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Book Review: Wishbone by Lauren P. Burka

Wishbone, by Lauren P. Burka
$5.95 ebook
Torquere Press
BDSM m/m science fiction romance

Reviewed by Kelly Kinkaid

To describe the relationships in Lauren P. Burka’s Wishbone as intense is certainly an understatement. Wishbone, our charming titular character, is uprooted from his life of prostitution by a shih-aan. The shih-aan, an alien race who bloodily warred with and defeated humans a decade prior, are looked upon as “demons” by Wishbone’s fellow men, yet he finds himself enthralled and exhilarated by his newest client—and soon-to-be master.

The relationship between Wishbone and “Sir” delights in the intimacies wrought by the struggles of dominance and submission, with a decidedly delicious shade of sadomasochism. The power play here is more than just a cheeky nudge and wink; the heavy erotic edge to all the interactions between the two men reveals shifts in trust and intimacy, each scene unfolding a new facet to and between the characters. The pace is believable as the chemistry is scorching.
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Review of “The Memorial Garden”

The Memorial Garden, a novella I wrote for Torquere, has been overshadowed more recently by my other books. The Erotica Readers and Writers Association has given it the attention it deserves with this nice little review.

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“Up for Grabs” reviewed

Up for Grabs has been reviewed by Emily at Good Reads:

The possibilities are endless when you combine science fiction and sexual ambiguity, the ability to choose your own gender or not have to pick just one. The five stories in this anthology each take a very different approach, but each invariably plays with the restrictive limits that society places on gender. Here nothing is as simple as female or male, or being stuck with the gender you’re born with when you know with every cell in your body that it’s the wrong gender. These stories provide a more fluid approach to gender identity and sexual awareness that is sometimes serious and touching and at other times playful and over the top.

Review of Wishbone

Wishbone was reviewed over at GoodReads. I thought I’d posted this before, but it doesn’t look like I had.

This was a very strange, but interesting story. Honestly, I probably would have skipped it had I known it was set in a historical-like setting. In spite of that, I found myself enjoying the main character, Wishbone, and learning more about the Shih-aan species introduced here. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy historical and paranormal themes.

Review of Wishbone

I just got one of the best reviews evar on the LiveJournal of Elisa Rolle.

Wishbone is at the same time classic and innovative. It’s classic where it retells the story of Pygmalion, or My Fair Lady, or Pretty Woman (see how many time it was told?): a wealthy and cultured man picks a filthy whore from the streets and teaches him how to behave. It’s innovative since, what the wealthy man teaches to the whore it’s a totally different thing from the usual lessons on good manners or polished language, but is instead the power you have in surrendering.

Review of Wired Hard 4

We got a review from Out in Print .

The collection starts off with “When Angles Fall”, by Helen E. H. Madden, a sexy and endearing science fiction story about how one man’s upbringing in a religious “cult” effects how he deals with his dying mother and the future that she leaves him.

One of my favorite stories was Tom Cardamone’s, “Royal Catamite”. It is a wonderful erotic story that pushes the taboo buttons of underage sex and incest, in a way that only Tom can do.

Review for Wired Hard 4

The Erotica Readers and Writers Association has a nice review of Wired Hard 4.

We now live in an era of ebooks and genetic engineering, instant messaging and cybersex, gender reassignment and gay marriage. The world has matured and many of the fantastic imaginings of Circlet’s authors have become familiar facts. In the second decade of the twenty first century, Circlet is still delivering some of the best speculative erotica available—appropriately in electronic form. Wired Hard 4 is a splendid example.

The eight stories in this collection are remarkably diverse. They are unified, first, by their raw sexual energy, and second, by the intimate mingling of human with other: machine, robot, animal, vampire, or god. Xan West’s lyrical introduction points out that most of these tales deal with transformations. Sex here is more than an avenue of pleasure. It is the gateway to new and different selves.

This is good news, right?

Up for Grabs is on a top ten erotic romances list. I think from this article that the original is on Rainbow Reviews, but I haven’t found it there yet. I’ll keep looking.

Update: I’m almost positive that the appearance of Rainbow Reviews on this post has nothing to do with it, and the link above is the source of the article.

New Review of “Up for Grabs”

This review is from Three Dollar Bill Reviews.

My personal favorites from this collection are “Transplant” and “Passage,” each of which explores a world where there is a unique option available to transgendered individuals. Each story delves into the emotional needs of the person to have a body that matches the soul, and the ramifications of making that change on other relationships. In “Transplant,” Katrina has been disowned by her mother while Chad’s mother is the exact opposite. In “Passage,” Maya is concerned about her lover still being attracted to her new body. The physical changes are one thing, but these stories choose to delve into the other changes that are inevitable and as such are extremely engaging and moving.

A Review of Wishbone

Torquere’s in-house review of the book is right here. It pleased me that the author enjoyed it, though that isn’t surprising. They don’t find an in-hourse reviewer who hates the book. What did surprise me is how well the reviewer got it. As an Aspie, knowing that I’ve communicated successfully with people is a powerful positive experience. Almost as positive as hearing from people who told me they had to go home early from work after reading my fiction.

Edit: Ok, now all the url’s are fixed.

Book Review: Wishbone by Lauren P. Burka

Review of “The Memorial Garden”

“Up for Grabs” reviewed

Review of Wishbone

Review of Wishbone

Review of Wired Hard 4

Review for Wired Hard 4

This is good news, right?

New Review of “Up for Grabs”

A Review of Wishbone

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