Discussion: The Labeling of Mommy Porn

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

I have been sitting on this topic for hours. Earlier this morning, Mandi from Smexy Books shared this link with others. I was disgusted and I was upset. This post is going to be brief because I am still a little shocked and upset by all of it. First lets take a look at the video.

Did he really just say that this woman (and a well known author) should be at home knitting? Yes, she is a Grandmother. Yes, she is a mother. Does this mean she shouldn’t write hot and sexy books for readers?

So I went online to find the definition of “Mommy Porn” or “Mummy Porn”.

noun – Socially acceptable erotic fiction, written for a female readership. www.collinsdictionary.com

There are so many things that are offensive and wrong in these two things combined that I want to share with everyone.  These are my opinions, but I think I am not the only one who feels this way.

1. Since when is sex only appropriate for certain age groups?  Just because you are in your seventies and/or a Grandma doesn’t mean your sex fantasies just disappear.

2.  What is so wrong with reading about romance?  When her family states that she writes porn that is a disgrace to the romance genre.  Yes there are smut books out there, but hey we were all brought into this world with that single act of sex. If you have kids, then GASP! you have had your fair share of some romance and hubba-hubba time.

3. Why the “Mommy” in the definition? I was reading romance when I was a teenager and way before I was joining in on the sex.  Why label it? I am sure there are men out there who have also read these types of books.

Another comment on Mandi’s post drove it home. And yes it was from a male point of view.  I applaud this man for saying it because it is the truth.

The difference between mommy and daddy porn is the ratio of words vs pictures. The mommy porn has a photo on the cover and words inside. The daddy porn had a title on the cover, and no words inside.

Well, all I can say is this to the labels and the haters of sexual romance in books:

At least we are reading in a world where books have become lost in the digital world of movies and other forms of entertainment.

Review: Changing the Game by Jaci Burton

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Changing the Game
Series: Play by Play #2
Author: Jaci Burton

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Most people play by the rules. Gavin and Liz aren’t most people….

Win at any cost. That’s always been the mantra of sports agent Liz Darnell. When she carries things too far and risks losing her number-one client, baseball pro Gavin Riley, Liz realizes that she’ll have to work extra innings to win him back. It might not be too much of a stretch. She’s had a thing for this player’s moves since she first laid eyes on him, and by the looks of it, he wants her just as bad.

Gavin’s more than ready—especially when Liz is offering herself as part of the bargain. And as much of her as Gavin wants. For added thrills, he decides to throw a little curve ball Liz’s way to see just how far she’s truly willing to go to keep him as a client. But when love unexpectedly enters the playing field, neither Liz nor Gavin are ready for the biggest game-changer of them all.

MY THOUGHTS

Changing the Game by author Jaci Burton is the second book in the Play by Play series.  The main characters are Gavin and Liz (Elizabeth).

This author has been blessed by the Cover Gods above for this series.  Seriously, even if I wasn’t a fan of the plot or author, I would purchase this series just to drool over the covers. After each chapter I would flip the book closed just so I could enjoy the view of that fine male specimen.

I was a little scared about reading this story though.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Liz and her actions in the first book.  I didn’t know how the author was going to change my view of her and was a little hesitant on her starting a relationship with Gavin.  I understand that Liz made a mistake and tried to atone for her that big blunder, but I still couldn’t form an alliance with her.  Gavin was the player of the family.  He didn’t have a shortage of women before and he didn’t do relationships.  So when these characters entered into a relationship of sorts, I was curious to see how it would evolve.

Mick was a pain in the butt in this book.  I loved him in The Perfect Play, but this man can hold a grudge! Dang, there were times I wanted to slap that man silly and tell him to mind his own dang business.  I might have shouted at his attitude several times while reading this story and my family kept giving me funny looks.  I did enjoy how the author was able to redeem Liz though.  By the end I didn’t loathe her character as much as I did before reading Changing the Game.  Gavin was oh so sexy, but even though he was the main character of this book, I felt that Liz was the one who shined the most.

This series is one that keeps getting better with each new character.  We were introduced to future characters and plot lines for future books which makes the reader even more anxious to get their hands on the next book.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!

The Weekly Wrap Up (8)

by ⋅ Leave a Comment
It’s time for the Weekly Wrap Up!
What did you miss this week on My Overstuffed Bookshelf?  Find out below!
(inspired by Smexy Books)

*****

Well hello lovelies!  Another week has passed which means it is time for The Weekly Wrap Up!  Let me tell you, the schools are trying to run this momma into the ground.  I have had to help with the youngest daughters Easter Egg Hunt, Award photos and now she is on Spring Break for a week.  I might survive.  Then my middle daughter just had to go and turn Sweet Sixteen today so we are drowning our troubles in sweet cake, ice cream and tons of tears. My middle baby is getting so big!  At least I was able to sneak in some book reviews! Thank goodness for having those posts pre-written and just waiting to be posted! On to the Wrap Up!
REVIEWS
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (5 Martini) 
For the Love of a Goblin Warrior by Shona Husk (4 Martini)
Demon’s Curse by Alexa Egan (3 Martini)
Chance of a Lifetime by Jodi Thomas (4 Martini)
Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire (4 Martini)

Review: Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Walking Disaster
Series: Beautiful #2
Author: Jamie McGuire

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

MY THOUGHTS

Walking Disaster is the second book in the Beautiful series by author Jamie McGuire.  This book is almost a mirror image of Beautiful Disaster except it is from the point of view of Travis.  I admit that the first book was not a favorite of mine.  I thought Travis was a man who abused Abby mentally and verbally.  Instead of rehashing all of my feelings from the first book, I will just let you read my previous review found HERE.

Now do I still feel the same way after finishing it from Travis’s POV? Well, I still consider Travis a beautiful disaster.  The only difference is now we get pieces of his past that help us to understand why he is so possessive.  I won’t excuse his behavior with that last line, but it does give us insight on how he was shaped into the man he is now. We also get to read about how insecure Travis really is deep down.  On the outside he is the man every girl wants.  What we get to read about though is how Travis is struggling about how he doesn’t feel good enough to be with Abby.  He considers himself a failure and a loser.

Abby is still Abby in this book.  I still want to know how she walks straight without a backbone.  This girl needs to find one stat. I was willing to overlook the lack of backbone this time around though since we knew this would be about Travis.

Can I also mention that cover? The previous book had a ho-hum cover that really didn’t capture my interest. This cover screams SEXY and is perfect for Travis’s story to be wrapped up in.  Kudos to the cover art department on this one.

Overall, this installment in the series was much better than the first.  I am still not a fan of the relationship between Abby and Travis.  They had a hard road that had way too many bumps that were borderline psychotic.  I will mention that the epilogue of this story though was sweet and gave us a peek into the future. While I still wouldn’t go all out and say it was a beautiful disaster of a book, it was one that made you walk a mile in the other persons shoes to see what is really going on inside their mind.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!
*Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley.  I received this ARC free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Review: Chance of a Lifetime by Jodi Thomas

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Chance of a Lifetime
Series: Harmony #5
Author: Jodi Thomas

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Emily, the local librarian, has started a writing group, but as the group stumbles through both the fiction and reality of their lives, they’re learning much more than how to write. But Emily suddenly has other things on her mind when a friend from her past shows up in Harmony’s library. Now she must deal with a secret she’s kept for fifteen years—a secret that changed her life and threatens to shatter her future.

Meanwhile, new lawyer Rick Matheson thinks he’s in charge of his world until accidents start happening all around him. Just when he realizes someone is trying to kill him, he meets a beautiful U.S. Marshal named Trace Adam. Now that the marshal has given him an even stronger reason to go on living, he must learn to take a chance on life to dream bigger—and love better—than he ever has before…  

MY THOUGHTS

Chance of a Lifetime is the fifth book in the Harmony series by author Jodi Thomas.

I have never read any books by this author before this one, so I had no idea what the writing style would be like.  I love to find new-to-me authors to add to my ever growing list. I honestly can say that author Jodi Thomas is now on that list. Her writing was sweet and flowed at a perfect pace.  The characters were believable and were enjoyable to read about.  I loved the author’s voice.  The writing felt natural with sweet southern charm. While there were some tense moments in the book involving all of the characters, the author did a wonderful job in keeping each character strong as a separate story.  I didn’t feel like everyone was spread out all over the place and I could connect with each one on a different level.

While this was my first book by author Jodi Thomas, this is definitely not going to be my last.  I can’t wait to read the first four books in this series and the books she will bring us in the future!

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!