This anthology was riveting and so interesting. It wove together the themes of intimacy, sexuality, varying expressions of queerness, all with this underlying horror and terror that ran through all of the characters (and myself as a reader). Some of the stories stuck with me a bit more than others, whether on the basis of content or structure, but the differences between them all kept me incredibly intrigued and engaged. Standout favorites were “A Gift So Sweet”; “Graphite”; “Mantis”; and “White and Wolf.” Highly recommend, 3⭐ for me

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Firstly, thank you for allowing me to be an ARC for this book. I was initially intrigued by the cover and that it is a collection of short stories with more LGBTQ representation which was a big plus for me to want to read this book.
I was expecting different styles and stories, however, I found the stories to be very similar in style and tone, and almost like the FanFiction style layout that you would find on websites like AO3.

While I found the first story interesting, although it felt like it started in the middle of a book rather than the start, the others didn't hold my attention and I found myself skim-reading large sections and not taking much of it in.

The horror elements of the stories were more gore horror than I was expecting them to be, however, I did not find it particularly 'scary' it was more disgusting and over the top.

I did not really care for this half way threw I dnf it. a very different type of read for me. The stories are even scary.

Sadly DNF at around 20%.

Ultimately just wasn’t for me. I persisted because I was hoping to find a story that hooked me but it just didn’t happen for me.

The pleasure in pain is a set of short stories and poems that combies lust, horror, and LGBT characters. I was intrigued by the premise of this book and I love to see more LGBT representation in writing, so I was excited to get the opportunity to read this. However, the horror aspect of this novel might have been a bit too much for me. Perhaps that suggests that I'm not the right audience, and that for those who do love horrors, this might really be a great read for them.

The stories were a mix; some I found well written, with an almost Shakesphearen style of writing, but others I ended up having to skim through as they just didn't engage me. It's hard to give a justified rating because of this, as some stories on their own could merit a 4 star, and others a 1/2.

With the title and blurb, I was expecting more "pleasure in pain" through BDSM aspects, but I was wrong on this front. The pain truly does refer to the macabre and grotesque, and this was just not something that worked well for me.

Thank you for the ARC!

DNF at 20%. I actually really enjoyed the first few stories but at some point it got rather dark for me and I just didn't see myself enjoying the rest of it. The writing was wonderful but the some of the stories were a bit too much for me.

The Pleasure in Pain: A Queer Horrortica Anthology curated by Roxie Voorhees features a well rounded group of authors that focus on the exploration and intersection of erotica and horror when existing within the same space. They are stories that feature gruesome scenes and imagery that often conflicts with the erotic nature of the writing, and because of this, it leans heavily into the taboo side of sex and lust.

The Pleasure in Pain is a fascinating collection of short stories with a variety of themes, ranging from sweet and obsessive to deranged and violent. Each are well written and well explored in their content, which is perfect for horror fans who want a bite of something new, or for those who enjoy darker and harsher sexual themes. They are gruesome, nasty, sometimes petty, and often sensual, dirty, and disgusting.

My main and only criticisms for this anthology collection is that it feels a little unorganized in the non-final version I read, and the content itself felt overall "tame" for something labeled horror. The poems felt scattered rather than thematically placed with likeminded short stories, and each story itself seemed randomly placed alongside others. This isn't necessarily distracting, but I think stories could have been more adequately organized. And likewise for how tame some stories felt, it wasn't a distraction, but I was hoping for more bizarre, more extreme stories mixing gore and erotica.

The standout stars of this anthology, however, were (in no order) "MOTEL POZITIVE," "Little Saddleslut Grows Up," and "Graphite," among man of the others in this collection. Definitely pick this one up if you are seeking out a macabre, sensual, and conflicting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragon Roost press for this arc.

I do love short stories/anthologies, they are normally a lovely mix of good with perhaps one or two bad shorts. Unfortunately I can honestly say there was not a single story I wanted to/or was glad that I had read. I skimmed a fair amount of this book (probably 85%). This screamed indie but not in a good way, it all fell rather flat and was unnecessary in a lot of places.

Bar the poorly written narratives I felt like I was plopped on Fanfiction or AO3 (no shade, there are a lot of stories I adore from these two sites. I still visit both regularly).

I was hoping for some great LGBTQ+ titles but was just fair too woke from the first story. I was really bored and wanted to DNF but felt like I needed to give it a fair shot (a decision I truly regret).

Think the editors need to take another look at this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragon's Roost Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: Today I was hungry for something different, and it ended with a salty aftertaste
The book left me: Feeling very filthy?

Why did this call out to me?
These two genres combined is something I haven't read yet, so I thought it would be fun to pick up. I had a hope this would please my inner "monster-f'er"

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Sadly, put-down-able. A lot of the stories blend together and don't do enough to feel different from one another. They also drag for a long time. Although I appreciate the "details", I wish it was a bit more "action" oriented rather than "described".

Issues:
Very very filthy material that borderlines on the disgusting
Several stories last for too long
Almost every single story feels or reads the same way

Good things:
Dares to wade in water that is usually a little too out there for many
Described in a way that let me "live in the moment" of the stories

How did it feel to read?
It felt like reading something off AO3 with enough tags to break the system. It has "indie author" written all over it (yay indie authors). I was thrown back to a time where I hid my screen away from the door in the fear that my parents would catch me interacting with something way above my age rating. But even when I am old enough and don't have to worry about it, I still felt the compulsion to tilt my phone far away

What mood would I read this in?
It is late at night, I can't sleep becasue tomorrow is halloween, and I need something to get that energy out ;--)

Where does this fall in my tier list ranking?
Sadly this is a high D tier book. Although I liked some of the stories well enough, it didn't capture me in the way I hoped it would. I might not be the right person to read this book, but I do know some people in my life that would love it

Favorite poems/stories:
Graphite
Bite
The Roses of Heliogabalus
The Leatherman
What they don't tell you about the Mummy's Curse

I didn’t really enjoy this one - the writing style of some of the short stories was really clipped and created an odd reading experience, while the others weren’t really my cup of tea. It’s a great concept and I know a few friends who would like this anthology but it just wasn't for me

After reading this book I’m beginning to think these short stories aren’t for me. Most of these were way too short and left me very confused on what I just read. However, I did enjoy the poems, some of the short and longer stories. I enjoyed a couple of short stories: Franklin & Jackson and Silicone Toys. Also, I loved the poems Where to Draw the Dotted Lines and Invitation. My favorite was probably What they don’t tell you about the Mummy curse. I wasn’t a fan of the really short ones like Regina di Santana and This Living Hand. All and All this wasn’t a horrible book and it wasn’t an amazing book.

The pleasure in pain is an LGBTQ+ anthology.

When I picked this up, I decided I wanted to go in blind. I learned very quickly that this wasn’t the run of the mill horror anthology, but erotica. Which is fine, I have nothing against the genre and I love supporting my fellow LGBTQ+ authors.

It has a wide variety of stories, and stretches all across the spectrum which I personally appreciated. There is not only diversity in the queerness but writing styles. And while not every story suited my personal preference I still enjoyed them.

I’ll be checking out all authors in the future.

I was excited to read this book since it included several short story’s, which is a little outside my normal reading. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the book and it was hard to get through. Several of the stories just did not make sense, and were hard to follow.

As an avid reader of both horror and erotica, I was thrilled by the idea of the melding of the two genres. As all anthologies go, there were some stories that appealed to me much less than others. I don't consider that to be a fault though, as I'm sure that there were other readers who were drawn to those ones and perhaps weren't as fond of my favorites. This collection of stories and poems felt cohesive and I don't really have any negative criticism of it.

Dnf sorry I really didn’t enjoy the first 25% of the book and unfortunately I did not wish to continue reading. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I also didn’t connect with any characters. I don’t anticipate the story to peak my interest after what I did read. I haven’t thought of the book since I put it down which makes me not want to finish it in the future. I really appreciate the arc and I wish I did enjoy it more but unfortunately it’s not for me. I’d be willing to try something else from the author just not this book. Sorry again I really hate to dnf a book but I want to love what I’m reading not counting down the pages until it’s over.

This collection of short stories best represents the best authors of the LBGTQ community. Every story is unique and keeps the reader entertained throughout. I highly recommend this collection for people that are looking to dive into new authors in the community as this will open doors for readers to find new authors to read. Thoroughly enjoyed this one!!

"Let them watch on, voyeurists of brutal euphoria, and tell me there is no beauty in destruction."

I LOVED this book. Stories, worlds apart, interwoven by sanguine threads. I was caught in a rapid cycle of disgust, desire, and delight from start to finish.

It features so many new-to-me authors as well as some familiar favorites. 

If you enjoyed Brute edited by Steve Berman, I bet you'll love this book, too.

This was my first NetGalley title. Thank you so much for the chance to check this book out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord

The stories are even scary or sexy. I didn't have a good time. One of them was actually disgusting in the worst way. I couldn't even finish it was too many strikes to try.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Pleasure in Pain is unique and diverse anthology. There is definitely something for every reader in this collection, from poetic tales to brutally heartbreaking stories.

I really enjoyed this read, there were a couple of the short stories that I really liked. “Graphite”, “I wander the earth longing to taste your beating heart” and “What they don’t tell you about the Mummy’s curse” (that was the most bizarre thing I’ve read in ages)

I’d recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys an anthology that really gives you something different in each story. Different feel, different prose, and varying levels of poetry and absurdity.

The Pleasure in Pain is definitely not for the faint of heart, but for those who can appreciate a story that doesn’t hold back. The book is filled with short stories all written in an artistic way describing different types of sexual acts. Some are very descriptive and others merely implied. What I appreciated about the book is that if one story in particular didn’t interest me it was very short and I could move onto the next. Unfortunately, what that also means is if you found a story that you did like it didn’t last that long. I don’t normally like short stories but it worked well in this book.