Beauty's Kingdom

March 2, 2015
Reviewed by Tiffany ReiszIt's an odd task, reviewing purely erotic work such as Rice's Sleeping Beauty series. Pornography, as defined by the New Oxford American dictionary, is "intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings." In other words, pornography and its slightly more respectable cousin, erotica, are judged by whether they get the reader revved up: a thumbs-up (wink wink, nudge nudge) or thumbs-down proposition. Beauty's Kingdom gets a thumbs-up.Twenty years have passed since the end of the original trilogy, when Princess Beauty rode off into the sunset with Prince Laurent, two former pleasure slaves now free to choose each other. Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Bellavalten, the old regime of erotic slavery is seemingly at its end after its queen and crown prince perish at sea. At the urging of old friends and lovers from their days of captivity, King Laurent and Queen Beauty return to Bellavalten to take the throne and usher in a golden age of erotic servitude.It is at this moment in Beauty's Kingdom that the passing of decades between the original trilogy and this newest book is the most marked. In the first few pages of The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty,15-year-old Beauty, cursed to a 100-year sleep, was raped into waking by the crown prince of Bellavalten, who carried her off to be his slave. She was to serve her time before being returned to her family, and until then she was a prisoner, treated well but without any say in her situation. Now, however, Beauty and Laurent are reformers. Erotic servitude will be voluntaryâit's "slavery," the BDSM variety, not slavery, the illegal, immoral, and inhumane practice of owning people like chattelâand citizens from all walks of life, as long as they be fair and willing and able, may join the ranks. The new order of Bellavalten is more enlightened and less unsettling, though less titillating as well. Rice's characters have matured along with her readers' sensibilities. In the original books, Beauty was a terrified teenager, enthralled with this world of sexual slavery she'd been forced into. Now she is an adult choosing the kingdom and its demands with eyes (among other things) wide open.Beauty's Kingdom isn't a perfect book. Certain phrases and character names seem out of place in this pseudo-medieval, pseudo-European kingdom. It suffers slightly from too much of a plodding plot. But these are minor peccadilloes, and despite them Beauty's Kingdom is a delightful, immersive read, all at once playful, campy, explicit, erotic, and provocative.And provocative it is. If it's difficult to shock Anne Rice fans, it's usually because we've read so many Anne Rice books. Yet a certain plot development late in the book left me wide-eyed. Well done, Mistress Anne. Early in Beauty's Kingdom, Prince Alexi chides another character for doubting King Laurent's devotion after his long absence: "You of all people should know the enduring bond that exists between a true mistress and a true slave." I know this bond indeed, which is why I returned to Rice's Sleeping Beauty series as Beauty returned to Bellavaltenâwith pleasure. (Apr.)Tiffany Reisz is the author of the Original Sinners series (Mira).

March 1, 2015
Years after Roquelaure (Beauty's Release, 1999, etc.) first published the Sleeping Beauty trilogy, placing the popular fairy tale within an adult, erotic world, she returns to continue the saga.Imagine what happens after Sleeping Beauty and her prince live happily ever after: they inherit the kingdom of Bellavalten, long known for its pleasure slaves. The new rulers decide to make sexual servitude completely voluntary, and the kingdom becomes a magnet for beautiful, nubile men and women from near and far. Reuniting characters from the original trilogy, the bare-bones plot mainly exists to scaffold voluptuous imagery and graphic scenes of mostly BDSM sex. Roquelaure pulls no punches (or holds back no spankings); anatomy, accouterments, and arousal are all examined in minute detail, though there is a sort of gilded veil draped across even the most violent of sexual punishments. The fairy-tale setting-complete with exhaustive descriptions of decoration and clothing-provides an apt stage, and the magical world clearly marks the erotic action as fantasy. The novel is an equal-opportunity pleaser; men and women get it on with other men and women in pretty much every imaginable combination, and everyone's pleasure counts, whether dominant or submissive, noble or slave. Roquelaure is the not-so-secret pseudonym for Anne Rice, mistress of the contemporary erotic vampire novel, so fans looking for a little more, um, action will enjoy this new setting. Hard-core? Yes. Overwritten? For sure. Guilty pleasure? Absolutely.

April 1, 2015

In this 20-year follow-up to Rice's provocative "Beauty" trilogy (ending with Beauty's Release), Queen Eleanor's kingdom, comprised heavily of legalized sexual slavery, has fallen into confusion and borders on disrepair as the Queen and her son, the Crown Prince, remain noticeably absent. When news surfaces that the pair are dead, the fabled Sleeping Beauty and her husband, Prince Laurent, are called upon to return to the kingdom where they were once slaves, this time to rule. After much consideration, the couple enthusiastically accept but with major changes in mind, the most remarkable of which is that all sexual servitude throughout the kingdom be rendered voluntary. As their ideas are implemented, Beauty and Laurent are welcomed into the beloved world they'd believed was lost to them forever. Written under the name A.N. Roquelaure, Rice's lush prose is elegant and enchanting, reminiscent of classic historical fiction in its lyrical structure and elaborate description. The wide array of characters allows for a shifting perspective and episodic nature that prevent the novel from becoming stale yet also serves as a bit of a whirlwind for readers unfamiliar with the earlier installments. VERDICT Recommended for fans of the "Beauty" series and for folks interested in a sensual, slower read.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 31, 2015
At the start of book four in Rice’s erotic Sleeping Beauty series (after 1985’s Beauty’s Release), Beauty and her husband Laurent return to the kingdom where they once served as sex slaves, to serve on the throne 20 years later. As ruler, Beauty adds new refinements and erotic delights, making the major change that all slavery must now be voluntary. Reader Cassandra Campbell provides Beauty with a lovely, melodious voice that draws the listener into her fairy tale world and epitomizes a queen who is at once wise, kind, sensual, and passionate. The various royals all sound appropriately elegant and cultured (though Dmitri, a Russian prince, inexplicably has an British accent). Reader Paul Boehmer also has a standout performance playing Bren, a young commoner who journeys to the kingdom in hopes of being accepted as a slave. He sounds adorably boyish, eager, hopeful, and awkward, and his chapter about “auditioning” for slavery is delightful to listen to. All the narrators are excellent and perfectly convey Rice’s style, which is lush, sensual, and explicit without being coarse. This new installment will thrill fans of Rice and the original series, and it should also draw in Fifty Shades of Grey fans in search of the latest mainstream erotica to enjoy. A Viking hardcover.