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damianameade's review
4.0
Best Women’s Erotica Vol 6 from Cleis Press is certainly living up to the anthology’s title. A sweet, naughty, wonderfully sensual and realistic read. Every character felt strong, sometimes soft, and drew me deeply into their story.
I had a lot of happy moments reading this anthology. While all the stories were fun reads, I did have a few favorites.
Calyx by Margo Pierce was unexpected and sensual. I really loved the cuteness of Matteo getting to live out a fantasy he’d had years ago. The story drew me from the warm and fuzzy of first connection to hot and bothered.
Cabinet of Curiosities by Olivia Waite was everything my little steampunk heart desires in a sapphic love story. The eccentric Mistress of the Manor, Lady Moth, the soft main character who is caught in a power play, a tawdry midnight encounter…be still my heart. I would love to read more about these characters and their world.
My favorite story of the collection was Sweater Weather by Elia Winters. The build up in the story was short but excruciating in all the best ways. The sweetness during the kinky sex had me over the edge. I melted reading this and and to flip back and read it again when I was done. Left me satisfied but craving more because i’m a glutton.
I do wish that the anthology would include a list of content warnings either at the beginning of the book or before each story. Some of the stories have content either on page or remembered by a character and referenced that some might find off putting and triggering.
For example, Inked on My Skin by Naima Simone (a great story by the way) should have a content warning about remembered violence and torture and maybe a note on angst.
Highly Recommend
I recommend Best Women’s Erotica vol 6 (and really any of the other 5 anthologies) to someone wanting a collection of quick and naughty reads to get them off. The characters are very real feeling and the stories are as easy to slip into as a favorite piece of lingerie.
I had a lot of happy moments reading this anthology. While all the stories were fun reads, I did have a few favorites.
Calyx by Margo Pierce was unexpected and sensual. I really loved the cuteness of Matteo getting to live out a fantasy he’d had years ago. The story drew me from the warm and fuzzy of first connection to hot and bothered.
Cabinet of Curiosities by Olivia Waite was everything my little steampunk heart desires in a sapphic love story. The eccentric Mistress of the Manor, Lady Moth, the soft main character who is caught in a power play, a tawdry midnight encounter…be still my heart. I would love to read more about these characters and their world.
My favorite story of the collection was Sweater Weather by Elia Winters. The build up in the story was short but excruciating in all the best ways. The sweetness during the kinky sex had me over the edge. I melted reading this and and to flip back and read it again when I was done. Left me satisfied but craving more because i’m a glutton.
I do wish that the anthology would include a list of content warnings either at the beginning of the book or before each story. Some of the stories have content either on page or remembered by a character and referenced that some might find off putting and triggering.
For example, Inked on My Skin by Naima Simone (a great story by the way) should have a content warning about remembered violence and torture and maybe a note on angst.
Highly Recommend
I recommend Best Women’s Erotica vol 6 (and really any of the other 5 anthologies) to someone wanting a collection of quick and naughty reads to get them off. The characters are very real feeling and the stories are as easy to slip into as a favorite piece of lingerie.
mxsallybend's review
5.0
When it comes to erotica anthologies, Rachel Kramer Bussel is one of those editors I trust to assemble a fabulous collection of stories, no matter the theme. With Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 6 that theme is a bit softer, a bit more open to exploration with a wide variety of topics and scenarios to be explored, with the only firm connection between stories being the women writing them and the women living them. It lends the whole anthology an element of surprise, with each story something new and different.
Not surprisingly, this was another stellar anthology, full of stories I loved, stories I liked, and really only one story that fell flat for me. New Year’s Chance by SHELLY BELL was a wonderfully romantic tale of youthful regrets, lost loves, and second chances at a happily ever after. Inked on My Skin by NAIMA SIMONE was a powerful story about healing, inner strength, and the power of transformation, contrasting the scarring of pain delivered with cruelty and the catharsis of pain offered with compassion.
Change of Season by LEAH W. SNOW was another story of emotional grief and the healing power of pain and submission, a BDSM-themed exploration of empty nest syndrome that I adored. Spring Fling by KYRA VALENTINE was a complete change of pace, a sexy, seductive story tale of a polyamorous threesome. If I can squeal and gush for a moment, Cabinet of Curiosities by OLIVIA WAITE is a short story in her Feminine Pursuits series of regency women-loving-women romances, and it’s just as wonderful and romantic and delicious as the novels, perhaps the happiest surprise in the anthology.
The Instruction Manual by ALEXIS WILDER was an odd story, but a fascinating one, an amazingly detailed and inventive story of detachment kink, with a woman encouraged to be consumed by the distraction of a boringly detailed instructions while being pleasured. Sweater Weather by ELIA WINTERS was another favorite of mine, a super story of two women, roommates and friends, who seize upon an accidental discovery of toys to enter into a powerfully erotic scene of intense BDSM submission.
Inflated Egos by EVIE BENNET was another somewhat odd and original story, featuring two lovers working in a car dealership, centered around a latex balloon fetish, but so good! And, finally, Adult Time by JEANETTE GREY was a sexy tale of rekindling the romance and the spontaneity of marriage that warmed my heart.
With its variety of couplings, settings, and scenarios, exploring everything from the warmth of romance to the intimacy of fetish, Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 6 is a true delight from beginning to end. The stories are so wonderful, and so wonderfully well-written, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/best-womens-erotica-of-the-year-volume-6-edited-by-rachel-kramer-bussel-erotica/
Not surprisingly, this was another stellar anthology, full of stories I loved, stories I liked, and really only one story that fell flat for me. New Year’s Chance by SHELLY BELL was a wonderfully romantic tale of youthful regrets, lost loves, and second chances at a happily ever after. Inked on My Skin by NAIMA SIMONE was a powerful story about healing, inner strength, and the power of transformation, contrasting the scarring of pain delivered with cruelty and the catharsis of pain offered with compassion.
Change of Season by LEAH W. SNOW was another story of emotional grief and the healing power of pain and submission, a BDSM-themed exploration of empty nest syndrome that I adored. Spring Fling by KYRA VALENTINE was a complete change of pace, a sexy, seductive story tale of a polyamorous threesome. If I can squeal and gush for a moment, Cabinet of Curiosities by OLIVIA WAITE is a short story in her Feminine Pursuits series of regency women-loving-women romances, and it’s just as wonderful and romantic and delicious as the novels, perhaps the happiest surprise in the anthology.
The Instruction Manual by ALEXIS WILDER was an odd story, but a fascinating one, an amazingly detailed and inventive story of detachment kink, with a woman encouraged to be consumed by the distraction of a boringly detailed instructions while being pleasured. Sweater Weather by ELIA WINTERS was another favorite of mine, a super story of two women, roommates and friends, who seize upon an accidental discovery of toys to enter into a powerfully erotic scene of intense BDSM submission.
Inflated Egos by EVIE BENNET was another somewhat odd and original story, featuring two lovers working in a car dealership, centered around a latex balloon fetish, but so good! And, finally, Adult Time by JEANETTE GREY was a sexy tale of rekindling the romance and the spontaneity of marriage that warmed my heart.
With its variety of couplings, settings, and scenarios, exploring everything from the warmth of romance to the intimacy of fetish, Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 6 is a true delight from beginning to end. The stories are so wonderful, and so wonderfully well-written, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/best-womens-erotica-of-the-year-volume-6-edited-by-rachel-kramer-bussel-erotica/
jugglingpup's review
4.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book from Cleis Press.
Every year Cleis puts out an anthology of amazing smut. This erotica is always top tier and the stuff that even makes me stop complaining. If you read enough of my reviews you know how critical I am of sex and the depiction of sexuality in media. The fact that Cleis sends me their erotica collections and I enjoy them shows both how much work Cleis puts into its smut and how wonderful the erotica is.
The theme this year is adventure. What does adventure look like in sex? Everything from public sex to sex for the first time after a divorce to masturbating. There is no lack of adventure and there is no lack of steam. I was kept guessing what was going to happen story to story. They vary so greatly that my attention was help and I was often swept up in them in a way that made me forget about my small complaints while reading.
My biggest complaint is as always that condoms are used so inconsistently. They generally were used only for penetrative sex. There was a lot of oral sex (and I really do mean a lot) without any form of barrier. I understand that some of these things are fantasies, but it really pulls me out when the characters don’t know each other and are willing to risk that. This did not happen in every story, some stories clearly had characters that were fluid bonded. Fluid bonding is perfectly cool in my book, less risk. There was also a really weird mention of the pull out method as birth control, which do not make me get my charts and explain things. I will sex ed this like wild if I do not stop. Seriously, pulling out is not a safe birth control method.
The ranges of kinks were so good. There was a femme domme story. Do you know how hard it is to find a good femme domme story? SO HARD. I was living for it. I didn’t like the ending of that one, but that is also because I don’t see sex as the way to start a relationship or sexual compatibility as a good reason to pursue a relationship. So that is possibly the ace in me. The sex though, that sex. I am not into foot fetish stuff, either in literature or in real life, but that story made it make sense. A hard limit became a curiosity. Then the balloon story! I have never read or seen anything that was looner friendly. It was so refreshing and I was thrilled.
All of the stories were only about cis people and a lot of them focused on penetration, even the ones with two cis women. There were some stories that had a threesome (FFM) or had two women together, but they were few and far between. They did not lack details though. So if you are looking for something a bit more queer, you will like my next review’s topic. If you are looking for some good, quick, and dirty reads, then this will be for you.
It really was a fun anthology and made my afternoon fly by.
I got an ARC of this book from Cleis Press.
Every year Cleis puts out an anthology of amazing smut. This erotica is always top tier and the stuff that even makes me stop complaining. If you read enough of my reviews you know how critical I am of sex and the depiction of sexuality in media. The fact that Cleis sends me their erotica collections and I enjoy them shows both how much work Cleis puts into its smut and how wonderful the erotica is.
The theme this year is adventure. What does adventure look like in sex? Everything from public sex to sex for the first time after a divorce to masturbating. There is no lack of adventure and there is no lack of steam. I was kept guessing what was going to happen story to story. They vary so greatly that my attention was help and I was often swept up in them in a way that made me forget about my small complaints while reading.
My biggest complaint is as always that condoms are used so inconsistently. They generally were used only for penetrative sex. There was a lot of oral sex (and I really do mean a lot) without any form of barrier. I understand that some of these things are fantasies, but it really pulls me out when the characters don’t know each other and are willing to risk that. This did not happen in every story, some stories clearly had characters that were fluid bonded. Fluid bonding is perfectly cool in my book, less risk. There was also a really weird mention of the pull out method as birth control, which do not make me get my charts and explain things. I will sex ed this like wild if I do not stop. Seriously, pulling out is not a safe birth control method.
The ranges of kinks were so good. There was a femme domme story. Do you know how hard it is to find a good femme domme story? SO HARD. I was living for it. I didn’t like the ending of that one, but that is also because I don’t see sex as the way to start a relationship or sexual compatibility as a good reason to pursue a relationship. So that is possibly the ace in me. The sex though, that sex. I am not into foot fetish stuff, either in literature or in real life, but that story made it make sense. A hard limit became a curiosity. Then the balloon story! I have never read or seen anything that was looner friendly. It was so refreshing and I was thrilled.
All of the stories were only about cis people and a lot of them focused on penetration, even the ones with two cis women. There were some stories that had a threesome (FFM) or had two women together, but they were few and far between. They did not lack details though. So if you are looking for something a bit more queer, you will like my next review’s topic. If you are looking for some good, quick, and dirty reads, then this will be for you.
It really was a fun anthology and made my afternoon fly by.
cnewby927's review
4.0
An enjoyable collection of short stories. There is truly a little something for everyone here. I wasn't the biggest fan of all the stories here but I think that's to be expected with so many difference styles. Overall, would recommend.
bloodravenlib's review
4.0
Short review: The collection includes the editor's introduction and 20 short stories. Most of the stories come in at about 10 to 15 pages. For this anthology, the editor asked her authors to get "adventurous," and the authors delivered. The authors take the concept and run with it. Stories cover topics such as meeting an old crush, reality television shows, mermaids, magical realism, and some kink (OK, maybe just a bit more than just "some"). A strength of this anthology is the variety of topics and explorations the authors offer. Granted, as in many anthologies, some stories are better than others. For me, there were one or two stories that did not quite do it for me, but I am sure other readers may like them better. That is another strength of the book: odds are you'll find a story or more that you'll enjoy and that may stay with you well after reading them.
Overall, this is a very good and solid erotica anthology.
(Disclosure note: received review copy from editor for an honest review).
(More detailed review on my blog to follow)
Overall, this is a very good and solid erotica anthology.
(Disclosure note: received review copy from editor for an honest review).
(More detailed review on my blog to follow)
purplelorikeet's review
3.0
I read the previous volume of this anthology and really enjoyed it overall. But there were some stories that didn't particularly interest me much. It's a similar situation with this volume but I must admit that more of the stories were readable for me than previously.
Highlights for me were New Year's Chance, about running into an old crush; Spring Fling, about a unique couple looking to add someone new into their relationship, and Blues, a take on the Little Mermaid story. I also found Inked on my Skin quite an interesting read although I don't get into the tattoo thing at all.
Overall this was another enjoyable collection and I give it 3.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Cleis Press for sharing an advanced reader copy.
Highlights for me were New Year's Chance, about running into an old crush; Spring Fling, about a unique couple looking to add someone new into their relationship, and Blues, a take on the Little Mermaid story. I also found Inked on my Skin quite an interesting read although I don't get into the tattoo thing at all.
Overall this was another enjoyable collection and I give it 3.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Cleis Press for sharing an advanced reader copy.
emmalita's review
4.0
I didn’t entirely consider that I would be writing a review of erotica for the Cannonball Read audience when I requested Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 6 from NetGalley. I just thought about how much I wanted to read it. I got a copy of this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t generally review erotica because to do so in a meaningful way would get rather more revelatory than I usually do. With an anthology though, I can maintain a little more distance.
Rachel Kramer Bussel is a very good editor. Every one of the stories in the anthology is well done, even the ones I didn’t like. I would say of the 20 stories in the anthology there were a few I loved, most that were well done but didn’t stick with me, and a couple that made me say, “next, please.” None of them made me wonder why they were there. The theme for this anthology was adventure and each of the stories explored that in different ways.
Three of the stories I particularly liked were about women reclaiming themselves. In Mia Hopkin’s “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” a newly divorced single mother goes on vacation with her sister and her child to a Disney-esque park. After mutually eye fucking a tour boat guide, she steals some time to be alone. The encounter she has with the tour guide isn’t at about an emotional connection and there’s no sense that there will be any pining in the future. It’s about physical desire and autonomy. It’s the flourish at the top of the page to show she’s starting a new chapter.
Tysha, in Katrina Jackson’s “Easy Ride” is coming off a messy divorce. Her ex-husband made her feel like she had to be smaller to fit into his life. Now free and in a new city with a new job, she goes looking for adventure at a motorcycle club bar. The ending here is more ambiguous about what her ride means. Whatever happens in the future, Tysha won’t diminish herself again.
Olivia Waite’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” is both a breaking away from being made small and a start to a romantic relationship. Two widows explore toys when one refuses to be the tool of her controlling brother. Phoebe and Harriet find sexual freedom with each other, a thing not easily granted to women (not even today).
Whether these women are having sex with a stranger, a friend, a lover, or a spouse, they are taking a risk and exploring beyond their usual boundaries.
The Best Women’s Erotica series is a great source for finding new authors. I’ve read a couple of the collections and trust Rachel Kramer Bussel to pick good stories. Even if i don’t like one of the stories, I can see why it was chosen.
I don’t generally review erotica because to do so in a meaningful way would get rather more revelatory than I usually do. With an anthology though, I can maintain a little more distance.
Rachel Kramer Bussel is a very good editor. Every one of the stories in the anthology is well done, even the ones I didn’t like. I would say of the 20 stories in the anthology there were a few I loved, most that were well done but didn’t stick with me, and a couple that made me say, “next, please.” None of them made me wonder why they were there. The theme for this anthology was adventure and each of the stories explored that in different ways.
Three of the stories I particularly liked were about women reclaiming themselves. In Mia Hopkin’s “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” a newly divorced single mother goes on vacation with her sister and her child to a Disney-esque park. After mutually eye fucking a tour boat guide, she steals some time to be alone. The encounter she has with the tour guide isn’t at about an emotional connection and there’s no sense that there will be any pining in the future. It’s about physical desire and autonomy. It’s the flourish at the top of the page to show she’s starting a new chapter.
Tysha, in Katrina Jackson’s “Easy Ride” is coming off a messy divorce. Her ex-husband made her feel like she had to be smaller to fit into his life. Now free and in a new city with a new job, she goes looking for adventure at a motorcycle club bar. The ending here is more ambiguous about what her ride means. Whatever happens in the future, Tysha won’t diminish herself again.
Olivia Waite’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” is both a breaking away from being made small and a start to a romantic relationship. Two widows explore toys when one refuses to be the tool of her controlling brother. Phoebe and Harriet find sexual freedom with each other, a thing not easily granted to women (not even today).
Whether these women are having sex with a stranger, a friend, a lover, or a spouse, they are taking a risk and exploring beyond their usual boundaries.
The Best Women’s Erotica series is a great source for finding new authors. I’ve read a couple of the collections and trust Rachel Kramer Bussel to pick good stories. Even if i don’t like one of the stories, I can see why it was chosen.
atgreen1's review
4.0
No matter your favorite author or your favorite kink, this collection has something for everyone. Authors I had read previously lived up to my expectations. I discovered new authors and even stories that weren’t my “type” clearly maintained the high standard of writing throughout.
loveinpanels's review
4.0
In keeping with the other installments in this anthology series, Rachel Kramer Bussell has pulled together a diverse and exciting collection of stories. Some of these authors were familiar to me and I read their stories with anticipation, but I was pleased to find that those by authors unknown to me were equally enthralling.
As usual, not every story appealed to me just as not every story will appeal to any reader, but the options here are varied enough that most readers will find several to enjoy.
I don't like to play favorites, but Mia Hopkins and Naima Simone's stories were perfection.
As usual, not every story appealed to me just as not every story will appeal to any reader, but the options here are varied enough that most readers will find several to enjoy.
I don't like to play favorites, but Mia Hopkins and Naima Simone's stories were perfection.
justavoraciousreader's review
4.0
This collection of super erotic stories is pure fiyah. My favs...Cooling Off, Inked on My Skin and The Instruction Manual. Each story showcased real life emotions, deep seeded connection and is rich in content and drama. Looking forward to Volume 7. I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgallery and am enthusiastically leaving an honest review.
#BestWomensEroticaoftheYearVolume6 #NetGalley
#BestWomensEroticaoftheYearVolume6 #NetGalley