| Title | : | Best Erotic Romance 2014 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1627780092 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781627780094 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2014 |
Best Erotic Romance 2014 Reviews
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Another great anthology from Cleis Press featuring sixteen sizzling stories of passion and romance. All the stories were M/F, involving married couples, work colleagues or boss/employee and strangers. There was a nice blend of stories that got to the good stuff very quickly, and others that had a bit more of a story to them. My favorites were Tuscarora by Anja Vikarma, A Singer Who Doesn't Sing by Jeanette Grey, and More Light by Laila Blake. Other great stories were Over a Barrel by Tamsin Flowers, Stay with Me by Crystal Jordan, The Shortest Day by Nikki Magennis, and Going It Alone by Lucy Felthouse.
Overall I really enjoyed this anthology. I didn't dislike any of the stories, and I'll be reaching for my favorite shorts again in the future.
The Shortest Day by Nikki Magennis
A mother-in-law with dementia, kids and everyday life in general has taken a toll on Lucy and John's marriage. Their sex life is reduced to stolen moments, half unconscious during sleep. What will it take for them to put their marriage first, or is it too late to turn things around? - It was a heartwarming story. I think people can relate to finding themselves in a similar situation. John was a sweetheart; he voiced his concerns but he wasn't accusatory. I thought he handled Lucy's insecurities well and went ahead and took action.
A Competitive Marriage by Victoria Blisse
All is fair in love and video gaming. A married couple gets down and dirty as they try to outdance one another. - Short and funny with a satisfying ending for both of them.
Professional, Knowledgeable and Very Thorough by Annabeth Leong
A female mechanic allows herself to be seduced by a client only to find out that he could ruin her business. Was her trust misplaced, and can she forgive him his duplicity? - Short, sexy, and I liked the bit of drama thrown in.
Rules by Emerald
A woman finds a photo reminding her of her rebellious youth. Her husband liked the goth look she once sported, which leads her to try and recapture those wild times. Purple hair and all. Role-playing fun ensues.- I liked the husband's reaction and that he wasn't ashamed to indulge in some fun regardless of appearances in public.
More Light by Laila Blake
Lights, camera, passion. Two friends discover more than just their mutual passion for photography. - Oh my, this was sensual. I loved the scene setting as these two friends and colleagues turned their cameras on each other. The writing felt artistically beautiful to me.
Stay with Me by Crystal Jordan
Cord Preston can't resist his boss any longer. The beautiful widow has gotten under his skin. She doesn't do flings, but will Cord consider putting down roots for her? - Short and romantic with a side of commanding male in the bedroom.
A Singer Who Doesn't Sing by Jeanette Grey
A writer picks up a musician in a bar. What should have been a one night stand turns into more when their passion sparks the familiar comfort of artistic delights. - I loved this story. It was so sensual and descriptive. I also enjoyed the glimpses into their past, present and future.
Show Me by D.R. Slaten
Dani's boyfriend wants to watch her pleasure herself. - Good, short and sexy story. Her embarrassment afterward was rather amusing.
A Perfect Place by Catherine Paulssen
A location manager gets swept up in the majesty of an old Hungarian castle and the handsome landowner. - For a story involving strangers, it was a little quick, but as a fantasy it was quite good.
Something New by Giselle Renarde
Kim has moved back in with her parents to help her fiance save money for a down payment on their first home. Elson can't wait to get his hands on her again. The little kink it puts in their sex does wonders for their enthusiasm. - Short and hot.
Over a Barrel by Tamsin Flowers
Bonnie can't go to work with both arms in casts. She thinks her colleague, Brian, will use the opportunity to take her job away from her. When he shows up at her house, he gives her other things to think about. - Very enjoyable. I liked the little puffs of humor that sprung up here and there. I'm not sure how easy or sexy it is to have sex when both arms are in thick plaster casts, but the imagery was amusing.
Tuscarora by Anja Vikarma
Jane leaves her abusive husband after inheriting some land from a relative. The freedom and peace aren't the only appealing things about her new surroundings. - Hands down, my favorite story in this anthology. It was a little fast, but it was so romantic and sweet. Their love scene was really sexy.
Big Bully by A.M. Hartnett
A bodyguard falls for his rebellious charge, but first she needs a good spanking for her bad behavior. - I like a gruff, protective alpha male who falls for a soft female, but the heroine acted a little too childish for my liking. Despite my dislike for her, it was still a hot read.
Going It Alone by Lucy Felthouse
Two dog lovers who meet in a park finally have their first date. - Short and to the point. It started out sweet and got hotter.
Closing the Deal by Kelly Maher
After a one night stand with her colleague Paul, Julia ran out on him the next morning. When he finally catches up with her at a conference, he has no intention of letting her get away again so easily. - I liked that Julia didn't make it all that difficult for Paul to catch her.
Whatever It Takes by Kristina Wright
Amidst the chaos of shuttling kids to and from activities and everyday life in general, David and his wife have no problem igniting their spark. - I loved the intensity between these two which made it different from the other married couples in this anthology.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Cleis Press for the purpose of an honest review. The views and opinions expressed in this review are my own, and in no way represent the views or opinions of the publisher/distributor. -
3.5 stars, rounded up.
First, I would like to talk about the cover art for this particular anthology. I love it, and I feel that it perfectly demonstrates what the book has in store. There's a theme of sex but a tender intimacy that shows how magical it can be when two people get together. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover of course, but it's hard not to with this one.
This collection features stories from all different stages of relationships old and new, and people who are young and old. All have an emotional feel to them, and all of course have their share of steamy, passionate lust. As always with anthologies like this one, I'd like to highlight the three I liked the best, in no order in particular.
The first is the story that you got a sneak peek of earlier in my post, entitled "Stay with Me" by Crystal Jordan. Jamie has tried her hardest not to get attached to her seasonal hire on the ranch, knowing that he'll be gone in no time. But when he asks to be invited in earlier one morning, it's hard for her to resist him for much longer. The sex in this story is intimate and passionate, with characters that honestly I'd like to read more about. That's a rare trait in a short story, and it was well done in this one.
The next on my top picks list is called "A Perfect Place" written by Catherine Paulssen. It's Julie's job to zip around the world, scouting potential filming sites for movies. Her newest voyage to Hungary leads her to a beautiful castle, and a tall, handsome man that comes along with it. I'm a sucker for castles and stories set in regions such as Hungary, so the beautiful setting was enough to draw me in, and the love scenes held me there.
And my last pick is titled "Rules" by Emerald. Joyce's husband Pete comes across an old photograph of her Goth-y, rebellious self back in her youth and loves it. She decides to dip into her old wardrobe with the plans to surprise him with a very special, dark treat. Not going to lie, I identify as one who dresses "goth" so this one was extra sexy to me. Dyed hair, fishnets, and vinyl? Yes please. Sign me up for a double helping of that.
This anthology is a great mix of stories that are good for anyone who likes their erotica to be more emotional and more romantic than most. If you like steamy sex scenes and believe in love, than give this book a read. Thank you to both Cleis Press and editor/author Kristina Wright for my copy of Best Erotic Romance 2014. This review can also be found on my blog,
Bitches n Prose. -
Most of these couples are in long-term, committed relationships. I approve!
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This is an anthology of sixteen short stories by sixteen different authors. Each story is about 10-15 pages long with each story beginning in a different relationship stage, meaning a few stories start out after the couple is already married, they’ve been friends for a while and decided to move their relationship to the next level or they’re strangers.
While I think some stories are better than others, all of them need another round of edits to correct a typos, missing words and/or passive voice. That’s sad since the editor of this antho is also a participating author and her story is one of the better edited pieces.
Some stories are in first POV and others are in third POV.
The following reviews are my opinions on each story.
The Shortest Day by Nikki Magennis
John and Lucy are married with kids, they have guardianship of Lucy’s elderly mother, and their marriage is on the rocks. They don’t talk, barely look at one another, and they’re just going through the motions of everyday life. I felt very little sympathy for them because I don’t see what they had to complain about. I mean, hire a babysitter and put the mom in a rest home since they’re ill-equipped to take care of her as she needs. I don’t mean to sound cold, but all they did was whine.
2 Stars
A Competitive Marriage by Victoria Blisse
Ian and Mandy are married with two kids. Mandy is trying to lose weight for her sister’s wedding but can’t go walking as normal since it’s snowing outside. She and Ian play a dance game on the Wii and make a competition out of it. Whoever loses must give the other an orgasm. So the story is all about dancing and the loser fulfilling the bet. I like Ian and Mandy, their relationship is loving and playful even with kids in the household, but the story doesn’t have much meat to it. It’s short and cute, but that’s all.
3 Stars
Professional, Knowledgeable and Very Thorough by Annabeth Leong
Tamara owns and works in a garage and she often has to deal with sexist men who think a woman mechanic doesn’t know squat about engines. She meets Randall, a man who knows nothing about cars, so she invites him to return to the garage afterhours so she can give him a step by step rundown on the maintenance she performed on his car. One thing leads to another and sparks fly. I really enjoyed this story, especially the twist at the end. The heat and chemistry between them is spot on. They understand one another, respect each other, and the sexual car metaphors were hilarious. This story is one of my favorites in the antho.
5 Stars
Rules by Emerald
Joyce and Pete have been married for 3 years but they don’t know everything about each other. After she reveals her wild teenage years and he admits to thinking goth girls are hot, she buys herself a purple wig and dons a corset to spice up their love life. Though he thinks she’s absolutely amazing, high class snobs disagree at the hotel they go to. Joyce is such a strong character, Pete loves her no matter what, and I totally respected them. I agree with the author’s message in the story about living one’s life no matter what someone else thinks or dictates. Sometimes you gotta fight for your rights, for respect, and break out of the mold conservative society demands.
4 Stars
More Light by Laila Blake
George and the heroine (the author didn’t name the female lead) are friends and photographers who sneak inside an abandoned building to take photos. There was a lot description about the building that I found boring and I didn’t feel connected to either character. Honestly, George seemed like an ass. Their attraction to one another seemed superficial and temporary. I just didn’t like this story.
1 Star
Stay with Me by Crystal Jordan
Jamie owns and runs her deceased’s husband’s Texas ranch. Cord is a horse trainer, hired on for the summer. They’re attracted to one another but neither acted on it until just days before the handsome cowboy drifter is supposed to mosey his way out of her life. The heat and desire between them sparked the sheets but it didn’t feel like a real connection to me. They jumped in bed together before the reader even knows their back story and it just seemed rushed and sloppy. This short story had the potential to be good but it fell flat.
2 Stars
A Singer Who Doesn’t Sing by Jeanette Grey
The author didn’t give either of her main characters names and I read he and she so many times my eyes blurred together. They meet at bar, have a fun night of sex and move in together a year later. He’s a musician who won’t play the piano and she’s a painter who won’t paint. Their reasons for giving up on their dreams didn’t make sense. Maybe if the author fleshed out the characters, I could’ve connected with them but, as it stands, I just didn’t like the story.
1 Star
Show Me by DR Slaten
Dani and Ian are living together and the story starts right off with sex. The reader knows nothing about them. No back stories, no romance, no love. Just sex. He has a mom whom they plan to visit after playtime, and that’s all I learned about his life.
1 Star
A Perfect Place by Catherine Paulssen
Julie works as a location scout for a movie production company and goes to Hungry to inspect a grand but dilapidated castle. Benedek is the reserved castle owner with a sexy accent. Things heat up quickly between them but I felt their passion for one another. Neither of them seems to be the kind of person who jumps in bed with just anyone so their union is fiery, wild and unexpected to both of them.
4 Stars
Something New by Giselle Renarde
Kim lives at home with her parents to save money for the mortgage she and Elson wants to get after they’re married. He lives alone in a bachelor apartment but she won’t move in with him because her parents think she’s a virgin and she knows they won’t approve of her living with a man before marriage. I have absolutely no respect for Kim and I don’t know why Elson is with her. She’s 32 years old for crying out loud. She can’t even have phone sex with her fiancé in fear her parents might overhear and she can’t masturbate in the privacy of her bedroom because she’s under their roof, but the heroine gets down and dirty with Elson at his place when they’re alone. Just ridiculous.
1 Star
Over a Barrel by Tasmin Flowers
Bonnie slipped on a patch of ice weeks earlier, broke her wrists and is now homebound. Jason, her co-worker and possible usurper of her job, brings paperwork to her home so they can work on a project together. She’s bitter and rude. He’s trying to be nice but he’s straightforward and doesn’t take her crap. There’s lots of animosity between them but I didn’t see any romance. They make peace at the end of the night but it took sex to bring them together.
2 Stars
Tuscarora by Anja Vikarma
Jane inherited a plot of land and house from her deceased uncle, so she leaves her bad husband and relocates to her new property. She constantly thinks of her husband as simply ‘bad husband’ and the reader never learns his name or what made him so bad, other than one sentence when Jane remembers that he called her names. She meets her new neighbor, Beau, as she explores the property and he immediately insults her and the Hindu religion because she practices yoga and likes to chant in Hindi as a calming mechanism as she mediates. While I know he’s joking with her, I don’t like it. Their connection, however, does seem real and heartfelt but I know so little about the characters. Is she even divorced? There was very little to Jane’s back story and nothing about Beau’s from what I can remember.
2 Stars
Big Bully by AM Hartnett
Charlotte is a former child star and now a Hollywood bad girl. She’s about 23 and her tough-as-nails bodyguard, Teal, is double her age. As she strips down to her underwear and jumps in the ocean in November, her so-called friends call the Press but Teal arrives to save her from yet another embarrassing situation before the media arrives. He’s angry and doesn’t take her crap. She hates him, but feels safe with him. Of all the people in her life, she respects him. He takes her back to his place. Though he meant for her to sleep on the couch, Teal changes his mind and decides to teach the brat a lesson. A lesson she’ll never forget. I love this story! The heat between them is incredible and he’s the only one who can see past Charlotte’s bratty exterior to the vulnerable and scared woman beneath. Their connection is chalked full of emotion—pain, happiness and hope—and I feel like this couple is just meant to be.
5 Stars
Going in Alone by Lucy Felthouse
Debbie and Jake met at park where they walk their dogs. While they’ve talked a few times with their playful dogs as their buffers, they’re on their first official date and she’s very nervous. Things go great, however, and they head back to her place. Though this is a classic story of boy meets girl, I enjoyed it because of its simplicity. The characters and their connection to each other felt real.
4 Stars
Closing the Deal by Kelly Maher
Julia and Paul are vacationing for work on the island of St. Thomas. They both like each other but she’s hesitant about starting a relationship with a coworker. The whole story is about Paul trying to get her into bed. I felt blah about these characters. I understand why Julia doesn’t want to date a coworker and I understand why Paul pursues her anyway. He’s in love with her. There’s just no depth to the story.
2 Stars
Whatever It Takes by Kristina Wright
David and his nameless wife have some fun after the kids are in bed for the night. They’ve been married for years and even though they don’t have sex as often as they want due to their busy lives, their love and passion are still strong. Still, I found the story rather boring. While I’m happy I felt the couple’s love for one another, the plot lacked depth. It’s well-written and the most well-edited of all the stories.
3 Stars
The Book Overall – 3 Stars
Disclaimer – I won a print copy of this book in a contest. I am a reader. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
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Reviewed by Marissa
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
The blurb has it right with the description “blissful and romantic”. I always enjoy the erotic anthologies published by Cleis Press. They seem to have something other anthologies lack, a certain voice, somewhere between romantic and realistic, that make them swoonworthy. I tried to pick one story as my favorite to highlight in the review but it was just impossible.
A Singer Who Doesn’t Sing caught my attention because two people who have lost their way artistically find that they bring out each others’ creativity. We don’t know why the singer has stopped singing or the artist has stopped painting, but the writer is poignantly able to convey that they are not satisfied with their lives.
Any parent can relate to the couples in both The Shortest Day and Whatever It Takes, where kids, house and jobs all take up too much time and energy. There’s nothing left for sex so it has to be arranged – the kids shipped off to friends’ houses, dishes left in the sink for another two hours, and erotic plans made over the phone.
Reminiscent of an old fashion romance is The Perfect Place. This one has historic mansion in Budapest complete with tall, dark and handsome Romanian stranger. When they first meet, things are a bit strained. Once in the mansion there is a magical air that settles over them and ignites the passion.
Going It Alone is the story I want for myself. A man and woman meet while walking their dogs which is the type of man I want. After meeting with their dogs several times, they finally arrange a “solo” date without their perpetual chaperones and find that the attraction exists even without the dogs.
I could go on and on about each story but suffice to say that each stands on its own merit. They all have the common bond of romance and characters who could be you or me. And each story made my heart go pitty-pat. -
4.5 stars
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at
Night Owl Reviews. The full text of the review can be found there.
One of the things Cleis Press does best is their yearly anthologies of short erotic stories, usually pegged to a specific theme or conceit. So with Best Erotic Romance 2014, I knew there would be some wonderful sexy times between couples who truly love each other, and that’s exactly what I found. -
This was a great collection of short, erotic romance with a variety of story lines about couples from all walks of life. I was able to read a story during a ten minute break without getting wrapped up in a full length novel and looking back going, "Crap, where did those three hours go?" Bottom line; if you are looking for a bunch of short reads that are fun, sweet, and hot, pick up this book.
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I found myself skimming through these pages way too often. Out of the entire collection, there were maybe three stories I really enjoyed. There was nothing specific wrong with the writing , characters or the stories. Everything just felt incredibly mediocre to me. This is one book I have no desire to ever read again.
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a very good book worth reading again
