Inked:
Sexy Tales of Tattoo Erotica
Edited by Anna Sky
Sexy Little Pages, 2016
I
haven’t reviewed a new erotica anthology in ages. To be honest,
I’ve largely lost interest in multi-author collections of erotic
short stories. I’m jaded, I guess. After a decade and a half of
reading sexy shorts, I find they all too often sound the same. I’ll
finish a tale and almost immediately forget it. (That makes reviewing
a bit tricky!) Even if the stories are arousing and competently
written, it’s pretty rare to find one that evokes an “oh gee,
wow!” response on my part.
Hence,
Anna Sky’s new collection Inked was a welcome change.
Inked features nine wonderfully diverse stories, some
by authors with whom I’m familiar, others by people new to me.
Pretty much all these have in common is some plot or thematic
connection to tattoos. Aside from this, they represent a wide range
of genres, genders and moods.
Lilya
Loring’s “Company Ink” paints a portrait of an apprentice
tattoo artist, lusting hopelessly for the cool, bitchy mistress of
the craft with whom he works. The writing in this tale has a few
rough spots, but the subtle humor and the sexy surprise ending
compensate.
In
“Scissoring”, Annabeth Leong pens a gentle portrait of two women
attracted to one another in the bathroom line in a club. One
protagonist’s tattoo sets the plot in motion, drawing the attention
of the other woman, who might otherwise have been afraid to speak up.
Neither woman has any sexual experience with her own gender, a fact
that both try to hide as they fall into raw lust in a toilet stall.
The author does a fantastic job portraying the sense of rightness and
freedom they feel in surrendering to their long-hidden erotic
fantasies.
“Her
Midnight Roses” by Zak Jane Keir is a mysterious and compelling
paranormal story, featuring a sort of succubus who seduces her
victims via her fascinating rose tattoos. Unlike traditional
sex-demons, however, this one heals the spirits of the humans she
consumes, teaching them life lessons.
“The
Voron-Kali Emperor’s New Clothes” shifts the genre to science
fiction and the gender pairing to M/M. A supremely talented young
tattooist is recruited to bring down the alien emperor responsible
for enslaving humanity, using his body and his art.
"Nine Lives" by Harley Easton illustrates how tattoos can provide a way to handle life's challenges. Leo has gotten new ink to mark each epoch of his difficult existence. When he reunites with an old flame, a brilliant but retiring artist, she makes their connection permanent by using him as her canvas. This sensitive, nuanced story rips all the stereotypes about tattoos to shreds.
"Nine Lives" by Harley Easton illustrates how tattoos can provide a way to handle life's challenges. Leo has gotten new ink to mark each epoch of his difficult existence. When he reunites with an old flame, a brilliant but retiring artist, she makes their connection permanent by using him as her canvas. This sensitive, nuanced story rips all the stereotypes about tattoos to shreds.
Jillian
Boyd’s “Sign Your Name” is a fairly conventional romance, between
a Jewish artist and a hot Latin dance instructor. Although the plot
is somewhat predictable, the vivid characterizations make it a
satisfying read.
“Commitment”
by Katya Harris and “Uncovering Heather” by Victoria Blisse were
my favorite stories in this volume. “Commitment” is a lusciously
detailed D/s scenario in which a female submissive has a permanent
collar tattooed around her neck by her Master’s close friend, with
her Master present. More than any other tale here, this story
captures the intimacy of receiving a tattoo, as well as the delicate
balance between pain and pleasure to be found in offering one’s
body to the needle.
“Uncovering
Heather” is memorable for its sharply observed descriptions, snappy
dialogue and full-hearted emotion. Heather thinks she’s fat and
ordinary, but the booted, quiffed and tattooed young man who chats
her up on the Tube has other opinions.
The
collection ends with Alain Bell’s “Venomous Ink” which switches
gears again, from realistic, heterosexual erotic romance to mystical
lesbian science fiction. The author turns up the heat in this tale of
techno-mages, nano-machines, and F/F lust.
All
in all, this is an impressive collection, especially in its variety.
I should also mention the attractive design of this book—appropriate
for a volume about art. I know that for the editor, Anna Sky, this
was a labor of love, and this shows.
Inked
is by turns entertaining, thought-provoking, and arousing. It is most
definitely not boring. If you’re a fan of tattoos—or even if
you’re not—I recommend it.
