Editor: Rose Caraway
Genre: Erotica
Release date: August 12th, 2014
Publisher: Cleis Press
Length: Paperback, 256 pages
Source:Cleis Press
Book Description via Goodreads:
Imagine a library — a very special one run by a librarian whose only concern is pleasing her patrons. In fact, this librarian will stop at nothing to service her readers. To that end, she has carefully collected a fantastic and fantasy-filled set of stories guaranteed to satisfy literary lusts in The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica. This voracious volume is simply bursting at the binding with amorous archives and bibliophilic bliss; it is a veritable dictionary of desires, with stories by top eroticists Rachel Kramer Bussel, Tamsin Flowers, and Salome Wilde, as well as Rose Caraway, the sexy librarian herself.
Excerpt:
From A Perverted Fairy Tale by Emily Bingham
Little Red skipped to the outskirts of town in her short gingham dress, delighting in the red-and-white pattern that hugged the womanly curves of her buxom breasts and shapely behind. It matched her hair and danced in the breeze, floating just above her kneesocks and Mary Janes. As her walking took her farther from the village she tired of the wind making hurricanes of the abundant waves about her face and took a set of sateen ribbons from her pocket to tame her locks. She put one flopping braid on each side of her head and began to skip her way into the woods feeling the braids sway in time to her steps.
The woos were dark and it was rumored evil beasts resided here, but Little Red hadn't a passing hint of fear; the darkness fascinated her. Secretly she hoped to find one particular creature she had heard thrived in these enchanted woods. Wearing such an irresistibly impish outfit, she knew she could lure him out of hiding. She did love an adventure.
Breathing hard from her long journey, she sat on a nearby flat rock to rest. She leaned back, sunning herself in the beams of light that pierced through the trees. Popping open the first button of her thin dress she realized how nice the warmth felt on her skin. Little did she know that in the nearest burst of bushes her dangerous visitor already watched.
It had big eyes gleaming with wickedly growing intent. It was strong and powerful. The hypnotic intonations of its speech could lull and elicit desire from anything that crossed its path. These spells were especially useful on scrumptious women like the one it was gazing upon. Thankfully for Little Red, the voyeur was, however, powerless in the light of day. Darkness was the only time it could leave the shadows. The full moon made it even more dangerous. He was, though, a patient Wolf and had every intention of getting his paws on this red-haired morsel.
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Review:
★★★★★
Five stars.
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Cleis Press puts out a lot of erotica anthologies that I truly enjoy, but this one may just be my new favorite. This was my first time reading an anthology put together by Rose Caraway, and after reading this collection I know that I will be reading more of her work.
The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica consists of 22 short stories that are incredibly diverse. Spanning such erotic genres as fairy tales, Greek classics, sci-fi, and even steampunk, this two hundred something page book truly manages to be its own little library of sexy fun. I love that at the beginning of each story, there's a library-esque card catalog introduction that introduces the story with the title, author, category, and subject. Not only is this incredibly cute and matches the librarian theme of the collection, but it is also exceedingly helpful. It lets you easily flip through the book and pick a book based on your mood and interests at that very moment. Conversely, it allows you to skip stories that you know aren't your erotic interests.
The stories are unconnected, so in addition to easy maneuvering through genres and the like, this means that you do not have to read them in any specific order, or straight through like a regular novel. You can pick and choose, stop and go back, and read in whatever way may tickle your particular fancy. Personally, I went to my favorite genres and kinks first because I'm impatient and the kind of girl who sneaks peeks at her Christmas presents well before Christmas morning.
That being said, I can honestly say that there is no story in this collection that I didn't enjoy. That being said, of course I loved some more than others. I'll share with you my top three stories, in no particular order. "Three Legs in the Evening" by Janine Ashbless is an erotic imagining of Oedipus and the Sphinx that he encountered in the Greek tragedy we all know and love. This one tugged at my Classics minor, and I adored that someone decided to make something, well, classic into an erotic tale. "A Perverted Fairy Tale" by Emily Bingham tells the sizzling story of Little Red, who journeys into the woods in order to seduce a Wolf. I'm a sucker for both fairy tales and werewolves, so this was another home run for me. "Cherries in Season" by KD Grace is a delicious treat about a sexy, sticky romp in the back of a greengrocer that will teach you a whole new way to enjoy cherries. Let's just say I have something new to try out after reading this one.
This collection of short stories is perfect for anyone who is a fan of erotica, period. No matter what genre, sexuality, fetish, or grouping you most enjoy reading about, Rose Caraway has made sure to include a story in here just for you. Be sure to have your partner or extra batteries nearby, though. This is a steamy read that will have you asking for more. I know that I am.
Thank you to Cleis Press who provided me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Giveaway:
Rules:
-This giveaway will run from September 16th to September 24th, 2014
-This giveaway is US ONLY
-This giveaway is open to those 18+
-It is open to anyone over that age who can legally enter, receive, and use their prize.
-One (1) winner will win a copy.
-This giveaway is sponsored wholly by the publisher. I am not responsible.
-This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity.
-Winner will have 48 hours to reply, or a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be chosen using random.org.
-Invalid entries will be removed, so please don't cheat.
-Void where prohibited. Odds will vary. No purchase necessary.
-My opinions are my own. Information will not be stored or sold, and will be used only to contact the winners.
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I think my favorite genres of erotica that I enjoy best (so far) are lesbian, gay, group, fantasy (especially with werewolves and/or fairy tales), and BDSM. I know that last one is sort of generalized, but there only a few aspects within that scene that I don't seem to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI have my fair share of kinks, as you well know, but I haven't really come across any kinks in my readings so far that I haven't enjoyed. Mostly I've just found a few odd, and while they may not be my kink, I didn't hate reading about them or felt I wanted to avoid stories with those kinks. Heck, I've even found a few kinks that I never knew I had until I read about them.
That being said, I have only barely scratched the surface of what erotic literature has to offer, I'm bound to come across a kink or two that I don't enjoy reading about. Contrariwise, no doubt I will find even more kinks that I do enjoy reading about.
You're a better reader than I am then. I skip stories that aren't my thing. But then again I think I have more established hard limits than you do. Not a bad thing, just observation.
DeleteA bit of everything if you ask. I do like things on the darker side so erotica with vampires, or a touch of horror is good. I do like some BDSM, especially female submission (I am bit of a Dominant here), but will read femdom as well. Heck, on a good day, even some M/M is good. I do prefer erotica over erotic romance (less frill, more thrill for me).
ReplyDeleteBest, and keep on blogging.
Oh, I have a Dominant on my blog? How lucky, I'm a sub :). Erotic romance is okay for me, when it's done well.
Delete