Sweet Confessions - erotic fiction by Cleis Press Inc. - review by Jul!a

Sweet Confessions is an anthology of 18 short stories from various authors such as Heidi Champa, Devyn Christopher, Kayar Silkenvoice, Portia Da Costa, Jacqueline Applebee, Sophie Mouette, Alison Tyler, Angela Caperton, K.D. Grace, Piper Morgan, Anika Ray, Kay Jaybee, Liv Olson, Andrea Dale, Regina Kammer, Alexander Liboiron, Jeremy Edwards, and Rachel Kramer Bussel; and has been edited by Violet Blue. In the back of the book there's a section with short bios on each of the authors as well as the editor.

The content of the book centers around fantasies that each couple has in each story. Some are as simple as wanting to be dominated, and some are more complex and want to add a third partner. All of the stories have the element of fantasy involved, and it helps them all to flow from one to the next in an organized manner, without making them all predictable. The stories are mostly heterosexually based though, so if you're wanting same sex couplings you'll have to find a different book.

In Sacred Places, a couple is on a holiday and visiting some monasteries when Kathleen, our main female lead, gets some dirty ideas involving some of the monks. Never one to disappoint, Ted decides to help her live out her fantasy; bringing her back to the monastery and letting her decide for herself if it was really just him there, or if her fantasy was more grounded in reality than she initially thought.

Silver Screen brings us an adventurous couple who always like to explore new things. Our main couple is supposed to have an illustrious meeting at a porn theatre, and our lead female fantasizes about her boyfriend's best friend while they play. They separate before the movie ends, and she goes to his place to find him sick in bed and realizes he never left the house; which leaves her wondering just who she had a tryst with at the theatre.

Age Play shows us an accomplished romance novel author doing research for a series in England and having to leave her husband at home while she's gone. She runs into a young student who was in a ballet class with her, who wants her to teach him how to have sex and please a woman. Her husband consents if it will make her a better writer, and she uses her experience with the boy to add some steamy new scenarios to her next series.

A basic paperback; it'll hold up to being stored and left out, but living in a bag will probably shorten its lifespan. The cover is a bit risque with a woman whispering into another person's ear, but it's not overly erotic and could pass as something that isn't erotica as long as there isn't close scrutinizing.

I wanted to mention one more story here that I really think deserves a fair mention. Jenna's Gambit broaches the subject of urination and water sports, and does it in such a way that it comes across as sexy, even to me to has never had any inclination to experiment with mixing pee and sex. The author, Jeremy Edwards, does a fantastic job with this story and I really think it's a great starter if you've been interested in the concept but unsure of how to jump in to the whole genre.

That particular story sticks out to me so much because it's literally the first time I've encountered one like it in an anthology, and it was able to keep my attention the whole way through. A few of the stories were a bit of a drag for me, but I like a lot of them overall. At the very least, this book can offer some possible suggestions for couples activities in your own sex life.