3.5 Stars. This was a steamy collection of erotic-romance shorts. I must admit I went into reading this collection with lower expectations. I read a full-length book by Green late last year and did not care for it. I’m not sure if that book was just a fluke or what, but these shorts were so much more enjoyable than I anticipated. Green can write short stories really well.
Erotic shorts in themselves are not a favorite of mine. I love good steamy sex scenes but I want them to have meaning. I want to see them used to show the intimacy between the main characters and further their relationship. You can’t always do that in a short story due to time limits, therefore, they can sometimes seem like sex for just the sake of sex. That was not the case with this collection at all. These short stories were well thought out and had a storyline that was worth reading. The steamy scenes were just a pleasant bonus.
Overall this was a really good collection. Like most collections not every story is perfect. There were two short stories that I just flat out didn’t care for, but when you have fourteen to read, there were plenty that I really enjoyed. What I loved was the variety. There were modern day romances, romances that took place during the Vietnam War and even right after the Civil War. There were two paranormal romances (ghosts and vampires), an out-there but still interesting futuristic-sci-fi story, and one of my favorites, a well written historical fantasy that I desperately wanted to see turned into a full-length book. No matter what your tastes are, there is an erotic short for just about any reader.
When it comes to romances, most of the stories would be considered butch-femme or sporty-femme. What I was surprised to see was a romance between two tough androgynous women. I hate sticking labels on people but in lesfic, we almost always read romances between butch/femme or femme/femme, I can’t even remember the last time I read a romance that I would consider butch/butch. The story was about two tough women in prison and it ended up being one of my favorites. I have to give props to Green for going a little outside the common lesfic box.
The type of erotic romances in this book I think will have wide appeal. The sex scenes are good and steamy. There are a little spanking and even light bondage, but I would not consider the stories hardcore BDSM.
If you are looking to spice up your night with a little steam and some really readable and interesting stories, this collection is for you. It was better than I expected and I’m glad I read it.
An ARC was given to me for an honest review.
