CBR15Bingo: Bodies Bodies
CBR15Passport: Recommended to me
I have Emmalita and her review of Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 8 to thank for turning me onto this collection. Volume 7 did not disappoint.
I keep trying to come up with a good metaphor using chocolate but I’m at a loss.
After reading the first three short stories in linear fashion, I quickly learned that skipping around a bit was more suited to my reading style. Each story is self-contained, therefore it is easy to read the first couple of pages of each story for a snapshot of the characters and content before diving into it. My favorite stories ranged from stereotypical romance tropes (small town, enemies-to-lovers) to the complicated logistics of sex in a world with alternating periods of strong and weak gravity. My favorite story, “Sealing the Treaty,” combined political maneuvering, physical maneuvering, mental and emotional endurance, and cross-species bonding, the desired result being a ceasefire in a decades-long war between two warring civilizations.
(After writing this out, I realize that I very well may be Lily from the show “Sex Education.”)
Some stories were hilariously over-the-top, while others were achingly real. I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is something in here for everyone. The only negative I can think of is that I like to go on a journey with my characters. The stories are marvelous, but I am sad when they end. Compared to an entire book, complete with richly drawn characters and, at times, frustratingly irritating situations and conversations, these stories are just a taste of what I’m looking for in a good romance. Yes, it is erotica, but in my opinion the sexiness from a story comes from what we learn about the characters over the course of the book so, when the intimate moments occur, we understand what each character has given, or given up, to be together.
Back to the chocolate metaphor, I would say that this is a Godiva sampler with the addition of a few very, very high-end dark chocolate creams, dark chocolate truffles (raspberry or candied orange from Neuhaus or Leonidas), and a couple of those chili-infused, ginger-spiced, or cardamom-sugar-dusted truffles that you never knew you liked until you got a taste of them.
