Rogue Reviews Digest No. 37 - April 27, 1999 NOTICE If you are easily offended, not of the required legal age, or material of an erotic nature is illegal where you are, then do not read what follows. CONTENTS Mailing List Information Ratings Note Reviews "Adrenaline Games" by DG "Financial Planing by Anne747 "History 101" by Amberle of the Three Rivers "Intra-Familial Lovemaking: Neocest" by Shepherd "Practice Makes Perfect" by Poison Ivan "Pretend" by Al Steiner "The Transgression" by Edbun ***** MAILING LIST INFORMATION I send my reviews individually, when I finish them, to the Sex Stories Discussion List. If you are interested in joining there is a form for doing so on my home page. * Home Page - http://www92.pair.com/leevine/rogue-reviews/ * E-Mail - santiago@switchboardmail.com ***** RATINGS Part 1. OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS SCORE = AROUSAL SCORE + [PLOT & CHARACTERS SCORE + EDITING SCORE]/2 AROUSAL SCORE 0 Not 1 Barely 2 A Little 3 Somewhat 4 Very 5 Extremely PLOT & CHARACTERS SCORE 0 Nonexistent 1 One but not the other is present, and what is there is defintely lacking 2 Has plot and characters, but either the plot is very poorly conceived or all the characters are types and don't seem realistic 3 The plot and characters have been crafted with some care, but either the plot doesn't flow very well or seem to follow a logical progression, or the some of the characters don't seem realistic 4 The plot and characters have been crafted with some care, but there is still a little something missing from the plot or in the characters 5 Beautifully crafted plot and characters; the plot flows smoothly and follows a logical progression and the characters seem realistic EDITING SCORE 0 If this story was edited then I'm the tooth fairy 1 This story may or may not have been edited, it is hard to tell considering all the spelling and grammtical errors I found 2 This story may have been edited, but obviously needs more editing 3 Several spelling or grammatical errors 4 A few spelling or grammatical errors 5 No spelling or grammatical errors Part 2. SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS Not Good = This was a waste of my time, don't bother reading it Good = This is a good attempt, but I don't recommend it Very Good = If you have the time or like this variety of story then I recommend this story, otherwise I would go with something that I rate as Excellent or Outstanding Excellent = I recommend that you read this story, and I really liked it, but it did not give me the same feeling that an outstanding story does. Outstanding = This story was not only enjoyable, but it also gave me a special feeling that I cannot describe ~~~ Note that there is not necessarily a direct correlation between the objective analysis and the subjective analysis. On the other hand the terms objective and subjective as I have used them are relative and not absolute terms. In other words the objective analysis is more objective than the subjective one, and vice versa. This new system may not work in the long run, but for the moment I am going with it. This still does not get to one of MichaelD38's criticisms, which is how much better is an Outstanding than an Excellent, and Excellent than a Very Good, etc. To be perfectly honest I'm not sure myself. All I know is that I like Outstanding stories better than Excellent ones, etc. I have a hard time quantifying "like", or "love" for that matter. I can tell you if I liked something better than something else. I can tell you why I did. I can't put on a number on it however and say that I liked it 20% more or twice as much. That just does not work for me. BTW you may have noticed that I have dropped Grudgingly Good from my rating system. That rating really represented a case where I did not like a story, but only because I was revolted or disgusted by the subject matter. With the new system I'll just say under the Subjective Analysis that a story was Not Good. The Arousal score is somewhat subjective, so that score may suffer, but I think that I can recognize good writing even when it revolts me. ***** REVIEWS ----- Rogue Review No. 356 - April 17, 1999 History 101 by Amberle of the Three Rivers F/M Length: 2,400 words Objective Analysis: 9.0 (out of 10) Arousal: 4/5 Plot and Characters: 5/5 Editing: 5/5 Stroke: Yes Subjective Analysis: Very Good SUMMARY A college instructor finds herself attracted to one of her students. When he makes his move she has a hard time resisting his charms. COMMENTARY This is a very arousing story. The narrator is torn by the situation. On the one hand she finds her student to be gorgeous and would love nothing more than to feel his body close, holding her tightly. On the other hand she understands that a sexual relationship with him is professionally unacceptable. The dilemma that she faces makes the story very arousing. The fact that the author focuses as much, if not more, on the emotional details as well as the graphic ones also makes this a very arousing story. This is a very well written story. It is short, but the author does not mince words. The plot is simple enough, although the story revolves around the narrator's personal dilemma more than it does a plot line. In other words this is a character driven story. I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It is very well written, very well edited and very arousing. I prefer stories that are a bit longer. That is why I have given this story a Very Good, under Subjective Analysis. LINKS History 101 * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=465254588&fmt=raw [1/2] * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=465254590&fmt=raw [2/2] ----- Rogue Review No. 357 - April 18, 1999 Adrenaline Games by DG M/F, NC? Length: 5,500 words Objective Analysis: 9.0 (out of 10) Arousal: 4/5 Plot and Characters: 5/5 Editing: 5/5 Stroke: Yes Subjective Analysis: Excellent SUMMARY Andrew gets arrested for raping Sarah, his girlfriend. He tells the cops that she asked him to. They don't believe him, so he gives them some of the details. COMMENTARY This is a very arousing story. It is a good mix of plot, characters, and sex. The sex is semi-consensual. Seeing how both Andrew and Sarah give themselves over to passion was very arousing. The story is very well written. The plot is well conceived and flows very nicely. The author uses flashbacks very effectively to allow Andrew to tell his story to the police. The characters, including the cops, all seem real. There is a nice balance struck between plot and character development. I really enjoyed this story. It is very arousing, very well written and very well edited. Unless you are very easily squicked I do not think that the nature of the sex should bother you too much. I have given this story an Excellent, under Subjective Analysis. Even without the graphic details, I think this story is worth reading. Including the graphic details, of course, gives the story a slightly different flavor. LINKS Adrenaline Games * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=297006193&fmt=raw * http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year97/6292.txt DG's Story Page * http://baird.pair.com/dg.htm ----- Rogue Review No. 358 - April 19, 1999 Financial Planning by Anne747 F-solo, F/M Length: 3,900 words Objective Analysis: 9.0 (out of 10) Arousal: 5/5 Plot and Characters: 4/5 Editing: 5/5 Stroke: Yes Subjective Analysis: Excellent SUMMARY After getting treated badly by one of the tellers, Sheila has a talk with the bank's manager. He asks her out. She is too horny to say no. She decides to wear a butt plug to dinner that night. One thing leads to another. COMMENTARY This is an extremely arousing story, even though there isn't much plot development, before Sheila starts touching with herself. I think that there is more than one thing at work here. There is Sheila's frankness when it comes to sex. There is the author's descriptions that focus not only on what Sheila is experiencing physically, but also emotionally. There is also Sheila "toy" collection. It all adds up to an extremely arousing story. This is a well written story. There isn't much to the plot, but it does flow nicely. This is a definite stroke story. Everything in the story feeds into Sheila bedding Joe, the bank manager. The characters seemed realistic enough. It might have been nice if the plot was a bit more involved or the characters were a bit deeper, but then again this is a stroke story. Well, I enjoyed this story. It is extremely arousing, well written and well edited. Unless the idea of sex with "toys" squicks you, I think you should enjoy this one. It makes my A-list. LINKS Anne's Erotic Story Archive * http://annejet.pair.com/ ----- Rogue Review No. 359 - April 21, 1999 Intra-Familial Lovemaking: Neocest by Shepherd F/M, Inc Length: 8,500 words Objective Analysis: 7.5 (out of 10) Arousal: 4/5 Plot and Characters: 3/5 Editing: 4/5 Stroke: Yes Subjective Analysis: Very Good SUMMARY This is supposedly a true story. It begins with a discussion of incest: what constitutes incest, why it is considered taboo, and the etymological origins of the term. The narrator then describes how she came to enjoy an incestuous relationship with her brother. They were in their late teens or early twenties at the time. COMMENTARY This is a very arousing story. The siblings' reluctance to commit incest coupled with their attraction to one another certainly contributed to this being a very arousing story. This is well written, although there are occasional typographic and grammatical errors. The way the story is presented, as true, makes me wonder if I am treating it unfairly. The way it reads, makes me want to believe that it could be true. It isn't the details, but rather the manner in which the story is related. The narrator recounts the events in an objective manner. This left me feeling a bit cold. Don't get me wrong, the story is not completely devoid of warmth or emotion but it did feel as though the narrator did not want too much emotional content in the story. Both characters seem realistic. They take a realistic view of sex, discussing the implications of what they end up doing. Birth control and sexually transmitted diseases are also conversation topics. There is not much to the plot. This story is about how two siblings deal with and feel about their incestuous relationship, more than it is about how they ended up sleeping together. In other words, to spell out my sweeping generalization more clearly, the story is character driven rather than plot driven. I enjoyed this story, but more for the sex than for the story. I have given it a Very Good. LINKS Intra-Familial Lovemaking: Neocest * http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year99/20856.txt * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=460665941&fmt=raw ----- Rogue Review No. 360 - April 23, 1999 The Transgression by Edbun F/M, Discipline Length: 6,700 words Objective Analysis: 8.0 (out of 10) Arousal: 4/5 Plot and Characters: 3/5 Editing: 5/5 Stroke: Yes Subjective Analysis: Very Good SUMMARY Christine has "borrowed" money from the petty cash fund. Mr. Edmonds, the president of the company, wants to fire her and have her prosecuted for theft. Christine doesn't like either prospect. Mr. Edmonds offers her a third option, corporal punishment. COMMENTARY This is a very arousing story. Christine is both scared and excited, when she discovers that there is a way she can avoid dismissal and arrest. Being torn, as she is, makes her a more interesting character and makes the story quite arousing. This story is well enough written. The author takes the time to situate Christine in her world. Mr. Edmonds is not as complete a character as she is. The plot is simple. It flows smoothly for the most part, but there are some places where it seems a bit jerky. I enjoyed reading this story. It is very arousing and the story is reasonably well written. I have given it a Very Good, under Subjective Analysis. LINKS The Transgression * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=468773956&fmt=raw ----- Rogue Review No. 361 - April 26, 1999 Practice Makes Perfect by Poison Ivan M/F Length: 7,600 words Objective Analysis: 9.0 (out of 10) Arousal: 4/5 Plot and Characters: 5/5 Editing: 5/5 Subjective Analysis: Very Good SUMMARY On New Year's Eve Jon reflects on past relationships at the same time that he begins a new one. COMMENTARY This is a very arousing story. It is not overflowing with sexual situations, but there are more than a few of them. The range of experiences that Jon has, helps to keep the story and the sex fresh and arousing. The story itself is wonderful. The plot flows very nicely. As in some of his other stories, Ivan has chosen to use flashbacks. He does so quite effectively. He jumps back and forth between past and present more than once, with impecable timing. I enjoyed all of the characters. They all seemed real. It is worth noting that the women are not as clearly defined as Jon is. This is probably because the story is told from Jon's point of view, and because he seems to be very introspective. This is a very well written story. It also very arousing, but I appreciated it more from an objective point of view than I did enjoy it from a subjective point of view. That's why I have given it a Very Good, under Subjective Analysis, rather than an Excellent. LINKS Practice Makes Perfect * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=464895991&fmt=raw Poison Ivan's Short Stories * http://members.tripod.com/~poisoniv1/ ----- Rogue Review No. 362 - April 27, 1999 Pretend by Al Steiner (Plot supplied by Rob) M/F Length: 8,800 words Objective Analysis: 8.0 (out of 10) Arousal: 4/5 Plot and Characters: 4/5 Editing: 4/5 Subjective Analysis: Very Good SUMMARY Paul helps Kathy, his flirtatious employee, out of a bad situation by pretending to be her boyfriend. COMMENTARY This is a very arousing story. The fact that both characters are married, but not to each other, and are initially placed in a situation where they need to act like lovers, made for a very arousing story. This is a well conceived story. The transition from the first part to the second could have been a bit smoother. There was a definite shift in mood or the narrator's attitude toward their situation. The characters seem realistic, as does the dialogue. This is not a very deep story, but there is more to it than just sex. There are a few typos. I enjoyed this story. It well written, very arousing, and reasonably well edited. I think I might have enjoyed this story a bit more if the author had managed to preserve the tone he had going in the first half. I have given this story a Very Good, under Subjective Analysis. LINKS Pretend * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=470026169&fmt=raw [1/2] * http://search.dejanews.com/=gh/getdoc.xp?AN=470027263&fmt=raw [2/2] ***** 4/27/99