Friday, February 27, 2015

Freebie Fiction Friday - Putting the TG in TGIF!

Well, if it's Friday, then that must been it's time for Freebie Fiction Friday . . . time to put the 'TG' in TGIF (and the 'FD' in Friday)!

Every Friday I take the initiative to search through thew newly free titles on Amazon, and to identify those that might be of interest to trans* readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon's free reading applications, and covert it (if need be) with Calibre. I can tell you I do most of my reading on my iPad, using Kindle for iPad, and it works beautifully.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, though, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

A great week with some really fantastic stories, including some from our favorite authors

Thursday, February 26, 2015

I Was an Amazon's Bride by Lyka Bloom

"An expedition into the heart of the Amazon leads a group of researchers into the clutches of an Amazon tribe, ruled by a futa queen." As a huge fan of Lyka Bloom's work, that opening line of her latest cover blurb was all I needed to read before I began begging her for a copy - and I am delighted to say that all my begging was rewarded in spades!

I Was an Amazon's Bride is, first and foremost, a great period piece. It's the story of a 19th century expedition, told via diary entries from Miles Dawson. It has that classic feel to it, and is full of details regarding the flora, fauna, and insect life of the deep jungle. Bloom does a fantastic job of setting the scene, making us see, hear, and feel the claustrophobic press of the jungle around the explorers. She begins setting up the dread early on, with the native guides very much afraid of some carvings they've found on a tree, and foreshadows later developments with the discovery of an odd tree sap that looks and feels far more like semen than any sap known to man.

Their capture of the young woman stalking the camp is actually a bit anti-climactic, given that she seems far slighter, slender, and weak compared to what we'd expect from an Amazon warrior. Of course, Bloom is just setting us up for a bigger surprise when her tribe comes screeching in to her rescue. Before then, however, Miles has a chance to show the young woman a little kindness and tenderness, which not only distinguishes him to the reader, but to the tribe as well. It's because of those few simple acts that he's kept apart from the other men and allowed to watch as each of them are transformed in an orgasmic ecstasy of ritual and magic.

As much as I'd love to talk about what comes next, I will bite my tongue and resist the temptation to talk about anything beyond the cover blurb. Needless to say, Miles has an interesting journey of transformation himself to undergo, but the kindness that sets him apart also brings him to the attention of the Amazon's shemale Queen - who, as you might guess, is in need of a bride. Despite the fear and the dread of the early scenes, and the fact that the men are forced into the situation, this is largely a joyous tale of men transformed into playfully sexual women. There is some sorrow and pain to the Queen's story, and Miles has a far bigger role to play in the tribe's future than his colleagues, but I loved the way in which Bloom developed the third and final act of the story.

I Was an Amazon's Bride is another book from Lyka Bloom that is both a great story on its own, and a great piece of transformation erotica. The imagination she puts into the story, coupled with her attention to detail, really does make this a delight.


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Friendly Seduction by Kylie Gable

Kylie Gable has to be one of the most diverse, and proficient, authors of transgender fiction going. While there are often common themes of forced feminization, coerced bisexuality, humiliation, and cuckoldry, the background, the setting, and the scenario are new every time. Friendly Seduction incorporates all of those themes, but does so in original fashion.

This time out, the scenario is one of sexual surrogacy. Brendan hasn't seen his college buddy in years so when he finds himself out of a job, he's more than happy to drop everything and accept an invitation to visit. The catch? Well, it turns out Adam's not home, and his stunningly beautiful wife is interested in more than just making their visitor comfortable. She wants to turn her husband's friend into his new lover, taking up the sexual slack while she steps out and avails herself of her choice of men.

Gable is all over the map with this one, and I love it. Morgan alternately seduces, teases, torments, blackmails, forces, and coerces Brendan into doing what she wants. There's no pain or humiliation involved this time, but it's a bewildering journey that lands Brendan in a beautician's chair for a total, head-to-toe transformation. There are some lovely twists to Friendly Seduction, particularly with Brendan's secret past, and just what Morgan and Adam know about it. The attention to detail is lovely, and the sexuality over-the-top, especially with the entirely satisfying finale.


New Google Terms of Service and Where to Follow Us (just in case)

UPDATE (Mar 5): Much to everybody's shock, surprise, and awe, Google has backed away from its threat. What I love about this is the fact that they changed their mind based on the "negative impact this could have on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities." :)

Google announced a significant change in their terms of service this week that directly impacts all blogs hosted on its blogger platform.

Basically, they're changing their terms so that "sexual content" is no longer allowed. 

From what I've read of the full announcement, this seems to be primarily aimed at blogs with explicit photos, videos, and stories. Since we only post published book covers, and reviews that pass the Amazon censorship test, I'm assuming (hoping?) we won't be impacted.

Then again, who knows how far this might go, or how loosely they may interpret their own terms of service.

Samuel, Bobbi, and I will keep on blogging and reviewing here for as long as Google continues to make us welcome. Like I said, I hope this change won't impact us, and we're going to be cautiously optimistic.

In the event that something does happen, though, odds are very good that it will be immediate and without warning.

So, just in case, we invite you to follow us (and our reviews) wherever we are:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Goodreads

Friday, February 20, 2015

Freebie Fiction Friday - Putting the TG in TGIF!

Well, if it's Friday, then that must been it's time for Freebie Fiction Friday . . . time to put the 'TG' in TGIF (and the 'FD' in Friday)!

Every Friday I take the initiative to search through thew newly free titles on Amazon, and to identify those that might be of interest to trans* readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon's free reading applications, and covert it (if need be) with Calibre. I can tell you I do most of my reading on my iPad, using Kindle for iPad, and it works beautifully.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, though, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

After a few awesome weeks we have another quiet one, but nice to see some new authors...