$14.95
ISBN 1573441821
available through Amazon

Reviewed by William Dean
(01/28/04)

"...having sex with girls could elevate my inconsequential existence to the mythology of an outlaw." So goes the revelation revealed in Michelle Tea's Introduction to Cleis Press' Best Lesbian Erotica 2004. The Lambda Literary Award winner and author of The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America, Valencia, and The Chelsea Whistle has assembled an anthology that will peel your stockings off and seduce you faster, as the saying goes, than a New York minute.

Michelle Tea selected the twenty-nine tales of womanly desire with Tristan Taormino adding help as editor. Together with the writers, they have crafted a book which truly deserves the title "Best." Some of these "Best" and "Best of" gatherings have been around for a decade and over the past couple of years were starting to show their age, with a bit of that "been there, read that" feel to them. Not so with the latest 2004 edition. Fresh, powerful, erotic as hell, and creatively engaging, these fictional evocations of lesbian lust, love, and lingering kisses couldn't be hotter if they had just been slipped out of the microwave.

The cover alone should make your libido shake off its dust when you spy it at your local B & N or Borders. Two short-haired ladies nicely entwined, one sporting arm and back tattoos and black stockings, have their mouths glued tightly together in a sepia blur.

These stories remind the reader that nothing takes the place of passion and hunger. Some lesbian fiction often seems a bit soft in tone, a lulling romantic weave of intellect and shy watchfulness. Here, however, we see seducers, nymphs, predators, and killer ladies who don't hold back.

Whit dipped down and caught one of the hot, hard nipples in her mouth, cupping the other breast with her free hand, thinking incongruously of how it felt like holding a perfectly risen yeast bread in her hand. Her thumb was stroking automatically against the soft hood of Billie's clit, her hand warm and wet with Billie, and then Billie was gasping "fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!" and bouncing against her on each syllable, beating out her climax against the door with one hand.

Lest you think, "Oh, I don't like the dark side," be not afraid. One of the things I notice consistently about alternative vs. vanilla heterosexual erotica is that there is often an underlying tenderness and sensitivity in GLBT literature. Lingering is good. Gentility and reflection are good. Sometimes, the pause, even in the middle of the hot action, tells us so much about the characters. And ourselves.

I sat back, legs straddling her belly, and pulled off my belt, not wanting to grind the silver buckle into her skin through the dress. Sitting up, she took the belt from my hands. I kissed her face, the top of her head, her mouth -- that delicious supple mouth. I love kissing; for me it is one of the most sensual aspects of making love. I can tell right away if it's going to happen just from the kiss.

Admittedly, I'm not a lesbian nor do I play one on TV. Physically, I'm simply not equipped for the role. On the other hand, I've known several, dated a couple, spent most of a year living with and loving one, so I'm not totally unfamiliar with what goes on in their lives, in their heads, and between their thighs. From my own small and humble knowledge and experience, this book captures it most caringly, erotically, and wonderfully. From mature lady-lovers to the curious newbies, it's all here, and it's all about you.

They came closer, breasts pressing together, and she could feel Carla's hard nipples through her blouse, grazing her own. She cradled Carla's face, kissing her over and over, while Carla's fingers found their way under her skirt and into her panties. She moaned against Carla's mouth, swirling her tongue inside the way Carla now swirled her finger around Penny's clit. Penny wondered what the other woman's cunt tasted like.

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