The Book: Alison's Wonderland edited by Alison Tyler
The Particulars: Erotica anthology, Harlequin Spice, 2010, out of print, available digitally
Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: I like erotic short stories, plus Tyler and a few of the featured authors are known to me. That's pretty much it.
The Review: There was a wave several years ago of publishers starting erotic imprints (Harlequin Spice, Avon Red etc.) and with it came the blurring of the lines between erotica and erotic romance. No, they aren't interchangeable. So for the sake of clarity let me state this anthology which utilizes a fairy tale / folk tale theme, is most definitely erotica. They're too short (the stories average around 8-10 pages) to make compelling "romances," but as happy-for-now, let's have a good time together? They're fine. For readers familiar with the various Cleis Press anthologies, this collection is in a similar vein.
The Red Shoes (Redux) by Nikki Magennis features a heroine obsessed with a pair of shoes in a shop window. The store's owner sees her, asks her out, and brings the shoes. Naturally the shoes and the man have strings attached.
Fool's Gold by Shanna Germain finds our heroine having a spirited discussion at a bar with a man in her peripheral circle of friends about BDSM and naturally it's a conversation that continues to take up residence in her brain. They reconnect and what happens, happens.
The Three Billys by Sommer Marsden is about three gruff brothers who ruffle the feathers of a very proper librarian just trying to get through her work day.
David by Kristina Lloyd is a twist on a vampire story featuring a submissive female vampire (!) who finds her perfect match.
Managers and Mermen by Donna George Storey finds our bored heroine fantasizing about a mermaid and spanking (yes, really) only to have her husband come home unexpectedly early from work. Gee, wonder what will happen next?
The Clean-Shaven Type by N.T. Morely might have been my favorite story in this collection. Belle, who has spent her life in servitude (yes, that kind...) to men finds herself now living with "The Beast" where she flips the switch to Domme and avails herself of him, and the hired help.
The Midas F*ck by Erica DeQuaya finds our heroine suddenly, magically, irresistible to men. They ALL want her. The spell is broken when she hooks up with the hunky bartender at her favorite watering hole.
Sleeping with Beauty by Allison Wonderland is an F/F story about two women who work as princesses at a theme park.
Unveiling His Muse by Portia Da Costa finds our artist hero obsessed with one of his recent commissions - the art work, not the patron.
Always Break the Spines by Lana Fox is about a heroine who likes fairy tales and old books drawing the attention (and ire) of a cranky bookstore owner.
An Uphill Battle by Benjamin Eliot is about a musician hero who takes a job as a building supervisor to pay the bills and finds himself answering calls at all hours of the day from a female resident with a faulty toilet - which necessitates climbing a lot of stairs since the elevator is on the fritz.
Moonset by A.D.R. Forte features a couple who enters a pact to get "kinky" every full moon.
Mastering Their Dungeons by Bryn Haniver was one of the more problematic stories for me since I didn't "like" the heroine. Bored popular college girl crashes a Dungeons & Dragons game and blows the mind of three nerds.
A Taste for Treasure by T.C. Calligari was a weird story about a heroine obsessed with magic who takes magical objects from three brothers. She eventually settles down with the youngest.
The Broken Fiddle by Andrea Dare finds the heroine and her gay BFF traveling Ireland working on a photo book about pub signage. The heroine ends up having a grand time with local musician who tells her the story of one interesting sign.
The Cougar of Cobble Hill by Sophia Valenti finds our divorced heroine taking in two college-age male roommates. Naturally close proximity leads to shenanigans.
Wolff's Tavern by Bella Dean spins Little Red Riding Hood when the heroine's car breaks down outside a bar and the owner giving her a ride to Grandma's house.
Slutty Cinderella by Jacqueline Applebee is a gender-bending story with the heroine and her partner getting ready to attend a fetish ball. He's the one wearing the dress...
Kiss It by Saskia Walker finds the heroine on a tour of Ireland where a stop at the Blarney Stone finds her rolling around in the forest with a mystery man.
Let Down Your Libido by Rachel Kramer Bussel features an out of work heroine who signs up for a study that asks her to be celibate for two months. That's a tall order, especially when a mystery man starts slipping dirty notes underneath her door.
Dancing Shoes by Tsaurah Litzky features an older heroine who getting back her groove thanks to a local shoe repairman.
Gold, On Snow by Janine Ashbless was another high point for me, a twisted take on Snow White. Snow White isn't so pure or innocent and the "evil queen," her stepmother ends up spying on her with the seven dwarfs.
After the Happily Ever After by Heidi Champa answers the question of what happens when Cinderella marries Prince Charming, only to find out that the Prince is a neglectful husband. No matter, the Prince's wastrel brother is availing himself of the swimming pool...
Cupid Has Signed Off by Thomas S. Roche spins a Psyche / Cupid story if Psyche were a kinky college student who likes online fetish chat rooms.
The Walking Wheel by Georgia E. Jones is a 15th century story where the spinning maiden has to pay for her father's debts, hopefully will get to marry a nobleman as a result, but not before our friend Rumpelstiltskin shows up with a proposal.
Rings on my Fingers by Alison Tyler finds the heroine fielding concerns from well-meaning married friends, but it's the hunky tattoo artist next door who is getting her motor revving.
The Princess by Elspeth Potter is a story that is literally one paragraph long about a princess rescuing another princess.
Like most anthologies this one was definitely a mixed bag. There was only one story I outright disliked, but the "meh, OK" definitely outweighed the stories that really stuck with me. Nothing inspiring but it's been in my TBR forever and now it's not.
Final Grade = C
6 comments:
I tried 4 (*4*!) different books in an attempt to complete this TBR challenge. Alas, they all ended up being DNFs. Present day Jill has serious reservations about past Jill's taste. Ah well at least they're off the (digital) pile and I'm already browsing for some for next month's challenge.
I broke my duck of "meh" reads for the challenge with The Sleeping Beauty by Jacqueline Navin, a 2001 Harlequin Historical that combines a cross-class romance (the hero is a commoner) with gothic overtones and dark mysteries from the Sleeping Beauty's past, which culminate in an unnecessary and tacked-on murder, but otherwise, this was a fun read. Great use of the fairy tale motifs in a non-fantasy historical setting (1850s Northumberland).
Jill: Oh man, that is THE worst. A few years ago I did a TBR Challenge day review where I talked about 4 books I DNF'ed and finally settled on a novella that ended up being a "meh" read. It was depressing - but like you said, I felt pretty great weeding out 5 books in one month!
Eurohackie: Ooooh, that sounds really promising! I'm off to investigate....
That's a lot of stories and summaries! Good for you on knocking that one out of your pile! I finally found another western to entertain me this month. I've got the itch to read again, which hasn't been with me for a year. Here's hoping my reading block is overcome.
I can struggle with novellas, so I'm not sure what 10pg stories would do for me but I guess they work to give some idea of author's writing style to entice for other work.
The Three Billys story has me intrigued, Always Break the Spines sounds like a horror story.
Nothing inspiring but it's been in my TBR forever and now it's not.
They way I want to make this my review on a number of books
Dorine: Woot! Glad that you've found a book that entertained you and here's hoping you're bit by the reading bug again.
Whiskey: LOL! Yeah, this was a hard review to write as it very much was a typical "meh" C read. If it had been a full-length book I probably would have DNF'ed it and moved on - but with all those short stories - I mean, how could I DNF? The next story could have been a stand out gem! Unfortunately none of them really were. There were a few good ones, but nothing that really blew up my skirt.
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