Bottoms Up

I like to go on vacations. I mean, who doesn't, right? But, not only do I like to take vacations that let me experience other regions, cultures, peoples, I like to take vacations that let my mind step outside of my own personal "me-ness" for a time. I'm not huge on feeling a hand slap my ass, but I've found that I love reading stories about spanking after reading this suberb collection. Whenever I sat down to read one of the stories(which I usually consumed three or four at a time)I was instantly sliding into the skin of someone who lived for the rush of being spanked. I'm hard pressed to select any favorites from the table of contents, but I can say without a doubt The Purple Balloon by Tess Danesi was exquisite and I've read it over and over. Even if spanking isn't your thing I urge you to give this anthology a try. It makes for a sexy, hot, amazing vacation from normal life!

"Bottoms Up" is an intriguing blend of erotica all having one thing in common: spanking. This is the type of anthology that has something to please everyone, whether you're straight, gay, bi, or heteroflexible. My absolute favorite story was "The Purple Balloon" by Tess Danesi. What I liked about this story was not only was it hot, but that it took a party favor and made it into a very unlikely sex object. Teresa Noelle Roberts does something similar in "Prime Time," making, of all things, math an intrinsic part of a sex session. If you enjoy a little humor with your erotica, which I do, then be sure not to miss "Lonnie's Licks." You won't know whether to laugh or to, well, you know. The author, Tenille Brown, sure has a way with dialogue. I look forward to seeing more from her. "A Firm Understanding" by Elizabeth Coldwell was another very original tale, where a woman gets her kicks by seeing her husband with another man. Great outside the box thinking, if you'll pardon my pun. Bottom line: If you like spanking and original, well-written erotica, be sure to get this book. Just don't read it in public. Then again, maybe do. Gena

Rock on, Rachel Kramer Bussel! The fourth spanking-based anthology from this dynamo, it's the best yet, in my opinion. You can tell the editor loves the subject matter and the authors she (carefully) selects. The stories run the gamut from nervous first timers to experienced hard(er) players, but they are all hot and sexy reads. Tess Danesi's "The Purple Balloon" is a particular fave. Danesi crawls inside the mind of a spanking enthusiast and rolls around in there getting dirty. This story is best read aloud to a partner. (Guaranteed sex will follow...) RKB favorites like Alison Tyler, Stan Kent, Gwen Masters (spanking in a church?!), and Teresa Noelle Roberts lend their erotic voices to the spanking brigade. Jerry Arthur's "Ass Worship" is a must-read -- I've read it three times (so far). There's something in here for everyone; I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Bussel, Rachel Kramer, "Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories", Cleis Press, 2009. An Exciting Collection Amos Lassen Spanking is not a topic that is openly discussed but after reading "Bottoms Up", I learned that many enjoying either giving or receiving one or both. This is an anthology of stories from people who enjoy spanking and is meant to increase our awareness of it, It is for the curious, the spanker and the spankee--those that like discipline and those that are discovering it. There are 15 selections and an introduction about "turning the other cheek". The stories are diverse and varied and each is well written and holds some kind of surprise. The book is an education in itself and you might find yourself reading it over and over again.

I really enjoyed how each story is varied and complex, much like the characters - like in Donna George Storey's A Thousand Words, I could feel his shame mixed with all the kinky lust running through his pulsing veins...superb. Or in Alison Tyler's, The Hardest Part, the excrutiating build up and power struggle between the two characters was intense, which made the story sizzle-hot...fabulous. Sommer Marsden's, Bossy had me chuckling, aroused and I could feel each and every hard smack...Wow! Actually, all the stories are amazing in this collection, because I didn't know what was coming next. Every story is a new surprise. It's fun, exciting, kinky and hot. Once you read this book, you'll be searching for a paddle, a wooden spatula, or a lover's hard hand - spanking is good, especially when you've been bad. Enjoy!