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Bedding Down
Ignore the weather report—there's a heat wave coming!Author, editor, blogger, and former sex columnist for the Village Voice, Rachel Kramer Bussel presents seven titillating tales guaranteed to steam up your bedroom windows in the midst of Mother Nature's seasonal chill. A lusty collection of scintillating erotic dreams from some of the best writers in the field, here is a sexy and sure cure for the winter blues!
Two uptight Manhattanites discover a hotspot in frigid Minnesota where they can shed their inhibitions and explore their most intimate fantasies . . .
A billionaire recluse and a beautiful paparazzo generate some serious heat in a snowbound cabin in the Colorado Rockies . . .
Combine a blizzard, a romantic old castle, a burglary, and a breathtakingly sexy devil—her perfect recipe for dangerous lust . . .
In the unfamiliar chill of a New York winter, a California sun bunny discovers the secret to igniting her boyfriend's inner erotic fire . . .
Stuck with a man she despises on her sister's wedding day, a distraught beauty resolves to be civilized—until her studly adversary lures her into a forbidden place with no rules or taboos . . .
A husband and wife whose marriage has stalled get their pistons pumping once more when a sudden winter storm strands them in their car . . .
Though she's been taught all her life never to beg, her insatiable desire for him is bringing her to her knees . . .
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2008
20 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Kramer Bussel
251 books1,203 followersI'm the editor of the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series and over 70 anthologies including The Big Book of Orgasms and Come Again: Sex Toy Erotica. I've also written a wide range of erotica about everything from French fries to fishnets. I write about books, culture, sexuality and relationships, teach erotica writing workshops and consult with erotica authors and sex writers to help them advance their careers. I read a wide range of genres, from erotica to romance to mystery to memoir to graphic novels and anything that strikes my fancy. See my website for my newsletter with book giveaways and writing samples.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 13, 2010
Oh the weather in this book is frightful, but the romance is as warm as hot cocoa in front of a roaring fire. This collection of stories by seven mistresses of erotic romance would be an excellent Valentine’s Day present for the right reader, preferably accompanied by roses and chocolates.
These stories are all competently written, and the sex scenes are plausible and arousing. This reviewer wouldn’t expect anything less from the writers assembled here. However, the theme tends to restrict the plots of these stories, each of which focuses on a woman in love with a man – in some cases, since childhood.
In several stories, the heroine is conveniently trapped with the man of her dreams in a confined space by the fury of nature. Having to face each other forces the hero and heroine to reveal their true feelings, which include mutual, irresistible desire. Several of these stories end with a promise of marriage, one ends with an agreement about childbearing, and several end with a hope that geographically-challenged lovers will agree to live together in one place for the rest of their lives.
To a large extent, these stories are driven by the romance formula rather than by the characters. Personal misunderstandings keep the lovers apart until a climactic moment, while most social and political conflicts in the real world are kept out of the world of the story. Monogamy is an unquestioned ideal, and heterosexual identity is taken for granted. Responsibility for housework and disagreements over money are nowhere to be seen.
My favorite story of the bunch is the whimsical “It’s Not the Weather” by Alison Tyler, whose erotic stories are often set in Los Angeles, in and around the unreal world of the movie biz. The heroine here is a weather girl (meteorologist) who first works with, then lives with, a moody scriptwriter from New York who prefers the four distinct seasons of the U.S. east coast to the endless sunshine of southern California. The weather girl is so tired of revolving-door relationships and so determined to make this one work that she goes far out of her way to help her boyfriend feel at home and ready for sex, even after she learns that he is using her as comic inspiration. In due course, she gets the happy ending she deserves.
This story shows a witty approach to the seasonal theme of this collection and to the broader theme of heterosexual romance, yet it doesn’t break the conventions. Alison Tyler’s characteristic light touch prevents the heroine’s dilemma from descending into melodrama.
Subterfuges and plot devices that show the hand of Fate are too prevalent for my taste in several of the other stories. In “One Winter Night” by Kristina Wright, Susannah returns to her home town for her sister’s wedding after having left in a blaze of scandal, several years before. She protects her pride by pretending to be respectably married, even though she is divorced.
Susannah’s strategy makes sense when she arrives in town, wondering if the other townsfolk still see her as a Scarlet Woman who has returned to cause trouble. However, the revelation that Susannah (neat use of the name of a slandered Biblical heroine) is able to form a “legitimate” relationship with her former lover, now single and determined to win her back, only occurs near the end of the story, when it is too clearly intended as a means of removing the last barrier to a happy ending. Why Susannah would continue keeping her secret when she has every reason to admit the truth is unclear and unconvincing.
In “Hidden Treasure” by Sophie Mouette, a security guard and a tour guide in period costumes are conveniently trapped by a storm in a historic mansion. So far, so promising. However, two clownish intruders break in to retrieve the “treasure” promised to one of them by his deceased grandmother. When the “treasure” influences the budding affair between the guard and the guide, the reader’s credibility is stretched to its limits.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Marilyn Jaye Lewis and “Northern Exposure” by Isabelle Gray are both grittier stories about clashing desires in marriages based on love. In Lewis’ story, a chronic disagreement about when (whether) to have a first baby gets neatly resolved, and the reader can only hope that there will be no long-term resentment as a result. Isabelle Gray’s story is probably the most heartbreaking in the collection, and it looks like a serious response to Alison Tyler’s story about lovers who each want to live in a different physical and cultural milieu.
“Six Weeks on Sunrise Mountain, Colorado” by Gwen Masters is literally a cliff-hanger. The plot premise (celebrity recluse rescues the journalist who tracked him down in the wilderness) is one of the most unusual and dramatic in the book. Here is the first meeting of the hermit on the mountain and the woman who has risked her life to find him:
“He found the woman at the foot of the ravine. Even in the moonlight, she looked pale as a ghost. Blood covered her forehead and a bruise was already flowering under her right eye.”
Luckily, healing of various kinds takes place during six weeks of hibernation in a snowbound cabin, when the man and woman come to know each other.
“Sweet Season” by Shanna Germain includes the most creative sex scene in the book, in which seduction accompanies a hands-on lesson in turning sap into maple syrup. The sights, sounds and smell of the setting are almost palpable. The author’s bio explains: “Shanna Germain grew up in upstate New York with a pitchfork in her hand, maple syrup on her tongue, and more first loves than she can count.”
This collection would certainly appeal to lovers of traditional romance with explicit sex, but it is uneven. Unfortunately, the restrictions of the genre result in some awkward and predictable writing strategies. The diverse and changing nature of heterosexuality in the real world provides plenty of raw material for fiction. The static world of romantic cliché leaves me cold.
------------
These stories are all competently written, and the sex scenes are plausible and arousing. This reviewer wouldn’t expect anything less from the writers assembled here. However, the theme tends to restrict the plots of these stories, each of which focuses on a woman in love with a man – in some cases, since childhood.
In several stories, the heroine is conveniently trapped with the man of her dreams in a confined space by the fury of nature. Having to face each other forces the hero and heroine to reveal their true feelings, which include mutual, irresistible desire. Several of these stories end with a promise of marriage, one ends with an agreement about childbearing, and several end with a hope that geographically-challenged lovers will agree to live together in one place for the rest of their lives.
To a large extent, these stories are driven by the romance formula rather than by the characters. Personal misunderstandings keep the lovers apart until a climactic moment, while most social and political conflicts in the real world are kept out of the world of the story. Monogamy is an unquestioned ideal, and heterosexual identity is taken for granted. Responsibility for housework and disagreements over money are nowhere to be seen.
My favorite story of the bunch is the whimsical “It’s Not the Weather” by Alison Tyler, whose erotic stories are often set in Los Angeles, in and around the unreal world of the movie biz. The heroine here is a weather girl (meteorologist) who first works with, then lives with, a moody scriptwriter from New York who prefers the four distinct seasons of the U.S. east coast to the endless sunshine of southern California. The weather girl is so tired of revolving-door relationships and so determined to make this one work that she goes far out of her way to help her boyfriend feel at home and ready for sex, even after she learns that he is using her as comic inspiration. In due course, she gets the happy ending she deserves.
This story shows a witty approach to the seasonal theme of this collection and to the broader theme of heterosexual romance, yet it doesn’t break the conventions. Alison Tyler’s characteristic light touch prevents the heroine’s dilemma from descending into melodrama.
Subterfuges and plot devices that show the hand of Fate are too prevalent for my taste in several of the other stories. In “One Winter Night” by Kristina Wright, Susannah returns to her home town for her sister’s wedding after having left in a blaze of scandal, several years before. She protects her pride by pretending to be respectably married, even though she is divorced.
Susannah’s strategy makes sense when she arrives in town, wondering if the other townsfolk still see her as a Scarlet Woman who has returned to cause trouble. However, the revelation that Susannah (neat use of the name of a slandered Biblical heroine) is able to form a “legitimate” relationship with her former lover, now single and determined to win her back, only occurs near the end of the story, when it is too clearly intended as a means of removing the last barrier to a happy ending. Why Susannah would continue keeping her secret when she has every reason to admit the truth is unclear and unconvincing.
In “Hidden Treasure” by Sophie Mouette, a security guard and a tour guide in period costumes are conveniently trapped by a storm in a historic mansion. So far, so promising. However, two clownish intruders break in to retrieve the “treasure” promised to one of them by his deceased grandmother. When the “treasure” influences the budding affair between the guard and the guide, the reader’s credibility is stretched to its limits.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Marilyn Jaye Lewis and “Northern Exposure” by Isabelle Gray are both grittier stories about clashing desires in marriages based on love. In Lewis’ story, a chronic disagreement about when (whether) to have a first baby gets neatly resolved, and the reader can only hope that there will be no long-term resentment as a result. Isabelle Gray’s story is probably the most heartbreaking in the collection, and it looks like a serious response to Alison Tyler’s story about lovers who each want to live in a different physical and cultural milieu.
“Six Weeks on Sunrise Mountain, Colorado” by Gwen Masters is literally a cliff-hanger. The plot premise (celebrity recluse rescues the journalist who tracked him down in the wilderness) is one of the most unusual and dramatic in the book. Here is the first meeting of the hermit on the mountain and the woman who has risked her life to find him:
“He found the woman at the foot of the ravine. Even in the moonlight, she looked pale as a ghost. Blood covered her forehead and a bruise was already flowering under her right eye.”
Luckily, healing of various kinds takes place during six weeks of hibernation in a snowbound cabin, when the man and woman come to know each other.
“Sweet Season” by Shanna Germain includes the most creative sex scene in the book, in which seduction accompanies a hands-on lesson in turning sap into maple syrup. The sights, sounds and smell of the setting are almost palpable. The author’s bio explains: “Shanna Germain grew up in upstate New York with a pitchfork in her hand, maple syrup on her tongue, and more first loves than she can count.”
This collection would certainly appeal to lovers of traditional romance with explicit sex, but it is uneven. Unfortunately, the restrictions of the genre result in some awkward and predictable writing strategies. The diverse and changing nature of heterosexuality in the real world provides plenty of raw material for fiction. The static world of romantic cliché leaves me cold.
------------
January 1, 2013
Having a hard time completing this book. Don't know if its me or just the book, probably me. Unfortunately for this book but I was unable to read past the 3rd story.;-\
March 29, 2012
(Crossposted from ToyChickBlog.com)
"Ms. Bussel has taken the traditional erotica compilation and allowed it to breathe with her latest anthology, Bedding Down. I’m never one to turn down smut, mind you, and often use erotic literature for mental foreplay, but Bedding Down was not (if you’ll pardon the expression) your run of the mill bodice-ripper.
Bedding Down calls on a host of excellent erotica writers, most of whom I’ve had the pleasure of reading in other anthologies. These stories are not afraid to explore the darker side of winter twined in alongside sensual heat, like the embers of a fire on a snowy night. Death is lightly touched upon in two stories, and the struggle to balance between everyday life, decisions and time together is very eloquently displayed.
I enjoyed the book as a whole, with the only story I wasn’t overly fond of being the first (One Night in Winter by Kristina Wright), but only then because it took me awhile to decipher which character was which; the premise and the sex were still lovely to read. Alison Tyler adds a bit of levity with the exasperated and ever-hopeful heroine of “It’s Not The Weather”, and Sophie Mouette’s “Hidden Treasure” plunges you into a spirited romp in a dark mansion. The struggle against the cold is engagingly laid out in Gwen Masters’ “Six Weeks on Sunrise Mountain, Colorado”, and Marilyn Jaye Lewis’ “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” echoed some of my own experiences of being engaged with all the drawn out discussions on the future that entails.
My favorite story (which surprised me a bit because I’m normally more amiable towards lighthearted offerings) was definitely Isabelle Grey’s “Northern Exposure”. It made the heart ache in both sadness and happiness and actually made me tear up, which is for me the sign of excellent writing. A close second is Shanna Germain’s “Sweet Season”, which makes perfect use of setting to draw the reader into sights, sounds, and scents; I’m also partial to Vermont culture, so that didn’t hurt!
All in all, a book that I’m very pleased to own, and an absolutely stunning read in the subtle beginnings of December. Best enjoyed with a mug of hot cocoa, a box of tissues, and maybe a bit of time with a handsome leading man."
"Ms. Bussel has taken the traditional erotica compilation and allowed it to breathe with her latest anthology, Bedding Down. I’m never one to turn down smut, mind you, and often use erotic literature for mental foreplay, but Bedding Down was not (if you’ll pardon the expression) your run of the mill bodice-ripper.
Bedding Down calls on a host of excellent erotica writers, most of whom I’ve had the pleasure of reading in other anthologies. These stories are not afraid to explore the darker side of winter twined in alongside sensual heat, like the embers of a fire on a snowy night. Death is lightly touched upon in two stories, and the struggle to balance between everyday life, decisions and time together is very eloquently displayed.
I enjoyed the book as a whole, with the only story I wasn’t overly fond of being the first (One Night in Winter by Kristina Wright), but only then because it took me awhile to decipher which character was which; the premise and the sex were still lovely to read. Alison Tyler adds a bit of levity with the exasperated and ever-hopeful heroine of “It’s Not The Weather”, and Sophie Mouette’s “Hidden Treasure” plunges you into a spirited romp in a dark mansion. The struggle against the cold is engagingly laid out in Gwen Masters’ “Six Weeks on Sunrise Mountain, Colorado”, and Marilyn Jaye Lewis’ “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” echoed some of my own experiences of being engaged with all the drawn out discussions on the future that entails.
My favorite story (which surprised me a bit because I’m normally more amiable towards lighthearted offerings) was definitely Isabelle Grey’s “Northern Exposure”. It made the heart ache in both sadness and happiness and actually made me tear up, which is for me the sign of excellent writing. A close second is Shanna Germain’s “Sweet Season”, which makes perfect use of setting to draw the reader into sights, sounds, and scents; I’m also partial to Vermont culture, so that didn’t hurt!
All in all, a book that I’m very pleased to own, and an absolutely stunning read in the subtle beginnings of December. Best enjoyed with a mug of hot cocoa, a box of tissues, and maybe a bit of time with a handsome leading man."
October 19, 2014
One Night in Winter - Kristina Wright: 4 stars
Six Weeks on Sunrise Mountain, Colorado - Gwen Master: Okey, but a bit boring.
It’s Not the Weather - Alison Tyler: A bit funny, 3 stars
Baby, It’s Cold Outside - Marilyn Jaye Lewis: Nice, 4 stars
Northern Exposure - Isabelle Gray: Sweet story, not sad, but rather melancholic, 4.5 stars
Hidden Treasure - Sophie Mouette: It was okey.
Sweet Season - Shanna Germain: 5 stars, very sweet!
Six Weeks on Sunrise Mountain, Colorado - Gwen Master: Okey, but a bit boring.
It’s Not the Weather - Alison Tyler: A bit funny, 3 stars
Baby, It’s Cold Outside - Marilyn Jaye Lewis: Nice, 4 stars
Northern Exposure - Isabelle Gray: Sweet story, not sad, but rather melancholic, 4.5 stars
Hidden Treasure - Sophie Mouette: It was okey.
Sweet Season - Shanna Germain: 5 stars, very sweet!
June 6, 2013
Like all collections of stories there are bound to be a few that you love, a couple you enjoy and a handful that just aren't your taste. This was true with Bedding Down; loved the beginning and end and a few in the middle I really enjoyed.
I would read another collection edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel again.
I would read another collection edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel again.
August 15, 2013
This collection is by far one of my most favorite erotica anthologies to date. I read it many years ago, but it contains works by some of the hottest wordsmiths out there—Isabelle Gray, Shanna Germain, and Alison Tyler, to name a few. Intended for your winter reading, this book will definitely make you want to snuggle close to someone beneath the sheets. Love this one!
November 14, 2011
For an erotic romance, I think this is a good one especially in a short stories and you like traditional love.
My favourite would be
1. One Night in Winter - Christina Wright
2. Baby it's cold outside - Mary Jaye Lewis
3. Northern Exposure - Isabelle Gray
My favourite would be
1. One Night in Winter - Christina Wright
2. Baby it's cold outside - Mary Jaye Lewis
3. Northern Exposure - Isabelle Gray
August 27, 2010
I much prefer short stories to novellas. The added length seems almost forced to me. But the tale from Alison Tyler was extra enjoyable.
September 23, 2013
This was extremely SEXY.... There was some steamy stories that will leave you sweating lol
January 14, 2017
A great selection of winter and Xmas romance reads
February 22, 2020
I liked the book but they left me wanting more of the stories! Some of them not all. But my fav was Northern Exposure! Hopefully they would have their own book with a full story! Would of love to know how Gideon and Alana story end! Hopefully Happy!!
November 23, 2018
Storytelling is amazing!
July 3, 2021
The second to last story was pretty good: 4.5/5 for that one
0 for the rest, yikes
0 for the rest, yikes
April 20, 2015
really really sexy! perfect for when it's cold outside!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews