Blurb:
Joe
Robertson’s life never panned out. In college, he was a top draft pick until
his knee blew-out in the NCAA Championship game on what he claimed, was a cheap
shot by Drew Waters. Choosing a second career in construction, he clawed up the
ranks, becoming the top Civil Project Manager in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
But that didn’t last. A scandal broke out; he was accused of offering bribes to
state inspectors. The allegations were never proven; the damage was done. The
only job he could obtain was a foreman’s position. But that wouldn’t last.
The
only saving grace is his wife Julie, until she's involved in a horrific traffic
accident that would launch them into a macabre dance of, betrayal, sex, murder
and redemption.
WARNING!
This book contains strong language and adult, erotic situations. Not
recommended for ages under twenty-one.
Review by Rochelle Weber:
Cracking Up did not engage me at all. A book
needs likeable people, or at least people with whom I can identify in order for
me to get hooked into it. I also need believable situations, and finally,
decent grammar. There is an editor listed on Amazon, but apparently she never
learned that possessives are spelled with apostrophes, because not a single one
included an apostrophe in the entire book. She also apparently never learned
the difference between then and than. There was only one time a comparative was
spelled “than”; the rest were all spelled “then.” That drove me nuts! Even the
blurb has a superfluous comma. “This book contains strong language and adult,
erotic situations.” There should not be a comma
between the words “adult” and “erotic.”
To
the plot. Joe is a whiny ne’er-do-well. When he blows out his knee, he drops
out of college and gets a job in construction. Yeah, he works his way up, but
when a scandal occurs, he doesn’t fight it; he quits, becomes a foreman and
blows that job, too. When his wife is in a horrific accident, instead of being worried
about her because he loves her, he’s worried about how soon she can get back to
work. He finally gets a job, but has to work with a corrupt co-worker, who
frames him for the problems on the project they oversee together. Instead of
keeping track of the shortfalls and problems that result from his co-worker’s
interference, Joe drinks and starts frequenting a local strip club. Of course
he gets fired yet again, and gets angry when his wife, Julie, confronts him
about the evidence of his lies and infidelity.
I’m
not terribly fond of either erotica or BDSM, but if you’re going to write about
it, do some research and get it right. I have friends who live that lifestyle,
and before they initiate a new person into it, they discuss it with them. They
talk about what the person likes, or thinks s/he might like; they establish
parameters; and they establish a “safe word.” If, in the course of the play,
the submissive person feels s/he is experiencing too much pain or is being
injured, there is a word s/he can say and the dominator/trix will stop
immediately. When Joe’s wife, Julie, gets involved with her chiropractor and
his nurse, they make wonderful love to her. Then, without warning, they start
calling her vile names, spanking her, having extremely rough sex, and twisting
her breasts until they’re horribly bruised. That’s not “play;” it’s rape. Any
real dom will tell you so. I was amazed they didn’t put her back into a
wheel-chair, considering her injuries.
Part
of me didn’t blame Joe for the solution he came up with, considering his state
of mind by the end of the book. But I didn’t like him from the beginning, so I
didn’t have much sympathy for him by the end.
I
imagine there are 18 year-olds out there who could read Cracking Up,
but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone at any age who is thinking of dabbling
in BDSM play. J. J. Reinhardt doesn’t know enough about the subject to write
such scenes. Before you try it, find someone who can explain how to play
safely, without raping your partner.
Length:
124 Pages
Prices:
Print: $5.27
Digital: $2.77
Thanks
for visiting. Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle
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