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Desire: 100 of Literature's Sexiest Stories
Strict mistresses, naughty maids, handsome gardeners and disarming strangers; literature is awash with love, sex and desire. This collection brings together 100 of the best examples, hand-picked by Mariella Frostrup and the Erotic Review . From romance and seduction to downright dirty deeds, here are prize-winners, bestsellers and rising stars, each of whom prove that when it comes to the bedroom, a little fiction goes a long way. So whether you're looking for love, lust or something in between, this gorgeous anthology is the perfect gift... or bedside companion. 'A veritable Milk Tray of titillating tales' The Times 'Frostrup has brought a fresh eye to amorous fiction' Telegraph 'The perfect bedside companion' Best Magazine
800 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2016
60 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 4, 2018
Finally!!!!
This is the book that finally drove home that I am not good at reading short stories. I have nothing to settle into! It's so hard to only be with characters for a few pages! And then I have to start fresh every couple of pages and I just... *sigh* I can't.
The sexiest in the title is obviously subjective. There was quite a few stories in this collation that did not strike me as sexy at all but again, subjectivity. There's a wide selection across these 100 stories, covering everything from a mother saving her daughter in a gothic romancesque story and "Prince Charming" waking up Sleeping Beauty with an orgasm (notably not consensual as she was unconscious. Most of my objections stem from a lack of consent that's glorified as "sexy") so whatever floats your boat you're sure to find something in here that does so.
This is the book that finally drove home that I am not good at reading short stories. I have nothing to settle into! It's so hard to only be with characters for a few pages! And then I have to start fresh every couple of pages and I just... *sigh* I can't.
The sexiest in the title is obviously subjective. There was quite a few stories in this collation that did not strike me as sexy at all but again, subjectivity. There's a wide selection across these 100 stories, covering everything from a mother saving her daughter in a gothic romancesque story and "Prince Charming" waking up Sleeping Beauty with an orgasm (notably not consensual as she was unconscious. Most of my objections stem from a lack of consent that's glorified as "sexy") so whatever floats your boat you're sure to find something in here that does so.
June 13, 2025
2.5⭐️
pros ✅
- lots of variety
- there is a comedy to whipping out a gigantic book (of what is essentially porn) on a packed tube at 7:30am
- some funny moments
- mariella had much more fun with each author’s introduction than paul merton did in ‘funny ha ha’
- i liked that you didn’t get 3 consecutive stories from the same author. there were repeating contributors but they were spread out and i much preferred this. because in ‘funny ha ha,’ having three unfunny stories from oscar wilde was unnecessary. i might have found them funnier if they were spread out, who knows!
cons ❌
- i did not need 30 pages from ulysses thanks. boring, relentless and barely readable
- as with ‘funny ha ha,’ there were some stories i really liked and would’ve wanted more of or more from the same author, and then some authors who kept cropping up that i didn’t need
- i think every story should have a date of publication
- far less variety than in ‘funny ha ha.’ these stories were all much more samey
- probably a more enjoyable reading experience if you dip in and out and do a story then leave it, instead of reading all 715 pages cover to cover
- some of the stories in the final of the three sections (‘darkening desire’) were a bit weird/gross/unsettling
pros ✅
- lots of variety
- there is a comedy to whipping out a gigantic book (of what is essentially porn) on a packed tube at 7:30am
- some funny moments
- mariella had much more fun with each author’s introduction than paul merton did in ‘funny ha ha’
- i liked that you didn’t get 3 consecutive stories from the same author. there were repeating contributors but they were spread out and i much preferred this. because in ‘funny ha ha,’ having three unfunny stories from oscar wilde was unnecessary. i might have found them funnier if they were spread out, who knows!
cons ❌
- i did not need 30 pages from ulysses thanks. boring, relentless and barely readable
- as with ‘funny ha ha,’ there were some stories i really liked and would’ve wanted more of or more from the same author, and then some authors who kept cropping up that i didn’t need
- i think every story should have a date of publication
- far less variety than in ‘funny ha ha.’ these stories were all much more samey
- probably a more enjoyable reading experience if you dip in and out and do a story then leave it, instead of reading all 715 pages cover to cover
- some of the stories in the final of the three sections (‘darkening desire’) were a bit weird/gross/unsettling
August 4, 2024
A collection of erotica from literature. Quite a variety, and most of it is very good. This collection, though is really, really long. Maybe it was meant to be read in bits and pieces, but I don't like reading more than one book at a time. Started to feel a bit shagged out after a while!
April 19, 2018
An collection of the most boring, least sexy stories of all time.
September 24, 2019
This was a really promising book, and there certainly were some steamy stories. Unfortunately, the book is way too damn long and repetitive! I ended up skipping most of ‘Desire’ and only reading the stories by authors I knew, or stories that immediately caught my attention. The cover design is deliciously subtle; I didn’t even notice its sexual motif until the editor pointed it out. But does anyone really want to lug around this huge tome? The editor could easily have cut this book in half, saving the best of the best.
November 26, 2016
I was expecting this to be a meagre compilation of the author's own favourites but was pleasantly surprised that this heavy tome contains more than just extracts. From historical fiction to modern romance this book includes some of the sexiest, raunchiest, dirtiest extracts from literature over the past two centuries. The fact that it's well-written and tasty makes it all the more enjoyable.
June 13, 2025
Life changing collection. Can't recommend it enough to anyone with a zest, or in need of zest, in life.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews