'Cover Him With Darkness' by Janine Ashbless Is Beautifully Written

Cover Him With Darkness by Janine Ashbless

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has received praise from a number of erotica authors and editors whose work I enjoy and respect: Kate Douglas, Violet Blue, D.L. King, Saskia Walker, Shanna Germain, and Portia da Costa:

"Janine Ashbless has long been a master at conjuring the erotic in myths and legends. Now she's taking on religion and all I can say is wow. Just wow! What is evil? What is good? Can the faithful have completely missed the point? Sexy food for thought: Cover Him With Darkness is an intensely wild ride."
—D.L. King, editor of Seductress and The Sweetest Kiss

"One of the hands-down masters; Janine Ashbless showed me that erotica can be literature."
— Violet Blue, editor of Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women and Girls on Top: Explicit Erotica for Women

"One of the most talented, original and brave authors in the erotica field"
—Shanna Germain

"The best erotic fairytale writer around."
—Saskia Walker

"Vivid and tempestuous and dangerous, and bursting with sacrifice, death and love."
—Portia Da Costa

How could I resist giving it a chance? I couldn't, and my will to resist its charms was annihilated utterly by Janine Ashbless's spellbinding prose. This book is simply magical, proving once again that good erotic writing is good writing, period.

The heroine is Milja. The daughter of a village priest in rural Montenegro, Milja has grown up with her family's momentous secret: they are the guardians of an ancient, immortal prisoner. He is Azazel, a fallen angel. When Milja impulsively releases him from his bonds, she unknowingly puts her life and lives of her family in terrible danger. The Church will go to any length to see that Azazel is once again bound.

You may remember the angel/demon Azazel from Can't Teach an Old Demon New Tricks by Cara Lockwood. In that book, Azazel is a very dangerous demon feared by Satan because of his determination to take over Hell, as well as the father of several monstrous, giant children by innocent human women. The Jewish Encyclopedia mentions that the name is used three times in the Hebrew Bible, although its meaning is unclear. It seems to come from the ancient Hebrew words for "a strong mountain," perhaps referring to the cliff from which the scapegoat was sacrificed in the ancient, pre-Temple Day of Atonement ritual. In later Jewish folklore, the name seems to have become associated with a demon or evil spirit of the wilderness, like a jinn, an ifrit, or a fearsome desert creature like Pazuzu. Only the Book of Enoch uses Azazel as the name of a rebellious angel who taught forbidden knowledge to humankind.

If one reads the King James Bible, then Leviticus 16:26 says, "And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp." In some translations, however, the same passage reads, "The one who sets the goat free for Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward may come into the camp" (New Revised Standard Version, used in the Roman Catholic Church).

If the word is so old that even the rabbis don't quite understand what it means, then it is a very old word indeed, possibly left over from before Jews and Arabs were separate cultures from our ancient Mesopotamian forebears. Ashbless - an artist, of course, and thus completely free to take all the artistic license she wants - seems to be drawing primarily on the Book of Enoch for her version of Azazel.

Ashbless's tale is darkly romantic, a dizzying balancing act between heavenly pleasures and depths of pain. Milja finds herself in a love triangle of cosmic proportions. Can she ever truly love a creature as inhuman and powerful as a fallen angel? Or will she find love with Egan Kansky, an American transplant originally from Ireland, even though Egan seems to be hiding a secret of his own?

"Cover Him With Darkness" began as a short story published in Red Velvet and Absinthe. I never read that anthology, but I'm glad the novel developed from it. Both the beautifully written prose and the compelling narrative make the novel a real page-turner.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review, which represents my own honest opinion.

Review: Women in Lust ed. by Rachel Kramer Bussel

I don't love every single story in this collection, but there are a few VERY good ones. The opener, by Portia Da Costa(*), gives us Terrence, one of those yummy fictional boyfriends I like to imagine myself with. "Her, Him and Them" by Aimee Pearl is wonderful because it's pure erotica, all want and sensation.

"Smoke" by Elizabeth Coldwell is another nice entry - I don't know why Dutch people are so sexy, but they certainly are (even if you're not a big fan of their cigarettes).

Editor Rachel Kramer Bussel contributes "Hot for Teacher," in which she deftly appropriates what was once a male fantasy for a self-confident 40-something woman. In fact, many of the stories in this anthology feature women in their forties, women who know exactly what they want and how to get it. I'm in my 30s, and I found this delightful. Self-confidence is incredibly sexy.

I was thisclose to naming Rachel Kramer Bussel one of my Hanukkah hotties last year. We're both contributors to SexIs Magazine; this is HER and this is ME.

Another story that subverts the traditionally male fantasy is "Cherry Blossom" by Kayar Silkenvoice, which explores the intercultural (American-Japanese) fantasy and an all-woman version of the happy ending massage.

The closer is "Comfort Food" by Donna George Storey, which can only be described as pure and utter deliciousness.

It's wonderful to read about women in lust - women who are bold, free, shameless (in a good way), women who know how to reach satisfaction. It's nice to read a book full of heroines unburdened by guilt, with very few obstacles between them and their fondest desires.

If you look closely, you'll see that the cover model looks like Kat Dennings, who plays Max on Two Broke Girls. My husband declares that the sitcom "sucks," but ya know what? I like it, and I especially like Max.

(*) The last book I read by Portia Da Costa was "An Appointment With Her Master," a short BDSM erotica e-book. My review on Amazon runs thus, "I've always found Portia da Costa to be an erotica writer worth seeking out, and this book was no exception. It's perfectly imagined, completely sexy and it ends quite happily. I don't think anyone who enjoys erotica will be disappointed by it, and those who enjoy BDSM with a dominant male will be especially pleased. I generally prefer female-dom, but I really liked this. What else can I say about it, except that it was perfect? The only way it could have been better would be if it were slightly longer."

Disclosure: I received Women in Lust from the publisher at no cost. I can't remember how I received "An Appointment With Her Master," but I believe I downloaded the e-book at a time when it was offered free of cost on Amazon. This review represents my honest opinion of both books.

Images: © 2005 by Tomasz Sienicki [user: tsca, mail: tomasz.sienicki at gmail.com] - Creative Commons; Kate Tegtmeyer - Creative Commons; Ed Van-West Garcia - Creative Commons