Gabrielle Bisset

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Oh My! This Is Erotic! Really?



My son directed me to a 1 star rating for Vampire Dreams today.  He's an idealistic 15 year old and was bothered by the review some woman named Mamie left that states this: 

I missed the "erotica" in the category. I should have read more carefully before I purchased, but that was my mistake. The story was obviously meant to arouse rather than entertain.

To my son, and I have to agree with him, this is something Amazon shouldn't allow.  She freely admits she didn't pay attention when she spent the $.99 to purchase the book and that what she got wasn't what she wanted because of her own mistake.  Yet, she dings the book with a 1 star rating because of her screw up, not because it wasn't written well. 

My friend told me yesterday that she doesn't believe Amazon UK has so many reviews as Amazon US because Brits are far more humble and don't naturally believe their opinion is of the utmost importance.  I don't know enough British folks to say, but it does seem Americans are all about the opinions. 

I explained to my son that not everyone is going to enjoy my work.  I write erotic romances, and for Mamie, that doesn't work.  She prefers Debbie Macomber romances.  That's cool, but I'm with my son when he says that her mistake shouldn't negatively affect me. 

However, the silver lining to this story is that I personally noted this part of her review:  The story was obviously meant to arouse rather than entertain. Yes, Mamie, it's adult reading material.  If it arouses the reader, then I've done what I set out to do in an erotic novella. And Mamie, those of us who read and write adult books are also entertained by them. 

I can't imagine how she missed the erotic part considering right after the title are these words (First in The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy) and this is what she sees when she encounters Vampire Dreams' page on Amazon:

Product Description

Reviews:

WOW, what an amazing read! This is why I love vampire erotica stories. As much as you love a dangerous vampire, it's mainly about the sensuality and seduction of a vampire that makes you enjoy the read. I have never read anything by this author as she is new, but when an author can amaze you with their first release you know you can expect only more good reading material.

--Lady Raven

Beyond the sensuality is a well-written story. The author constructs a vampire world where there is a hierarchy that involves rules of who a vampire can sire. In this world, potential vampires must be vetted through one's sire, and Brandon has the difficult luck of having a sire in Vasilije who's selfish and cruel. The conflict that grows out of these rules is interesting and makes me want to read more about this world.

--Selena, The Enchanted Book


Homeless and without any family, Arden Stephens must live on the streets of mid 19th century London, never a safe place for a young woman. One night, as she is running for her life from an attacker, she is rescued by Brandon Ridley and offered a place in his home as his maid. Brandon is enchanted by Arden from the moment they meet, but just as she has secrets, so too does he. A vampire hundreds of years old, he yearns for the companionship she can give him. But for that he must make her one of his kind.

Nightly, he visits her in her sleep, preparing her for the night he will finally make her his own. For Arden, the wanton dreams she has about her handsome employer seduce her and each day when she wakes up, she finds herself more drawn to him. But love and desire aren't enough for Brandon to sire her. He must first obtain the approval of his maker, an ancient vampire named Vasilije who has thwarted his chance for happiness before.

But if Brandon can convince him, he may finally find the love he's been without for centuries.

Novella length: approx. 17,000 words
Erotic novella--Adults only

Look for the other novellas in the Trilogy, Love's Master and Masquerade, out now! And the one volume set of The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy is also available at $3.99, a savings of $1.00 on all three and includes the entire first chapter of Vasilije's story, Blood Avenged.

Product Details

I guess Mamie missed all these things telling her exactly what it was since Amazon and I aren't trying to hide anything.

Lesson for authors in this?  Write what you believe in and when it sells almost 10,000 copies in just a few months and sits in the top 50 of Vampire Romance Books and Erotica for 5 months running, don't worry about the Mamies of this world. I just hope she doesn't make the same mistake and read Blood Avenged.  She won't make it back from that level of erotic romance. ;)

5 comments:

mnjcarter said...

See, it's crap like that, that really pisses a lot of readers off. Just because the person that purchased the book, obviously did not read the entire plot/blurb, that does not give them the right to give a low rating. Idiots!!! I have seen this countless times on the books I read, these people are NOT giving a review, they are basically telling the rest of the world they are dumbasses for not knowing what they are buying. Sorry for the cuss words, but it just gets me riled!!!

Unknown said...

I'm with you! I can't imagine how she missed all those words telling her this was definitely erotic. LOL

Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idonea said...

In this instance, I would have thought it better for her to leave no rating than slap on a bad one just because she made a mistake. Oh well - you do at least have plenty of positive reviews to show people what the book is really like! ;)

Unknown said...

True, Nikki. I just would never rate something low because of my mistake. I wonder how anyone makes that mistake with the word erotic flashing in front of their face. ?? Thanks for stopping by. :)

June M. said...

Why would you buy a book from an author that is new to you and not read the blurb? And to miss that many uses of "erotic" and "erotica"? Amazon should not allow reviews like that. You should be able to complain and have it removed but I don't guess they will do that.