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3.0 out of 5 stars
Erotic Brits by Jacqueline Applebee, March 16, 2010
This review is from: Erotic Brits (Paperback)
"Welcome to my world. The diversity of these stories reflects the Great Britain in which I live as a minority within a minority--a bisexual, kinky, polyamorous woman." The beginning of the introduction to Jacqueline Applebee's anthology <em>Erotic Brits</em> is the perfect lead-in to this collection of stories. All share the common theme of having characters from Great Britain, yet each short story is a unique approach to sexuality in a "multicultural, multi-sexual" world.
Some of the stories stood out for me due to their interesting theme or intriguing characters. "Fanatic" is the tale of a woman who lets musician Lenny use her for his own satisfaction. Her fanaticism for the rocker is described deftly as a sickness, and her revelation of how to cure herself is intriguing. One of my favorite lines of the anthology is from this story, "We are all fanatics together in our special brand of hell." "Moo!" is a most surprising tale where a woman awakens one morning with the revelation that she wants to be a cow. This is a twist on animal play and the story manages to explain why the woman would want to be treated like a cow in the guise of an erotic tale.
In "Getting Used to It," a woman discovers her boyfriend's fascination with a male model, and takes the chance to spice up their sex life. Here the key is a couple that is willing to adapt to new tantalizations, and the photos of the model end up playing a sexy and fun part in their relationship. "I Used to Have a Life" is the tale of a woman who has become the property of a female vampire, and the lengths she will go to secure her position as the vampire's favorite. This was a surprising tale both because of the honesty of the character and the unexpected twist at the end. This is one vampire tale that does not follow the typical story arch, and for that reason it's especially interesting.
One aspect that I quite enjoyed in a few of the stories involves characters that are willing to redefine attraction and open themselves up to possibilities different from previous expectations. In "Creating Monsters," a woman at a nudist weekend meets a crossdresser who helps her overcome her fears and insecurities and tap into her dominant side. This is a heterosexual tale with a twist and within just a few pages the woman is very well developed and the path that she follows with Angus is fascinating. In "Daddy Issues," Nat yearns to be called Daddy, but she finds that some women aren't willing to entertain this desire. In the end, she finds what she needs from the most unexpected person. Nat's dilemma is well translated throughout the story and the resolution is touching and erotic.
A few of the stories had good ideas but didn't as work as well for me. In "Proximity," a ghost observes the happenings at a club, feeding off the pleasures of others, especially Raheeda who introduces newcomer Ellen to the joy of pain and BDSM. The parts of the story that focused on the women were appealing, but the inclusion of the ghost was a bit awkward and seemed to distract from the part of the story that worked well. "Caught My Eye" involves a woman finding her true self through an altered version of reality. This story felt a bit disjointed and got to a resolution very quickly, before it was really clear what was happening.
This anthology is filled with sex from England to Scotland and back again. There are all sorts of settings from a ferry to a shower, a cage to a church. There are a variety of combinations of men and women: men who love men, men who love men and women, women who love women, women who love men and woman. It's a diverse exploration of bisexuality, along with heterosexuality and homosexuality, and some transgender themes to round things out. Anything you can think of you'll find in this anthology. These stories are all about pleasure and fun, giving and receiving, and no one is left wanting. Overall this is a good selection of stories that explore different sexualities in a variety of erotic situations. Any reader will be able to find stories to enjoy in this wide array of offerings.
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