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Seducing the Myth
Seducing the Myth: Myths and Legends with an Erotic Twist is a collection of 24 tantalising tales that lead you on a decadent journey through mythologies the world over. As well as stories from the popular Greek and Roman periods, this anthology will also delight you with Arabian, Arthurian, Hindu, Jewish, Norse, Slavic, Sumerian and Welsh myths and legends. Add in a delicious sprinkling of fairies, mermaids and ancient fertility rituals and you have a recipe for a wickedly erotic read!
List of contributors: Louisa Bacio, Lexie Bay, Rebecca Bond, Shan Ellis, Justine Elyot, Lucy Felthouse, Lisa Fox, Fulani, K D Grace, Bronwyn Green, Hawthorn, Caz Jones, Burton Lawrence, Maxine Marsh, J. C. Martin, Jillian Murphy, Lydia Nyx, Rachel Randall, Kay Dee Royal, Toni Sands, Indigo Skye, Elizabeth Thorne, Saskia Walker.
List of contributors: Louisa Bacio, Lexie Bay, Rebecca Bond, Shan Ellis, Justine Elyot, Lucy Felthouse, Lisa Fox, Fulani, K D Grace, Bronwyn Green, Hawthorn, Caz Jones, Burton Lawrence, Maxine Marsh, J. C. Martin, Jillian Murphy, Lydia Nyx, Rachel Randall, Kay Dee Royal, Toni Sands, Indigo Skye, Elizabeth Thorne, Saskia Walker.
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First published August 1, 2011
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643 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Felthouse
253 books800 followersLucy Felthouse is the award-winning author of erotic romance novels Stately Pleasures (named in the top 5 of Cliterati.co.uk’s 100 Modern Erotic Classics That You’ve Never Heard Of), Eyes Wide Open (winner of the Love Romances Café’s Best Ménage Book 2015 award), The Persecution of the Wolves, Hiding in Plain Sight, Curve Appeal, and The Heiress’s Harem and The Dreadnoughts series. Including novels, short stories and novellas, she has over 175 publications to her name. Find out more about her and her writing at http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/linktree
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 17, 2014
Let's review why I read this book: mythology, anthology and romance--yeah that about covers all my particular interests very well. I've read a couple of the authors present before--Kay Dee Royal for instance and I have a Louisa Bacio waiting on me, plus I've definitely read Justine Elyot before. Still there are 24 (very short) stories with a few of the authors repeating. I'll highlight a few stories before giving an overall review.
Djinn and Tonic by Lexie Bay - I probably would have enjoyed this story better if the main character didn't rub me wrong for the entirety of the story. This is meant to be a romance, but she's dismissive of her future husband, fantasizing about waiters and when the Djinn shows up, well I lost a lot of respect for her. I do approve of Dastan's fantasy conjuring abilities however and this was a really hot read.
Andi in Chains by Fulani - Re-imagining of Perseus and Andromeda's meeting was certainly different! Andromeda--better known as Andi--was into bondage and kink, Perseus was a tough son of a gun mercenary and well virgin sacrifice took on a different twist. This story amused me and was possibly my favorite.
In the Springtime by Elizabeth Thorne - This is Persephone and Hades and I have to admit I like that Persephone is more proactive about everything in this story. She wants her own life, she wanted to go with Hades, and she wanted to come to an agreement with her mother. By the end of the story Peresephone was my hero.
Stones by K D Grace - I've always felt bad for Medusa, no matter which way you look at her story its a short stick she was dealt. Grace chose to take the view that Medusa wasn't a monster, she just was confused and given this terrible power without guidance. Of all the stories this felt the best developed and came alive the best for me.
Saving Orpheus by Indigo Skye - I'm beginning to see a trend in the stories I enjoyed (all Greek related). The story of Orpheus is well known, but I found this story of who helped him get over the loss more intriguing. If nothing else it was nice to see Orpheus as something other then a sad sack.
Q is for... by Caz Jones - I'm mentioning this one just because I find it hilarious that the infamous God of love is sitting in a bar trying to get sloshed and doesn't know who Jane Austen is. Short and heated it was a mighty quick read.
The Lady of the Flowers by Shan Ellis - This was an interesting tale of lust, revenge and betrayal. Quite a few of the stories don't end well and this one ended with a sort of fierceness. It was done and over with before I could even blink in fact, not because its short, but the story pulled me along with its tense undertone.
Overall I have to say I was pretty pleased with this anthology. The stories were on the fairly short side, but were by in large really hot. Not all of them ended happily, some of the authors chose to stick closely to the ending of the original myth or tale (The True Folly of Icaraus by Saskia Walker for instance) and there were some surprises (The Lady of the Flowers is based on a Welsh legend) amongst the normally re-imagine Greek/Roman mythology.
And happiest of most I found a few new authors to pick up and try!
Review originally posted at Night Owl Reviews
Djinn and Tonic by Lexie Bay - I probably would have enjoyed this story better if the main character didn't rub me wrong for the entirety of the story. This is meant to be a romance, but she's dismissive of her future husband, fantasizing about waiters and when the Djinn shows up, well I lost a lot of respect for her. I do approve of Dastan's fantasy conjuring abilities however and this was a really hot read.
Andi in Chains by Fulani - Re-imagining of Perseus and Andromeda's meeting was certainly different! Andromeda--better known as Andi--was into bondage and kink, Perseus was a tough son of a gun mercenary and well virgin sacrifice took on a different twist. This story amused me and was possibly my favorite.
In the Springtime by Elizabeth Thorne - This is Persephone and Hades and I have to admit I like that Persephone is more proactive about everything in this story. She wants her own life, she wanted to go with Hades, and she wanted to come to an agreement with her mother. By the end of the story Peresephone was my hero.
Stones by K D Grace - I've always felt bad for Medusa, no matter which way you look at her story its a short stick she was dealt. Grace chose to take the view that Medusa wasn't a monster, she just was confused and given this terrible power without guidance. Of all the stories this felt the best developed and came alive the best for me.
Saving Orpheus by Indigo Skye - I'm beginning to see a trend in the stories I enjoyed (all Greek related). The story of Orpheus is well known, but I found this story of who helped him get over the loss more intriguing. If nothing else it was nice to see Orpheus as something other then a sad sack.
Q is for... by Caz Jones - I'm mentioning this one just because I find it hilarious that the infamous God of love is sitting in a bar trying to get sloshed and doesn't know who Jane Austen is. Short and heated it was a mighty quick read.
The Lady of the Flowers by Shan Ellis - This was an interesting tale of lust, revenge and betrayal. Quite a few of the stories don't end well and this one ended with a sort of fierceness. It was done and over with before I could even blink in fact, not because its short, but the story pulled me along with its tense undertone.
Overall I have to say I was pretty pleased with this anthology. The stories were on the fairly short side, but were by in large really hot. Not all of them ended happily, some of the authors chose to stick closely to the ending of the original myth or tale (The True Folly of Icaraus by Saskia Walker for instance) and there were some surprises (The Lady of the Flowers is based on a Welsh legend) amongst the normally re-imagine Greek/Roman mythology.
And happiest of most I found a few new authors to pick up and try!
Review originally posted at Night Owl Reviews
September 28, 2011
In Seducing The Myth, Lucy Felthouse brings together some of the best and hottest erotica authors from around the globe. Each of these brings their own unique spin on a well-known myth, from the battlefields of modern Iraq to the cold Northern nights of Iceland and from the very dawn of Mankind through the chivalrous age of Camelot to places as real and immediate as the house next door.
Although not every one of these stories will appeal to every taste, all of them share a strong common thread of sensual and outright lusty interaction with mythic creatures that run the gamut from the mightiest gods to the basest demons. Even the most discriminating connoisseur of erotica is certain to find their pleasure here, enticingly mingled with wild, stirring, scary or amusing tales that you only thought you had heard in their entirety.
Whatever your fantasy, this sultry anthology is perfect for reading with your lover...or just for your own pleasure. A must have!
Although not every one of these stories will appeal to every taste, all of them share a strong common thread of sensual and outright lusty interaction with mythic creatures that run the gamut from the mightiest gods to the basest demons. Even the most discriminating connoisseur of erotica is certain to find their pleasure here, enticingly mingled with wild, stirring, scary or amusing tales that you only thought you had heard in their entirety.
Whatever your fantasy, this sultry anthology is perfect for reading with your lover...or just for your own pleasure. A must have!
March 20, 2012
My original review from http://www.eroticarevealed.com
I adore mythology. When it comes to the Greek or Norse myths, I could read and re-read for hours, especially since so many of the tales have been written – or re-written – in so many different voices. Interpretation, so often key in any historical pursuit, is everything, and where different tellings of the “same” tale can go can astound me. So I had high hopes for Seducing the Myth, and maybe that came into play a little bit too much, but the end result was a mixed bag. In her introduction, Felthouse says it was a close call between doing a mythology anthology and a paranormal anthology – and I have to agree, except that’s how I felt about Seducing the Myth.
It’s not that the myths the authors chose to tackle in the anthology were uninteresting – I actually found the range of myths quite intriguing, and many of the ideas were very clever. But there was an unevenness that crept in a bit too often – many of the stories read more paranormal than mythological.
The opening tale, “Djinn and Tonic” by Lexie Bay, was quick to illustrate that we weren’t going to be playing with just the typical Greek myths. I liked that – but then I found that I sincerely disliked Laura, the main character of the story. She likes her man more or less – it’s hard to tell if she loves him – but gosh if he isn’t just sad in the sack. But, he’s rich and he loves her and he’s a nice guy, so she’ll make a go of it – even if she does think he has a weak chin. When she thinks to herself that she’s being a bitch, I whole heartedly agreed, and had to struggle through the rest of the story. The erotic contents of her journey with her mother-in-law’s djinn – which she’ll inherit along with the house when she marries her husband – left me more annoyed than aroused. It’s not that the sex wasn’t well written – it was, and the author had a lot of fun with the wish-granting djinn – it’s just that this horrible woman was going to end up with everything. At no point did I have the slightest wish for her to end up happy.
Fulani’s “Andi in Chains” follows – and tackles the myth of Andromeda by turning everyone involved into crime families on a modern day coastal city. This story was my favourite of the anthology – taking the bare bones of the myth, twisting it perfectly into a contemporary setting, and heating up the temperature to a high pitch. When Perseus (a ruthless gun for hire) comes across Andi all trussed up for some pirates due to a turf war gone bad, well, things happen. I loved the retelling here – crime families, drug cartels – and it sizzled as well as being an incredibly clever idea.
Some of the stories show this same cleverness (Medusa in K.D. Grace’s “Stones” and the wonderfully done “Aspara” by Burton Lawrence, which tackled South Asian mythology), some less so, though they did grant some well-written erotic prose (“The Weary Traveller” by Indigo Skye, for example, is sexy but didn’t really reinvent the wheel). Some stories were good but didn’t really hit on a particular myth – they’re more magical realism or urban fantasy. Again, that’s not a bad thing – “Logan’s Treasure” by Lisa Fox had a decent plot – a captain finds a treasure that leads him to an island of bliss that might come with a terrible price – but I spent a good amount of time wondering if there was a myth I was forgetting or just missing. Was this supposed to be Theseus, maybe? Mermaids, the Undead, Fairies, Lost Seductive Souls – I kept struggling.
Similarly, “Beltane Fire” by Hawthorn – a really solid story, scorching sex, and as someone who has always loved watching the wheel of the year turn, I was very happy to see Beltane get some representation. This was another story I really thought was well-written and engaging, and wonderfully sexual in a very affirming way – but mythological? I’m not sure.
“The True Folly of Icarus” by Saskia Walker, “Saving Orpheus” by Indigo Skye, “A Temple for Hera” by Maxine Marsh and “In the Springtime” by Elizabeth Thorne are probably the stories that are the most like what I was expecting. These are myths re-told with an erotic lens. Others, like “Blooming April’s Flower” by Jillian Murphy, straddle the line a bit between paranormal and mythological.
It’s this sometimes lack of focus that left me a bit befuddled with the anthology. There are some seriously strong stories here – again, I really enjoyed what Fulani did to the Andromeda myth – but overall, there was a lack of cohesiveness. If you read Seducing the Myth as a loose collection of erotic stories with some mythology, some magic, some spirits, and some paranormal, then I think you’ll have a good time. But for every two mythology stories, I felt like I bumped into one that fit more the paranormal niche instead.
I adore mythology. When it comes to the Greek or Norse myths, I could read and re-read for hours, especially since so many of the tales have been written – or re-written – in so many different voices. Interpretation, so often key in any historical pursuit, is everything, and where different tellings of the “same” tale can go can astound me. So I had high hopes for Seducing the Myth, and maybe that came into play a little bit too much, but the end result was a mixed bag. In her introduction, Felthouse says it was a close call between doing a mythology anthology and a paranormal anthology – and I have to agree, except that’s how I felt about Seducing the Myth.
It’s not that the myths the authors chose to tackle in the anthology were uninteresting – I actually found the range of myths quite intriguing, and many of the ideas were very clever. But there was an unevenness that crept in a bit too often – many of the stories read more paranormal than mythological.
The opening tale, “Djinn and Tonic” by Lexie Bay, was quick to illustrate that we weren’t going to be playing with just the typical Greek myths. I liked that – but then I found that I sincerely disliked Laura, the main character of the story. She likes her man more or less – it’s hard to tell if she loves him – but gosh if he isn’t just sad in the sack. But, he’s rich and he loves her and he’s a nice guy, so she’ll make a go of it – even if she does think he has a weak chin. When she thinks to herself that she’s being a bitch, I whole heartedly agreed, and had to struggle through the rest of the story. The erotic contents of her journey with her mother-in-law’s djinn – which she’ll inherit along with the house when she marries her husband – left me more annoyed than aroused. It’s not that the sex wasn’t well written – it was, and the author had a lot of fun with the wish-granting djinn – it’s just that this horrible woman was going to end up with everything. At no point did I have the slightest wish for her to end up happy.
Fulani’s “Andi in Chains” follows – and tackles the myth of Andromeda by turning everyone involved into crime families on a modern day coastal city. This story was my favourite of the anthology – taking the bare bones of the myth, twisting it perfectly into a contemporary setting, and heating up the temperature to a high pitch. When Perseus (a ruthless gun for hire) comes across Andi all trussed up for some pirates due to a turf war gone bad, well, things happen. I loved the retelling here – crime families, drug cartels – and it sizzled as well as being an incredibly clever idea.
Some of the stories show this same cleverness (Medusa in K.D. Grace’s “Stones” and the wonderfully done “Aspara” by Burton Lawrence, which tackled South Asian mythology), some less so, though they did grant some well-written erotic prose (“The Weary Traveller” by Indigo Skye, for example, is sexy but didn’t really reinvent the wheel). Some stories were good but didn’t really hit on a particular myth – they’re more magical realism or urban fantasy. Again, that’s not a bad thing – “Logan’s Treasure” by Lisa Fox had a decent plot – a captain finds a treasure that leads him to an island of bliss that might come with a terrible price – but I spent a good amount of time wondering if there was a myth I was forgetting or just missing. Was this supposed to be Theseus, maybe? Mermaids, the Undead, Fairies, Lost Seductive Souls – I kept struggling.
Similarly, “Beltane Fire” by Hawthorn – a really solid story, scorching sex, and as someone who has always loved watching the wheel of the year turn, I was very happy to see Beltane get some representation. This was another story I really thought was well-written and engaging, and wonderfully sexual in a very affirming way – but mythological? I’m not sure.
“The True Folly of Icarus” by Saskia Walker, “Saving Orpheus” by Indigo Skye, “A Temple for Hera” by Maxine Marsh and “In the Springtime” by Elizabeth Thorne are probably the stories that are the most like what I was expecting. These are myths re-told with an erotic lens. Others, like “Blooming April’s Flower” by Jillian Murphy, straddle the line a bit between paranormal and mythological.
It’s this sometimes lack of focus that left me a bit befuddled with the anthology. There are some seriously strong stories here – again, I really enjoyed what Fulani did to the Andromeda myth – but overall, there was a lack of cohesiveness. If you read Seducing the Myth as a loose collection of erotic stories with some mythology, some magic, some spirits, and some paranormal, then I think you’ll have a good time. But for every two mythology stories, I felt like I bumped into one that fit more the paranormal niche instead.
March 21, 2013
I’m still not sure where I stand on the anthology debate, they are certainly value for money and can introduce you to new authors you might not have found otherwise (as was the case here) but they can also be a real grab bag quality wise and you can go from the sublime to the ridiculous thankfully that’s not a problem here as all the stories contained within Seducing the Myth were of a really high standard and spread out over a good variety of myths and legends.
Some of the Myths and Legends contained within I’d previously never come across and so once my interest had be piqued they required further investigation, it’s always nice when a book takes you on more than just one journey. So I really enjoyed that extra aspect of reading this Anthology.
My pick of the bunch was Stones by K D Grace which shone a new light on the tragic tale of Medusa, Ultimate Power corrupts Ultimately and it was nice to see the story handled like this rather than the typical tale of revenge and betrayal. I really enjoyed it and it’s made me look again at some other K D Grace stuff I’d previously dismissed so that was a most rewarding and unexpected experience that came out of my dipping into this Anthology so I’m really glad I did.
Overall this is an interesting and varied collection with a variety of tales, a true cornucopia of endings, beginnings and middles with lots of lusty passion, tantalizing intrigue and witty charm to keep you coming back time and time again to dip into this treasure trove and pull out a fresh gem.
Full Review of Each Story at SexyReads
Some of the Myths and Legends contained within I’d previously never come across and so once my interest had be piqued they required further investigation, it’s always nice when a book takes you on more than just one journey. So I really enjoyed that extra aspect of reading this Anthology.
My pick of the bunch was Stones by K D Grace which shone a new light on the tragic tale of Medusa, Ultimate Power corrupts Ultimately and it was nice to see the story handled like this rather than the typical tale of revenge and betrayal. I really enjoyed it and it’s made me look again at some other K D Grace stuff I’d previously dismissed so that was a most rewarding and unexpected experience that came out of my dipping into this Anthology so I’m really glad I did.
Overall this is an interesting and varied collection with a variety of tales, a true cornucopia of endings, beginnings and middles with lots of lusty passion, tantalizing intrigue and witty charm to keep you coming back time and time again to dip into this treasure trove and pull out a fresh gem.
Full Review of Each Story at SexyReads
Read
November 19, 2011Anthologies are great when they contain a collection of sizzling reads. In ‘Seducing the Myth, Myths and Legends With an Erotic Twist,’ Editor Lucy Felthouse delivers a treasury of steamy and romantic tales. Felthouse includes some incredible up-and-coming writers who share their passions with readers with higher standards craving truly emotional stories. These shorties blend the intrigue of mythology with modern sensibility and a street-smarts approach to lessons in love.
August 10, 2011
A wide and varied collection, covering every gambit of the sexual experience. The myths and legends choosen to 'kink up' are perfectly blended together- and while some stories are stronger than others, this anthology will not disappoint. KJB x
January 12, 2012
My advice to anyone entering the giveaways is to be sure you read the title and description before you enter to win. In my excitement to find a new book on mythology and the idea of a new twist, I overlooked the title the said Erotic twist. I honestly thought it was Exotic twist. It wasn't until I was notified I won that I realized my mistake. But since I had received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads, I thought it fair to read and review the book anyway. Just because it isn't the type of genre I enjoy, doesn't mean I shouldn't do my part after receiving any kind of prize.
It is a collections of short stories, short adult stories. They are supposed to be based on myths, but there were some that I couldn't identify what myth they were derived from. In others, the only thing that had anything to do with a myth, was the name of the characters. But a few of them were an interesting approach to writing the myth in a more modern time.
There was something in this book for just about every lifestyle choice or fantasy. A couple I had a personal problem with and chose not to finish reading those. Maybe I'm just immature in my mind but since they were against my personal belief, there was not reason to read them. But that was part of what made this book ok to read. You could skip a section and it wouldn't affect the rest of the book.
The language of some of the fantasies was a little raw and I recommend if you have kids under the age of 30 in the house, you lock the book up. I recommend not reading the whole book at one time as you will wear yourself out. Let your husband in on what you are reading and it can become a little fun, just don't go it alone.
It is a collections of short stories, short adult stories. They are supposed to be based on myths, but there were some that I couldn't identify what myth they were derived from. In others, the only thing that had anything to do with a myth, was the name of the characters. But a few of them were an interesting approach to writing the myth in a more modern time.
There was something in this book for just about every lifestyle choice or fantasy. A couple I had a personal problem with and chose not to finish reading those. Maybe I'm just immature in my mind but since they were against my personal belief, there was not reason to read them. But that was part of what made this book ok to read. You could skip a section and it wouldn't affect the rest of the book.
The language of some of the fantasies was a little raw and I recommend if you have kids under the age of 30 in the house, you lock the book up. I recommend not reading the whole book at one time as you will wear yourself out. Let your husband in on what you are reading and it can become a little fun, just don't go it alone.
November 9, 2011
From Lexie Bay’s skilful interpretation of just how to rub (up) the genie of lamp, in Djinn and Tonic, through a wide variety of deliciously corrupted World and British myths and legends, to Toni Sands Valkyrie’s Queen; Seducing the Myth provides the reader with 24 kinky erotic tales.
Don’t be put off by the child-like cover; this volume is hot with a bit of extra ‘sexy’ thrown in for good fortune. How could it not be, with such an excellent collection of well known authors (such as Justine Elyot, Kay Dee Royal, and Rebecca Bond), along with some talented newcomers, providing the naughty words that are tucked between its virtual pages?
From straight romance, to bi-sexual fun, with the occasional helping of girl on girl action, and a quick gorgeously gay threesome, there is something for every connoisseur of erotica in Lucy Felthouse’s latest offering to the world of smut- bring on the next!
Don’t be put off by the child-like cover; this volume is hot with a bit of extra ‘sexy’ thrown in for good fortune. How could it not be, with such an excellent collection of well known authors (such as Justine Elyot, Kay Dee Royal, and Rebecca Bond), along with some talented newcomers, providing the naughty words that are tucked between its virtual pages?
From straight romance, to bi-sexual fun, with the occasional helping of girl on girl action, and a quick gorgeously gay threesome, there is something for every connoisseur of erotica in Lucy Felthouse’s latest offering to the world of smut- bring on the next!
July 7, 2012
I very rarely give more than 3 stars to anthologies, but this one was amazing! Not all of the stories were to my liking, but I really enjoyed this collection. It was a little like Brothers' Grimm erotica!
April 27, 2015
This collection of stories features a multitude of myths and legends with fabulous kinky twists. Ranging from djinn, fairies and mermaids to Cupid, Medusa and a plethora of gods and goddesses, this book has something for everyone. A fantastic anthology from some wonderful authors.
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January 16, 2012Review coming soon.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews