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Imagine my surprise this morning, when, upon tuning into Book Radio on XM –

“…as his tongue split her wet folds…” (I think that’s what she said)

– hit my delicate ears.

It’s 8:30am on a damn Thursday!!  Not sure what Thursday has to do with it, but it seemed important at the time.  Now, I’m not opposed to a good, old fashioned, literary tongue lashing.  It was a bit of a shock to my full on “mom mode” of errands and luggage retrieval from the airport. (I don’t put on pants before 9am if possible so I was in rare form today.) To further my surprise, the parties or at least the male was genetically enhanced….a giraffe maybe??  THINK about it…I’ll wait.

Ready????  Mind you,  I’ve come in mid-way into the hour-long episode, so the action is WELL in hand, literally, and our hero is quickly advancing towards the third rail of sexual adventure.  This is obviously not the hero and heroine’s first foray into intimacy, and this scene is supposed to be THE moment of both physical surrender and emotional bonding between them.

I’m not particularly squeamish about a “bit of the rough” in the erotic moments of novels.  However, I am selective about WHEN.  Late at night with a cup of tea or wine, in the bubble bath, on a beach with my girlies or the mountain retreat, absolutely!. In the car, at damn near dawn, is not conducive to enjoy much more than basic story telling. (Typically this time of day is mystery, murder, or classics on Book Radio.)

I had two options, change stations, OR, learn something.  How is the encounter described? Does the author soften the act with euphemisms and purple prose? Or take erotic and make it porn with overly graphic language and insipid dialogue? What words connect me to the physical and emotional state with the characters?  DOES the author accomplish this?  If not, why?

I was pleased to see the author, writing for adults, did not shy away from bold language when dealing with anatomy. (I’m choosing to attribute my not knowing she was on all fours sooner on my timing not the writing.  I still say giraffe is a more believable genetic enhancement at this angle than big cat.)

This scene was raw, intense and tackling a sexual act not typically discussed in sex education or even most homes or marriages I’d wager.  I am undecided if this shows a fearlessness or a lack of something in the writing.  Can passion and base animalistic desires be conveyed without explicit language? At one time I believed it was enough to see Rhett carry Scarlett up the stairs and then see her disheveled, smiling, glowing the next morning.  Now, I’m not so sure the vast majority of romance readers would be satisfied with leaving the details to the imagination. Especially in the sci-fi type environment of this book.

Pornography…..I’ll know it when I see/hear/read it.  For ME, this was not pornography.  I cannot exactly call it erotica either, because I wasn’t moved by it. I concede a handicap in arriving late to the story.  My investment in the couple was non-existent.  This is far too subjective to tackle in one blog post.  I believe each author must decide what is best for each character, each story and what appeals most to their audience.

Sex without story is uninteresting.  I appreciated the author sprinkling in motivation for this specific  scene.  I knew before the grand finale, this couple was destined to fight “side by side”, they were “mates” or very soon would be, and she had attempted to run from him and the relationship.  I also knew this went beyond sexual attraction, there was a deep emotional bond and this was THE grand, explosive expression of that.  BIG IMPORTANT POINT for this reader.  Simply, getting laid edges too close to porn for delicate sensibilities….such as they are.

While this 30 minute snippet hasn’t inspired me to purchase and read the entire story, or series, I will share for those now interested in what thoroughly jolted me this morning.

Lawe’s Justice (Breeds): Lora Leigh

What are your thoughts?

K.R.B