Official Review: Amelia Unleashed: Casual Encounters of a...
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Official Review: Amelia Unleashed: Casual Encounters of a...
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Amelia Unleashed: Casual Encounters of a Decadent Kind" by Sorell Oates.]
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Before I start the review I want to post trigger warnings. I do talk about sexual consent issues and I don't want to upset anyone.
Amelia Unleashed: Casual Encounters of a Decadent Kind by Sorell Oates is an adult erotica novella. We're introduced to Amelia as she stands on the street, ready to deliver a mysterious package to a man she'd met on the internet. Once the package is delivered, she goes home and awaits his call. We eventually learn that Amelia is waiting for this man to call her for a date and time for a sexual
encounter.
Amelia herself is self-conscious and seems to be desperate for something more than just a quick hook-up. So instead, she settles by having one night stands, and letting men (and women) treat her how they see fit. Essentially looking for love in all the (very) wrong places. She claims to be comfortable with this, but I don't believe that is at all the case, especially when we finally meet Dominic and after one “date” in which he took her to a random parking lot to get gang-raped by a group of men and a woman, she actually starts thinking about having something long-term with the man.
I suppose I shouldn't actually use the term rape, because technically she didn't say 'No' when he told her to do the things he wanted her to do, nor did she not do them, but it goes way beyond dubious consent in my opinion. Amelia is desperate to please, and her internal monologue during these... activities, is roughly her rationalizing the situation and Dominic's demands of her, that it's okay and she'll do it because she wants to be with him. She'll endure his humiliation, and anything that he asks, in the hopes that one day it'll turn into something more.
And wow, does he really put her through it. By the end of the book (they're 3rd or 4th “date”), he brings her back to his apartment where she meets his son. After dinner, Dominic takes Amelia to bed where they're interrupted by his son. After joining them in their romp in the bedroom (it's okay, he's 18), Dominic then “asks” Amelia to spend the night with his son, and in the morning he catches the two of them engaged in acts that are not sleeping. Dominic ships his kid off to school or where ever, and leaves Amelia to wander around the house while he pretty much ignores her. When his son finally comes home, he's accompanied by literally an entire sports team of kids. Seems before he'd sent his kid to school that day, Dominic told him to bring back as many friends as possible so they can all have their way with Amelia (while he filmed it). Without asking her if she was okay with it. Without telling her at all that it was going to happen. And when she put up a protest, he shamed her and told her that not only was there no future between them if she didn't do what he wanted her to do, then they didn't have a present either.
As ridiculous as she is, I did feel a little proud of her when she finally grew a pair and left, but it was a short-lived triumph as she was quickly waxing about a broken heart as soon as the door closed behind her. I'm not exactly new to these types of stories, though they're not necessarily the ones I would choose to read. And I'm familiar with the 50 Shades of Grey series (though if that is anything like this one, I weep for the future). I'm perfectly fine with two consenting adults engaging in adult activities, if that's what they wish to do. My problem lies with consent, and as I said, she didn't exactly say 'No' while he did it anyway, she didn't necessarily say 'Yes' either, and talked away her discomfort because she felt good after a while, and she believed if she turned him down he'd leave her (and obviously she was right in that regard). That's where I start to question things. It's not really okay for me. She could have very well said no, but she was desperate for a companion and would rather suffer through pretending to be a dog, than to tell this man no and she was uncomfortable and stop because I don't like this. That's not healthy.
There were tons of grammatical mistakes and other errors throughout the whole book. Even the first paragraph needs to be looked at and reworked. I had to read it 3 times before I actually understood it. It needs to be gone over with a fine toothed comb and a bright red pen. Even if I did enjoy the story itself, the errors are something I can't overlook because there are so many of them. I hope for the authors sake this isn't a final draft. I give this book a 2 out of 4, for the reasons stated above. I'm not going to not recommend a book, I don't like telling someone not to read something, because my tastes are different than everyone elses. What I dislike might be something someone enjoys, and that's their prerogative. I think with a lot of polishing as far as the editing goes, the story could work for those who enjoy that particular genre. It's just not my cup of tea.
Other than Amelia's story, there was a short snippet of another story at the end. Toxic Cocktales is just a short clip of a group of women at a bar chatting. This one seems to be a lot cleaner in the editing department, although it was too short to really determine. I can't give a real review on this because it wasn't long enough, but it wasn't as uncomfortable making as Amelia.
***
Buy "Amelia Unleashed: Casual Encounters of a Decadent Kind" on Amazon
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Amelia Unleashed: Casual Encounters of a Decadent Kind by Sorell Oates is an adult erotica novella. We're introduced to Amelia as she stands on the street, ready to deliver a mysterious package to a man she'd met on the internet. Once the package is delivered, she goes home and awaits his call. We eventually learn that Amelia is waiting for this man to call her for a date and time for a sexual
encounter.
Amelia herself is self-conscious and seems to be desperate for something more than just a quick hook-up. So instead, she settles by having one night stands, and letting men (and women) treat her how they see fit. Essentially looking for love in all the (very) wrong places. She claims to be comfortable with this, but I don't believe that is at all the case, especially when we finally meet Dominic and after one “date” in which he took her to a random parking lot to get gang-raped by a group of men and a woman, she actually starts thinking about having something long-term with the man.
I suppose I shouldn't actually use the term rape, because technically she didn't say 'No' when he told her to do the things he wanted her to do, nor did she not do them, but it goes way beyond dubious consent in my opinion. Amelia is desperate to please, and her internal monologue during these... activities, is roughly her rationalizing the situation and Dominic's demands of her, that it's okay and she'll do it because she wants to be with him. She'll endure his humiliation, and anything that he asks, in the hopes that one day it'll turn into something more.
And wow, does he really put her through it. By the end of the book (they're 3rd or 4th “date”), he brings her back to his apartment where she meets his son. After dinner, Dominic takes Amelia to bed where they're interrupted by his son. After joining them in their romp in the bedroom (it's okay, he's 18), Dominic then “asks” Amelia to spend the night with his son, and in the morning he catches the two of them engaged in acts that are not sleeping. Dominic ships his kid off to school or where ever, and leaves Amelia to wander around the house while he pretty much ignores her. When his son finally comes home, he's accompanied by literally an entire sports team of kids. Seems before he'd sent his kid to school that day, Dominic told him to bring back as many friends as possible so they can all have their way with Amelia (while he filmed it). Without asking her if she was okay with it. Without telling her at all that it was going to happen. And when she put up a protest, he shamed her and told her that not only was there no future between them if she didn't do what he wanted her to do, then they didn't have a present either.
As ridiculous as she is, I did feel a little proud of her when she finally grew a pair and left, but it was a short-lived triumph as she was quickly waxing about a broken heart as soon as the door closed behind her. I'm not exactly new to these types of stories, though they're not necessarily the ones I would choose to read. And I'm familiar with the 50 Shades of Grey series (though if that is anything like this one, I weep for the future). I'm perfectly fine with two consenting adults engaging in adult activities, if that's what they wish to do. My problem lies with consent, and as I said, she didn't exactly say 'No' while he did it anyway, she didn't necessarily say 'Yes' either, and talked away her discomfort because she felt good after a while, and she believed if she turned him down he'd leave her (and obviously she was right in that regard). That's where I start to question things. It's not really okay for me. She could have very well said no, but she was desperate for a companion and would rather suffer through pretending to be a dog, than to tell this man no and she was uncomfortable and stop because I don't like this. That's not healthy.
There were tons of grammatical mistakes and other errors throughout the whole book. Even the first paragraph needs to be looked at and reworked. I had to read it 3 times before I actually understood it. It needs to be gone over with a fine toothed comb and a bright red pen. Even if I did enjoy the story itself, the errors are something I can't overlook because there are so many of them. I hope for the authors sake this isn't a final draft. I give this book a 2 out of 4, for the reasons stated above. I'm not going to not recommend a book, I don't like telling someone not to read something, because my tastes are different than everyone elses. What I dislike might be something someone enjoys, and that's their prerogative. I think with a lot of polishing as far as the editing goes, the story could work for those who enjoy that particular genre. It's just not my cup of tea.
Other than Amelia's story, there was a short snippet of another story at the end. Toxic Cocktales is just a short clip of a group of women at a bar chatting. This one seems to be a lot cleaner in the editing department, although it was too short to really determine. I can't give a real review on this because it wasn't long enough, but it wasn't as uncomfortable making as Amelia.
***
Buy "Amelia Unleashed: Casual Encounters of a Decadent Kind" on Amazon
Latest Review: "Under A Blood Moon" by Michael Andrews
