Tainted Lime Reviews Issue #37
April 16, 2002

My taxes are done for now, so I hope to spend a little more time
in the coming days catching up on stories to review.

Reviews are archived at /~TaintedLime/.

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Stories reviewed in this issue:

The Fix, by Bradley Stoke (* * * *)
Rite of Spring, by Eddie (* * *)
Frustration, by Artist Formerly Known As Kieyra (* * * *)
Tidal Wave, by Sara Hart (* * * * *)
Impossible Lovers: Midnight Kiss, by Valen Thyan (* * *)


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{ASSM} {ASSTR} The Fix
By Bradley Stoke <bradley_stoke@hotmail.com>
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2002/35990

A lonely, fifty-year-old man is out walking through a crummy part
of town. He's looking to feed his compulsion for prostitutes. One
of his usuals gets picked up by someone else before he can get to
her, and he has to settle for a woman who looks like she just
broke out of a drug rehab center.

This story is not pretty. The man is pathetic, and the girls are
almost ghastly. It's a sad situation. The ending fits with the
tone of the story, although it comes out of the blue.

The reason to read the story is to appreciate the ugliness of it.
The sex is creepy and isn't much of a turn-on, but it's still an
artful and vivid story.


Rating: * * * *

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{ASSM} Rite of Spring (mF, no sex, wife)
By Eddie <nitetimeguy74@yahoo.com>
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2002/35996

A fourteen-year-old boy is babysitting for a glamorous couple.
After the kids go to sleep, he flips through the late night cable
movies and finds one that raises his teenage libido to the point
where he begins to masturbate.

And then Mrs. Lavelle walks in. Fortunately, Mrs. Lavelle
understands the way boys are, and she helps him release all that
nasty tension that has built up in his young penis.

The story has its ups and downs. There are some very nice
passages and some awkward ones. The story is at its best after
the arrival of Mrs. Lavelle, when all the embarrassment and
arousal gets mixed up in the boy's head. While it is sexy, the
story is not a pure stroke story and doesn't go too far. The way
the story closes down gives it a ring of truth.

With more consistent writing, it would be a very good story. And
even as it is, it's still worth checking out.


Rating: * * *

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{ASSM} NEW: Frustration {Friends Of Elizabeth} (MF rom)
By Artist Formerly Known As Kieyra <kieyra@yahoo.com>


Jaysen has had a crush on Natalie for a long time, but Natalie
was seeing Jaysen's best friend, Danny. And then Natalie shows up
at Jaysen's front door with the announcement: Danny has dumped
her.

Normally, in ASSM, this would be an excuse for the couple to jump
into bed, but not so here. Instead, Jaysen and Natalie fight. You
see, Jaysen feels bitter about Natalie choosing Danny over him.
And Natalie has a stubborn streak.

This story has a lot going for it. Best of all is the varied
emotions that go with the unconsummated infatuation. Jaysen and
Natalie have a lot to work through before they can be a real
couple.

Parts of the story felt unbalanced, though. Jaysen has a minor
psychological problem that doesn't show up until near the end,
which makes the story spin off in a different direction just as
the sexy stuff gets started. The final part of the story, too,
feels more rushed than the build up. There are also several
technical problems with the writing, although they don't detract
much from the reading.

But this is still a very nice look at a difficult emotional
situation.


Rating: * * * *

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{ASSM} NEW - Tidal Wave (FF, Rom, Cons, Oral, Slow) - Sara H
By Sara Hart <sara_h2020@yahoo.com>
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2002/36003

Traci's marriage has slowly deteriorated, leaving her alone in
her beautiful home. The loneliness begins to overwhelm her, and
she begins to step tentatively out into the world.

After a chance meeting in a deli, she strikes up a conversation
with Mason, a woman who seems to be having a less than perfect
life herself. After a run in with a soaking rain storm, they end
up back at Mason's old mansion, wearing robes, drinking wine, and
kindling the friendship Traci is desperate for.

The sex, when it comes, is mixed up with a lot of self-discovery
mumbo-jumbo, which would ordinarily make me roll my eyes. But in
this case, it works. Perhaps the technically superb writing put
me in a good frame of mind. Perhaps Traci's situation was written
so convincingly that I was ready to put up with anything. What ever. 
This is an excellent story, and one you will very likely enjoy.


Rating: * * * * *

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{ASSM} Impossible Lovers: Midnight Kiss {Valen} (mf-oral rom real)
By Valen Thyan <valen_thyan@hotmail.com>
http://assm.asstr.org/Year2002/36004

A man of undetermined age is sleeping on the sofa in a woman's
apartment. She comes home from a night out with friends and gives
him a blowjob while he reminisces about their relationship.

For my tastes, there isn't enough of a story here. We are
introduced to these characters, but by the time the story is
finished, we don't really see what their relationship is. Why is
he sleeping on the couch? What is this talk about love? Why is
their love impossible? It reads like part of a chapter out of a
longer work.

But the writing is good (I only noticed a handful of grammatical
errors), and there is an occasional flicker of brilliance. When
the flashbacks aren't interrupting things, the sex is good, too.
And while this story isn't one of my all time favorites, the
author has some talent, and I'll be looking to see what he comes
up with next.


Rating: * * *