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Best Women's Erotica 2008

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Yes Yes Yes Yeeeeees 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I loved it and my husband loved it. This and Suzie Van Aartman's 100 Percent Erotica must be the best collection of erotic short stories ever put together. If you loved 2007 you will love this. My husband loves me to read the stories to him, which I try to do with the ultimate tease and it never fails to turn him on, and after he never fails to please me. So yes its great, we can't get enough of this genre, and we await the 2009 edition with our tongues hanging out.

Editorial Review:

Best Women’s Erotica 2008 delivers risky, romantic, heart-pounding thrills. Joyful, daring, and authentic, these 21 steamy stories revel in erotic adventure, from the sparks between strangers to the knowing caresses of long-time lovers. In “Penalty Fare,” a Londoner rides train after train without a valid ticket, until, on an early morning journey to Bristol she finds the conductor who knows just how to punish her for trying to skip the fare. In “Winter Heat,” a woman finds that each year, the winter’s first snowfall reminds her of a cold night when she was 18 and the stranger who taught her that “passion can be found and shared in the most unusual of places.” And in “You Can Do Mine,” Céline finally gets to try out her purple dildo and leather harness with her new lover Leo, the first man to give the right answer when she tells him “you can do mine if I can do yours.”

Return to Me

Julia Templeton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Less Than Satisfying Read 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you're looking from some simple erotica that lacks any sort of complicating depth then this might be the perfect escape for you. If you're looking for a romance with a solid plot, or interesting characters I'd look elsewhere.

Gabrielle Fairmont steps out of a Mary Sue fanfic into this story as a super special, kind, gorgeous damsel in distress that also has super special magic powers and may be the reincarnation of a vampire's tragically deceased wife. Early in the book the author tries to fool us into thinking Gabrielle is a strong, independant figure who shapes her own destiny by plotting an escape from her murderous fiance and learning to survive on her own. This is apparently a fluke on Gabrielle's part, as she spends the rest of the book once vampire hunk Darius rescues her tottering between useless and TSTL (that's 'too stupid to live'). Gabrielle demonstrates the latter element to us perfectly with such brilliant ideas as 'Well I've been having visions of my murderous psycho fiance following me here, and it's daylight so my crew of vampire protectors are all deeply asleep because they burn in the sunlight, but I think now is a wonderful time to go outside the protection of the manor and sit alone in the sunlight on a hill to ponder'. We're supposed to believe this girl survived on her own for any length of time?

The problems with characterization certainly don't end there. Darius, a warrior turned vampire that lost his wife as she was fleeing him, is a flat character. The only thing that stands out about him is that he is 'anatomically impressive' and we are reminded of this repeatedly. Throughout the book the vampires carry a burden of being 'monstrous' except that there isn't really anything remotely monstrous or threatening about them. They feed off their lovers, who retain no memory of being bitten and behave with unfailing civility. Other characters that pass through the story are stereotypical, with good characters portrayed as attractive and 'bad' characters portrayed as being fat, drunk, and anatomically unimpressive. This book carries a naive sense of unerring black and white, so that the characters more resemble caricatures than actual humans.

The relationship between Gabrielle and Darius is virtually nonexistant. They meet, he later saves her, and they start having sex. From then on the book is a constant stream of sex occasionally interrupted by the secondary romance between Darius's vampiric brother and sire. Oh, and there's the whole 'dangerous ex-fiance' matter too, which is both unsuspenseful and largely uninvolved. Gabrielle does have flashes of memories from her past life, but not enough to justify the quick and easy relationship with Darius. The plot here actually had a lot of potential for interesting conflict, but none of it was tapped. There is no conflict or real obstacles for their relationship.

By contrast, the relationship between Remont and Demetri is by far more interesting, but largely overlooked in favor of more Gabrielle/Darius sex scenes. Even this slightly more interesting plot line fails, because we are never given a good reason why Demetri cheats, and the resolution between them is anti-climatic at best.

There are dozens of other complaints I could make, but I've rambled on long enough. To conclude, I found this book to be boring, and uninspired. Don't let the descriptions on the book fool you- this has nothing to do with romance and everything to do with repetative sex.

Editorial Review:

Betrayed by her uncle, the magically inclined Lady Gabrielle Wentworth has been sold into a betrothal with a man who will surely be her ruin. To survive-and to avoid being labeled as a witch-she must accept the help of a five-hundred-year-old vampire who's as dangerous to her chaste body as he is to her fragile heart.

Exclusive

Eden Bradley, Jaci Burton, Lisa Renee Jones

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Rating it individually... 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Two out of 3 stories anyways.

Sanctuary was a good story. Not the best but not the worst either. I guess it's because I'm not overly fond of complete submission type of drama. The scenes were hot but the storyline was a little "not my cup of tea". However I must admit that it was pretty well written in my standard. I did enjoy it just not into it. 3 stars for me

Wild Nights is more to my taste. I was very thrilled to know that Mike got his own story after me being extremely disappointed in Laci Burton last installment "Wild, Wicked, and Wonton". As much as I like Seth, I felt that it was a sad ending because Mike was left out of the equation. I wasn't disappointed for long was I? Thank goodness for that. Anyways, Wild Nights was a fairly awesome and well written story. The scene was sizzling hot and the ending was tearful. In a happy way of course. Wild Nights is actually the reason why I gave this rating a 4 star. If it was a stand alone, I would probably give it a 5 being that we would get more story out of it of course.

Purple Magic is the only story that I didn't bother finishing. I'm not saying that it started out horrible. I read the first 3 pages but then I found that it's not my type of read. If I were to continue just to finish it, I might give it a truely unbiased opinion. So I opt not to. I do enjoy reading paranormals because I am a fan of Christina Feehan,Nalini Singh and Karen Marie Moning and WAS a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon but I don't think i can be a fan of paranormals eroticas. At least not yet. Maybe one day when I'm back into those vampire fetish zone, I'll come back and read this story. So I won't give this story a rating.

Editorial Review:

With these never-before-published novellas, three queens of erotic romance extend a provocative invitation to daring readers.

In Eden Bradley's Sanctuary, an innocent young woman ventures into the dungeons of a private club to broaden her erotic horizons.

In Jaci Burton's Wild Night, the owner of a swinger's club ignores her hands-off-the-customers policy when a certain sexy newcomer joins.

In Lisa Renee Jones's Purple Magic, a daring woman searches for her lost friend in the hedonistic world of Manhattan's underground nightspots.

Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Recommended 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Not being a connoisseur of the spanking genre, I wasn't sure what I was going to think of Rachel Kramer Bussel's latest anthology, Spanked- which is exactly why I wanted to read it. What I found was a uniquely balanced collection of short stories ranging from innocuous introductions and creative play to stories where the characters dove headlong into places both physically and emotionally challenging. Would I recommend this book to others? Absolutely. Whether you're a spanking aficionado or simply curious what the fuss is all about, this book will definitely provide a happy ending.

Editorial Review:

Erotic spanking — whether giving or receiving — is one of the most exciting, arousing, and sensual experiences to enjoy. In this enticing collection, spanking enthusiast Rachel Kramer Bussel has assembled 22 tales of red-cheeked arousal. Whether being disciplined for naughtiness or simply because they crave the sting of a hand against flesh, the men and women in these stories revel in being bent over, paddled, punished, and possessed by their spankers. Those delivering the blows find extreme pleasure in pushing their bottoms’ buttons, making them — and the reader — tremble and quiver in anticipation as they await the next smack. Featuring stories by Alison Tyler, Sage Vivaint, Lillian Ann Slugocki, Stan Kent, Elizabeth Coldwell, Thomas Roche, and others, this sizzling collection offers tales so breathtakingly vivid that readers might find their own cheeks sore just from reading it.

Intoxicating Desires

Nicole Austin, T K Winters

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Editorial Review:

Many women fantasize, but few are brave enough to pursue their desires. Reba, Jodi, Katie and Jackie will risk it all to turn their dreams into reality. Recipe for a Mimosa Night: Take a few libations to loosen inhibitions, mix them with meddling college friends, add in an innocent game of dice, and the result is a steamy cocktail of erotic desires. Reba has been plagued by dark, secret fantasies. Never before has she had such scandalously carnal needsneeds she can barely share with her husband, let alone anyone else. But her tenacious friends enlist the help of mysterious otherworld partners until she spills every spicy detail. Recipe for a Margarita Day: Take one shy woman, toss in three determined alphas, mix liberally with sizzling sex, add a dash of intrigue, and watch the steam rise. Jodi Matthews is the consummate gamer. One crazy night she let her hair down, stripped off her clothes, and anteed up for a night of poker and wild fantasy sex. Now she has three alpha players hot to win her hand. But this is no game, and the jackpot will be even better than her wildest dreams.

Yes, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent collection! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

"Yes, Ma'am" is a great collection of stories about female dominance and male submission. With 18 stories all by different authors there is plenty of variety. The women here take charge of men in lots of different ways and locations, and the men couldnt be any happier. Though the women are powerful and assertive, they have fun with their men without seeming hateful.

Jonathan tries to assert himself to Jennifer so she will allow him to take part in a threesome in Lee Ash's "Tea for Three". In "Secret Desires" by Ellen Tevault, Henry secretly lives out his fantasy of serving Loretta but is fearful of scaring her off. Valerie's new husband can only watch as she seeks pleasure without him in Dominic Santi's "Wedding Night."

If I had to pick one favorite, it would be Rachel Kramer Bussel's "Secretary's Day". Matthew gets to live his fantasy by working for the powerful Ms. Davis, where he has to take care of office tasks and duties of a more "personal nature."

There are only a few that didn't do it for me. Some are incredibly hot while others are just enough to get me going. With such a nice selection, there is bound to be a good amount of material to enjoy for people who like the theme.

Editorial Review:

Experience the thrill of submission to the woman who dominates you day and night. In this collection, naughty boys get what's coming to them from wicked wives and stern mistresses. From a naked party plaything at the mercy of a room full of powerful women to being tied up and shown how to truly please the woman of your dreams, these men get fully teased and taunted, receiving the punishments they truly deserve and crave. Featuring stories from Alison Tyler, Debra Hyde and Ellen Tevault, Yes, Ma’am gives a whole new meaning to "mean girls," one that will be sure to delight and arouse you.

Yes, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

More please 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

"Yes, Sir" is a delicious collection of stories that will most certainly appeal to the very, very good, innocent sweet girls as well as the oh so naughty, bratty and testing girls out there.

From discovering that first rush from calling that special someone "Sir" to planning a lunchbreak according to someone else's plans to realizing the only pink allowed is the pink...

Well, you'll just have to read to find out more. And yes, you will want more. And if you ask nicely, you just might be allowed...

Yummy! 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

If you liked RKB's previous femsub/maledom anthology 'He's On Top', you will definitely enjoy 'Yes, Sir'! Again you have a fine, diverse mix of tales; some with premises bordering on the cliche, granted, but pretty much every one delivers on the illicit thrills. Bonus kudos for the awesomely sexy cover, too!! ;)

Good for the Curious and the Experienced Alike 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I've been involved in the D/s lifestyle for several years now, and so I approach these kinds of books with a bit of scepticism and an expectation to roll my eyes a lot.

Not once. Not one roll of the eyes at all. Instead, I found myself nodding a lot. Why? Because the writers she found not only managed to give a good broad range of the types of power exchange, they also did a magnificent job of exploring the motivations. Whether it's the teasing seduction of "Dear Professor Pervert" or the rawness of "A Necessary Correction" the stories cover the gamut.

My own personal favorite though was Kathryn O'Halloran's "Ribbons." I've read it several times over, and the romp through the mind of a submissive is one of the most erotic journeys my mind's ever taken. A great book from a great editor.

Forbidden Fantasies (Ellora's Cave)

Jaid Black, Jaci Burton, Ann Jacobs, Sahara Kelly, Sherri L. King, Cheyenne McCray, Lorie O'Clare, Jory Strong

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

EIGHT TANTALIZING ORIGINAL NOVELLAS FROM THE HOTTEST AUTHORS AT ELLORA'S CAVE WILL PLEASURE YOUR SENSES AND AROUSE YOUR DEEPEST FANTASIES.

JAID BLACK

Bossy & Clyde

Psychic artist Kandrea Kane hires Damon Clyde to design her cozy new apartment, but she doesn't predict the erotic energy his masculine touch ignites in her voluptuous body.

JACI BURTON

Legend's Passion

A night of anonymous ecstasy in the park with a gorgeous werewolf is a red-hot sexual release for Chantal Devlin -- until a case of mistaken identity leads to a dangerous surprise.

ANN JACOBS

Eternal Triangle

When mortal master Chad Lalanne and his sensuous vampire submissive Katie invite Philippe d'Argent on an erotic trip into a Cajun paradise, the lovers unlock wild, forbidden desires on the bayou.

SAHARA KELLY

Lady Elizabeth's Choice

After a raw, passionate encounter that claimed Lady Elizabeth Wentworth's innocence months ago, Lord Spencer Marchwood decides the only way to win her love is to seduce her with sexual pleasures she can't refuse.

SHERRI L. KING

Selfless

While researchers try to determine who -- and what -- beautiful Eva really is, she relinquishes her darkest fantasies to the primal call of confident, golden-haired Dante, who rescued her from an evil scientist.

CHEYENNE MCCRAY

Wild Ride

DEA agent Santiago towers over Tess with a Stetson on his head and smooth bronze skin she longs to car-ess, putting her on her naughtiest bedroom behavior -- and exposing her to a risky game of hot pursuit.

LORIE O'CLARE

Wicked

Tight-bodied lunewulf Jaynie Rousseau loves her freedom too much to mate...until strong, aggressive Cariboo lunewulf Perry Roth tempts her animal senses and arouses her lustful appetite.

JORY STRONG

First Sharing

In order to save their people, handsome, feather-winged Laith and his muscle-bound, bat-winged friend Rykken must convince delicate Cyan to abandon her earthly art for a life of carnal indulgence in a land far away.

Step inside Ellora's Cave, where passions run wild and the sexiest fantasies come true....

Playing Easy to Get

Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, Jaid Black

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Trio of Hot Tales 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Playing Easy to Get
2006
Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jaid Black, Kresley Cole

This anthology of three erotic romance tales brings together some of the most well-known names in romance -- Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of paranormal "Dark Hunter" series­ (among others); Jaid Black, founder of popular "Ellora's Cave Publishing"; and Kresley Cole, who made her debut into the supernatural with the first installment of "Immortals After Dark".

Turn Up the Heat
Sherrilyn Kenyon

"Playing Easy to Get" opens with a fun, if slightly convoluted, entry into Sherrilyn Kenyon's wickedly-acronymed "BAD" (Bureau of American Defense) series.

Novellas are always tricky for me to review -- and Kenyon does manage to pack a lot into less than a hundred pages (especially in regard to her hero), but the characters' evolution on the whole and the evolution of their relationship is so fast that I had trouble swallowing it. I'm all for reading about realistic, no-strings-attached physical intimacy -- and I think it makes for more believable dimensions in fiction -- but there was very little bridge from sex to "true love".

Vince Cappelletti is ex-mafia-turned-good-guy who gets signed up to work undercover as security on what amounts to be Fantasy Island. Allison George is lucky Georgia girl who wins a trip to said Fantasy Island. Needless to say, things go to hell in a handbasket quickly when Vince's past catches up to him, and Allison ends up caught in the crossfire. The two end up on the run, and romance grows.

Not too bad, overall, and entertaining to take up an hour or so -- Kenyon's usual romp of violence and hotness.

6.5/10

Hunter's Oath
Jaid Black

I'm usually not a fan of Nordic settings, but Black offers enough twists on the usual tales to keep her offering fresh.

Sofia Rowley, after losing her brother and with him the last member of her family, is taken captive by neo-Viking warriors and auctioned off at the block. As she soon learns, she is no slave, but rather the bride of a warrior whose nearly-instant love for her starts to warm even her own frozen heart.

As mentioned already, this novella has a neat concept, and in a longer length and with a bit more fleshing out, it wouldn't be too bad. It has a little too much of a male-centric feel, though certainly not misogynistic, and the development between characters happens far, far too easily. Take a read if you're already buying the anthology.

5.5/10

The Warlord Wants Forever
Kresley Cole

The longest, last, and by-and-far best tale in the book is penned by then-newcomer to the paranormal scene, Kresley Cole. "Immortals After Dark" was not yet one of the best-selling series on the market, but this is without a doubt still worthy of the same accolades.Cole introduces -- and does a remarkable job of -- creating an entire paranormal realm in under two-hundred pages, while fleshing out a believable, hot romance.

Varying factions within the "Lore" -- the supernatural side of our world -- are battling for power, even amongst their own species. Nikolai Wroth, soldier in a "good guys" vampire army bent on destroying the killers of their kind, stumbles across a conundrum of a female who just might be his predestined mate.

Unfortunately for him, Myst, a Valkyrie and immortal warrior, has other plans for the vampires she finds, and it takes all of Wroth's resources and strength to even keep her around long enough to seduce.

I loved this story, and while all of Cole's following books are good, this little tale which introduces it all is one of the best nuggets in the series. Whether or not you liked the full-length novels, this is an exercise in "how, properly, to write romance" -- not to mention "how, properly, to write erotica". The tale's hot as hell (with all puns intended), with hints at D/s and fiery power-play -- this is not to be missed.

8.8/10

Editorial Review:

Dallas Homicide Detective Rachel Collazo is one tough cop---as foul-mouthed as she is beautiful, and almost fanatical about her work. When a woman comes to the station with suspicions about her sister's death, Collazo jumps on the case.

Cops and Cowboys

Lora Leigh, Shiloh Walker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Timid and shy, in her wildest dreams, Allie never imagined Alex would look at her with anything more than friendship and maybe a little pity in his eyes. As if living a nightmare, one horrible night Allie is attacked, and Alex comes rushing to her rescue. He wonders if he is really needed when he finds a little hellcat fighting off her attacker. Much later that night, Alex holds that little hellcat in his arms. Months later, he runs into Allie again, and he barely recognizes her. She's no longer the shy little wallflower she had once been. Problem is…she doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with him. Allie's about to find out that he's the only man guaranteed to make her wildest dreams come true. Melina had lived her life in her older, selfish twin's shadow until the final deceit forced her to refocus on her own life. But the past has not been forgotten by Luc Jardin. Now, kidnapped and at the mercy of a man with a grudge, Melina must learn to accept the past as well as her attraction to the arrogant rancher. Just as Luc must learn to accept that, sometimes, things are not always as they seem