Member Reviews
Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 7 by Rachel Kramer Bussel is not my usual genre but it would be difficult to not find something to enjoy in this collection of stories. Interesting and entertaining. #BestWomensEroticaoftheYearVolume7 #NetGalley
Each time I read an anthology, I find a new author or reconnect with an author I have not read in a while. The seventh edition of Best Women's Erotica had some very notable pieces and while not each one was stellar there were enough good writing to even out the book. Of special note: Holley Trent and Lucy Eden brought their “A” game with unusually provocative and well-crafted stories.
I voluntarily read a copy of this book from Netgalley and this review is of my honest opinion.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to read this as the formatting on the kindle was super wonky and made it impossible to read. I feel bad rating it as I'm not rating it on the content which I would have enjoyed reading.
Something for everyone in this book. I love a good anthology and I loved the last one from this publisher as well.
By now, y’all know the drill. It’s December, so that means it’s time for another volume of the Best Women’s Erotica of the Year.
In 2021, editor Rachel Kramer Bussel has, as usual, included pieces from several well-known romance authors (Adriana Herrera, Angelina M. Lopez and Holley Trent in this edition), but news names abound. As always, the tales we’re given range from the fantastical (Gravity, in which Gwendolyn J. Bean’s erstwhile prostitute uses magical application of gravity to enhance the acts performed) to the ordinary (Lopez’ Hot Pockets, in which a couple of parents try to squeeze out a little hot fun in between everyday parenting duties). In Ohana, Lucy Eden brings shifter-based lust into the picture, when a woman falls in love with two guys who can turn into lions. In spite of all this, there’s nothing here that’s quite as wild as there was in last year’s collection, which featured a woman masturbating in ecstasy after eating a sausage and breaking a year-long meat fast!
If you’re a well enough read romance fan, you’ve probably encountered most of these scenarios to some degree. A beautiful example of romantic love is spelled out in both Hot Pockets and Tulsa. The latter is the story of two women named Camilla and Lucy who only have sex when they’re in the titular Oklahoma town at the same time (Camilla’s a traveling musician and thus they are often never in the same place at the same time). But both start yearning for more, the more time they spend together.
Those two proved to be my favorite stories in this collection, alongside Angela Kempf’s Symmetry, which is about three friends having a three-way during a movie. The remaining stories feature an assortment of D/s encounters, marriage-of-state sex and first-time same-sex romances… and again, a woman fucking two lion shifters. The themes definitely have more variety than they did last year, the writing is up to the high standard on display in the other volumes, and it’s got all the smut you can handle, but I continue to be annoyed at the length of these books, which rarely make it to 200 pages – which is the case with this year’s offering. As always, Best Women’s Erotica of the Year lives up to its title, though it could pack in a little more er… bang… for its bucks!
Buy it at Amazon or your local independent retailer
Visit our Amazon Storefront
I've read a few of these collections now, so was excited to check out the newest release. They always manage to put together a collection of diverse stories by talented writers, and this was no exception.
Big thanks to Netgalley, Rachel Krammer Bussel and Cleis Press for the eARC in exchange for a review.
This book is an anthology of steamy stories that greatly vary in characters and kink. No matter who you are, there is likely a story in this book to get you going. From cowboy styled characters to brothels selling gravityless companionship and how some couples ignite a dying ember of intimacy once their lives have become a little to humdrum.
I think realistically, this is 3.5 stars, lowered to 3 cause there were way more stories that weren't quite 'me' than there were. There was one story that I had to skip over after the first few pages. The whole cancer thing just killed it for me. I couldn't do it.
Whatever your flavor, it's served up in Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 7. I agree with another reviewer. This is not the best erotica I've ever read, but it's well-written and covers the bases.
I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This was a sexy, steamy mix of erotic romances! I really enjoyed that each story was different and unique! There were also several new authors for me. Which I will be going to check several of them out for more reads! I really enjoyed the married couples stories the most! It was so fun to see these couples find their rhythm again! However I enjoyed the different takes on couples, places, and the sex they shared! There really is a diverse mix of characters, from humans to shifters, to space! There’s something for everyone in here! I’m so glad I was given a copy to read all these fun steamy short stories!! I def recommend this!
The authors are not setting the scene. They are telling the story as boring as possible. No feelings in this book.
This book is exceptionally great and really engages with its audience hitting all the criteria for a thoroughly entertaining read and maybe suggestions for ones personal sex life also.
Variety is the name of the game in this anthology. Whatever your erotic preference is, it's likely covered in this collection of short stories. It may not be the absolute best erotica I've read, but it's well-written and the sheer number of scenes included make it worth the read.
Unfortunately, the egalley provided for review had terrible formatting that really takes readers out of the stories and provides a very disruptive reading experience. Hopefully that is cleared up fully before the volume is published.
A varied collection by a wide range of authors on the theme of "surprise". There's a little something for everyone, from soft and sweet to more intense. I didn't love all the stories, but that's why there are so many to choose from. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the authors for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.
NetGalley ARC Educator 550974
As usual the editors did a great job including something for everyone. There is no kink or body shaming, The stories will keep you titillated and engaged. Can't wait for the next installment.
This book is full of hot steamy reads. Even though they are a bunch of short stories they are still thought out and developed. Definitely not one to read in public.
As a regular erotica reader, I liked this collection of stories is perfect. The variety of the stories allows for everyone to find a least one story that matches their needs. Of course, I didn't love all the stories but the beauty is that there were more than enough stories that I found more I enjoyed than didn't like
I thought this would be a nice, sexy read of short stories. However the editing was so bad that I found it hard to follow stories. Some stories didn't even finish before the next one started and at times it felt like parts of the short story was missing.
I am unable to review this copy due to the poor quality galley provided. It is not readable as the text is grouped into couplets and not paragraphs making it difficult for the eye to follow.
If the publisher updates the galley, I'm willing to update my review once I can read it.
The formatting of the text itself made this really challenging to read and being immersed into. I assume that it will be better formatted for the actual release. The stories themselves were ok. Hot, but just ok. It’s a collection of short stories so it’ll cater a range of people.
Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 7 is another good collection of short stories in the continuing series. There is something for everyone, a really good variety and a great for dipping into here and there.