GCLS logo
Anna F reviewed Cheri Crystal’s Attractions of the Heart at http://www.justaboutwrite.com/Reviews210.htm
Title: Attractions of the Heart
Author: Cheri Crystal
ISBN-10: 1600542980 – ISBN-13: 978-1600542985
Publisher: loveyoudivine
Distributed by: www.loveyoudivine.com
Price: $20.00
Pages: 292
Genre: Romance-Erotica/Lesbian
Erotica is normally not my cup of tea, but Cheri Crystal’s Attractions of the Heart contains stories that are filled with so much more than sex-for-sex’s-sake. They are truly filled with heart…and humor…and good old-fashioned romance. These short stories are varied little vignettes that are small artistic masterpieces in themselves. Each story has its own cover and “backmatter” to get the reader “in the mood.”
The first offering is entitled “Lobster Box,” a story filled with awkward getting-to-know-you moments punctuated with humor, lust, and love. Other stories portray more hard-core sexuality. There are stories about fishing, cooking, fisting, relationships with authors, and the most touching of all, a story called “Kumquat, Did You Say?” – a story about the real meaning of love: when a butch goes the extra mile for the love of her life because cancer has stopped the dreams the femme lover in her life has of having a family.
This book would make a lovely Valentine’s gift for that someone special. Or give the gift of reading them as bedtime stories to your special woman.
_____
Reviewed by Anna F.
All kudos to Cheri for this lovely review.
If you’d asked me a year ago, I’d have said that bleeding isn’t sexy. It’s messy, makes me self conscious, moody, heavy and not interested. Or at least, that had been my experience. It’s a time a deep emotional awareness and fragility, but in a supportive, nurturing relationship with someone who understands, that ceases to be a problem, and becomes something interesting to explore.
I gather that for some women, menstruation is a time of heightened sexual interest. That swelling of breasts, physical sensitivity, and emotionality can combine in heady ways, especially if you aren’t self conscious about the blood. It helps if your partner isn’t put off by blood either.
Red Tides of Desire began, as a story, a few months ago. I was bleeding, and the image popped into my head, of seeing my blood smeared on my lover’s skin. It struck me how intimate a thing that is, how bound up with trust. Bleeding is such a primal, female thing, and having that accepted, honoured, wanted, even, is very exciting. It makes for incredibly intimate possibilities.
I don’t write about my own life. I take moments, concepts, feelings and then mix them up with a heap of other things. Partly to avoid getting bored, partly because I LIKE making things up, partly to maintain both my own privacy and other people’s.
One or two other thoughts and influences came into play – pagan ideas about relationship with the land, spirits of place, returning blood to the soil, and blood magic. Because bleeding is a feminine thing, I wanted to write in an f/f context, but I think it’s a theme I’ll revisit in an m/f context as well.
Out of these threads and images came the story of Tabitha, a farmer who loves the land but has a lot of issues with her body and gender identity. Bleeding makes her a bit crazy, and opens the way to some wild and life changing experiences. It’s out now from www.loveyoudivine.com
Are you longing for a new, hot tale from Cheri Crystal?
Get ready for Conventional Wisdom - releasing on Friday the fifth of February from www.loveyoudivine.com
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60054-440-8
In Conventional Wisdom, a 25 year-old psychologist acts more like a kid with her first crush than a therapist attending a professional conference. Dr. Janet Weiss, a psychologist at The Women’s Mood Disorder Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, attends a professional convention in her hometown, New York City. Janet rooms with the noteworthy researcher, Dr. Olivia Chase (Chaz), and learns valuable lessons outside the program.
Janet Weiss, PhD., spends every waking moment between office hours and searching for the lifesaving tools that would become the gold standard in treating mood disorders in women. She’s too busy for a social life and takes great pleasure in writing erotica in her spare time. Up until recently, she’s avoided thoughts about her sexuality. Now she finds herself obsessing about women and concludes that her sexual identity needs defining. She’s headed to a professional convention in Manhattan and wonders if she should put her theory to the test. A nationally known researcher, Dr. Olivia Chase (Chaz), is a stunning woman, who happens to be smart, witty, and a lesbian. She’s also Janet’s roommate for the duration of the con. Janet develops a huge crush on Chaz and suspects the feeling may be mutual. Chaz may be too impossible to resist, but will Janet be able to go through with her personal quest?
Excerpt:
Leaving a cluttered mess, I briefly checked the mirror, satisfied that I looked presentable enough. I tucked my sleeveless pastel print cotton shirt into my tan slacks and adjusted the belt. After rummaging in my bag and tossing out a few items, I located and switched my nylon knee-highs for cushiony socks and a pair of sneakers. I was anxious to see if the hotel amenities lived up to the ads.
With my nose a centimeter from the mirror, I removed my glasses and plucked a long errant eyelash. Next, I checked out my hair. Typically wispy and a flyaway mess, it had waves and bounce thanks to hair products. That done, I was ready to explore unchartered territory, going where no woman had gone before, conquering mental illness at a single bound. I was definitely overtired and giddy.
Just as I threw open the door to leave, I was face-to-breast with a solid, towering mass of sweat-soaked, human flesh wearing a sport bra and nylon shorts that sat just below her belly button. When I glanced up, her dimpled grin exposed even white teeth in a face that exuded the tomboyish charm of an athlete adorning a box of Wheaties cereal beneath the slogan, “The Breakfast of Champions.” I swallowed my gum.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL.
Make it memorable. I hope this is the best one yet! I received a 5 heart review from The Romance Studio for my BDSM story, “The Ties That Bind.” http://theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/thatbindcrystal.htm My holidays couldn’t be more joyous! I HOPE YOURS WILL BE TOO. In a sequel to Does the Butch Come with the Recipe, softball captain, Cyndy Kaplan and her girlfriend, Tristan Rizzo, are back for a whole new adventure with much higher stakes. After Tristan’s prediction comes true and the Butch Cookbook earns enough money to subsidize a trip to Ft. Lauderdale for the whole team to attend the playoffs, she suggests another getaway, only without the softball league. Cyndy agrees to pop her Provincetown cherry in order to commemorate the 25th Annual Women’s Week. They end up renting a fantastic house in the fun-filled, estrogen-fest, with Tristan’s twin sister and her girlfriend to partake in the festivities. Cyndy has no idea what to expect, but Tristan is certain she’ll have Cyndy begging to come back for more.
Take a break from all the holiday rush and judge for yourself. Order “The Ties That Bind” today.
Here’s a snippet from the review -
“This is truly an erotic romance, and I particularly liked that the descriptions of the sexual activity between the characters starts out slowly, while we get to know Cyndy and Tristan, and builds to a more intimate (and adventurous) level as the story progresses. I always like to read about people who truly care about each other, and it doesn’t hurt that they also majorly turn each other on.”
Read the whole thing here – http://theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/thatbindcrystal.htm
http://tiny.cc/cherihttp://blogspot.loveyoudivineinfo.com/?page_id=198
Author of Attractions of the Heart available in Paperback. Click on http://www.amazon.com/Attractions-Heart-Cheri-Crystal/dp/1600542980
Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek2gVsVT8b0
Wishing everyone a HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON. MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. Here’s a FREE EBook. A gift from me to you. Go over to the LYD cart and get your free, feel-good read today. Smiles guaranteed or your money back.
CHERI CRYSTAL IS THE AUTHOR OF “ATTRACTION OF THE HEART” a collection of erotic lesbian love stories that is sure to please and tease with HOT tales that will have you coming back for more. Go to amazon.com and order your copy at http://www.amazon.com/Attractions-Heart-Cheri-Crystal/dp/1600542980 It makes a great stocking stuffer!!! Read a story a night to your girlfriend and get lucky afterward as you make your own erotic fantasy come true.
Love,
Cheri
There’s something about Victorian and Edwardian settings that gives me the shivers, in a good way. Be it realistic, or steampunk, or the realm of the penny dreadful. Victorian England had all the old manners and social strata, but at the same time had an explosion of science going on, and radical change on the way. With the end of Empire, the First World War soon to come, female emancipation on the way and the rise of democracy, it was a rapidly changing world.
I also love the juxtapositons – the repression of sexulaity in the mainstream went alongside huge numbers of women working in the sex industry. Victorian medical practices were startlingly sexual, and the countercultures were full of sensuality. The ‘I can resist anything except temptation’ attitude of Oscar Wilde, and from earlier in the 1800s, the luciousness of the Pre Raphaelites give some examples. I love the manners, the layers and facades, the hidden mistresses, the scope for scandal, the real risk of social ruin. The 1890s gave us some of our classic early horror tales – Frankenstien, Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Dorian Gray. It’s a rich seam to mine.
And if course there’s the corsetry. That’s a whole fetish of its own. The tight lacings, that can be pulled tighter, cruelly so. The body sculpting, the implicatons of vulnerability… ah… this I love.
It juat so happens that I have two Victorian set stories with LYD – When the Doctor Comes (back to those startlingly sexual medical techniques) and Beauty in Tears (lesbian paranormal). The latter involves me playing rather with the gothic manor setting, the governess figure, the beautiful ward, the handsome rescuer… nothing is quite what it seems, especially not in terms of who rescues whom!
“This is a lovely story about two women who needed a friend and found not only that but a lover as well. The sexual tension is wound tightly throughout the story, and the culmination is nothing less than satisfying. I liked how having Rita around gave Sienna the courage to do some things she had been avoiding. One thing I found interesting is how Ms. McKenzie was able to show how their strengths and weaknesses complemented each other; where one had a weakness, for the other it was a strength. This made the story very believable. I loved the description of Half Moon Lake, and its citizens very much. It is the kind of small town where everybody cares about and watches out for the other. A very pleasurable read that I recommend to one and all.”
Regina
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Bookshttp://carol-mckenzie.com
http://xanga.com/carolmckenzie
I thought ‘d add an excerpt of The Warm Season today. I hope you like it.
Minutes after Rita had shed her jacket and Sienna had shed her shawl, they talked in the living room. “Let’s get more comfortable,” said Rita, leading Sienna up the stairs. She turned on some soft music and asked Sienna’s opinion.
I can’t hide my need. How can I go on if…?
“It sounds good.”
Lovingly, Rita took Sienna’s hand, and they walked down the hall and entered Sienna’s bedroom, where she turned on the overhead light.
“I want to you… and I’ve been dying for this moment,” murmured Rita who took the lead.
“Me too.”
Rita undid and pulled the slinky black dress down Sienna’s slender body, then whisked it away and onto the chair. Her eyes feasted on Sienna’s perfectly shaped breasts. “Mm, very nice.”
Knowing the effects of her movements, she pulled the cups of Sienna’s tiny bra down below her large nipples, enjoying it when they invitingly jiggled. After a slight movement of her fingers, off came the bra.
Sienna’s voluptuous size C’s spilled out.
“Do this for me… turn.” In place, she guided and turned Sienna. The bra dangled down from her hand as she admired her friend’s body. “Every inch of you is exquisite.” Rita continued undressing her, enjoying the visual exploration, sensing Sienna enjoyed it too. She removed Sienna’s ruined panty hose and tossed them aside. She slid a spread hand over her back and sides. “Your skin’s so soft.”
Sienna responded by running a hand up Rita’s bare arm, sending shivers shooting throughout her body. Rita shed her own boots, jeans and panties. She sat on the edge of the bed, knowing just what she wanted and what she wanted to do.
Sienna put the bra on the chair and stood before Rita wearing nothing but a see-through black thong. She smoothed her manicured nails over her own light rose nipples and aureoles, letting Rita watch her toy with them. She whispered, “They’re very sensitive.”
“I’ll make them feel good.” Sienna took her fingers away from her breasts and Rita murmured, “And your pussy… do you like it to be licked?”
“Mm yes.”
“Long, slow and deep?”
“Oh yeah.”
“I could do that all night and make you come over and over.”
“This way.” With Rita’s encouragement, Sienna took small, baby steps forward, until she stood between Rita’s spread legs. “Mm baby. You look good enough to eat.” The flimsy thong barely covered the swollen lips of Sienna’s pussy.
A shudder left Sienna’s lips as she slid her trembling fingers under the band, down her own trimmed mound and deeply into the slit. She tantalized Rita with long, languishing strokes. “I like slow strokes. Mmmm. Like this.”
The crotch of the thong and her hand hid her slit from Rita, teasing her. Rita enjoyed the view. Sienna stopped, leaned forward and planted a deep, fervent kiss on Rita’s lips then pulled away to continue masturbating. Sienna took her hand from her thong, stepped away and turned, so that her back faced Rita.
With a tug, Rita leaned, grasped the undergarment at each side of Sienna’s hips and pulled it down below her buttocks and her legs. They dropped to the floor and Sienna stepped out of them.
Leaning forward over the dresser, her buttocks in Rita’s plain view, Sienna ran her finger up and down the glistening slit on her pussy’s rear entrance. She slid her fingers into her moist canal. A moan left her lips.
“I like this sooo much.”
“Mm, it turns me on, too,” said Rita. “You have such a sexy ass.”
“Thank you. I need this so much.”
Rita leaned up and kissed her then said, “You’re so beautiful. Come here, sweet thing.”
Her body flush with need, Rita brought Sienna back onto the bed with her, up among the cushions; they lay face-to-face and breast-to-breast. Reaching down, Sienna put the fingers of one hand on Rita’s wet vagina, and the fingers of the other on one of Rita’s breasts. For several agonizing seconds, Sienna toyed, rolled and pinched Rita’s nipples, causing her breath to hitch. For being inexperienced with women, Sienna sure knew how to turn her on. Evidently, she did what came naturally.
“Oh fuck that feels good,” said Rita when one of Sienna’s fingers found its way inside her cunt. “Jeezus, oh yes, honey.” Inadvertently, she began doing a humping motion against Sienna’s hand. She hit her vulnerable spot right away. The whole while, Rita let her hands caress Sienna’s buttocks and thighs and pull her near.
It would be a long night Rita realized – one that she didn’t want to end quickly.
Sienna’s breasts jiggled as she stroked Rita, bringing her to an explosive crescendo, then withdrawing her fingers, seemingly enjoying the havoc she’d just wreaked.
A small whimper came from Rita’s throat. “Oh… my… God.”
When she came down from the plateau, Rita realized that it was her turn to please Sienna and she planned to make it good for her. For it would be only the first of many orgasms of the night, if she had her way.
