Hello fellow pervs and spankos!
This week, I’m taking a break from posting excerpts (stop cheering out there :/ ), and instead giving you a nice little list. I love lists.
You’ve been warned.
I’ve read a lot of erotic romance, and erotica, and just plain smut. Shit-tons of it. This list (which contains some of all three types of books) was TOUGH to put together. I like a lot of books:) But the list I came up with reflects my favorites. Hopefully, the few poor souls who actually read this post might find something new to read:)
And now, in no particular order are Trent’s Top Ten BDSM Books:
1. Owned And Owner by Anneke Jacob
Probably my all time favorite BDSM story, this book absolutely nails (heh) the concept of consensual non-consent, exploring it to its fullest — and sometimes disturbing — meaning. The depiction of prolonged orgasm denial here is unique, grueling, and hot.
2. Ice Queen/Mirror of My Soul by Joey W. Hill
Joey W. Hill is simply a treasure. With the possible exception of Anneke Jacob, no writer alive writes BDSM better than Ms. Hill. I could’ve picked nearly every novel from her body of work and included it in this list — she’s that good. However, the two part epic that is Ice Queen and Mirror of My Soul is her masterpiece. At once supernova hot, profoundly moving, and at times, harrowing, these books are the definitive example of BDSM erotic romance. Simply stunning.
3. Story of O by Pauline Reage
This unrelentingly dark, almost impenetrable book (along with The Sleeping Beauty trilogy) has become indispensable BDSM reading. It’s not hyperbole to say that all modern BDSM fiction owes this book a debt of gratitude. Story of O is incredibly erotic, thought-provoking, tragic, and ruthlessly subversive. This book is as courageous, and visionary, as it is intimate and shattering. All the superlatives you’ve read about this book are true. If you haven’t read it, stop reading this blog right now, and go buy it.
4. The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure
Though IMHO, the third book stumbles quite badly in places, the trilogy as a whole is a seminal, important, ground-breaking work of erotic art. Rarely can one say a work of dirty smut is also high art, but Anne Rice (writing as A.N. Roquelaure) accomplishes exactly that here, gifting the world with this incredible trilogy. In the world of BDSM erotic fiction, nobody has ever equaled her work in the Sleeping Beauty trilogy, and I’m not sure anyone ever will. As important as Story of O to all modern BDSM fiction. And holy shit did Anne Rice have GUTS when she wrote this.
5. The Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton
I’ve read this book twice, the second time to see if it packed the same freight train sized emotional wallop. If was even more powerful the second time around. How Ms. Dalton manages to make a book this hot also be uplifting and emotionally devastating is simply beyond my comprehension. Read the cavalcade of 5 star reviews on the Amazon listing. They all speak truth. You will not regret reading this amazing book — but you’ll be haunted by it for days afterward. If you haven’t read this book, please, I beg you — go read it.
6. Pets: Bach’s Story by Darla Phelps
This unassuming little sci-fi book turned out to be one of the hottest fucking books I’ve ever read. A total surprise to find something so hot, so well-written and well-conceived (though once I learned the real person behind the pseudonym, it wasn’t a surprise at all:) I immediately re-read this one to make sure it really was that awesome. Oh yes, it was.
7. The Territory Within by P. N. Dedeaux
Unapologetically male-oriented (and supremely politically incorrect) erotic fiction. This was both original in conception, and execution. If you like the idea of a male dominant’s dream world, with an entire society incorporating the sexual submission of women then you’re going to fucking love this book. I know I did. Intense, raw, fearless smut.
8. Hall of Infamy by Amanita Virosa
Another example of male-oriented erotica that I think many women would absolutely eat up. Perhaps one of the best written (and hottest) works of corporal punishment fiction I’ve ever read. This is not a romance — at all — but as long as you know that going in, you can enjoy the superb writing, crackling description, and incredible, unrelenting eroticism. I loved this book.
9. Prima by Carolyn Faulkner
This book skates the fine line between dub-con and non-con, and is an absolutely smoking hot example of corporal punishment D/s (borderline M/s, really) erotic romance. This one gets a lot of flack from readers who are taken aback by the intense BDSM (especially the pain), but it is definitely an erotic romance — and a satisfying one at that. If you like extensive, expertly described corporal punishment scenes, then you cannot go wrong with this red hot little tale.
10. The Handmaidens/Citadel of Servitude by Aran Ashe
These first two books of the Chronicles of Tormunil series (which really need to both be read in order for the events to make any semblance of sense), are admittedly an acquired taste. In many ways this is reminiscent of The Sleeping Beauty trilogy, though these books are far more obsessive (and exhaustive) with the exploration of the sexual journeys of the protagonists. On the surface, these are dark, even brutal, books, but in actuality, the slaves (for they are most definitely sex slaves) in these books aren’t brutalized … quite. Aran Ashe’s vision (and fascinating powers of description) needs to be experienced to be believed. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it — the series seems to be a love it or hate it proposition — but I can guarantee you’ve never read anything quite like it.
I’ll probably have a Son of Top Ten list someday soon, but until then, I hope this trip down the smut reading rabbit hole was at least illuminating, if not entertaining:)
Until next time.
Trent
