Can't Get Enough

February 10, 2014
First-time authors and big names mingle in an anthology of erotica that whets the appetite but fails to satisfy. Brown (Best Bondage Erotica 2012) has gathered together 27 stories of varying quality, from Louise Blaydon’s wonderful “The End of Sensible,” a queer coming-out story that’s as tender as it is a turn-on, to Jacqueline Applebee’s tedious “Rocket Fuel,” an attempt at comedy that fails to ignite. Kissa Starling’s “Blue Balls” is supernatural smut with a clever feminist twist, and newcomer Beatrix Ellroy’s “Before They Burn” is darkly sexy, but the usually excellent Rachel Kramer Bussel makes a rare fumble with “Under His Watch.” The anthology is marketed as a grab bag of sexual desires, but dominance and submission are recurring themes with little effort toward originality. The lopsided mix would work better if it were half as long: turns out you can, in fact, have too much of a good thing.

March 15, 2014

This sizzling new anthology comes from the publishing house that brought you Gotta Have It. A menagerie of self-professed "quickies and nooners," these stories all depict raunchy romps that just can't wait. Thanks in part to the blend of well-known contributing authors within the genre (e.g., JoAnne Kenrick, Tilly Hunter, Tamsin, Flowers, Preston Avery, Anika, Ray, and editor Brown), the collection covers an admirable range of couples, kinks, and locales. M/M, M/F, and genderqueer pairings are all depicted participating in lighter fetishes--from role play to the rougher side of BDSM. A few of the more inventive exploits don't even involve a partner at all (not an animate one, at least). Flowers's "Those Damned Cobbles" details a woman's lust-filled bicycle journey to meet her lover, which peaks before she makes it through the front door. The diversity of the pieces keeps the reader from growing bored with what could have been a plethora of very similar tales. It also serves as a refreshing reflection of erotica that caters to women without limiting the range of content. "Quick" is truly the name of the game, with some of the stories coming in at barely six pages, but the length (or lack thereof) is perfect for these bursts of passion. A few of the contributions walk the wackier side and may require suspension of disbelief in order to appreciate the erotic elements; one story is composed almost entirely of puns, while another includes a female protagonist who derives superhuman powers from...well, ejaculate. VERDICT There are more hits than misses in this fun and salacious erotic array. Loyal fans of veteran authors Tristan Taormino would do well to pick this one up. Buy where erotica anthologies are popular.

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