By Janelle Reston,
2018
In
the golden age of erotica (maybe ten years ago?), short story
collections were the dominant format for publishing explicit fiction.
Editors such as Rachel Kramer Bussel, D.L. King, Alison Tyler, Sacchi
Green and Cecilia Tan regularly brought out stunning themed
anthologies studded with literary gems.
The
advent of self-publishing seems to changed this. Anthologies have
been swamped by “boxed sets” of novellas or novels. Meanwhile,
authors tend to publish stories individually, in order to maximize
income, as opposed to collecting them into a single volume.
Thus,
it had been quite a while since I’d picked up a book of collected
shorts. Reading Janelle Reston’s Best Lesbian Erotica felt
like rediscovering a lost pleasure.
Although
all the nine stories in this volume were written by the same author,
they are delightfully diverse, ranging from realistic contemporary
tales (“Body Shots”, “Bicycling Puts the Fun Between Your
Legs”,”In a Pinch”) to magical fantasy (“Water & Air”,
“Making Snow”) to moderately hard-core kink (“Alien Vibes”,
“Wordless Surrender”). Every story in the book is well-crafted,
smoothly written and sexy, if you enjoy FF interactions (as I do).
My
favorite was probably “Alien Vibes”, in which a woman stages a
thoroughly believable alien abduction scenario to arouse her lover.
The premise was completely original, the descriptions of the “victim's”
reactions deliciously real. “Water & Air” was also a
stand-out, a lyrical piece about a young woman who believes that her
family’s magic has skipped a generation, leaving her ordinary and
powerless. She discovers her hidden capabilities only when she
connects with another witch. “Wordless Surrender” is likewise
remarkable. The hearing-impaired Domme in this story subjects her
submissive to new trials in an attempt to deepen their connection.
I’d
almost forgotten how much fun it is to binge on short stories every
once in a while. If you’re in the mood for some quick and sexy
lesbian fiction, give this collection a try.
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