Best Fetish Erotica - erotic book by Cleis Press Inc. - review by Dragon

The Fetish Erotic genre will open many doors of your sexual imagination. Are you ready for them? Not everyone is ready to explore all types of stories. Not everyone will find them to be a sexual turn-on. One definition of "fetish" - "Something nonsexual, such as an object or a part of the body which arouses sexual desire or is necessary for one to reach full sexual satisfaction." Everyone has heard of fetishes - some people may have a fetish over boots or specific clothing, but not everyone has really understood where they came from or accepted the full definition of needing the fetish for sexual satisfaction. When you're ready to explore or understand more about fetishes this book is for you. If you're still thinking about roses and romance, it may not quite speak to you!

"Best Fetish" has a lot to live up to in the name, but this is an excellent collection. I didn't want to put it down. All of the short stories are of extremely high quality. Some of the stories emphasize the individual character dynamics while others emphasize a story line. You would expect a story about knives in a book on fetishes, and sure enough Alison Tyler has written "Blades" making me think thoughts to make my husband cringe.

One of the first stories is "Love Me Tender" by JT Leroy. A very quick internet search will reveal that this author is the subject of extensive scandal as a female heterosexual woman that has written extensive gay/transsexual and violent erotica. So where exactly does that leave a story named after one of the most famous songs of all times? "Love me tender, Love me sweet, Never let me go." Let's just say that it's a relationship built on the acceptance of pain and love from the very beginning!

I never thought of a car as a fetish object before, but author Tom Piccinilli did. (I found one of his stories in another of my favorite books - Best Bondage Erotica 2) Just what is it about that engine under the hood that gave Cole exactly what he needed to pick up Terry? And what exactly happened to her clothes...

When you start to wonder how a fetish or a sexual trait develops, then "Never Judge a Book" by Stephen Albrow is the story for you. We all grow up and develop in our own paths with individual hopes, fears, and experiences but rarely do we understand the complete story of others and the sexual paths that they may take. "That night I slept with her bra and panties beside me on the pillow. The next day, before leaving for work, I tucked them in the inside pocket of my suit jacket." Hmmm, it's a delightful journey that he travels.

A word of caution though, not every story ends with a completely happy ending. Two of the stories include great pain and emotional misery. They are still worth reading, and fascinating for their own perspective.

Another example of an outstanding Cleis Press release, Best Fetish Erotica has an extremely erotic cover, and is a slightly over-sized paperpack. There is a section in the back about all the contributing authors. Many are so well known that their primary works are novels instead of short stories, and are found in many other collections of erotica. The authors include Stephen Albrow, Jenesi Ash, M.I. Blue, Susie Bright, M. Christian, Jen Collins, Myriam Gurba, Joy James, Raven Kaldera, JT Leroy, Monah Li, Lisa Montanarelli, Tom Piccirilli, Racel Resnick, Thomas Roche, March Sheiner, Jerry Stahl, Anne Tourney, Alison Tyler and Greg Wharton.