Customer Reviews

Best Women's Erotica 2009

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a collection of erotic short stories written by women for women. It's a great collection. I've read several of Violet Blue's anthologies, and they are consistently good, but Best Women's Erotica 2009 is *really good*.

It features 21 stories, each by a different author. Most of the stories have a female main character and/or narrator, common in "by women for women" erotica. But beyond that, the collection is full of variety, featuring many different scenarios, orientations, sex acts, writing styles - something for everyone, I guess one could say. But I wouldn't, because I found almost every one of the stories to be exciting and erotic in its own way, regardless of my own personal preferences.

When I first read it, I mostly appreciated the quality of the writing. Violet Blue selected particularly well-written, evocative stories. The erotic impact didn't strike me until later, weeks later, when I found myself opening it up again, with a craving to reread the stories that I was surprised to realize I remembered with excitement. Who would have thought?

Some of the highlights:

"Fly", the first story, by Valerie Alexander. It features a lustful Tiger Lily, hunting and dominating both a feisty rebel Peter Pan and a shy virginal Wendy. Concept sounds silly, but the execution shines. I've returned to this story many times.

"What If", by Cheyenne Blue. A committed lesbian/transgender couple fantasizes together about luring a curious straight woman into her first lesbian sex experience. Again, the writing really brings it to life, sets the mood, draws you in.

"Eve", by Alana Noel Voth. Unusual lyrical writing style. I have to mention this one because it includes a scene where the girl fantasizes about... McNulty from the Wire. "He lay beneath Eve, Jesus style between her legs, looking up in her face and trying not to come because she'd told him, 'If you come, I'll kill you.' So Jimmy had to decide." Nice.

I also liked "Mr Snug", "Decorations", and "Live Bed Show".

The collection has a lot to offer. It's also a good introduction to erotica, for those who have never tried it. I'd recommend it highly.

"...we beg Hades for another deflowering..." Although chromosomally disadvantaged, I did manage to squeeze some small amount of enjoyment out of reading this book.

You get 21 stories across 228 pages. Some stories are as short as 4-5 pages, while a couple go 15 or more. There are author thumbnail bio-sketches at the back, some of them with contact info if you want to interact with a favorite author.

The opener is a good one, taking the Peter Pan saga to a very new place; I will never be able to watch the play or the movie the same way again. Tiger Lily has an idea and takes charge, and Peter and Wendy find they've underestimated her forever. And the book goes from there. There's more than enough power-transfer, tables turned and BDSM, and a good smattering of girl-girl, most of it involving power play. How can I not mention the delightful offering from Ms. Naughty, "Pasta with Blue Cheese and Anal?" Mama mia! And we even get an instance of the highly doctrinally accurate "introitus," a word usually not in danger of over-use in erotic fiction.

The observation I had for my review of Best Women's Erotica 2006 has changed a bit. Last time I expected liberation and women dominating men, taking charge, being in control, forceful, demanding, and casual, but it gave way to too many stories about abject surrender to control, the trite stuff of the bodice-ripper. This time around it's evened out a bit, with less of the taken woman and more of the women knowing what they want and getting it, fast and hard.

And yeah, my tired comment of poor erotica editing appears once again. This one is not nearly as bad as some have been, but it still appears that the "editors" of these collections are the people who choose the stories, not actually, you know, edit them. There's an awkward line about "radiating heat to the touch," and a line about a man "[rising] steadily to his feet" after he's described in the previous phrase as "bruised and dizzy." It's not the end of the world, but it would be nice if someone would pay closer attention to what's being printed.

Bottom line: It's more woman-centered filth-fiction, and it delivers just that. Man or woman, you will enjoy this collection of stories.

I -love- this book, for two reasons: There is a great variety in the stories, and they're all superbly written.
This book has the sweet, the spicy, the daring and the over-the-top. I would say they're all tastefully done, and they're all fairly creative. From a Peter-Pan fantasy (literally) to a germ-a-phobe pushed past his limits, to the married couple trying to keep things spicy... there's something(s) for everyone to relate to, be inspired by, or learn from.
And for the price, it's well, well worth it!

If I had paid attention to the reviews when I was ordering this book, I wouldn't have bought it. The stories are rather tame and even boring in places. I couldn't find one that really excited me. You might have different expectations. However, I would advise you to read a sample chapter or two before purchasing.

I bought this book in the Kindle edition. After the first story, I was sorry that I had.
I found the stories -- atleast the one that I actually read -- to be bland, boring, just plain blah which is really bad for erotic fiction.
I gave it one star because you can't submit a rating of ZERO stars.
Thank goodness I have this one instead: Enchanted: Erotic Bedtime Stories For Women

This is pretty good "bedtime" reading! A lot of erotic fiction is disappointing- either too romance-novel-y or too penthouse-letters-y. This strikes a nice balance, with some steamy raunchy stuff, but decent writing and story lines also. The stories are short, so if you want a long plot and characters you should look elsewhere. I like that some of the subject matter veers pretty far into unusual territory. It's a cheap, no risk way to explore some fetishes that I never considered before, but a couple of the stories may be a little extreme for some folks.

I like erotica that lives up to the hype.
So I found this new collection from Cleis
Press to be a godsend.

So glad to finally feel as though I haven't
WASTED MY MONEY.

Something else I liked but more raunchy was
a Kindle book I found called "Story of a Jealous
Birthday Girl".

I know, I know its by Jackie Christian the soap
opera writer but GOD! I really liked how she
made me laugh, got me "all wet" and gave me
some very unexpected plot twists all in the
confines of a very nasty little short story.
I read her hip hop erotica story "N.Y. BodyGuard"
after (whole other world from mine, but GOD! It
was so darn good).

That one and "Story of a Jealous Birthday Girl"
and now I'm a confirmed JC fan.

Like I said, I like erotic books that live up
to the hype and keep me glued to the page. Its
getting tougher and tougher to find those kinds
of e-books for my kindle.

Thank you Cleis Press for this new collection
and people who want their erotica 'edgier' make
sure you check out Jackie Christian's "Story of
a Jealous Birthday Girl". If your really brave
read "NY Bodyguard"!

My husband and I love to re-enact these erotic stories. We pick our favourites then perform them in our mirrored bedroom with our camcorder recording the whole adventure. One of us will read the selected passage, depending on who has a hand free to hold the book and a mouth free to read the magic. We try and time our orgasms to match the characters in the story and they have been unbelievable. Your mind lives out the experience, your ears hear the experience, in the mirrors your eyes see the experience and your body feels the experience. All put together,you have an atomic orgasm. And all this recorded, it is unbelievable to watch yourself totally lost in uncontrollable ecstasy.

We are members of a swingers group and our home movies have blown their minds and they are all now doing it. The stories in this book are a magical combination of the best in erotica and we have had many happy sessions performing the stories. Violet's Best Women's Erotica 2006 and Best Women's Erotica 2008 have also been masterpieces of erotica and we look forward with eager anticipation and excitement to the 2010 edition.

Highly recommended by us both (and the swingers group). and another favourite I have to mention, especially with the more mature members, is Suzie Van Aartman's 100 Percent Erotica boy is that a red hot book.

I found this a most pleasurable book to read, indeed as are all of Violet Blue's books. A collection of well balanced and varied erotica with something that will appeal to everyone. In particular I liked `Fly', a fairy tale which I think everyone will recognise, with a very erotic flavour which put me in mind of Ms. Madore. What I liked most about this story is how Wendy is depicted, as a demure but very alluring innocent, and I must admit she reminded me of someone who was very dear to me many years ago.

`Live Bed Show', is another story of note that has a genuine warmth about it that made me think that this story is possibly autobiographical. A very English girl in the very beautiful city of Amsterdam getting a dream job of demonstrating luxury beds in a shop window. Very erotic, with an old fashioned happy ending.

A great book, as are all the `Best Women's Erotica' series and long may they continue. One of my notable favourites wasBest Women's Erotica 2007.Two other books of note are Rachel Kramer Bussel's Dirty Girls: Erotica for Womenand Suzie Van Aartman's 100 Percent Erotica well worth adding to your collection.

Can't review, the book never arrived. It's paid for and the freight company isn't listed anywhere so I have no idea who to call at Amazon to find it. Hence the review. Help would be appreciated.