Rogue Reviews Digest No. 51 - November 10, 1999

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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Shameless Plug

  Check out my home page for reviews of and links to over 450 
  stories of an erotic nature.

    http://www92.pair.com/leevine

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Feedback

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

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Reviews

  "Masks" by Ann Douglas
  "Cock the Hammer" by LeAnna
  "Sharing Kim" by E. Z. Riter
  "Aftermath" by Pami

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Rogue Review No. 455 - November 1, 1999

TITLE: Masks
AUTHOR: Ann Douglas
LENGTH: 8,800 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Female
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Females)
ORIENTATION(S): Homosexual (Female)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Strangers
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Hotel
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Taylor thought she deserved to have a little fun, 
so she snuck into a masked ball.  What she did not realize, 
until it was too late to back out gracefully, was that there 
was something different about this masked ball.

COMMENTARY: This is a delightful story.  The author does a 
wonderful job putting the reader inside Taylor's head.  The 
turmoil she experiences as she must decide whether to 
continue playing along and cross a line that she has never 
crossed before, was thrilling.

I loved the fact that the author presents the story in a 
very open way.  She doesn't tell the reader what her main 
character is experiencing, but rather shows what Taylor is 
experiencing.  This makes all the difference in the world.  
The reader’s imagination is more actively challenged by such 
a story.  I for one had a lot of fun taking up that 
challenge.

If you have read some of Ann Douglas' other tales of lesbian 
lust, then you may notice an element herein that has been 
present in a few of her other stories.  If you haven't, what 
are you waiting for?

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 8.5 (out of 10)

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

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Excellent

LINK(S): Masks

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=538932455&fmt=raw [0/4]
         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=538932518&fmt=raw [1/4]
         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=538934499&fmt=raw [2/4]
         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=538935873&fmt=raw [3/4]
         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=538939555&fmt=raw [4/4]

         The Ann Douglas Archive

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

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Rogue Review No. 456 - November 10, 1999

TITLE: Cock the Hammer
AUTHOR: LeAnna
LENGTH: 1,700 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Female
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Females)
ORIENTATION(S): Homosexual (Female)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Friends
KINK(S): --
SETTING(S): Home
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: A grim tale of sex and deception.

COMMENTARY: This is an intriguing story.  I was aroused by 
it, but in the end I almost felt ashamed for being aroused.  
There is much more to it than just sex, although sex figures 
prominently in the story.  I wouldn't call this a happy 
story, but it is a powerful one.

The author uses some of her own poetry, or her main 
character's poetry, in the story.  I found this to be a nice 
touch.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 8.0 (out of 10)

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

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Excellent

LINK(S): Cock the Hammer

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year1999/20913

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=546798767&fmt=raw

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Rogue Review No. 457 - November 10, 1999

TITLE: Sharing Kim
AUTHOR: E. Z. Riter
LENGTH: 10,200 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Male
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Females)
                Twosome (Female, Male)
                Threesome (2 Females, 1 Male)
                Threesome (1 Female, 2 Males)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
                Homosexual (Female)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Friends
                 Married Couples
KINK(S): Exhibitionism
         Partner Swapping
SETTING(S): Beach
            Home
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Jason wants to share Kim, his wife, with Dave, his 
best friend.  She is resistant, when he first suggests that 
she sleep with Dave, and does not mellow to his desire very 
quickly.

COMMENTARY: What I liked about this story are its 
exhibitionist elements and the build up to its inevitable, 
climactic scene.  I enjoyed the dilemma that Jason was faced 
with, as long as he was not discussing it with Kim or trying 
to rationalize it in his own mind.  It was at those times 
that I felt the story took a turn south.  I liked the sex 
and the sexual situations; they were hot.

As I have already mentioned, I did not care for the 
discussions that Jason and Kim had about her sleeping with 
Dave.  They seem longer than need be.  Each time the subject 
was brought up it seemed to be a rehashing of the last 
discussion they had on the topic.  I did not get much, if 
anything, out of hearing them replay their arguments 
regarding why she should or should not sleep with his best 
friend.

On a slightly different note, there is one angle of this 
story that turned me off: Jason's insistence that Kim sleep 
with Dave.  It seemed silly and at the same time it made me 
uncomfortable.  Personally, I would have been more at ease 
if Jason had taken a subtler approach.   I suppose it 
wouldn't be quite the same story, but that's how I feel.

I suppose the review should end here, but there is still 
something bothering me.  It has to do with the review 
itself.  Specifically, I have had an easier time quantifying 
that which I did not like about this story than that which I 
did.  Please do NOT take this as an indication that I did 
not enjoy it.  I DID enjoy it; I'm just not wild about it.  
Thumbs up, but not enthusiastically so.

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 8.0 (out of 10)

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

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Very Good

LINK(S): Sharing Kim

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year1999/20932

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=546898081&fmt=raw

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Rogue Review No. 458 - November 10, 1999

TITLE: Aftermath
AUTHOR: Pami
LENGTH: 6,900 words
MAIN CHARACTER: Female
COMBINATION(S): Twosome (Female, Male)
ORIENTATION(S): Heterosexual (Female, Male)
RELATIONSHIP(S): Dominant-Submissive
KINK(S): Bondage and Discipline
SETTING(S): Home
GENRE(S): --
CAUTION(S): --

SUMMARY: Caroline and Andrew get together for the first time 
since he put her up for auction the week before.

COMMENTARY: This story is hot!  Yes, I realize that I have 
said that before, about other stories, but this time I 
really mean it.

The author does a wonderful job keeping the action fresh.  
She does not cut to the chase too quickly, although, there 
isn't, truth be told, very much to the plot.  The emphasis 
is on how Caroline and Andrew feel about one another and how 
they enjoy one particular night together.

Speaking of Caroline and Andrew, I found them to be 
realistic and multidimensional.  They both express doubts, 
either verbally or mentally.  These doubts, coupled with the 
other emotions that they experience, made it easy for me to 
accept that they could be real people.  They did not seem 
like stereotypes.  This is what really turned me on; the 
fact that it wasn't just mindless sex.

If you like romantic stories with some bondage and 
discipline in them or you like bondage and discipline 
stories with some romance in them, then you should love this 
one.  I do and I did.  

OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: 9.5 (out of 10)

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

SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS: Outstanding

LINK(S): Aftermath

         - http://assm.asstr.org/Year1999/20933

         - http://www.deja.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=546916273&fmt=raw

