Summer is here, and you need something to read to in the coolness of your bedroom or looking fly on the beach. Sistahs on the Shelf comes to the rescue with more than a few recommendations ranging from crime-fighting cops to steamy erotica, from drama between friends to simply loving yourself. Peruse our Sistahs Sizzlin’ Reads for books to fill your summer.
This Valentine’s Day, Sistahs on the Shelf is providing a little love by featuring four reviews of e-books all about love, romance and passion to heighten your holiday. What’s good about these electronic books is that most are no more than a few dollars to download. Clicking on each book will direct you to where to purchase a copy.
Also for your pleasure are 10 Tips for an Awesome Valentine’s Day and 10 Tips to a Sexy Valentine’s Day to make the most of Valentine’s Day with your lover, written by erotica writers Stephanie Rose and Ms. Erotica.
So read on and enjoy this special day — whether single or attached!
Publisher/Date: Sexy Black Rainbows Entertainment, Feb. 2010
Genre: Relationship Guide
Pages: 26
Website: http://www.sexyblackrainbows.com
Rating: 
If you’ve ever been in love, want to be in love or are in love right now, HOW TO LOVE A BLACK LESBIAN is the e-book you must read. Within the pages lie the simple truths about loving a black female.
Velvet Knight and Joy A’Che break down what it takes to deeply care for a woman — from her head to her toes. Yet it goes further than just loving the physical aspects of your mate. Getting to know her mind, soul and spirit is vital according to the authors, who preach that “starting from the outside and going in” is the best way to enjoy the qualities your other half possesses.
First, the relationship manual stresses discovering what makes your lover tick. For example, knowing exactly why she became a lesbian is a key to whom she is as a person. So ask her. The authors say “to love a lesbian you should know why one is a lesbian.” Her attitude and response to the question should reveal more her character and her heart.
But don’t think that loving a woman’s body is not important. Knight and A’Che emphasize adoring every single part of your lover, her touch, and even her imperfections. I like how the authors play up the importance of swagger – whether she’s femme, stud or in the middle – as another facet to enjoy about your partner’s confidence in being female.
For right in time for Valentine’s Day, How to Love a Black Lesbian is definitely required reading. Knight and A’Che provide a sensual guidebook for beautiful African-American women who love women. Anyone in or out of a relationship should read this how-to because it’s an excellent blueprint to building a solid foundation with your lover.
Reviewed February 2010
Genre: Relationship Guide
Pages: 24
Website: http://www.cherilnclarke.com
Rating: 
Want hundreds of tips to kick start, rekindle or preserve your relationship? Then get your hands on LOVE AND MARRIAGE: THE GAY AND LESBIAN GUIDE TO DATING AND ROMANCE by beloved novelist Cheril N. Clarke.
Not only is Clarke the author of lesbian contemporary romance novels, she’s also a happily wedded woman of three years. That helps when perusing these helpful suggestions that list everything from scrapbooking to playing hide-and-go-seek to lap-dancing – all in an effort to keep the romance brewing.
The e-book is broken up conveniently into three sections: Getting to Know Each Other, Commitment and Marriage. Each pointer is marked with a symbol indicating the cost and activity type. As a word of advice, she states that you should make this book your own and not try to do everything at once.
If you’re on a first date or starting a new relationship, Clarke offers out-of-the-box plans for first dates. Things like taking a hot air balloon, having dinner in a castle, or walking under the stars on moonlight night will surely set a very good first impression.
For those in monogamous relationships, she doesn’t forget about you. To strengthen your bond, why don’t you take your girlfriend to a bed and breakfast or write her an old fashioned love letter?
And to cherish your union and combat the long-term itch of marriage, among Clarke’s hints are commissioning an artist to paint a couple’s portrait, having personalized china made, and attending a hedonism retreat.
By reading Love and Marriage, all couples should find something to fit their fancy – from the simplest declaration to the most elaborate arrangement. Clarke has your relationship in mind.
Reviewed February 2010
Genre(s): Bisexual, Romance, Erotica
Pages: 59
Website: http://www.jldillard1.webs.com
Rating:
“Nothing is simple about this arrangement,” Jonathan Rutherford replies to his wife as they contemplate a threesome in THE MENAGE MENAGERIE. In her e-book, author J.L. Dillard creates the perfect sexual situation between a man, his wife and another woman.
Dana Rutherford knows her husband’s been craving to see her be pleasured by another woman. And even though their sex is as good as it gets, she indulges him this one fantasy. Dana, as beautiful and voluptuous as she is, recognizes that a little spice in their love life will keep him satisfied and looking no further.
So Dana concedes and offers Jonathan this proposition: engage in a ménage à trois with Crystina, an extremely sexy lesbian at his workplace.
Because Jonathan sings Crystina’s praises to his wife at home, Dana deduces that he finds her attractive, as well, so she sets up a meeting between the three. She just hopes it doesn’t blow up in her face – considering the fact Jonathan is Crystina’s boss. Also causing distress is the fact that the usually demure Dana is a lot more excited about being seduced by a woman than she ever thought she would be.
What goes down tonight could be anyone’s guess.
Dillard is sensual in her portrayal of the heat between both the husband and wife, but most especially between the two women. Dana and Crystina’s obvious connection is honestly the best part of the story; I could have used more of that. But if you want a book that gets it down and dirty, Dillard’s Menagerie worth checking out.
Reviewed February 2010
Publisher/Date: Phaze Books, Feb. 2009
Genre(s): Erotica, Romance
Pages: 17
Website: http://www.danalittlejohn.com
Rating: 
When you’re faced with spending Valentine’s Day alone, what’s a girl to do? If you’re Shaunte in THE WRONG VALENTINE, you’ll cook a nice dinner, take a long shower and pamper your body in an effort to feel special.
That’s Shaunte’s plan in this diminutive e-book written by romance author Dana Littlejohn portraying a woman’s night alone on lover’s day. But Shante isn’t too pressed about it. She’s had her share of heartache, and a recent relocation to New York helped her get through the hurt.
However, in the midst of Shaunte’s date with herself, she receives a womanly surprise that changes the course of her night and allows her to truly enjoy the holiday.
As a character, Shaunte’s past could have been fleshed out a more, but Littlejohn, who has about 20 erotic titles under her skirt, err belt, creates a short-but-sweet novelette that’s appetizing all the same.
Reviewed February 2010
1. Make it special for you and your lady only. Get a nice room and make it romantic! Sprinkle rose petals around the room and bed, have slow romantic music flowing from the CD player you brought, have the wine chilled and chocolate strawberries ready. Turn the cell phones off and enjoy each other.
2. Take the kids over to Grandma’s, and cook a romantic dinner for your sexy lady. Serve her wearing your new sexy pajamas or lingerie.
3. If you’re somewhere warm (beach, park, resort, etc.), take a stroll and a picnic basket…and a vibrating toy. Uummmmm.
4. Take your lady to a club that has an open mic and read a romantic letter that you wrote about what she means to you. When you get home, it’s ON!
5. Every girl loves diamonds! Take her to dinner, and then present her with the diamonds.
6. Take your lady to Vegas! Enough said!
7. Re-discover how you became a couple! Do the things you did on your first date. Remember and do the things that made you laugh, get excited, and lust for each other.
8. Sit on a blanket naked in front of your fireplace with lots of goodies (toys, ice, chocolate syrup, whip cream, etc.), then put on blindfolds and have a ball pouring, licking, touching, kissing, rubbing it off each other. After that, it gets even hotter in the shower.
9. You may always say YOU LOVE HER!…NOW, SHOW HER THAT YOU LOVE HER! Do something from the heart. Something that made you think! You and your lady could write a poem about each other, then go to a picture frame shop and build your frame. After a quiet dinner, present it to each other and hang it on the wall.
10. For long distance relationships, send your lady some flowers, a big stuffed teddy bear, chocolate and a gift certificate to a spa to get a relaxing massage!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you ALL!
KISS! KISS! KEEP IT WET!
Ms. Erotica is the author of the erotica collection of short stories, Kiss! Kiss! Keep It Wet! and click here to read the review. Learn more about Ms. Erotica in her Meet This Sistah interview.
Valentine’s Day, the greatest day for lovers, is finally upon us. Here are 10 tips to intensify your connection with your lover and make yours the best, hottest and sexiest romance ever!
Kinship. Always remember that your lover is your sister and your friend. To keep the bond between the two of you tight, give endless amounts of love and affection to your better half.
Excitement. Start early in the day, and let the anticipation build to a fever pitch, by sharing secret kisses, soft caresses and erotic whispers.
Exploration. Make sure you get to know every inch of your partner’s mind, body and soul. Leave no part of them unexplored.
Preparation. Besides practicing safe sex where appropriate, keep the communication open and honest by making use of safe words and respecting each other’s boundaries.
Intensity. Go all out for your lover (both in and out of the bedroom!) and hold nothing back.
Tenderness. Be gentle with your lover’s feelings and treat them with the utmost of care.
Self-Awareness. In order to please your lover, you must first please yourself. Take the time to get to know your own needs and wants (and especially your hot-spots!) and don’t hesitate to share these with your lady.
Ecstasy. Use your lips, tongue, fingers, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, honey, satin blindfolds, silken handcuffs and anything else you can think of to bring your honey to the ultimate erotic peak!
X-Rated. There are so many toys, goodies and videos that the two of you can share! Go online, or go to your favorite adult entertainment spot, and explore your erotic inner Goddess!
You. You. Yes, you. Remember that YOU are the one that your sweetheart chose to be with, so celebrate the wonderful person that you are! Revel in your sweetie’s love and affection, take extra-special care of yourself and share yourself with the one you love!
I wish you a sizzling-hot Valentine’s Day!
(And a bonus: Hidden in the text is the final tip. Enjoy!)
Stephanie Rose is the pen name of an African-American lesbian erotica writer. Once a corporate attorney, she left the legal profession to become a full-time writer, and she’s now happier than she’s ever been before. She loves and adores smart, sexy women, and she’s always ready to put those passions down on paper. She encourages women to always follow their dreams and to experience all the love and joy that life has to offer.
Please visit www.StephanieRoseHeat.com for more.
Publisher/Date: Women of Choice, Apr. 2009
Genre: Erotica
Pages: 149
Website: http://www.womenofchoice.com
Rating:
The road to pleasure is paved with great sex, and The Lesbian Goddess is your chauffeur with her newest novel, LESBIAN FUNK: A JOURNEY INTO THE OBLIVION.
The third installment of the Orchids series is narrated by Kaili as she discovers what makes her tick through a roller-coaster orgasmic journey. In each episode, her hidden fantasies become real, those desires she never thought would surface. Her first adventure involves a woman, and Kaili is bewildered by what this means. Coming from a failed, sexless marriage to being seduced by a woman – her therapist, nonetheless – leaves her gloriously spent but confused.
Following this, Kaili changes venue and relocates to Arizona. She thought leaving everything behind would suppress her lesbian tendencies, yet moving only magnifies her problems; she ends up in more relations with women, each exploit more captivating and hotter than the last. Kaili can’t believe what has become of herself; it’s as if she’s someone else.
And it’s somewhat true. Throughout her romps, Kaili is led by an unknown female voice taunting her psyche, there from the initial affair with her therapist. Who is this mysterious spirit directing inner-most desires, telling her how and where to get off? That’s what Kaili wants to know, and her search guides her to a sexual height she’s never known.
The Lesbian Goddess is known for her poetic raunchiness, an erotic wordsmith who’s not afraid to go there. Just like her previous collections, Lesbian Funk is no different. It paints a vivid picture of a woman enjoying the pleasures of the female form, and celebrates it through prose and poetry, the latter introducing each chapter. While the metaphysical aspect of the book may throw some readers, it’s unlike anything you’ve read before.
After all, everyone has a sexual alter ego. Sasha Fierce, anyone?
Reviewed November 2009
Genre: Romance
Pages: 216
Website: http://www.cherilnclarke.com
Rating:
Brianna Anderson knows love and politics oftentimes lead to scandal, so she’s covering her bases in LOSING CONTROL, the latest from revered author Cheril N. Clarke. The author of best-sellers Intimate Chaos and Tainted Destiny has delivered another captivating novel, this time following Brianna and her bid for City Council.
In case you forgot, Brianna is the go-getter in Tainted Destiny who left Sadira to pursue a career in the public sector. Brianna is now running for office in Rockville, New Jersey, a depressed city marked by unemployment, homelessness and political corruption. Brianna’s intentions, while she doesn’t have much experience, are pure and motivated by lifting the fog of hopelessness blanketing the city’s poorest residents.
Her opponent, however, is a woman led by pure greed. Three-term incumbent Colleen Smith, the councilwoman elected for three consecutive terms, wants to defeat the green candidate at any cost. Colleen could care less about her impoverished community, but rather reaping the wealth her position has afforded her on the backs of the people she serves. With the stones Colleen’s throwing, Brianna cannot allow her deepest secret to be uncovered and therefore denies her sexuality – even as her attraction is growing for city treasurer Pam Thompson.
The pair meet somewhere along Brianna’s campaign trail, and are instantly drawn together. Brianna can’t help but feel something toward Pam, an intelligent, gorgeous woman, but indulging their feelings would mean Pam would have to deny something, also: her husband. And imagine the scandal that would erupt if Brianna’s opponent were to find out. She’s worked too hard, and there’s too much at stake for both her and Pam to lose.
Clarke’s Losing Control combines an involved love story with the behind-the-scenes action of a campaign. The romance between Brianna and Pam builds slowly, and takes a while to reach its peak – figuratively and sexually – but is worth reading to see how it ends. Clarke is proficient when it comes to the agony of love, and Losing Control shows what happens when the sacrifice is worth it.
Reviewed November 2009
