Customer Reviews

Agony/Ecstasy: Original Stories of Agonizing Pleasure/Exquisite Pain

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I rarely buy anthologies because most are not as satisfying as full size novels. I took a chance on this one. Sadly I was disappointed. There are 21 stories by 20 different authors. Each story is about 20 pages long. Because they were so short, something was missing from all of them. The least satisfying were those with unfinished endings, not knowing what would happen with the couples. Some had potential but I wanted more background, character development, or relationship development. The genre is probably erotica, but some stories have the feel of erotic romance. There is at least one intense sex scene per story. A majority of the stories have pain with sex. Most of the sex scenes are one man and one woman, but one story has two women, two stories have two men. Expect rear door activity and sex toys. Most of the stories are contemporary, but others include historical, futuristic, paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi.

11 Agony Stories:
These had a pain theme. This meant one of the characters was being physically hurt, whipped, pinched, bit, cut. The characters enjoyed feeling pain, but it didn't do anything for me. I couldn't identify with them, and there wasn't enough else to draw me in. I have liked a number of BDSM stories, so it wasn't that. It was just this didn't work for me.

The best of the Agony stories was Wicked Wedding Night by Margaret Rowe. It was similar to the Kate Pearce books about a guy who was tortured in prison and now must cause pain to his female partner in order to have sex. It had a happy ending which I liked. But the pain to his partner didn't do anything for me.

Caged by JK Coi had potential. A werewolf was imprisoned. The hanging, unfinished ending was the problem. I wanted a lot more on this.

10 Ecstasy Stories:
I was surprised that some of these also had pain. A few of these could have been good. But because they were so short, things were missing. My favorites were the following.

Into the Red by Cameron Belle. Very intriguing about two men. Tom is a gladiator type warrior who fights in a televised arena. Brendan is a doctor who examines Tom.

On My Skin by DL Galace. Girl is depressed and down on her luck. She gets a tattoo. Good. Had potential, but I wanted more background about her, and more about him as well. The ending was too abrupt.

Rescue Me by Meljean Brook. Bad guy Shaw kidnapped and tied up girl. I wanted to know what happened to Shaw. This was good, but too many unanswered questions.

Just Say Yes by Helenkay Dimon. Female boss and male assistant have hot sex. It has potential.

OTHER ANTHOLOGIES:
It's possible to have entertaining short stories with happy endings. There were five short stories in "Sauce for the Goose" which I thought were very good to excellent. So it can be done. But it wasn't done here. The average number of pages in SFTG was 12 pages per story.

DATA:
Story length: 426 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: each story has at least one. Settings: various times and places. Copyright: 2011. Genre: erotica.

Really enjoyed 4 of the stories (Ann Calhoun, Del Dryden, Meljean Brooks and Cristine D'Abo), but the rest left me in various stages of "meh" (or worse). Poorly developed stories just did me in. I like reading dear author but it's a pretty big mystery to me why they hired a blogger to edit...it was pretty clear she wasn't hired for any actual editing skill. I don't want marketing gimmicks, just good stories. If i'd paid 5 bucks, I wouldn't feel so cheated on this book.

"Agony/Ecstasy" is an anthology edited by Jane Litte that has the subtitles of "11 stories of agonizing pleasure" and "10 stories of exquisite pain". The reverse positioning of the stories in the book reflects the mirror nature of the two emotions and the short stories therein run the gamut from a couple taking their relationship to the next level to an established relationship undergoing a one-eighty shift of role reversal with the punisher becoming the punished, all linked with their descriptions of the ecstasy conferred with a thorough spanking or other infliction of pain as an arousal aid. An erotic twist on the tale of the Nutcracker, a bachelorette party that explores boundaries that the bride-to-be hesitated to approach with her fiance, a darkly erotic version of the Little Mermaid story, a woman determined to convert the pain she has experienced into a reaffirmation of her life, a tattoo's endorphins changing emotional pain into a freeing experience, an executive who fails to relieve his stress in the boxing ring and more. The stories include both straight and gay relationships and are written by such talented authors as Meljean Brooks, Christine D'Abo, Jessica Clare (aka Jill Myles) and HelenKay Dimon with their usual style and flair and includes the talents of widely published erotica authors as well as those who are relatively new to the scene.

A darkly sensual collection of tales that explore the erotic spice conferred by pain. The fine line between punishment and reward is blurred as participants test their boundaries and the freeing nature of allowing someone else to dictate their pleasure. The editor has done a masterful job of choosing 21 spicy tales sure to torture the senses and arouse a delightful frisson of imagination for both those who are curious and those who are well-experienced at the juxtaposition of desire and pain.

© Night Owl Reviews

Each one of these authors pulls you into their characters lives, and holds you captive through every kiss and caress. The link between pleasure and pain is a common theme throughout these stories, but each has its own unique voice. With the kiss of a whip and a scream of passion you are submerged into this world of sensation that I promise you will love as much as I do. There is now a whole new list of authors I want to follow, and I cannot wait to begin.

Read the full review here:
[...]

Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

First up, I have to admit I didn't read all of the stories in this anthology. There are always a bunch of stories in any given anthology that don't float my boat. I know this about myself, so if the story isn't working for me in the first couple of pages, I just skip to the next. Some of these stories really did not work me, but others worked so well that it more than made up for the misses. I'll review what I liked best in this anthology first.

Transfixed (story one) & Transformed (story 2) by Anne Calhoun:

This pair of stories were the best in the book, IMHO. Although the Slot A/Tab B aspects of the story were very hot, the real meat of the erotic content was in the thoughts and feelings of the characters as they interacted with each other. In a very short number of pages the author managed to make her characters seem very real - so real in fact, that by the end of the anthology, they were the only characters who's names I could still remember off the top of my head! Cole & Marin put more meaning into one kiss than some people put into an entire relationship. I particularly loved this, as it proved that even after multiple sexual encounters, one kiss done right can be the most erotic thing of all. 5 stars.

Wicked Wedding Night by Margaret Rowe:

Historical about an innocent miss who entraps a Viscount into marriage, only to discover on her wedding night that he's got mucho psychological problems (paging tortured hero 27B) and he likes tying women up and flogging them in the bedroom. Our hero thinks the two issues are intertwined. Our heroine suspects they are not as she has no psychological problems but enjoys it all as much as he! This story is rich and emotionally lush. It feels like an entire historical romance compressed down into one wedding night snapshot. My second favourite of the anthology. 5 stars.

Safeword by Delphine Dryden:

Fun exploration of a sub who is comfortable with her sexuality teaching her vanilla friend to be her dom. He seems up to the task and really gets into it, enjoying himself as much as his new tutor enjoys teaching him. There is a real vibe of friendship and trust between these characters that leaves you with a smile on your face. Also: hotness! 5 Stars.

Rescue Me by Meljean Brooks:

I had to read this one twice. First time through, I actually skipped most of the erotic content because I couldn't really get into it while wondering what was going to happen to the heroine. I was very conscious of the fact that the stories in this anthology were not necessarily going to have Happily Every After Endings. Basically, the suspense plot was too well done for me to enjoy it as erotica. I went back and read it again for the erotic content after I knew the ending, but by then the moment had passed for me, so to speak. 4 stars

Bruised Ego by Christine D'Abo:

I really liked this one. It was definitely erotica, but of the sensual rather than sexual persuasion (although it has sexy times in it). I found it to be more about the intersection of sensuality, sexuality, self acceptance and our desire for validation by others. All interesting ideas that Ms D'Abo swirls into a very short but non-the-less interesting story. 4 stars.

Bachelorette Party by Jessica Clare:

This one was kind of cheesy, and you could see the ending coming a mile away, but you know what? I really liked it! It was short, fun, hot and had a sweet ending. 4 stars.

The other stories were 3 star reads for me or lower. Some were DNF's. At this point, however, I have amassed enough 4 & 5 star reads (7 out of 12) to say that this anthology was worth it's purchase price. I've had some enjoyable reads and found some new-to-me authors to dive into, which was my main purpose for buying it. From reading other reviews, I can see that some people didn't like the ones that I did like, and vice versa. I guess that's a sign there is enough variety here for there to be something for everyone. In closing, I will say that the whole 'flip book' bizzo was a complete dud for me as I read it as an ebook.

I bought this on a recommendation as I don't usually read erotic literature. Not sure what I was expecting but have been pleasantly surprised. So far I have read Anne Calhoun's "Transfixed" and "Transformed", Sarabeth Scott's "Silverhouse" and Sara Thorn's "Overtaken". Really 'enjoyed' each one and am pleased I tried out a new genre. These stories offer high quality writing, are well structured and... I like the endings.

I'm just going to jump right in to my thoughts on this one:
I'm not usually a fan of anthologies, so I was a bit hesitant to read this, but I ended up really enjoying it. I like reading BDSM if it's not too over-the-top, and these stories were just the right speed for me. It's kind of silly, but I thought it was very cool that the book had two sides - you read the Agony side, then flipped it over for the Ecstasy stories.

My favorite story (actually two) was Transfixed (on the Agony side) by Anne Calhoun, and her other story, Transformed (on the Ecstasy side). Very good BDSM stories; she's a dom and he's a big burly guy who likes to be hurt. I'll say again: Very good. I've added Ms. Calhoun to my "authors I must try" list.

Also on the Agony side:
Safeword by Delphine Dryden - short, sweet, friends to lovers. Hero was kind of a nerd. Very cute.

Bachelorette Party by Jessica Clare. At first I wasn't too into this but by the end I enjoyed it.

Wetwire by Snny Moraine was an original concept and I enjoyed it. Set in the near future, an interesting twist on gaming.

On the Ecstasy side:
Rescue Me by Meljean Brook had me confused at first but once I figured out what was going on I really enjoyed it.

Silverhouse by Sarabeth Scott was way too short - I wanted more! I liked the couple and their master/sub relationship in a historical setting was unique but good.

I also liked Bruised Ego by Christine D'Abo; I'll be looking for more by this author. Kind of made me think of Willing Victim by Cara McKenna for some reason - maybe the boxing in order to be hurt? I'm not sure - very good though.

There were only a few stories I didn't care for, none of them DNFs though, which I guess is the benefit of them all being short. I liked the mix of historical, contemporary, and paranormal/sci-fi. I didn't care for either GLBT story (there were only two - one f/f, one m/m), which kind of surprised me.

I would definitely recommend Agony/Ecstasy for readers who aren't sure if they'd enjoy BDSM-type reading, as well as readers who are already fans of the genre. I've discovered some new-to-me authors I'll be pursuing in the future.

Of all the reviews I write, anthologies are the hardest nut to crack. When the anthology is one of numerous short stories, rather than a handful of novellas, the task grows even more difficult. When you're working with stories that are a mere 20 pages in length, how do you review them without giving away all the details?

Since this is a genre collection, rather than a literary one, there's not a ton to talk about thematically. The authors' goals were to entertain, not enlighten. So I'd suppose my job as a reviewer is to try explain if they succeeded or not.

So, to begin with, it's like most anthologies: some great stories, some terrible ones, and a bunch of ok ones. Definitely erotica, not romance, and not actually all BDSM themed. Most have at least a thread of romance to them, but only a few had an HEA. Some don't even have an HFN. Rest assured that none of the stories are downers, but if you're a romance reader you might not know what to make of the stories with fully ambiguous endings.

If I added up my grades for the stories to find the mathematical average, the book comes in at a three. Somehow that just didn't match my perception of the anthology as a whole. The raw desire and emotion of "Shameless," the pulse-quickening suspense of "Rescue Me" and the convention-bucking "Safeword" seemed better than a mere three star read. "Caged" breathed new life into the tired werewolf theme and left me begging for more. "Into the Red" was an imaginative futuristic gladiator tale with some of the hottest emotion in the anthology. "Bruised Ego" and "Overtaken" took two different takes on boxer/fighter heroes, managing to show both sides of the same coin.

Yes, "Wetwire" was derivative Neuromancer fanfic, the dialog-free "Taken" a boring Indian captive story and "The Wooden Pony" a phoned-in maledom BDSM cliche, but they didn't manage to spoil the bunch. For every bad story there were two okay ones and one great one. Isn't that really the best you can hope for in an anthology?

If you're in the market for quick and dirty erotic short stories, Agony/Ecstasy is a quality offering. It's diverse in theme, sexual orientation and culture and packs enough emotion to keep it from being a volume of forgettable stroke fiction. The strongest entries far outweigh the weakest ones, leaving the lasting impression of a satisfying read. If you're brave enough to step outside the romance genre Jane is associated with, this is a great collection of erotica

The Agony/Ecstasy anthology is made up of "11 stories of agonizing pleasure and 10 stories of exquisite pain." I was hesitant to read this, because I'm not huge on anthologies to begin with and I thought 21 very short stories would not be for me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Many are edgy and all are erotic. I decided to give my brief thoughts on each one.

On the Agony side:

Transfixed/Transformed by Anne Calhoun - One of the main reasons I picked up this anthology is because I wanted to read a story by Anne Calhoun (Liberating Lacey is a favorite of mine!). And she is the one author that has a story on both the Agony side and Ecstasy side. Her story features a dominatrix and a former marine who submits himself. In this story she dresses in a 1950's housewife fashion, and whips him. It's really, really well done. I could have read 350 pages about these two.

The Sybil by Jean Johnson - A warrior, emperor type story. Didn't like this one, skipped most of it.

Caged by J.K Coi - A woman meets a man who has been transformed into a werewolf to fight him to learn to be a better agent. Their fighting leads to a very intense sexual encounter. The ending is very abrupt...but I liked it. Very dark.

Each Step Sublime by Bettie Sharpe - DNF this one.

Safeword by Delphine Dryden - Best friends to lovers story, or should I say, a best friends to "paddle my ass as my lover" story. It's cute, a little more on the lighter side.

Stitch and Bitch by A.L. Simonds - A F/F romance that involves naughty nipple play with knitting needles. This one was just okay for me.

Bachelorette Party by Jessica Clare - A woman wants to be whipped before settling down, and is running out of time with her approaching wedding. Her BFF sets it up for her. This one is a little more on the lighter side as well. I liked how it played out.

Wicked Wedding Night by Margaret Rowe - Set in 1815, Viscount Lucien Ransford had a woman sleepwalk (or so she says) into his bed one night and two nights later finds himself married to her. Having spent time in a French prison, his needs have become quite....special. He needs to be the master, or else stimulation eludes him. His wedding night starts by tying up his bride - much to her horror. The heroine is "short, plump, her dull brown hair frizzed in damp weather, and she read books." And it is a very good story - intense and dark. Loved it and my favorite of the book.

Shameless by Edie Harris - A woman attends a play with her once fiancé, who now just uses her as a mistress. Miserable in her position, she catches the eye of the man who choreographs the fight scenes in the play. She meets him backstage and she finds out he gets off on being hit by women. And she is a very angry woman. There is hitting and then smexy times. It is dark, but I didn't connect as well with this one as some of the others.

Taken by Rebecca Lange - Hiro's clan has brought him a woman to replace his wife that he lost in a raid the previous winter. He has bound her, more to protect her until she can trust him. Myriam wants to escape, not realizing she would be running into danger. Not speaking the same language, these two learn each other through touch and he tries to show her through physical pleasure that she can trust him. This one a little slow for me.

Wetwire by Sunny Moraine - Finding sexual play while jacked into a console. Skipped most of this one.

On the Ecstasy side:

Transformed by Anne Calhoun - See above.

Rescue Me by Meljean Brook - Jenny ends up kidnapped by a high school science teacher, who also has been murdering brunettes. He ties her up and leaves her to go someplace. Jenny knows she must escape. She had been on the phone with her friend, and detective Ian, when she was abducted...so he knows she is in trouble, but doesn't know any details. Bound to a chair, she pretends he is there with her, doing sexy things to her, as she desperately tries to escape the cabin she is in before her abductor comes back. This one is really good. Very creepy and I love how Jenny imagines Ian there and their sexual play, but what she is really doing is trying to escape. Very unique.

The Wooden Pony by Shoshanna Evers - A former cutter, Natalie reaches out online to find someone who can inflict pain on her...in a more pleasurable way. She meets Eric and after an long online chat, they meet in person the next night. He takes her back her his place for a whipping and other fun games. There wasn't a lot of meat to this one. It didn't feel as emotional as some of the other stories.

Kiss of Life by Lily Daniels - This one has a lot going on for such a short story. A survivor of the Titanic disaster, Theodora is just married, yet there is another man who Theodora and Hugh must deal with before they can be happy. I liked the setting in this one, but I never felt much love for Hugh. They all come across kind of cold.

Silverhouse by Sarabeth Scott - This story is just a glimpse at a night with Christoph and Clara...where Christoph is punishing Clara for acting out against him. And although it is just a sex scene - it is so good. So dirty, and the punishment and submission works really well in this one.

Bruised Ego by Christine d'Abo - On the advice of a friend, Lee goes to see a "therapist," but this therapist isn't they type he was thinking of. She is a professional dom. He realizes she satisfies this deep seeded need in him. Pretty straight story of a man being taken apart, to be put back together again. I liked it.

On My Skin by DL Galace - Marnie has turned to drinking and not taking care of herself after her divorce. What she really wants is a tattoo, and often finds herself loitering around the shop, but never having the nerve to do it. Until one night the tattoo artist, Michael, won't take no for an answer. Marnie needs that pain from the needle, as it brings her back to life. This one doesn't have explicit sex in it, but it still is sexy and plays off the pain aspect.

Just Say Yes by HelenKay Dimon - This one is a naughty story about a boss and her assistant. They've started a dirty affair, but Allie knows she can't continue to sleep with her employee. But he won't take no for an answer. Super sexy and fun story.

Into the Red by Cameron Belle - I didn't like this one. Skipped most of it.

Overtaken by Sara Thorn - Liz and John have been broken up for three months and Liz doesn't understand why. Meeting with him after one of his fights, she presses him to tell her why they broke up. John wants things from her - pain when it comes to sex and can't communicate to her what it is he wants. But Liz refuses to go away until he tells her what it really is he wants out of their sex. This one was just okay for me.



As I said in the beginning, although there were a few that didn't work for me, I still enjoyed the time I spent reading this. It also introduced me to some new authors that I now want to try longer books from. Because they are short stories (about 20 pages each) there is not necessarily HEA happiness. Sometimes there is, sometimes it is just a brief glimpse into a sexual encounter. Overall, a nice collection of erotic stories.

"Agony." This section contains eleven BDSM escapades that run the genres gamut. In "Transfixed" by Anne Calhoun, Cole the Sub and Marin the Dom meet when he is a client of her employer. No one brings Warlord Ai-Kan Fen Jul to his knees except the "Sybil" by Jean Johnson. Nora visits the wolf in his cage while wanting her and for her to say his name in "Caged" by J.K. Coi.

"Ecstasy." This section also contains ten BDSM erotic escapades that run the genres gamut. In Christine D'Abo's "Bruised Ego", Lee the CEO who boxes seeks therapy for his bruises and for his attraction to pain when he visits Diana the Dom who insists it's not sex. In the "Kiss of Life" by Lily Daniels, newlyweds Hugh and Theodora are lucky to be alive after the Titanic sank, but his anger even in sex makes their marriage shaky.

Though the characters mostly relate in trysts, most are surprisingly much more developed than normally seen in a short story collection. Readers will enjoy this entertaining erotic collection that includes a variety of sub-genres.

Harriet Klausner