Marketplace

The Marketplace (The Marketplace Series, 1)
$15.95
I loved this book. LOVED IT.

I loved the whole idea of the Marketplace and the slaves being trained to accept everything and anything that is thrown at them. The way the trainers purposely manipulate the strengths and weaknesses of the slaves to show the slaves that they are not all they thought they were, and to open their eyes to the fact that they had so much more to learn.

The characters were fabulously believable. I loved how each of the characters told their own stories of how they became interested in becoming slaves. They were stories and attitudes towards the Lifestyle I have seen in real life. You could recognize the misconceptions that they had and the fantasies they brought with them, thinking it would all work out to be exactly what they wanted. The experiences they go through to find out that their fantasies were just fantasies were excruciating to read but made the story a real drool-fest for me!

I loved to follow the arrogant and lazy Sharon, who has used her pretty little body to get what she wants always (you just WANT her to get a bad beating). At times you felt sorry for them, at times you think they deserve what they get, and at times you wish you were there BEING them. I couldn't put the book down, yet I could only hold it open with one hand ;)

The Trainer (The Marketplace Series, 3)
$15.95
This is the third book in the Marketplace series of BDSM erotica, following The Marketplace and The Slave.

The focus this time is on Michael, who was introduced to the world of the Marketplace through his uncle, who owns a couple of slaves. Michael doesn't have the wherewithal to purchase a slave of his own, but thinks he's found a shortcut by becoming a trainer. After a disastrous attempt to train a sex partner as a slave and introduce her to the Marketplace, he convinces everyone he wants to do better and secures a place with Anderson, the trainer of trainers.

This is actually all stuff we learn later on in the book--it opens with Michael arriving at Anderson's house and screwing up almost immediately, setting the stage for the rest of his stay there. Not only is Michael not the star pupil he imagined himself, but he's upstaged continuously by Anderson's houseguest, the enigmatic trainer Chris Parker. Even worse, nobody will tell him what to do, or what he's doing wrong.

Normally, I'm not a fan of stories that start in the middle and have flashbacks along the way, but in this case, it starts in the right place, and those flashbacks make a nice contrast with Michael's present journey.

Michael is a very unlikeable character--he's spoiled and impatient, and The Trainer is as much about him learning a few hard lessons as it is about the Marketplace. Most importantly, he learns to value the slaves, the value of servitude, and the true meaning of being a master--not simply someone who gets sex on demand, but someone who's also responsible for the slaves' wellbeing. The implications of his lessons stretch beyond kinky sex into everyday life--parent/child relationships, employer/employee, even general respect due between people of different socioeconomic stations.

Anderson's theory of training likewise applies to parents and bosses--that you must first be able to do before you can teach, as well as the concept that the better you know someone under your command, the better you'll be able to train them. It also has implications for even vanilla sex lives, focusing on respect, caring, and knowing your partner well.

The sex scenes (this is erotica after all) are integral parts of the story--they're not just inventive titillating scenes, but demonstrate turning points in Michael's journey, as he goes from focusing solely on himself to also caring about his partner.

And of course we get a couple more fascinating tidbits of information about Chris Parker. I peeked enough to know that he figures prominently in the next book in the series, The Academy. I'm looking forward to it.

Nigerian Marketplace
$14.98
This fabulous album recorded in July 1981 at the Montreux Jazz Festival is worth searching for now that it no longer seems to be available new.

The title track alone makes it worth the price. A haunting composition by Peterson, which was orginally supposed to be part of an African suite. After the theme the trio really take off and Oscar is his usual brilliant self, both bluesy and funky, but actually its Neils Pedersons bass playing on this track that will really grab your attention. Stunning playing by the late great dane. Track 2 is Charlie Parkers 'Au Privave' taken at a typically unplayable (to mortals anyway) tempo by Peterson. Again there is great solo by Pederson on this track.

If the remaining tracks don't quite match the excitement of the opening two tracks you be assured that the remaining tracks are of an equally high standard. That said 'Cakewalk' is another great performance. The closing 'You Look Good To Me' (a Peterson favourite) starts with apparent restraint from Oscar on his solo, but just when you thought it was safe to go near a Piano again without it catching fire, Oscar puts the afterburners on until by 3 or 4 minutes into the track everyone is flying again! The drummer on the album is Terry Clark and he never less than excellent.

There are a few Peterson albums you should buy ahead of this album. However only one of these (The Trio with Pederson and Pass) feature Neils Pederson. For that reason this album is absolutely essential as it features both Peterson and Pederson playing at the top of their game.

The Slave (The Marketplace Series, 2)
$15.95
I LOVE this book. The whole series is amazing!!! It is very crude which I love. If love the BDSM scene and can handle strong scenes then i completely recommend this book! My (not sure if i can mention on this site) and i have the whole series and fine it such a joy and enhances our play time 10 fold.