Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Butch and the Beautiful
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://krisripper.com/
CITY:
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://riptidepublishing.com/authors/kris-ripper * http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8053438.Kris_Ripper * http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/butch-beautiful-kris-ripper/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Oakland, CA.
ADDRESS
CAREER
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Kris Ripper is the author of the LGBTQ+ series of romance novels called “Queers of La Vista.” “Kris is genderqueer,” explained a contributor to the Riptide Publishing Web site, “and prefers the z-based pronouns.” Ripper’s books examine the lives and loves of an eclectic bunch of people who inhabit the fictional queer-friendly town of La Vista, California. Ripper’s stories are not just about gay or lesbian characters, although both feature in the stories. “My books,” the author revealed in a statement found on the eponymous Web site the Kris Ripper Home Page, “are mostly kinky, mostly porny, sometimes poly, usually queer.” “I write characters who love ropes, or whips, or kneeling at the feet of someone they trust,” the author declared in Goodreads. “I write smut, and romance, and erotica with barely any touching. I write poly kinky committed non-monogamous queer people.”
Gays of Our Lives and The Butch and the Beautiful
In the first book of the series, Gays of Our Lives, Ripper introduces mild-mannered Emerson Robinette. Emerson works as “a community college GED teacher in La Vista, Calif.,” stated a Publishers Weekly reviewer, and he “resents the limitations that multiple sclerosis imposes upon his life.” He wants to be in a relationship where he can dominate, but he does not see how that can happen. Then he meets Obadiah Magovney. “Obie is everything Emerson isn’t. He comfortable in his own skin, knows what he wants, and lives life with a vibrant positivity,” said a contributor to Joyfully Jay. “He isn’t blind to the hurdles that a relationship with Emerson could mean, but he’s willing to take the risk. Getting Emerson to do the same will be Obie’s biggest challenge and one neither of them can’t afford to lose.” “I really enjoyed everything about this story–the writing which is very succinct and natural and works so well for these characters, the characters themselves–Emerson being a total jerk a lot of the time, yet I couldn’t help but fall in love with him and Obie–the best hipster there can be, and Zane and Midred, supporting characters who shine on their own,” declared a reviewer for Ellie Reads All the Books. “I can strongly recommend this book to anyone.”
In The Butch and the Beautiful, Ripper focuses on one of Emerson’s friends: butch lesbian Jaq. “Jaq is a high school teacher and she’d like to find a long-term partner,” declared a contributor to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. “She’s got a stable life in La Vista, the town where she lives: she goes to mass with her dad (one of the most interesting, poignant, and under-explored parts of the story) and sees him regularly, and she has a strong, loving community of friends.” What Jaq does not have is a relationship. When she meets Hannah, a successful attorney, however, she is thrown off balance. Jaq “wants this self-proclaimed crazy woman,” wrote Whitney Scott in Booklist, “but is leery of the reality of ‘a steady lady in her life.’” “This is a sweet and spicy romance,” concluded a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “with a wonderful community component.”
The Queer and the Restless and One Life to Lose
The Queer and the Restless introduces a transgender man, a reporter named Ed Masieto, who is trying to trace a killer who is targeting queer and trans people (and whose actions feature in this and subsequent volumes of the series). Ed, who has been working on his transition for a year, is jittery about his own situation and about the fact that the otherwise welcoming community of La Vista is haunted by a murderer. Then he meets free-spirited lesbian Alisha, and the two begin a tentative courtship. “Since Ed is mostly preoccupied with the psychological and social challenges of his transition and solving the murders,” stated a Kirkus Reviews contributor, “the romance is a muted, no-conflict affair, even while the sex scenes are explicit.” “Ripper,” said a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “beautifully illustrates the challenges and very real dangers that trans people and their partners face.”
Ripper takes up the story of the murders in One Life to Lose. “A serial murderer, whose attacks began in the previous books,” wrote a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “continues to target the local queer population.” Cameron Rheingold, a local theater owner, meets two young men (Josh and Keith) who run a center for young queer people. “Don’t let the cover fool you,” warned a Kirkus Reviews contributor. “Ripper writes deep characters who must deal with serious situations–external and internal–while still providing quirky levity and the necessary happy-ever-after.”
As La Vista Turns
Ripper’s series concludes with As La Vista Turns. It goes back to a character who first appeared in Emerson’s story in Gays of Our Lives. “Zane Jaffe,” recounted a Prism Book Alliance reviewer, “has almost lost track of what conception cycle she’s in. (That’s a lie: this is cycle thirteen.) She’s fake-dating her pal Mildred to get her best friend off her back, but judging by how hot it was when they accidentally kissed, her feelings might be somewhat less platonic than she’d thought. And she’s decided that healing the fractured local queer community can only be accomplished through a party. Or maybe it’s actually a wake. Whatever it is … there will be alcohol,” although Zane realizes that “Mildred won’t let them kiss again until Zane figures out how she feels.” For her part, Mildred is going through a long and painful divorce from her wife, and Mildred’s reaction to the loss of the relationship scares an already commitment-shy Zane. Will Zane finally be able to get pregnant and launch the party that will celebrate the end of the murders that have terrified La Vista for so long?
Critics enjoyed Ripper’s final novel in her series. “The story showcases that carefully crafted community,” said a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “deftly highlighting its diversity and interconnectedness.” “I love the theme of family,” stated a Love Bytes Web site reviewer. “I have to say that this theme really makes sense to me in the way that we all make/choose our families and just what makes them so damn special.” “Overall, I have to say that this was a really good book,” the Love Bytes Web site reviewer concluded. “The romance between Zane and Dred was in turns sweet and frustrating. But through it all … it was Real and that is what really matters.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, August 1, 2016, Whitney Scott, review of The Butch and the Beautiful, p. 40.
Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2016, review of The Queer and the Restless; December 1, 2016, review of One Life to Lose.
Publishers Weekly, April 11, 2016, review of Gays of Our Lives, p. 43; July 11, 2016, review of The Butch and the Beautiful, p. 50; October 3, 2016, review of The Queer and the Restless, p. 106; November 7, 2016, review of One Life to Lose, p. 47; January 23, 2017, review of As La Vista Turns, p. 63.
ONLINE
Ellie Reads All the Books, http://elliereadsfiction.blogspot.com/ (July, 2016), review of Gays of Our Lives.
Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/ (April 5, 2017), author profile.
Joyfully Jay, http://joyfullyjay.com/ (July 12, 2016), review of Gays of Our Lives.
Kris Ripper Home Page, http://krisripper.com (April 5, 2017), author profile.
Love Bytes, http://lovebytesreviews.com/ (February 27, 2017), review of As La Vista Turns.
Prism Book Alliance, https://www.prismbookalliance.com/ (February 28, 2017), “Kris Ripper on As La Vista Turns.”
Riptide Publishing, http://riptidepublishing.com/ (April 5, 2017), author profile.
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/ (October 22, 2016), review of The Butch and the Beautiful.*
Kris Ripper
Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.
Connect with Kris:
Webiste: krisripper.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kris.ripper
Twitter: twitter.com/SmutTasticKris
Kris Ripper Goodreads Author
Born in Oakland, California, The United States
Websitehttp://krisripper.com
TwitterSmutTasticKris
Member SinceMarch 2014
URL https://www.goodreads.com/KrisRipper
edit data
Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and has no pronoun preference, but the z-based pronouns are freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.
Okay, that's the official bio. Here's the rambling.
There's this Dorothy Allison line I love, about why she writes fiction. "The world I love is not on the page." (From "Notes to a Young Feminist.") The second I read that, my writing life came into sharper focus.
I write to see my world on the page. I don't see cisgender men I can relate to, or feminists who struggle with privilege. I don't see happily ever afters that include that sweet young man who occasionally plays third, even though he has a girlfriend (and sometimes she watches). I don't see enough BDSM that includes laughter and I don't see enough romance or erotica that includes folks pushing the boundaries of binary gender. I don't see delightful cisgender people who have sex with people whose tabs and slots fit in just where James Dobson wants them--and are queer all the same.
So that's what I write. I write characters who love lousy take-away and football. I write characters who love ropes, or whips, or kneeling at the feet of someone they trust. I write smut, and romance, and erotica with barely any touching. I write poly kinky committed non-monogamous queer people. And everyone else. Because that's the world I know, that's the world I live in, and it's fecking fantastic.
You can find me on the web at http://krisripper.com/ Friend me in the places where "friend" is a verb; follow me in the places where it's appropriate (not in the supermarket, thanks). Drop me a line. Join the newsletter. Read the blog. Watch the podcasts. Hang out. Or don't do any of those things. Maybe you just want to download the free stories and take a peek. That's cool, too.
Whatever you do, I hope you're reading excellent fiction while you do it!
HELLO!
I’m Kris, and I write books.
My books are mostly kinky, mostly porny, sometimes poly, usually queer. For those of you minded to ask about pronouns, mine are ze/zir.
Thanks for stopping by! Sign up for the new releases list to get an occasional free book, goofy email, or to vote for what I write next!
Bio
Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.
Find me!
Please feel free to drop a line: kris(AT)krisripper.com
Email is one of my favorite forms of communication. Don’t hesitate to write!
Kris Ripper on As La Vista Turns ~ Guest Blog Local Giveaway
Posted on 28 February 2017 by Guest Author — 4 Comments ↓
Prism Book Alliance® would like to thank Kris Ripper for stopping by today. Please give them a warm welcome.
Title: As La Vista Turns
Author: Kris Ripper
Publisher: Riptide
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Genre: Bisexual, Contemporary, Gay, Gay Fiction, Gay Romance, Lesbian, Lesbian Romance, Romance
Release Date: 02/27/2017
Blurb:
Zane Jaffe has almost lost track of what conception cycle she’s in. (That’s a lie: this is cycle thirteen.) She’s fake-dating her pal Mildred to get her best friend off her back, but judging by how hot it was when they accidentally kissed, her feelings might be somewhat less platonic than she’d thought.
And she’s decided that healing the fractured local queer community can only be accomplished through a party. Or maybe it’s actually a wake. Whatever it is, it’ll take place at Club Fred’s, and there will be alcohol.
Trying to conceive is an unholy rollercoaster of emotions, and Mildred won’t let them kiss again until Zane figures out how she feels. Between the wake (exhausting as hell, and that’s just the fun stuff), the constant up-down cycle of trying to get pregnant, and saving the world in the meantime, Zane has no idea. Fall in love with Mildred isn’t on her list, but maybe it’s time to let go of that rigid future she’s been working toward, and instead embrace the accidents that can lead to something better.
Of Quilts, Plumbing, and Love
A short story Kris Ripper
Part I
(Links to all three parts will be available once the tour is complete at http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/as-la-vista-turns under the extras tab.)
Half the fun of being with someone as regimented as Zane was fucking with her. At least that’s what Dred told Emerson as she was annotating a list Zane had left up on the refrigerator.
He smirked. “It’s cute that you still hide behind that like you aren’t head over heels in love with her.”
“Bite me.”
“Not into girls. So what’d you add to the grocery list?”
“Cow brains. And horse hooves. With nutritional notes.”
“Gross, Mildred. Plus, hasn’t she been super nauseous lately? That’s just mean.”
She polished her nails on her shirt. “I’m definitely a horrible person. Gotta go.”
“Just admit you’re in love with her!” he called as she went up the stairs. “It’s not gonna kill you!”
Which was a stupid thing to say. Not to mention unprovable. Maybe it would kill her.
She couldn’t think of a clever enough response so she pretended she hadn’t heard him.
Two days later, while Zane was at work, she ripped out a seam and fixed it before Zane could see how bad it looked.
“She lets you mess with her stuff?” Obie asked, lingering in the doorway of the work room.
“Better to ask forgiveness than permission.”
“Uh huh. Wouldn’t it actually be better to let her fix her own stuff, though? That’s kind of how people learn.”
She shot him a dirty look over her shoulder. “You’ve seen Z sew. She fucks up a lot. More than enough opportunities to learn.”
“Right.”
He was probably giving her some kind of look right now, but she’d decided to focus on the tricky corner bit where really old embroidery met a denim seam and had to not look like crap. The embroidery was from Zane’s great grandmother’s wedding dress, the only frills on an otherwise simple dress because she couldn’t afford frills. Since Z was using everything she could, she wouldn’t want to be ripping out stitches in it.
And anyway, she didn’t have time. She was working as hard as she could right now, and volunteering at the drop-in center on Saturdays.
Obie tapped on the door frame, probably to get her attention. “The crew’s gonna be here in the morning, remember.”
“Can’t wait.”
The remodel was supposed to take three months. After which Obie and Emerson would have a suite downstairs, and Zane, Mildred, and James would be upstairs.
“Is the quilt going to be done? Yours, I mean. Not Zane’s.”
She flapped a hand. “Plenty of time.”
He hadn’t specified what timeline he was talking about, but it didn’t matter. Their quilt—the quilt she was making from a combination of both of their lives, the quilt that symbolized their family—would be done soon. Barring disaster.
Mildred’s phone rang as she was scooping up all the James-related toys floating around QYP. Zane was off scooping up the man himself, so she answered her phone a little out of breath, a little annoyed at the interruption.
“Whoa, you okay?”
Since expressions of concern were out of character for Emerson, she knew something was up. “What’s wrong?”
He cleared his throat. “You guys should see if you can stay with Jaq and Hannah for a couple of days. Or if Cameron’s not using his place.”
“Excuse me?”
“A, um, pipe broke. In the farmhouse.”
“It’s gonna take a couple of days to fix it?”
“Not exactly. I mean, it would have probably been okay, except it led to this…chain reaction thing. Where the plumbing on the first floor basically exploded. But don’t worry, the plumber can fix it. And anyway, better that this happened now so we can get it fixed than later.”
Emerson babbling wasn’t good. “What the hell, boy?”
“Fuck. It’s the sewing room. But I swear Obie said—”
She hung up.
It had taken a while to make the tiny front sitting room feel like the right place for her work. She’d been sewing in her closet for so many years, planning things out on the bed, choosing between storing clothes or storing her stash.
Maybe the damage wasn’t bad. Except if Emerson was trying to get them out of the house…
To be continued…
Links
As La Vista Turns on Goodreads
Riptide
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Local Giveaway
To celebrate the release of As La Vista Turns, one lucky winner will receive an ebook of their choice from Kris’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 4, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
About the Author
Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.
As La Vista Turns: Queers of La Vista, Book 5
Publishers Weekly. 264.4 (Jan. 23, 2017): p63.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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As La Vista Turns:
Queers of La Vista, Book 5
Kris Ripper. Riptide, $17.99 trade paper (301p) ISBN 978-1-62649-442-8
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In this touching contemporary romance, fifth in Ripper's Queers of La Vista series (after One Life to Lose), Zane Jaffe struggles to build the family she has envisioned, facing heartbreaking setbacks but also unexpected joys. Zane, a 30-something real estate agent in the fictional California town of La Vista, has been trying to conceive for the past year, using donor sperm. She doesn't really want a partner, but to satisfy her best friend Jaq's concerns, she and her friend Mildred are pretending to date. Zane's realization that she wants to be in a real relationship with Mildred puts all her careful plans into disarray. Meanwhile, after the arrest of the murderer who'd been targeting queer and trans people in La Vista, Zane decides to organize a wake in hopes of bringing closure to the community. The story showcases that carefully crafted community, deftly highlighting its diversity and interconnectedness. Loving guidance from her friends corrects Zane's frustrating tendency to get in her own way and leads up to a gratifying conclusion. (Mar.)
Ripper, Kris: ONE LIFE TO LOSE
Kirkus Reviews. (Dec. 1, 2016):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Ripper, Kris ONE LIFE TO LOSE Riptide (Adult Fiction) $17.99 12, 12 ISBN: 978-1-62649-440-4
An independent theater owner meets two young men who take his breath away, but a murder in La Vista has everyone on edge.Cameron Rheingold, owner of the Rhein, is a mild-mannered film buff known for being a little strange. On the opening night of his Cary Grant film festival, he meets Josh and Keith, a promising younger couple who run La Vista's new center for queer youth. He is instantly attracted to them and is fascinated by their goals and passion. Cam is sure friendship is all that's on the table, until one night they pose an unexpected invitation: they want Cam to play with them--no sex, just kink--placing him in a position of trust he never believed possible. The three find that they work well in this setting; they not only have amazing chemistry, but they have good rhythm in both life and play. They share a different kind of intimacy, where hot scenes and steamy kisses become the norm. Meanwhile, a killing sets the community on edge. This isn't the first murder in Ripper's soap-opera-titled Queers of La Vista series (The Queer and the Restless, 2016, etc.), but it breaks the patterns of the previous ones while seeming to be by the same person. While the serial killer brings a morbid complexity to the story, you can't help reading this book with a grin (unless you're bawling your eyes out, lost in Cam's lostness). Don't let the cover fool you; Ripper writes deep characters who must deal with serious situations--external and internal--while still providing quirky levity and the necessary happy-ever-after. A sweet, different kind of love story that brings new light to a murder mystery four books in the making.
One Life to Lose
Publishers Weekly. 263.45 (Nov. 7, 2016): p47.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
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* One Life to Lose
Kris Ripper. Riptide, $17.99 trade paper (302p) ISBN 978-1-62649-440-4
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Love, BDSM, films, and murder take center stage in this moving and suspenseful erotic romance, the fourth in Ripper's Queers of La Vista contemporary series (after The Queer and the Restless). Cameron Rheingold runs an independent movie theater in present-day fictional La Vista, Calif. Though he's part of the local LGBTQ community, he largely keeps to the fringes until he meets Josh and Keith, who have just opened a queer-youth center in town--and who begin to show a romantic interest in Cameron. Meanwhile, a serial murderer, whose attacks began in the previous books, continues to target the local queer population. As Cameron tries to determine how he fits into Josh and Keith's romantic and business partnership, the diverse and thoughtfully crafted community struggles to find comfort and safety. The various plot threads are expertly woven together, with particularly strong attention given to establishing healthy kink relationships and to the effects of posttraumatic stress. Erotic-romance readers and series fans will be thrilled by this sweet and often intense exploration. (Dec.)
The Queer and the Restless
Publishers Weekly. 263.40 (Oct. 3, 2016): p106.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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The Queer and the Restless
Kris Ripper. Riptide, $17 trade paper (238p) ISBN 978-1-62649-438-1
The third in Ripper's Queers of La Vista series (after Gays of Our Lives and The Butch and the Beautiful) sensitively portrays a Bay Area man finding his way through life and love, while weaving in important commentary on transphobic hate crimes. Someone's killing trans people and leaving their bodies beaten on the beach; reporter Ed Masiello is both terrified he'll be next and determined to find the killer. In the middle of his increasing obsession, he meets free-spirited travel planner Alisha, who makes him temporarily forget all of the pain and prejudice (especially from an intolerant father) in his life. But Alisha doesn't want to be just a pleasant distraction--she wants Ed to be her boyfriend. Unless he makes her the focus of his attention, he may lose her forever. The mystery of the killings is not resolved in this story, keeping readers eager for future installments of the series. Ripper beautifully illustrates the challenges and very real dangers that trans people and their partners face, but love is the focus of the story, adding a vital note of hope to balance the fear and sorrow. (Nov.)
The Butch and the Beautiful
Whitney Scott
Booklist. 112.22 (Aug. 1, 2016): p40.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
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The Butch and the Beautiful. By Kris Ripper. Aug. 2016. 250p. Riptide, paper, $17.99 (9781626494367); e book, $4.99 (9781626494350).
Dedicated high-school teacher Jaq is standing up for her ex, Liz, in her DIY wedding to Marla, and attorney Llannah is a stunning maid of honor. She's also in the middle of a nasty divorce, and she's also one of Liz's exes. Hannah propositions Jaq by saying, "You know this means we have to have sex, right?" She provides other happy surprises; she leads when they dance, and when they're in Hannah's room, she makes no assumptions about butch Jaq's preferences in bed, a welcome change. Hot and graphic onetime sex, an accidental meeting at Sunday Mass, coffee together, Hannah's declaration that divorce is a "drawn-out death knell for a life you once thought you'd live"--all leave commitment-shy Jaq conflicted. She wants this self-proclaimed crazy woman but is leery of the reality of "a steady lady in her life." Add a second date with smoking-hot sex, and Jaq thinks, "I'm in so much trouble." The second in Ripper's Queers of La Vista series, after Gays of Our Lives (2016), is a believable, entertaining, and simmering read.--Whitney Scott
The Butch and the Beautiful
Publishers Weekly. 263.28 (July 11, 2016): p50.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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The Butch and the Beautiful
Kris Ripper. Riptide, $17.99 trade paper (226p) ISBN 978-1-62649-436-7
Ripper's fun contemporary pairs up two opposites who most definitely attract each other. Jaq is a high school teacher who loves her community, sponsors her school's Gay-Straight Alliance, and wants to fall in love with a sensible low-risk woman. Hannah--whose baggage includes her messy divorce, her high-drama reputation, and her playgirl ways--is definitely not Ms. Right, but she's got Jaq hooked. The two have amazing chemistry, but Jaq has preconceptions and trust issues, and Hannah is still emotionally tangled up with her ex. This leads to frustration and misunderstandings on both sides, and the two have to learn to communicate if they're going to fit into each other's lives. Ripper neatly incorporates plenty of queer friends for both women to round out the present-day setting of fictional La Vista, Calif., and perhaps provide some fodder for sequels. This is a sweet and spicy romance with a wonderful community component. (Aug.)
Gays of Our Lives: Queers of La Vista, Book 1
Publishers Weekly. 263.15 (Apr. 11, 2016): p43.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
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Gays of Our Lives: Queers of La Vista, Book 1
Kris Ripper. Riptide, $17.99 trade paper (231p) ISBN 978-1-62649-426-8
Ripper's first-person narrative spends too much time inside the head of the protagonist and too little time developing the love interest's character. Emerson Robinette, a community college GED teacher in La Vista, Calif., resents the limitations that multiple sclerosis imposes upon his life. After he meets Obadiah Magovney and they seem to click, the plot turns to plod as Emerson falls into a spiral of introspective analysis. He's likable enough, but so self-centered and self-pitying that he refuses to even try developing relationships. After all, he reasons, who'd be interested in a gay man who's into dominance but needs a cane? So he settles for one-off sex in the john at his favorite club, and he is so convinced that he's doomed to be forever alone that he doesn't recognize a genuine friend when one comes along. On the flip side, Obie is a poster-sized cardboard cutout of a sappy choose-to-be-happy Internet meme. It all might still be tolerable if the sex were at least steamy, but Ripper drops that ball too. Readers hoping for a nuanced, plausible depiction of a disabled queer kinkster finding lasting love will be sadly disappointed. (July)
The Butch and the Beautiful by Kris Ripper
by SB Sarah · Oct 22, 2016 at 3:00 am · View all 12 comments
The Butch and the Beautiful by Kris Ripper
SBTB Media Page
The Butch and the Beautiful
by Kris Ripper
AUGUST 22, 2016 · RIPTIDE PUBLISHING
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C
GENRE: GLBT, Romance, Contemporary Romance
I liked this story, but I went in expecting a completely different set of conflicts based on the cover copy. Jaq is a high school teacher and she’d like to find a long-term partner. She’s got a stable life in La Vista, the town where she lives: she goes to mass with her dad (one of the most interesting, poignant, and under-explored parts of the story) and sees him regularly, and she has a strong, loving community of friends. She’s an adult ally and supporter to the young queer people in her school and in the town, and she’s got most of her shit together.
She meets Hannah at a wedding, the attraction is ferocious, and they hook up – explicitly so, in a scene that clearly pushes some of Jaq’s sexual boundaries. Hannah is divorcing her wife, in the process of selling their home, and setting up her new life in La Vista, and Jaq isn’t sure Hannah’s in the right place for what Jaq is looking for, relationship-wise.
This is the line in the cover copy that tripped me up: “But she’s just out of a disastrous marriage, she’s in the process of moving across the state, and Jaq can’t take a chance on yet another relationship where she defaults to being a caregiver instead of a partner.”
I was looking for that conflict. It wasn’t there. Hannah is aware she’s in a massive state of uncertainty and transition. She knows she overwhelms Jaq a little, and Jaq isn’t sure what to do with her powerful attraction to Hannah in light of Hannah’s situation in life. Very little was said about Jaq being a caretaker. There were a few recollections about having to pick someone up at a bar because they were drunk and lost their keys, but nothing substantial. The “default to caregiver” part wasn’t something I saw.
I otherwise would have liked this story a lot more except for the part where for at least a third of the book, Jaq’s friends, including the brides of the wedding she attends at the beginning, warn her that Hannah is “crazy.” Do they define what they mean? Not really. Does Hannah do anything that seems unsafe or erratic? Not really. For me, it was another example of the story suggesting one thing, and then delivering another, and I found that really tiresome and frustrating.
The parts I did like: Jaq likes who she is, and there’s a matter-of-fact good-natured humor to her character, such as when she jokes in her narration about the un-sexyness of removing a binder. The story is from Jaq’s first-person point of view, and she’s very funny. For example, at one point, she gives Hannah her jacket:
And yes, you’re damn right I offered her my jacket. I’m a gentlewoman. I’m fucking dashing.
Jaq’s humor and loving acceptance of herself made reading her narration fun, and compensated for my irritation at the story. Jaq also has wonderful friends and co-workers, and she gets called on her missteps, such as when she inadvertently insults a bisexual friend and he points out the actual meaning of a thoughtless comment. And she owns her mistakes.
I wish the story had delivered more of the conflict it said it would, and that the characters insisting that Hannah was “crazy” and a bad match for Jaq were more specific about why they thought so. As written, it came across to me as a thin, poorly-supported conflict that didn’t do much for the overall romance. The romance itself is the weaker part of the story; for me, Jaq’s life with her father, her students, her queer student support group, and her connections to the queer community were all far more interesting, and contained more relevant, realistic conflicts. Essentially, this book delivered a completely different story than what it said it would, and while I liked parts of it, I finished it feeling confused and a little disappointed.
Review: Gays of Our Lives by Kris Ripper
jul
12
2016
2 COMMENTS
Gays of Our livesRating: 4 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Emerson Robinette is angry. The life he once envisioned has taken a back seat to his recent diagnosis of Multiple sclerosis. Confronted by the daily realities of his disease and the limitations he feels it has imposed on him, Emerson has spent the last few months retreating from the world. He goes to work as a GED teacher and occasionally goes to a favored club, but the truth is he exists without really living. And then happenstance brings the indomitable Obie Magoviney into his life.
Obie is everything Emerson isn’t. He comfortable in his own skin, knows what he wants, and lives life with a vibrant positivity. He isn’t blind to the hurdles that a relationship with Emerson could mean, but he’s willing to take the risk. Getting Emerson to do the same will be Obie’s biggest challenge and one neither of them can’t afford to loose.
Gays of Our Lives is an unusual mix of the wonderful and the insanely frustrating. It’s well written and generally evenly paced. There are a few patches that tend to slow the action, but these are brief and don’t pull away the focus from the story. The main characters are rendered as fully dimension creations that truly step off the page to greet the reader. And none more so than Obie. He’s a charming, sweet puppy of a soul and it’s impossible not to adore him. He’s a man who has worked through the oft times agonizing process of discovering himself and come out the other side stronger for the process. His positive embrace of the world is a choice he actively makes and, while he sometimes comes off as a little too gullible, it’s refreshing to see a character that actively rejects cynicism. He isn’t foolish enough to believe nothing bad can happen. Instead he embraces life and makes the best of bad situations. Which I think is the kind of person we all wish we could be.
But as much as I liked Obie, I disliked Emerson. I believe that as readers we’re supposed to find him abrasive, rude, and grumpy and I can accept all of those traits. But I also found him to be a man consumed by his own misery to such an extent that he was downright unpleasant. He’s been dealt a blow with his MS diagnosis and, while his depression and anger makes sense, I got the impression that Emerson was probably a miserable SOB even before his diagnosis. He’s a man using his illness as excuse to hide from the world and doing so with dedication. Obie slowly softens him, but Emerson never achieved the kind of character growth that I would have hoped. He’s not under developed or even un-relatable and we’ve all met people like Emerson. As with Obie, he’s a well drawn character with plenty of definition, but one that I just couldn’t bring myself to like. Other readers may feel differently, but I feel Emerson will turn more readers off than on. My only other gripe with the book is the mention of a murder early on that goes absolutely nowhere. It has no purpose to the overall story, but given how the author focused on it so intently (albeit briefly), I thought it would come into play at some point. That said, Gays of Our Lives is a part of a wider series and perhaps it makes more sense in the context of the other books, but it definitely left a big plot hole dangling.
Gays of Our Lives is a well-written narrative with multi-dimensional characters that will hit most readers on a visceral level. I think most will either love Obie and Emerson or be split down the middle like me. And while I can’t fault the author for creating wonderfully complex personalities, I found myself so disliking Emerson that it was hard to find any connection to his character. But despite this, or perhaps because of it, Gays of Our Lives is still a compelling read and bound to satisfy anyone looking for a romance between two men who are far from perfect.
REVIEW: GAYS OF OUR LIVES BY KRIS RIPPER
04:32
Title: Gays of Our Lives (Queers of La Vista)
Author: Kris Ripper
Publication Date: 11 July 2016
Genres: Queer Romance, Disability
Author's links: Website • Twitter • Facebook / FB Group • Goodreads
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My rating: 4 Stars
Blurb
Emerson Robinette only leaves his apartment to get laid and go to work. Having MS—and trying to pretend he doesn’t—makes everything more complicated, especially his fantasies of coming on strong and holding a guy down. Finding a partner who’ll explore that with him isn’t Emerson’s idea of a realistic goal.
Until a chance meeting with a hipster on a bus makes him reconsider. Obie is happy, open-hearted, and warm; what’s more, he gets his kicks being physically dominated, spanked, and teased until he’s begging. It would be perfect, except for one thing: Emerson isn’t made for happiness, and he doesn’t see how a guy like Obie would settle for a cynic like him.
But as far as Obie’s concerned, the only thing keeping them apart is Emerson. Can Emerson handle a boyfriend who’s more invested in his future than he is? Emerson’s barely convinced he has a future. But when Obie’s smiling at him, anything seems possible.
Review
This is my first book by Kris Ripper and I absolutely loved it. I saw this series a while back advertised as coming soon on the Riptide site and was immediately intrigued by the concept of a community of queer people finding love and happiness. I'm always on the look out for stories with queer characters where their queerness (and coming to terms with it) is not the main focus of the story. I want to see how they cope of everyday live, with ordinary (personal, professional) issues everybody faces in their lives.
I have to say right away that this story met and far exceeded all my expectations. It worked really well for me and I had great time reading it.
I generally prefer a more flowery writing style, a bit on the side of purple prose but this book is the exact opposite and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It was fitting to the characters and felt so normal and right.
The story is told from Emerson's POV (a lonely gay man with MS) and his voice was totally captivating and so refreshingly normal, real. It's very easy to misrepresent disability and any illness in fiction, especially in romance. There is always a danger of it becoming just a prop, a plot element or on the other hand, the author risks coming off as condescending. I really, really liked how Emerson's health issues were portrayed in this book. In my opinion this is one of the strongest elements of the story. We have this very snarky, sarcastic and often bitter character who is able to be honest and realistic about his disease. We are together with him in the process of coming to terms with his physical limitations, there are good days and bad days, mistakes and desperation but also hope and acceptance.
It was partly with the help and support of Obie that things got better for Emerson. But it was also a lot of Emerson himself and him ultimately finding friends, a community that can be good and useful for him but also people who need him, whom he can offer something too.
There are some BDSM elements in the story and though I'm not generally of this, I love the way it was incorporated in the romance. It was an exploration of desire and ability and pleasure for both Obie and Emerson and it was presented in a very realistic way - with the awkwardness of trying new things for the first time, with the unavoidable mistakes and things not working out exactly as you expect them but ultimately, as something intimate, just between two people. They way they make love or how their whole relationship works is is for them to decide, it doesn't have to meet anyone else's standards/visions but their own.
In short, I really enjoyed everything about this story - the writing which is very succinct and natural and works so well for these characters, the characters themselves - Emerson being a total jerk a lot of the time, yet I couldn't help but fall in love with him and Obie - the best hipster there can be, and Zane and Midred, supporting characters who shine on their own. I can strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, positive queer romance, well-told!
Pre-order links: Amazon (paperback) / Riptide
PS: I'm having Kris Ripper as my guest this Friday in my Author Interview feature. You should stop by if you are curious to learn of zir series, Queers of La Vista.
THE QUEER AND THE RESTLESS
by Kris Ripper
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KIRKUS REVIEW
The latest installment of Ripper’s Queers of La Vista series (The Butch and the Beautiful, 2016, etc.) explores the connections, divisions, and wide range of emotions characters experience living in a queer-friendly California town.
Ed Masiello, a trans man who has been on testosterone for a year, is still getting used to passing and gaining the courage to date. In this opposites-attract romance, Alisha is a free spirit and risk taker. Identifying at first as a lesbian, she “wants to be open and exposed and take things in,” accepting with ready aplomb falling for a trans man: “This is so weird. Like, I’ve been a lesbian since I knew what the word meant. And now I totally have a boyfriend.” Ripper writes mostly dialogue, interspersed with Ed’s short interior monologues. While the titles and branding of the series are a cheeky nod to daytime soap operas, this is a somber romance. Ed is a reporter on the trail of a murderer who hunts at Club Fred’s, the queer community’s local night spot. Since Ed is mostly preoccupied with the psychological and social challenges of his transition and solving the murders, the romance is a muted, no-conflict affair, even while the sex scenes are explicit. Ripper writes in a didactic, overtly political voice that can make scenes that should be lighthearted or hot read like a gender studies lesson, as when Ed thinks, during sex, “Sex acts weren’t gendered, dammit. Body parts didn’t feel any obligation to conform to cultural expectations.” The plight of queer homeless youth, the history of gay rights, the AIDS crisis, and the prejudices inherent in social institutions like the police and the press all get at least a mention. While it can be read on its own, readers will benefit from prior knowledge of the cast of secondary characters that populate this book.
An interesting murder plot in a carefully constructed setting is the appealing feature of this uneven, wan romance with too little conflict and zero sizzle.
Pub Date: Oct. 31st, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62649-438-1
Page count: 238pp
Publisher: Riptide
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3rd, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15th, 2016
Release Day Review: As La Vista Turns (Queers of La Vista Book 5) By Kris Ripper
POSTED BY ROBERTA ON FEBRUARY 27, 2017 IN 4 HEART REVIEWS, 4 STAR REVIEWS, BOOK REVIEWS, RECOMMENDED, ROBERTA'S REVIEWS, ROBERTA'S REVIEWS | 16 VIEWS | LEAVE A RESPONSE
Reviewed by Roberta
as la vista turns book cover
TITLE: As La Vista Turns
SERIES: Queers of La Vista Book #5
AUTHOR: Kris Ripper
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 301 pages
RELEASE DATE: 2/27/17
BLURB:
Zane Jaffe has almost lost track of what conception cycle she’s in. (That’s a lie: this is cycle thirteen.) She’s fake-dating her pal Mildred to get her best friend off her back, but judging by how hot it was when they accidentally kissed, her feelings might be somewhat less platonic than she’d thought.
And she’s decided that healing the fractured local queer community can only be accomplished through a party. Or maybe it’s actually a wake. Whatever it is, it’ll take place at Club Fred’s, and there will be alcohol.
Trying to conceive is an unholy rollercoaster of emotions, and Mildred won’t let them kiss again until Zane figures out how she feels. Between the wake (exhausting as hell, and that’s just the fun stuff), the constant up-down cycle of trying to get pregnant, and saving the world in the meantime, Zane has no idea. Fall in love with Mildred isn’t on her list, but maybe it’s time to let go of that rigid future she’s been working toward, and instead embrace the accidents that can lead to something better.
REVIEW:
This story was the end of a wonderful series. They way that these friends love and live their lives, it just made me happy to see them all get their HEA’s.
This story is about Zane and Dred (Mildred). The relationship between these two women started as a “fake dating” so that Zane’s friend Jaq would leave her alone, however, as these things go…they actually started to fall for one another. I have to say that I really do love the friends to lovers trope.
Zane Jaffe is 35 yrs old who has wanted to be a mom forever. She’s one of those people who writes lists for all the things that she’d like to do. I have to say that I admire that trait!! Zane works in real estate and is pretty successful at what she does. Zane’s lists are also how she keeps focused and tries not to vary from it. Zane is beginning to doubt that she’ll ever get pregnant. Zane has this idea of someone to love unconditionally as well as being a Family.
Dred is a single woman whom I’m still not sure what she does. I don’t think that they ever really mentioned what she did, only that her income varies. Dred is pansexual who has a son, James from a previous relationship and that the father, Bryan doesn’t really do much for either of them. Dred has some issues with her parents and that has colored her view on relationships. Dred is a good mom, who loves her son…but she’s unsure about her relationship with Zane. She is attracted to her and wants to be with her, truly…not in the fake dating kind of way.
I have to say that watching these women having to deal with their issues as well as face the fact that they love each other and want to be with each other, was really great to watch. I love that these two women had to approach their own insecurities and deal with the issues that was holding them back from each other.
I have to say that I really enjoyed have so many side characters in this story. It was a way to connect to the previous books and to see how they are progressing. I have to say that seeing how everyone was dealing with the aftermath of all of those people dying and by the assault on Josh, Keith and Cameron. I loved seeing how these people came together to try and find some closure on the whole ordeal that was happening through out the series.
I love the theme of family that was prevalent throughout the story. Family…the ones that we are born into and that we start our lives in. Family…the ones that we make, the ones that we CHOOSE to have. How each and every family that we have and/or choose…how they effect our lives, both good and bad. I have to say that this theme really makes sense to me in the way that we all make/choose our families and just what makes them so damn special.
Overall, I have to say that this was a really good book and it was a great book to end the series. The romance between Zane and Dred was in turns sweet and frustrating. But through it all…it was Real and that is what really matters.
RATING: LoveBytes_4Hearts