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Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year, Volume 4

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A mysterious warrior at the Renaissance Faire.
An elder reunited with a lost love.
A bottom with chronic pain.
A new play party for a long-term couple.
A fantasy speed-dating night.
A dress-up doll.
A femme gangbang...

Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year, Volume 4 has it all!

Written by a refreshing group of individuals of various genders and sexualities, this arousing anthology explores identities and stories beyond the usual lesbian erotica. A diverse group of multi-talented authors explore a myriad of erotic delights: from fruit to silk scarves to spanking to whips, from the cozy home to the leather dungeon to the wrong side of the tracks. Award-winning editor Sinclair Sexsmith has put together a collection of varied sensual textures and flavors, but they all explore what it feels like to step fully into one’s own power, and feel deeply into one’s own body.

232 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2019

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66 people want to read

About the author

Sinclair Sexsmith

37 books232 followers
Sinclair Sexsmith is "the best-known butch erotica writer whose kinky, groundbreaking stories have turned on countless queer women" (AfterEllen), who "is in all the books, wins all the awards, speaks at all the panels and readings, knows all the stuff, and writes for all the places" (Autostraddle). ​Their sex, gender, kink, and relationship blog Sugarbutch appears frequently on top sex blog lists, and their short story collection, Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, was a 2016 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. They identify as a white non-binary butch dominant, a survivor, and an introvert, and use the pronouns they, them, theirs, themself. Follow all their writings at patreon.com/mrsexsmith.

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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud.
Author 2 books758 followers
December 23, 2019
I’m a little out of my league with this anthology so I’m not going to review in details. Let’s just say it was interesting, troubling and enlightening. And hot, of course. I enjoyed the diversity of characters – trans women, older women, non-binary characters, characters on the autistic spectrum… – and situations. One of the stories is all kink and no sex, and it’s nice to see that kind of action included too.

My favourite story, the one that touched me the most, is Pleasure with Her Pain by Ada Lowell, in which one of the characters suffers from fibromyalgia. I loved how her lover finds ways to give her relief from the pain from the chronic illness so she can get back to the pleasurable pain their play used to bring her.

I wrote above how much I loved the inclusivity, another feeling I got was how these stories are essentially about intimacy and how each character relates to their own body (some learning to love them, others already – or still – very at ease with themselves). My main regret is the lack of trigger warnings. With such a variety of stories, you don’t know what you’re getting into when you start on a new one, and it might be a problem for some readers. Despite this, consent is always clear, trust is paramount, as is safety, and there’s a lot more love than I expected to encounter.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Jess.
998 reviews68 followers
February 11, 2020
This book was given by the publisher and Love Bytes in exchange for an honest review.

This review was first posted at Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews.

Cleis Press will always be a must-read publisher for me. Their anthologies never fail me, and they always strive for excellence at all cost. This is my first book in the lesbian erotica collection, and I am eager to see how it has evolved over the years—and how it continues to do so.

This is a diverse book, much more diverse and inclusive than it would have been 15 or 20 years ago. Check out any lesbian erotica collection from the early 2000s and you’ll find a lot of classic butches, blonde femmes, champagne kisses, and relatively tame scenes of oral sex and fingering. And who can say those aren’t hot as hell? But there’s so much more out there, and it is uncovered in every story here. To name just a few that may interest you, there are trans femme love interests (“Do Tell”), characters over 50 (“Pinked”, “Love Remembers”), characters with chronic pain and disabilities (“Pleasure With Her Pain,” “What I Want”), and non-binary and GNC characters (“Of Sword and Sorcery,” “The Butler, the Flapper, and the Stable Boy”).

Most of the stories are unique in setting and tone. There’s the classic scenarios of role-playing (“The Butler, the Flapper, and the Stable Boy”), gang-banging (“My Sweet Femme Nightmare”), and older-character-teaching-younger (“Modern Lovers (You Probably Haven’t Heard of Them)”), but each story has an element that makes it quintessentially lesbian. There are a few parts that veered closely to the male-gaze (the exhibitionism in “Leviathan,” the objectification in “All Dolled Up”), but even in those stories, there’s something about those porn-level acts that are so shockingly different when only women are participating. It feels more secret, even more taboo. Yes, we can like these things, even if the porn industry has twisted them into something they are not. It’s so freeing to read—nothing is off-limits, no matter what blog or websites tells you otherwise. But don’t worry, this is all in good, safe fun—there’s a ton of enthusiastic consent and communication, which we all know is necessary, but can also be unbearably sexy.

I have two favorites in the collection, with many runners-up. I absolutely adore “Gina, Across the Tracks,” and I can see myself going back to it often. There’s a grittiness to it, a level of primal eroticism that is so intense and immediate that it took my breath away. It portrays two women, different in age and class, who have no choice but to take care of each other in ways no one else in their life can or will. It might be too grounded for some, too real, but I think it is a masterpiece. I also love “The Strip” by J. Mork. It is sexy, but it feels more layered than the other stories, more literary. It portrays sex workers in a rare fictional light of both humanity and sensuality, showing how sex is different when there’s mutual respect, trust, and knowledge of the female body. It stayed with me long after I finished it.

Sometimes, there will be stories in a collection that rub you the wrong way. That doesn’t honestly happen a lot to me in either lesbian anthologies or Cleis publications, but in this one, there were a few that just didn’t fit. I was annoyed by some of the “non-sexual” erotic elements, such as using violent BDSM as a form of stimming, especially when there’s nothing at all sexual about it. Erotica has to include sex or, at the very least, sensuality—and some of these stories contained neither. And I’ve never been a fan of the term “girl-cock,” mainly because I’ve never really heard it from women in real life. It seems so corny and porny. There are a lot of other excellent terms for penises that I’ve heard real queer women use that are so much better.

Despite these complaints, the good vastly outweighs the bad, and there are no obvious stinkers. Some kinks will never be sexy to me, but they strike the sweet spot for thousands of others. That’s the joy of a collection like this—there’s something for everyone. Skip a few if you’d like, but I think you’re going to enjoy the majority. This collection shouldn’t be missed.
Profile Image for Els.
34 reviews3 followers
March 4, 2020
This review first appeared at readingthething.wordpress.com

CW: References to sexual and kink things.

Me and one of my partners were on a train. I said: “I am reading this book, and it’s so so so cool”. I was a bit loud, and there were many people around us, since we were close to the doors, and the train was about to reach its next stop. It made multiple people look up to me expectantly. “Ok, sorry if this shocks ya’ll, but it’s a lesbian erotica anthology”, I said. Everyone sniggered. A lady in her 60’s said: “Well, have a lot of fun with it”, and my partner mentioned this did definitely not shock him, hehehe.

I do think I might’ve found my favourite book I’ve read in 2020 already, because it is really that amazingly good. It’s been edited by Sinclair Sexsmith who I have been following on and of for about a decade now. They write about queer sex, kink, gender, and relationships, and have a lot of experience in the world of lesbian/queer erotica, which made them an excellent choice as editor. Seeing as I have quite some overlap in interest- and identity-wise with Sinclair, it should not be surprising I found so many stories in this anthology that tickled my fancy.

What made it so amazing for me, was that this was erotica I could see myself in. People with bodies like mine, identities like mine, pronouns like mine. Multiple times I read a story and ended up not only aroused but with tears in my eyes. Like the story where one of the people has chronic pain, and how her partner and her navigate this. The story about the threesome where one person is a trans woman, one a cis woman and one is non-binary (if I remember this correctly). The story in which a cis women gets together with someone who is coded as non-binary (using neopronouns), in which the specific kind of genitals xy have are not even mentioned.

If you’re queer, and even slightly into kink: Go. Read. This. Buy it now, or get (or request) it at your local bookshop or library. Put it on your kindle or bedside table, and take the plunge into this lovely set of amazing erotic stories. I already gifted a copy to one of my datefriends, and she won’t be the last I’ll be gifting this book to this year.
Profile Image for Mx Phoebe.
1,446 reviews
December 15, 2019
Stories so hot you cannot read them all at once...sizzling.

Do you know what I love about erotica anthologies? I never just open the first page and start reading. I flip through the book and just randomly start at a story. This time I started with a fabulous story by Dorothy Freed called “Adventure in Palm Springs”. Freed gives us hope that when we get older that desire will still call us and fire the blood. It all starts with a scarf, a stroke of the arm, and a chance on desire. A belief that we can have more. My heart is stirring just sitting here typing this remembering the story and that is how good Freed is and that is just the first story I read.

The Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year Volume 4 (Cleis Press, 9781627782951, 2019) edited by Sinclair Sexsmith is returning just in time for the holidays! Cozy up by the fire with a glass of wine and some hot erotic this season! This time around, Sexsmith has concocted the perfect mix of erotic tales! It’s inclusive. It's raunchy. It pushes the limits and goes beyond the traditional lesbian erotica tropes.

Written by a refreshing group of individuals of various genders and sexualities, this arousing anthology explores identities and stories beyond the usual lesbian erotica. A diverse group of multi-talented authors explore a myriad of erotic delights: from fruit to silk scarves to spanking to whips, from the cozy home to the leather dungeon to the wrong side of the tracks. Award-winning editor Sinclair Sexsmith has put together a collection of varied sensual textures and flavors, but they all explore what it feels like to step fully into one’s own power, and feel deeply into one’s own body.

“Brunch Service” will never be the same again after you read Tobi Hill-Meyer’s story. Holy sugar. I want more of this story. I want to know what happens after the party between Celia and Lora. Hill-Meyer utilizes this short story to illuminate some of the issues transwomen have and at the same time illustrate sexual happiness. I was quite happy to be there (laugh).

The funny thing is the story that I identified the most with is the first story in the anthology. Grace goes to a pansexual speed dating event in “Do Tell” by Foster Joy. Grace meets different types of people and we hear her thoughts on each individual. Grace picks a transwoman for Round Two and it is a very good time indeed. I wish we had this type of event in my area because I would go to it in a heartbeat! I probably would have picked Anastacia too.

If stories that explore diverse identities written by a refreshing group of individuals of various genders and sexualities are what you seek, you will find it in Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year, Volume 4. ✶✶✶✶✶

I received an ARC of this book from Cleis Press and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
Profile Image for Isaiah.
Author 1 book87 followers
January 11, 2022
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.

I got an ARC of this book.

Wow.

This is an amazing anthology.

Remember how just a few days ago, I said I would lose my mind if dental dams were used. This book CAME SO CLOSE. Dental dams were mentioned, but they were not used. I had so much hope. So it was one small detail away from perfection.

Seriously. It was that good. The stories met all of my criteria for good erotica. They were full of consent, full of safety (except for the dental dam issue), and there were scenes that emphasized how bodies work. One of my favorite scenes featured an older woman who used lube for any form of penetration, since her body just didn’t get wet like it used to. YES. This detail was just perfection. I loved that an older woman was the star of an erotic story and that her body was treated with respect and it normalized the idea that bodies change as people age.

This anthology has so many stories that emphasize that bodies are different, but that they are attractive. There were many trans women featured. There was a scene with two trans women together that talked about everything from dysphoria to D/s. Trans women are women and I loved that this anthology didn’t shy away from that. The talk over what to call genitalia while trans was highlighted and I was just in heaven. I still wish Cleis would do an anthology of queer trans man erotica. Please hear me Cleis. I have seen what you do with trans women and I want the same thing for trans men. PLEASE!

The stories were for the most part, all kinky. There were varying degrees of kink, but there are no content warnings before stories. The kink ranged from D/s play that could have been fetishistic of trans women (spoiler, it wasn’t) to some knife play. If certain kinks are triggering for you, then this might be an anthology that you have screened for content from someone you trust.

I could rave about this all day. The diversity of the characters alone is enough to make me love it. There are autistic characters. There are trans characters. There are submissive butches. There are dominant femmes. There is butch/butch, femme/femme, and every combination I could imagine. There was even a stone butch in a scene that was respected and the scene was pure kink. There was no sex. The story even specified that there would be no sex early on and it was just perfection. The idea that a play space would be accessible to those who are not sexual with their kinks or not into seeing sex. I just love this anthology. If I wasn’t already a fan of Cleis, I would be now.
Profile Image for Alu.
138 reviews7 followers
December 19, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this collection. There were a couple of stories I genuinely enjoyed, but more that I was somewhat indifferent to. I liked that there was a diverse mix of stories, al different types of people from different walks of life. Most of the stories though followed a similar pattern.

This was not a collection that suited my tastes entirely and a couple of them were not written as well as others, but it was a nice mix of mostly BDSM kink stories.
Profile Image for Ali Williams.
Author 27 books59 followers
July 25, 2020
This whole collection is so beautifully diverse with its lesbians, showing a myriad of ways in which to be queer.

I was particularly fond of Ada Lowell's Pleasure with Her Pain, which navigates kink when one partner is diagnosed with fibro myalgia. Also, Xan West does that thing they do so well in Crave, which is to capture the energies of kinksters so well. And has one of my fav sentences about what it's like to drop into subspace.

Outstanding writing.
Profile Image for Gene.
797 reviews8 followers
October 2, 2021
It's not. I see it won awards and don't understand why. I've seen this done by other authors in much better ways. I liked that it was diverse and included many points of view, a couple of the stories were pretty good, but I was indifferent to most. I see others feel differently, the essence of freedom.
Profile Image for Merel.
91 reviews
Read
September 29, 2024
I won't be finishing this.
It's an anthology with a diverse set of stories (featuring older women, trans women and non-binary people, neurodivergent folks, etc). So if you want to explore more sapphic erotica that's not so vanilla, white-washed and femme-femme as what you get in the trending lesbian romances, this might be for you.
But it's not for me 🤷
Profile Image for Sinclair.
Author 37 books232 followers
November 19, 2021
I'm biased; I'm the editor. I love these stories!
118 reviews1 follower
July 1, 2023
really enjoyed this collection!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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