A review by tc_mill
Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3 by Angell Brooks, R.J. Richardson, B.B. Sanchez, Lynn Townsend, Abigail Barnette, Dee Blake, Annabel Joseph, Kris Adams, Emmanuelle de Maupassant, Brandy Fox, Leandra Vane, Sommer Marsden, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Lucien Welsh, Thien-Kim Lam, Lyla Sage, Charlie Powell, Tamsin Flowers, Dr. J., Rachel Woe, August McLaughlin, Charlotte Stein, Aya de León
4.0
(Note: I received a free ebook of Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Vol 3 for my honest review.)
The third volume of Best Women’s Erotica of the Year combines significant variety with several recurring themes that keep the book feeling cohesive. The ones that struck me included growing older, the use of paint (or body paint and makeup!) as well as photography and other art, negotiating desires, and storytelling–plus books as physical objects, stress on the physicality part. There was also a great diversity in characters, with a range of ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, jobs, body types, and sexualities, as well as a number of strong stories touching on trauma, gender identity and presentation, and/or kink. One thing I did notice in reading the author biographies is that every contributor had an impressive bio–which is not at all a complaint! But I had the feeling that this volume of Best Women’s Erotica didn’t introduce me to as many newcomers (though a number of writers were new to me) compared to more established or experienced writers. And on the third hand, it’s worth emphasizing the quality of writing in this anthology–there isn’t a single story that didn’t have some line or image that caught my attention, even when not all of them appealed to my kinks or taste in style. Plus there were several that opened my eyes and mind, and I’ll be looking up more of these writers’ work.
The stories I loved most:
Body Shots by Thien-Kim Lam
Bibliophile by Dee Blake.
Guyliner and Garters by B.B. Sanchez
Making It Feel Right by Annabel Joseph
I talk a bit more about them (and other stories I enjoyed) on my blog.
The third volume of Best Women’s Erotica of the Year combines significant variety with several recurring themes that keep the book feeling cohesive. The ones that struck me included growing older, the use of paint (or body paint and makeup!) as well as photography and other art, negotiating desires, and storytelling–plus books as physical objects, stress on the physicality part. There was also a great diversity in characters, with a range of ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, jobs, body types, and sexualities, as well as a number of strong stories touching on trauma, gender identity and presentation, and/or kink. One thing I did notice in reading the author biographies is that every contributor had an impressive bio–which is not at all a complaint! But I had the feeling that this volume of Best Women’s Erotica didn’t introduce me to as many newcomers (though a number of writers were new to me) compared to more established or experienced writers. And on the third hand, it’s worth emphasizing the quality of writing in this anthology–there isn’t a single story that didn’t have some line or image that caught my attention, even when not all of them appealed to my kinks or taste in style. Plus there were several that opened my eyes and mind, and I’ll be looking up more of these writers’ work.
The stories I loved most:
Body Shots by Thien-Kim Lam
Bibliophile by Dee Blake.
Guyliner and Garters by B.B. Sanchez
Making It Feel Right by Annabel Joseph
I talk a bit more about them (and other stories I enjoyed) on my blog.