The Different Paths to a Man’s Heart

Posted in Lifestyle by

“The way to a man’s heart is through stomach and sports.”
Two Can Play That Game, 2001 film

The wise words of Shante Smith are so accurate. Ladies, pay good attention to this. You see that guy over there that you’ve been dying to make yours but you don’t know how to seize him, leash him and place a nice “OWNED” sticker on his forehead? (NOTE: not really). SolSat is here to help you win a man’s heart.

Do as I say and you will have your man in the palm of your hand, much like Shonte here.

Do as I say and you will have your man in the palm of your hand, much like Shante here.

A man’s gotta eat!
Men like to eat. Men like food. Men like to eat food. Now don’t take this as a sexist “I am not becoming a 50s housewife and delegating myself back to the kitchen” kind of thing because it’s not like that. It’s simple: men love food. Surprise the man with your stellar cooking skills and invite him over for a fabulous dinner. If you are kitchenally challenged, don’t worry – if you have to sneak in some takeaway through the back door, slap it on a plate and call it your own, go for it. The happier the man’s stomach, the happier the man. Ask around for his favourite dish and “just happen” to cook that for him and he’ll be putty in your hand.

Up the Broncos!
Can I just say that anyone who has the same passion and fire for rugby league will automatically shoot into my favourites list, especially if they have the same love for the Broncos, All Blacks or any of my other sporting teams. Most men love their sports or at least have an interest in it, and nothing is sexier than a woman who knows the difference between league and union or how to kick a solid 40m conversion. In saying that, don’t go out of your way to impress him with sports knowledge if you literally have none – nothing is more painful to watch than girls babbling about how they love sports and the only athlete they know is Sonny Bill Williams. Bitch please. NOTE: don’t overdo it, otherwise you might friendzone yourself.

The endangered species of the girl gamer
Just as much as men love sports, they also love their video games – if not made apparent by the gazillions of “He broke my heart so I broke his Xbox”-esque pages on Facebook. Wow the man with your team deathmatch skills on COD and your impressive knowledge on the Tarkatan clan from Mortal Kombat.  Just the same as sports, don’t over do it in case of friendzoning.

Love me, love me, say that you love me
No I am not advocating you walk up to a random man at a bar and say “Oh my god I think I love you”. That’s creepy. No, what I’m saying is to appreciate your desired man by complimenting him and making him feel as if he’s the only one.  While this sounds very feminine and most men wouldn’t openly admit to feeling like this, the truth is that most men like being treated like royalty and will most likely want to wife you if you do so.

Most importantly: be yourself
I know this may seem a bit contradictory as it appears that I’m telling you to change yourself for the sake of a man, but that’s not my intention. If you don’t want to get off your arse and cook or watch a game of footy, don’t. However, it’s always wise to use your talents and knowledge to your advantage. Men (at least, the good ones) can see through an act so if you’re trying too hard to be someone you aren’t, they’ll see through that and be turned off. Nothing is more appealing than a woman who is comfortable in her own skin and does not apologise for being herself. Men will appreciate this and will like this about you.

In interviewing some men for this post, I found a couple that said “they aren’t won over too easily”, so follow my rules and that man will change his ways and be putty in your hands. Putty, I tells ya.

– by The Black Widow

Review: Outback Dreams

Posted in Books, Entertainment by

I had the most interesting story in purchasing this book. Not really. I was without a phone and had to locate my brother in a huge mall the old fashioned way and, along the way, stopped by my new favourite store Dymocks. Giving up my mission to find him for just a second, I stumbled upon this read and seeing as I love anything country, bought it without really reading the blurb.

The story of Faith Forrester and Daniel "Monty" Montgomery.

The story of Faith Forrester and Daniel “Monty” Montgomery.

Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns follows the lives of Faith Forrester and Daniel “Monty” Montgomery, two people who have been best friends since they were children. Faith is unsatisfied with her life – being single, having half a degree, slaving in the kitchen for her father and brother – and is looking to revitalise herself. Monty is working hard and striving for his dream – owning a farm of his own after being snatched from it so early in his life.

Oh. Em. Gee. Can I just first start this review by saying this is literally one of the best books I’ve read in a very, very, very long time? I couldn’t have become more involved in this story even if I wanted to. In what was supposed to be a quick casual read, I first opened the book and didn’t put it down until I was halfway through and I needed to go to sleep at 2 in the morning.

The storyline was one of the most interesting ones I’ve encountered recently. I loved the outback setting (#imalittlemorecountrythanthat) and it made me think of my childhood in Bathurst where everyone knew everyone and it was nice. The evolving relationship between Faith and Monty was absolutely contagious and I found myself emotionally invested in the love and relationship between the two. The inclusion of other characters such as Ruby made it all the more captivating and it thrust me as a reader into the town as if I knew everyone and I was there.

Faith as a character was a hit-or-miss with me. Sometimes I found her to be funny and quirky but to me, she had that “typical romance novel heroine” feel about her – pretty but she doesn’t know it, insecure, lacking confidence. After you’ve been through a lot of romance novels like I have, the mould gets a bit tiring after a while. Monty, on the other hand, filled the boots of charming cowboy perfectly. His conscientiousness to achieve his dreams was admirable and he was just too damn sweet!

The style of writing was different in that it was written entirely in third person but was done in a way that you still knew what both characters were thinking and what they felt. If you were in Faith’s perspective, the writing would match her thoughts, feelings and her daily tasks and if you were in Monty’s perspective, same jist. I found this third person kind of writing very refreshing and I think Rachael wrote it well, making me as a reader empathetic with both characters whilst keeping me out of their heads. It’s a hard task to accomplish but she nailed it.

Solst-o-meter
Storyline: 8.8/10
Style of writing: 8.4/10
Overall: 8.6/10

If there is a book you should go out and buy or borrow or steal or strip naked for, this is the one. Outback Dreams had the right mixture of sweet romance and comedy and sex in it and was, in my humble opinion, one of the best books I remember reading recently. If you’re a romance lover, or you just want a good read, SolSat DEFINITELY recommends picking up this one to perouse!

– by The Black Widow

Review: Beautiful Stranger

Posted in Books, Entertainment by

I haven’t had the privilege of reviewing a book in a while seeing as I haven’t had the time to properly sit down and read one. Eventually my passion for reading “smut” returned and I found myself reading Beautiful Stranger, a close relative to Beautiful Bastard and Beautiful Bitch.

RELATED LINKS: Solstice Satisfaction reviews Beautiful Bastard
Solstice Satisfaction reviews Beautiful Bitch

Just can't get enough of Christina Lauren.

Just can’t get enough of Christina Lauren.


Beautiful Stranger follows the antics of Sara Dillon, who you may (or may not) know as Chloe’s best friend from Bastard and Bitch. She is newly single after leaving her scum of an ex-fiancee. Enter Max Stella, who you may (or may not) recognise as Bennett’s friend who lent him the house in France in which Chloe and Bennett became engaged. Sara and Max meet at a nightclub and eventually agree to a very no strings attached arrangement filled with raunchy fantasies and head-sized burgers.

First of all, I’d like to commend the efforts on intertwining characters from previous books that I thought were simply going to be sidekicks or characters with no real purpose. That was the first thing I found really intriguing and my mind was a bit blown when I realised who Max Stella was. Nice work, ladies.

This novel followed the style of writing of Bastard and Bitch in which different fonts represented the point of view of the main protagonists, Sara and Max. Again, it made it easier to understand and shift gears so to speak when you went from the overthinking mind of Sara to the wondering thoughts of Max Stella. If I had to nitpick on anything, it would’ve been to give Sara and Max different fonts to Chloe and Bennett respectively, just to give them their own flare. I’m not complaining, however.

The storyline of this novel, although it may have seemed a bit predictable, was captivating nevertheless.  I don’t usually find things “Oh golly, this is rather racy” as I’m very open minded but some of the things that Sara and Max participated in within the novel was, dare I say, racy. The interactions between the two characters were always entertaining and I found their blunt sexual talk quite refreshing, not gonna lie.

I found the characters to be very different to Chloe and Bennett and it was nice to begin with. The clear difference between business Sara and slutty Sara was fun to read and the horny-gentleman known as Max Stella was also made clear. I truly liked both characters as they were but I didn’t have the same connection I had with Chloe and Bennett, maybe just because Sara and Max came second. Maybe not. Although, not gonna lie, Max got me at the ending – will not spoil but let’s just say it was cute and something a man generally wouldn’t say.

Solst-o-meter
Storyline: 7.6/10
Style of writing: 8.2/10
Overall: 8.0/10

This book was a very good read that I definitely recommend to other readers, casual or intense, male or female. It’s fun, kinky and sexy and one should not be ashamed to read it openly on public transport like me. I can’t wait to delve into Beautiful Bombshell because, quite frankly, I miss Bennett Ryan.

– by The Black Widow

Dating Nikki: The Do’s and Don’t’s of Movie Dating

Posted in Dating Nikki, Lifestyle by

As young adults, we have undoubtedly reached the time in our lives where we want to get to know people of the opposite/same sex in a friendly or intimate manner. For the beginnings of a budding relationship, movie dating is very popular because it gives the couple a chance to spend quality time together without the added pressures of keeping a conversation flow going.

Look at that solid hand-on-the-shoulder action.

Look at that solid hand-on-the-shoulder action.

With everything, however, there are some general guidelines that one must follow if they hope to achieve a successful movie date and further dates down the track, especially in the beginning of a budding relationship.

Do’s
“We got there, paid for our tickets, and found a seat. The movie got started and we were really excited (excited enough to have an awkward kiss). As it went on, and the dinosaurs got all angry… she got scared, leaped into my arms, and I laughed. But when she leaped into my arms, the chemistry that was there, came back. We looked into each others eyes and kissed. And then a dinosaur ate a dude in half. It was epic.”
Sean Jensen, 20 years old

– Organise transportation to and from the movie venue. If this is a first date, it is generally acceptable and preferred that both daters meet at the movie venue. Further down the track, when both daters feel more comfortable and at ease with each other, a pick-up would be appropriate.
– Arrive to the movie venue at least 10 minutes earlier than the agreed time. This shows great punctuality and it is a good sign for further relationship development. If the date is running late, go and grab a coffee or something to help you feel at ease if you have enough time.
– Plan to meet at least 15 minutes before the movie so you can have a conversation with your date without the pressure of being in a quiet movie theater.
– Greet your date appropriately; do not push past your limits because you feel pressured to. If you don’t feel comfortable kissing the other on the cheek, settle with a hug. Chances are that the other person is as nervous as you are and they will respect your boundaries.
– Breath mints were invented for a reason. Utilise them.
– In some circumstances, physical contact in a movie date is generally acceptable. If the other person is feeling emotional after a romantic scene in a movie, put your arm around them or hold their hand; it will make them feel more secure and is a considerate, warm gesture.
– If you feel as if the moment is right and it is appropriate to, you can kiss your date. Generally speaking, the initiation of a kiss is important: mutual eye contact is a must for a successful kiss. This depends on how comfortable the daters are around each other.
– After the movie is finished, talk about it. It can give you the opportunity for a positive flow of conversation and it can also give you an insight on how the other person thinks.
– Farewell your date in an appropriate manner; the same guideline applies from the greeting – if you don’t feel comfortable kissing them on the cheek, don’t. You can kiss them on the cheek, hug them or simply give them a polite wave. Don’t forget to thank them for the date!

Don’t’s
“For our first date, it was meant to be me and him but he invited [others] along… but with both couples acting like they didn’t know each other… we sat apart from our accompanying party. We were kissing… it was unpleasant and awkward, and everyone in the cinema were staring at us… I wanted to stop but I couldn’t because he wasn’t stopping and I was too uncomfortable making him stop and to this day I do not know what movie we were watching.”
Rebecca Syed, 21 years old

– Don’t talk during the movie, at all. It is common courtesy to those around you to keep quiet so even if you feel the need to make a comment about a scene in the movie, save it for after. Not only will pointless chatter disturb people around you, it may also annoy your date who may be trying to focus on the movie.
– Unless it’s an emergency, refrain from using your mobile phone, especially during the movie. If it’s not annoying your date, it is certainly annoying someone around you. It is also common courtesy to your date as unnecessary phone usage shows a certain level of disinterest in the other person and it may offend them.
– While it is the standard cinema snack, avoid purchasing popcorn as a snack. If the occurrence of a mid-movie kiss happens, nothing is more off-putting than a nice piece of popcorn wedged in your tooth. This can also be said for chocolate and other tooth-colouring snack items.
– Do not go in for an unexpected or seemingly random kiss: it will catch the other person off guard and may scare them off potential future dates. When the moment is right and the intimacy is there, you will know when it is an appropriate time.
– Heavy making out is a no go. It will make others around you very uncomfortable; leave that kind of thing for the bedroom.
– Do not just sit there and have no form of communication with your date whatsoever during the movie. While I’m not talking about chatter, a smile or some other form of appropriate gesture would be lovely. If you keep a stoneface until the end of the movie, it’ll give your date the impression that you are indeed stonefaced.

If you follow these simple guidelines, your movie date should run smoothly and successfully and you will definitely be in for another shot at a date. Who wouldn’t want to date you if you’ve become an expert movie dater after reading this?

– by The Black Widow