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dracoqueen22Good afternoon, folks! Time for another fic review! And this time, I'm covering one from a favorite author of mine that I feel everyone should enjoy as well. How can you not? It's good stuff!
The author in question is ID Locke, whom many of you may recognize both from her fanfiction under the name Iron Dog and the previous fic review I did for her novel "Blind Desire". She recently released a couple of works that I was all too quick to snatch up. And let me tell you, I rarely spend money on stuff I haven't already read (and therefore know that I like). Money's too precious to waste on something that I won't like and can't return, but I was confident that I would enjoy her story. And I did.
Ermine and Bougainvillea is a novella in Torquere Press' Absinthe line. It's about 74K. And here's the description which you will find on TQ's website: Wynn is an ermine shifter running for his life from homophobic coyote shifters who took exception to a gay shifter in their territory. He makes it to the safety of a dense tangle of bougainvillea vines where the coyotes can’t follow and falls into exhausted sleep. When he wakes, he discovers that the bougainvillea is actually home to a half-dryad named Etireh who pushes all of Wynn’s arousal buttons without even trying.
Etireh turns out to enjoy some of the same things that Wynn does, namely, Otherworldly gay men with a thing for kink and BDSM who would take pleasure in games of domination and submission. In Wynn, Etireh finds a partner who enjoys being submissive to his dominant and is more than willing to push boundaries and play in ways Etireh barely dared to dream about.
So that's what it's about. Now let me tell you my impression of it.
First of all, I always enjoy the writing style. It's first person, with shifting points of view from the two main characters, and I enjoy the look into the different psyches. Also, each character has a distinctive "voice" to their perspective that makes it easier to both recognize and understand a character. Her writing is always very vivid, I never have any trouble picturing the scene in my head, but I'm not so bogged down in details that I find myself skimming the material. Conversations feel natural and flow easily.
Character interactions are realistic with a nice flow to them and the smut, *whistles*, it never fails to scorch my socks off. Especially in this particular case since it touches quite a few of my kink buttons. Which is namely vine sex. Yes, you read that right. Vine sex. And it's impressively hot. There are also elements of dominance, submission, and rough play that make me drool. Also, there is sounding, which can be terrible if not done well, but luckily, she knows how to pull it off realistically.
Also, condom use! That tends to be forgotten about in fiction (at least fiction where condom use would be considered relevant) so I'm always thrilled when I see an author not forget this little, yet important detail.
Another reason I like this fic is because it doesn't become a sappy love affair of gag-worthy proportions. Wynn and Etireh display a healthy desire for one another, and a good bit of intrigue about each other, but they aren't immediately declaring love at first sight or setting up house for two and a half kids and a dog to call Buster. This might annoy some people who want that rainbow-happy ending, but frankly, I prefer endings that set up a potential for future happiness without shoving it in my face as though strife isn't possible. (I also love to see fics where, far in the future, we get a glimpse of said pairings success -- this is shown in a related fic in this verse called Claiming Rights which I will review at another time). Wynn and Etireh are shown to be incredibly compatible with an optimistic future ahead of them -- which is all a fangirl could ask for. *grins*
In short, Ermine and Bougainvillea is a short, sexy story that'll make you instantly fall in love with the characters and beg for more. As always, my only complaint is that it isn't long enough. *laughs* But I can be quite insatiable when it comes to good fic.
You can buy Ermine and Bougainvillea here from Torquere Press. I highly recommend it!
The author in question is ID Locke, whom many of you may recognize both from her fanfiction under the name Iron Dog and the previous fic review I did for her novel "Blind Desire". She recently released a couple of works that I was all too quick to snatch up. And let me tell you, I rarely spend money on stuff I haven't already read (and therefore know that I like). Money's too precious to waste on something that I won't like and can't return, but I was confident that I would enjoy her story. And I did.
Ermine and Bougainvillea is a novella in Torquere Press' Absinthe line. It's about 74K. And here's the description which you will find on TQ's website: Wynn is an ermine shifter running for his life from homophobic coyote shifters who took exception to a gay shifter in their territory. He makes it to the safety of a dense tangle of bougainvillea vines where the coyotes can’t follow and falls into exhausted sleep. When he wakes, he discovers that the bougainvillea is actually home to a half-dryad named Etireh who pushes all of Wynn’s arousal buttons without even trying.
Etireh turns out to enjoy some of the same things that Wynn does, namely, Otherworldly gay men with a thing for kink and BDSM who would take pleasure in games of domination and submission. In Wynn, Etireh finds a partner who enjoys being submissive to his dominant and is more than willing to push boundaries and play in ways Etireh barely dared to dream about.
So that's what it's about. Now let me tell you my impression of it.
First of all, I always enjoy the writing style. It's first person, with shifting points of view from the two main characters, and I enjoy the look into the different psyches. Also, each character has a distinctive "voice" to their perspective that makes it easier to both recognize and understand a character. Her writing is always very vivid, I never have any trouble picturing the scene in my head, but I'm not so bogged down in details that I find myself skimming the material. Conversations feel natural and flow easily.
Character interactions are realistic with a nice flow to them and the smut, *whistles*, it never fails to scorch my socks off. Especially in this particular case since it touches quite a few of my kink buttons. Which is namely vine sex. Yes, you read that right. Vine sex. And it's impressively hot. There are also elements of dominance, submission, and rough play that make me drool. Also, there is sounding, which can be terrible if not done well, but luckily, she knows how to pull it off realistically.
Also, condom use! That tends to be forgotten about in fiction (at least fiction where condom use would be considered relevant) so I'm always thrilled when I see an author not forget this little, yet important detail.
Another reason I like this fic is because it doesn't become a sappy love affair of gag-worthy proportions. Wynn and Etireh display a healthy desire for one another, and a good bit of intrigue about each other, but they aren't immediately declaring love at first sight or setting up house for two and a half kids and a dog to call Buster. This might annoy some people who want that rainbow-happy ending, but frankly, I prefer endings that set up a potential for future happiness without shoving it in my face as though strife isn't possible. (I also love to see fics where, far in the future, we get a glimpse of said pairings success -- this is shown in a related fic in this verse called Claiming Rights which I will review at another time). Wynn and Etireh are shown to be incredibly compatible with an optimistic future ahead of them -- which is all a fangirl could ask for. *grins*
In short, Ermine and Bougainvillea is a short, sexy story that'll make you instantly fall in love with the characters and beg for more. As always, my only complaint is that it isn't long enough. *laughs* But I can be quite insatiable when it comes to good fic.
You can buy Ermine and Bougainvillea here from Torquere Press. I highly recommend it!
