nichtszusagen

• "Caught in the Act"
  A clothing store security guard succumbs, after years of resisting, to the temptation to watch the dressing room cameras.
  
  I was a little taken aback when I realized the first-person narrator was male, but the twist made me laugh aloud.
  
  
• "Dear Julian"
  A rock musician gets a series of letters from "X" and he starts falling in love with his anonymous admirer. Eventually they meet and have a sexual encounter, but in a dark closet, where he couldn't see her.
  
  The twist in this one was painful, but probably deserved--good object lesson there about stalking, trying to trick someone, keeping secrets.
  
  
• "Brigitte's Secret"
  An exotic dancer begins an affair while on vacation, and is having the time of her life, but she worries that when he finds out about her job it'll ruin everything.
  
  This twist was funny, too, but I got a little tired of Brigitte angsting over her disgraceful job.
  
  
• "When Our Friends Let Us Down..."
  A man's "best friend" has let him down... that is, he's become impotent. He tells of his previous sex life and how he and his girlfriend tried to solve the problem.
  
  The twist at the end of this one was just funny.
  
  
• "For a Good Cause"
  A new homeowner seduces and plays mentor to the young man next door.
  
  I wasn't fond of this story--I never like large age differences, regardless of which partner is older, and I never like the teacher/student sexual relationship. Squicks me right out. So the twist at the end of this one, minimal though it was, only increased my disgust a smidgen.
  
  
• "Of Satin and Lace"
  Matthew is seduced by enticing lingerie that appears in his laundry, a piece at a time--first panties, then a bra, then stockings--and he tries to figure out who the secret seductress is.
  
  This is probably my favorite story of the anthology. It has two twists--first when Matthew thinks he knows who it is, and then when he finds out for sure.
  
  
• "Double or Nothing"
  Caroline wants a baby. First, she tries to trick her boyfriend into making her pregnant, but he breaks up with her. Then she tries a dating agency, and meets a wonderful man, only to discover that he's a twin and she can't tell him and his brother apart.
  
  I've never understood baby lust. And I really don't understand breaking up with someone you love because of it--even though I know two couples who've done so. This story was also a little disjointed because the two parts of it--with the first boyfriend, then with the twins--didn't have much to do with each other. The first part could easily have been left out. And the twist at the end was just kind of stupid.
  

Labels: 3.5 stars, books, erotica

// posted by Darla @ 5/06/2008 01:20:00 PM