Love At First Sting, with a description of “Sexy Tales of Erotic Restraint” is a book of erotica published by Cleis Press and edited by Alison Tyler. The book is a softcover book and includes the same-quality pages as every Cleis Press erotic book does. (I actually feel almost “at home” when I open their books because those types of pages just feel so welcoming.) Love at First Sting has 177 pages and has 17 different stories. That means that each story averages out to about 10 pages. The book took me about an hour and a half to read which is about average for most Cleis Press erotic novels. The front of the book shows a woman wearing a black bondage-esque outfit while brandishing some sort of impact toy. The back includes the same but includes a description of the book. Because of the front cover picture, I’d recommend against taking this out in public unless you have some way of hiding the cover from public view.
So, it’s supposed to be “Sexy Tales of Erotic Restraint”, but what is that? Is it just stories of people being tied up? Well, not quite. Almost every story includes someone being restrained, but it isn’t always by being tied up. Some stories include rope, some include handcuffs, some include ribbon, and some don’t have any restraints in them at all – like one that uses a blindfold instead. Regardless of the “restraint” used, all of the stories in this sexy anthology have kink in them – maybe not the most extreme kink, but all of them have some version of kink.
What makes this book so relatable to the average reader is that the stories are so varied. Some of the stories are so obviously “fiction” that very, very few people could relate (an assassin) while other stories seem to be of the average couple just learning to experiment with a blindfold, while still others talk about a BDSM meet-up where the top wears some SAP gloves and beats the submissive in the middle of a club. Whether you only fantasize about the tamest kink or whether you want to be tied up, gagged, and whipped with a spatual, the variety of kink in this book is different enough that you can find what you find pleasurable in it.
The stories vary in sexuality as well. I don’t remember a female/female story, but I remember reading about two guys, some strap-on play between male and female, and for the most part, lots of heterosexual action. Considering that most couples are heterosexual, this seems like a good make-up of the book, and I didn’t feel like it was unfairly sided.
The book did include quite a few different stories that were just downright hot to read. In “She Looked Good In Ribbons” by Sommer Marsden, two artists, both married to other people, choose to meet up in the hotel room at an art conference after she has expressed a desire to indulge in soft bondage. She sits on a chair, and he uses pieces of his wife’s craft ribbon to bind her to the chair then uses her as he sees fit. What I enjoyed most about this one was how it was written – the writer expressed the male’s desire for power and dominance, but also talked about how he felt that he felt more closer and more sensual because of it. The story was also written with some desperation in mind that fuels both the male and the female into being very aroused.
In “Bound to Kill” by Lisette Ashton, a female assassin is sent to kill a client. She regularly seduces them with ideas of promising bondage and does the same with this client as well. However, when she finally gets him into bed, he delivers the most satisfying sexual experience she’s ever had, and she can’t find the heart to kill him. It sure is unusual that, after she reports this back to her boss, the supervisor takes it on her own shoulders to kill him herself. The pure uniqueness of this story is what made me love it so much.
In “Bury It Officer” by Ryan Field, a sorta-crossdressing male frequents and out-of-town truck stop while only wearing slutty high heels, leather chokers, and leather cuffs that snap together to restrain him. He picks up a cute guy in an SUV and drops to his knees to service him, but right before, the cute guy is going to finish, he runs off into his car and drives away. The male character tries to hide in the bathroom after noticing the police car that the cute guy noticed, but after the police car doesn’t leave, he walks out to his car – feigning his outfit is a Halloween costume. When the officer forces him to bend over the car seats to pull out his insurance card, the male character finds out what this officer *really* wants.
In “The Art of the Suture” by Brooke Stern, the male character is a tailor who exists during the war. The war has taken away all of his fine fabrics for stockings, but the latest trend for the wealthy fuels his wildest dreams. See, the women bring in fabric and choose to have the stockings sewn straight onto their legs – hours of long work for the tailor and woman. Once the men start going off to the war, they use the tailor in a new way. Instead of just sewing it onto the legs, the tailor has to sewn it into the flesh of their butt too – so the men at war will know if their lady is cheating. Overall, this story is just downright unique, shows a new aspect of bondage I’d never considered, and is written amazingly.
The seventeen stories have descriptions as such so you know what sexy stories you’ll be getting into:
“Into the Woods” by Shenna Germain – M/F – During a regular date night where one spouse surprises the other, the husband surprises his wife by showing up at an empty campsite and forcing her to strip. When she, a camping newbie, can’t set up the tent correctly, he uses the tent’s pieces to restrain her instead.
“Torn” by Vida Bailey – M/F – A schoolteacher is tutoring a college student. When he refuses to do his homework, she takes things into her own hands.
“Wages of Pride” by Jenn Cross – M/F – After humiliating his Daddy by refusing to follow orders, his Daddy gives permission to friends to humiliate him in a crowded bar.
“Small Windows” by Teresa Lamai – M/F – A woman gives herself over to a guy she met at a conference and finds herself tied to a bed.
“Silence is Golden” by Rachel Kramer Bussel – M/F – After having talked about kink online, two strangers meet up for dinner. She can’t seem to stop talking, but he finds a way to silence her.
“The ’76 Revolution” by Nikki Magennis – M/F – When girl-turned-punkette meets up with a past boyfriend, he seems to like what she’s wearing. Especially when he meets her in private and slices it all off her body.
“Bound to Kill” by Lisette Ashton – M/F – When an assassin is ordered to seduce, bed, and kill a handsome and promising man, she finds a problem that makes his murder too difficult to handle.
“Bury It, Officer” by Ryan Field – M/M – A kinky male frequents a local rest stop out of town to service the local guys who stop there. This time, he finds a police car.
“The Art of the Suture” by Brooke Stern – M/F(s) – During the war, females come to a tailor to have their stockings sewn straight onto their legs. When the males go away for war, they take even more extreme caution to make sure the ladies won’t cheat.
“Unlocking” by Zaedryn Meade – M/F – When a female notices the keyring on his belt, he chooses to put it to good use.
“Abraham” by James Walton Langolf – M/F – After brandishing his power over her, a male chooses to use that power to his advantage over the female.
“Fruits of the Forest” by Kristina Lloyd – M/F – A girl has been eyeing a guy all night across a party, so when she escapes to the forest, she assumes he’ll follow. However, she was prepared when a guy in a ski-mask was waiting for her in the forest instead.
“Nervous Boy” by Xan West – M/F? – A boy comes into a local bar to meet a female who takes him into the alleyway and forces him onto his knees to suck off her strap-on. After her approval of his mouth, she takes him to a local BDSM club to show him off in a crowd.
“She Looked Good in Ribbons” by Sommer Marsden – M/F – A male and a female meet together at a hotel conference after she has expressed a desire for softcore bondage.
“Blinded” by Donna George Storey – M/F – A couple receives an ugly scarf for Christmas and takes turns all winter using it for bondage. A nice coverage of their exploits.
“First Things First” by Stephen Elliot – M/F – A homeless boy visits a run-down part of town and finds a woman who’s been doing bondage performances.
“The Kiss” by Alison Tyler – M/F – A male Dominant orders his submissive to kiss the waiter while out at a restaurant. She finds out the consequences of her agreement when they get home.
Overall, I loved the book. It was hot, arousing, and a lot of the stories gave me inspiration for things I want to do on my own with the boyfriend. The seventeen different stories include enough variety for anyone – including those who aren’t heavily into BDSM but are just curious. The stories are hot and include a variety of plots and characters. Just overall, an arousing collection.
