Hey everyone! So I know it’s been a while since my last post, but I was asked to read and review this erotica collection. Rest assured, all opinions herein are mine, I have not run them by the publisher before posting and I have not been paid or otherwise compensated. All I got was a free copy of the book.

So, before I run through every story and give my personal opinion, I’ll give my overall thoughts. There was definitely a lot to like here, and honestly you’ll probably find something that’s to your taste as the stories are varied in both their setup and descriptions. Of course, in any anthology there will also be ones that don’t float your boat, but of the stories here only one was a DNF for me.

There were a few that really stood out, and more than a handful were distinctly one-handed reads. Particular mention has to go to The Lash Of A Thousand Wolfords, Leather-bound, The Weight Of Command and a gold medal to Activist (my personal favourite), all of which had to be read in parts because of a need for relief. There were also plenty of others that made sure this anthology ended up in my “masturbated over” pile.

If, like me, you’re not really into hardcore bondage, don’t worry. While there are some harder stories, the vast majority are actually much softer (think tying up, exhibitionism, roleplay, that sort of thing).

What didn’t I like? Well, apart from some of the individual stories as noted below, overall there was a noticeable lack of any male/male erotica here. While there are distinctly lesbian stories, and bisexual ones too, none of them were explicitly gay. Other representation is fairly good: lesbians, at least one trans character and a non-binary one, and bisexual threesomes. I just would have liked something gay male. The majority of the stories are plain m/f, too. In particular, from the first 6 stories, only the first one features a bisexual threesome – after that, it’s straightsville until story 7.

OK, so here are the individual brief reviews:

Escape (Veronique Veritas): I absolutely loved this one that kicked off the collection. Total one-handed reading from start to finish. The only unfortunate thing was that the “escape room” theme only lasted a few pages – after that it was just three people having sex. That was a shame, because I really liked the setup and would have enjoyed seeing it carried through to the end, with a timer ticking down.

Hammered Gold (Rosalind Chase): This was a surprising read. I’m not even sure I’d classify it as “erotica” per se, although there were plenty of sexual moments. There was a huge amount of depth to the main character, and the story was thoughtful and engrossing. I absolutely loved it, but it certainly wasn’t a one handed read for me. The main character has some sort of disease that causes her pain, and she escapes it by choosing pain for herself.

Back In The Saddle (Page Chase): A well written story that just sadly didn’t capture my attention or feel sexy enough. Here a woman gets over a car accident that knocked her confidence and shape for bike riding, by using the services of a professional dom to literally keep her in the saddle.

The Lash Of A Thousand Wolfords (Trystan Kent): I absolutely loved this – it kept my interest and my “interest” throughout, beginning to end. Very much a one-hander for me, it was decadent, sexy, intimate and daring. A merry divorcee becomes a stocking-fetish domme, cruising for clients in bars and enticing them with her combination of high-heels, stockings and very revealing side-split dresses. The story focuses on one specific encounter after the introduction, and maintains very clear boundaries in the relationship which is a nice touch.

Day 730 (Rebecca E. Blanton): This story didn’t work for me. Although there were erotic moments, it did make me wonder if sometimes erotica should come with a trigger warning. Obviously, if you pick up a book of bondage erotica, you know some of the triggers you might face, but when someone who used to cut themselves decides to try knife play to please their husband, despite the fact that they feel it might trigger them, that feels like it could use a content warning. Additionally, this story seemed to jump between viewpoint characters a little too much for my liking, making it sometimes confusing to follow whose head we were in in the middle of a scene.

Restorative Justice (Alexa J. Day): I really enjoyed this one. There were plenty of very erotic, very intimate moments, and the characters were believable and well presented. The bondage here was “light” compared to some of the others, which won’t please everyone, but the sex was hot. In this one, a lawyer is tied up by his girlfriend and used for her pleasure after being inattentive – he assumes that this is a punishment for the way he is with her, but is that her motivation or does she have her own reasons for what she’s doing?

Leather-bound (Elna Holst): Best story so far. This is the first full on lesbian one, and again not too heavy BDSM. Great characters, a really enjoyable set up and it’s carried through right to the end. The sex was fantastic, really well described and the story didn’t overstay its welcome – once it was done, it was over. Here, a domme who works at a library treats her subby wife for her 40th birthday by staging a roleplay where she’s the head librarian.

Table For Two (T. R. Verten): This story was surprisingly tender, and I enjoyed it. It’s told in third person present tense, which is unusual enough to make it slightly hard going for me (I tend to read very fast, so anything unusual throws me off). But the characters were interesting and the setup was worth it. Not my favourite in the anthology but definitely erotic. An m/f couple enjoy their shared (male) slave.

Headspace (Evan Mora): It’s a shame, but I really didn’t care for this one. It’s well written, so if it’s your thing you’ll feel differently, but I didn’t like the characters and didn’t find it arousing at all. Here a woman visits her “daddy” dom at work for a play session. While she seemed suitably devoted for the subgenre, I felt no love coming from him, only cruelty and an enjoyment of inflicting pain.

Unicorn (Jacqueline Brocker): I have to admit, I was expecting something different from the title, but I liked the fact that this story had a lot of play and only a little sex. There was lots to enjoy! Public humiliation was a nice switch up too. Here a woman accidentally finds herself in the middle of a punishment being given to a sub by his mistress.

Ballad Of Desire And Saccharine Melodies (Sonia E. DeWitt): A solidly written story that just failed to capture me unfortunately. A pianist and her mentor have fun before her concert.

Activist (Sienna Saint-Cyr): My favourite of the whole collection and one that I’ll definitely go back to again. Very sensually described, the set up was political and interesting, and as people already know I’m a sucker for a bit of exhibitionism. The descriptions were crisp and the characters were believable. An extremely nice lesbian tale! Here, a BDSM enthusiast and an environmental activist play nude tie-up against a tree before staging a naked protest against the group cutting the trees down.

Dark Dreams (Posy Churchgate): This one had a kind of romance format to it, which was refreshingly unusual for a book of short-form erotica. As a result it was necessarily a bit longer than some others, but it never felt like it dragged. There were also snippets of the stories that the main character was reading as she gets to grips with her own kinks after the end of an affair, which gave a lot of depth.

Trade Show (D. Fostalove): I really enjoyed this story. There was a great twist, which was genuinely unexpected, but it wasn’t pretentious at all. All the characters were excellently written, very believable, and the sex was super hot. A woman at a trade show finds herself unexpectedly contacted by a complete stranger who somehow has her phone number.

Chef’s Special (Emma Chaton): This one failed to capture me. It was, as with the rest of the stories in this collection, well written, but the second person present tense viewpoint isn’t my favourite (well, no second person really is TBH). A sous chef offers to help his boss relax after the kitchen is closed.

Friend With Benefits (Charlie Powell): This one was very good – well written, very erotic, short and punchy. Personally I absolutely loved it and it deserves its place in a “best of” anthology. The bondage was almost an afterthought though, which in a bondage anthology seems strange. A woman confides to her FWB that she’s thinking of having a baby – his way of showing her she’s capable of making the decision is unexpected.

The Weight Of Command (Anne Stagg): Superb! Loved the sci-fi setting, and tentacle play is a favourite of mine, as people know. Velodona sounds like an absolutely divine lover! A starship captain and her med-bay doctor wife (who also happens to be a tentacled alien) take some time for mutual care after a tough space battle.

A Constructed Threesome (Dr. J): Another very enjoyable story – the set up was really good and the imagined exhibitionism in particular was hot as hell. I got more than a bit squirmy. A polyamorous throuple enjoy a construction site threesome to celebrate an important anniversary.

Plug In The Model (Celine): I quite enjoyed this one. The situation was great and the descriptions were on point. I didn’t really enjoy the sex much, it just didn’t feel very erotic to me. An artist and their model play tie up while creating a piece of art.

Check out the book on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56326163-best-bondage-erotica-of-the-year-volume-2