Aroused: Tales of Erotica

I haven't read much erotica but this one ranks among the best! Sean Wolfe has done a wonderful job in conveying these stories to us. Unlike most erotica that I have read, these stories all have a story line. I love the way the stories are broken into seasonal sections and how Wolfe connects our sexuality and eroticism to the changing of the seasons. Surprisingly, the stories that I found most interesting are the ones with the older characters (probably because I'm pushing 60 myself). Additionally, the book contained a novella "A Life Much More Than Ordinary" which was extremely well written and also had everything you would expect a piece of erotica to have. Thanks Mr. Wolfe for a fast-paced well written compilation. At some point I am going to have to get a hold of "Close Contact" (his first installment).

Wolfe, Sean. "Aroused: Tales of Erotica", Kensington Books, 2007. Erotic Stories Amos Lassen and Literary Pride I usually do not review erotica but Sean Wolfe's "Aroused" is not just erotic. It is a very good read and is wonderfully written. The whole concept of the book really appeals to me and Wolfe's gift for telling a story is amazing. There is something here for everyone in this literate and provocative book. Wolfe has divided the book into four seasons allowing us to compare them to the seasons of our life. The four sexual seasons provide stories dripping with desire and sex. We have stories of young sexual encounters, stories of couples who attempt to keep their sexual lives and relationship alive, and stories about the redefinition of sexuality. The grouping into seasons gives the book a unifying theme as well as groups the stories by ages of the characters. Personally, I think it was brilliant of Wolfe to use the seasons as a theme. There are 17 stories and one four part novella, A Life Much More Than Ordinary" which also uses the seasons to define its chapters. The seasons are a major part of our lives. Going through life or passing the seasons is something we all do and as we do, so each season becomes memorable for some reason. We have memories corresponding to the seasons-whether it be the blonde hunk in the beginning, we saw at the beach last summer or the guy in the black turtleneck sweater who was out about town last winter. As we grow and mature, we watch the seasons change and we learn that what is satisfying in summer is not necessarily, what is going to satisfy us in winter. The way we look at love and sex also changes with the seasons. As we move from summer to fall to winter, our lives change with the changing of the seasons. We grow and we are constantly reminded of the beauty of youth in the summer of their lives and some us dread the idea of getting older, fearing that people will not find us attractive. Wolfe negates the myth that older men do without and a couple of the honest stories deal with just that issue. Ageism in gay society has become an unfortunate way of life and many guys who are in the summer of their lives have difficulty in making their winter days rewarding. But enough of that. One of the stories that I found to be excessively yet beautifully erotic is "Careful what you wish for", the first story in the book. As erotic as it is, it is merely a peek into what is to come. The stories are personal and sexual as well as confessional. I love the way Wolfe writes. His prose lifts you up and carries you to somewhere you may ordinarily not go and he does so with style, wit and grace. Take away the eroticism and you have good solid writing--the kind I love to read.