'Deep Inside' by Polly Frost

ISBN: 0765315874
Format: Paperback, 272pp
Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
Pub. Date: May 2007
Price: $12.95

When I first came across Deep Inside I wasn’t sure what to think. Science Fiction Erotica? That had to mean there was going to be tentacle sex in there somewhere.

Now I’ve seen a lot of Japanese animation involving this idea, not all of it hentai, so it’s not like that idea is completely new. Okay, so maybe it’s strange but only as strange as that guy in the back of the bus wearing nothing but a trench coat and a pair of gym socks. Or your parent’s locked bedside table drawer.

But Deep Inside has more to offer than just tentacles. It also contains virgin sacrifice complete with Catholic School girls in uniform, a couple who experiments with piercing, serial killers and a dominatrix. What collection would be complete without one of those? If you are looking for your standard ‘tie me up, tie me down’ type of erotica this isn’t it. Nothing about Deep Inside is standard or what you have come to expect from the genre.

From “The Threshold” to “Deep Inside”, the title story of the collection, you meet virgins and voyeurs, addicts, masturbation masters, aliens with a hard on for humans, and anything you can think of in between. Frost builds each story, crafting backgrounds and character histories, and then punctuates them with sex. So while it is erotica, these stories actually have plot and Frost’s voice comes across the page strong and clear.

The ideas behind the stories contained within Deep Inside are over the edge. I can promise you will never look at alien abduction or piercing the same way again. This collection of stories pushes the boundaries of what you might find enticing, stimulating, or liberating and Polly Frost will take your unsuspecting mind into an unknown you might even enjoy.

'Unmasqued' by Colette Gale

ISBN: 0451221370
Format: Paperback, 352pp
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Price: $14.00

The Phantom of the Opera is a story that most of us know through theater or television. A few know it from the novel by Gaston Leroux which was first published in a serialized form from 1909 to 1910. Though today it is considered a classic world-wide, the novel at first sold poorly and has been out of print several times. Some of Phantom's fame is due to many successful stage and screen adaptations.

Unmasqued by Colette Gale is one of many adaptations that can be found and it follows the original idea of the story to an extent. However, this being an erotic retelling of a classic, the story does go places that your average reader might not expect. It opens with this wonderful dedication: 'To all the women who thought Christine should have stayed with the Phantom' and from the dedication page on you are pulled into a story that is vibrant and lush.

Christine Daae came to live in the Opera House as a girl, her father having died when she was young. Before his death she showed great promise as a singer but after his death she felt that her music had somehow passed with him. In the Opera House she is quiet and shy, but most of all terribly lonely. She blossoms when the Opera Ghost, her Angel of Music, takes an interest in her voice and begins to tutor her in music and voice.

Of course we know this right away to be Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. Dark, mysterious, demanding, not to mention exciting, Christine falls for him despite what lies behind the mask. Although he can not believe it at first, soon a real bond, true love, has grown between them.

After a brilliant performance on the stage and an indiscreet meeting with Raoul, a childhood friend turned admirer, Christine is taken to the Phantom's home deep beneath the Opera House. She is gone for seven days and in that time Erik and Christine come to truly know and understand each other. But then an unthinkable and unforgivable act of Christine's wrenches them apart.

Raoul is there to pick up the pieces when Christine returns from her dark and erotic journey. More than willing to replace whatever it is she has lost, Raoul tries desperately to please her and in the end forces her into submission. But in her heart Christine knows that Erik, the Opera Ghost, her Angel of Music, is the only man she could ever love. But can Erik forgive her curiosity? Can the two young lovers get past the skin deep passions to the true passion that lies deep in their souls?

One of things that I enjoyed most, beside the shiver inducing erotic elements of the story, were the wonderful characters. It flows smoothly amongst Christine, Erik, Maude, Raoul, Carlotta, and every character in between. You are given glimpses into their lives, a look into their lovely or wicked souls; their cravings and desires. The Opera House comes alive within the pages and you are treated to glittering golden scenes in the richest hues that become the backdrop for constant sexual satisfaction.

Unmasqued, a retelling of a classic, is an erotic classic in its own right. Charged with erotic images, sensual passion, fiery longing, and steamy scenes on and off the stage this is a book to be devoured in one seating. Then opened again and read slowly just for the pure pleasure of it.

'The Strangeling' by Saskia Walker

ISBN: 0809557932
ISBN-13: 9780809557936
Format: Paperback, 224pp
Publisher: Juno Books
Price:$9.95

Maerose, the May-Born woman, is the key to a hundred-year old curse about to ravage the land of Edren. An undead army is on the verge of breaking though the earth at a place called The Strangeling and only Maerose, and the magic within her, can turn back the evil tide.

Long ago an Elder prophecy told of a woman who could break the curse with the help of one man. Both Bron and Veldor were trained to be this man by the Elders. While Bron stuck close to the Edlers and their teachings, Veldor split with them to follow a different, greedier path.

When Veldor kidnaps Maerose intending to use her to unleash the curse instead of control it, Bron comes to the rescue. Maerose and Bron then spend a few days coming to terms with their intertwined destiny and preparing to make their stand against the evil trying to enter the world.

A significant portion of this book is the erotic relationship between Maerose and Bron as he helps her unlock her magic. Though the book is short, the way the relationship evolves is natural without seeming forced or pushed too far.

The Strangeling, fast-paced and action-packed, is the kind of book you will sit down and read in one setting. You are quickly caught up in the characters and the story. Maerose is a very modern woman in a rustic setting and Bron the perfect hero, while Veldor and his gray eyes make for the perfect villain.