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The Dragonfly House: An Erotic Romance
On the outskirts of a small, picturesque Midwestern town, sits a large, lovely old Victorian house with many occupants. This residence, known simply as The Dragonfly House, is home to Ma’am, the proprietor, along with several young women in her employ. One such woman, Jame, is very popular among the female clientele. One such client, Sarah, fresh from a divorce and looking for a little adventure, as well as some gentle handling, becomes one of Jame’s repeat clients. Once Sarah enters the picture, Jame and Ma’am, as well as the brothel, will be forever changed.
298 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2020
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January 9, 2021Firstly, I must implore you to stick with this story. The first chapter is like walking into a dark room, and you have no idea where anything is and you can’t find the light switch, but then your eyes adjust and details make themselves known. And those details are wonderful.
The Dragonfly House is a large, lovely old Victorian house on the outskirts of a small, picturesque Midwestern town. This residence is home to Ma’am, the proprietor, along with several young women in her employ. One woman, Jame, is very popular with the female clientele. One such client, Sarah, fresh from a divorce and looking for a little adventure, as well as some gentle handling, becomes one of Jame’s repeat clients. Once Sarah enters the picture, Jame and Ma’am, as well as the Dragonfly House brothel, will be forever changed.
The story is told from three points of view; Ma’am and Sarah have traditional points of view in that they share their own stories and interact with each other in intertwining stories. Jame, however, tells her story through the vehicle of a journal, with some in-story interaction. It’s a very interesting technique and it works exceptionally well.
Ma’am and Sarah discover a mutual attraction for each other, yet their relationship encounters obstacles from Sarah’s ex-husband, from the townsfolk’s opinions, from their own family histories. The peeling of layers is shown through Ma’am and Sarah’s reflection on their past from their place in time now, and through Ma’am reliving the memories as if she is back at that point in her life. Complex histories create intricacies in the present and how these two protagonists deal with this is realistic and thoughtful.
Jame begins to understand her role as a sex worker is more that of a therapist, a counsellor, which she analyses in her journal entries as a type of personal case study for her psychology degree. And because this is an erotic romance, the journal entries include details of her services. The objectiveness of these entries and how they slowly become more of personal blog-like is subtle and demonstrates Jame’s character arc.
There are a number of quirky writing techniques in this book. For example, at the end of many chapters where the point of view has stayed set with one protagonist, the last sentence or two will swing away to that of an objective narrator, showing us the reaction or behaviour from a character that the main protagonist didn’t see. It creates a sense of suspense and tension. I liked it.
Some novels give you all the character’s outlines right from the start. All the reader has to do is colour in the spaces as the character arc develops. With The Dragonfly House, we’re not given the outlines at all. You know those craft kits that contain a piece of paper which is painted black, but underneath you know there are vibrant colours just waiting to be exposed? That’s what this book is like. We scratch away at the black with each scene, each journal entry, each chapter, until suddenly there’s a beautiful picture. The revealing of change.
In almost every part of the world, the dragonfly symbolises transformation, adaptability, and self-realisation. Ma’am, Sarah, and Jame are dragonflies; bright with change and colour.
The Dragonfly House is a large, lovely old Victorian house on the outskirts of a small, picturesque Midwestern town. This residence is home to Ma’am, the proprietor, along with several young women in her employ. One woman, Jame, is very popular with the female clientele. One such client, Sarah, fresh from a divorce and looking for a little adventure, as well as some gentle handling, becomes one of Jame’s repeat clients. Once Sarah enters the picture, Jame and Ma’am, as well as the Dragonfly House brothel, will be forever changed.
The story is told from three points of view; Ma’am and Sarah have traditional points of view in that they share their own stories and interact with each other in intertwining stories. Jame, however, tells her story through the vehicle of a journal, with some in-story interaction. It’s a very interesting technique and it works exceptionally well.
Ma’am and Sarah discover a mutual attraction for each other, yet their relationship encounters obstacles from Sarah’s ex-husband, from the townsfolk’s opinions, from their own family histories. The peeling of layers is shown through Ma’am and Sarah’s reflection on their past from their place in time now, and through Ma’am reliving the memories as if she is back at that point in her life. Complex histories create intricacies in the present and how these two protagonists deal with this is realistic and thoughtful.
Jame begins to understand her role as a sex worker is more that of a therapist, a counsellor, which she analyses in her journal entries as a type of personal case study for her psychology degree. And because this is an erotic romance, the journal entries include details of her services. The objectiveness of these entries and how they slowly become more of personal blog-like is subtle and demonstrates Jame’s character arc.
There are a number of quirky writing techniques in this book. For example, at the end of many chapters where the point of view has stayed set with one protagonist, the last sentence or two will swing away to that of an objective narrator, showing us the reaction or behaviour from a character that the main protagonist didn’t see. It creates a sense of suspense and tension. I liked it.
Some novels give you all the character’s outlines right from the start. All the reader has to do is colour in the spaces as the character arc develops. With The Dragonfly House, we’re not given the outlines at all. You know those craft kits that contain a piece of paper which is painted black, but underneath you know there are vibrant colours just waiting to be exposed? That’s what this book is like. We scratch away at the black with each scene, each journal entry, each chapter, until suddenly there’s a beautiful picture. The revealing of change.
In almost every part of the world, the dragonfly symbolises transformation, adaptability, and self-realisation. Ma’am, Sarah, and Jame are dragonflies; bright with change and colour.
March 31, 2021
The premise: The Dragonfly House is a brothel, run by Ma'am. The story is told from her POV, as well as Jame, one of the female workers, and Sarah, a customer. I liked the alternating views, as I usually do with other reads. It draws me in, adds layers to the story, and normally flows well. This author succeeded at this, for the most part. I also don't have an issue with escorts, brothels, what have you, if the women are there on their own free will and are treated right, are safe and in control, which it initially appeared these characters did, until I realized they really weren't.
Something about this book unnerved me.
I had a hard time with Ma'am. Maybe the bulk of it was because she has a secret "room" attached to her worker's bedrooms, where she can creep on both her patrons and workers, often while masturbating. I had no time for that, it came across as almost predatory, not for safety, but just self-indulgent. If this was a house that was supposed to be about empowerment and pleasure and control for the women, well, this room alone really turned me off. I had a hard time seeing the softer side of Ma'am because of this, even though the author gave some teasers that could have been much better executed. There are plot holes galore in her story.
Jame also came across as somewhat wooden. Sure she says she is the ultimate people pleaser, (hah, good career then!) but her delivery was OTT, and her aspirations of being a psychiatrist seemed a bit unrealistic to me. How it ended though, made more sense. Her story had me skimming though, the return to her hometown, chatting with her friend....it didn't really go anywhere.
Sarah....well she was alright, but flat. I didn't get enough from her. She was a wildcat in the bedroom, go girl! But only as a patron.....When she actually has feelings for someone, the details become more tame, not much payout, and kind of left me as a 'huh?' The ending was rushed and very formulaic.
So all in all, I did like parts of it, but much more could have been fleshed out better. It kind of left me feeling....unfinished? Is that a thing? The loose ends just didn't work. 3/5.
Something about this book unnerved me.
I had a hard time with Ma'am. Maybe the bulk of it was because she has a secret "room" attached to her worker's bedrooms, where she can creep on both her patrons and workers, often while masturbating. I had no time for that, it came across as almost predatory, not for safety, but just self-indulgent. If this was a house that was supposed to be about empowerment and pleasure and control for the women, well, this room alone really turned me off. I had a hard time seeing the softer side of Ma'am because of this, even though the author gave some teasers that could have been much better executed. There are plot holes galore in her story.
Jame also came across as somewhat wooden. Sure she says she is the ultimate people pleaser, (hah, good career then!) but her delivery was OTT, and her aspirations of being a psychiatrist seemed a bit unrealistic to me. How it ended though, made more sense. Her story had me skimming though, the return to her hometown, chatting with her friend....it didn't really go anywhere.
Sarah....well she was alright, but flat. I didn't get enough from her. She was a wildcat in the bedroom, go girl! But only as a patron.....When she actually has feelings for someone, the details become more tame, not much payout, and kind of left me as a 'huh?' The ending was rushed and very formulaic.
So all in all, I did like parts of it, but much more could have been fleshed out better. It kind of left me feeling....unfinished? Is that a thing? The loose ends just didn't work. 3/5.
November 12, 2021
Unconventional Love Story
I found this book thru a recommendation from the Lesbian Review. I wasn't totally sold since the name and the cover seemed to suggest a syrupy love story that would have me drowning in sugar but it turns out to be a really sexy, funny love story with a whole lot of sex. Not vanilla sex either but not full on bdsm either. I think the other aspect I like is that I lived in a smallish Midwestern town for awhile and this town and the others featured are very true to my recollections. Very easy for me to picture and see the Fall leaves, smell the air, and feel the pre-winter chill. Enjoy.
I found this book thru a recommendation from the Lesbian Review. I wasn't totally sold since the name and the cover seemed to suggest a syrupy love story that would have me drowning in sugar but it turns out to be a really sexy, funny love story with a whole lot of sex. Not vanilla sex either but not full on bdsm either. I think the other aspect I like is that I lived in a smallish Midwestern town for awhile and this town and the others featured are very true to my recollections. Very easy for me to picture and see the Fall leaves, smell the air, and feel the pre-winter chill. Enjoy.
January 16, 2021
Really enjoyed this. It’s well written with enough story to keep you reading. It’s unusual in that there are 3 main characters and they each have their “journey”. I was pleased it all wrapped up nicely at the end too - I don’t like when a book just finishes.
The title calls it erotic romance and although there are some steamy scenes I didn’t feel that these were the main point of the book. They were part of the story and important for the characters, but there was a great deal more than just the sex scenes.
Thoroughly recommend this one.
The title calls it erotic romance and although there are some steamy scenes I didn’t feel that these were the main point of the book. They were part of the story and important for the characters, but there was a great deal more than just the sex scenes.
Thoroughly recommend this one.
October 29, 2023
The book is well written. You get a chance to meet the characters and get engaged in the storyline but it feels like the author ran out of time towards the end. The ending felt rushed and a bit incomplete. Overall the book is really good and I recommend reading
November 14, 2023
➬➱➫➩➪【2.5 Stars】
This is the first book I have read by Sam McAuliff. I thought the plot looked interesting and intrigued me to read the story. I also read it based on the genres it is tagged in.
The story unravels the other MC’s backgrounds and lives as it goes on. I struggle with these types of books. Next, the characters felt very one-dimensional. There did not seem to be much going on to make them likable. By the time that Sarah and Ma’am are given some background, it felt too late. I was already losing interest and struggled to finish the story.
As hubsie wrote in their review, it was really concerning how Ma’am was able to watch her sex workers’ while they were… well, working. It was felt like a very NC situation. Even though it seemed like some knew she was watching, those who were with the workers did not know! Additionally, I wish the POV’s stuck to the MC and love interest only. The third perspective, although it was an MC, felt unnecessary and confusing. I do think there were unexpected twists and turns, to which I give the author props to.
➢Happy reading!
This is the first book I have read by Sam McAuliff. I thought the plot looked interesting and intrigued me to read the story. I also read it based on the genres it is tagged in.
The story unravels the other MC’s backgrounds and lives as it goes on. I struggle with these types of books. Next, the characters felt very one-dimensional. There did not seem to be much going on to make them likable. By the time that Sarah and Ma’am are given some background, it felt too late. I was already losing interest and struggled to finish the story.
As hubsie wrote in their review, it was really concerning how Ma’am was able to watch her sex workers’ while they were… well, working. It was felt like a very NC situation. Even though it seemed like some knew she was watching, those who were with the workers did not know! Additionally, I wish the POV’s stuck to the MC and love interest only. The third perspective, although it was an MC, felt unnecessary and confusing. I do think there were unexpected twists and turns, to which I give the author props to.
➢Happy reading!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews