Rogue Reviews Digest No. 56 - March 4, 2000

NOTICE: If you are easily offended, not of the required legal 
age, or material of an erotic nature is illegal where you are, 
then do not read what follows.

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Comments

It has been almost two months since my last issue of Rogue 
Reviews Digest.  Lately, I haven't had much time to read and 
review stories.  Don't expect to see more than one issue of 
Rogue Reviews per month in the near future.

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Shameless Plug

  Check out my home page for reviews of and links to over 475 
  stories of an erotic nature.

    http://www92.pair.com/leevine

=====

Feedback

  The authors of these stories would love to hear from you.  
  Whether you have praise or criticism drop them a line after 
  reading their story.  If you write your reactions in an 
  intelligent manner then they will probably write back to you.  
  Juvenile slobberings and flames are often ignored.

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Reviews

  "Blue Sky" by DG
  "Mystery Caller" by The Redoubt
  "The Perfect Pair" by DrSpin
  "Sunday With Dear Abby" by Paris Waterman
  "Confessions of a Poodle Shaver" by artie
  "V Day" by E. Z. Riter
  "Be Prepared" by Jenny Wanshel
  "Can I..." [Chapter 1] by Anthony Matthews
  "Divertimenti" by Hecate

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Rogue Review No. 488 - January 7, 2000

TITLE: Blue Sky
AUTHOR: DG
LENGTH: 11,400 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Relative Strangers
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Boat
            Home
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Noel catches Jim's eye when she steams into the 
marina on Mort's arm.  It isn't too long before Jim manages 
to get himself wrapped up in her problems.

COMMENTARY: I like the idea behind this story.  I think the 
author did a pretty good job with the characters.  Some of 
the sex scenes are arousing.  Despite all this, there is 
something about the story that strikes me as being wrong.  
The pacing could be better.  It feels rushed in some places.

Also, there is a bit too much dialogue, in certain scenes.  
I feel that, those scenes would benefit from having a bit 
more narration thrown into them.  I'm not sure that this 
would make the story as a whole eminently better, but I 
think it would improve those scenes and give them a more 
natural flow.

By the way, if you are interested in reading a story that 
happens to have sexual elements in it, then you may want to 
try this one.  If you are solely interested in sex scenes or 
being aroused, then you will probably find this story 
somewhat lacking.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 7.5 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 3/5
        - Editing: 5/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Good

LINK(S): Blue Sky

         - http://assm.asstr.org/erotica/assm/Year97/4199.txt

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=273662435&fmt=raw

         DG's Story Page

         - http://baird.pair.com/dg.htm

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Rogue Review No. 489 - January 8, 2000

TITLE: Mystery Caller
AUTHOR: The Redoubt
LENGTH: 3,300 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Mother-Son
KINK(S): Phone Sex
SETTING(S): Home
            Work
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Soon after he buys an answering machine, Steve 
start receiving sexually explicit messages from an unknown 
woman.  The list of suspects includes Cheryl, his mother.

COMMENTARY: Now this is good, very good; no, wait, I think 
its excellent.  There isn't a hell of a lot to it, but I 
like it a lot.  What impresses me the most is how the author 
twists the story toward the end.  I don't want to say 
anymore for fear of giving something away.  I will say that 
what he does do turned, in my opinion, a very good story 
into an excellent one.

On the whole I found this story to be extremely arousing and 
very entertaining.  Keep in mind that I usually enjoy 
stories of consensual incest.  This may have biased me 
toward this story some, but at the same time I think that 
author has done a better than average job.  If you don't 
care for stories of consensual incest then maybe you should 
skip this one, otherwise I highly recommend you read it.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 9.5 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 5/5
        - Editing: 5/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Excellent

LINK(S): Mystery Caller

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=569683713&fmt=raw

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Rogue Review No. 490 - January 8, 2000

TITLE: The Perfect Pair
AUTHOR: DrSpin
LENGTH: 3,100 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Infidelity
KINK(S): Voyeurism (sort of)
SETTING(S): Home
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: A man becomes obsessed with his coworker's wife's 
breasts.

COMMENTARY: This one is a little different, but I like it.  
I found it to be only mildly arousing, but I there is much 
more to it than just sex.  I like the way the author plays 
with the main characters; how he has them interact.  They 
seem very realistic.  For example, the narrator did not just 
say that he was obsessed, he also seemed obsessed.  His 
action backed up his words.

As I may have already indicated, this doesn't exactly strike 
me as stroke material.  It is, however, a fun read and isn't 
all that long.  I think that most of you should enjoy it.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 8.5 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 4/5
        - Editing: 5/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Very Good

LINK(S): The Perfect Pair

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year1999/21288

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=549270368&fmt=raw

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Rogue Review No. 491 - January 29, 2000

TITLE: Sunday With Dear Abby
AUTHOR: Paris Waterman
LENGTH: 3,100 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Unmarried Couple
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Home
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Warren drops in on Abby, one Sunday.

COMMENTARY: Don't read too much into the title of this 
story.  It doesn't have anything to do with advice 
columnists.  It is, however, an enjoyable read.  The sex is 
passionate.  There isn't a whole lot to the plot, but part 
of the fun in reading it is watching how Warren and Abby 
interact.  In other words it doesn't really matter that the 
story is thin in the plot department, in my opinion, of 
course.

One thing that does strike me about this story: there are 
places where the action seems to jump forward in time 
without any visual or textual reference to indicate what's 
happening.  This threw me off a bit.  It also seemed as 
though there were places where details were included for no 
particular reason.  By themselves, these details did not 
help to make the situation any more real for me.  I took 
them as precursors, although nothing really followed them, 
so they weren't precursors.  This left me wondering why 
include these details in the first place.  They bumped me 
off track a bit; they distrubed the flow for me.

Most of you should enjoy this story, although it is a bit 
subdued.  If you prefer something a bit more intense or 
kinky then you may want to pass on this one.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 7.5 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 3/5
        - Editing: 5/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Very Good

LINK(S): Paris' Place

         - http://www.asstr.org/~Paris_Waterman/

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Rogue Review No. 492 - January 30, 2000

TITLE: Confessions of a Poodle Shaver
AUTHOR: artie
LENGTH: 8,400 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Unmarried Couple
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Hotel
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Roger grooms dogs for competition.  Melissa is in 
need of some grooming.  Melissa isn't a canine.  

COMMENTARY: There some things that I like about this story.  
The sexual situations that Melissa and Roger get themselves 
into are hot.  There is much more to the story than just 
sex.  The author does a very nice job setting the scene.

The are some things that bothered me about this story.  
Generally speaking, I prefer dialogue to narration.  It 
seems to me that this story had an abundance of narration, 
but fell short in the dialogue department.  Specifically, 
there is much more narration by Roger than there are 
conversations he has with Melissa.  I was also disappointed 
by the fact that Melissa does not seem to be an independent 
character.  Most of what the author tells us about her is 
told through Roger, and he seems to be in control.  Maybe I 
am trying to say that the story was a bit too predictable, 
which it wasn't, but I am not sure.  What I do know is that 
it would have been nice if Melissa had gotten more air time.

All in all this is a well written story.  I think that the 
flaws I see are primarily creations of my own imagination.  
There are 'things' that I like to see in a story and 
'things' that I don't.  These 'things' color my views and 
reviews.  In other words, some of you may enjoy this story 
more than I did; but don't get the wrong idea, I did enjoy 
it.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 7.5 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 3/5
        - Editing: 5/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Very Good

LINK(S): Confessions of a Poodle Shaver

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year1999/22056

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=566779303&fmt=raw

         artie's stories

         - http://www.asstr.org/~artie/

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Rogue Review No. 494 - February 12, 2000

TITLE: V Day
AUTHOR: E. Z. Riter
LENGTH: 5,300 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
                Threesome (2 Females, 1 Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Married Couple
                 Friends
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Home
            Hotel
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Barbara gives her husband a very special gift for 
Valentine's Day.  She invites her friend, Veronica, to join 
them in bed.

COMMENTARY: This one is a little different.  The author may 
not like this, but I'm going to say it anyway, there is a 
twist at the end of the story.  It isn't that I wasn't 
expecting some sort of a twist in the tale, but in this case 
I feel that the twist did not work completely.  It was too 
abrupt and did not keep the story flowing in the same 
general direction, in my opinion.  It wasn't quite a hairpin 
turn, but it did alter the mood of story dramatically.

Aside from the ending, I enjoyed the story.  The characters 
seemed realistic enough.  The sex was hot.  It is probably 
much more of a male fantasy than female fantasy one, but the 
twist at the ending, well that's all I going to say.  You'll 
just have to read it and judge for yourself whether the 
story and the ending work.

...

After I wrote this review I looked back and noticed that the 
story codes reveal much more than the title does.  Um, in 
other words, I should not have been surprised as I was by 
the ending.  Is there a moral to this paragraph?  Maybe.  
Oh, you actually want to know what it is?  Well, um, I guess 
it is that if you want a better idea as to what a story is 
about before reading it, then maybe you should try reading 
the story codes, unlike me.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 7.5 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 3/5
        - Editing: 5/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Good

LINK(S): V Day

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year2000/22746

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=584819296&fmt=raw

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Rogue Review No. 495 - February 26, 2000

TITLE: Be Prepared
AUTHOR: Jenny Wanshel
LENGTH: 10,000 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Female
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Teenagers in Lust
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Woods
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Jenny goes to girl scout camp with her friends.  
The main attraction is the boy scout camp just across the 
river.  Jenny and her friends manage to do more than just 
think about the other camp.

COMMENTARY: I enjoyed the author's style.  She has a nice 
light touch and doesn't treat her characters or the 
situations that they get themselves into too seriously.  The 
humorous asides and detours from her narrative made the 
story much more enjoyable for me.

One thing about the story: it is a bit episodic.  It is all 
about the time they spend getting to and at scout camp, but 
it seems to lack a focal point.  The story as a whole does 
not build up to one climactic moment, although it does have 
such a moment.  This is just an observation, not a 
criticism; something to keep in mind when you are reading 
it.

I get the impression that this story will appeal more 
to women than to men.  I could be wrong, but that is how 
it -- er -- rubs me.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 7.5 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 3/5
        - Editing: 5/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Very Good

LINK(S): Be Prepared

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year2000/22615

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Rogue Review No. 496 - February 27, 2000

TITLE: Can I... [Chapter 1]
AUTHOR: Anthony Matthews
LENGTH: 3,500 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Cousins
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Home
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Anthony is reunited with his cousin Kelly during 
the summer of 1996.  They are teenagers, born a month apart, 
and appreciate the manner in which the other has developed 
physically.

COMMENTARY: I like the manner in which the author tells his 
story.  It does not seem matter of fact, but rather is 
filled with little details that gently nudged my 
imagination.  He seems to focus as much on how the main 
character is feeling as he does on what exactly is going on.  
I like that, a lot.

This story is written as the first chapter of a longer work.  
While it can probably stand on its own, I feel that this 
segment was lacking in plot.  The author basically sets the 
situation, introduces a bit of tension, and then has a sex 
scene.  The tension seems to flow away once the sex begins.  
The tension does not last long enough to fully satisfy me.  
Of course, if this is just the first chapter of a longer 
work, then there is plenty of time to bring back the 
tension, which I feel is an essential element in any sort of 
story about human interaction.

So, I like what the author has written so far.  I hope that 
there is more to the relationship between Anthony and Kelly 
than just sex.  Hopefully the author will continue with his 
story and prove this to be the case.  

If you prefer things that are over-the-top and incredibly 
kinky, then you will probably be disappointed by this story.  
If, on the other hand, you enjoy stories that are more on 
the gentle side, then I certainly recommend it to you.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 7.0 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 3/5
        - Editing: 4/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Very Good

LINK(S): Can I... [Chapter 1]

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year2000/22858
         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=587102957&fmt=raw

         Anthony Matthews' Stories

         - www.mrdouble.com/htm/raauthors/nlsoldier.htm

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Rogue Review No. 497 - March 3, 2000

TITLE: Divertimenti
AUTHOR: Hecate
LENGTH: 8,100 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Female
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (2 Females)
                Threesome (3 Females)
ORIENTATION(S): Homosexual (Female)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Teacher-Student
KINK(S): Spanking, Light Bondage, Discipline
SETTING(S): Home
            Restaurant
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Susannah's ballet instructor, Claire, grows tired 
of her student's attitude.  She wants to discipline her 
student.  Susannah indicates that she isn't adverse to the 
idea of discipline.  The story progresses from there.

COMMENTARY: I like this story for a number of reasons.  It 
wasn't too predictable.  The sex was hot.  The focus seems 
to be Susannah's emotional state and not the sex acts she 
performs.  The plot develops at a nice pace.

On the down side the story is a bit lacking in the plot 
department.  Given the up side (see last paragraph for 
details) I am willing to overlook this fact.  A story does 
not have to have a great plot to be a fun read or even to be 
a great story.  What it does need is something compelling; 
something to drag you in.  I found that in the main 
character.  Susannah seems torn throughout the story.  One 
minute she is thrilled and aroused by her ballet 
instructor's actions and the next minute she is nervous and 
scared.  She willingly submits to Claire's discipline, but 
usually not before expressing doubts or hesitating.

I guess that if you don't care for stories that involve 
spankings or light bondage, then you might want to skip this 
one.  The female homosexuality may turn some of you off.  I 
enjoyed it quite a bit and certainly recommend it to those 
of you who don't think they will be squicked by the subject 
matter.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 9.0 (out of 10)

        - Arousal: 5/5
        - Editing: 4/5
        - Plot and Characters: 4/5

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Excellent

LINK(S): Divertimenti

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year2000/22995 [1/2]
         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year2000/23000 [2/2]

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=590740623&fmt=raw [1/2]
         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=591123740&fmt=raw [2/2]

