Intimate Little Secrets, by Rechan – Book Review by Fred Patten
by Pup Matthias
Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
I
ntimate Little Secrets, by Rechan
Dallas, TX, FurPlanet Productions, March 2017, trade paperback $9.95 (163 pages), ebook $6.95.
Intimate Little Secrets is a collection of nine “sensual” short stories by Rechan, published for Furry Fiesta 2017. The book is publisher-rated NC-17, for adult readers.
Robert Baird describes the nine stories in his Introduction as “alternately touching and titillating; tantalizing and tender. They invite us to explore the inner lives of characters consistently defined firstly by their refreshing believability.” (p. 7) Some of these stories originally appeared online, on Rechan’s SoFurry and FurAffinity accounts.
Indeed. I have complained before about authors whose characters are only funny animals; animal-headed humans. Rechan never lets that happen. His characters are anthropomorphic animals; a blend of humans and the species that they are described as.
“Fanservice” features Robin and Dean, two shy young mink, office workers on their first evening date. Robin dresses as Veronica Tamas, a TV actress she knows Dean likes. “Part of the problem was Tamas, as a deer, had wonderful legs put on display by the mini-dress lab coat and the sleek knee high black boots. With the longer torso and shorter limbs of a mink, Robin wasn’t pulling it off.” (p. 9)
Robin tries to make it up in other ways:
“For a moment Dean only squeezed her shoulder, then his digits inched up to graze her throat. A faint chirr bubbled up as he stroked her so-soft fur, and she reached out to caress his wrist and forearm.
When his touch moved up to her cheek and muzzle, Robin closed her eyes and tilted into it, a soft breath escaping from her. The scent of him drew her in, her body easing closer to his until they bumped.
That caress lasted only a moment longer before he cupped her cheek, her whiskers brushed his, and she instinctively moved into the oncoming kiss.
Their teeth knocked together.” (p. 14)
They eventually get it right. They never get out of their office that evening. The most unrealistic aspect of “Fanservice” to me was that Robin would go all the way on a first date.
Marjani, a serval in “Strange on a Train” is having a very unpleasant ten-hour nighttime train trip. She can’t get to sleep.
“Well, if she wasn’t getting any sleep then she needed some distraction. Marjani leaned back and tried to get comfortable, sliding her tail through the hole in the seat’s back and into the tail-pouch. A perk of having a shorter tail meant she had more room to flick it. She popped in her headphones, started an audio book, and tried to relax. Of course breathing in to calm her nerves just reminded her again of this miserable train; whatever filters they used to clear the air of mixed-species smells must have been broken, as the collective scent of the passengers, both past and present, had become potent. At lease she wasn’t canine.” (p. 28)
The erotic audio book that she is listening to makes Marjani horny. Another discomfort – or is it? It’s 3 a.m.; most of the other passengers have retired to sleeping cars, and she’s alone except for a handsome skunk who is already eyeing her.
“Like that hunky skunk. How big was he? How would it feel with him on top of her? Dwelling on that, she decided there was no harm in letting him see a little bit more. She even gave him a name in her mind: Hunk.” (p. 31)
See Teagan Gavet’s cover. As they fuck, Marjani can’t help comparing Hunk with Amadi, her absent husband. They have an open relationship, so she has Hunk take their photo while in coitus with her phone to share with Amadi.
“Missed” features Miss Pendigrass, the border collie librarian, and
Beth, her mink assistant, in a BDSM lesbian relationship. The setting seems to be a military academy; “The click-clack of Miss Pendigrass’ riding boots echoed down the hall in her wake, the sound helping to transform her walk from a stately stroll to the confident, no-nonsense prowl more suited to an executive.” (p. 43) Miss Pendigrass is clearly the dominatrix in their meetings in a disused storeroom. All goes well until Beth admits she’s tempted to end their relationship because she’s just met Connor, a golden retriever youth. “He doesn’t make me feel like the way I feel around most males, but the way I am with you, and the girls before you.” (p. 51) Since Beth is undecided about what she wants, Miss Pendigrass determines to experiment with bringing Connor into their relationship; to turn it from a BDSM couple into a sex triangle.
In “Fireworks”, Desiree is a gazelle who works for an escort service. Jacob, a deer who is tired of his family nagging him to find a girlfriend and get married, hires her to pretend they’re dating at a family dinner. The dinner is not a success, but Desiree persuades Jacob to get therapeutic counseling about developing a higher self-esteem.
“Teeth” is a three-page mood piece between Carli, a lioness, and the unnamed narrator who can’t climax until he feels about to die:
“In that moment Carli’s muzzle closes enough to stop my breath. Realizing I can’t breathe, my stomach jumps and I fight. Even as I fight, I come, and muffled as I am I cannot wail my delight. I’m not finished before she lets me breathe, and I spend the last moments of the rush clinging and pushing against her, in echo of a fight and in approval.” (pgs. 76-77)
“When the Paint Dries” is the most complex story here. Luis Rojas is a cacomistle high-school teacher and a would-be artist. He was married to Angelita, a nurse, another cacomistle who divorced him three years earlier because of his refusal to have children. He feels likehislife has been on hold since then. She has since remarried Doug, a rat. Now Angelita has returned to Luis with a request. She and Doug want a family, but they cannot breed together because their species are incompatible. She asks if Luis would be the sperm donor of their child, scientifically or the old-fashioned way. Luis must consider this carefully. He still has artistic aspirations to paint Angelica’s portrait. Does he still have any romantic feelings for her? Would he still have any moral obligations to the child? Luis’ decision lets him get on with his life.
“Rickety V” is a sequel to “Missed”. Connor, the golden retriever, is introduced by Beth, the mink, to Janie Pendigrass, the border collie:
“Dipping his nose to her wrist and sniffing, he picked up the scents of books and tea. She didn’t smell him in return, crossing her arms when he was done.” (p. 98)
Janine is frigid toward Connor, but when the women explain their BDSM relationship to him, he’s willing to try it:
“‘What?’ they said together.
‘If that’s something Beth likes, then I want to at least given [sic.] it a try, so that maybe I can do it too.’” (p. 101)
The three are determined to be open and reasonable about whether Connor should join the two, or whether Beth should drop her feelings for Janine and go with Connor. The story is about what they work out.
“Three to Tango” is a sequel to “Strange on a Train” from Amadi’s viewpoint. Amadi and Marjani sure do like their sex games, the lewder the better, especially in a threesome with Kahlua the chipmunk.
In “TLC”, Margaret and Henry are an older fox couple. Henry is dying of ALS; he has already lost the use of his arms. Their children and grandchildren take him out in his wheelchair, but Margaret has learned to masturbate him to an erection at night so they can keep up a pretense of a sex life for the little time he has left.
The stories in Intimate Little Secrets all have sex in them, but it is consensual sex between adults. They are more about the intimate little secrets behind the eroticism. The sex is secondary; Rechan concentrates upon the minds and souls of his furred characters.
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