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A review by witchofthemountains
Beauty's Punishment by A.N. Roquelaure
4.0
I would like to start by saying that I adore Rice's writing style. She uses words in a way that few authors have the capacity to understand, let alone mimic. I also find it impressive that she did such an outstanding job on this novel, given that she wrote it for an academic degree, and that the subject matter is by and large misunderstood in mainstream society.
With a nod to Rice's abilities, I will now move to my second point: This book depicts a Grimm-infused view of BDSM. For those who do not participate in the community, or bother to learn the reality of the lifestyle, I would like to point out that few people are able to engage in the kind of "day in and day out" dynamic depicted in the book. Even people who live the lifestyle 24/7 usually have some sort of balancing aspect to their dynamic.
When reading this series, look at it as a highly sexual version of Harlequin romances: You know that, no matter what happens, a washboard-abbed cowboy is not going to sweep into your home and present you with his motherless daughter to raise, large ranch on which he needs help, and feather-soft bed which he needs you to jump into. Similarly, few women are going to like being whisked away to a large estate where they are made available at all times, with little consideration to their needs or desires and no nod to pregnancy prevention or medical concerns. This is a fantasy, please read it as such.
I rate this is four stars for numerous reasons: I enjoy these kinds of stories; I am an unabashed erotica reader. Additionally, I can not stand the utter trash that is 50 Shades of Gray. I will not go into my rant here, but let me say that I wrote better erotica than "50 Shades", well before I ever had first-hand experience. Because of this, I feel that it is important to show people what GOOD (or, at least, passable) BDSM erotica is.
So, please put down your book about the "inner goddess" and read these novels. After that, find someone who actually lives a kinky lifestyle and ask them to tell you about how things really work. The dysfunction of "50 Shades" and the fantasy of "Beauty" are in no way realistic. It doesn't stop Rice's novels from being amazing, it's just something to keep in mind.
With a nod to Rice's abilities, I will now move to my second point: This book depicts a Grimm-infused view of BDSM. For those who do not participate in the community, or bother to learn the reality of the lifestyle, I would like to point out that few people are able to engage in the kind of "day in and day out" dynamic depicted in the book. Even people who live the lifestyle 24/7 usually have some sort of balancing aspect to their dynamic.
When reading this series, look at it as a highly sexual version of Harlequin romances: You know that, no matter what happens, a washboard-abbed cowboy is not going to sweep into your home and present you with his motherless daughter to raise, large ranch on which he needs help, and feather-soft bed which he needs you to jump into. Similarly, few women are going to like being whisked away to a large estate where they are made available at all times, with little consideration to their needs or desires and no nod to pregnancy prevention or medical concerns. This is a fantasy, please read it as such.
I rate this is four stars for numerous reasons: I enjoy these kinds of stories; I am an unabashed erotica reader. Additionally, I can not stand the utter trash that is 50 Shades of Gray. I will not go into my rant here, but let me say that I wrote better erotica than "50 Shades", well before I ever had first-hand experience. Because of this, I feel that it is important to show people what GOOD (or, at least, passable) BDSM erotica is.
So, please put down your book about the "inner goddess" and read these novels. After that, find someone who actually lives a kinky lifestyle and ask them to tell you about how things really work. The dysfunction of "50 Shades" and the fantasy of "Beauty" are in no way realistic. It doesn't stop Rice's novels from being amazing, it's just something to keep in mind.