Ducking Out By Blue Sleighty
(Reviewed by J. Aguilera, MLA Professional reviewer, writer, and poet)
The tabby cat's stripe blends in with the bark on a tree, where he customarily dwells. The doberman has dots over his eyes, so that when his enemies see him sleeping in the dark, they think his eyes are open, even when his eyes are closed; the baby fawn has white spots on it's brown back, so that it will blend into the snowy landscape of the early spring. And, the sandy haired, green eyed woman is colored so, I am now convinced, to blend with the monstrous green eyed devils and lapping flames of the pits of hell (p 11).
ADventure. ADmire. ADdicted. ADieu. What happens when a good Personal AD goes bad, and when trying to make a graceful exit, you discover there’s “no where to run, no where to hide”? Blue Sleighty’s “Ducking Out” takes readers through a step by step relay that includes quick thinking, quick exits and quick changes.
Recovering from a series of life altering losses, Blue finds herself “suddenly wanting to behave badly in ways that my mother would most certainly disapprove of “ (p 5). So, she decides to explore the world of internet dating. The new bar scene for the new millennium allows Blue to explore the intricacies of seduction and romance in more informative ways, or so it seems. After all, shouldn’t a series of emails and phone calls be enough to know that this one in particular is a potentially safe bet?
Meet Ricky. She’s a cop with an attitude, willing to bend the law in her favor and take the law, and Blue, in her own hands. Her first move on Blue is to literally steal her away – can you say kidnapper? In true Blue Sleighty style, our heroine not only finds an amusing and creative way out of her situation, she ends up with the girl. The girl next door.
Lisa is an attractive woman who sympathetically invites Blue to hide out in her house until she can safely get out of the neighborhood. Her invitation is not entirely without motive. As Lisa and Blue get to know each other more, she lets Blue in on a little mystery, a mystery that only Blue can help her solve.
While trying to avoid a cop gone wild, what starts out as one night of passion becomes a series of ducking and dodging close calls. All the while, Blue opens more doors for Lisa than Auntie Mame could ever imagine! Theirs is a fantasy come true, enjoyed, explored and exploded without regard to how long it might last. This is Lisa and Blue’s ecstasy, brought to the reader between covers as stimulating as the sheets they share.
But in every paradise, there comes a snake, and in this story, that snake’s name is Ricky. She just won’t give up, trailing the duo into the Texas Hill Country, where she sets a trap that brings a final showdown. Will Blue and Lisa escape? Will they ever be free to openly enjoy each other? Is there nothing that can stop a cop on the wrong side of the law?
Sleighty’s work is a sheer joy to read. Her words entice, excite, provoke, entertain and bring to mind the adventures so often told in the lesbian pulp fiction of 1950s and 1960s. Unlike other novels that take you to distant lands, planets, historical moments, or other voyages, Sleighty, like her predecessors, writes about places that her readers can relate to in the here and now. She uses what can be seen and experienced in the present, bringing her readers into her work. In this way, she introduces her readers and her characters to each other, inviting them to take one another’s hands and dance.
“Ducking Out” is an excellent work that exceeds the expectation of erotica and adult fiction. Sleighty writes knowledgably and with a mastery that can be felt with every description, every line, and every detail she presents. You will feel the heat. Your blood will boil. You will laugh and cheer. You might just need a cold shower, a martini, and a cigarette before it’s all over.
On so many levels, Blue Sleighty’s “Ducking Out” stands along side the best of its genre and takes the extra step to compliment the saucy with one incredibly sensational story line that ties it all together. Don’t duck out on this one! It’ll be your loss!
