It was a couple of months ago that I picked up my copy of Tit For Tat by Delilah Fawkes on Amazon while browsing free stories. As you may, or may not, know the "freebie" listing on Amazon and many other sites are a great place to find many short works, some fantastic and some substandard. As a marketing tool for authors and publishers I think it is a great way to showcase new talent, however there are quite a few who choose to showcase whatever, as if it will actually entice readers to pay money when the distinct possibility is that what they will be paying for will be as bad as, if not worse than, what they received for free.
As soon as I opened up Tit For Tat I braced myself. From the opening line and through the first couple of paragraphs I had a feeling, you know, that bad feeling I get, that I knew exactly where this story was going. However as I read on I was pleasantly surprised to have Ms. Fawkes spin out a little quickie that was fresh and actually did not end up the way I was thinking it would.
Tit For Tat is the story of Sara, a college student, who along with her roommate Kim, attend a party where they end up paring up with Scott and Jamie, two notorious womanizers who are also known for playing around within their own sex as well. Once they have a room to themselves they begin to play a little game of we'll play with each other if you'll play with each other first. I had visions of American Pie 2 in my mind from the beginning, but Fawkes takes it beyond that sophomoric little comedy scene, making it a full scene of consensual same-sex hotness. I had expected that in the end the guys and girls would pair off, but that never happened, and in my opinion really helped the story further break from the realm of the stereotypical and predictable.
At least on Amazon the story has been attacked for being too short and offering more sample scenes from Fawkes's other work which make up more than half the length of the eBook itself, but that's the nature of independent writing. The only things I can fault this short and sweet little story with are a couple of spelling and usage errors, as well as a formatting issue that causes the paragraphs to appear without indentations or breaks. That said this is a Four Star story and for the most part is a good example of an author self-promoting with a free work which includes several good sample scenes as well as a complete story.
Delilah Fawkes has published several short stories and novellas, many with a college theme or setting. This is one of the best bisexual stories that I have ever seen without any actual bi action, and it gets along without it just fine, as well as doing the job when it comes to getting the blood flowing.
You can find Tit For Tat as a free eBook here:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050YUSAS
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tit-for-tat-delilah-fawkes/1103948655
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59738
Diesel eBook Store: http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW00000059738/Fawkes-Delilah-Tit-for-Tat/1.html
Sony eBook Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/delilah-fawkes/tit-for-tat/_/R-400000000000000424305
Lurk for it if you want a good, hot and quick 20 minute read with both M/M and F/F action!
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| Master Vyle |
There are some things out there that make you shake your head to yourself as you try and figure out exactly what to say about them. When you take the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "Tale Number 89 (The Goose Girl)", add some lesbian eroticism with a modern twist, and throw in a dash of what the author herself admits is a heavy Robin Hood Men In Tights influence, and what you've got is Giselle Renarde's Goose Girl. Now it does help to be familiar with the Grimm tale that the plot, characters and story are culled from, but it is not totally necessary. But then again it helps.
I hadn't read the Grimm Fairy Tale until after reading Giselle's novella, and I have to admit it helped me get a slightly better grasp on the story's inspiration. In Goose Girl the reader is presented with a faithful spoof of its inspiration, that at no point takes itself too seriously. The author herself told me that she felt it was either a love it or hate it kind of story, and I have to admit I totally understood as I have a few stories of my own that are that way.
Goose Girl tells the story of a princess-to-be who is on the way to meet and marry the prince she is betrothed to, carrying a handkerchief with her mother's blood on it and riding a talking horse. Along the way her scheming hand maid forces her to change places with her, including clothing and horses. Once the maid has situated herself within the royal household she has the talking horse killed, and the real princess is sent to help tend the local geese with an amorous male goose keeper. After a time the princess's true identity comes to light, and the scheming maid is punished.
Yes, the story is pretty much that same as Grimms' The Goose Girl, with the addition of lesbian sex, a voyeuristic king, a wimpy prince, and a goose lovin' goose keeper who has his little penis blown away on the wind instead of his hat. Oh, and I forgot to mention, one hairy assed, butch, scheming maid. I've been with a hairy chick in the past, but at least I could put a hand between her boobs and cover it. Renarde's Rosamunda is just as hairy as Juliette in Troma's Tromeo And Juliette after she takes the potion that turns her into a human-donkey hybrid with male parts! Add to that the fact that Renarde adds the term poultry-sexual to the English language, and you got some comic gold.
In this novella Giselle Renarde presents us with such, should be, classic dialogue as:
"Oh, my dearest, Rosamunda, riding this way has my precious cavern flowing with love nectar. I feel I would die without immediate gratification. I beg you, dismount, and take a drink from my cup."
and:
"She rubbed faster and faster, her big breasts bouncing, until the pleasure was so vast she had to squeeze her eyes shut just to stay sane."
?????????????????
And I did close my eyes at that point to keep from going insane with laughter.
Is Goose Girl terrible? Well that depends on your point of view. If you have an open mind and a good sense of humor you'll love it. If you're a stick in the mud, or hoping to be titillated to the point you have to stop reading and masturbate before going on you'll hate it. Goose Girl is erotic comedy, but the emphasis is on comedy and not steamy sex scenes.
I give it four stars overall, and in part because I went back and read the Grimm story it is based on. For me knowing the initial story helped put Renade's take on in into perspective. It's not totally necessary to know the fairy tale, but it helps, especially for someone who begins reading this with the expectations it is going to be more sex than ha, ha.
Goose Girl by Giselle Renarde is available as an eBook or download
Amazon.Com: http://www.amazon.com/Goose-Twisted-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B0053DL9IQ
All Romance Books: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-goosegirl-550229-144.html
You can follow Giselle Renarde on Twitter @GiselleRenarde . Or check her out on her own sites:
Blog: http://www.donutsdesires.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/erotica
Podcasts: http://gisellerenarde.podbean.com/
Giselle is a very prolific writer, and it seems on almost every site I go to where she is mentioned I find there are more and more stories written by her than on the last site I researched her on. She writes in a number of genres and many of her stories deal with LGBT themes. She's not afraid to take a risk and does not take herself too seriously, and that is enough to earn her a ton of respect from Me. Be sure to check her out, because I can't wait to delve into her other works to see what they are like.
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| Master Vyle |
