Of Silk and Bondage: Blood & Lust is a Sensual Fantasy of Blood and Bone

 

 

Blood & Lust: Silken Chains and Splintered Bones

Annabelle Craven

Dark Desires Press, 2024

Ebook, 84 ppg.

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After the silk is tied to Alina's wrist, it tightens, sending a sensual tingle to her chest. The host of the sex club, the Priestess, comments, "It will unlock everything you’ve been too afraid to feel." Up until that moment, Alina was timid and hesitant as she tentatively explored the sex club which her lover, Dorian, brought her to. Even after the ribbon's power courses through her very being, Alina still hesitates to act on her impulses and seek the pleasure which she truly desires. Her lover, meanwhile, is enraptured by the ribbon’s power, submitting to its seductive allure and ignoring Alina’s cries for them to leave.

 

Alina seems to be the kind of person who is guarded. As though she’s afraid to give in to her desires. I wondered if this is why Dorian wanted them to visit this club. He seems to have no problems giving in to his desires and his insistence to Alina to “let go” makes me also wonder if underneath his layers is a sense of frustration in their sex life.

 

Reading this story, one would assume that the ribbon offered at the beginning is just that: A simple ribbon. Some kind of marker to identify someone as belonging to another. But it would seem that what the person wearing a ribbon belongs to is not so much a person, but something more sinister and terrifying.

 

This novella is a lot like the club that Alina walks into: It offers pleasure and comfort, but ultimately delivers terror and alarm. It is written so well, with the seductive moments holding me captive while the horrifying scenes made me squirm. The author holds nothing back, unraveling the mysteries of the ribbon with an electric and terrifying intensity. Blood & Lust is a titillating story that held me in its grip, leaving me to struggle to stay on the very edge of my seat as I was suffocated by this tapestry of horror. It is an engaging mix of erotica and horror that I will not soon forget.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.