Customer Reviews

Pleasure

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Well... Eric is back with his most erotic and emotionally driven novel yet. The eroticism and plot do a strange dance. Throughout most of this novel the sexuality/eroticism is the driving force while the actual plot takes a very close backseat. Fans of his will recognize this and it's a little "strange". What drew me to Eric was his Autobahn fast plot with really tastefully done sex scenes. In `Pleasure' it's more Autobahn fast sex/eroticism sex with a really tastefully done plot.

`Genevieve' stands out because of shocking sexuality of the 1st chapter... the 1st chapter in this book will make that seem like Junie B. Jones! Nia is a flawed, educated, sexual, confused, talented, crazy, insatiable, women who is trying not to be so...well... flawed, confused, crazy, and insatiable! She is looking for pleasure and she finds it with 2 brothers (2 TWIN brothers)! Well... at first... 2 brothers! She takes it to a whole. Nuther. Le-val with other characters.

Anais Nin's work is a strong influence in this book and Eric does a wonderful job of mixing their styles. This book doesn't have the classic "wtf" twists that makes Eric's books so good. No, this book has something different. That difference will depend on who reads the book. For me, this book was pure erotica. Pure meaning it permeates the story, your mind wanders on what you think will happen next, or rather what you WANT to happen next, Eric leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, and makes you squirm.

Nia will make you laugh especially when she continually irked by the grammar (or lack thereof) of her ex. Depending on what side of the tracks you're on you will feel sorry for Logan or you will want to murder him. Karl and Mark... I think they need therapy. I know the story was about Nia but what was up with those two? Seriously... what the heck happened to them to cause them to do some of the things that they did/do? It was good that they were there to give her some yoni-help but those two brothers need Jesus!

I didn't really get Jewell or Kenya. Their parts in this story left me wanting. Also, Eric must have a GPS implanted in his head because the man takes you through a virtual map that almost scares you how accurate it is. His descriptions of the islands, the food, the weather, the storm that forces Jewell and Nia to spend time together, the relationship with her mother (wow), her feelings about Karl and Mark, her relationship with KiKi Sunshine, and everything else. This is where Eric shines and shine he does!

I gave this book 5 stars because it really is VERY good, despite the absence of his trademark air-tight perfect plot. Oh, and one more thing... big ups to Mr. Dickey for having Karl drive a Jeep Wrangler! He didn't say whether or not it was a `Rubicon' but still made me happy! :-)

I've read a couple of EJD'S earlier books,Cheaters and Between Lovers for example, books that had meaning and substance, some of his later books had those qualities as well , BUT, his book Pleasure, I don't know what the hell happened. The story was pointless, plotless and a waste of time to read. Way way too much sex between the pathetically self-absorbed and desperate female protaganist and these sorry, nondescipt twin dudes, I mean these guys are supposed to be sexy professionals in their early 30's and they do some kindergarten crap like rock scissors to see which one will get the female protagonist first,how dumb is that! There's more silliness that I just don't feel like mentioning.The main characters in the story had no real outside interests other than to have sex with each other and that's it, and then EJD throws in some stuff about Anais Nin, erotica author from back in the day,to give the story depth,yeah okay.Obviously, it's not a good book, read it at your own risk if you must, and those of you who have young teenage daughters,PLEASE don't allow them to read it, not only because of the sex but because the characters have IRRESPONSIBLE sex, nobody uses condoms!

Eric Jerome Dickey once again introduces readers to a very unique and
complicated character in his latest novel, Pleasure. Nia Simone
Bijou, born in Trinidad and raised in Los Angeles by her mother,
Hazel Tamana Bijou, a movie executive. Nia is a writer and a thinker
who idolized the late author, Anais Nin. Nia was destined to have it
all - on her own terms. While living in Memphis, she was involved
with Logan, a very handsome executive, who sought a wife that would
cater to him. But, Logan could not satisfy or fulfill her every
desire. It also bothered her that he could not distinguish between
the words your and you are. So, Nia moves to Atlanta to rid herself
of Logan and to think.

Atlanta gives her that freedom. This is when she realizes that she
possesses two sides - the logical, no-nonsense side that requires
order and the sensual, free-spirited experimental side that borders
on fantasy. While jogging one, hot July day, Nia meets twin
brothers, Mark and Karl. The brothers were immediately attracted to
Nia. Mark is an erotic photographer and his brother, Karl, is an
architect. Each brother is drawn to a different side of Nia. With
the brothers, Nia embarks on an erotic journey that allows her to
experience every sexual fantasy she can imagine. Until she realizes
that the brothers also represent two things that she tried to run
from - pain and truth.

Dickey, once again, gives readers a story that will be talked about
for years. First, the book was full of erotic, in-your-face sex.
The scenes were very well-written and they left nothing to the
imagination. Readers are enticed to turn each page just to see just
how far Nia is willing to go to explore her sexual fantasies with the
twins. Second, Dickey's style of writing is phenomenal. He has a
way of telling a story that is capable of stirring emotions and
thoughts. As a reader, you are immediately caught up in the story
from the beginning or you are completely lost. In that sense, Dickey
has increased the bar for writers to achieve.

I found this book to be very interesting. However, I must admit
that I had to put it down twice because of the graphic sex and read
something in between. Some will question whether he has gone too far
with the sex; while others will want to read more. Fans of Dickey
will enjoy this book.

Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub

As most of the other reviews state, this book is purely about sex. The sex scenes are, of course, extremely descriptive. Descriptive enough to make me a little uncomfortable at times just READING them! But nonetheless, I felt so unfulfilled after reading Pleasure. I have LOVED all his other novels, but truly there was NO storyline at all to this. You seriously would be better off just going down to your friendly neighborhood porn store and picking something out. I hope in his next book he gets back to what his fans really want from him: a great story with unforgettable characters, not an overdone porn where I hardly even remember the characters names and the storyline only existed to get us from sex scene to sex scene. Come on EJD, you're better than this!!!

I'm sorry to say that this book was the worst book I have read by Eric Jerome Dickey! I have absolutely enjoyed every one of his books accept this one! It was a bunch of sex with no substance! I couldn't stand this book! Sorry Eric, but I'm just keeping it real! I will continue to buy anything that you put out there, unless this book starts to be a pattern of something new!

PHEW!!! All I can say is that this story is, simply put, the hottest piece of work EJD has ever written! It smokes. From its inception, the story grabs you.

As a writer, you can learn a great deal from his rhythm with words, his tight delivery via dialogue and limited use of first person, feminine, narrative. That he captures the unadulterated lust of his female protagonist is amazing. if you enjoyed THE OTHER WOMAN, fasten your seatbealts: THIS ONE, IN TERMS OF EROTICA, is way better.

EJD shows that some men understand a woman's blend of sexual independence and confusion. Elevating the writing bar once more he incorporated sexual techinique by way of Kama Sutra, something I was saying for a long time needed to be done in Black Erotica. I loved Nia Simone Bijou, his female protagonist. Enjoying her erotic confusion, EJD and PLEASURE takes it to another level, leaving readers in awe of yet another unforgettable journey. Flammable is an understatement with this one. Excellent writing says it all.

That MICHAEL JACKSON analogy had me rollin'!!! Great job!

This book was probably was one of EJD's worst, no plot, no story line just pages and pages of explicit sex....very Zane-esque...... And the ending was even worse, I still don't understand the purpose of this book. EJD is a great writer I will not be discouraged by this book but please EJD take us back to your original work, the books which made you one of my favorite authors in the first place. Thumbs down!

Nia Simone Bijou is a successful Trinidadian writer who has everything that a woman could want. She is a recent L.A. transplant that has moved to Atlanta so that she can be as free as she wants to be without being under her successful Hollywood mother's shadow. But the one thing that Nia is searching for seems to be unobtainable: sexual pleasure. She's still trying move on from the break-up of her ex-boyfriend Logan, but he won't take no for an answer. Nia's thirst for pleasure is quenched when she meets not one, but two lovers named Mark and Karl. Soon Nia is swept into a world where all of her carnal desires are satisfied by both of these men. She enjoys Mark and Karl for different reasons and she can't pick just one. But when this love triangle spins out of control and borders on obsession, will Nia be brave enough to make the best decision for her life without sacrificing her own wants and needs?

Pleasure is a seductively spicy novel by Eric Jerome Dickey. Dickey eloquently draws the reader into Nia's quest for sexual pleasure from the very first page. You will see the complexity of Nia's character as she battles with two sides of herself. There's the sensible side who knows that partaking in this kind of sexual behavior is risky. Then there's the more free-spirited side that says having these kinds of adventures is just what she needs. Fans of Dickey's previous work will still find his signature thought-provoking writing style in this story. But please remember that this novel is straight-up, in-your-face erotica. So if you're a diehard fan of EJD but not a fan of erotica, then this story will not be for you. The sex scenes are so steamy that you will find it hard to look away from the pages and may need to either drink a cold glass of water or take a cold shower to cool off. Dickey also flexed his creative muscle by telling this story in a female point of view and mixing in key elements of Karma Sutra and Anais Nin into this story. There is also a disturbing underlying theme of twisted obsession and competitiveness that will have you scratching your head. Pleasure is deliciously erotic and addictive. Eric Jerome Dickey once again proves that he has that golden touch, no matter what genre he writes in.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
for Urban Reviews

I bought this book today to pass the time at work , since I am here on a saturday. I could not get into the book at all . I read about 8 chapters and thats all I could tolerate. It was incredibly slow and when it did start to get steamy it was so long drawn out . I have not read any EJD books in a very long time and I don't think I will read any more.

Well, after SWS and WWE, I vowed to never buy another EJD book again. I could tell from these books that his writing style was changing. He was starting to write longer and more descriptive sex scenes...sex scenes that were not necessary, nor did they enhance the story lines. When I saw Pleasure in Walmart I passed by, but went back b/c I have ALL of EJD's books! If I had known it was erotica I would have left it on the shelf. I wonder if he saw the success of Zane and thought he'd get in on the frenzy. Eric is such a talented writer and lately he has been wasting his talent on this crap! I will not be buying another EJD book! Promise!