Happy Friday! If you are here for the Spring Fling Blog Hop Click here.
If you are here for Spanking Stories Book Club...read on!
As part of my ongoing quest to be a lazy blogger, I am pleased to welcome PJ Perryman (we discussed her book, A Bride for Lord Escher here) to discuss Djinn's Desire.
If you are here for Spanking Stories Book Club...read on!
As part of my ongoing quest to be a lazy blogger, I am pleased to welcome PJ Perryman (we discussed her book, A Bride for Lord Escher here) to discuss Djinn's Desire.
Blurb: Khalil, an age old Djinn, has
searched for the key to his freedom for years. He finds it hanging round the
neck of a coffee shop girl he has fancied for weeks. For a demon, recovering
such a trinket should be easy, but even Djinn can be fools in love. He decides
to let her keep it, thinking all would be well. But when a rival Djinn comes
calling, he must protect what he holds dear, or lose both his love and his
freedom forever.
Thanks, Celeste, for having me over to
present Djinn’s Desire by Jill Glass. Your book club rocks!
Djinn’s
Desire is the story
of a Djinn (or genii), who must find the object that controls both him and his
magic. If he fails he remains a slave to it forever. In traditional literature
this object is a lamp, though in Jill Glass’s story, Khalil’s power is hidden
in a lost silver locket. The story begins when his search is over, and he
finds the locket around the neck of a beautiful waitress, Daphne, working in a
coffee shop. Through artful seduction, he recovers the lost locket, only to
find he cannot live without this intriguing girl by his side. But this is
just the beginning, for he is not the sole Djinn on the scene. And unbeknownst to Daphne, she has taken away his ability to
protect himself and her from the enemy. The only question is, will she realize
her error in time.
I confess I was very surprised by Jill’s
story, because it’s a subject I’m not particularly familiar with. I always
thought Djinn’s (genii – I had to look it up) – came in a bottle (no pun
intended.) No such problem for the writer, she clearly knows her stuff!
I found myself pulling my hair out at Daphne’s
obtuse ignorance of the hold she had on Khalil – but in a good way. All of her
characters were deliciously unique, Daphne was no innocent bystander in the
story. She is full of energy, and has a strong sense of what is right and
wrong. Yet there is a purity about her that bonds the reader to her
immediately. And Bart, the rival Djinn – his motives are complex and believable
– he is driven by jealously and power, but a part of me couldn’t help but
empathize with him too.
As with all good stories from Blushing,
there’s a HEA and of course, lots of spankings splattered throughout. This book
definitely gets the thumbs up from me for originality and heat.
Questions for the club: There is a lot
of contention in the use of magic in eroticism.
It raises the question of consent – in Jill’s book, the Djinn willingly
submits his power to his love – so she has masterfully dodged that bullet, but what
do you think of the issue in general?
In Jill’s book there is a time when Khalil’s
power is drained. I found myself agitated, needing him to be strong again. How
important in eroticism is it for the hero to be an alpha male? Do you ever find
yourself rooting for the weaker guy?
Same question in reverse. Daphne isn’t weak,
but she is ignorant of the power she holds. Do you like your heroines strong,
or prefer damsels in distress, fanning profusely, waiting for the alpha male to
rush in and save the day? Why is an Amazon rescuing a dweeb just not so sexy?
Jill has given us lots of things to chew
over. Thank you for joining in and I hope you enjoy Jill’s work as much as I
did!
I haven't read this yet, but what a cover! I like a combo in my heroines, where they may start as a damsel in distress, but only because they haven't yet discovered their inner strength.
ReplyDeleteYes - I thought this was a smashing cover, too! Lucky for Jill, her characters are both strong and vulnerable, edgy and a bit daft. I t totally loved it.
DeleteI have not read the book, but you raise some good questions. I like strong, powerful heroes who have some vulnerability. (Even Superman had krytonite). But for a guy to weaker than the heroine throughout the book--that would be a bust as romantic hero for me.
ReplyDeleteThe average man is bigger and stronger and more aggressive than the average woman. That's biology.
However, I don't find much appealing about damsels in distress who have to be rescued from their poor choices. It sets my teeth on edge.
It's a Catch 22 in the Spanking Romance market that I wrestle with all the time.
If you like alpha males, Jill has two very strong dudes, battling it out - one to protect his love, and the other... well, that would be telling.
DeleteI hadn't heard of this book, but it sounds right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteI like strong women- not damsels in distress. But not so strong that they emasculate the male.
And I prefer alpha males, honestly.
I like the idea of male and female fighting together toward a common good, but in the end, I always prefer the male to be a bit stronger.
Also, even though I love almost every Disney movie ever made, I really don't like the damsel in distress. I prefer them to be able to "keep up" with the men.
It's hard to explain.
Great questions!
Heading over to BB this weekend.
This book sounds fantastic!
Thanks for commenting - I hope you enjoy it. P J Perryman
DeleteI have not read it either, but I like the premise. Magic allows the author to create things that alter reality. That said, if that power takes away consent I might have a problem unless that is a device used by the antagonist.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing about heroes is that they overcome. They can be down but not out. One of my favorite fictional heroes, Travis McGee (John D MacDonald) frequently found himself knocked down, tied up or disabled, but he always found a way out.
I like strong heroines. They can be vulnerable and make mistakes, but they are gutsy in my books. So, no simpering damsels in distress.
Yes, I'm totally with you on that. Its the first thing I thought of when I was thinking of questions to ask for Jill's book. I have written some magic erotica, and its so important to establish that up front. Consent is everything. And Jill did a fabulous job.
DeleteExcellent questions. I agree about damsels in distress. I prefer a strong heroine who gets into a bind because maybe she's impulsive or stubborn rather than swooning.
ReplyDeleteYup, me too - there's some real power-play here - If you haven't read it Celeste - I'd defo give it a whirl! P J
DeleteI like strong heroes and I like strong heroines, but they can totally have their weak moments. In fact, I love drama, and drama isn't drama when it doesn't affect the characters. In romance novels, characters can be badass or sensitive or clumsy or geeky or whatever, what's important (to me) is that they have to be right for each other.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book in question, but it sounds intriguing.
Jill certainly writes good drama. Thanks for commenting. P J
DeleteHi everyone! Thanks to Celeste for discussing my favorite djinn here and to PJ for taking care of things while I was ill, much loves!
ReplyDeleteFor my own answer, I much prefer alphas that aren't blatantly alpha, the kind that you can just *tell.*
Same for women, my preference is strong with attitude ;)
For Djinn's Desire, I wondered about the issues that would come up in a relationship where the alpha is bound (as djinn are) to someone who simply had no idea (and doesn't believe) of the amount of power she holds and the responsibility that takes, especially someone as innocent and carefree as Daphne.
All these comments are so fun to read, you've got a great site here!
Great discussion today! Thanks everyone! Special thanks to PJ Perryman for leading such an amazing discussion and bringing this book to the attention of some new readers.
DeleteBlushes! PJ
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