
Anyone who's read my posts will know I don't read a lot of erotica, but when I do, I want considerably more than just a description of the physical act itself. I mean, let's be serious here; there are only so many many ways any author, no matter how talented, can describe a "screaming orgasm", so there has to be more to an erotic story, to catch my attention than just a jumble of "ohhhhhhhh! oh my God, I'm coming, et al.
Contrast, a novella by the talented indie author Ian Saul Whitcomb fulfills that need for me. I guess it has two features that push it above the ordinary. The first of these is the interracial context of the two participants; one is white and the other African-American. I almost hesitated to consider this, because interracial relationship are so much more accepted than perhaps a few decades ago, but still, there is a novelty to them I guess that may interest some readers.
The real crux of Contrast, though, is the idea of "anonymous" sex. Back in the 70's (when I was of that age), this was called "zipless sex"; the idea that two people could meet, bonk each other's brains out, without having any sort of emotional connection at all and without even knowing their partner's name.
Whitcomb takes this to a new level and asks the question, whether this "anonymity" can be sustained to the point where the couple clearly has a long-term relationship, albeit a sexual one only and how this would affect the thoughts of the two participants as each, separately realised they wanted more from this relationship than just anonymous sex. I really enjoyed this novella. At 112 pages on a Kindle, it's still a good solid read, without allowing you time to get bored with the erotic aspect of it. If erotica is your thing, then this story is smoking hot and I'm sure you'll love it. If romance is your thing, and you like your books steamy, then definitely give this one a try, but do be warned - the author doesn't pull punches in his dramatic descriptions.
Within its genre, this is one of the best erotica stories I've read this year and I have no hesitation in awarding it the full five stars.
