I read erotica for several reasons. One of them is political. Accusations of pornography are thrown around when pushing back against the (small) gains in representation made by BIPOC and queer authors. Side note, a friend told me the parent group at her kids’ school had to argue with someone who claimed the description of a child eating a mango was pornographic. The reasonable parents prevailed, but in too many communities the unreasonable people are succeeding. I’m happy to frustrate a bigot by supporting my local and not so local authors who write about people enjoying their bodies.

Another reason is much more personal. A long time ago, I was having my last visit with my cousin Marny (who was dying) when she said, “I regret every salad I ate when I wanted fried chicken.” I’ve thought about that for almost 20 years. While I was grieving her death, a friend gave me a copy of Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese. I didn’t think I connected with it at all, but over the years I’ve built a mental path between salad regret and,

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.


I spent decades trying to subdue the soft animal of my body. I regret every time I pushed through the pain when I was injured or sick, every nap I skipped when I was exhausted, every piece of cheese I didn’t eat, every time I sat at my desk instead of going outside, and every time I failed to see that I and my body are one creature. Reading erotica reminds me that my body and my brain are not separate.

Rachel Kramer Bussel has again put together a fantastic anthology in Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 8. This year’s organizing theme is Play. Playing music, role play, sex games, and cyborgs allow authors to play with play. The stories that most made think of that passage from “Wild Geese” were Noor Juman’s “Embracing Against the Rules” and Fiona Zedde’s “Whenever You Need Me.” Juman’s story glories in sensation. One night a month, unmarried woman have anonymous sex with a stranger, but Itika has her eye on a visitor and arranges that her anonymous partner won’t be so anonymous. It’s pure joy in the body’s experience of sensation. Zedde’s story, in contrast, is full of complicated grief. The Scientist built a cyborg for her wife and imbued it with part of herself. Grief and sex share space, with two beings sharing a moment knowing they are motivated by different drives.

I really enjoyed stories by a couple of familiar authors. I’m always excited to see an offering from Ruby Lang. Her long distance lovers making some major changes to their relationship was all the Ruby Lang goodness I was looking for. Eva Leigh’s strong willed widow and the Cavalier who challenges her make the theater sexy.

I also love discovering new to me authors. P. Stormcrow, Brynne Blackmoore, and Dena Hankins are all authors from whom I’ll be looking for more. They explored play in different ways with different intents that I found so intriguing.

What we find erotic is going to be so personal. I can’t promise any particular story will rev your engine, but all of them are written well and with a distinct point of view.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Cleis Press and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Like most anthologies, this has hits and misses, but all of the stories were well-written and at least interesting, even if they weren't my cup of tea. This is a very creative and inventive mix with significant representation for all walks of life and types of relationships--queer, poly, paranormal, kink, and even some old-fashioned cis-het thrown in for fun.

What I actually appreciated most is that these are generally happy stories that celebrate all the ways people can be intimate. Characters may have pain and troubles, but the overall tone is generally hopeful and even maybe a little sentimental about love and relationships. This, and the peek into various worlds, from LARPing to anonymous vampire encounters, made for an enjoyable reading experience.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

If you are the kind of person who reads romances for the sex scenes (absolutely no judgement if you are!), then do yourself a favor and cut to the chase. Best Women's Erotica of the Year. Volume 8 provides nothing but short stories full of great sex scenes. This is an anthology, and the settings, kinks, and couples are quite varied. Of course, some stories are better than others, but I enjoyed all but one (I'm just not into female submission). There's definitely something here for everyone!

This was a collection of erotic stories. The stories were interesting and ranged anywhere from sex games, role play, to even an alien romance. I really enjoyed it. Each story was short enough to finish in one sitting.

4/5. Releases 12/6/22.

Sometimes, I get questions that are like "what is erotica, and why is it different from romance"? And I get it, because not only is erotica ill-defined--it's also kind of difficult to get erotica that is defined and presented as erotica in a format that is not... Literotica? Unless you know what you're looking for.

The Best Women's Erotica of the Year collections are great starting places for people who want to read more erotica (and discovered new authors). They usually have a theme and come in a variety of different subgenres.

This year's theme is "play", and it's a great one that the authors ran with perfectly. There's a lot to choose from here, and it's not limited to m/f, of course. Some of my favorites included:

The Devil Take You by Eva Leigh--A bit of historical erotica, with a widow attending a play, coming across the one man she hasn't been able to one-up, and playing along with his very public game. Obviously an exhibitionism/voyeurism piece, and so great. Eva Leigh writes fabulous sex scenes, and I wish that traditionally published historical romance would get on this level.

The Luv Sub by Karina L. Agbisit--This one has a sci-fi spin, with a pair of long distance lovers using a new "love sub" (an artificial surrogate) to allow them to hook up. Very fun and funny and somehow completely unabashed by the Black Mirror-esque premise. Good if you want your erotica to have a bit of a light, romcom vibe.

Ars Amandi by V.A. Vazquez--LARPing with a sapphic sneakysex twist. I enjoyed this one because it was decidedly not romance-leaning, and it also didn't have the cutesyness that I think has kind of become pervasive in wlw romance (not that there isn't a place for that, but sometimes I want some gray shit). Also, the protagonist was dressed as a nun at one point.

Out of this World by Robin Lovett--A scientist who researches the sexual habits of various aliens by fucking them meets the ultimate fuck alien. I don't know that I need to say anything else to sell this. I need to read more alien romance, obviously.

Embracing Against the Rules by Noor Juman--A bit of ritual, a bit of fantasy, a bit of hardcore sex. We love to see it.

Frenzy by Diva Darling--This one has some occult summoning vibes, and if you're in the mood for some spookiness by way of group sex and wild shit in a story... This is a good option.

Not every story in an erotica collection is gonna work for everyone. But this one definitely got my mind going and sparked some new ideas!

Thank you to Cleis Press and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s that time of year. Snow’s falling, Christmas decorations have been up for months, and Cleis Press has released its annual compendium of erotica written by female-identified authors. This year’s umbrella theme is ‘play,’ which encompasses everything from playing an instrument to playing a game to watching some theatre.

As always, the book encapsulates a wide variety of stories in a single volume. Among the best examples here are ARS Amandi by V.A. Vaquez, featuring two LARPers who find a moment of in-character lust and Ruby Lang’s Happy Now? about a cousin and ex-girlfriend of the groom who hook up at a wedding. Fiona Zedde’s Whenever You Need Me made a strong impact on me; it plumbs the depths of heartbreak as the narrator has to deal with being the only conduit between a scientist Ellie and her wife Ava after Ellie passes away. The kicker is that the narrator has been in unrequited love with Ava for years, and before she died, Ellie transplanted some of her consciousness into the narrator. Ouch. A vampire is made, a threesome happens in a greenhouse, and there’s a lot of D/s going on.

There’s a good mix of styles and content here, and a whole lot of options when it comes to story styles, from the humorous to the thrilling – and (thankfully) no-one is masturbating while eating meat as per last year’s volume!PIf you’re looking for something to heat thing up on a cold winter night, there’s lots to enjoy in this collection.

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Some of the writing here is excellent. I wish I could read a novel-version of some of these. Other stories are...less engaging. The writing is uneven, and it's hard to fully develop characters in short stories that don't connect. Pick this up if you're looking for some good scenes, but not for finished pieces.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

I enjoy some more than others but not really my kind of collection. Pretty interesting collection of stories that are super playful. There is something for everyone to enjoy.

This book delivers exactly what you would expect. Plenty of short stories, all of them themed around “play”. It’s interesting to see so many interpretations of the theme. There are a lot of varieties in genres within this book. I feel like there is something for everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a collection of smutty stories by different authors centered around the writing prompt of “play?” Can you wade through some godawful sex scenes for the handful of great ones?

Pre-reading:
I love a short story collection. Also, you tempt me with the word best.

Thick of it:
Power? Bestie, his name sounds like a burp.

She named it like a dog.

The romance writer cat fixation needs to end.

Too much. Also, I know they’re short stories and we’ve got to cut to the chase fast, but like there was no emotional build-up. They’re just fucking.

I feel like all erotica writers need a non-horny to read their work to really reign them in and put them back on course sometimes 😂

I think you mean teetering.

How do you get Gigi out of Sage?

Who’s cleaning that poor piano?

1 star. Very bad.

Listen, don’t ick me out, and you belong in this anthology.

Yup. I’m in. God, I’m a sucker for big vocabulary doms.

Sinning. Sinning.

Clocks? On her socks?

Big 5 stars, baby. The opening one is even more disappointing now. Just have this author write the whole book. That’s all I need. I would take a whole book of these two characters. I went and followed the author on Goodreads. (Best of the bunch imo.)

What an opener.

Ha. I love awkward, quirky descriptors.

Don’t say pubis to me.

Not a fuck cloth, oh my god.

This one did nothing for me. 2 stars.

What an odd sentence construction.

I hate the word teat.

Insinuated is such a weird word choice here.

Yuck. There’s so much food in this one. Please don’t ever compare my stomach to dough.

Cheesy, ridiculous, and not the time. Pandering.

Ew, no squelch.

Steaming! Good god, no.

Terrible last line. Hot concept, terrible execution. Got icked out too many times reading it. 2 stars.

What is that line? Get out.

This is heady.

Oh 5 stars, baby.

Not me trying to Google to see what a Leo toy would be, but I didn’t find anything.

Why with the squelching again?

3 stars just because it’s not my personal taste, and it icked me out in that one bit. Also, I’m sure queer stuff gets very hard to write with pronouns and body parts, but it was a smidgen too hard to follow to keep me in the scene and not busy deciphering the text.

I love tarot.

The devil card? Capricorn bay-BE.

Wow, it’s almost like the devil card is the card for desire. (Even funnier because the deck I have’s illustration for it is Pan for Dionysus)

I don’t know what that means, and the book doesn’t translate it.

Ha. Little Secret History, eh?

This is a weird outfit.

4 stars.

This one has quite a few typos.

I like them together.

Some of these girlies just get it 😉

Hello, 5 stars. I would like an entire book of these idiots as well.

Nice little covid reference.

It’s giving that one episode of Black Mirror.

Nice little reader, I saw you, but we have a word count limit. Suspend thy disbelief.

2 stars. Very meh. Feels stolen from Black Mirror and not detailed enough.

Professor Sex. Absolutely not.

I-I will be over here. This book is getting a little too on the nose.

Reader, I choked. How do I end up in these books?

Oh. I- Why is this in an alien book? This is a mom, come pick me up I’m scared one, yet wildly, deeply disturbingly relatable. Don’t couple those things together. It’s confusing.

G spot isn’t real. SMH.

For what it is…4 stars. No, I will not elaborate. 😂

I’m a monster. 5 stars.

She’s grieving. Not the time.

Oop. You know I don’t know really what marmalade is. Like I know it’s a spread but not the look or taste.

I hate mint.

Not furred omg. That makes me think of that fur oil that Emma Watson got behind.

Sip? Ick.

4 stars. I like the ending-especially for the collection’s theme. What doesn’t work about this short story is that we have none of the emotional bonding to these characters so there’s no real weight or consequences to it. It’s hard to empathize with grief if we don’t feel it warranted. Also a few little squick outs.

Oh girl, you better not cheat on your husband. I am not here for this.

This story is reeking of profoundly unhealthy attitudes right now.

You’re telling me that plant name isn’t meant to trigger clitoris.

Meg, leaving flip-flops on isn’t cute. It’s mentally ill.

Sorry, but wouldn’t you have needed that lube before this?

No, I don’t like this one. Parts of it made me uncomfortable. 2 stars.

Well that’s unhealthy.

Just go to therapy, besties.

Wench? Oh hell no.

Torturing. Literally what the fuck.

That is an oxymoron.

Repeat, oh hell no.

Fuck you very much. Your husband is not your god.

Zero stars fuck you. So unhealthy. (Most hated of the bunch.)

Okay, but like Anne Rice was also a victim so…

Full sex and body positivity, but pointing out love handles does not turn me on.

This is some woke Wattpad awfulness.

This one was bad and stupid. 1 star.

When you also say what out loud because the line is so bonkers.

Get me out of here.

The emotional beats of this story make no sense.

What the fuck are you talking about. Don’t feed into the sex isn’t for women mindset. You’re literally writing women’s erotica.

No, fucking awful. 1 star.

Bestie, that’s how you get murdered.

Okay, me too. Scorpios are biters. Sue me.

Bestie, fucking run.

Okay, I know I just told her to run, but not like this. Go to the police.

Nothing will pop you out of a Vampire World mindset faster than “mariachi band.”

You willingly went with a man wearing a leather trenchcoat in the middle of June. Bestie, go to therapy.

It was better before you started explaining it.

Why the fuck is there a helicopter in this story?

That’s not sweet. Bestie, that’s the bare minimum. He said hey I’m going to injure you and it might make you go to the hospital. The very least this boy can do is slap a Band-Aid on it, jesus.

What did you think it was gonna be when you answered the Craigslist ad? Again, therapy.

I nearly gave this two stars because it’s better than the other awful things I’ve been reading, but if I consider it on its own…No, 1 star terrible.

This may be the least sexy line in the entire book. (I stand by this. And there was alien fucking.)

You know, there’s nothing sexier than having to explain why something should be sexy. Not.

I’ve literally said oh shut up out loud, so you know this one’s gonna be a winner.

Absolutely not. Be more cringe, Ben.

Yeah, absolutely a weirdo. You know who likes the smell of chlorine, Ben? Serial killers.

Oh my god, shut up.

Fucking awful again. 1 star.

Jesus, now that’s an opening line.

Absolutely not. That’s so unhealthy.

Oh cool, so assault.

Donna, sweetie, you deserve better. Please go to therapy and stop fucking around with these awful men.

Yes, she does. Literally block him.

Donna, you’re a mother responding to a man who texted you “what that mouth do.” Some self-respect, please.

3 stars. Too much unhealthy.

Respect for the condom drop.

1 star. This one’s too weird for me. And not like weird sex, I just find it unrelatable and there’s nothing sexy about it.

The you and I pronouns are confusing. Whose perspective am I supposed to be assuming?

This is the most elaborate escape room. How much does this cost?

Okay, consent-super sexy, but please stop pausing it every 30 seconds to ask. Just get on with it. Clearly, the dude wants some fucked up shit. Now just tell me about it.

Oh c’mon. This has to cost so much money, and the dude has to essentially fuck a bench instead of a person.

1 star. Again, just fucking weird. Not horny, just weird.

Post-reading:
This is such an odd book to review. You’re gonna get a wide range of scenes. Not every taste is gonna get covered, but a fair bit. Unfortunately, only a handful of the stories are good. One story is outright toxic. The best of the collection are some arguably tame straight scenes, so if that’s not your thing, then there’s really nothing here for you.

Who should read this:
Erotica fans
Short story fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* The Godwicks Series by Tiffany Reisz-short story esque role play scenes with an overarching romance.
* Neon Gods by Katee Robert-exhibitionism horny book with a romance

This was a grab bag of hits and misses but all were short enough to breeze through. For as short as they were, some of the stories were done quite well

I enjoyed this collection of erotic stories for the year. As expected before I started reading, my favorite was by Eva Leigh, but I also was introduced to a new favorite, Robin Lovett.

This collection runs the gamut of historical, otherworldly, and all types of genders, people, situations, relationships. There is something for everyone. I'd recommend this book for anyone interested in the genre to enjoy on it's own or introduce you to new favorite authors.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and this is my freely given opinion.

This is an anthology of short story erotica from various authors, of a variety of different genres. Each story is very short, some being only a few pages, and very explicit.

I have to admit that I did not finish the entire anthology in it's entirety, but that is primarily because they are such a mix of different genres that I did not read the ones that did not interest me and only skimmed them. But this had a bit of something for everyone, including menage situations, alien erotica, historical, LARPing fantasies, science fiction/fantasy, futuristic, etc.

The anthology itself is not very large, at about 270 pages, but is chock full of hot and heavy sexy scenarios. Particular favourites I enjoyed are the threesome scenario between a married couple rekindling their interest in one another with another man, in Desire Blooms by Brynne Blackmoore, a historical enemy to lovers, sex play in public scenario set in a theatre in the 18th century titled The Devil Take You, by Eva Leigh. Also the first story about two musicians rekindling a love affair after a tumultuous break up, called When the Last Note Plays by Rilzy Adams.

Again, there are some stories that are of no interest to me, such as the alien erotica, but on saying that, there is a bit of something for everyone here, and it is definitely short, steamy erotica geared towards women. Don't expect a lot of depth, background, story building, or character development though - these are short stories.

3.5 stars out of 5

If you are the kind of person who reads romances for the sex scenes (absolutely no judgement if you are!), then do yourself a favor and cut to the chase. Best Women's Erotica of the Year. Volume 8 provides nothing but short stories full of great sex scenes. This is an anthology, and the settings, kinks, and couples are quite varied. Of course, some stories are better than others, but I enjoyed all but one (I'm just not into female submission). There's definitely something here for everyone!

My thanks to the editor, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read, rate, and review this ARC.
#BestWomensEroticaOfTheYearVolume8

Very good arrangements of erotica, but some stories were a little hard to read through or keep me interested. Otherwise, good material and some were definitely a hot read!

A wide variety of stories. Some new and unique. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Just in time to sexily stuff a holiday stocking, this eighth book in a popular series of erotic stories is the best collection to date in that I found something to love in every one of the 21 play-themed stories. There is a wide range of play, from play-fighting to running around in the woods while cosplaying to watching a literal play to playing with consent, group sex, and BSDM.

Situations run the gamut of some light ordering around in a curtained theatre box in the mid-eighteenth century, to a futuristic tale of an expert in mating habits of intergalactic species meeting her match and mate in a dynamic alien lover. Characters are musicians, LARPers, vampires, swingers, parents, queer, straight, new lovers and long married and everything in-between.

It is an art to write about sex well. The writing in these stories is uniformly excellent: strongly voiced, exquisitely and lushly detailed, and edited to the essentials to hold the story and the sex together.

I read a lot of romance novels, and have been happy to see a evolution in the last thirty years from virgins who come from penetration to sex encompassing conversations about past partners, preferences, and safety; destigmatizing of experience, and normalization of non-penetrative sex. All are true in this collection as well.

What makes this a collection for women? The primary focus is women’s consent and pleasure, but only a handful of the stories are sapphic; and I think the appeal is unlimited. The authors identify as she or they, and the brief bios at the end of the volume are the launching off point for going down (ha!) a rabbit hole of more stories of love, lust and desire. I’ll be in my bunk.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheBestWomen’sEroticaoftheYearVolume8 from #NetGalley.

I'm usually not a fan of anthologies but this filled the bill of a nightstand book that could be picked up and put down without too much intellectualizing. I liked that the stories had something for everyone in terms of relationships and style and as all erotica should be, most of the stories had just the right level of eroticism to match the storyline..

Very short stories with lots of variety and many different stories and characters. Definitely something for everyone.

I think this might be the best edition of BWE yet! The concept is great and gives the authors so much room for interpretation. There’s something for everyone in this collection. Overall, the stories are fantastic.