Tales from the Hidden Grotto:
House Of Dark Delights and Bound In Moonlight
by Louisa Burton

Book Review by Lisabet Sarai

Louisa Burton must have had a wonderful time writing these books. While most authors' work is stuck in a single time period, the stories in these books range over two millennia. Ms. Burton skips through history, from the Victorian era to the Roman conquests, from the lecherous eighteenth century to the Roaring Twenties. Her tales are anchored by place rather than time, set in the environs of the mysterious and seductive Grotte Cachée, where magic and sensuality reign and nothing is as it seems.

The Grotte Cachée is tucked away in a valley in Auvergne (incidently, the birthplace of Anne Rice's vampire Lestat). It includes a cavern of volcanic origin known for its psychotropic vapors, a geothermal spring whose waters magnify and transmit emotional states, a sacred grove shaded by an ancient oak, and the luxurious Chateau where guests to the valley are accommodated and debauched.

Humans come and go over the centuries, but the long-term inhabitants of the Grotte Cachée are a group of immortal creatures - sexual demons or "follets" - who require the sexual energies of the human visitors in order to survive.  There is Inigo the satyr, whose masculine endowment more than matches the Greek myths; Lili, an ancient Mesopotamian goddess who can mold her victims' perceptions to match their fantasies; Elic, a serial hermaphrodite who can take the form of a handsome man or an equally exquisite woman; and Darius, a shy, shape-shifting genie who cannot help fulfilling the expectations of the people whom he encounters. For two millennia the follets have been protected and kept satisfied by the mysterious Seigneur of the Chateau, and his administrateur, both unbroken lineages from pagan times.

Ms. Burton's tales of the hidden grotto focus on the interactions between various humans and the immortals. There is the jaded eighteenth century countess whose guilt is expiated in a fierce sadomasochistic session with Darius; the desperate Regency era beauty, disowned by her minister father for choosing a lover outside her faith and forced to auction herself as a slave in order to survive; the hard-headed daughter of the Victorian mythologist, who is determined to remain a spinster until Inigo changes her mind. Occasionally we view the world from the follets' perspective, but more often the outrageous wonders of the grotto are revealed through human eyes.

Ms. Burton writes with skill and enthusiasm, brilliantly capturing the distinctive voices and mores of each time period. The human characters are fully-fleshed and distinctive. The immortals, surprisingly, seem less fully realized. I say surprisingly because they feature in every tale, and thus have more opportunity to reveal themselves.  Yet none of the follets has much complexity (Darius seems to be the only one with any sort of internal conflicts) and none of them seems to change over the very long time span encompassed by the books. Inigo in the present is the same charming stud who posed for the Roman sculptors decorating the Grotto's pool. Elic and Lili share a love that can never be physically requited, but they hardly seem tortured by frustration.

I could not help comparing the world of the Grotte Cachée with Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. Both feature a cast of powerful and seductive immortals and range over centuries. In both worlds, the immortals become entangled with humans. Rice's creatures, though, are constantly experiencing spiritual crises, battling the ennui of immortality and questioning their own nature. Ms. Burton's demons have fairly sunny dispositions and rarely seem to be thinking of anything beyond their next conquest.

Of course, HOUSE OF DARK DELIGHTS and BOUND IN MOONLIGHT do not aspire to address spiritual or philosophical issues. They are intended to entertain, and they succeed admirably, with intelligence and humor. The books feature plenty of lively and varied sex, including some insightful explorations of BDSM relationships that I personally felt were among the best passages in the books. (I will not venture to guess whether this reflects Ms. Burton's interests, or my own individual tastes!)

Despite the title, do not expect darkness from these books. Ms. Burton views sex from an intensely positive perspective. Although the follets are styled as incubi and succubi, they do no more than temporarily exhaust their lucky victims. In the Hidden Grotto, no one is ruined by their sexual experiences. More often, they are redeemed.

Lisabet Sarai
January 2008

House Of Dark Delights
(Bantam; January 30, 2007; ISBN-10: 0553384120)
Available at: Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

Bound In Moonlight
(Bantam; December 26, 2007; ISBN-10: 0553384139)
Available at: Amazon.com  / Amazon UK

About the Author: Lisabet Sarai has been writing ever since she learned how to hold a pencil. She is the author of three erotic novels, Raw Silk, Incognito, and Ruby's Rules; co-editor, with S.F. Mayfair, of the anthology Sacred Exchange  (Blue Moon); and editor of Cream, the Best of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association. 
Visit her website, Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory for more information and samples of her writing.
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