reviews_and_ramblings | Beautiful C*cksucker by Barbara Sheridan

Beautiful C*cksucker by Barbara Sheridan

Ray is a New York police officer who has to be the "guardian angel" of a Japanese inspector during his business related visit. Ray is not happy with the idea, but when he sees "Miki", the wonderful Japanese woman he needs to escort he changes his mind. And he needs to change it again when he discovers that Miki is not a woman, but a man, and that he is also a Master in BDSM dungeon. Miki is not new to New York, he studied in the city during College and he still has some friends who would like to visit. Friends who manage a club outside the city limit. And he wants Ray to be his partner for the night.

Even if Ray has never had an homosexual experience, he has no problem to admit that he is attracted by Miki, maybe helped by the fact that the man is really handsome and almost without gender. But when it arrives to sex, Miki is not female at all, and Ray has to arrive to pact with his inner side, not only to surrender to a man, but also to surrender the upper hand in the sexual relationship.

I don't know if Barbara Sheridan is planning something else for these two characters, but it seems to me that Ray's step toward the dark side it would not possible or right only for a week-end fling. For Ray is more difficult to accept the type of D/s relationship that Miki is offering, than to accept to have sex with another man; and it's not strange this approach, since having sex with a man could be a passing thing, above all since Miki is so beautiful that is over the boundaries of sex, but entering the BDSM world is not something to take with lightness.

Anyway the story is not so long, 44 pages, and so it's possible that this is only prologue of a longer story.

http://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=22

Amazon Kindle: Beautiful C*cksucker

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

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(deleted comment)

With all due respect, I don't see the comparison. Here's my take on the term -- it's not derogatory solely toward gay men. In fact, in my experience, it's a derogatory term, mostly used by men, to mean "a**hole." The other terms you used are specifically derogatory toward a group of people, based on race.

The way *we* used the term, in context with the story and the characters, is very similar to my earlier example of "my beautiful slut." Offensive to some, but to many, quite erotic and sensual.

Again, I apologize if anyone is offended, but we do stick by our choice of title.

Kind Regards,

Jill

I believe that the reason is in the middle and in the time. First of all, it's true that you can't compare "co*ksucker" to "n*gger" (sorry I truly don't understand the other words, so I don't know what they means), since the first term, like s*ut, you can use in an hot sex scene (how many time I read s*ut, bi*ch, w*ore...), but I never heard of someone who used n*gger... it's not sexually related, co*ksucker, s*ut, bi*ch are all sexually related, instead the other one is race related, so you can't compare.

On the other hand I made a little research on Amazon: there are a 127 books with "s*ut" in the title, 613 with "bi*ch", 27 with "cu*t"... no one with "co*ksucker". It could depend that the discrimination between men and women is now lesser than between straight and gay? Maybe in 20 years, making the same Amazon search, I will find an handful of title with "co*ksucker".

Edited 2008-12-15 18:44 (UTC)

How well are those titles doing? I would find them equally offensive, believe me.

And like this title, those words are often the prelude to violence.

Don't know how well they are doing, but if I try to understand if they are novel or something else, and I believe to find some romance between them. From my exeperience as reader I found often the term "s*ut" in a sex scene, and also "bi*ch" sometime, and also "co*ksucker* (but not in the title). As a woman I will not use it neither in private, but I'm absolutely a complete different person from the character.

Well, I use all of them in private! *_^

But I would not use any of them as the title of a published book.

I also don't agree that "bitch" is sexually related. It's just a word like "jerk" or "bastard" or "dickwad" and is used to describe someone with a rotten personality. Jerk, bastard, dickwad are for male jerks and bitch just happens to be the female version. Nobody blinks twice at its usage because you're not targeting specific groups when you use "bitch."

I think words like "slut/manslut" and "whore/manwhore" are considered ok to use (in sex scenes) because they're really just saying the person is sexually promiscuous. However, "cocksucker" does not say that. "Cocksucker" is just like "dyke," "fairy," etc. It has nothing to do with promiscuity and does not sound sexy at all. It's a discriminatory word.

I appreciate that not everyone has the same views on word meanings, especially in different cultures/countries, but for me the words you mention have much greater weight. While 'bitch' may not be sexual, I'm afraid I disagree that it just equates to something as lightweight as 'jerk'! Titles such as 'bitch', 'slut' or 'whore' are not often used in a positive light, regardless of whether it's a sex scene, and are generally critical and derogatory to the individual they are addressed to. As said above about 'cocksucker', they can also be the sort of 'name calling' that happens just before violence.

Sorry to go a little off topic!

it's true that you can't compare "co*ksucker" to "n*gger", since the first term, like s*ut, you can use in an hot sex scene (how many time I read s*ut, bi*ch, w*ore...), but I never heard of someone who used n*gger... it's not sexually related, co*ksucker, s*ut, bi*ch are all sexually related, instead the other one is race related, so you can't compare.

I was curious and looked it up on amazon.com and bookfinder.com (used books search engine). I agree with your second point: there are no books with "cocksucker" in the title.

But I disagree with the reasonings behind the comparisons. I equate "cocksucker" to "nigger." They are both aimed at specific groups and 99% of the time are used out of hate. "Nigger" is used specifically against black men/women, and "cocksucker" is a specific slur for gay men. I don't think it's sexually related.

I also don't agree that "bitch" is sexually related. It's just a word like "jerk" or "bastard" or "dickwad" and is used to describe someone with a rotten personality. Jerk, bastard, dickwad are for male jerks and bitch just happens to be the female version. Nobody blinks twice at its usage because you're not targeting specific groups when you use "bitch."

I think words like "slut/manslut" and "whore/manwhore" are considered ok to use (in sex scenes) because they're really just saying the person is sexually promiscuous. However, "cocksucker" does not say that. "Cocksucker" is just like "dyke," "fairy," etc. It has nothing to do with promiscuity and does not sound sexy at all. It's a discriminatory word.

Despite all that though, I'm still divided on this. On the one hand, the author has interpreted "cocksucker" in her own way and she's free to do that. But other people are also free to criticize and question her use of the word, and they're definitely free to mention that it's insensitive and offensive. I'm not sure I can side with the author on this, because I believe that you don't truly know the impact of a word until it's used against you. I used to live in a community where it wasn't exactly a tolerant atmosphere for Asians, and I've been called "chink" many times (even though I'm not really Chinese). I suppose all Asians look the same to some people. But the point is that I don't take kindly to the word.

But I also understand that even though "chink" is so offensive to me, there are some who don't consider it so. I have a few Chinese friends who seemingly don't mind the word. They sometimes use it jokingly with one another. Same as "fob".

So it's probably all subjective. And it wouldn't make sense for writers to avoid certain terms/topics just because it might offend someone somewhere. I don't think I will ever change my stance on that. Artists have the right to express things without limitations. I see offensive things on TV and ads all the time.

I think her decision on the title might have been a little premature and not thought out very clearly. If a large portion of your target audience is going to be gay men (because this is a gay romance and it's not just women who read that), wouldn't it make more sense to choose a title that wouldn't piss off a large chunk of your audience?

Not questioning her right to write whatever she wants, but yeah... seems a bit backwards to me.

Thank for being so clear on describing some society situation that are not common to me. Probably as I said there is no really a right answer on all this, our time are still too young and many people are still too hurt to find a way to not offend anyone. Elisa

So nice of you to dismiss the real concerns of a member of the minority directly insulted by your clever title.

Remind me to avoid your company's products at all costs. And you.

"With all due respect" - I don't think you're showing any.

In the context of the story, perhaps. But a title is read outside of the context of the story. It gets read all by itself, with nothing before or after it.
the title does get read in a context, however; that of the larger society. In our society, your title is one of the most horrific insults a straight man can shout at another man, and often is the prelude to violence.

I absolutely disagree with your "A title that fits so perfectly, no other title will do." I am sure that you and your author are sufficiently creative to find at least one other perfectly fitting title.

What you wish to dismiss as mere PC is far more important; a sensitivity to a genuine minority of genuinely human beings, one that is often genuinely endangered, that you are playing "edgy, passionate" dollies with.

I might really enjoy the book, don't get me wrong. I am appalled by your title.

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Beautiful C*cksucker by Barbara Sheridan

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