Welcome to the official author website for Janine Ashbless.
So … What sort of erotica will you find in a Janine Ashbless book?
"Hardcore and literate" (Madeline Moore)
"Vivid and tempestuous and dangerous, and bursting with sacrifice, death and love. " (Portia Da Costa)
"One of the hands-down masters of erotic writing." "Janine Ashbless showed me that erotica can be literature." (Violet Blue)
"Writer of the Year 2009" (Jade: the International Erotic Art and Literature Magazine)
"The best erotic fairytale writer around," (Saskia Walker)
I write erotic fantasy and paranormal stories and novels – ‘Fantasy’ as in swords-and-sorcery or magical realism, set in others worlds or in this one. Sometimes I put my own twist on fairy tales and mythology, folklore and traditional ballads.
Will you like my work? Well, are you the sort of person who loved The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones or Gladiator? Do you love Angela Carter's fairy stories? Do you like some action and emotion and drama with your erotica? Are you intrigued by the idea of werewolf initiation rites, battles between shapeshifting sorcerors, talking (and doing rather more) to dragons, or rakes who return from beyond the grave for one last conquest? Do ancient temples and ruined palaces seem the natural settings for sensual fantasies to you? Are you able to see the erotic potential in characters that are not human, perhaps alarmingly so? Then you may be my ideal reader…
Will you dislike my work? Well, if you’re even slightly prudish then I’m probably not the writer for you: I don’t concentrate exclusively on any particular fetish but in different places I’ll write about bondage, S/M, gay and lesbian sex, dominance and submission - and very occasionally edgy stuff such as necrophilia. I also like men and women of action, and there is blood, sweat and sometimes death in my pages. Black Lace books are publicised as ‘Erotica by women for women’, but I don't adopt an exclusively female viewpoint. Men like my tales too.
I aim to transport you to other lands and times, places where life hangs by a thread and that stranger might be about to bring you terror or ecstasy or both; he may be about to destroy you or transform you, save your life or damn your soul…
Named and Shamed
Publisher's synopsis:
Once upon a time, a naughty girl called Tansy stole a very precious manuscript from a kindly dealer of antiques. Tansy is a six-foot, ultra-busty, sexually adventurous, auburn-haired siren. How could our gentle antiquarian possibly be expected to resist her charms? But there is much more at stake than a few sheets of parchment. All of the world’s ancient and powerful magic, lost for centuries, has returned — and the world is now a very different place. If our antiques dealer does not get his manuscript back…he will die.When Tansy realises what she’s done, she knows she must return the manuscript. There’s only one problem: She doesn’t have it anymore. As luck would have it, a roguish musician offers to help Tansy retrieve the contraband. If Tansy doesn’t get the document, it will cost a man his life. But if Tansy does get the document, the musician’s price could be very high indeed….
Thus begins a rude and rugged fairy tale the likes of which would NEVER have been read to you when you were little! Poor Tansy is led though the most pleasurable trials and the most shameful tribulations as her quest unfolds before her. Orgasmic joy and abject humiliation are laid upon Tansy in equal measure as she straddles the two worlds of magic and man.
From debauched dryads to oversexed ogres, fantasy and BDSM slither together to make Named & Shamed the consummate adult fable – all lusciously illustrated by John LaChatte. Immerse yourself in this dark and depraved fairy tale, and may all your endings be happy ever after!
Published 2012 by Sweetmeats Press.
"A dark erotic depraved fairytale like nothing you have ever read or can conceive . . . I really am raving about this book." - Midnight Boudoir"My God, it is pure filth….. and I LOVED IT!" - Miss Lily Reviews
"A chili pepper rating of 10. I’m tempted to add a kink rating just for this book and would put this at 6 out of 5. (and no that wasn’t a typo)." - Book, Books, and More Books
"She's back! ... Her best work to date: 5 stars" - Jade: the international erotic art and literature magazine
"From the vivid description, through to the strong characterisation, through to the plot that makes you want to stay awake into the early hours of the morning – Named and Shamed is one of the most fun reading experiences you will have this year." - Erotica Readers and Writer's Association
"Named and Shamed
takes other erotic literature and beats its backside black and blue with bramble branches. 10 out of 10." - Cara Sutra"An extraordinary and unique story that explores the vast landscape of desire and sexuality ... deeply rooted in eroticism, mythology, fairytales, and fantasy. There is a good dose of humor throughout, which balances the intensity of this story very nicely" - Oysters and Chocolate
"The most amazing book that has graced my e-book reader in a long time. 5/5 for story, 5/5 for kink" - BDSM Book reviews
Red Grow the Roses
Publisher's synopsis:
Maybe
you’ll be lucky. Maybe he’s not
human. He’ll take you in his arms and you’ll feel
his
strength - a strength that makes it impossible to fight him. But
you’ve already lost the will to resist, that moment he looked
into your eyes and showed you all his hunger and his promise. You knew
then. You knew that this is what you are for – what we are
all
for - with our warm beating hearts and our aching sexual needs.
We are for them.
There are six vampires in the city. Ageless, terrifyingly beautiful and
always hungry – not just for blood but for the other
pleasures
the human body offers. Sadistic chanteuse Estelle; feckless Ben;
Roisin, the mirror-ghost; Wakefield, haunted by his own damnation;
Naylor, the most feral of them all.
And Reynauld is the Good Shepherd, the one who holds them all in check.
But his grip on his own humanity is fading, and when Wakefield
accidentally kills a woman and Naylor gets the blame, a power-struggle
erupts between the city’s immortal undead.
Red
Grow the Roses tells of bloodlust and sexual desire; for
vampires
the two are indistinguishable. These transgressive, startling stories
draw the reader down the darkest and most seductive paths of pleasure -
to where the monsters are waiting.
Published 2012 (e-book) by Mischief.
"Deeply erotic ... I thought I was done with the whole vampire thing, but Janine Ashbless writes compelling stories that explore the essence of human nature, even among the fanged. Two thumbs way up." - Erotica Revealed
Heart of Flame
Publisher's synopsis:
And on the
One-Thousand-and-Second night, Scheherazade told this story…
By day, Taqla uses her forbidden sorcery to move freely about the city
of Damascus in the guise of an old sage. Her true identity known only
by her faithful servant woman, Taqla is content with the comfortable,
if restrictive, life that keeps her safe from the control of any man.
Until she lays eyes on a handsome merchant-traveler. Suddenly her
magical disguise doesn’t rest so easily on her shoulders.
When long-time widower, Rafiq, hears that the Amir’s
beautiful
daughter has been kidnapped by a scheming djinni—and that she
will be given in marriage to her rescuer—he seeks the help of
“Umar the Wise” to ensure he will be that man. Yet
as he
and the disguised Taqla set off, he senses that his prickly male
companion is hiding something.
In a moment of dire peril, all of Taqla’s secrets are
stripped
bare—her fears, her sorcery and, worst of all, her love for
Rafiq. Yet the princess’s life hangs in the balance, and
there is
no running away or turning back. Even though passion may yet betray
them all...
Product
Warnings:
Scary monsters and creepy ruins in the desert—check. Pagan
gods
that demand blood-sacrifices—double check. A handsome hero
who
looks good in a robe and even better out of it—oh yeah.
Check,
check and check. That’s worth a heroine dropping a veil or
two.
"And what a tale it is, with twists and turns and adventures galore. There were times when I honestly had no idea of what would come next and instances when I gnashed my teeth at whatever it was that interrupted me from reading the next page. A-" - Dear Author
"A fantastic read for any genre lover. Heart of Flame gets better and better as the tension builds page after page." - Sizzling Hot Book Reviews
"A fast-paced quest that held me spellbound and kept me turning the pages." - Adventure into Romance
" It's a delight! Sorcery in ancient Arabia with romance elements, it's a real page turner and I gobbled the story up, loved every moment of it." - Saskia Walker
Out 20th December 2011 (e-book) and 6th November 2012 (paperback) from Samhain.
The King's Viper
Publisher's synopsis:
When Lady Eloise of the Isle of Venn becomes betrothed to the King of Ystria, she looks forward to a life of luxury and status at the royal court. She certainly doesn’t anticipate being shipwrecked on the way to her wedding, escorted by the King’s assassin, Severin de Meynard, the most hated man in the kingdom. Nor does she anticipate them having to make their way back home to Ystria on foot, through hundreds of miles of enemy territory. Above all, she doesn’t expect to fall in love with the cynical, ruthless Severin.
Eloise and Severin struggle to control their growing attraction to each other because if they do not—if she returns to the King no longer a virgin—then they will both be executed. Yet their passion threatens to be far stronger than their self-control, leading them to other ways to satisfy their desires. Severin and Eloise are torn between duty and their burning need for one another, and both will face bitter sacrifice before the end.
"It's a dark, angsty story. The hero starts out not very likable or admirable, but the reader comes to learn about him and his life as the heroine does so, and by the last chapter you'll love this tortured, honorable, loyal man." - Raelene Gorlinsky, in USA Today
Download from Ellora's Cave.
Dark Enchantment
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Publisher's Synopsis:
When Desire Casts Its Spell.
In the follow-up to her peerless first collection, Cruel Enchantment, Janine Ashbless brings you more breathtaking tales of lust and magic, dark fantasy and even darker desire. An unearthly stranger who pursues a newlywed on her Mediterranean holiday, an opera production where emotions run out of control, and a ghost who wants one thing only from the descendant of her murderer are just three of the seductive and stylishly written stories that will tease, tempt and transport you to fantastic realms where dreams - and nightmares - can come true.
ISBN: 0 352 34513 4
"She puts other writers to shame. There are not enough superlatives to describe how I felt about this collection ... Believe me, if you love reading great erotic literature then you simply have to add this to your collection. Nothing else now compares." - Jade: the International Erotic Art and Literature Magazine"Savor her story gems one at a time or devour the entire collection at one sitting but make sure you have someone close by to help put out the flames" - EcataRomance
"Janine’s ‘Janissaries’ is wonderful. And ‘Cold Hands : Warm Heart’ from the same collection pretty much blew me away. An astonishing piece of fiction. Just perfect." Kristina Lloyd, author of Asking For Trouble
Wildwood
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Publisher's Synopsis:
Two Men. One Wood. One choice that will change the world.
Avril Shearing is a landscape gardener borught in to reclaim an overgrown woodland for the handsome and manipulative Michael Deverick. But among the trees lurks a tribe of environmental activists determined to stop anyone getting in, lead by the enigmatic Ash who regards Michael as his mortal enemy. Avril soon discovers that on the Kester Estate nothing is as it seems. Creatures that belong in dreams or in nightmares emerge after dark to prowl the grounds, and hidden in the heart of the wood is something so important that people will kill, or die, for it. Ash and Michael become locked in a deadly battle for the Wildwood - and for Avril herself.
ISBN: 0 352 34194 5
- A Dark Angel Recommended Read
Burning Bright
 |
Publisher’s
Synopsis:
Love in the time of Tyrants
Two lovers brought together by a forbidden passion are on the run from
their pasts. Veraine was once commander in the Imperial Army; Myrna was
the divine priestess he seduced and stole from her desert temple. But
travelling through a jungle kingdom they fall prey to slavers and are
separated. Veraine is left for dead. Myrna is taken as a slave to the
city of the Tiger Lords, inhuman tyrants with a taste for human flesh.
There she must learn the tricks of survival in a cruel and exotic court
where erotic desire is not the only animal passion.
Myrna still has faith that Veraine will find her. But Veraine, badly injured, has forgotten everything: his past, his lover, even his own identity. As he undertakes a journey through a fevered landscape of lush promise and supernatural danger, he knows only one thing - that he must somehow find the unknown woman who holds the key to his soul.
"Enduring favorite"
- Erotica
Readers and Writers Association
ISBN 0 352 34085 6
Cruel
Enchantment
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 |
|
| 1st Edition cover, 2000 | 2nd edition cover, 2005 |
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Fantastic tales of lust, magic and strange
enchanted
realms.
This is a stunning collection of unique and breathtakingly beautiful
erotic fairy tales. The stories feature the enchanting as well as the
disquieting, with creatures such as winged demonesses, undead lovers,
and a dragon with a sexual appetite as fiery as his breath! Transcends
the boundaries of fantasy fiction and erotica to enthrall and delight.
Seductive, dazzling and strange, each story is a journey into the
marvellous realms of a fertile imagination.
ISBN 0 352 33483 5
"An erotic classic, and with the recent surge in interest in paranormal erotica this book still shows how it's done. A must have" - Reflection's Edge
"Normally I dislike erotica with these themes and find it so cheesy I can’t get away fast enough. Yet when I read her first collection Cruel Enchantment I couldn’t get enough. If you like geeky nerdy things that live in the fantasy/horror twilight *and* explicit sex that is somehow believable and unpredictable, you’ll love her collections as much as I do." - Violet Blue
Available as an audio download at www.audible.com
Divine Torment
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 |
 |
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| Japanese cover | UK/US cover, 2002 | UK/US cover, 2007 |
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Like Gladiator set in a mythical realm.
In the ancient temple city of Mulhanabin, the voluptuous Malia Shai
awaits her destiny. Millions of people worship her, believing her to be
a goddess incarnate. However, she is very human, consumed by erotic
passions that have no outlet. Into this sacred city comes General
Veraine - the rugged and horny leader of the occupying army. Intimate
contact between Veraine and the Malia Shai is forbidden by every law of
their hostile peoples. But she is the one thing he wants - and he will
risk everything to have her. A beautifully written story of opulent
palaces, extreme rituals and sexy conquerors.
ISBN 0 352 33719 1 (UK) 0 352 34151 8 (USA)
"Searing passion and mundane lust, unearthly wisdom and ordinary confusion, divine fate and mortal blindness" - Erotica Revealed
Novellas
'In
Appreciation of Their Cox'
(2010): download from Ellora's Cave
'Bear Skin' in
Enchanted
(2008):
Black Lace, ISBN 0 352 34195 2
'The House of Dust' in
Magic And Desire (2008): Black Lace, ISBN 0 352 34183 9
" Ms. Ashbless gives her readers a walk on the dark side, and does a fabulous job doing it" - Coffee Time Romance
"Truly a magical read . Ms Ashbless has a wonderful mind" - Dark Angel Reviews
'Bound in Skin' in
'Bound In Skin':
A Collection of Gothic Romances Both Modern and Traditional (2007):
ed. Sonya M. Shannon, CatScratch Books, ISBN 13: 978-0-9790889-2-6
Other Short Stories:
'Teppanyaki' in
Anything for you: erotica for kinky couples (2012): Cleis Press
'Slave of the Lamp' in
Underworlds: tales of paranormal lust (2012): Mischief Books
'No Running, No Petting' in
Foreign Affairs: erotic seductions in exotic locations (2012): Xcite Books
Bound by Lust:romantic stories of submission and sensuality (2012): Cleis Press
'Amuse-Bouche' in
The Visitor: vampire erotica (2012): Mischief Books
'Issues and Returns' in
Exposure: those who love to watch and be watched (2012): Mischief Books
'Repaint the Night' in
Irresistible: erotic romance for couples (2012): Cleis Press
'The Auction' in
Shameful Thrills: girls who should know better (2012): Mischief Books
'Cover Him With Darkness' in
Red Velvet and Absinthe: paranormal erotic romance (2011): Cleis Press
'The Servant Question' in
Carnal Machines: steampunk erotica (2011): Cleis Press
'Reckless' in
The Handsome Prince: gay erotic romance (2011): Cleis Press
'Forsaking All Others' in
With this Ring, I Thee Bed (2011): Harlequin Spice
'Good Doggy' in
Nice Girls, Naughty Sex: twenty erotic tales (2011): Seal Press
'The Ingénue' in
Best
Bondage Erotica 2011
(2010): Cleis Press 'Abigail's Ice Cream' in Best
Women's Erotica 2011 (2010): Cleis Press 'The Grief of the
Bond-Maid' in
Cast
the Cards
(2010):
Storm Moon Press 'Sleep Tight' in Fairy
Tale Lust(2010):
Cleis Press
Alison's
Wonderland
(2010): Harlequin Spice
Surprise (2010): Racy Pages Press
Sweet Love (2010): Cleis Press
'Shot to the Heart' in
Sex, Love and Valentines (2010): Xcite
'The High Ground' in
The Affair (2009): Black Lace
'Icing on the Cake' in
Misbehaviour (2009): Black Lace
'Michelangelo's Men' in
Sexy Little Numbers (2009): Black Lace
'Roadside Rescue' in
Liaisons(2009): Black Lace
Playing with Fire(2009): Cleis Press
'Quarantine' in
Experimental:an anthology on sex and science (2009): Ravenous Romance - also available to download as a short story
'Honey Trap' in
Seduction (2009): Black Lace
'Ritual Space' in
Best Women's Erotica 2009 (2008): Cleis Press
'Pirate Treasure' in
Frenzy: 60 stories of sudden sex (2008): Cleis Press
Lust at First Bite: sexy vampire short stories (2008): Black Lace
'Wet' in
I
is for Indecent (2008): Cleis Press
'Sun
Seeking' in
Love
on the Dark Side (2007): Black Lace
‘Party
Piece’
in
Sugar & Spice 2
(1998) Black Lace
‘Midsummer
Madness’
in
More Wicked Words
(2000) Black Lace