Sunday, March 16, 2014

Book Review - The Bucket List (Part One)


The Bucket List - Part One

Publisher: Steam eReads
ISBN: 978-0-9874581-2-4

It is a testament to the excellent writing of Annie Oakfield that The Bucket List part one is as sexy as it is - not to mention her wild imagination. I was following the new publications at Steam ereads at the time and I confess the thought of erotica centered around a women's only sex toy party wasn't a premise I was expecting to be that exciting, particularly because I had attended some of these gatherings in my past and they were giggly and fun, but erotic? No.

Boy was I wrong. Annie Oakfield is a fine writer for one, so that makes a very big difference when approaching any subject matter. She takes her time too, despite the short length of this novella, to expand into eroticism, which is the heart and soul of a good erotic novel, but particularity necessary when the subject matter is unusual. This all helps the reader build to the burn (so to speak) and work their way into an erotically charged scenario that is really more about absorbing experience rather than titillation.

Quiet, reserved Lucy lives with sexy wild Amber. They're room mates who occasionally provide for each other benefit-wise, though one senses Lucy might like something a little more from Amber who seems to enjoy teasing everyone, male or female. When a shy , but wild underneath woman attaches herself to an extrovert, it is often a set up to facilitate some action they don't have the talent to create for themselves. Not only does Annie Oakfield know this about her protagonist Lucy, but Amber knows it too, and steps in to provide access to secret fantasies Lucy doesn't even like to admit she has.

One night when drinking they create a 'Bucket List' of erotic experiences, a 'dumb things I gotta do before I die' list. Lucy coquettishly thinks this is all fun, but to her horror, Amber starts setting up each scenario. My understanding (and hope) is that the future novels will continue with this premise. Book one is Lucy's fantasy of being the try out model at a sex toy party filled with women, and the rest is... as they say, history.

The relationship between the two women, emphasized at the start of The Bucket List is underplayed for the rest of the novella, but one assumes this will be the long running theme that works through the other stories. The sexual premise is unusual, and therefore the sexual writing becomes very interesting, transporting the reader into a world they might not have experienced before. This is part of the purpose of erotica, (like all good literature) to transport the reader into an experience they may not have had, and in fact may be intrigued by, but have no intention of having. With such lovely writing, the novella is not only a physical pleasure, but also a well written one. Below is an example of a sentence from the start that I loved:

"My jeans were draped over the back of a nearby wicker chair, the empty legs hovering over my walking boots like a deflated version of myself."

This is the quality of image and sentence deceptively simple, but lovely sentence structure one can expect, and it brings Lucy and Amber alive.

I am currently reading the second in the novella series, and will review when done. This first is a strong recommendation from me.

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