Helping Her Hubby: Indian Sex Book| Matt’s Smut Vault

I’ll take a bold stance: Monday might as well be the best day of the week. Now that our news cycles and work schedules have become so collectively committed and constant, I’m going to formally make a motion that Monday is officially recognized as Smut Vault Day, hopefully becoming the highlight of your week! It certainly is for me, and either way, it’s always a pleasure to have you along for yet another erotic and exotic adventure! This week’s installment will require a bit of a think, and might even be a call for some personal reflection. The idea of Smut is a universal language, and love and sex can make up such a large part of our lives, no matter where we might live. That being said, the differences in the regions, languages and of course cultures that produce these works will still present some occasional challenges. Even if we’re all vaguely interested in the same subject, it’s important to examine the subtleties and considerations to make a work of fiction a global pleasure. Anyway, I’ll save the rest of that speech for my address to the UN, but in the meantime, let’s get down and dirty in a completely new part of the world.

It’s Smut Vault time y’all!

Helping Her Hubby by Sharan Baddle is an English language erotica short, however from the word “go” we need to understand there’s still a bit of a language barrier, and some grammar inaccuracies that may require consideration. The premise, (no matter your propensity with English) is straightforward and sizzling. The young married couple of Sameer and Risha are living both peacefully and seemingly profitably in Delhi. Sameer is working as a Sales manager closing deals, while Risha tends to the house and tries to find some comfortability in their plain and boring sex life. Sameer starts getting reckless, and promises a big time client something he can’t properly fulfill. The shit’s about to hit the fan, but maybe an indecent proposal is in order to set things right. The infinitely wealthy Sushant Thakur has invited the couple over to his fabulous compound to visit during the Holi festival. Though wrong and misguided, there’s only one thing that can make this business deal work for the long term…Sushant is going to have his way with Risha, and Sameer will just have to sit and watch.

It would be improper to call this story a full blown erotica. In fact, only about 15 percent of the story involves putting sexual organs together in a way that we would even describe as sex. There’s a great deal more sizzle than actual steak here, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The build-up and tension of the dissatisfied married couple combined with the unexpected acceptance of the wife makes for a satisfying scenario no matter the level of intercourse. The husband Sameer enters the story as a desperate man not fully considering the sexual ramifications, but unknowingly becomes a willing cuckold submissive once the action begins. The pacing, the ideas, and even some of the execution is to be commended. However, there’s an inescapable issue that I cannot simply walk away from, and that issue… is word choice.

The wealthy benefactor has a sexual kink that could best be described as “consenting non-consent” with his partners, or at least whenever describing his desires for Risha. The difficulty however, lies in the word choice of such a situation. I can’t be delicate, and I have to call it the way I see it. The word “rape” makes several appearances in dialogue as well as narration, and it certainly feels WELL more heavy and inappropriate than the author would have intended. Sushant likes his submissive partners to struggle, and Risha seems more than willing for a bit of rough play…but all of that CNC intent goes out the window when the word RAPE in its coldest and most unsexy context stares me in the eye as I try to join in on the moment. This is perhaps where the language barrier reaches critical mass, as this particular risk is not rewarded when attempted in this way. This certainly isn’t the only author or story out there that could fall victim to this, and I think there’s an answer we have to find as a community. Beta readers, sensitivity readers, an international Google Hangout… we need to figure out something to iron out these kinks (literally) and make it palatable for more readers. It may be hopelessly Pollyanna of me to think this way, but this is too good of a story in concept to merely toss aside due to poor vocabulary.

Verdict: Helping Her Hubby by Sharan Baddle is an impressive Indian import erotica that makes a brave attempt to bring a hot cuckold fantasy to a new group of readers. While certain figures of speech may not roll off the page properly to some readers, the pacing and format make up for this to stay immersed in the narrative. What’s less forgiving is the use of harsh language involving a “rape” fantasy shared by multiple characters. While no lines may have been crossed by the actions, the words themselves hold the story back in both maturity and sexual pleasure. I encourage the author to make attempts to reach out to a wide swath of erotica lovers to better understand where his writing should grow…and more importantly where to take the pruning shears. We’re all in this together, and I know with the right tools we can make this story spark and shine for sexy readers worldwide.

Special thanks to Sharan Baddle for providing a review copy of Helping Her Hubby to TehBen.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Author’s Page: Sharan Baddle
Purchase Link: Amazon