The Taste of Her by Jess Lea (Volume 2)

My first Jess Lea book, which was incidentally her debut published work, too, “The Taste Of Her (Volume 1),” was an experience that rarely occurred in my reading. I couldn’t evaluate her writing effectively because I was too distracted by the mammoth of a tease the book presented to me! I tried. I knew I liked her word flow and rhythm but I just couldn’t get past that “hurdle.” So, I didn’t pursue Volume 2 when it came out although it was always floating in my consciousness because of the curiosity in me. And then I read Lea’s first full-length published work, “A Curious Woman.” Needless to say, my enquiry about her writing, style, narrative, was summarily answered. Lea’s style, her keen sense of unconventionality, curiosity and creativity, evidenced in her writing and storytelling of that book, is my cuppa! So, thanks to “A Curious Woman,” which I utterly enjoyed, I decided to give this Volume a proper read, knowing that this time, I’d be able to focus, whilst hoping it wouldn’t be another tease in the world of lesbian erotica! I was absolutely thrilled that Volume 2 was completely different than Volume 1 – in style, story, effect. Ok, Volume 2 came with five stories. Different lengths and dare I say, uniquely different, utterly unconventional, highly irregular stories of erotica! At least, I never came across anything quite like how Lea concocted them! Talk about eccentric in a very risqué way! Another observation which I reckon is prolly Lea’s theme. Age-gap. Even in “A Curious Woman,” it was an age-gap romance. So, I reckon, this particular trope is Lea’s forte and preference (?). Anyway, back to this book, shall we? Out of the five stories, two of them truly stuck out for me in virtually every way of the story construction and effect – quality and essence of the plot, the characters, the situation/circumstance – all but made me want to know more even after they ended! IMO, they could very well be expanded into full-length novels. Without further ado, here they are: CANDY TOPPING Where should I even start with this absolutely original, completely outside-the-box, jaw-dropping scenario of a short story, eh? Hmm…. First and foremost, don’t know about you but the first thing that came to mind as the MCs were introduced, was that this was playing out, at least with their love/hate (?) and push-pull interaction, like a DWP-infused clash of two polar opposites with a big age gap between them, night-and-day social status, mentor/mentee scenario. The story started off as a usual workplace circumstance where Sonia, the mentor, was observing her mentee, Enid, performing her task in front of their client, in the comfort of her office, out of sight but not out of earshot. Then slowly but surely, it turned into something potentially explosive as I, as the reader, could feel the hair on my arms standing erect as if preparing for some unsavoury reaction involving Sonia and Enid! I was not wrong! But then I definitely did NOT expect THAT to happen!! I can’t divulge anything because it’d only spoil the element of surprise! Well, at least I was caught by utter surprise since I sure didn’t expect that kind of reaction from either MC!! To say that the entire encounter was thrilling, exciting, yet nerve-racking, on-edge just doesn’t do it justice! BLOODY HELL OMG!! I could literally envision Sonia acting like a predator circling her prey in Enid! The scene was described so vividly and visually that I could see these two moving slowly against and towards each other, one or both ready to pounce when it was least expected! Every angle, every emotion, every stare, every body language was stirring with fluidity. Nevertheless, the result, which I reckon was Lea’s goal, was achieved with aplomb! The scene was enveloped in erotic intensity. The repeated, quietly demanding questions laced with potent danger dripping from Sonia’s lips as she poked, prodded, finagled a satisfying answer out of Enid’s increasingly precarious situation, like a ticking time bomb…. “Is there something you would like to tell me?” [Tic-tock] “What’s your game?” [tick-tock] “Why are you really here?” [tick-tock] “Why are you really here?” [tick-tock] “Why are you really here?” [tick-tock] “Why are you really here?” [tick-tock] “Why are you really here?” [tick-tock] “Now tell the truth.” [tick-tock] …..was one of the most arousing, wanton scenes I’ve ever read as Sonia ever-so salaciously upped the ante just when I thought surely that was it only to be whiplashed with even more! PHWOAR!!! How it ended was the most satisfying yet left me wanting MORE! I wanted to delve into these two unbelievably fascinating characters from the start to where they’d eventually end up beyond this short story! Lea had everything set up in this story for it to be expanded into a full-fledged lesbian romance, imo! I just hope that Ylva and Lea would take it into serious consideration because I believe, especially with the DWP-inspired age-gap romance trope would be very titillating to romance readers, not to mention, a slew of DWP AU fic fans! So here’s hoping, eh? *crossing fingers* LAST STAND The style and tone of this story was reminiscent of Lea’s “Illumination” from Volume 1 (which incidentally was my favourite one in that book). A historical piece. Forbidden love. Only this one, Lea elevated the game to a highly untenable situation between the Colonel and her page, Esperanza. The story was set in an era where being a woman like the Colonel, who preferred living like a man, for convenience sake, being a soldier and all, although she never made her gender a secret or wanted to be a man – think a butch woman who displays an appearance and behaviour that are seen as traditionally masculine – even with years of military service, fighting for and defending the country, with a family fortune and name recognition, when it came down to it, when she became too powerful, too popular, fearful men who held absolute power would put a stop to her further advancement. The entire story chronicled the final few hours of The Colonel and Esperanza’s being together for the last time before The Colonel was to face her “punishment.” Essentially it was the eleventh hour before whatever she was forced to face when the time came. I was struck by just how concise Lea was in constructing the lovers’ final encounter, interaction which was mostly non-verbal, inner thoughts between the two, with so much emotional and psychological resonance. The whole time, I was literally at the edge of my seat, white-knuckling it, because I really didn’t know what was going to happen, especially when the soldiers outside their locked door were making threats before it was time, and The Colonel’s quiet pleas for Esperanza to leave and save herself were described with such subtle expressions that startled me when I was hit by a pang of emotions that those words actually carried when they finally settled in my heart and mind. The implications of her desperation for Esperanza’s safety, guilt, defiance for what she believed in, despair with her fate with Esperanza were acutely felt. This story really affirmed to me about Lea’s innate writing skills who can turn a practically muted encounter between two women into a heartrending, soul-stirring, emotionally resonating, intoxicating tale with deeply sensual chemistry that two souls could ever possess in a mere few pages. The ending absolutely struck a chord in me, not of anguish but a surprising explosion of defiant, fighting spirit and steadfast HOPE with a sense of impending victory flowing in my veins. I literally got goose pimples when I read what was happening. One word. Esperanza. I practically shouted at the top of my lungs (but held it in my mind, obvs!), “BLOODY HELL YES!!!” This story alone, garners my absolute, enthusiastic RECOMMENDATION to read this book! This is another story that I really hope Lea and Ylva would expand into a full-length novel. Both characters were so heart-achingly captivating, thanks to Lea’s brilliant depiction that left so much mystery about them that I want to know more! I want to explore the ins and outs of The Covenant, the role of The Guardians! I want to explore their back story, their encounter, their journey of love and ultimately the endurance of their love, their much-deserved HEA, when everything is said and done! This really could turn out to be a phenomenal lesbian historical romance! There’s action, adventure, forbidden love, masculinity/femininity, butch/femme, history, rich girl/poor girl, not to mention, Lea’s favourite age-gap trope, and finally an all-consuming romance and love story! Right? Read it and see if you agree! Fingers crossed, like “Candy Topping,” we will see the day where we finally find out the NAME of the Colonel and experience a positive, hopeful and enduring ending that two star-crossed lovers truly deserve in historical fashion! The rest of the stories were also crafted with unbelievably creative, OMG-original, “out there,” but effectively captivating earnestness: The first story, “A Good Show,” was about voyeurism but it’s not gonna be what you think. At least not for me because I was dumbstruck, to say the least! I’ll just leave it at that. “A Different View” was about an exploration of our inner egoistic narcissism in the form of masturbation. But again, it’s not what you think. Lea constructed this otherwise awkward piece around an intriguing topic about the art of photography and how it’s perceived based on the industry it’s tied to – hard-hitting, more seriously treated journalistic/news photography vs fashion/entertainment and the likes kind of photography. Through photography, Lea ever-so subtly brought up to the surface the issue of body image, how we look at ourselves from different angles, vantage points, be it our own or a third party’s. Lea melded photography with the camera being the objective view, and a subjective one through manipulation by the photographer. The eye of the photographer through her technical, artistic, and personal/emotional view could affect how the photos are presented, and more importantly, can influence how the model perceives themselves when being presented as an external tool – like an out-of-body experience where we see ourselves as another entity. Hence, Steph’s inevitable masturbation. *Disclaimer: This is my own interpretation of Lea’s presentation of “A Different View.”* That said, the oddest, not to mention, mind-blowing, utterly bizarre tale had to be “Ephemera.” It was a shock first, for me, but after all the dust had settled in my mind about its initial outlandishness, I slowly began to see more clearly so I could dissect and deconstruct what Lea was trying to tell, portray, showcase, present in this story. Existentialism through ephemera. Very meta, I thought. Like I was transported into the bizarre world of Andy Warhol or something! Another striking thing about this story, I thought, was Lea’s cheek in pointing out the intersection between the erotic and the outrageous. Subjective or abstract? Again, disclaimer, this is only my own interpretation of “Ephemera.” All in all, I utterly enjoyed reading the five incredibly crafted original stories that blended erotica with art, ego, juxtaposing and echoing emotions, and ultimately unyielding love and undying hope. As I was reading through each story in this book, I couldn’t help but think about Bess’ Cabinet of Curiosities in “A Curious Woman.” The stories of Lea’s in this Volume felt like they were retrieved from that Cabinet because they were all oh-so curious, different, unique, and utterly captivating, deserving to be explored! I see what you did there, Ms. Lea! Or, maybe it’s just me putting this prolly unconnected things together! Oh well, again, eye of the beholder, art is, innit? I HIGHLY recommend this book to fans of lesbian erotica, erotic romance, romance or simply those who love to explore brilliantly written stories that are original, creatively unique and unconventional that make you stop to think, reflect. At least it did for me! Anyway, I will keeping an eye out for Jess Lea’s future work, most definitely! **I was given, with much thanks and appreciation, an ARC of this book, by Ylva in return for an honest review.