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About Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1, edited by award-winning author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, delivers risky, romantic, heart-pounding thrills. Featuring a diverse range of characters, sexualities and scenarios, these 22 steamy stories revel in erotic adventure, from the sparks between strangers to the knowing caresses of longtime lovers. Women learn "The Ropes," get "Starstruck" and dine with "Two Doms for Dinner." Penned by beloved authors such as L. Marie Adeline and Tiffany Reisz along with newcomers to the genre, these sexy encounters will give you plenty of fantasy fodder to last all year long.

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Table of contents

A New Canvas Tara Betts

Demimonde Valerie Alexander

Ophelia the Second Jade A. Waters

Revisiting Youth J. Crichton and H. Keyes

Date Night D.R. Slaten

Flying Solo Rachel Kramer Bussel

Drawn by Nic Heidi Champa

The Ropes Elise King

Starstruck Lazuli Jones

The Altar of Lamented Toys Jessica Taylor

Matilda's Secret L. Marie Adeline

Scents & Sexuality Doriana Chase

Alvin's Night Elizabeth Coldwell

Enter Me Tabitha Rayne

The Wolf at His Door Deborah Castellano

Out of the Ordinary Rose P. Lethe

Lighting the Pyre Theda Hudson

Restitution Ria Restrepo

The Carnalarium Rose Caraway
Waiting to Pee Amy Butcher

Two Doms for Dinner Dorothy Freed

The Assistant Tiffany Reisz

 

Reviews:

 

"Edited for the first time by frequent anthology contributor and erotica veteran Bussel, this annual volume features short stories from a number of notable genre names, including L. Marie Adeline ("S.E.C.R.E.T." trilogy) and Tiffany Reisz ("The Original Sinners" series). Bussel makes a point in the introduction to emphasize that all 21 selections were chosen for their strong depictions of nuanced, intelligent female characters with whom readers should identify, offering erotica that titillates while it "respects your mind." The book lives up to that promise, opening with Tara Betts's poetic "A New Canvas," in which friends Angela and Troy redraw the lines of their relationship using their bodies for their canvas. With plenty of creative scenarios, styles, and positions, this impressive anthology is sure to be a hit among quality erotica fans." - Library Journal"This is a great collection of short stories, and if you've never read erotica before, it's the perfect place to start. There's a wide variety in the types of stories and kinks that are in this collection, so it's a great way to figure out what you like." - Bustle


"This anthology of 22 short, sexy stories is the perfect starter pack for erotica newbies and seasoned readers alike. There are pairings of all sorts between these pages. Among my favorites: Flying Solo by Rachel Kramer Bussel, who writes about a particularly hot open marriage, and The Altar of Lamented Toys, a poignant and bittersweet dystopian tale by Jessica Taylor. A bonus: because these stories are so short, they are perfect for reading aloud to your partner in bed." --Popsugar

"There's no bad writing here. It's all good--and a surprising percentage of it is also very good, understatedly original, quietly trenchant, colorfully curious, probing, poignant, powerful, from Valerie Anderson's Demimonde--an engagingly superb evocation of debauchery and kink in buttoned-up late-19th-century New York, to A New Canvas by Tara Betts and Drawn by Nic by Heidi Champa, both breathing in their cool inspirations from the gritty world of contemporary street artists. Jade A. Waters' Ophelia the Second takes readers into the mind and heart of an infatuated understudy, while Starstruck by Lazuli Jones takes a similarly delightful journey into the mad-rushing thoughts of a fortysomething fan-girl at last meeting the object of her hottest teenaged fantasies--one hero, it turns out, who does not have feet--or anything else--of clay!" - Erotica for the Big Brain

 

"I think Rachel did a phenomenal job compiling together all of these stories. Each one is great as astand alone and yet, all of them work well in this book. The other great thing with a book like this is that you can find a little of everything for everyone. From loving couples who enjoy trying to spice their relationship up with a"date" night, to a leadership building excursion that turns hot and kinky, you are bound to find at least one (though I assume it will be more) story to enjoy." - The Writer's Inkwell

 

"The stories themselves vary widely. Some are hard, fast, well-written sex from start to finish. Some are a slow dance, and the sex (or at least sexual activity) are almost a footnote in the closing paragraphs. Want sweet romance? It's in there. Hardcore sex? Sure. BDSM? Yep. Vanilla? You betcha. The characters themselves are no less diverse. Singles on a hot night out, couples adding spice, groups, mono couples, couples in open relationships, renegade artists, hipsters, escorts, office professionals, theatre actors, cis/hetero people, LGBT folks, doms and subs, childhood crushes come to life." - A Roll in the Hay

 

"A collection of stories that not only seeks to turn you on, but also strives to make you think: about gender, about power, about age and sexuality, and about all the different ways that a diverse collection of women can and do get their sexy on. A definite bedside keeper!" - Romance Novels for Feminists

 

Introduction:

 

It's an incredible honor to present to you Best Women's Erotica of the Year Volume 1, my first time taking the helm. As an author, this groundbreaking series has been home to some of my favorite stories I've written, stories that pushed me into uncharted territory, whether writing about a dishwashing fetish ("Doing the Dishes"), an oral sex restaurant ("Secret Service") or visiting a married lover ("Espionage").
 
As an editor, I faced the mighty task of whittling down the over two hundred submissions I received to the twenty-found found between these covers. The resulting collection is one that features the kind of women I consider my readers to be: smart, daring, fierce, loving, kinky, curious, powerful, feisty. While no single book can represent every kind of woman, you'll find women from a range of races, sexual orientations, and backgrounds, partnered and solo. You'll find women going on sexual journeys from the past, present and future.
 
Whether they're enjoying a threesome, acting out their passion on stage, getting a tattoo, seducing their boss, having their naked body painted, dressing up as a domme or exulting in their most submissive moment, the characters you'll read about here, and their authors, are passionate, funny and they were a delight to visit with.
 
You will notice that there are more than a few women here "of a certain age," as the saying goes, which is fitting as I turned forty just before this book goes to press--close enough to look back on my younger days, as Aya does in "Revisiting Youth" by J. Crichton and H. Keyes, and hoping to keep the erotic spark alive well into the future, as characters like D in Dorothy Freed's "Two Doms for Dinner" do.
 
My goal with this book was twofold: to present sexual fantasies in a way that sparks your imagination and also respects your mind, and to reflect a glimmer of real life back from the deepest reaches of these authors' minds. Though some of the scenarios you're about to read would be impossible to live out, and some might be unlikely, all of them offer women whoa re willing to go toward what might seem scary or new or uncertain, whether that means an old flame, a sexy stranger or a childhood crush.
 
I also wanted to present some of my favorite erotic authors, such as S.E.C.R.E.T. trilogy author L. Marie Adeline and The Original Sinners series author Tiffany Reisz, alongside writers whose work you may be reading for the first time. I've long said that erotica is an incredibly democratic and welcoming genre, and I'm proud to have so many new authors, whose names you'll likely want to watch as they set forth in their erotica writing careers.
 
Whether outdoors, in a love hotel, or even a porta-potty (yes, you read that right, and Amy Butcher's "Waiting to Pee" is one of the most provocative stories I've ever published, one I plan to reread often), they are willing to go forth into the unknown because the payoff promises to rock their worlds. I hope the same can be said for your reading experience. Welcome to Best Women's Erotica. Whenever and wherever you're reading this, I hope it both arouses and surprises you.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
Atlantic City, New Jersey

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