ckcombsdotcom's review
5.0
I’m not even going to pretend to be unbiased — I love Xan West‘s writing. I have been a fan since discovering Xan’s work ages ago. My fandom is mainly based on Xan’s ability to write hot, nuanced sex scenes involving characters with complex gender and sexual identities. After getting partway in, I already knew that this collection was going to be one of my favorites. My standard bearer for how to do kinky erotica right has been Macho Sluts by Patrick Califia. Show Yourself To Me gets to sit right next that classic on my ‘must haves’ list.
West has written some of my favorite BDSM scenes and has a special knack for Daddy/boy scenes. Diversity isn’t thrown in as an afterthought or as something to gawk at. The characters in these stories represent a broad spectrum of the real people involved in kink and BDSM — this isn’t an amplifier for mainstream media representations of what is attractive, this is a mirror on reality with a healthy serving of non-cisgender characters of color, size and varying abilities, all rendered lovingly and fully by this writer. These are hot stories involving consent and respect for real, complex identities. Queer erotica indeed.
West has written some of my favorite BDSM scenes and has a special knack for Daddy/boy scenes. Diversity isn’t thrown in as an afterthought or as something to gawk at. The characters in these stories represent a broad spectrum of the real people involved in kink and BDSM — this isn’t an amplifier for mainstream media representations of what is attractive, this is a mirror on reality with a healthy serving of non-cisgender characters of color, size and varying abilities, all rendered lovingly and fully by this writer. These are hot stories involving consent and respect for real, complex identities. Queer erotica indeed.
leahkarge's review
4.0
Overall, this collection of shorts from Xan West was wonderful. It exquisitely showcases the messy beautiful aspects of life and sex, and how they often intermingle. Show Yourself to Me is a gorgeous dive into the human psyche, and an eye-opening, tender loving look into D/s and kinky lives. I would recommend to all, except for touch and/or sex repulsed ace & aro spec people.
Read the full review on my blog!
Read the full review on my blog!
codalion's review
3.0
I'm giving this three stars because I can tell it'd probably find its home quite solidly with its target audience--which I'm not part of. I don't care that much about BDSM, or rather, I don't care that much about this kind of BDSM: the heavily ritualized, negotiated originating-in-leather-culture kind of kink with a lot of Daddies and Sirs and symbolism, it just doesn't do anything for me. That being said, it's very trans*-positive, very body-positive stuff and fairly responsibly executed, for what it is, and I can appreciate that. I'm sure this is the stuff of someone's dreams. Sort of how I felt about Take Me There, but that was a little more interesting.
jais_pak's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Misogyny
The short stories in this book center heavily on pain and intense interpersonal dynamics. Many stories reference trauma or describe trauma, as characters use kink as catharsis or as a means to work through trauma. The author has provided detailed content warnings at the beginning of the book.gretchening's review
4.0
I'm only recently reading pro published erotica, and this new collection is just what I've been looking for. I want queer and kinky erotica that acknowledges genderqueer and non-binary identity and experience, and let me tell you, the field for this sort of writing, especially done well, is not large.
I tend to prefer single-author collections over anthologies, as anthologies tend to vary so much in style and I can't help but compare authors to one another such that everything feels jarring. Fortunately for me, I tend to very much enjoy West's style.
The characters, though quickly sketched, come in a refreshingly varied and--to my experience--realistic range of ages, bodies, identities, abilities, and interests. It's clear that there are certain themes West enjoys exploring, which is fine by me even when I don't share those specific kinks. As is often the case with erotica, your mileage may vary. For me, seeing my identity represented in satisfying and lived-in relationship situations and embracing sexuality, seeing hot scenes that range in tone from sweet to fun to vindictive to ordeal, makes this a strong read, makes all the difference. I will keep an eye out for further work from this author.
I tend to prefer single-author collections over anthologies, as anthologies tend to vary so much in style and I can't help but compare authors to one another such that everything feels jarring. Fortunately for me, I tend to very much enjoy West's style.
The characters, though quickly sketched, come in a refreshingly varied and--to my experience--realistic range of ages, bodies, identities, abilities, and interests. It's clear that there are certain themes West enjoys exploring, which is fine by me even when I don't share those specific kinks. As is often the case with erotica, your mileage may vary. For me, seeing my identity represented in satisfying and lived-in relationship situations and embracing sexuality, seeing hot scenes that range in tone from sweet to fun to vindictive to ordeal, makes this a strong read, makes all the difference. I will keep an eye out for further work from this author.
sandphin's review
I like the range of identities present. For some reason i never finished this so I'm marking it "abandoned" for now.
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