The Sweetest Kiss
Vampires have a timeless allure, mesmerizing us in every medium from books and graphic novels to movies and television shows. Immortal, eternally beautiful, strong, and sexy, these creatures take what they need, stealing the life force from those unlucky enough to cross their paths — or from those whose luck leads them to the most thrilling experience of their lives. Edited by noted erotica writer D. L. King, The Sweetest Kiss takes readers into shadowy alleys, dark bedrooms, and more mysterious spaces to experience the frisson of terror and delight that only a vampire can produce. Mostly straight, these stories also feature bi and queer vampires satisfying their lust in contemporary and period settings. These blood-drenched tales give new meaning to the term “dead sexy” and feature beautiful bloodsuckers whose desires go far beyond blood.
This collection is unlike any other erotic vampire collection I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a lot). Problem is, that isn’t necessarily a good thing.
The Sweetest Kiss missed the erotic mark with many of its stories; hell it missed the mark completely on a few. Once I got farther into the book it did redeem itself a little. I guess I just expected more from an erotica collection from Cleis. Most of these stories I didn’t find erotic in the least- dark, twisted, weird- yes. But erotic? No.
The first story turned me off as soon as Mumbai and being closed up in a dark, hot, miserable cell was mentioned. I don’t want to read about flash backs while a person…vampire rots away in a cell. Miserable. The second story was so off the mark all I could think while reading it was WTF?
The third one, “The Temptation of Mlle. Marielle Douchette” was a little more on the mark, even had some elements I found to be erotic but even it was lacking…something. “Kiss and Make Up” was a twisted little tale that was enjoyable. “The Student” was the first story I felt that really redeemed this collection. It was darker vampire erotica than any previous story in the collection but the one story that really stood out, perhaps for its truly twisted sense of the erotic, was “The Cutter”. What a way to present the relationship between a vampire and a mentally ill person as a great symbiotic companionship mutually beneficial to both.
The farther I got into this book the more it redeemed itself a worthwhile read yet I still remained somewhat disappointed.
I just expected more from this book. Perhaps if I had read it strictly as a collection of vampire tales and not a collection of erotic vampire tales I would have been happier with what I read. None of these stories really did it for me. I think they were less erotic and more darkly strange; odd, twisted tales of vampires with some sexual elements-not really vampire erotica.
If I purchase a book that says it is erotic or erotica, I expect some sensuality, some sizzle, I want it to be arousing, I want it to be sexy (and yes dark and twisted can still be sexy, although most of these stories didn’t quite get there).
The Sweetest Kiss lacked that certain sizzle. It lacked the bite that a collection of vampire erotica should have.
Title: The Sweetest Kiss: Ravishing Vampire Erotica
Editor: D L King
Publisher: Cleis Press
Date Published: October 1, 2009
ISBN-10: 157344371
©2009 Roxanne Rhoads
Roxanne Rhoads is a freelance writer, erotica author, poet, and editor She writes everything from articles to web content. She is interested in all things sexual so her writing focuses mainly on topics involving sex including; erotic fiction and poetry, how to articles, product reviews, female sexuality, and female sexual rights. A sexual connoisseur and creature of the night, She is an outwardly quiet person who best expresses herself with the written word. If she wants you to know or believe something about her it will appear in her writing. A lady must always have secrets and she guards hers closely. A voyeur at heart she lurks in the shadows learning the secrets of others while she remains a mystery.
>Roxanne’s writing has appeared in Playgirl Magazine, on Tit-elation.com, JustusRoux.com, Oysters and Chocolate (Online) and The Erotic Woman (Online). You can learn more about her at Roxanne’s Realm, My Space and her group for erotica readers and writers, Erotica Lovers.
I’m surprised that the male rape scene in one of the stories isn’t mentioned the review. Maybe the reviewer was put off by the stories and didn’t get up to it. I don’t read anthologies from the beginning, but with this anthology, the stories were below par for my liking. Perhaps the reviewer was put off by the initial stories, some of which, read like overused TV vampire story scripts in their dialogue. The opening story was illogical. Honestly, some editors need to question some story plots. Flashbacks should be kept at a minimum. But not only that, why on earth would a vampire travel from India to Europe to sort out their finances!? Presumably, if you’re wealthy enough – after living for a few centuries as a vampire – you will have enough finances, more than enough, to live in a less risky location, and not need to take an overnight flight to Europe to see your accountant. Terribly disappointing anthology that, I feel, tried to cash in on the Twilight/vampire theme. A publishing ‘rush job’. One is better off reading “traditional” vampire literature.
I must not have read that story all the way through that had the rape scene in it. I know a couple stories I started reading and was so put off by the initial “hook” and premise that I didn’t even finish them.Very disappointing vampire “erotica” book. The worst. I’ll stick to vampire erotica edited by Cecilia Tan and others that know what’s sexy when it comes to vampires.
I kind of think that the idea for the book was in the right place, but the editing wasn’t that crash hot to begin with. I agree with the above comment. I don’t read stories in anthologies in order, but if the opening stories are pushing my patience, I won’t bother reading the rest or move beyond the first few paragraphs. It’s easy to miss a central core sex scene in an erotic story if the beginning is dismal.