New Christmas Book! Her Christmas Carol

I have a new book out! It's a Christmassy Christmas book for Christmas called 'Her Christmas Carol'.

It is published under the name of Charlotte Cockens (did you see what I did there?) but it's still me!

On sale now!

Did you know that Ebenezer Scrooge wasn’t the only person who was visited by three Christmas Ghosts? Those hardworking spirits have helped many others learn to be better people at this time of year.

The year is 1844 and Elizabeth Stitch is a newlywed has already become jaded and mean-spirited in her marriage. She shows no affection towards her husband, James, and pushes away any attempts at intimacy.

On Christmas Eve she is visited by her long-dead Grandmother who warns Elizabeth not to ignore her passions as she did in life and foretells that she will be visited by three spirits that very night.

What follows is an affectionate homage to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, full of Victorian charm, Christmas wonder and all the sex and spankings that Mr Dickens unaccountably left out of the original story.

In the words of the Ghost of Christmas Present: “Come in and know me better!”

Amazon US
Amazon UK

Book Review - The Assassin and the Soldier by Carly Morgan

The Assassin and the Soldier

Four Stars

There’s more than a touch of The Hunger Games about The Assassin and the Soldier and that’s no bad thing. Especially when it is done as well as this. This dystopian story would make a cracking Young Adult Fiction book were it not for the frequent steamy sex and spankings which push it firmly into the Proper Actual Adults Fiction section of the virtual bookstore.

The book is set in a grim future where the citizens of what was once North America are governed by the dictatorial Amity party. As we learnt with the Capitol in The Hunger Games, bloodthirsty dictatorships love a bit of reality telly. Here, it’s a gameshow where dangerous convicted criminals are pitted against each other to compete for their freedom.

Kaelia Nemesis has been serving time in a brutal workcamp before she is selected for the show. Being a ruthless assassin with a large number of deaths on her hands isn’t going to win her any popularity points with the audiences at home but then all of the other contestants have pretty dark pasts too. It’s that sort of TV show.

Each contestant is paired with a trainer. The initial indifference and then vague animosity between Kaelia and her trainer, Callan Merone inevitably develops into much more interesting feelings.

Kaelia and Callan. Kinda.

There’s a good reason for this. It’s not just about the sexual chemistry and natural Dom/sub dynamic between two attractive (and frequently half-naked) people. Although that does help, obviously. Kaelia and Callan share a secret and a past which they never expected to share with anyone else again. I am being deliberately coy about what their secret is even though it’ll probably be spoilered in every other review on this page (and, it turns out, the actual book blurb). This is because I read the book not knowing anything about it and found the gradual reveal of Kaelia and Callan’s backstory quite exciting.

I'll just leave this here as a clue to the Big Reveal

Kaelia is an intriguing woman and her growing acceptance of her own vulnerability makes for a satisfying and unusual character arc. Sex between her and Callan is frequent and very hot. The discipline meted out is intense. Which when it comes to spankings, is always a good thing I reckon. I did wince at the scenes where rough anal sex is given as a punishment, though.

The story itself is fast moving with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing throughout. The televised competition seems a bit tame compared to, say, The Hunger Games. Hard to imagine people wanting to watch violent criminals taking part in a general knowledge quiz.  Eventually, though, by the last round all gloves are off. Even so the book’s body count is considerably lower than in dystopian books aimed at children.

Carly Morgan is a great writer but, boy, she does love a simile. Once you start noticing the inventive comparisons, it’s hard to stop. Callan kisses Kaelia “like a sculptor moulding some clay”. Removing her bikini top is “like trying to free a new toy from frustrating anti-theft packaging”. My favourite was the description of Callan’s heart swelling with love being “like a dead thing left out in the sun” which definitely wins points for eww-ness.

Turns out that there's actually a phrase for that 'frustrating anti-theft packaging' thing. Learn something new every day.

Judging by the end of the book, I suspect (and hope!) that there will be at least one sequel. Happily, although the book leaves itself open for more instalments, it doesn’t leave the reader dissatisfied with a “To be continued…” lack of closure.

Our heroes may not quite get their Happily Ever After just yet. But they’re happy for now. They’re enjoying plenty of sex and spanks and they have one another. Which is something to be thankful for even if they do live in a dystopian hellhole.

Want to know more about the book review star rating system? Or find out what other books I've reviewed? Check out this page here.

Book Review - Summer Storm by Marie Hall

Marshal Storm. Firm but fair.

 

Five Stars!

Marie Hall’s beautifully written Western is a delight to read. I loved it. Protagonists Marshal Chase Storm and Summer Rain are both intelligent, passionate, honourable and incredibly stubborn individuals. So naturally they butt heads for quite a lot of this book. Given that barely a chapter in – in an attempt to circumvent an unjust jail sentence – the two of them get married, they have more motivation than most to work things out. Which you know they will do because (a) it’s that sort of book and (b) they are both utterly lovely.

Summer has had a tough life. Her loving family was ripped away from her when she was still a child. When her path crosses with Chase’s many years later, she is working as a very successful bounty hunter with an independent streak so wide that it doesn’t really count as a streak any more and is just fundamentally who she is. She doesn’t need anyone in her life and she trusts no-one.

Calamity Summer

This is a problem if you’re married to a straightforward, fair-playing kind of a guy like Chase Storm. Happily, Chase gets his point across with numerous heavy-handed spankings. The relationship is beautifully balanced. Chase isn’t trying to break Summer’s spirit. He loves her pants-wearing sharp-shooting feisty independent nature. He also wants to keep her safe. It’s wonderful to watch Summer opening up to the possibility of love despite the numerous hurdles that they encounter on the way.

There’s plenty to enjoy in the meticulously painted portrait of life in the Old West. The narrative is crammed with saloon bars, jailhouses, railroads and pioneering spirit. Not to mention the small-town bitchiness and rivalry which comprise Chase and Summer’s biggest problems in their new life together.

Willow Creek. A town in need of a bakery.

To use a riding metaphor (which seems appropriate for a book which is joyously stuffed full of riding metaphors), this is a book you need to hitch your wagon to, go where she takes you and enjoy the ride.

Want to know more about the book review star rating system? Or find out what other books I've reviewed? Check out this page here.

TP Dungeon - So long and thanks for all the spanks

At the end of this month, TP Dungeon in Staffordshire will be closing its (anonymous-looking) doors for the last time. This is a sad time for me and Gentleman Friend as we have spent many happy hours there in the eighteen months since we discovered it.

I could say that TP Dungeon is the best BDSM play space that I have ever been to but that's because it's the only one of its type that I've been to.

House rules always adhered to

I've been to clubs a few times where a pub rents out its space to a BDSM group for a night who ship in all manner of lovely equipment in for a night and charge a (usually nominal) entrance fee. Sometimes they even include a buffet. But TP was the first time, I'd hired out a space for my Dom's and my exclusive use. It turns out that I much prefer doing it that way. Having other people there didn't really do anything for me. I'm not into to whole exhibitionism/voyeur thing and I really don't like having to wait my turn for the spanking bench.

TP was a lovely space with a full compliment of kinky furniture - cages, stocks, rope scaffold, sex swing, St Andrews Cross and, of course, a spanking bench. Not to mention sofas and a kitchenette which is essential as tea-drinking plays a very important role in my aftercare. Bookable slots were for four hours and the place had a lovely, non-seedy vibe. We enjoyed the first time so much that we repeated the experience. A lot.

Never underestimate the importance of tea. In everything.

The spanking bench (or 'Benchy' as I affectionately call it) was by far and away my favourite thing there. On one of our repeat visits, I flung myself fully-clothed over the bench as soon as we arrived, hugged it and declared "Hello, old friend!"


I would say that some of the happiest times of my life were spent over that bench, but, you know, I'm not always happy at the time. Sometimes I'm actually very cross.  It's a strange sort of cognitive dissonance. My brain can react to spanking with "Ow, you bastard, that really hurt!" as though this wasn't something that I'd asked for and discussed in lengthy and excitable detail beforehand.

I do love it really of course and that particular bench holds many fond memories for me. All those memories involve being strapped down by Gentleman Friend and being repeatedly hit on the bottom with a variety of implements so they do rather merge together.

Benchy - a dear friend

And now me and Benchy will never see one another again. I have to move on with my life and start seeing other BDSM equipment. It's all part of being a grown-up, I suppose.

It's actually a bit exciting. I have enjoyed researching new dungeons although for the most part they are a lot more expensive than TP Dungeon which was insanely reasonably priced. (Yes, 'insane reasonableness' is a thing.)

I've already, due to the prices, rejected a lot of London dungeons. (BDSM dungeons that is, not The London Dungeon which is a totally different thing altogether.) You need to head to the sticks if you want to get more for your BDSM buck.

Happily there are quite a few places to choose from. The Secret Dungeon in Buckinghamshire has a hot tub. The Fetish Studio in Berkshire has its own garden with a whipping post and stocks! It's all out there

Gentleman Friend is terribly keen to try out the new places we've found. I suppose it will be nice for him to swing his arm in a new environment. He did, though, refuse to consider my entirely reasonable suggestion that he set up his own Dungeon-For-Hire.

He's retired! He has the time! Possibly. It's probably quite a lucrative little business and, honestly, I'm not just trying to persuade him because I would plan to spend every single minute that wasn't hired out to someone else, making full use of the spank stuff. OK, maybe a little bit.

I am keen to hear any private dungeon recommendations from fellow spankos. We'll probably be sticking to the UK for now but, who knows,  maybe if I spot a spanking bench I really like the look of, we could fly off to New York or Amsterdam or Guayaquil to meet it.

TP endorsed by fictional swingers, Jacqueline and Donald from TV series 'Benidorm' so beat that.

If you're reading this Benchy, I'm sorry if that seems a bit heartless but, you know, a girl's got to move on with her life.

Book Review - The Lies of Lord John by Fiona Munroe

Only marriage to a lady of fortune can save him

Four Stars

I do love a historical heroine with modern sensibilities and Margaret Bell the heroine of The Lies of Lord John is a wonderful example of just that.

Accustomed to a rather negligent upbringing from an indulgent uncle, she has always enjoyed far more freedom than a gentlewoman in nineteenth century Scotland is usually afforded, allowing her to attend literary soirees, indulge her love of poetry and even make plans to start a literary magazine.

She almost meets Keats at one point. I'm not sure he's much of a spanker.

When her circumstances change, Margaret’s freedoms are suddenly curtailed and faced with a markedly more restrictive future, Margaret rebels. Hard. As is of course only right and proper for a feisty young protagonist ahead of her time when it comes to the rights of women.

In this case, Margaret rebels right into the arms of Lord John Dunwoodie, which, on the face of it, is an incredibly reckless move. As cads go, Lord John is one of the caddiest – fleeing countries in disgrace, deflowering servant girls and generally being a worry and a disappointment to his high-ranking family.

‘The Lies of Lord John’ is a very well written and tightly plotted story with a host of well-drawn supporting characters. Best among them are Margaret’s fallen-from-grace best friend Emmeline, her seemingly docile cousin, Charity and John’s steely sister-in-law, Arabella.

And there's lots of genuinely interesting stuff about 19th century planning development in Edinburgh

Be warned though, if it’s erotic sex ‘n’ spanks you’re after  (and if you’re reading a book published by Blushing Books then it’s quite likely that you are) then you are going to have to be patient with this book. The hero and heroine don’t even get together until about halfway through the book. There’s no sex and no real romance until you’ve got three quarters of the way through it.

The first spanking in the book (and the one descried in greatest detail) is delivered not by an a sexy authoritative dom-type but by Margaret’s cruel aunt and is therefore not much fun. (Although happily, Lord John does administer some of his own discipline later on in the story.)

So if you’re looking for non-stop erotic spanky action then this possibly isn’t the book for you. But I guess if you’ve already the other books in the Bonnie Brides series (which I haven’t) you already know what to expect.

If you’re after a well-written story with a strong sense of historical accuracy and a satisfying denouement, then there is a lot to enjoy in Fiona Munroe’s novel.

Want to know more about the book review star rating system? Or find out what other books I've reviewed? Check out this page here.

Entwined: The Art of Rope Bondage

Last night my Gentleman Friend and I went to a salon at Coco de Mer in London called "Entwined: The Art of Rope Bondage".

In a rather blatant example of buying gifts for people that you really want yourself, the tickets for the event had been a present from me to Gentleman Friend for his birthday. But, you know, I didn't buy it just for me. He did seem pretty happy about the whole thing.

Coco de Mer is a sophisticated, swanky - and some might say outrageously overpriced - sex shop in Monmouth Street near Covent Garden in London. They run several of these workshops each month and they call them 'salons' because they are fancy and a bit french.

The name Coco de Mer translates as "Sea Coconut". Which is something that looks like this.

I'm now intrigued by how some of these salons work because ours was very much a hands-on affair. Our instructor, Mistress Scarlet, showed us how to do something and then all the attendees had a go. I don't think the same model is appropriate for, say, "Back Door Bliss: An Anal Masterclass".

Entwined was very much aimed at beginner-level rope enthusiasts. And while Gentleman Friend and I aren't quite beginners, we were very happy to be instructed at beginner level. I really do like being tied up with rope. I've dabbled a bit in Shibari and the like over the years. I like all kinds of bondage - there's a nice assortment of cuffs and other restraints in the toy bag - but rope is in a classy league of its own. For a start, it takes real skill to do it. It takes effort and time to learn. And of course it looks so darn pretty. There is a certain amount of creativity required and there's also something reassuringly geeky about it.

It's a skill which is eminently well-suited to Gentleman Friend who is practical, methodical and very good with his hands. (And not just in that way, you filthy devils.) He is also a man who likes to do things properly. And that's what the evening at Coco de Mer was all about - being taught to do a few basic ties properly so that we can take what we've learnt and build on it.

I say 'we', Gentleman Friend was doing all the work here. There were five or six other couples in attendance and most of them were very democratically taking it in turns to ties one another up. We didn't do this. There is no point in me learning to do the tying. Not because I wouldn't be able to do it - although, honestly, I am cack-handed to the point of probably being dyspraxic - but because Gentleman Friend is my Dom and I am his submissive. He does the tying and I get tied up. He gives the orders and I try to obey. He gives the spankings and I get the bruised arse and a grin like the Cheshire Cat. We are very comfortable in our roles. (Emotionally comfortable, I mean. Sometimes I am not physically comfortable at all.)

Swanky place. Swanky tickets.

I do always feel like I get the better end of the deal because I would, wouldn't I? I have to accept that Gentleman Friend and I are wired differently and that's what makes it so wonderful. Personally, I would be utterly bored if I was spanking somebody's arse for several hours but Gentleman Friend does it quite happily - if a little sternly.

So there was no taking turns when it came to trying out the rope ties at Entwined. Instead, I got to just enjoy being tied up in several different ways while Gentleman Friend busied himself with ensuring that the knots were well executed, secure and didn't restrict any bits of me they shouldn't be restricting.

We were shown a single column, a double column and a basic harness and then a few different ways that all three could be combined.

At the salon in my simple harness.

Mistress Scarlet was a great teacher - delightfully down to earth and funny. She had brought along one of her submissives, "Boy", to be tied up and I loved all her comments about how she is rough with her boys and how she expects them to behave.

The session was two hours long; it was well-structured and the time flew by. At £90 a ticket, it certainly wasn't cheap but as well as Mistress Scarlet's instruction, you're also getting a classy setting, seemingly limitless drinks and the wonderfully attentive staff at Coco de Mer.

The salon price also includes 20% off any purchases that you make in the shop that evening. But because the prices are insanely expensive (over £200 for a flogger, for example),  Gentleman Friend and I did not take advantage of this offer.

Besides, we already have our own rope. And after this very instructive evening, we have become very enthusiastic about using it.

I hope Mistress Scarlet would be pleased with us.

Book Review - Freedom in Submission by Alexandra Noir

"I don't mind you hitting me," she said simply, hoping it would be enough to make him truly see her.

Four Stars

Freedom inSubmission takes place in seventeenth century Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Before things take a bit of turn towards the kinky, the story paints an absorbing and accurate picture of Puritan family life at the time.

Nice respectable married couple, Ezekiel and Martha, have some secret hidden kinky BDSM desires burning away under their modest puritan garb. In Ezekiel’s case these desires are so hidden that he didn’t even know he had them.

Martha is a bit more experienced in the whole BDSM business having got up to all sorts in her previous marriage and with a clandestine kinkster society in the village. She’d shelved all thoughts of such naughtiness during her seven year marriage but when events bring it all back into focus, she has to admit to herself that her masochistic submissive self is who she is.

Puritans. Sex-mad bunch of kinksters, apparently.

And, happily, after a bit of understandable reticence, Ezekiel realises he is totally on board with the whole Driven-by-one-lusts Dom business. The sex and BDSM scenes are pretty hot and it’s great to read a book where it’s the Dom who’s the newbie rather than the other way round.

Frustratingly, this is only the first part of the ‘BDSM and Magic in the Colonies’ set so the story doesn’t really get a chance to develop. The ongoing witchcraft trials are mentioned but are not really part of the story. A slightly sinister turn towards the end of the book suggests that Ezekiel and Martha are going to be drawn further into this world of devilment and hysteria.

It’s a bit unfair of me to complain about this just being the first part of a larger story as I appreciate that this is the way the author chooses to publish. It’s probably quite a good business model – get readers hooked and ensure sales for the next instalment. Most of the books I read don’t follow this format though and come with a beginning, middle and end. Stuff happens, stuff gets resolved, sex ‘n’ spanks happen and then our hero and heroine live happily ever after. I felt a bit short-changed when I reached the end and found myself with more questions than answers.

Why did you spend so long talking about Goody Nurse at the beginning only for her never to be mentioned again? What's the deal with the witchcraft trials? Is it all just distortion and disinformation? Or is everyone actually worshipping Satan in their spare time? Is the Minister a Good Pervert or a Bad Pervert?

Bad Pervert

Well, there you go. Clearly Alexandra Noir knows what she’s doing. I’ll be buying the next instalment as soon as it comes out. I’m hooked.

Want to know more about the book review star rating system? Or find out what other books I've reviewed? Check out this page here.

She's back!

I am very happy. I finished a book. I submitted it for publication. And it's been accepted! Now I am just impatient for publication to happen.

I took a break from writing for several years. My brain was not in a great place. I am a lot saner now and the one of the ways you can tell that my brain is functioning as it supposed to is that writing smutty spanky fiction has become a pleasure again.

It will probably be a while before my new book - The Liberation of Miss X - hits the virtual bookshelves. In the mean time, enjoy the little snippet below.

William fixed his eye on Flora. “Rewarded, eh? Well, I must say that now she’s got you in this room, it would be a shame to waste the opportunity. Come here. Let’s get that dress off you.”

A few minutes ago, if she had been asked, Flora would have said that she wanted nothing more than to explore this well-equipped room with William. But now, for some reason, she stood frozen to the spot.

“I do not expect to have to repeat myself, Flora. Come here.”

Still Flora did not move.

“Very well. I shall count to ten. If you are not standing in front of me by the time I finish, then I promise that you are going to be one very sorry little girl. One, two, three…”

Something about the act of William counting spurred Flora into action. She hadn’t meant to disobey William but the situation was so unusual that she had found herself unable to act. But she found that she did not want William to reach ten in his counting. She did not want to disappoint him. His clear orders and stern threat ensured that her legs started working properly again.

“Good girl,” said William approvingly once Flora was stood in front of him. His words filled her with a warmth that she could not begin to describe. She so wanted to be his good girl.

Pretty Little Thing: I try to get my head around modern fashion

I have been walking past this advert on the London Underground on my way to work every day for months now and, quite frankly, it's been confusing me.

What is going on here? What exactly is going on with this young lady's trousers? There seem to be bits missing. I'm not bringing this up out of prudishness, you understand. I'm all for women being able to flash as much skin as they feel inclined to. I'm always happy to see fetishwear, for example, influencing mainstream fashions. It appeals to both my inner kinkster and my inner goth.

But this particular outfit looks so very impractical. There's gaps and chains and stuff. How on earth do you get it on? How, more importantly, do you go to the toilet when you're wearing it?

So in the spirit of scientific investigation, I have researched exactly what is going on here. And am happy to share it with all of you in case any of you have been walking past the same poster and wondering the same thing.

This outfit comes from the PrettyLittleThing Ashanti range and you'll be pleased to know that this isn't just one complicated garment with difficult to navigate leg-holes. The model here is wearing four separate items. Plus a hat.

So breaking it all down, we have:

A crop top...

Bikini bottoms

A belt

And chaps.

The chaps are clearly what makes this outfit a bit special. They're basically a pair of trousers for people to want to avoid that tedious crotch-covering business that usually comes with trouserwear.

The fact that they're being teamed with bikini bottoms suggests that this is beach/poolside-wear. Something to pull over your swimsuit once you've got out of the water. Let's face nothing says "relaxing by the pool in hot weather" quite like a pair of 95% Polyester 5% Elastane skin-hugging leg coverings.

I'm just showing my age here, though. Clearly nobody would be buying this outfit for comfort in mind. It's all about the visuals. And the view of the outfit from the back does show a very arresting visual indeed.

So there you go. While I was spending the summer commuting to work on the hot, sweaty Waterloo & City line, the hotels of Ayia Napa, Magaluf and Malia were no doubt full of young people showing off interesting framed bits of themselves in coordinating snakeprint.

Good for them. Just hope they remembered their sun block.