SistaGirl by Anondra “Kat” Williams

Publisher/Date:  Black Ink, July 2013
Genre(s):  Romance, Short Story, Poetry
Pages:  172
Website:  http://www.anondrawilliams.com

Rating: ★★★¾☆ 

A Southern woman is a delicacy: defined as a delicious, rare, or highly prized item of food; pleasing subtlety in something such as taste, smell, or color; or the quality of being easily damaged or broken.

All these qualities are revealed reading SISTAGIRL from Anondra “Kat” Williams, also author of black girl love. Her newest collection of stories and poems picks up where black girl love left off, but adds an extra pinch of down-home charm. For a girl like Williams, born and bred in Mississippi, this volume of Southern sensibilities is her bread-and-butter, her calling card. She knows the South, and she definitely knows women.

I saw it when I read the title story, about loving your sista no matter whom she loves, and in “Saturday Mornings,” recalling the memories of Mama and her friends gossiping and commiserating around the table over cups of coffee, at a time when children were to hush when grown folks are talking. It’s also clear in “Southern Living,” narrated by a Northerner loving a “Mississippi thick girl” with hot grits ready every Sunday.

One of the biggest themes in SistaGirl is growth, as a woman and in relationships, a trip back to the girl you used to be, and the woman you are now. Tales such as “Years” recount the affair between a woman in love and a woman who doesn’t want to be caught, realizing one can come back home. In “Firsts” and “15,” the evolution of love is shown, the former being first loves, and the latter growing older together. I reveled in the coziness of the poem, “morning,” reminding me with talks in the arms of your soulmate.

Like a side of buttered cornbread next to your collard greens, the drama finagles its way to the plate in SistaGirl, as well. Stories of crazy love (“Time”), domestic abuse (“Roses”), and dating women with husbands (“How You Get’em”) round out this set. And lest you worry, there’s some “good joog” in there also, with a stimulating game of “Tic-tac-toe” that I need to, ahem, play one of these nights.

Her bonuses, “Top 10 Rules for Being a Lesbian” and “The 11 Lesbians You Will Meet in Your Lifetime”, are humourously spot-on. Williams also includes a except from her upcoming fall 2014 novel, Pat Greene, which I’m looking forward to.

Williams’ SistaGirl exposes the hearts of real women. I found her stories to be exceedingly true in sentiment, but a little slack on the editing. A couple of stories ended abruptly that I wanted to see continue, or at least be fleshed out further. That aside, SistaGirl is all the women in your life, and may be you. And the love of good woman is hard to beat.

Reviewed August 2013

Read the Catching Up With… Interview with Anondra “Kat Williams

Forever Tangled: A collection of poems and stories from the heart and between the thighs (Volume 1) by Monique ‘Being True’ Thomas

forevertangledPublisher/Date:  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Nov. 2012
Genre(s):  Romance, Erotica, Poetry, Short Story
Pages:  112
Website:  http://authormoniquebeingtruethonas.wordpress.com

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

The Plot:  In the first volume of FOREVER TANGLED: A COLLECTION OF POEMS AND STORIES FROM THE HEART AND BETWEEN THE THIGHS, Monique ‘Being True’ Thomas invites you “to the playground of love and seduction” to “enjoy your time playing on the jungle gym” of her thoughts. Her erotic material – such as “Watched” and “Wet” –  will surely get your heart rate (and other things) up; at the same time, Thomas brings love to the table, like in “All I Wanted to Do” and “Reflection” (my personal favorite). Poetry also rounds out this first installment.

The Good:  Thomas’ stories have a familiar feel, if you’ve remember or read some of her other works featured on Kuma2.net and in the Life, Love, Lust series by Lesbian Memoirs. The love scenes are extremely sensuous, and her poetry is expressive.

The Not-So-Good:  A couple of the stories have a been-there-done-that quality.

The Bottom Line: Forever Tangled is a small read with big of heart.

Reviewed April 2013

Once and Future Lovers by Sheree L. Greer (Dec. 2012 Pick of the Month)

Publisher/Date:  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, June 2012
Genre(s):  Romance, Short Story
Pages:  118
Website:  http://www.shereelgreer.com

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Love.

The four letter word conjures so many images and thoughts and emotions that can be hard to express.

Sheree L. Greer captures the sentiments beautifully in her short story collection, ONCE AND FUTURE LOVERS. Her book highlights the simplest and most complicated forms of affection from the romantic to the familial, to the straight to same-sex varieties.

And it all flows like butter.

Once begins with a tender story, “I Do All My Own Stunts,” as a woman lives the metaphor of “getting back on the bike” to find love again. To her, the feeling of flying when in love is worth the tumble and pain one may have to endure – and she can’t wait to experience it again.

“The Beginning of Something” is truly an old-fashioned love story. Arthur Turner meets a seemingly virtuous woman named Christine. She’s stunning, but at 26, has never been married and doesn’t want to leave home. Arthur, having lived a tough life, desires to see the world and intriguingly finds this same quality in someone else – Iris, Christine’s sister.

It all comes full circle in “Dreaming Woman,” a heartwarmer about Zaire and her two loves: Daryan, her best friend, unaware of Zaire’s passion for her; and her grandmother, Mama Iris, who Zaire lovingly takes care of and enjoys spending time with. Two different kinds of love, but the admiration Zaire has for Mama Iris bolsters her courage to declare her love for Daryan and allow her into her world.

Once and Future Lovers can be considered an exceptional debut novel. The narration of each story exudes genuine human interactions that are relatable to any sexuality, race or gender. Love can’t be defined by those things, and Greer presents this knowledge in a splendid way.

Reviewed December 2012

Fantasies, Sex, Lies, & Love… Chronicles of the Heart and Mind by Harmonie Reigns

Publisher/Date:  CreateSpace, Feb. 2012
Genre(s):  Romance, Erotica, Poetry, Short Story
Pages:  212
Website:  http://harmoniereigns.wix.com/harmonie#!info

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

The Plot: In most cases, relationships usually include FANTASIES, SEX, LIES & LOVE…CHRONICLES OF THE HEART AND MIND in some fashion. That’s what Harmonie Reigns asserts in her collection of dramatic short stories and corresponding poems. Love can be reunited in (“The Encounter”) or reassuring (“In the Blink of an Eye”) or life-changing (“The Librarian”). On the other hand, it can also be deceitful (“The Office”) or simply about the panties (“The Truck Stop”). With Reigns, you never know what you’re gonna get.

The Good: Reigns delves into hearty plots with each tale. She draws you into the characters, allowing you to care about the two (or sometimes three) people in the relationship that matter the most. And the sex found between the pages is scorching.

The Bad: Although the stories were hot, the excessive grammatical errors were not. It did slow me down at times. Also, some of her poems I couldn’t quite get into.

The Bottom Line: Read Fantasies for the love and the lust, and you won’t be disappointed.

Reviewed August 2012

Fantasies, Sex, Lies, & Love… Chronicles of the Heart and Mind by Harmonie Reigns
CreateSpace, Feb. 2012
212 pages
Contemporary Romance/Erotica/Poetry/Short Story
http://harmoniereigns.wix.com/harmonie#!infoRating: 3 out of 5

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

The Plot: In most cases, relationships usually include FANTASIES, SEX, LIES & LOVE…CHRONICLES OF THE HEART AND MIND in some fashion. That’s what Harmonie Reigns asserts in her collection of dramatic short stories and corresponding poems. Love can be reunited in (“The Encounter”) or reassuring (“In the Blink of an Eye”) or life-changing (“The Librarian”). On the other hand, it can also be deceitful (“The Office”) or simply about the panties (“The Truck Stop”). With Reigns, you never know what you’re gonna get.

The Good: Reigns delves into hearty plots with each tale. She draws you into the characters, allowing you to care about the two (or sometimes three) people in the relationship that matter the most. And the sex found between the pages is scorching.

The Bad: Although the stories were hot, the excessive grammatical errors were not. It did slow me down at times. Also, some of her poems I couldn’t quite get into.

The Bottom Line: Read Fantasies for the love and the lust, and you won’t be disappointed.

Reviewed August 2012

Erotic Tones…Sensual Moans: A Mixture of Sensual Erotic Poetry & Short Stories by Stacey M. Rice

Publisher/Date:  Rycemoore Horizons, Dec. 2011
Genre:  Erotica
Pages:  120
Website:  http://www.rycemoorehorizons.weebly.com

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

The Plot: Twenty-three short stories and poems convey the erotic overtures between women in EROTIC TONES…SENSUAL MOANS. Author Stacey M. Rice captures the raw and sweet with tales like “Oooh Boi,” a stud-4-stud treat and “Thrill of the Chase,” where a bookstore patron doesn’t accept no when it comes to the store owner.

The Good: Rice definitely mixes it up. The stories are fun, and the poetry is passionate. The depth of the book heightens as you read.

The Not-So-Good: While the tales were heat-inducing, there were a couple of moments when the characters would head-hop, and you don’t know who’s putting it on whom. And I would have liked a little more background on some of the characters, as well.

The Bottom Line: Rice spares no time and delves straight to the point in Erotic Tones. You will be satisfied.

Reviewed June 2012

Letting Go…Almost A Trilogy of Alternative Short Stories by Monica Cooper

Publisher/Date KumaSon Consultant, June 2011
Genre(s):  Romance, Short Story
Pages:  392
Website:  http://www.kumason.com

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What’s the use of LETTING GO…ALMOST?

To discover a love yet experienced based on the touching book by Monica Cooper.

Her tome features 3 novellas centered on couples who could find love if only they succumbed to its power. Pasts may hinder you, imaginary barriers can be overcome, and the right one could be right in your face, but you have to be able to let go and let love.

The first tale surrounds Dylan, an abused woman stranded by her Lexus in a small town while trying to escape. She’s taken in by Ms. Mae, a caring elder with a granddaughter, Tori, who can fix Dylan’s car in her shop. Dylan and Tori don’t hit it off, to say the least, but through Ms. Mae, they learn each other’s pasts aren’t that different. Things get more complicated when Tori and Dylan find out they share a common link.

Vampires and mortals are to oil and water, yet in Cooper’s second story, they yield pleasurable bedmates – if only Martel could let go of standing traditions that forbid the creatures from mingling with humans. Martel knows Sanai is literally worth fighting for, but dark forces could see to it that the two never see the light of day.

The last tale in Letting Go involves Asilia, in a relationship with a man when she meets Kai. The attraction is undeniable and mutual, but it leaves both ladies confused: for Asilia, whether it’s worth leaving her boyfriend; for Kai, how long can she wait for something that isn’t hers and isn’t promised. As it happens often in life, fate makes the decision for them.

In short, Cooper’s words in Letting Go…Almost flow like honey, delightfully poignant, sentiments felt.

Reviewed June 2012

black girl love by Anondra “Kat” Williams

Publisher/Date:  CreateSpace, Mar. 2011
Genre(s):  Romance, Erotica, Short Story
Pages: 202
Website:  http://www.anondrawilliams.com

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Twenty-five stories, 25 beautiful sentiments about black women and love.

That statement encapsulates Anondra “Kat” Williams’ black girl love, a scenic excursion of the black lesbian experience, from love to hate, from sex to love.

There are several highlights of black girl love. The best are ones that allow you to lose yourself in them. Like “locs,” where a lover waits patiently to connect with her harried wife through loving hair maintenance. “lunch” finds two old friends catching up and right back to the mutual attraction that always lingers as they dine, while “buddies” has two friends-with-benefits partakers silently falling for each other.

Other highlights of black girl love are the ones rooted in serious emotions. A partner respects her wife’s choice to live in “decisions,” and “trying” is a masterpiece at showcasing a woman’s many attempts to win her girlfriend back.

The lion’s share of black girl love, though, is about desire. That resonates in most of Williams’ tales, especially with the stories “breakfast”, “lunch” and “dinner,” lovers feasting on each other via words that ring true.

Williams thoughtfully douses black girl love with tenderness, humor, and real-life situations that make it hard to put down. It’s a project she spent three year working on, and it shows in the fluidity of the book. In reading, you will picture yourself as one (or more) of Williams’ characters, laugh, or loudly utter “ooh chile” at something clever.

Now those are the signs of a good book.

Reviewed January 2012

This Is How We Do It by D. Alexandria

Publisher/Date:  RedThorn Art, June 2010
Genre(s):  Erotica, Short Story
Pages:  170
Website:  http://www.dalexandria.com

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Women are blessed with sexual prowess to varying degrees, from the most vanilla to a rainbow swirl, and THIS IS HOW WE DO IT captures all those kinky flavors, a veritable taste of what lesbian sex has to offer.

D. Alexandria, a former author at kuma2.net and writer for several anthologies including the Best Lesbian Erotica and Ultimate Lesbian Erotica series, at last boasts her own collection of freaky fiction. As her synopsis points out, “We need more than teasing kisses, tender caresses, whipped cream or wisps of lace.”

Simply put, this is a strictly sexual thang.

This is How We Do It is broken up into three interludes, one rawer than the next. It begins with “When She’s Mad,” where after a fight, a couple airs all their “dirty laundry” at a public rest stop. In “The Jewel of Storyville,” a famed whore in 1899 New Orleans is astonished when her baby-faced John pulls a deception that pleases them both.

The next section of the book is all about the thrill of getting busy, as evidenced in “Tag,” a version of hide and seek nothing like the version you played growing up. And a lot of the things you thought “Butches Don’t” do are disproved between two masculine bruhs just chillin’ for the afternoon.

The final interlude saves the pain for last. A student is taken to task in lieu of studying in “Pain Slut,” while a woman relives schoolgirl torture in “Penance.” The best of the bunch is “Flipping the Script,” a passionate role-playing tale.

This is How We Do It showcases D. Alexandria’s proficiency in erotica writing that’s grounded in real scenarios and playfulness. The moral of This Is How We Do It is that roles and hang-ups don’t matter – as long as you’re handling yours.

Reviewed February 2011

Missionary No More: Purple Panties II edited by Zane

Publisher/Date:  Strebor Books, Jan. 2009
Genre(s):  Erotica, Short Story, Anthology
Pages:  256
Website:  http://www.eroticanoir.com

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

The second coming of Zane’s lesbian erotica collection, MISSIONARY NO MORE: PURPLE PANTIES II, proves it’s never as good as the first time.

Stories ranging from sex club escapades and naughty housewives get you going, but don’t take you too far over the edge. Still there are some tales that manage to titillate your senses and stand out from the rest.

“The Namar’s Nectar” is one in particular, a novella about two women wondering what gifts lie within the queen to make the men of their village line up in droves; the pair yearn to experience the secret for themselves. Then in “Caged,” an inmate recounts the crime of passion that landed her in prison while discovering a new passion behind bars.

Purple Panties II also has its share of bad girls – some you might not see coming. “It’s All the Same” sees a pampered princess getting everything she wants from her stud prince, while “Bad Behavior” sees a bridesmaid making good use of her hideous dress…on the floor.

Other stories involve threesomes of both the all-women variety, and, surprisingly, the two-woman-one-man type. And there’s a tale involving a fetish one might not expect.

As usual, the best story is saved for last with Zane’s “The Flipper,” where a woman with an unusual occupation gets herself stuck between two women. If they only knew what she does for a living…

Overall, Purple Panties II is tasty in some parts, a little bland in others. It’s doesn’t stray too far from the mold of the original book, so if you liked the first pair of Panties, you’ll like this installment. It gets the job done, so to speak, and that’s never a bad thing.

Reviewed February 2009

You Think You Know by Fina (Dec. 2008 Pick of the Month)

Publisher/Date:  Seven Stages Publishing House, June 2008
Genre(s):  Erotica, Short Story
Pages:  132
Website:  http://www.finasflow.com

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What you don’t know about YOU THINK YOU KNOW, the debut novel from author Fina, is that you can’t possibly know just how good it is to read a work of black lesbian fiction as passionate, honest and explosive as these 15 tales of love between women.

Each story electrifies with carnal desires and insatiable lust, while caressing the heart in sincere reflections. Nothing has ever felt this easy when it comes to describing  our lives and loves.

Take for example, the confusion expressed in “The Lesbian Circle of Destruction,” which revolves around the scandalous relationships we have as women-loving  women. Monogamy is a dirty word with these women, whose almost incestuous ties can be found in any small lesbian community. For instance, your best friend is sleeping with your ex, while you’re still pining away over your first love, who’s now your best friend. Talk about complicated.

What you see is what you get in “She Finally Let Me Have a Femme All to Myself.” Who can ignore a story that begins with, “Have you ever just wanted to eat some pussy?” It gets more uninhibited from there, in a way that grabs your attention and won’t let go.

Balanced with the hardcore fantasies of You Think You Know are thoughtful works about love, expressed in “You,” pinpointing the exact moment a woman falls in love, and “Family Night,” a piece portraying the life of lesbian parents finding time for each other when the kids aren’t around.

Fina points out that you’ll wonder what happened to “good old fashioned wholesome ladies,” and it’s true when you read “An Eye for an Eye,” wherein a stud finds herself caught between a wife and a mistress. You may think you know how the story ends, but trust me, you can’t envision this ending.

The assorted tales of You Think You Know are riveting, able to draw you with their simple, sinful sentiments. Grammatical errors aside, simply put: Fina can tell a story. What she’s also able to do is depict our relationships for what they are – both beautiful and ugly at times.

And that’s what you should know about You Think You Know.

Reviewed December 2008