Seriously Sexy 1
Edited by Miranda Forbes

Book Review by Ashley Lister

I can’t tell you the number of times that people have described me as “Seriously Sexy.” Obviously, there’s a good reason why I can’t tell you the number of times that has happened. It’s the same as the number of times aliens have contacted me and asked me to take them to my larder.

Not that I think there is something missing from my life because of this. I prefer to be known as “comically sexy” rather than “seriously sexy.” At least that would explain the spontaneous laughter when I get undressed.

Surveys do keep saying that funny guys are more popular with ladies than serious ones. I’d be tempted to challenge the veracity of those statements. I don’t know many women who start fizzing at the bung hole whenever they see Ronald McDonald.

But I’m going off at a tangent here, aren’t I? I should be talking about the anthology of short stories: Seriously Sexy 1.

Seriously Sexy 1 is an anthology of 20 shorts edited by Miranda Forbes. Unlike a lot of contemporary anthologies, rather than devoting its content to variations on a theme, Seriously Sexy 1 focuses only on stories that are arousing.

"Emily Dubberly’s Pubslut" was one of my favourites in this collection. The story of an unfaithful wife, and her husband’s innovative punishment, Pubslut plays sexy humiliation games that have that wicked tang of being absolutely unforgivable.

And then there was Mark Farley’s "Italian Island Liaison." This was the first of Mark’s shorts that I’ve encountered and I enjoyed this teasing insight into the life of a couple with a wide open marriage. The realism of the relationship in this story is only overshadowed by the strength of the eroticism.

Jeremy “Genius” Edwards floored me again (as he always does) with "Impressionism." Jeremy knows how to make a story flow smoothly and the strength of this story is that it deals with art and galleries and doesn’t come across as being even slightly pretentious—just seriously sexy.

I have to admit that there were a couple of stories in this anthology that didn’t push my metaphorical buttons—but that’s to be expected when the subject matter is as broad as what authors consider to be “seriously sexy.”

Funnily enough, the last time I had a one night stand my partner for the evening started to talk about different attitudes to what makes something seriously sexy. I can’t remember exactly what she said. At the time I was just marvelling that I’d discovered a talking sheep.

And there I go again, off on another tangent.

Angela Meadows, with "Victoria Learns the Arts of Pleasure," writes a brilliant short that smacked of glorious Victorian erotica. The blend of prim bawdiness in this story is sure to make any proper English gentleman grip the head of his cane a little tighter and “harummph” loudly into his freshly waxed moustache.

Jean Roberta, with "Something Natural," brings intelligent feminist debate to a delicious lesbian liaison. Jean Roberta can always be counted on to produce quality fiction that makes an effective point without coming across as preachy. "Something Natura"l is another example of her superb storytelling talents.

Ashley Lister
July 2008

Seriously Sexy 1 by Miranda Forbes
(Xcite Books; February 11, 2008; ISBN-10: 1906125821)
Available at: Amazon.com / Amazon UK

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© 2008 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.


About the Author: Ashley Lister is a UK author responsible for more than two-dozen erotic novels written under a variety of pseudonyms.His most recent work, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Modern Swinging Scene (Virgin Books; ISBN: 0753511355), a non-fiction book recounting the exploits of UK swingers, is his first title published under his own name.
Ashley’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Forum, Chapter & Verse and The International Journal of Erotica. Nexus, Chimera and Silver Moon have published his full-length fiction, with shorter stories appearing in anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Mitzi Szereto. He is very proud to be a regular contributor to ERWA.
Websites: www.ashleylister.co.uk / ashleylister.blogspot.com

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