Erotic Book Review - Blue Angel by Logan Belle
Reviewed by Sharazade
Blue Angel (Logan Belle, Kensington Publishing Corp, 2011) is the story of Mallory, an aspiring lawyer who’s failed the bar exam and is clerking in a law office, studying away in order to retake it. Her boyfriend, a magazine features writer, is working on a story on burlesque clubs, and takes Mallory with him to a show for her birthday. She’s reluctant to attend at first (how is it a birthday present for her, if it’s research for an article for him?), but she’s intrigued by the performances, and one performer in particular, Bette Noir (fab name!), who pulls her up on stage, and… we’re off. Will Mallory leave a career in law for a career on stage? Is her boyfriend really the right guy? What are Bette’s intentions beyond the stage? Will anyone from the law firm discover Mallory’s secret life? And so on.
This is an erotic romance, just the type I like. Characters are interesting, and interesting things happen to them, but nothing that made me go “Oh, please.” And while there were some predictable, or perhaps I should say “classic,” conflicts between characters, they were handled with sensitivity and depth. Questions like “If you press a partner to be sexually adventurous, does that mean you have to accept anything they subsequently explore?” and “If a monogamous heterosexual partner has a one-night stand with a same-sex partner, does that ‘count’ as infidelity?” and “Is there a point of no-return for feuding couples, beyond which they can’t repair the relationship?” didn’t get pat or easy answers, and both party’s “sides” were explored fairly. I liked too that the “bad guys,” those characters who showed up to thwart our heroine in her pursuits, were given their own motivations and side storylines. Although it wasn’t apparent at first, by the end of the book you could see a world not of good guys and bad guys but of characters pursuing their own desires, just whose desires sometimes conflicted with those of other people. Now that’s a believable world to me.
The world of burlesque was also made believable to me. Clearly, the author did her research—you can tell by the people Belle thanks in her Acknowledgments (yes, I always read the Acknowledgements, and the Preface, too—don’t you?). But you’re never hit over the head with it. I can’t stand books where characters recite Wikipedia entries to each other: “Well, Amber Glasse, as you know, burlesque refers to a comedic literary, dramatic or musical piece that lampoons or caricatures well-known serious works or people.” “Yes, Rosy Petalle, but the term has come over time to include a more sexual sense, and often strip teases or other provocative dances are performed as an integral part of the entertainment.” Blech! Blue Angel does none of that. Instead, the author’s background research means that setting and characters are credible. You’re told what you need to know to follow the story, but you’re not beat over the head with minutiae. I did, though, pick up a little bit of fun knowledge. Did you know, for instance, that in there is a job in burlesque clubs of merely picking up the clothes that the dancers discard? The person who does this, who zips out between numbers and scoops up the scarves and bras, is called a “stage kitten.” How fun is that? It occurred to me that I spend a good deal of my time doing that too, roaming around the house picking up stray jackets and socks and towels and shirts. But I’m going to enjoy it a lot more now that I’ve decided to call myself a stage kitten as I do it.
Twiggy the Stage Kitten, photo by Eric Havelock-Bailie
I recommend this book. It would make a great beach (or bed) read, or a good airplane book (as long as the Easily Offended weren’t reading over your shoulder). The sex is plentiful, hot, and varied: expect m/f, f/f, and m/f/f, in a variety of public and private settings, with some particularly hot D/s-ish scenes. The writing is strong and the story is good, and you have romance, passion, and humor.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some laundry to pick up.
Blue Angel is available at Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.
Originally published July 2011