Lesbian Cowboys: Erotic Adventures

Edited by Sacchi Green & Rakelle Valencia

Book Review by Kathleen Bradean

Cowboys loom large in the American mythos, possibly because they were the first post-Civil War image of who we were. Like the heroes of epic poems and sagas, the cowboy stands alone to fight the good fight, upholds a code of honor like a knight of the Round Table, and is a paragon to the Puritan work ethic. As mythos, he exemplifies the virtues we admire. As a woman, the cowboy also fearlessly embraces the freedom the frontier offers.

"Freedom Rides" by Radclyffe is a strong opener for this anthology. The doctor working the medical tent has her eye on a woman who works the rodeo circuit. When the woman comes in with an injury, the doctor has a hard time keeping a professional distance. Luckily for us, she doesn’t, and the following shower scene is delicious reading.

I had the pleasure of hearing Andrea Dale read "Queens Up" at the In The Flesh LA reading.  She didn’t have time to read the entire story, so I was looking forward to finishing it. The old west and poker games go hand in hand. The stakes are high as lovers fight not only to save the family ranch, but to stay together in a time when men held all the cards. (sorry, couldn’t resist)

Reading a lot of any genre can lead to burn-out. I see a set-up, and can usually predict the ending. Rakelle Valencia deserves special mention for her story "Fucking With the Farrier," which took my expectations and tossed them aside for something much hotter.

Anywhere there’s livestock and wide open spaces there are cowboys, although they go by different names. Cheyenne Blue’s "Cully’s Run" is set in the Bogong High Plains in south eastern Australia.  The descendant of mountain cattleman is confronted by an ecotourist for trespassing in a National Park. Anyone in the U.S. who is aware of the battles between environmentalists and ranchers who have historically used public lands will get the gist of this argument even if the vocabulary is Australian. If you like a fight then fuck story, this one will appeal to you.

While strangers giving into passion is a staple of erotic stories, I like stories about long-time lovers. "Bareback" by DeJay got me at an emotional level as well as the erotic. While waiting for a mare to foal, lovers reminisce about their history of getting caught, or almost caught, making love outdoors. They’ve been together in the barn before, but this story shows how a lover who knows you well can still surprise you.

I don’t often comment on book covers, but Cleis got this one so right that it deserves to be mentioned. How can anyone look at that picture and not want to get her hands on it? Or slide her thumb over a certain crease? If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. This may be the first time the cover of an erotica anthology actually turned me on.

The stories in Lesbian Cowboys range from historical to contemporary, and from a dairy farm back east to Australia. Some tales are romantic; other touch on BDSM (not that the two are mutually exclusive). With contributions from Cecelia Tan, Delilah Devlin, Jean Roberta, Roxy Katt, Craig Sorenson, Jove Belle, Charlotte Dare, Elazarus Wills, Teresa Wymore, and Sacchi Green, in addition to the ones mentioned above, there wasn’t a single poorly written story in this anthology. That’s an incredible feat. It’s also a genuine pleasure to read.

Kathleen Bradean
October 2009

Lesbian Cowboys: Erotic Adventures
(Cleis Press, 2009; ISBN-10: 1573443611)
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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© 2009 Kathleen Bradean. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Who is Kathleen Bradean? Read her bio on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association website.

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