Reader Nifty sent along this request:
Would you consider doing a little blurb on the Bitchery’s favorite erotica titles. And by “erotica” I don’t necessarily mean a really hot romance by XYZ author, but books that are practically porn, but written for women. You know the ones I mean. I’d love to add some titles to my porno box so I’m looking for recommendations. I’ve got no inhibitions when it comes to content.
I gotta say, I’ve read a lot more bad erotica than good thus far. The ones that aren’t outright awful have been…numbingly repetitive, like The Sexual Life of Catherine M., for instance. That said, Emma Holly’s earlier works like Personal Assets, Cooking Up a Storm and Ménage have worked quite well for me, though I’m not sure whether they qualify as erotica or erotic romance. I’ve also heard fantastic things about Hanne Blank, though I haven’t had a chance to read anything by her yet. I’m definitely interested in seeing what titles you bitches come up with, because YAY SMUT. Especially well-written smut. In other words: No images of salmon-like penises battering at the gates of the womb, please.
One to avoid, Toni Bentley’s The Surrender. Tedious beyond belief. I like short stories in erotica and smut. So all the Mammoth collections of erotica (Maxim Jakubowski edits a lot of them) and the Best of collections including Cream: The Best of the Erotica Readers and Writers Association (shameless self promotion here). In fact ERWA has a good collection of suggestions. And check out remittance girl’s site. http://www.remittancegirl.com/
Great stories.
I’ve heard great things about Pam Rosenthal. She writes historical erotica. I’ve also read some Celia May Hart, who is a winner in my books.
I’d second the Emma Holly books, the early ones at least. Lots of hot graphic sex there!
A good site to check out is the The Spiced Tea Party, a blog of erotica writers.
Also, Literotica is a free erotica site with stuff written by men and women.
Joey Hill does heavy BDSM, but brilliantly written and all about the emotions, not just the bodies sliding together.
Matthew Haldeman-Time has fabulous m/m gay short stories and one novel that pretty much counts as erotica but is also one of the best love stories I’ve ever read.
Susan Johnson’s earlier stuff.
You know, I have a folder full of ebooks. Really really packed. But I wouldn’t recommend any of the authors without reservation….no, I lie. Chris Owen is fabulous, although I haven’t read everything of theirs. Found mostly at Torquere, which has about the worst navigation system ever.
Can’t wait to hear from others!
Emma Holly. Definitely. She not only writes good smut, you like her characters.
I’ll second the recommendation of Joey Hill. Her books have moved to my “autobuy” list. She’s one of the best of the authors dealing with D/S relationships.
If you like MDom stuff, Elliot Mabeuse over at Ellora’s Cave is doing some interesting work, but he needs to polish his craft.
As a Gay man I find Chris Owen’s stuff.
EWWWWWWWWWWW! It just drags on & on 7 on.
Kira Stone’s latest Heart of A Lion from Samhain was dang good though. For Gay Fantasy Erotica. Short sweet and to the point.
The Sleeping Beauty series written by Anne Rice (under the name A.N. Roquelare)—very BDSM.
Heading to Ellora’s Cave is a great idea, but always read the excerpts first, just to see that you’re getting something readable. I like Lora Leigh’s work there a lot—the Men of August series and the Bound Hearts series are wicked hot. She builds really interesting characters, too.
For short stories, try Alison Tyler—she writes and she edits collections.
I *lurve* most of the early Black Lace stuff. One author that sucked me in despite some plot things that would normally squick me out is Savannah Smythe, but as I’m on my work computer, I can’t look up the exact title. It’s the first one of hers that I really liked, but the later stuff is good, too. Portia da Costa is great! I also have a thing for Victorian/Edwardian era-attributed pron, but a lot of it is repetitive and some scenes stand out better than others. *Potential leaking of my secret identity* I also did a bibliography of erotica for librarians that will be presented at a national conference later this year, and here are the authors/titles I listed in that:
Emma Holly
Anais Nin
Alison Tyler
Zane
Carrie’s Story by Molly Weatherfield
Dirty by Megan Hart
Double Dare by Saskia Walker
Entertaining Mr. Stone by Portia da Costa
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Sins and Secrets by P.F. Kozak
“…images of salmon-like penises battering at the gates of the womb…”
Ummm… Ewww.
Well, that just grossed me right out there. Please tell me it’s an exaggeration of poor writing and not an example of it.
Excuse me while I go wash my brain.
;o)
I have to recommend Enchanted, a book of erotic fairy tales by Nancy Madore. There’s great variety, everything is readable and intelligent (unfortunately, not always the case), and the different spins she puts on classic fairy tales is fascinating. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” will never be the same for me.
<
<â€...images of salmon-like penises battering at the gates of the womb…â€
Ummm… Ewww.
Well, that just grossed me right out there. Please tell me it’s an exaggeration of poor writing and not an example of it.
Excuse me while I go wash my brain.>
>
I’m still trying to figure out what is meant by “salmon-like.” Are we talking color? Weird, oblong, slightly flattened shape? Unexpected appendages? Or is it something more “figurative” like “swimming upstream”? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a salmon-like penis. Not that I want to, but I’m transfixed now on the mystery of this imagery. (Although I did read an erotica title once that featured use of a snake. Yeah…just like the Romans. Talk about squicky.)
Susannah Moore’s In the Cut is well done erotica, but there are no HEAs in there. Dark, sweaty, sex aplenty though. Pretty damn good as I recall.
There was a time when Alison bought the Black Lace titles in bulk from a Used Book Store owner somewhere in the UK. We’d get them 20 at a time because the shipping for individual books didn’t make sense.
We ended up flipping them on Ebay, and the Emma Holly books all went for a premium. I don’t check the availability of Black Lace titles, but I’m sure many of Holly’s titles have been reprinted here in the states by now.
Speaking of Black Lace, here’s a pic of Adam Nevill, editor of Black Lace. This should help anyone who needs a pornalicious fantasy fix.
Emma Holly is mostly good and Enchanted by Nancy Madore is fantastic. I have a Portia da Costa on backorder from Amazon but have not yet read any. It’s good to hear I’m on the right track. Ellora’s Cave can be hit or miss but I like Nathalie Grey’s stuff.
I forgot to ask B.E. Sanderson: What kind of soap do you recommend to wash the salmon image out of a brain?
Heehee: river78!
My favs—
Lisa Marie Rice (absolutely great!), Angela Knight and Emma Holly.
The worst—
Diane Whiteside “The Irish Devil” Just bad in every way. Prose, characters, story——So bad I saved it in a box with the other “Worst books ever”.
Although I did read an erotica title once that featured use of a snake. Yeah…just like the Romans. Talk about squicky.
One of my most distinct squicky memories is from way back… when I was 11 and at sleepaway camp, one of my cabinmates snuck her mom’s copy of Lace that we read out loud with a flashlight after lights-out. I still remember distinctly the scene where the man used a live goldfish to, er… stimulate the woman. He then sucked it out and swallowed it.
Talk about squick.
Although this is shameless self promotion, I’d like to recommend my March release, MOON SHADOW. It won all sorts of critics choice awards, and RT gave it 4 stars.
SWAK,
Lucinda
Um. Does Supernatural slash fanfiction count? Cuz that’s pretty much the erotica I’m reading these days. (It’s not practically porn. It is porn.)
I’m going to be late…but can’t resist this heading…
-Susan Lyons
-Lora Leigh
-Emma Holly
-Morgan Hawke – Intersteller Service trio @ Loose ID are her best
-Jet Mykles @ Loose ID (skip the elf stuff)
-Allyson James & Jory Strong are currently my favorite Elloras Cave authors
-If your hanging out at Torquere for Chris Owen, you might look up Jourdan Lane and Sean Michael
…some of these are paranormal/space opera titles.
PS. Some of these are very explicit, so if you’re reading at a PTA meeting or the pediatrician’s waiting room, you may want a book cover and make sure nobody’s reading over your shoulder…
eponymous is reading Wincest! Hah!
Hmm. My verification is really46. I’ll have you know I’m only 34, silly internet.
Making lots of notes! I haven’t read an Emma Holly, despite her being on my TBB list for-freaking-ever. When I get my tax refund, I promised myself I’d use $200 just on books because damn it all, I deserve a treat. So far I’m up to $115 on my Amazon cart… must add Holly and that erotic fairy tales one…
Keep listing, everyone! As Candy said, YAY SMUT!
I have to admit that I enjoy the Herotica anthologies. Mostly I read the short stories – you avoid the repetition that way.
Oh I love this!
Emma Holly’s Menage
Portia da Costa’s The Tutor (collecting more, she’s wicked good)
Everything/anything Joey Hill.
Pam Rosenthal/Molly Weatherfield’s Carrie’s Story (really a BDSM modern classic in the flavor of O)
Ann Rice’s Beauty series
Hmm, I’m beginning to see a pattern here-
Wait!
The House of Dark Delights by Louisa Burton
Funny how everone is different, I wouldn’t consider Megan Hart’s Dirty a hot read, so it’s all subjective, eh?
Ann Vremont’s Sacred Heart Diaries
Selah March’s Sin Street
Robin Schone’s The Lady’s Tutor
A Gentleman’s Wager (Black Lace) by Madelynne Ellis (just about the best darned historical erotica I’ve read-but it’s out of print and running 12 dollars at amazon)
For those of you who are suffering from repeated mental images of salmon-like penises, there is Bleeprin ™: a fictional medicine concocted by fanfiction writers, composed of brain-bleach and aspirin. Take two and lie down with a cold compress.
And yes, a lot of good erotica being done nowadays is actually fanfiction. There are a lot of duds out there, but if you take the time to go through the schlock, there are a few absolute gems in there. There’s always adultfanfiction.net, if you’re willing to try.
My personal vice? Doctor/Rose from “Doctor Who.” *fans self*
Since Black Lace has been brought up several times, may I recommend the site http://www.lustbites.blogspot.com? It’s a group blog by many Black Lace and Cheek authors, and we talk about writing, smut, and promo our work—we have lots of giveaways, too! Portia da Costa’s there, as well as Alison Tyler, Mathilde Madden, Madelynne Ellis, etc.
(Oh, and me, 1/2 of Sophie Mouette and Sarah Dale. Am I allowed to say that? 😉 )
Another vote here for the Wincest.
It seems to me, after reading a number of e-book pr0n lately, that I’m finding better written fanfic than e-books.
That said, I recommend Jordan C. Price’s “PsyCop” series found on Torquere. It’s gay erotica and it’s hot and well plotted out with good characters. It doesn’t rely on the smut to carry the story, unlike too much of what I’ve paid to read recently.
One of my new favorites is author Michelle M. Pillow. She has a great furturistic/paranormal erotica series
*waves to Nifty*
While I HAVE read “pure” erotica, I miss the character development found in erotic romances. So these are some of the best erotic romances that are closer to erotica.
Just about ANY Black Lace (UK) title, some are pretty hardcore. Just read the blurbs at Amazon, decide what appeals to you and KNOW that it will be erotica.
Lora Leigh, Lora Leigh, Lora Leigh-
the Breeds Series; the Bound Hearts series; the Men of August series
Sean Michael- IMO, the BEST writer of M/M erotic stories around. His Jarheads series is my favorite, but I’ve yet to read anything of his that wasn’t beautifully written.
More favorites:
Across the Sea- Irene Maillol (a Bertrice Small type of sweeping saga)
A Gentleman’s Wager- Madelynne Ellis (historical)
The Switch- Dianne Whiteside (mild BDSM)
Jules Jones- the Syndicate series (I’m not a sci-fi fan but I adored this series)
Oops, The Syndicate is actually a joint effort with Jules Jones and Alex Woolgrave.
BevL(QB)
Very interesting to see what various readers consider erotica! Vive la difference, eh? 🙂
I’d suggest any of Alison Tyler’s Women’s Best Erotica compilations, they are all good. Violet Blue has edited some nice story compilations as well; she also has a daily blog called Tiny Nibbles, which frequently cites or links erotica(warning though-it can get very explicit and fetish oriented) If you aren’t squicked by the backdoor lovin’, “Lucious”, edited by Tristan Taormino, is devoted to that topic.
From Black Lace I really like Juliet Hastings and Portia de Costa, especially their older books. Torquere Press ebooks are great for m/m. For BDSM, Laura Antoniou’s Marketplace series; NT Morley’s collection Master/Slave. Gail Faulkner wrote an intense BDSM, “Full Ride”, and someone else already mentioned Carrie Weatherfield. I’d also add Maria Isabel Pita’s Story of M. I haven’t read anything else by her, but I did love that one.
Yellow Silk magazine is no longer being published, but you can buy back issues online at Yellowsilk.org. They published some really wonderful erotica. Good Vibrations has free erotica at their website, and it’s a good way to find new authors.
Have fun!
laurad, I just was stopping by again to add Maria Isabel Pita. A Brush with Love and Guilty Pleasures.
I love Up to No Good by Karen S. Smith. Not only is the sex hot, but it is varied and touches on most “mainstream” fantasy variations (exhibitionism, voyeurism, light BDSM, anonymous/stranger sex, group sex, anal, et cetera) while providing character introspection and developing a relationship. Avoid the sequel, though. It just got weird.
I’ve also enjoyed most of Juliet Hastings books and Coming up Roses by Crystalle Valentino. I think these are all Black Lace.
Have to second the Nancy Madore and Emma Holly recommendations. Literotica is nice ‘n’ free, but don’t expect much quality writing (I don’t think many of the writers even use spell check, and there is nothing like a misused word-and I’m not talking straight homonyms, those I can forgive—to take me out of the mood.)
My suggestions are all pretty much all erotic romance.
I second the recommendation of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series.
E-books:
I really liked “Dangerous Cravings” by Evangeline Anderson (Loose Id). The plot is a reasonably standard romance/suspense, but the meat of the story is about two long time friends who are discovering their feelings for each other while also coming to terms with their interest in a BDSM relationship. They both struggle with trying to understand why in the world they want this in a very realistic fashion- it works for me more than most of the BDSM stories I’ve seen.
I’ve also liked work by Katherine Anne Dubois (New Concepts Publishing, Black Lace, Ellora’s Cave), Cris Anson (Ellora’s Cave), and Kimberly Dean (Ellora’s Cave & others).
Only 2 erotica books stood out for me in the past year or so:
The Marketplace by Sara Adamson (Laura Antoniou)—It was on the order of Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty books, but focused more on the characters of the slaves than on the sex (as compared to the Rice books—there’s still plenty of sex & kink).
The Hunter’s Prey by Diane Whiteside—Billed as “Texas vampires,” which is true, as far as it goes, but someone who sees this and thinks “sexy vampire romance” is going to be disappointed. It’s erotica. No HEA.
As for recent-ish erotic romance reads, I highly recommend Bound by Sasha White, Captive Dreams by Whiteside/Knight, and Bond of Blood by Whiteside, and of course Emma Holly’s non-series books (not that I don’t love her vampire & demon series—I’m definitely a Holly fangirl—but they’re paranormal romance, not erotic romance).
Whoops. Forgot to mention I’ll second both the recommendation for and the warning about Literotica. Some really excellent stories on there, and you can pick your kink, but you really have to watch the ratings. Anything with less than a 4, or even a 4.5 is likely pretty bad.
Wow! how nice to see my name amongst the recommendations!
Thanks, guys… I had a crappy day yesterday, and today didn’t start well… but now I’m smiling, thanks to you all! 🙂
Love
WendyPortia
ps. I recommend anything by Saskia Walker and Madelynne Ellis. Both fabulous writers!
Second Anaïs Nin and fanfiction.
One of my beta readers like my sex scenes so much she suggested I’d turn to erotica… Writing them is such a pain I think I’ll stick to romance though… 😉 And I like the building of character and sexual tension, there doesn’t have to be so much explicit sex for a story to be sexy (although I do feel cheated if it just fades to black, as it did in my latest romance read…)
Gosh, how lovely to be mentioned. Thank you ladies, that’s made my day.
Hugs,
Madelynne xx
PS. A Gentleman’s Wager should be reprinted next year in time for the release of the sequel.