$14.95
ISBN 1573442348
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Reviewed by William S. Dean
(06/28/06)
"Kinky and sexy and impossible to put down," is how Alison Tyler describes her anthology, Slave to Love. I have to differ. I agree the book is sexy. The kink -- at least these days -- of bondage, restraint, and domination/submission is becoming more commonplace. As for putting the book down, physically, I think readers will find themselves doing so frequently -- in order to, well, to do whatever it is they do when their urges are aroused to the point of "I want to do that and I want to do it now!"
There's little question that Slave to Love is an excellent companion piece to Tyler's previous two volumes of Best Bondage Erotica, also by Cleis Press. Fortunately for those who have a penchant for the "tie me up, tie me down" brand of erotic tale, Tyler has made superb choices, it seems, with variety. These -- straight, gay, lesbian folk -- are characters who share the readers' sensual appreciation of domination and restraint, whether it's of the full on "chained to the wall" style or the more subtle, yet powerful "domination by the will alone" class.
"Cowboy's Dungeon" by Michelle Houston, for example, will have would-be pony girls snorting with desire and pawing (or is that hoofing?) the carpet...
"Shhh, girl. Shhh. No one's going to hurt you. Just relax. That's a good girl." Andrew kept up a steady stream of soft-spoken words as he moved her tail to the side, pressed his cock against her pussy lips, and thrust.
"Oh, yeah, such a good filly."
Natalie clenched her pussy lips tight as Andrew withdrew and thrust in again, deeply. His hands gripped her hips, holding her still for his assault.
She wanted to beg him to go harder, to fuck her senseless, but she also didn't want to lose her role in the game.
The big surrender, of course, is the crucial element in most bondage and domination erotica. The submissive's or slave's giving over to a stronger will has been described as an altered state of being -- sub space -- in which the release of endorphins is akin to a drug-like experience. It may be summed up, perhaps in John McGee's poem, "High Flight":
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of...
We all may claim to be slaves of love, in one way or another, but the individuals depicted in Tyler's anthology are more specific in their needs and wants. Whether it's of the bratty "Make me!" or the more docile "I yield" kind, their bottom line is all about the pleasure they receive from their own servile personas.
Marilyn Jaye Lewis explores the so-called darker fantasies in her story, "Daddy's Girl"...
It used to be that Jenna and I confided in each other about our fantasies -- especially the ones involving Denise. Remembering them now, I see that they were only vaguely sexual, but they led my sister and me to discover masturbation together, nonetheless. But, as we grew older and Jenna's fantasies centered more around wanting to be touched by boys, I still lingered over visions of being touched by Denise, of spreading myself open for her, of having my mouth between her legs, and being overpowered by her. To the point where I fantasized that Denise was something like her father -- that she would beat me with a belt, then expose and humiliate me and make me have orgasms in spite of myself.
As Tyler reassures us in her Introduction, "You always remember your first. The first time you were tied down. First time you were bound. Blindfolded. Teased. Tormented. Or the first time you did all those decadent activities to someone else." Erotic domination -- at least the form as opposed to the 24/7 lifestyle -- is seemingly becoming quite mainstream. Young and old are exploring, role playing, buying the necessary toys, eager to see what all the thrills are about. Bachelorette parties now often include pink fuzzy handcuffs, candy whips, and collar leashes among the bride-to-be gifts. At a recent wedding ceremony (at a private home), one of the "sequences" had the groom in an apron, carrying a broom, while the new bride snapped at him with a leather belt, herding him through the crowd of guests.
For lifestylers, however, it's not just fun and games, but necessity which drives them. They have the need to surrender to someone who earns their respect...and devotion. While in real life, good dominants are hard to find -- there are so many poseurs! -- at least in the fictional tales assembled in Slave to Love, the right match up occurs again and again with only the tingle of the coming satisfaction heightening the tension, as in Vanessa Evan's story, "Master of Technology":
...I must obey his rules. No flinching. No touching. No coming.
No nothing unless he gives permission.
Without a word, he caught me up in his strong arms and carried me down the hall to our bedroom. His clothes felt alien against my sticky, naked skin. He was still wearing his button-down shirt and his faded khakis, while I was nude and glistening, my only decoration the marks he'd already left on my supple ass.
In total silence, I was thrown in the center of the bed, face down, and I trembled all over while waiting to see what would happen next. Would he break out the handcuffs? The crop? The toys?
