The Pornographer's Apprentice

The Toymakers Guild #1

by Lisabet Sarai

She wants to build sex toys... if they'll let her.

In prudish, patriarchal Victorian England, nineteen year old prodigy Gillian Smith finds a secret society dedicated to the erotic arts. She’ll need both her intellect and her physical charms to earn the permanent position she craves.

Inspired by a salacious catalogue found in her deceased uncle’s library, she applies for an apprenticeship with the Toymakers Guild. The Guild fabricates bespoke sexual artifacts for the private pleasure of select clients – an occupation for which Gillian, with her technical abilities and her lascivious temperament, is eminently suited.

The other apprentices, initially skeptical about a female engineer, become enthusiastic supporters once they’ve tested her erotic aptitude. The voluptuous Governing Director, and the dashing French journeyman likewise help expand her carnal repertoire. The final decision, however, rests with the reclusive Master Toymaker, who has been missing for nearly two years.

When an unscrupulous nobleman sets up a competing enterprise, he threatens not only the livelihood of the Guild’s members but their lives as well. Gillian hatches an audacious plan to entrap the villain, save the Guild, and leave the absent Master no choice but to grant her heart’s desire.

If you like steam punk erotica with a kinky feminist bent, you'll love The Pornographer's Apprentice.

Genres: Erotica

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2020

About the author

Two decades ago LISABET SARAI experienced a serendipitous fusion of her love of writing and her fascination with sex. Since then she has published nearly one hundred erotic titles, including the classic RAW SILK. She edited the acclaimed anthologies SACRED EXCHANGE and CREAM and is currently responsible for the altruistic erotica series COMING TOGETHER PRESENTS.

Lisabet holds more degrees than anyone needs from prestigious universities who would no doubt be embarrassed by her chosen genre. She loves to travel and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her highly tolerant husband and two cosmopolitan felines. For more information on Lisabet and her writing visit Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or her blog Beyond Romance http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com). Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

Reviews

[Fiona McGier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of Ms. Sarai's books are replete with well-developed stories, as well as her trademark steamy sex scenes. Others have less story, more sex. This is one of the former. The story itself is a ripping good yarn. It introduces the reader to a fascinating alternate steampunk time--the mysterious underworld of the creating, testing, and delivering of complicated sex toys to rich clients in Victorian England, when even a hint of homosexuality could ruin a man's reputation, and women were expected to be chaste.

Gillian Smith is an orphan whose parents made sure she had mad skills in engineering and math--something all good parents should do, even today. After their deaths, while she's being housed by relatives, she discovers the secret library of her uncle, and finds in it a lush, inviting catalogue that shows and explains some of the sex toys produced by The Toymaker's Guild of Randerley Hall. At the ripe old age of 19, she runs away to offer her services to the establishment that could produce such interesting artifacts, and offer her freedom from the sexual strictures of the day.

When no one answers the front door of Randerley Hall, she enters their world by figuring out what the numerical pass code must be, once she realizes that the picture of the nautilus on the plate next to the door handle, contains a Fibonacci spiral, (what? LOL.) Once in the door, she's fascinated by paintings on the wall next to the stairs, that depict licentious scenes beyond her imagination. She's accosted by two young men who are apprentices, who are gobsmacked not only by her ability to guess the pass code, but by her sensual beauty. Then she meets the woman who is running the place while The Master Toymaker is away. Mrs. Featherstone is a formidable woman, who accepts her as an apprentice in the Toymaker's Guild for the short term, telling her that once the master returns, he will make the final decision.

Of course, as the only female apprentice, Gillian, or Jill to her friends, is expected to test out the equipment they design to be sure it meets the specifications desired by the customers. Each item is even more imaginative than the last one. The last time I read of such things was in Ms. Sarai's other steampunk novel, Rajasthani Moon, which is one of my favorites of her books. And while trying out the devices, our intrepid engineer also has frequent and varied sexual encounters with most of the other inhabitants at Randerley Hall. As the blurb states, there are few couplings or triplings or more, that are not enjoyed by Jill, as she proves her worth to the Guild again and again...and again.

There are many more plot points, but I don't want to spoil your enjoyment of this book. It has varied and steamy sex scenes that will take your breath away, a plucky heroine who doesn't always come out on top (ahem), but who always prevails in her quest to be accepted as a Toymaker. And while there isn't a cliff-hanger, there are definitely things introduced at the end of the book that point to another book or two in this exciting new series by Lisabet Sarai. I'm already looking forward to the next book!

[Adam Goss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I have not read much professionally published erotic fiction outside of stories in adult magazines - a couple harem books, some short stories from Circlet Press, a few fantasy and scifi books that had an unexpected arousing scene or two. This book dives straight in and does not pull any punches - each of the first few chapters has a VERY raunchy sex scene, some surprisingly raunchier than the others (the brief glimpse of the 5-way was particularly hot). But it's all in good fun, almost entirely sex positive - I say almost entirely as there are a couple moments of "dubious consent" that rubbed me a little bit the wrong way, but not enough to make me stop reading. The characters are fun, the plot good (it's sexually-themed overall, as the title would indicate, not just a non-sex-themed plot that happens to have erotic scenes as character relationship elements), and, well it's stimulating as hell!

My only serious complaint that keeps this from being rated 5 stars is that, in addition to the dubious consent (plus a couple hardcore S&M kinks really outside my comfort zone, and the mention of licking armpits - to each their own, of course) the main character Gillian exhibits some frustratingly immature behavior with regard to the departure of one of the characters - resenting someone who leaves your companionship because their life is in danger rather than staying and putting themselves at risk seems very selfish. After reading the second book in the trilogy, I see that that MIGHT have been deliberate, as Gillian does experience character growth in that book, but I think it might have helped in the first book if another character had pointed out that selfishness and at least given Gillian some food for thought to grow on later. But overall, I loved this book - I read it as an audiobook and would gladly own a physical copy on my shelves.

[Cecilia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pornographer's Apprentice is a rowdy romp through all the best tropes of salacious Victorian literature, from randy housemaids to caning discipline, mixed with modern sensibilities about consent and deliciously inventive steampunk touches.There are some wonderfully nerdy parts and the writing has a lovely smooth quality that evokes Victoriana without being overdone. Our heroine is a young woman, orphaned by her engineer parents and trying to get away from a boorish relative, who joins a guild of erotic toymakers. She quickly finds that the guild members don't merely design and build the toys, but also play-test them. But this is no mere plod through the toymaker catalog: Lisabet Sarai has built a winsome cast of characters and entwined them in an intriguing plot that keeps upping the stakes on the erotic action. A truly enjoyable romp.

[David Schwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book centers around Gillian who finds herself leaving one underwhelming situation and finds employment as an apprentice in an organization that designs and makes sex toys for very rich people. Gillian loves her job and loves the sexual attention she receives, and soon finds herself in a wide variety of situations.

[Aaron Eichler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book of sex and debauchery of a young woman with a brilliant mind and a carnal appetite to match. She has many adventures most of them in the bedroom and finds new ways to make toys, and even stopped a toy rival.