RAW: Book Review

I hate to be obvious here. . .but this book was RAW!

Too obvious?

I don't think you all quite understand what I'm trying to say here.

This isn't a fairytale or your typical romance. It's something twisted and hard to swallow at times.

Am I making sense here?

Fuck it. 

Here's a scene from the book.

..........................................................

"There's only one way I fuck." (the dark hero says)

The words are so crude that my lips part and I huff in an unsteady breath.

He takes a step forward, his eyes never leaving mine. "Dirty."

Watching my reaction, he adds, "And this type of dirty. . ."  He breathes deep and says on an exhale, ". . .it doesn't wash off."

.....................................................

Well, I don't know about everyone else, but each time I took a break from reading the novel. . .I took a shower.

Am I clean?

Hell No!

I want more! Is there a next book? I haven't seen anything yet, but I swear this is karma on me for taking so long with sequels.

Aint that a bitch! :-(

But let's go deeper. . .

MEET THE HERO

Believe me?

Fine. I'm overexagerrating a bit. He's sexy, but on the inside. . .it's that guy up above in the gif.

OOOOOOOO I love wicked, but at times he might have pushed EVEN MY LIMITS!

And let me tell you something. When the SMEXY CAME. . .

We all might have CAMEEEEEEEEEEE!!

TMI???

Fine. 

I'll end here by giving it 4 STARS!

Top 5 Dark Heroes

Top 5 Dark Heroes

When I wrote Flirting with Chaos, I wanted a dark hero. He needed to be broken and tortured, good more than bad, but definitely bad too. I needed to give the reader this hopeless hero and see if I could convince the reader that he was deserving of the heroine's love.

Creating this guy takes balls. Big ones. I'm sad to say that at the beginning of writing the novel, I didn't have huge testicles. They were just little tiny ones that barely hung low at all and. . .ok that's weird. . .anyway. . .

I read lots of books with dark heroes in an attempt to research ones that were successful in the literary world. Here's my top dark heroes that helped me develop Jude.

Mr. Rochester 

brooding and mysterious. . .rich yet utterly poor in happiness!

Jericho Barrons

The asshole we love to hate! 

Oh God! Yummy!

Travis Maddox

Boxing bad boy that doesn't 

know how to love, but is willing to learn. . .

after messing up a whole lot.

Gideon Cross

HOT!

Did I say Hot?

What is his bad quality?

. . . he may be a dick.

But he's a hot one!! 

Sometimes that counts.

Caleb

Okay. 

So yes, he's a human trafficker of young girls.

Yikes!

But if you had to get kidnapped. . .

I'm just saying.

If you had to get kidnapped, I guess it wouldn't be bad if it was Caleb.

Not buying it?

Fine. 

I do need help.

Rape Culture in Romance, good or bad?

I asked my husband to read the first 5 chapters of my work-in-progress. It's an Interracial Romance set in Tokyo. 

This is what he said, "Wow. You're writing improves with each book. It's like I'm in Tokyo. However, you should make the hero less Rapey."

I was blown away. "What the fuck? Rapey? Please explain this."

So he did. "You have this guy, invading the heroine's space upon meeting her, running his fingers through her hair, saying things that no rational male would say to any female he doesn't know, and. . .the guy is just creepy."


"No." I laughed. "That's romance."

"Hell no! That's rapey."

"Look. I've read tons of books where the Alpha Hero is a bit more than the typical guy."

"Then you've read a lot of romance novels with Rapey guys."

I'm a hard headed person so I made my darling husband act out the whole scene right there in our living room.

I was the heroine. He was the hero. 

Boom. 

We're in a Tokyo soapland (a brothel that bathes and provides sexual services to rich men). My hubby is a suspected yakuza gang leader. I'm a fast-talking fiction writer. 

We say the lines and do the actions.

The Results?

THE HERO IS RAPEY!!!

I'm totally creeped out.

What did I learn?

1- I need to re-write the freaking novel.

2- I should act out all scenes with my husband! 

What do I need to learn?

Dear god why did I find the hero so attractive. He was perfect when he lived in black and white on my laptop screen? Out in the real world, not acceptable.

but why was this jerk off acceptable in the story?

I have no idea. . .maybe I'm a sicko. . .maybe Rapey is in now. . .maybe I should change that. . .maybe I should not. . .

However, I'm not alone.

If you do a google search of the words "Rape. Hero. Novel" what you will get are TONS of goodreads lists and blog posts on many romance novels with rape in it.

Here's some of the lists with a link for all you naughty readers out there:

Romances with Forced Seduction or Rape by the Hero

Popular Rape by Hero Novels


...and we can't just let the guys have all the fun, can we? No way. Check out this great blog post by HeroesandHeartbreakers.com.

Waistcoat Rippers: Heroines that Rape the Heroes

So where am I going with discussion? 
I have no idea. 

I was just forced to realize that somewhere deep within my creative soul, I enjoy writing Rapey Heroes. I'm vowing to change this.

Why? 

I'm supposed to be a freaking feminist! Can feminists love Rapey Heroes? I doubt it.

but before I beat myself up, I need to understand why these novels are so popular and why have they captivated even me

I mean there are a whole bunch of women and men out there who enjoy a Rapey hero from time to time.

So now I'm asking you all to help me understand this fascination with Rapey Heroes. . 

Are you one of those readers that love a guy to go too far? 
Why or why not?  
How far is too far for a Rapey Hero?  
Would it be better if the Heroine raped the Hero?
Is Rape culture in romance, good or bad?

An Inside Look into Chaos

***Dark Erotic Romance

Amazon      B&N

“Sometimes it’s okay to kill, if you’re saving someone else in the process, Rainbow.” Dad wiped my tears from my face with bloody hands. “Go ahead, sweetheart. Do it for Daddy. Pull the trigger.”


And I did.

This isn't your mother's romance.

It's a deranged adventure through twisted addictions that arouse the body and mind. . .

Swim at your own risk.

Rain: artist, mentally stable

Jude: future rock star, sober

Our bodies formed into one entwined link, one grinding sensual movement of skin upon skin. 

Laboring breath skimmed across shivering flesh. Sculpted muscle molded against stiff nipples. The area between my thighs knew no pleasure till that moment.

 We collided, and all I could do was hold on.

Jude dominated me, and he did it in the most delicate movements--tortuously slow. 

      
He took his time. 

The piano played, the notes mingling with the sweat of our sex, the crashing of the waves, and the sound of my cries. 

Dear God, he took his time, until flickers of an orgasm turned into a bomb of passion that detonated inside and exploded through me.

New Adult Erotic Romance is Women's Horror Fiction

I'm so going to get in trouble for saying this, but I've come to a realization that New Adult Erotic Romance at times is a sort of Women's Horror Fiction.

Now before we get into this. I need you to STOP,

Remember. . . 

I said New Adult EROTIC romance, not the whole New Adult category.

First of all, the term women's fiction is really an umbrella term for women centered novels that focus on our lives and tend to be promoted to female readers.

Then we have to understand how I'm defining horror.

According to good ole' Wikipedia:

Horror fiction is a genre of literature intended to frighten, scare or startle its readers by inducing feelings of terror. It creates a frightening atmosphere. 

Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. Often the central menace of a work of Horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society. 

So my concept of Women's Horror Fiction is that it's women-centered literature that startles or frightens female readers and provides a central menace that can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of women in society.

Horror for the feminist!

 

I'm not saying every New Adult Erotic Romance novel is Women's Horror Fiction.

That would just be plain looney.

But I do believe that the NA Erotic Romance genre has been getting a lot of glares, scowls, and middle fingers because readers are simply put off by the angsty plot-lines and verging on abusive (or at least creepy) heroes.

Plus, I believe more experienced female readers are just not sure how to swallow this new genre.

And that's perfectly fine. 

But, I think I'm able to enjoy these books because I read them like I would watch a horror film.

Here's an example:

In Beautiful Disaster, when Travis hooked up with you know who in you know where while Abby was you know what. . . (sorry, I don't want to give away spoilers), but when that happened I was like. . .

"Get out of there, Abby!! Run! Hurry!
There's a monster in your bedroom! This guy is an asshole. He'll cheat on and emotionally abuse you. Run!"

Isn't that what we would do in at a scary movie, scream at the heroine and hope that she gets to safety as well as far away from the monster?

The biggest problem in NA Erotic Romance is that. . .the heroine usually doesn't get to safety.

She falls in love with The Monster!!

and as if that isn't enough. . .

the book ends with a Happily Ever After scene. . .
with the heroine and the Monster!

"No, you two stupid people will procreate and have more stupid people!!"

More experienced women will read these books and think, "Uh oh. I know how this ends. I've seen this happen to my friend or. . .this happened to me. Leave him alone."

But the heroine doesn't listen, and somehow she ends up being happy with him, which is even scarier.

The ending shoves against our preconceived notions about men, women, attraction, and how relationships should work.

Is that a good or bad thing? 

I don't know. 

But for the few that are really starting to be disgusted by New Adult Erotic Romance. . .

just give it a try

one more book

one more time

and when you open it up

read it like it's Women's Horror Fiction.

The Muse (Interracial Romantic Suspense) Released!

What happens when Death is the Muse?

Only $.99  
Available on Amazon and B&N
Add it to Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On the first day of her nude modeling job, Elle deals with a corpse, an eccentric dark artist, his sexy brother, and a grandmother that can see someone's future by just touching their hands. Although these crazy distractions shove her on edge, it's just what she needs to mend her battered heart and forget about her ex-boyfriend. Besides, she does get to live in their castle for the whole three months. 

Everything seems magical and perfect. Until more dead bodies are discovered.

There's something going on at night, right in the artist's garden. Under the moonlight, young women are being cut and sliced, and no one has a clue to who's doing it. And the more Elle is around the weird family in the castle, the more she realizes that they all are hiding secrets.

My thoughts:

What happens when Death is the Muse?

This story goes deep into the intriguing world of dark art.

We have a broken-hearted nude model. . .

that begins working for one of the most famous dark artist in the world. She's trying to revive her career, and it seems she's made the right choice of modeling for him . . .

until the dead girls are discovered in his garden.

Did I mention that there's a Hot Brother in this?

Excerpt #1

"I’ll sacrifice for you?” I asked.

“Yes,” Hex whispered. “You’re going to give up something to gain whatever it is you need.”

This was the art world and Hex represented a true artist who saw the world in many layers of reality, so thick that a layer could be yanked away for a few seconds and analyzed like a book.

“Sacrifice.” I curled the word around my tongue and sucked in the bitter taste of it. “Why sacrifice?”

“Because in order to truly be free you’ll have to surrender it all. You’ll have to tear away all of the things that bind you to whatever is keeping you back from your passion.”

Smexy Excerpt

The ocean waves crashed against us. That cool water rose up to our knees. All was forgotten in those sweet kisses—lips gliding against lips, wet tongues twisting and exploring, hungry hands and taunting fingers. 

Bang Bang: French Indie Art Movie HEARTBEATS

Saturday night, I found myself last Friday with a glass of wine, all kids asleep, and my husband out with his friends. So what does that mean?

MOMMY TIME!!!!!!!!

I immediately jumped on Netflix and browsed. 

What I found was HEARTBEATS!

Before I get into my FANGIRLDOM, check out the trailer!

This movie was Bananas!

I mean so damn good that I've been thinking and thinking and thinking about this movie all week!

It's brilliant and AMAZEBALLS!
Not only that but it's smart, the cinematography is enchanting, the acting is done so well I pretty much orgasmed by the middle of the movie, and the plotline. . . dear God I am a believer in this writer's work. . .I just need to find out who the writer is and then STALK Him or Her!!

It's
Dark
Romantic
Unusual
and
Frenchish

The only downer is that it is in subtitles. Usually I don't like subtitles, but this time it didn't bother me at all cause it was so fucking awesome!

So if you have time this upcoming weekend or maybe even during the week, try this movie! It will rock your world. 

Then come back and tell me what you thought!

Top Five Dark Erotica Novels

D. T. Dyllin

Hey Floozies and Floozers!

I was asked to list my top five dark erotica type style romances for Two Fantasy Floozies. 

The only problem I ran into is that I’ve crossed over some invisible line somewhere, and I’m like a jaded New Yorker on the subway watching the violence unfold before me with nary a care. 

Nothing is too dark or too disturbing for me anymore. Lol. So I made my list up of some of my favorite erotica. 

Are they dark and disturbing? 

I’ll let you be the judge. *winks *



5) The Siren by Tiffany Reisz 

     


The Siren is not your garden variety erotica. 

Yes, it’s centered around the BDSM lifestyle, but it’s more…so much more. 



It takes you on a journey into the world of two people who are exploring both their emotions and sexuality after having lost the loves of their lives. 


4) The Dark Garden by Eden Bradley

This one is an oldie but a goodie. 


It was my first BDSM read and it blows 50 Shades of Grey out of the water. ‘Nuff said. 





3) Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts

    

Yes, this one deals with human trafficking and rape and a host of other things that make most people cringe at the mere mention of them. 

*cough * Kenya Wright * cough * cough * 


But when you get down to it, it’s a tail woven about two broken souls looking for their place in life. Will they heal each other in the end or break each other irrevocably? The answer found in my number two book…




2) Seduced in the Dark by C.J. Roberts

     
I seriously loved this series. 

It was raw and gritty and I got the ending that I wanted. 

That’s why they are number 3&2 on my list. 







1) Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

This book caused me to get an author crush on Madeline Sheehan. 

It was dark, twisty, and the characters drop the F bomb almost as much as I do…almost.


It just felt very authentic to me. Real life isn’t pretty, and neither is this book, which is why I loved it. 

About D.T.Dyllin

Author Website

Cynical-Optimist. Chocolate-holic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Romance Junkie. Self Imposed Insomniac. Animal Lover. Writer.

February Book of the Month Battle: Sins & Needles

Let the battle lines form!!

Available Everywhere! 

THE MAIN CHARACTER IN SINS & NEEDLES CAN DEFINITELY BE DEFINED AS FLAWED AND AN ANTI-HEROINE. 

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT HER AND DID THE AUTHOR DO A GOOD JOB OF EXECUTING AN ANTI-HERO?

Alicia: Why are you shouting?

Kenya: I thought it would be sexier to do the questions in all caps. :-)

Alicia: It's not sexy. It hurts my ears. 

Kenya: would you just answer the damn question.
*eye rolls

Alicia: Honestly, I had mixed feelings about Ellie, which maybe means the author did a good job.

Ellie had issues, sure, and a tough life, also true. But she was a jerk and a whiner. I like heroines who are mentally tougher, and she really wasn't.

Kenya: I definitely Loved and Hated Ellie so many times. Especially around her thoughts of robbing a certain person. It made me mad, but on the other side I understood why she did it.

Alicia: Basically, she wronged other people because she felt justified--like she deserved STUFF because her life sucks. And okay, I get that--but then she should be targeting people who have hurt her. 
I don't understand why she did it. I take that back--I do understand. She did it because she's a selfish ass.

Kenya: Her parents didn't teach her the proper ways to behave. She was socialized to do the things she did.

Alicia: She knew it was wrong. This isn't about what her parents taught her. I disagree. 

I think she knew it was a big deal--which is why she struggled with it--and made the wrong choice. I would have liked her better if she hadn't struggled. Then I'd know she really thought it was okay.

Kenya: Nope. You are 100% wrong!  She had to struggle. She does have a conscious, but she learned how to turn that conscious off from her parents.

Alicia: Ellie knew right from wrong. She just felt like her needs took precedence over other people. She's a selfish bi-yatch.

Kenya:  :-o   (you suck!)

Alicia: She's a selfish bi-yatch <-- my theory

Kenya: very mature.

Alicia: I know this

Kenya: Let's move on since clearly you're a moron.  *clears throat

Alicia: I have more to say! The only reason I rooted for their romance was because Cam was a sympathetic character, and plus, I wanted more of the sex.  There. Now I'm done.

Kenya: (no one cares)



WHAT WERE THE TWO TOP THINGS YOU HATED IN THE NOVEL?


Alicia: The superficial mysteries--which were really just information withholding.

Toward the beginning of the book, the narrative kept hinting about multiple things that happened in the past that had shaped Ellie's life, but the whole truth came out in bits and pieces. This was a cheap trick!

Kenya: *bangs her head against the desk.

Alicia: Ellie is the POV character. I was annoyed that the narrative withheld stuff that Ellie clearly already knew. If it's her point of view, I should know what she knows!

Kenya:  Okay well, I do admit that I disliked the flashbacks, but more because the content were hard to deal with. The characters represented how cruel high school can be and how confused teens are with who they are and their place in the world.  I had rough high school times for me. It was like looking at my past.

Alicia: And plus, the narrative kept referring to Ellie as "the girl" in the flashbacks. Annoying.

Kenya: okay that annoyed me too.

Alicia: <-- the girl agrees

Kenya: Granted, that could have been symbolism for how the character saw herself maybe you couldn't see the Deep Shit!
*gets deep and REAL.

Alicia: <-- the girl thinks it got old pretty fast

Kenya: *face palm

The love interest CAM-- ANY GOOD, BAD, OR OTHER THINGS TO SAY?

Alicia: Cam was fine. He grew on me.

Kenya: I loved Cam. He was sexy but flawed (ears). Compassionate, but a little ruthless at times.

Alicia:  He was a sucker. Ellie was a selfish bi-yatch! 

Kenya: he understood her, unlike you.

Alicia: I liked the tattoos. :)

Kenya: BUT--I hated the scene with his father later. I don't want to say too much for those who didn't read it. But the one scene where he's upset after his father leaves.

Alicia: Yeah, that was a painful scene, and I really felt for him. I wanted him to stand up for himself, but I realize that's not an easy thing.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ENDING? PREDICTABLE, UNEXPECTED, AWESOME, PANTY-DROPPING?

Kenya: For me it was awesome and unexpected. I hate when everything is tied up.

Alicia: Gosh, I really don't know how I feel about it. :-/
It didn't shock me with unexpectedness, but I wouldn't call it predictable either. 

The bad guy was okay. Kind of cliché. I guess I was disappointed because I wanted Cam to get everything he wanted, and that didn't happen (although I guess it still might in the sequel).

WOULD YOU CONTINUE TO THE NEXT BOOK?

Alicia: Yes, I'll continue. I'm not in a huge hurry, but I'll read it. Honestly, this discussion has made me realize that I have a lot of issues with the book.

Kenya: Lol. I am definitely going to the next one. 

In fact there is a prequel on her time with the bad guy. I'm actually hyped to read that.

How would you rate this book?

Alicia: 

Kenya:  :-(    I may no longer be your friend.

Alicia: Fine!

Kenya: 

Alicia: You just liked it because of the sex.

Kenya: Oh god i did, so yummy!!!!!!!!