What
do your elven eyes see, Maeve?
A
shift in the romance genre!
In particular, a shift in the kinds of
female characters we favour as our leading ladies. Wide-eyed innocent is out.
Experienced, often jaded is here to stay.
No longer is brooding into the setting sun
while playing piano the domain of hunky love interests. Now our heroines have
their own demons and hang-ups, and resolving their inner turmoil is just as
important as sealing the deal with said hunky love interest.
Forgive the flippancy. I have nothing
against virginal ingénues who fall prey to worldly men and in doing so discover
sex, liquor and the reckless side of life. There was a time not so long ago
when that trope belonged to ‘serious’ male writers who saw fit to punish such
wayward young women with a sordid end—whether through death, poverty, or
prostitution. Or all three at once, for the truly sadistic.
Romance writers have been far kinder to
female characters who dared leap—not always willingly—into a lover’s arms. The
genre as a whole has rewarded them with love, riches and happy ever after.
Personally I’ve never been able to relate
to female characters who’ve never even thought about sex until true love
proclaims his lust. The fantasy of an inexperienced young woman being
catapulted into the arms of a man who can’t control his passion isn’t something
I relate to. What I love are heroines who’ve had the time to figure themselves out,
even if their previous partners are few. I love a girl who can steer her hunky
love interest when he finally deigns to show up to the party.
I’m especially fond of this slightly more
sophisticated cousin of the young ingénue when it comes to BDSM erotica, which
has seen such a huge rise in popularity. More so than in any other subgenre, a
female character who knows what she’s getting into can go a long way toward dispelling
the impression that she’s being coerced or groomed, without sacrificing that
delicious tension between submissive and sometimes forceful dominant.
In my latest title, Twice
Upon a Blue Moon, Hazel is not only old hat at BDSM, but she’s acquired a
few emotional scars during her short dip into the lifestyle. As a result, she’s played it safe since and resigned
herself to never finding a truly fulfilling relationship. Enter Dylan. Not only
is her best friend’s one-time lover handsome and unflappably cool, but he
happens to share Hazel’s appetite for crops and cuffs. Discovering that Dylan
is already involved in an unconventional friends-with-benefits arrangement with
another man should stop her in her tracks, but this wouldn’t be the first time
Hazel has ignored red flags to follow her heart.
In her eagerness to seize the moment, Hazel
dives headfirst into a tryst that could awaken demons she’s long kept buried. Will it be flames everywhere or can a woman
like her play submissive to two men so far out of her league?
Twice
Upon a Blue Moon is the first instalment of
the Surface Tension trilogy, a contemporary, BDSM ménage from Totally Bound.
This is book one in the Surface Tension
serial, see the full serial listing here
Some
affairs are like playing with fire, but knowing you’ll get burned is no reason
to throw the game.
When her best friend doesn’t show up after
a no-strings date with a man she met in a fetish club, Hazel is duty-bound to
fetch her from what could be a sticky situation. She doesn’t expect to find her
friend’s date so attractive—or so unflappably cool. Not that it matters. Hazel
has been burned before and she knows to stay away from handsome men who are
patently out of her league, especially when they’re involved with her one and
only friend.
Tesla-driving, suit-wearing Dylan more than
fits the bill. But every barb Hazel throws him makes him rise to the challenge,
and he doesn’t want her to find a way to say no. But not only does Dylan have
his own playroom and a sound grip on the S&M lifestyle, he’s also a man of many
secrets. Dylan sees a place for Hazel in his bed, but what he wants is more
than a one-night stand.
As she acclimates to the idea that Dylan
may not be entirely straight or entirely single, Hazel soon finds herself
caught between two dominant men whose bond seems to balance on a knife’s point.
Reader
Advisory: This book contains scenes of BDSM.
Excerpt
from Twice Upon a Blue Moon:
“I said I’d go down on you,” he remarked,
albeit a little choked. “I didn’t say I’d get you off.”
Dismay sank like a block of cement in
Hazel’s gut. “No, please…” The churning pleasure building at her core ebbed
back. Hazel panted. “Please. Come on. You have to.”
She didn’t realize her mistake until Dylan
was standing, his fingers tight around her chin. “What did you say to me?” he
growled. He looked dangerous.
He looked furious.
Hazel’s voice fled, taking with it the air
in her lungs and the last scraps of courage she had left. She wanted to sink
into the heated floor.
“I think you need a reminder as to who’s in
charge here…” He pulled away so abruptly that Hazel swayed forward before she
could steady herself. She tracked him with her gaze, dreading that he’d make
good on his threat to gag her after all.
It was a little pathetic that she felt
relieved when he took up a leather crop, bending it between his hands before
letting it whip back into shape with a bone-chilling hiss.
“What color are you on?” Dylan asked, from
well across the room.
Hazel frowned.
“Green, yellow, red?”
Oh.
That. She had to think about it. “Yellow?”
Dylan’s expression softened as he
approached. “It doesn’t hurt very much. Do you want to try it and see?”
The change was so swift, anger fleeing his
features as though it had never been there at all. It nearly gave Hazel
whiplash. She shook her head. “I’ve used one before.” Less ‘used’, more ‘had
used on me’, but the answer was the same. “Don’t… Don’t hold back on my
account.”
Dylan seemed a little unsure, but he didn’t
challenge her. Maybe that was against his rules, too.
Hazel didn’t get the chance to put much
more thought into it before Dylan pulled back the crop and flicked its flat,
fly-swatter-like tip against her hip. A sharp sting exploded in her buttocks,
heat skittering up her spine.
“Red?” Dylan asked, steadying her with
fingers splayed wide against her belly.
Hazel swallowed hard. “Green.” Very green. She tilted into the
offending instrument, eager to prolong the burn before it numbed away.
Dylan got the message and struck her again.
About
Helena Maeve:
Helena Maeve has always been globe trotter
with a fondness for adventure, but only recently has she started putting to
paper the many stories she's collected in her excursions. When she isn't
writing erotic romance novels, she can usually be found in an airport or on a
plane, furiously penning in her trusty little notebook.
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