named and Shamed has attained the status of a modern erotic classic. It is apropos to cite the title for this year's Best-Of list, as the author has recently re-issued the book in a new independent e-book edition. Named and Shamed is a relentless, orgiastic tour de force, a groaning board of pansexual delight unencumbered by the sort of repetition or slacking off in intensity that dooms so many full-length erotic novels." - Erotica for the Big Brain


Fairy tales were always thought to be childhood fancies. That is until the fairy folk returned.

As the closest thing to an expert on all things otherworldly, nobody knows better than Tansy the dangers of Them There. But with the world thrown into chaos, and another’s life in her hands, she has no choice other than to accept a magical offer of help. And as Tansy soon finds out, there is always a price to pay for dealing with the Fairies. A price that may include her own life, if she can't find the True Name she is looking for.

So begins a descent into the wildest realms of Faerie - and into the darkest depths of Tansy's own out-of-control desires.




“Have you ever shared a guy before?”

We shook our heads. Despite all that we'd done together over the years, we hadn’t done that.

“Sweet.” Vince’s grin was beyond disguising now. He pulled his shirt off over his head, revealing an athletic, nearly hairless torso that gleamed in the firelight as if polished. His hand brushed his abs and down over his belt to the bulge of the erection already tenting his jeans. I guess he could be forgiven for that hard-on, considering what he’d had to witness earlier. “You want some of this, girls?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” I answered gratefully. Gail stood up and kissed my cheek.

Oh thank you, thank you, god of horny Tansys! thought I. Thank you for broad-minded cousins and dirty-minded boyfriends!

“Then let me see you kissing, girls. I want to see that.”

We swapped a smile — an odd mixture of playful kink and shyness — and moved into an embrace. Gail’s lips were soft beneath mine, her hips narrow, her little breasts achingly soft and sweet, her skin fragrant. I always feel that handling her is like handling a kitten. She feels so small and delicate compared to the men I’m used to, like I’ll hurt her if I’m not careful. But I also know she’s quite capable of whipping out her claws. I admit we put on a bit of a show for Vince, knowing how much he was appreciating what he saw. We got a kick out of arousing him, let’s face it. We sighed and giggled and murmured as we slipped buttons and tugged down zips and slid each other out of our clothes. The firelight lit a warm glow on our bare flesh, painting it rosy as if we were blushing coyly. We made sure he got a good eyeful of our bottoms and thighs and boobs as they bounced into view, and of the caresses we bestowed on all those parts. I smacked Gail’s ass, delighting in the sound it made, and she squealed with pleasure and wriggled up against me in a way that sent a fresh surge of arousal through my already melting body. Our breasts nestled together, soft upon soft. I sank my fingers into her bum-cheeks and bit her lower lip.

“Kiss her titties,” Vince said hoarsely. “Kiss those big, beautiful tits, Gail.”

Obediently, she grabbed an overflowing double handful and pulled them right up so she could fasten her mouth on them. Her tongue left my skin glistening.

“Oh, that’s hot!” he groaned.

Her kitten teeth were sharp and her tongue an unmerciful tease; the pain was exquisitely judged. I could feel my legs growing weak. I gasped and arched my back to ease the strain on my flesh, as she pressed my orbs together hard and caught both my nipples in her mouth at once, nipping me till I squealed, “Oh fuck, Gail!”

“Poor Tansy,” she crooned, licking those swollen points roughly. I could feel myself about to fall. My wide eyes met Vince’s over her head.

“Come here, girls,” he ordered, tugging at his belt buckle.

She let go of me with a show of reluctance, but we were both more than happy to try a new game with the body he offered us. Smirking and utterly naked, we crossed to where he stood on the mattress and snuggled up to him, our breasts rubbing against his bare chest. I heard the sharp intake of his breath, and then he kissed Gail tenderly, slipping an arm around each of us and pulling us close. His skin was warm and firm and the masculine smell of him was intoxicating. His palm cupped my butt. I licked the lobe of his ear as I awaited my turn. Then he kissed me, and his hand snuck into the crack of my ass, one fingertip playing with the pucker of my hole.

A reminder of our kitchen conversation, I thought, as his tongue poured over mine. My head swam.

“Yo, bitches,” he teased, grinning, as he came up for air and surveyed us both.

“Yo, dawg,” we laughed back, but I was at least half in earnest. I was more than willing to be his dirty bitch if he’d be my big stud dog and mount me. My pussy was already ripe for the taking. We kissed him, nuzzling against his bristly cheek, licking at his throat, sliding our hands over his chest and his stomach, plucking at his jeans buttons, stroking his cock through the denim. That member of his was as solid as tyre rubber.

Please fuck me with that, I prayed.

But it was Gail who took the lead. And it was only polite to let her. I followed, falling to my knees with her as she wrenched open the last fly button and released the beast. It sprang out proud from its cage, just as magnificent as I remembered from our illicit fooling around, weeks before. In unison we moved to pay homage with our mouths — lapping eagerly at his balls, kissing that shaft, licking its beautiful length all the way up to the tip. Our tongues entwined as we fought for the privilege of sucking on his turgid bell-end, both of us hungry for his meat, our kisses half-competitive and half-loving.

Vince put a hand on each of our heads, his fingers raking though our hair. I guess it must have been quite a sight from his angle: the blonde and the redhead kneeling before him, peeling off his clothes and mouthing passionately at his erect cock. Our pale skin and wet lips and half-closed eyes.

“Halle-fuckin-lujah,” said he hoarsely, as if he’d seen the light. Holding us in place, he slipped his cock first into Gail’s mouth and then into mine, pushing right to the backs of our throats as if testing the fit. I sucked joyfully. I’d never met a cock so stiff.

Gail lifted her lips from his scrotum. “Do you like my boyfriend’s cock?” she asked me in a sweet voice.

I licked it from root to crown, making it bounce and weep salty drops upon my tongue.“I love your boyfriend’s cock,” I assured her.

“Think you’re ready to take it all inside your pussy?” she wondered.

I swallowed eagerly. “I’m ready to try.”


 Buy Named and Shamed at:


Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Say "Cheese!"


Well, what else is an author supposed to do when their beautiful contributor paperback copy arrives in the post? The urge is irresistible, lol 😁You can blame Spencer Dryden for kicking off the cheesecake pics for The Sexy Librarian's Dirty 30 Vol.2 (in which appears my Norse story Sweet Hel Below). 💪😈

If you live in the USA there's a GIVEAWAY COMPETITION being run by editor Rose Caraway, incidentally:

Email Rose at:
contactstupidfish at gmail dot com
Type: Best Dirty Giveaway in the subject line.
Tell me which sexy erotica anthology you’d like to win - Dirty 30 Vol.2 or Best Women's Erotica of the Year Vol.3 
*This giveaway offer is limited to USA residents only.
Drawing ends Sunday, December 17th MIDNIGHT!
http://www.stupidfishproductions.com/best-dirty-giveaway/


In other anthology news, I've had honourable mention from Erotica for the Big Brain for my stories in TWO collections! First, Thrones of Desire (ed. Mitzi Szereto):



"Much more than a facile quickie, Janine Ashbless’ Of High Renown offers readers a tale of realistic moral complexity and suffering that is also sensually rewarding." 

And second, Sinful Pleasures (ed. Lisa Jenkins):


"The Pier by Night by Janine Ashbless: What makes this story stand out is its sustained ambiance, always in the service of inner truth. The setting, strikingly described, perfectly mirrors the main character’s sense of wonder, emotional uncertainty, and awakening desire. Nobody is better at evoking that rich, vivid atmosphere in which readers may dream, and Ashbless is here at the very top of her form."  
You can read both reviews HERE

 THANK YOU EftBB!

Sunday, 3 December 2017

Ohmigawsh Ohmigawsh Ohmigawsh


ROFL! 😍
Once I'd stopped laughing, I had to post this reaction to The Prison of the Angels from Anna Sky of Sexy Little Pages 😀

She actually collected herself and posted a slightly less sweary 'official' review for the front pages:

"I adore Janine Ashbless' Watchers series, and The Prison of the Angels is no exception. Like the previous two books, not only is it extraordinarily well researched, but beautifully written. The pacing, dialogue and characters all combine to create a modern classic that's impossible to put down."
 ... which I've just added to the brand new TPotA page on my website

THANK YOU ANNA!

Friday, 1 December 2017

The Prison of the Angels - release day!


The angels have been released from their prison! Yes, the final part of the Book of the Watchers trilogy is NOW ON SALE - and what's more, the first Amazon review has been posted!



This is a romance with a lot of super-heated steam and the darkest shadows you can imagine, and I think it’s a fantastic conclusion to a story which has built up a serious head of steam over the previous two books.

In principle, this could be read as a stand-alone story, but I strongly enourage you to read the first two in the series. It’s imaginative, sweeping, full of twists and turns, and I genuinely had NO idea where Janine’s story was going right up until the end. She brings together myths from different cultures as well as archangels and angels who, being truly inhuman and created in a particular way, have a multitude of what we call human failings as well as unimaginable powers.

Wow.

And the ending was, well, endearing.


THANK YOU IAN! 💟


I thought I was a good girl. I thought that no matter what others did for my sake, I could stay innocent. I thought that as long as I acted out of love, I’d be blameless. I was wrong, wasn’t I? 

Milja Petak’s world has fallen apart. Her lover, the fallen angel Azazel, has cast her aside in rage and disgust. The other contender for her heart, the Catholic priest Egan Kansky, was surrendered back into the hands of the shadowy Vatican organization, Vidimus, after sustaining life-threatening injuries. 

She has killed and she has betrayed. She is alone, homeless, and at the end of her tether - torn apart by guilt and the love she has lost. But neither Heaven nor its terrifying representatives on Earth have finished with Milja. Both her lovers need her in order to further their very different plans, and both passionately need her, though they may try to deny it. 

Milja is once again forced into a series of choices as she uncovers the secrets Heaven has been guarding for centuries. But this time it is not just her heart at stake, or even the fate of a fallen angel. 

This time, the choices she make will change everything. 

This time it’s the End of the World

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

"Crying over my Kindle" - FIRST REVIEW and pre-order links


The first review for The Prison of the Angels comes from Samantha MacLeod! I was scared! She was scared! (No, honestly... we were both really worried I couldn't pull the trilogy off...)

Her verdict?

"Both surprising and ridiculously satisfying, in a heart-breaking, crying-over-my-Kindle sort of way.

I wanted a lot of things out of this series. And I won’t say The Prison of the Angels met my ridiculously high expectations. Because, somewhere between sneaking through the Vatican’s secret chambers and skiing the mountains of Norway, The Prison of the Angels took those expectations and blew them out of the freaking water."

 FULL REVIEW HERE

Thank you so much Samantha!



Here are the buy-links for pre-orders; The Prison of the Angels is released on DECEMBER 1ST:

Amazon US paperback :: Kindle
Amazon UK paperback :: Kindle



I thought I was a good girl. I thought that no matter what others did for my sake, I could stay innocent. I thought that as long as I acted out of love, I’d be blameless.
I was wrong, wasn’t I?

Milja Petak’s world has fallen apart. 

Her lover, the fallen angel Azazel, has cast her aside in rage and disgust. The other contender for her heart, the Catholic priest Egan Kansky, was surrendered back into the hands of the shadowy Vatican organization, Vidimus, after sustaining life-threatening injuries. 


She has killed and she has betrayed. She is alone, homeless, and at the end of her tether - torn apart by guilt and the love she has lost.


But neither Heaven nor its terrifying representatives on Earth have finished with Milja.


Both her lovers need her in order to further their very different plans, and both passionately need her, though they may try to deny it. Milja is once again forced into a series of choices as she uncovers the secrets Heaven has been guarding for centuries. But this time it is not just her heart at stake, or even the fate of a fallen angel. 


This time, the choices she make will change
everything.

This time it’s the End of the World

Wednesday, 30 August 2017

"Damn, Janine, you rock!"


Fellow myth-smutter Samantha MacLeod is a past master at bringing a warm glow to my, ahem, heart ... And here she is with a fabulous review of The Sexy Librarian's Dirty 30 (vol.2)!

"I was, of course, immediately drawn to Janine Ashbless's Sweet Hel Below, which manages to tell a wildly creative and surprisingly touching love story between Norse gods, as well as transform an entire realm, in just a few pages. My own love story between Odin’s son Baldr and Loki’s daughter Hel, Death and Beauty, took 150 pages… so damn, Janine, you rock!"

You can read her whole  review HERE.

And you can buy the book at Amazon US :: Amazon UK because it it totally brilliant 😍

Sunday, 20 August 2017

Sinful Pleasures - out now!


It's out! It's proud! It's TOO DAMN HOT for Amazon!

Because side-buttock may drive you into an erotic frenzy
Yes, that's the  "safe for Amazon" cover, which has been carefully hidden behind its porno search-filter just to make it even harder for you dirty dirty readers to find it. 😏

But this collection of eleven short stories (including mine, The Pier by Night) is well worth getting your shaking and hairy-palmed hands on, for torrid tales by Ella Scandal, Sonni de Soto, Jo Henny Wolf, Lily Harlem, Lady Divine, Gail Williams, Samantha MacLeod, Tony Fyler, Ellie Barker and Lisa McCarthy.

Here's Ian D Smith's lovely advance review:
"With this anthology, Sinful Press have drawn together eleven quite varied stories of different lengths, all engaging, erotic and imaginative. The stories include some which are plausibly real-life, one which hints at being a horror story, and another which is almost paranormal.

I always find it difficult reviewing anthologies, because it seems unfair for me to pick out my favourite story. I know fully well that it’s my personal choice, and others would say another is their favourite. And I think they’re all good. But “The Pier By Night” by Janine Ashbless was the one which struck me most, at several levels.

A five-star read as far as I’m concerned."

THANK YOU IAN! 💝

Amazon:
iTunes:  
Kobo
Google Play
Barnes and Noble:

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

"SO complex and absolutely amazing"


A lovely new 5 STAR review of In Bonds of the Earth has been posted by Punya Reviews:

I have no idea where to start, seriously! The Book of the Watchers series by Janine Ashbless is SO complex and absolutely amazing that I’m just....... speechless really. This series is rich in story telling with a great research and a marvelous writing style where the author blends many dimensions of facts and fictions together in such a way that the only thing I can say for this series is WOW!
Fortunately Punya recovers from speechlessness to give a long recount of both IBotE and its prequel, Cover Him With Darkness, with great enthusiasm 😊, concluding:

I seriously have no idea what’s going to happen in the next installment but I do plan to find out in The Prison of Angels. Eagerly waiting for its release now! 5 stars and color me impressed!! Highly recommended.
You can read the whole review HERE (but watch out for lots of plot spoilers).

THANK YOU PUNYA REVIEWS! 💖💖💖

Thursday, 13 July 2017

"A relentless, orgiastic tour de force"


Woah - fabulous review of my dirtiest book ever!

TAS at Erotica for the Big Brain has been reading three examples of "archectypal erotica":

Death and Beauty by Samantha MacLeod
Viking Thunder by Emmanuelle de Maupassant
Named and Shamed by Janine Ashbless

Samantha and Emmanuelle are no strangers to this blog, of course! We have in common a love of mythology, folklore, history, dark fantasy and writing stories that more than merely titillate, but re-imagine ancient tropes and poke around in the murky depths of their meaning.

And TAS has some awesome thing to say about all three of our books! For Named and Shamed his verdict is:
 
Janine Ashbless’ Named and Shamed is a relentless, orgiastic tour de force, a groaning board of pansexual delight unencumbered by the sort of repetition or slacking off in intensity that dooms so many full-length erotic novels. Drawing broad inspiration from Gaelic folklore and pagan myth... Sex of practically every variety and permutation is described in exuberant detail, whether with a group of horny auto mechanics in a greasy garage, or with just about every mythical creature populating the dark corners of the human imagination—a scene with a randy troll under a bridge is particularly memorable.
 Illustrated with a series of captivating line drawings by John LaChatte, Named and Shamed is an essential addition to any library of classic modern erotica.

THANK YOU TAS!

You can read the whole review post HERE

And you can buy Named and Shamed at
Amazon US :: Amazon UK 
Google Play
iTunes
for a limited time



Wednesday, 29 March 2017

"Everything fans have been waiting for"

Gustav Dore: illustration from The Divine Comedy (colourised)
WOOOHOO!

Erotica for the Big Brain has reviewed In Bonds of the Earth and I couldn't be more chuffed!

"It’s a pleasure, then, to report that In Bonds of the Earth is everything fans have been waiting for, taking all the elements that made the first book memorable, artfully supercharging them in a sweeping, action-packed, powerfully erotic story that dazzles with its imaginative employment of real-life settings, elements of ancient lore and legend, and fast-paced contemporary thrillers...

This entry in the series closes with a shattering cliffhanger that will have readers on the edge of their seats, hearts pounding in their throats, and practically howling in half-fulfilled frustration! I felt afterwards as if I’d enjoyed an extraordinary meal—or had really great sex—richly fed to be sure, yet craving still more, able only to dream of 'next time.'

Thank you TAS!

Friday, 17 March 2017

Guilt, bad advice and tears: Blog-tour roundup #6

Hieronymus Bosch: Ascent of the Blessed (detail)
As the In Bonds of the Earth blog-tour ascends at last into the light, serenaded by choirs going AWWWAHHHHHHAWWW ... I wipe a tear from my eye and bring you the final details.

Over at Sizzling Romance I make a guilty stab at defending my terrible Pantsing ways. I wish I could be more helpful at teaching new authors the Secrets of Writing but, basically it boils down to "I make it all up as I go along." Sorry everyone! 😞

Library of Erana hosts a sweet little interview in which my best writing advice is "You are never going to please everyone." Well, it's true, but maybe that's not what folks want to hear... 😓

Little Shop of Readers gamely tried asking me if I saw writing as a career, to which I answered "OF COURSE!" Hah - no I didn't! 😜

Creative Misfit has a nice excerpt from my novel featuring the Archangel Michael. Well, I say "nice"... 😈

Finally, author Bronwyn Green asks me about, among other things, my bad habits. Which frankly ought to include the confession,"giving people awful writing advice"😇 Mea maxima culpa...


 And I should add that actually this thoughtful and beautiful book review from Jacqui Brocker genuinely did make me cry, especially this bit:
"In fact, everyone’s good side and flaws are shown – no one, not even Milja, is wholly sympathetic, and that’s as it should be for a tale that’s about the battle for good and evil, and (I think more importantly) who gets to decide what’s good and evil. While our sympathies by and large lie with Milja and Azazel, you understand the perspective of the other characters. Also, all the characters caught up in the story suffer for their part in it, and Janine never holds back from the pain of their injury. This is a story that acknowledges the stakes and isn’t afraid of them.
 Janine’s writing too carries the story beautifully – lyrical at turns, stark and brutal when it has to be, and so aware of the sexuality pulsing underneath all the time. Her style is wonderful and bloody enviable too. It’s also a great page turner, the tension barely letting up – Milja has precious few moments to breathe before being plunged into the next phase of the action.
The first two books of this series are smart, sexy, literate, gripping, and moving. I can’t wait for the third."

THANK YOU JACQUI!


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