Written For Women, Good For Everyone
Twenty writers contribute to this collection of contemporary
erotica with a heavy emphasis on romance, long-time lovers, and new
couples. Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel (who is also a contributor),
“Passion” is a collection that will appeal to romance fans who believe
that true passion can only be found where the heart follows.
“When you’re together long enough, sometimes even the
hottest sex starts to seem rote. Your body might respond, get wet,
hard, perk up, but your mind starts to drift and once it does, it’s a
goner. To be honest, I never that thought that would happen to me, or
rather, us.”
That opening from Rachel Kramer Bussel’s story, Five Senses, sums up the spirit behind many of the stories within Passion: Erotic Romance for Women.
It will speak to women who have been with their partners, lovers, and
husbands for many years, past the point where the hunger for each other
is automatic, but it’s also far from forgotten. It definitely qualifies as
erotica for women, because the love they’re expressing in a physical
sense feels real and heartwarming. It warms other body parts as well,
but to me, the success of this collection is in the emotional intent
intertwined with the passion. True romance fans should find themselves
quite at home here.
Autumn Suite by Suzanne V. Slate was absolutely beautiful,
with a wife who is overcome when she hears her husband play their
favorite piece on his cello, and they make love on a bright Sunday
morning. It’s such an intimate scene and the ending made me sigh.
The
collection is filled with stories of long-married couples who reconnect
in new and old ways, in hotels with big beds, on picnic tables, and on
car hoods. The setting is usually special for the couple and brings
back memories while making some new ones at the same time.
So that covers roughly half of the stories, but what about the
others? Well, they’re just as yummy, because there’s nothing like
falling in bed, and falling in love in the process. There are several
excellent ‘new encounter’ type stories, and two that stood out for me
were commuter romances. There’s something about being stuffed into a
small space with an attractive stranger that works magic.
An Easy Guy To Fall On
by Annabeth Leong was practically a mini-romance novel within the
length of a short story, and I savored the conflict that was part of the
journey.
The Morning Ride by Delilah Devlin is for anyone who
has entertained dirty thoughts about someone across from them on a
subway car, and wished that their fantasies would lead somewhere real.
Passion is a great collection for readers who don’t
find their inspiration in anonymous, one-night-stand encounters, but in
long-time love, new passion, and couples who know that they’re meant to
be together.
240 Pages, Paperback