Friday, March 12, 2010

M/M Mini Review: Best Gay Erotica 2010 edited by Richard Labonté selected by Blair Mastbaum

In Best Gay Erotica 2010, Richard Labonté together with Blair Mastbaum, again puts together an excellent anthology that gathers a wide range of perspectives from the gay community using the erotic and of course different writing styles.

Some of the stories tackle subjects that are not always comfortable: closeted married or engaged men who are on the "down low" and cheating on their wives or girlfriends; older men cruising and using younger men; men looking for sexual pleasure in seedy places. Then there are touching stories... stories of couples, of loss, of single encounters that make an impact on the reader. The writing and the content make it possible for both these types of stories to make that impact.

By the time I finished reading, I found that I did have favorites in this anthology: Smoke and Semen by Jeff Mann; Colin and Gregory: 1956 by Jonathan Kemp; Holiday from Love by Hank Fenwick; Better Late Than Never by Rachel Kramer Bussel; The Boy in the Middle by Thom Wolf; 8 Beautiful Boys 8: The Follies Revisited by Jamie Freeman.

The above are not in any particular order and represent the wide variety of stories that are included in this anthology. I must admit that Smoke and Semen by Jeff Mann is my favorite story. The plot has everything in it, from light BDSM, to love, to loss -- the characters are developed in this little story and by the time I finished I had thoroughly connected -- not an easy thing to accomplish in a 13 page short.

These are all excellent stories, all well written and well edited so there's no waste. I certainly enjoyed reading the entire book. This is an anthology I recommend if you like variety when reading your erotica.

Genre: LGBT - Gay Erotica
Series: None
Released: December 1, 2009
Grade: B+

Find it here and here

M/M Romance Challenge 2010 Review

5 comments:

  1. Hi Hils! Thus far I've read all the Labonte et al., Gay Erotica anthologies dating back to 2007. But I haven't read this one yet.

    I find that I enjoy them most when I read them slowly, meaning a story or two at a time. I go off and read something else and then come back to it. Needless to say, it takes me a while to read them. This is how I read the Country Boys anthology it took me almost three months to finish it. LOL

    Indi...

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  2. Hi Indi!

    I have a feeling you're definitely going to enjoy this one too. :) I also read this anthology slowly, a few stories at a time in between other books -- all the shorts are excellent reads. After you read this book let me know which story is your favorite.

    LOL, on the Country Boys anthology, that one I read in one sitting and you know how much I enjoyed it. :)

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  3. I'll likely be getting to it eventually. I have a number of anthologies to get through right now. One that I read last year that I found to be very provocative, and not just in a sexual manner, is Backdraft: Firemen Erotica by Shane Allison. It is much darker than most that I've read, but also thought provoking. I'm sorry I never reviewed it.

    Indi...

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  4. Hmmm... I remember seeing that anthology, but haven't read it. I love finding "new" writers through them. :) At the moment the only other one I have on my list (and I'm reading it now) is Atlas' The Boy Can't Help It, and that's more of a collection -- ala Diamond's Rough Cut.

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