Comments on: Review: Savage Lust, by Gabriella Bradley http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/ Book Reviews, Philosophy, Academic Life Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:11:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Marie Therese http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7231 Marie Therese Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:39:59 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7231 Oh yes, RfP, I've definitely seen the true 3-way stories you mention but the more "romantic" (rather than purely erotic) ones that I'm familiar with often seem to end with one of the male partners leaving or being less emotionally involved in the relationship, while the other male partner and the woman frequently go on to marry (I'm thinking of some of Emma Holly's books here, particularly the aptly named 'Menage'). This observation is probably just a quirk of my personal reading experience though and likely doesn't accurately reflect the subgenre as a whole. Oh yes, RfP, I’ve definitely seen the true 3-way stories you mention but the more “romantic” (rather than purely erotic) ones that I’m familiar with often seem to end with one of the male partners leaving or being less emotionally involved in the relationship, while the other male partner and the woman frequently go on to marry (I’m thinking of some of Emma Holly’s books here, particularly the aptly named ‘Menage’). This observation is probably just a quirk of my personal reading experience though and likely doesn’t accurately reflect the subgenre as a whole.

]]> By: RfP http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7191 RfP Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:10:37 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7191 <blockquote>the blood relationship between the two or more men makes, in some way, for a more plausible lasting HEA. Blood ties are much harder to sever than those of convenience or even friendship and if the two+ men aren’t actually sexually/romantically involved with one another</blockquote> You've probably seen that there's a whole strain of menage books out there in which there's no blood relationship, and often the men ARE involved with each other. I'm not sure why the "all in the family" menages broke out as they did, but without much reflection I chalk it up to (1) the obvious lack of realism and (2) they're boundary-pushing. However, I think the non-family, omni-directional relationship type of menage is taking over with the mainstreaming of m/m.

the blood relationship between the two or more men makes, in some way, for a more plausible lasting HEA. Blood ties are much harder to sever than those of convenience or even friendship and if the two+ men aren’t actually sexually/romantically involved with one another

You’ve probably seen that there’s a whole strain of menage books out there in which there’s no blood relationship, and often the men ARE involved with each other. I’m not sure why the “all in the family” menages broke out as they did, but without much reflection I chalk it up to (1) the obvious lack of realism and (2) they’re boundary-pushing. However, I think the non-family, omni-directional relationship type of menage is taking over with the mainstreaming of m/m.

]]> By: Kate http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7067 Kate Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:02:41 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7067 I just said "What the f***" out loud in my office with another person in here while reading this. But in a good way. I think. I just said “What the f***” out loud in my office with another person in here while reading this. But in a good way. I think.

]]> By: AnnFes http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7055 AnnFes Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:33:43 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7055 To borrow a phrase from Samuel Morse:"What hath Amazon wrought?" Now a writer can bypass all those pesky editors at publishing houses and just do it yourself! I can't wait to see what Harlequin's vanity pressers will offer us! To borrow a phrase from Samuel Morse:”What hath Amazon wrought?” Now a writer can bypass all those pesky editors at publishing houses and just do it yourself! I can’t wait to see what Harlequin’s vanity pressers will offer us!

]]> By: Marie Therese http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7054 Marie Therese Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:17:21 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7054 RfP, I think you're right about Leigh being among the first to popularize this odd sibling setup although I believe Maya Banks was also an early adopter of this "family that f*cks together" scenario and it seems to have become curiously well-accepted among erotic romance writers and readers. Books featuring the trope have even been well reviewed on mainstream romance blogs like Dear Author and SBTB-sites I don't really associate with the weirder fringes of erotic experience. I wonder if this trope is so popular and so 'unremarkable' (for lack of a better term) because the blood relationship between the two or more men makes, in some way, for a more plausible lasting HEA. Blood ties are much harder to sever than those of convenience or even friendship and if the two+ men aren't actually sexually/romantically involved with one another (a major no-no in most of these stories-God forbid, a penis slip into the wrong orifice or slide up against the wrong skin!) there's relatively little incentive for them to stay in the relationship permanently or work hard to mend the group relationship should tensions arise. Ties of love (with the heroine) and blood (with the other men in the menage) perhaps help to ensure stability (at least subconsciously in the writer/reader's mind). On a side note, I'm always kind of amazed to find that many readers who balk at heterosexual first cousin marriage (a very unexceptionable occurrence in Western society in the past and in many non-Western societies today) have little problem with brothers getting it on with the same woman. It just blows my mind how many writers and readers will insist that it's not "incest" in any normal, clearly recognized sense of the term. I'm always tempted to direct them to a copy of Françoise Héritier <a href="http://www.zonebooks.org/titles/HERI_TWO.html" rel="nofollow">'Two Sisters and Their Mother' </a>and then watch their heads explode ;-) (For the record, I don't actually have a problem with the "incest" in these books. They're clearly fantasy but even if they weren't, I firmly believe mature adults should be able to consensually and without coercion have sex with whomever they choose. It's not my thing but then, there's a hell of a lot of other kinds of sex that aren't either.) RfP, I think you’re right about Leigh being among the first to popularize this odd sibling setup although I believe Maya Banks was also an early adopter of this “family that f*cks together” scenario and it seems to have become curiously well-accepted among erotic romance writers and readers. Books featuring the trope have even been well reviewed on mainstream romance blogs like Dear Author and SBTB-sites I don’t really associate with the weirder fringes of erotic experience.

I wonder if this trope is so popular and so ‘unremarkable’ (for lack of a better term) because the blood relationship between the two or more men makes, in some way, for a more plausible lasting HEA. Blood ties are much harder to sever than those of convenience or even friendship and if the two+ men aren’t actually sexually/romantically involved with one another (a major no-no in most of these stories-God forbid, a penis slip into the wrong orifice or slide up against the wrong skin!) there’s relatively little incentive for them to stay in the relationship permanently or work hard to mend the group relationship should tensions arise. Ties of love (with the heroine) and blood (with the other men in the menage) perhaps help to ensure stability (at least subconsciously in the writer/reader’s mind).

On a side note, I’m always kind of amazed to find that many readers who balk at heterosexual first cousin marriage (a very unexceptionable occurrence in Western society in the past and in many non-Western societies today) have little problem with brothers getting it on with the same woman. It just blows my mind how many writers and readers will insist that it’s not “incest” in any normal, clearly recognized sense of the term. I’m always tempted to direct them to a copy of Françoise Héritier ‘Two Sisters and Their Mother’ and then watch their heads explode ;-)

(For the record, I don’t actually have a problem with the “incest” in these books. They’re clearly fantasy but even if they weren’t, I firmly believe mature adults should be able to consensually and without coercion have sex with whomever they choose. It’s not my thing but then, there’s a hell of a lot of other kinds of sex that aren’t either.)

]]> By: heidenkind http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7048 heidenkind Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:37:24 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7048 I'm happy for you? I’m happy for you?

]]> By: Tumperkin http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7044 Tumperkin Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:49:07 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7044 Oh thank you! Your 3+ hours of pain give me 3 mins of belly laughs. Oh thank you! Your 3+ hours of pain give me 3 mins of belly laughs.

]]> By: Jessica http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7036 Jessica Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:59:54 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7036 @<a href="#comment-7010" rel="nofollow">cecilia grant</a>: She went with the one who treated her the worst, naturally, but she told the other brothers she chose him because he was the eldest (so they wouldn't feel too bad about their inadequate levels of misogyny). @<a href="#comment-7014" rel="nofollow">Ann Somerville</a>: oh, that's high praise. Thank you! @cecilia grant: She went with the one who treated her the worst, naturally, but she told the other brothers she chose him because he was the eldest (so they wouldn’t feel too bad about their inadequate levels of misogyny).

@Ann Somerville: oh, that’s high praise. Thank you!

]]> By: Ann Somerville http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7014 Ann Somerville Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:24:41 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7014 "how did she decide which brother got to rend her exalted hymen" With all that finger poking, it surely was a hypothetical exercise by that point ;) I read this review out to Spousal unit last night. We both lost our shit. It's all Jessica's fault! “how did she decide which brother got to rend her exalted hymen”

With all that finger poking, it surely was a hypothetical exercise by that point ;)

I read this review out to Spousal unit last night. We both lost our shit. It’s all Jessica’s fault!

]]> By: cecilia grant http://www.readreactreview.com/2010/02/12/review-savage-lust-by-gabriella-bradley/#comment-7010 cecilia grant Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:35:13 +0000 http://www.racyromancereviews.com/?p=5269#comment-7010 Oh, dear. Does <a href="http://thethrillionthpage.blogspot.com/2009/08/miss-doreen-detects-evidence-of-cowboy_20.html" rel="nofollow">Miss Doreen</a> know about this? And I have to ask - how did she decide which brother got to rend her exalted hymen? Oh, dear. Does Miss Doreen know about this?

And I have to ask – how did she decide which brother got to rend her exalted hymen?

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