Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 5
Another year’s gone by, and another collection of hot stories about willing, eager partners is released in this year’s edition of Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 5.
This year’s anthology is a little weaker in the quality department while also being stronger in that there are a wider variety of characters for readers to relate to with stories featuring queer couples, nonbinary and trans leads.
The highlights this time out stem from some unique settings and interesting emotional connections between the characters, from a fun assignation between the Vice President and President of the US, to two business rivals who develop a contract for pleasure, to a woman having an assignation with a mermaid, and two women who agree to become two of many of the Filles du Roi for Louis XIV and find themselves tangled in a passionate affair. I had no idea that the Filles du Roi were a real thing, that orphans and young women of character who were named honorary daughters of Louis XIV and sent via ship to French territories such as Quebec to help populate the country even existed. This was my favorite one, because it introduced me something I’d had no idea about before.
The collection – which is usually nominally filled with fiction – closes out with an essay from porn mogul and actress Joanna Angel, who tells the reader about an on-camera gangbang she orchestrated for her thirty-seventh birthday. This is an interesting change of pace; Angel is one of my favorite porn actresses, if only for her wicked sense of humor and her love of life, and the essay absolutely reflects her personality and what makes her charming on-camera.
But the book itself doesn’t quite have the erotic punch or the breadth of the previous volumes. Themes repeat instead of originating. There are two stories featuring sexual blackmail, four featuring exhibitionism. Perhaps some newer, more daring thoughts or bits of kink would have been welcome in the place of these repeated themes or rote plots.
Nonetheless, Best Women’s Erotica of the Year continues to fulfill the promise of its title.
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Lisa Fernandes is a writer, reviewer and recapper who lives somewhere on the East Coast. Formerly employed by Firefox.org and Next Projection, she also currently contributes to Women Write About Comics. Read her blog at http://thatbouviergirl.blogspot.com/, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thatbouviergirl or contribute to her Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MissyvsEvilDead or her Ko-Fi at ko-fi.com/missmelbouvier
Buy Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 5 ed. Rachel Kramer Bussel:
Book Details
| Reviewer: | Lisa Fernandes |
|---|---|
| Review Date: | December 9, 2019 |
| Publication Date: | 12/2019 |
| Grade: | B+ |
| Sensuality | Burning |
| Book Type: | Erotica |
| Review Tags: | Anthology review | Best Women's Erotica of the Year series | Canada | LGBTQ+ romance | nonbinary | transgender romance |
“This year’s anthology is a little weaker in the quality department while also being stronger in that there are a wider variety of characters for readers to relate to with stories featuring queer couples, nonbinary and trans leads.”
I wonder if this year’s anthology’s widespread diversity of plots, characters, and sexual couplings may be part of the reason why it falls short from previous entries, at least according to your review. Don’t get me wrong. Erotica is an open-ended genre that allows for a variety of situations, sexual orientations, and gender expression. But anthologies generally tend to do better- and feel less disjointed- when they stick to an overarching theme. Granted, “Best Women’s Erotica of the Year” is a pretty broad topic, but many erotica readers have a specific niche in mind when they are reading. For example, if an anthology has the theme is “cheerleaders,” you can still have queer couples, BDSM, unusual kinks, and so forth. But at least the topic of “cheerleaders” helps keep the stories somewhat united. A reader who picks up the book knows, “Okay, every story in this anthology is going to include at least one cheerleader- which I like- but how is the author going to make the story stand out for me?” And that’s part of the fun of reading a themed anthology!
Of course, many erotica readers have multiple interests- just as some have extremely specific fetishes or storylines. That’s the real challenge of any anthology, whether erotic or not. Not everybody is going to like every included story. But I think sticking to a tighter niche in each anthology can help. For a non-erotic example, I like science fiction but SF stories tend to get lumped in with horror and fantasy in anthologies. I can live with some fantasy, but I don’t want to accidently run across a scary, disturbing story, especially if it isn’t clearly labeled as such!
Anyway, just some thoughts…
Definitely not. The problem is the stock plotting, not the inclusion of diverse characters.
What do you mean by stock plotting? Thanks.
Oh, I just read your sentence more carefully: “Perhaps some newer, more daring thoughts or bits of kink would have been welcome in the place of these repeated themes or rote plots.” Gotcha. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks. (Sorry, didn’t mean to misrepresent your review in any way.)
It’s no big!
The Filles du Roi is something Canadian kids learn about in history class, as it’s a key part in the founding of Quebec in the 1600s . Also, one of my ancestors, 15th (or 16th?) great grandfather, Francois Primeau was born in Normandy in 1667 and came to New France where he married and had numerous children. He’s a direct ancestor of my maternal grandmother, Ida Sophia Primeau.
Oh wow, that’s neat!
Although it’s been decades since I read it (and there’s doubtless “otherizing” of the half-Native American hero), Jennifer Blake’s FIERCE EDEN was the first time I remember learning anything about the young French women (Filles du Roi) who were sent to populate the French territories in the New World. The heroine (who, iirc, has a very sad backstory) was one of the women sent to the Louisiana territory. Jennifer Blake (who I believe is still writing today, mostly contemporaries) always wrote many cuts above the standard bodice-ripper. Her books were full of interesting, historically-accurate information and her heroines were always thoughtful, intelligent women. Unfortunately, consent in Blake’s earlier books was often an issue and the less said about how Blake handled slavery and racial issues, the better. Sorry, I don’t mean to hijack the thread. Here’s a link to the book if anyone is interested:
https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Eden-Louisiana-History-Collection-ebook/dp/B008THBM5S/ref=sr_1_15?crid=WB0EPRNPCE5T&keywords=jennifer+blake+books&qid=1575891501&sprefix=Jennifer+blake%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-15
You’re not hijacking this thread at all. Your post about “Fierce Eden,” which I have never heard of, is much appreciated.
I had heard about the Filles du Roi, and can see heavy potential for both romance and erotica plots.
It’s an interesting thing about “otherizing.” In erotica, I believe it is quite common to eroticize the “other” in order to appeal to readers with particular tastes. While it certainly isn’t okay to treat people like that in real life (i.e. marrying someone *only* because you find people of such-and-such race/ethnicity/size/shape HOT), in a fanciful world presented through an erotic narrative, it can potentially work.
Ooh, thank you for the tip!
I’m familiar with Blake’s bodice rippers and her womens fiction, though I like her women’s fiction a bit better.
For anyone interested, Aimie K. Runyan wrote a few historicals (def not erotica) about the Filles du Roi. I think the series title was Daughters of New France.
Ooh, thank you! I’m going to pick those up!