Change of Pace: Erotic Interludes

Best collection of stories out there - not a dud in the entire book. I'm not as eloquent as the other reviewers but trust what they wrote, I'm glad I did.

"Change of Pace: Erotic Interludes" by Radclyffe is a wonderful collection of short stories so delightful and delicious they will tempt, tease, and thrill readers for years to come. The anthology is contemporary, yet timeless, not only about sex, but also about love, longing, lust, surprises, chance meetings, planned meetings, fulfilling wild fantasies, and trust. Radclyffe is a masterful storyteller devising subtle plots, interesting settings, and developing believable characters, which don't get in the way of the hot sex scenes. Radclyffe paints her characters using just enough brushstrokes to give the reader a whole portrait. When one lover states, "She had the hands of a magician, the mouth of a saint, and she could read me as if I were a billboard lighting up the night in Times Square" [p. 134], it's easy to imagine how much she appreciates her lover. "Full Service Station" made me laugh out loud when the main character was so horny she thought, "The waitress in the diner, a friendly gem of a woman about one year older than God, made my pulse trip. Hell, even inanimate objects such as trees and fireplugs were beginning to appeal" [p. 14]. The scene became funnier as it went on but you'll have to read the book to see what I mean. This is a mere sampling of Radclyffe's humor sprinkled throughout the text. "Runway Blues" was great! Who hasn't fantasized about meeting a stranger at an airport after the trials and tribulations of trying to fly somewhere on a holiday weekend? Or maybe you've been to the Red Light District in Holland as in "A Woman in the Shadows," or longed for a massage as in "Four Star Accommodations," or perhaps a luxurious bath as in "Hart's Desire." If you've ever gone toy shopping in a sex shop, you'll love "Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby." Contemplating a piercing? You have to read "Pleasure Points!" All of the twenty-five stories are diversified enough to keep you interested, and are sexy enough to keep you hot. The build-up, humor, and satisfaction are evident and incredible; Radclyffe gives her readers the pay-off they long for and have come to expect. Trust me when I say that you are going to need a fan, cold shower, partner, or whatever floats your boat, to quell the fire you'll feel while reading "Change of Pace: Erotic Interludes." Three of my favorite stories are the "Clinical Trials - Phase One: Calibrations," "Clinical Trials - Phase Two: Video," and "Clinical Trials - Phase Three: Assist Mode," but I highly recommend you read all of Radclyffe's "Change of Pace: Erotic Interludes" and choose your own favorite. I am sure you will have more than one favorite in this five star collection.

Radclyffe, the best-selling lesbian romance novelist, has now gifted us with the first (of many, we hope) all-Radclyffe erotica collection. And each of the more than two dozen erotic shorts in this collection takes the old cliche "good things come in small packages" to a new, searingly sexy level. I have a love/hate relationship with erotica collections. On the one hand, I have always been a fan of short story anthologies: I love anticipating lots of new characters, a variety of voices, a broad range of images. Like a tasting menu, a collection of shorts has the potential to present many wonderful experiences for the price of one. Unfortunately, more often than not *erotica* anthologies fail to meet my expectations. When I read erotica, I want it to blow in my ear. I want to feel the touch of hands and teeth and tongue. I want to forget that I'm reading and to be reminded that the brain really is a sexual organ. But with most erotic anthologies, I'm lucky if more than a few of the stories have that effect on me. Sure, often the stories are good; they just don't...do anything for me. The stories in this collection are exactly what they are advertised to be: erotic interludes. As Radclyffe's fans have come to expect, each one is beautifully written, creating a sexy, sensual envelope for the reader. You'll meet different characters, different voices, different scenes, different toys. I dare you to read more than one story at a sitting. But probably what I like most about these stories is that the point of view is constantly a positive one. When I read erotica, I sometimes get the sense that the writer thinks she's being "naughty" or "dirty" -- that there's something salacious about what she's saying, that it's something only bad girls do. I find that a huge turnoff. But Radclyffe's stories are free from any subtextual disapproval -- these are stories about women who love women's bodies, and who love bringing other women pleasure, written by an author who has (literally) elevated the description of that pursuit to an art form. The perfect gift for yourself, for your lover, or for someone you'd like to send just the right message. Indeed, the perfect read for anyone who wants to test the limits of her own erotic desires. This is the best, from the best.