I’m really not sure how I felt about this one. I’ve been wanting to branch out to more international books and authors. Usually I love these types of books since I started reading them from Zane stories. So when I saw this one I thought why not this will be a great way to start reading other authors. But for some reason I really struggled with this book. From what I could tell each chapter was a different story which I’m used to. Some of the stories were a bit confusing on what was actually going on. I know they are short stories but I really felt like I dropped in a middle of a story and not in a good way. Some stories were just too much for me while the others were pretty good. I think my problem was how it was written. No matter I will try again on this author and others.

“Secret Sex: An Anthology” edited by Russell Smith

Thank you to NetGalley and Rare Machines for permitting me to read this work prior to its release. Though I didn’t care for all of the short stories in this anthology, a few were pretty good and touched on the complex emotions that accompany sexual desire, like longing and self-awareness. I’m a big fan of Anais Nina and some of the stories in this work had a similar vibe to “Delta of Venus”, in the way that the sex depicted is raw and real. This wasn’t a fave but I appreciate the work that went into writing and editing such a diverse work of desire and connection.

Secret Sex by Russell Smith is a refreshing book. I've enjoyed a few sex stories which are really interesting. However, some stories are maybe just lack of depth which may cause the story to be awkward.

This book was really interesting. However, I think I liked the book more in concept than what it actually turned out to be. I enjoyed some of the stories, thought some were funny or fun, and it was entertaining to think about who could have written them. But in the end, it was a bit of a mismatch of stories, which I guess is a risk with any short story collection. I still do really love the concept, though.

I’m not usually a reader of erotic fiction but I also appreciate how beautiful, sexy or simply poetic it can be.

And I also know a bad sex scene when I read it - and I read them a lot. But as Smith addresses in the introduction, many authors censor themselves through fear of judgement, fear of revealing their sexuality, fear of sharing their innermost desires, so through this book each writer isn’t attributed directly to their piece to allow complete freedom and there is something beautiful about that. But sex is natural, it’s fun and it’s a key part of a lot of relationships even ones with our own bodies - and we should definitely be able to talk and write about it without fear.

From subtle sexuality, to evocative and meaningful, to slapstick, graphic and intense, to fantasy, to even one just made out of pornhub titles, there is such a range of different moods, themes and styles - it is not just about sex, but the way we feel, think and talk about all the different incarnations of sex.

I enjoyed this short collection of stories. It covered the relatable awkward and sometimes messy moments of sex. I will definitely be adding this book to my TBR. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

I always pick up short story collections and always seem to be just a little bit let down by them but this one was definitely one of my favourites. With any collection there are a few that were duds to me but as they were all different authors it didn't have that same-y quality to each one that taints a lot of other collections. I knew of some of these authors but I really look forward to checking out the ones I hadn't heard about!

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974


The cover art and description threw me to this title. The stories and writing is as varied as the contributor list. There will be some stories you love and others you might hate. If you are familiar with the contributors other works, you might be able to figure out who wrote what. The styles and stories will leave you guessing. This was a quick read, some stories were steamy and others were a bit demure. I hope this is the first of a series of anthologies.

I was excited for this book because it was a really cool concept - what would writers write if their name wasn’t attached to it?

But, the execution fell flat for me. There were more stories that I disliked than ones I enjoyed. Due to it being an anthology, I knew the stories would be varied but I ended up bored and it took me a while to get through them all (even with some skimming by the end).

With the variety, I am sure anyone could find at least a couple stories they enjoyed which is definitely a plus. I did enjoy the diversity offered by the stories as well.

Thank you Dundurn Press for providing an early arc of this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was intrigued by this concept, and even looking to possible share some of the stories with my Gender and Women's Studies students. Unfortunatley, this anthology wasn't quitethe right thing, though some of the individual stories were certainly spicy and well-written! I think this needs more editing and curation.

This novel is interesting, however an editor needs to be utilized to ensure that grammar and punctuation. This novel has the potential to thrive.

A cool concept, and I appreciate the emphasis on consent in the piece I just read. It feels like a community effort.

This was an intriguing idea, with various authors submitting short stories anonymously. It is a very varied collection of stories, a few erotic, some dark, some funny, some poetic, etc.. But, in the end, none of the stories really grabbed me.

I honestly might just not be the right audience for this book and that’s why it fell flat for me, but I requested it from NetGalley because of how interesting the premise is. In this book authors anonymously write short stories with erotica. While the authors are all listed, you as the reader do not know which author wrote which short story.

My main issue with this book was how inconsistent the writing of these short stories are. I know that they are all different authors but all the different writing styles made this book feel clunky. There were honestly only a few short stories that I liked and the rest were hard and often very cringy to get through. Some of them also felt very unfinished in the way that it seemed more like a first draft and not a published short story. This all being said, if you think the premise sounds interesting this may be a book you want to pick up. It is decently short and a quick read.

This was a nice anthology of short stories. Some of the stories felt like they were plucked from the middle of a book with little context so at times they were difficult to follow. 3 earned stars for effort.

This is an interesting concept and I adored the first story. The others are ok. I’m about 50% through. I guess I thought there’d be more sex. So much plot development for short stories lol!

I was sure I’d rate this one 5/5 on my spice scale. lol

Thanks to NetGalley for a ARC.
Opinions are all my own.

As the introduction by Russell Smith states, this is not a collection of erotica. Twenty four published Canadian authors, in complete anonymity, submitted short stories about sex or involving some amount of sex, the premise being that they would be less inclined to sensor themselves when they know friends and family won't know who wrote what.

The stories were quite varied, and like many anthologies, some stories were bad, others great, and still more were thought provoking. I quite enjoyed most of this collection. There were a few surprising ones, including a vampire story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really struggled with this book to the point where I only read parts of some of the stories. I was looking forward to reading this book but it was quite the let down. Some stories, like the sexting story, made me chuckle but some just didn't make sense or follow any type of structure. I think then idea of the book and the "anonymity" is a good concept but a large majority of the stories just didn't capture my my interest.

It is nice to have an anthology and a section of choice and style. However, I didn't enjoy the majority of the stories. I found them to be far more experimental and incohesive, so this book is ok at best.

I thought the concept of the book was really intriguing and caught my attention to read what authors weren’t adding into their books. However, after reading the stories the appeal of the book was lost. I wasn’t as much intrigue anymore, and that is what I’m giving it a rating of two stars.