"Bridge to Desire" by Alice K. Cross.
Amazon UK: Link. ISBN: 978-1-61937-680-9.
Publisher: Musa Publishing (9th January 2014).
Synopsis: Lissa just broke up with her boyfriend and is feeling uninspired by her job. There was never a better time to take a chance with an intriguing stranger.
I will be completely honest with you guys, erotica is not a genre I read very often, nor is LGBT, not because I have any objections to either genre, but just because I think it can be difficult to write stories in such genres that are able to keep the balance between artistic and, for lack of a better term, literary porn. However, Cross's "Bridge to Desire" is beautifully written throughout. The sex scene is very much relevant to the story, which is brilliant because I've read other books in the genre which are just including such scenes just because they can. The story also touches upon curiosity about sexuality, with the main character having recently ended a relationship with a male, only to pursue an adventure with a woman. I don't like to reveal too much in my reviews because I am so scared of spoilers, so I really would advise you to just download yourself a copy of this eBook, if you're interested in these genres, or even if you're not, it's always good to try something a little different.
Overall, I give 'Bridge to Desire' by Alice K. Cross a rating of 4/5.
♥♥♥♥♡
As well as being given the opportunity to review this book, I was also lucky enough to be able to conduct a short interview with the author, Alice. Here are the questions I asked her and the answers she gave me. Enjoy!
When did you decide to become a writer and what was it that made you decide?
"I have been writing professionally for many years, though I only recently decided to try writing erotica. The main reason is that I simply wasn't finding the right erotica for me. I like many of the things I have read by others, but I couldn't quite fully identify with any of it. I decided to write my own stories and sexual-romantic fantasies and put them out there for anyone else who might enjoy them too."
What are your favourite book(s) and/or author(s)? Do you feel that their writing has inspired you at all?
"Some of my favorite writing is by American women of color. I love the books of Toni Morrison and Louise Erdrich, for example. I also like many British lesbian writers like Sarah Waters and Ali Smith. (I will add Emma Donaghue, though she is Irish, in spite of some education in Britain and I know she wouldn't want to be lumped in with the British!)
Everything I've ever read influences my writing. I can't say it is a one-to-one relationship, but the sound of the words of other writers has been in my mind all my life and those words and their rhythms come back out of me in my own writing. It is a bit like breathing. Reading is an inhale and writing is an exhale."
Are you able to see parts of yourself within the characters you write about, or are they purely a work of fiction?
"My characters are fictional, but all of them came out of my head. This is true for all writers, though many will talk about feeling that their characters come to them from outside themselves. It can feel that way, true, but I know that my own life experiences, emotional reactions and hopes and dreams (and fantasies, of course!) are part and parcel of my characters."
The way in which you write your sexual scenes is rather artistic, whereas other novels of a similar nature can be a bit too much - do you ever find it difficult to draw a line between just right and too much or too little?
"I am glad you find the sex scenes just right. I think this is dependent on individual taste and personal experience. Whether a sex scene is too little or too much can really vary between readers. I write the kind of scenes I like to read, so in my case, the choices I make are simply based on my own taste rather than worrying about getting it right for any particular audience. I just cross my fingers that enough readers will share my taste to enjoy them too!"
"It makes me very happy when I hear that others indeed appreciate my work.
Thanks so much for the interview."
Have you read "Bridge to Desire"? If not, would you consider reading it? Let me know what you thought of the book and my review in the comments below!
