Jessica Satin – The Ravishing of Beauty (Review, Excerpt, & Interview)

The Ravishing of Beauty by Jessica Satin
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Source: Review by Request
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Belle’s choice to become the Beast’s prisoner changes her in ways she never imagined.

After her Beast transforms back into his human form, they eagerly explore each other’s bodies. He can caress every inch of her and probe his tongue deep between her lips. She can feel the warm bulge of his muscles and run her fingers through his red-gold hair, but it’s not enough. Their sexual affair began long before he was human, and Belle can’t help remembering what it was like to be with her Beast. She learned to love him through all the blood and sacrifice it required. Belle and Prince Adam must learn to find new ways to express their desires.

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Dark, Twisted, Violent, & Sexy…
Warning: This is not the fairytale you grew up with…

“I may tear into you again,” he said. “It’s gruesome. But I will make the scars beautiful.”

This book went so far beyond my expectations, and I’m quite thrilled with the results.

So the blurb on this book will tell you that it’s highly erotic and takes place after Prince Adam is transformed back into a human… What it doesn’t explicitly say (and maybe it should) it that at least half of the book is written in flashbacks which detail the couple’s sexual exploits while The Beast was, well, a beast.

We’re talking claws and teeth and fur (oh my!) which skirt mighty close to earning a tag of beastiality… But I’m sticking with ‘Monster’ Erotica on this one…

The story of their courtship parallels the classic Disney version of Beauty and the Beast while layering in graphically detailed sexual situations…

This goes beyond the usual power play and dips into a level of dub-con sadism which some readers might find objectionable. That being said, if you’re good with the idea of Monster Erotica, you’re probably equally okay with the the use of claws and teeth.

…he pulled out, coming all over her back. He traced creamy trails along the pink scars in her flesh. He grinned at the layers of his artwork.
She could feel what he was doing. “What does it look like?” She asked.
“Beautiful. And Twisted. Like us.”

Belle bares gruesome scars as a result of her captivity with the beast, and the reader is treated with the detailed accounts of how she earned each one. Their sex – in human or beast form – is wonderfully depraved and violent, often resulting in bloodshed.

I was quite enamored with the overall plot – such as it was – and with the story progression. Though, I do have one bit of criticism…

Some of the sex scenes – particularly the descriptors – were a bit repetitive at times. I think that the color ‘mauve’ was used in reference to various anatomy often enough to earn a raised eyebrow or two out of me…

In addition, the POV flipped from Belle to Beast in the blink of an eye. It was a bit awkward at times with no preamble whatsoever.

Other than that, I have to say I was both impressed and entertained.

Excerpt

The concrete floor of Belle’s cell was cold and rough beneath her feet. Prince Adam had thrown her in here, again. He often did before ravishing her. 

She took solace in the hard, gray walls and thick iron bars that held her there. The chaotic thoughts of her overactive mind eased away. Her mind was consumed by an acute awareness of her shivering body covered only by a transparent white chemise. 

Although her Prince had transformed back into his human form just a few months ago, they had begun their affair long before. Just the thought of his incredible power sent hot tendrils of adrenaline shooting up her abdomen. 

She thought back to their first time. She was in the library, sitting on the floor with her back against one of the many bookshelves and reading e.e. cummings’ erotic poetry. The words flowed hotly through her body and her vagina throbbed every time she read the words hunger, feel, touch, spine, killing, ow, oh no, come, divine, bones, and most especially, monster. She kept reading until her body was so overcome with arousal that she couldn’t focus on the words anymore. 

She slipped her hands between her skirt and pulled her underwear down to her knees. She was already so wet her fingers slid between her lips. The smell of books filled her lungs and she arched backwards, displacing books as she delved further into her fantasy of her Beast coming in and taking over her. 

When she came, torrents of pleasure flowed through her. A dark pool of cum and sweat marked the silk lining of her hot pink skirt. She felt perfectly relaxed. She opened her eyes and the library had a soft, hazy glow. 

A shadow wavered from the corner of her eye. She looked toward it and saw the form of her Beast in the doorway. His large, bright blue eyes took her in. It was unclear how long he had been there, but she secretly hoped he had been there to witness it all. 

She was always astounded by his appearance. He was nearly seven feet tall and appeared to be a mix of fearsome, beautiful creatures. His back was broad and curved like a bear, his paws large and clawed like a lion, his limbs strong and lean like a wolf. A pair of sharp teeth lay against his upper lip and deep brown, silky hair covered his body. Horns curved up over his ears. Despite his outward appearance, she sensed a brilliant humanity deep within him.

She also noticed his turgid cock bulging in his trousers. It was huge. Painfully big. 

The Beast stayed in the doorway, watching his Belle, his Beauty, stare back at him. Her mouth was slightly agape, her cheeks glowed, and she was shameless about her exposed, wet pussy. Her smell filled his massive lungs with scents of a flourishing rose garden draped in sweet cum and sweat. His cock throbbed painfully against his trousers, begging to be unleashed and into her, into her everywhere. Ramming up inside her until she was drained of everything. 

They had barely interacted before. He was intimidated by her. He could hardly do more than invite her to dinner and sloppily eat his meal while she watched, sweetly coaxing him into remembering his manners. His monstrous form was his constant torment. He read “The Ugly Duckling” over and over, hoping one day he would be handsome again. He tried not to dwell on her being his only hope for returning to his human body. If he thought of it too much, it would ruin him. 

Even worse, she was as devastatingly beautiful as he was horrifyingly ugly. Her eyes were doleful and deep chestnut brown, flecked with gold. Her chestnut hair ran in waves down the long curve of her spine. Her lips were plump and a deep, rosebud pink. He often imagined how they would look stretched around his cock. 

She was his only hope for reversing his curse, but how could she ever learn to love him? Her personality was all that gave him confidence. She was kind and quiet most of the time, but he sensed something twisted inside her. Something she wasn’t fully in touch with yet. It was territory to be explored. 

 “Stand up,” he said. 

His voice was husky and demanding. Shivers of adrenaline shook her body, both from terror and arousal. She stood on shaky limbs and leaned against the bookshelf for support. The wet spot on her skirt brushed against her upper thighs and her panties left a trail of cum as they slid down her calves. 

He walked up to her and could see her trembling, but her nipples were hard and perky beneath her hot pink wool sweater. She was tense, her energy balled up tightly inside of her. She refused to move until he asked her to. Even just the contact of his hot, heavy breath against her cheek sent a rush of sensation down her neck. She knew he would touch her soon and he wouldn’t be gentle. She was so aroused, even the slightest touch would send rivers of pleasure through her body. 

“Pull up your sweater,” he demanded. 

She slowly rolled up the soft wool, exposing her tender breasts. He gazed hungrily at the untouched mounds of her full breasts and her erect, mauve nipples. His cock throbbed harder in his trousers. He longed to suck on her breasts, caress them, and twist her nipples. He refrained from doing so, knowing his rough paw pads and sharp claws would mar her soft flesh. Other parts of her would not be so lucky. 

He swept a whole shelf of books to the floor with one swipe of his arm. He wondered if he might lose control, ripping and tearing her to pieces like his prey. He couldn’t resist her, especially not now with her half-naked body awaiting his next command. He would have to control himself. At least enough to keep her alive. 

“Turn around and bend over.” 

She did, resting her forearms against the cool wood. She was so wet it felt like a pool was forming between her thighs. 

He ripped her skirt down the back and a wave of her sweet, hot scent hit his nostrils. He needed to be inside her immediately. He quickly unzipped his trousers and rammed inside of her. 

She moaned, unable to restrain herself. His huge girth pressed so hard against her inner walls he thought she might rip open. 

His movements were slow at first, allowing her pussy to stretch to accommodate his circumference. He grabbed onto her hips, his paw pads rough against her hips. His claws drew sharply across her skin, sending piercing shockwaves of sensation through her body.  

His thrusts inside of her came increasingly quickly. She felt almost like she was being stabbed repeatedly with his cock. Tremors of pleasure coursed like rollercoasters through her body as he bore deeper and deeper into her. Her breathing was heavy and she succumbed to the wild sensations barreling through her, pulling her away from reality. 

Interview with Jessica Satin

If you were to describe your book in only one word, what would it be?
Beastly

What would you say inspired you to write it?
Fairy tales are rife with the dark and dirty. Beauty and the Beast is easily my favorite — a girl with a book fetish in France who fixes a beastly man through her love. The dark side of what Belle and her Beast’s sex life would have been like enticed me to give it its own story.

What made you choose to remix/reimagine the classic Beauty and the Beast above all other classic tales?
Other than Beauty and the Beast being my favorite fairy tale, there are so many erotic thrills from fear and terror in the tale. That adrenaline rush is so arousing. I’ve also been fascinated by monster erotica and had to put my own twist on it.

Have you ever been hit by the infamous “writer’s block”? What did you do to escape it?
Yes, I’ve gotten writer’s block for sure. The Ravishing of Beauty is easily my most popular story, but it’s shocking and people either love it or hate it. But they can’t seem to stop reading it. Some of the negative feedback has gotten to me—my imagination is a depraved, strange place. 

It may sound silly, but listening to some of Eminem’s songs that are about owning your controversial, badass self and persevering through the toughest parts of your artistic career. “Without Me,” “Not Afraid,” and “Won’t Back Down” are so motivational and have got me back on a writing kick.

What is your all-time favorite book?
Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.

What made you pick that one above all others?
In Search of Lost Time is not erotica, but it’s French and there’s a lot of sex. Everyone is bisexual except for the narrator. The writing is dreamlike, with long, winding sentences. You can just got lost in its pathways for hours, tea in hand.

What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a project?
I spent four years straight on a romance set in Paris. I was obsessed—I wanted it to be perfect. I shopped it around to agents and got some interest, but it didn’t work out. It’s my baby and got me on the writing track. My goal was to publish my work, so I switched gears to erotica and have already published a few stories. I’m so happy to be accomplishing my dream of being a published author. 

Would you say becoming an author has changed you? In what way?
Writing is what I’ve wanted to do for a very long time—the dream was born about ten years ago when I was a teenager. I’m very introverted, so writing allows me to express my imagination and share it with others in ways I sometimes can’t in real life. 

My life as Jessica Satin (my pen name) has allowed me to be open about the filthiest parts of myself and find a community just as lovably filthy. Writing (and publishing my work) has made me part of a community of like-minded people that I didn’t have access to before.

Was there ever a time, during your work for this book, when you felt like giving up? What made you change your mind?
There are some especially rough scenes that were tough to write. Belle is put through a lot of pain mixed in with the pleasure of her life with her Beast. Even though I contrived that pain, it was sometimes tough to bring it fruition on paper. I had to finish it through because it was part of the story, regardless of how I felt about it. The story demanded to be told, as cliché as that sounds.

What does your day-to-day life consist of? What else do you do, aside from writing?
I work full-time in academic publishing. Books and authors are my life day to night. I also love dressing up in costume with my friends and going out, just for fun. 

How do you deal with bad reviews or acid criticism? What would you advise other authors to that effect?
Sometimes the reviewer comments are constructive, which is helpful. Taking some negative feedback has made me a better writer. It’s what an editor would do if I were publishing traditionally—you just have to listen to the right people.

Then there’s the acid criticism. What I’ve done is focus on the great reviews from the people who really love my work. I’m writing for the readers who love the kinky, strange, steamy stories, not readers who want vanilla with a hint of BDSM (which is cool too, it’s just not what I’ve chosen to write).

Can we expect more delightfully twisted and sexy fairy tales from you? Can you give us any hints what they may be?
Yes! I won an erotica contest earlier this year for “Snow White and the Seven Huntsmen,” which I’ve made free on Smashwords. It’s going to be a whole novel—stay tuned for that in 2015! 

What do you have stored for us in the future? What are you working on/planning on next, aside from fairy tales?
I’m working on Spanked by Santa right now. It’s so kinky and steamy. In the story, Santa is getting old so his son is searching for the next Mrs. Claus when he meets naughty Holly . . .

What made you decide to become an Author?
It’s a part of who I am, the words are going to come out one way or another. 

What would you say was the toughest part?
Failing the first time and figuring out how to take a new direction with my work.

Did you hire professionals for editing, cover design, formatting?
I do it all myself! I have decided to have someone read over my story before I publish it though, just to catch those errors I can’t see myself.

How long did the production part take, from the moment you began working on the manuscript to when you hit ‘Publish’?
For The Ravishing of Beauty, I started in January and published on March 31.

Where is your work being distributed, Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, AREbooks/Omnilit, some other distributor? How did you decide which one(s) to go with?
I publish most of my work exclusively through Amazon to take advantage of the KDP Select program, which allows subscribers to Kindle Unlimited to download my story for free. The downloads make enough revenue that I can’t give it up for the other platforms. The only exception is my freebie.

If you could turn back in time and do things differently, would you? What would you change?
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have worked on my first novel for so long. That being said, the effort I put into the work and all the people who read it and gave me feedback helped shape the writer I am now.

Fun Facts

If you could wish for any one thing, and it would immediately come true, what would you wish for?
I would wish to be able to write erotica full-time.

If you were stranded on an isolated island, what’s the one item you’d absolutely wish to have with you?
A flare to send a signal to anyone around to get me out of there.

Name your favorite fruit.
Passion fruit!

Coffee or tea?
Coffee is my crack.

Favorite season?
Springtime in Paris.

How about favorite time of the day?
After midnight.

Were you a Girl Scout?
I was forced to be one (still a little bitter about it).

Favorite food for breakfast?
Bananas 😉

What is the latest book you’ve bought and read?
The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Do you collect things, like stamps, or key chains, or shoes?
I collect books, especially art books.

Favorite color, you know you want to tell us!
Lolita pink.

Drama or comedy?
I love both, so it really depends on my mood.

Do you have a favorite quote or personal motto?
Embrace it!

Cats or dogs?
I’m a total cat person but I love dogs too.

Dinner by candlelight or a night out clubbing?
Dinner by candelight.

Do you have a favorite Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend?
Harry Potter. I even saw Daniel Radcliffe naked in Equus in London.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
I really love bad rom-coms, like Did You Hear About the Morgans with Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant? They’re so bad but I love them.

Favorite Swear Word?
It feels so good to say fuck.

About the Author

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Jessica Satin’s passion is erotica, especially when it’s perverting fairy tales. She drinks coffee like it’s her drug and is writing at every opportunity. She lives in a big city with her boyfriend and two fluffy cats.

This book has been awarded the following honor by The Smutsonian. Click the star to see the full list of books who won awards in this category!