It’s been a while since I did a book review, and even longer since I did one on erotica. While I’m game for most topics, I was particularly in the mood to read about BDSM, so I picked up Best Bondage Erotica 2012.

Best Bondage Erotica 2012 was printed by Cleis press in 2011. This 201 page book is an oversized paperback with a glossy cover, and it contains 21 erotic stories all dealing with bondage .

The book is edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, and the Forward is by Midori. Short blurbs about each editor, and also Rachel, are included at the end.

In her forward, Midori talks about how bondage is a fantasy for a lot of people – probably more people than you realize – and how the lust for bondage stirs passion and desire. She asks the reader if they’ve given in to their bondage desires, and then suggests they place themselves in the characters’ situations and see what risks they’d be willing to take on, and what desires they’d fulfill, as they satisfy their hidden appetites.

On to the introduction, where Rachel introduces the topic of the book and notes that the majority of stories submitted for this collection involved women as the dominants and men as the submissives. Not all of the stories have this theme, but it’s strongly represented. She gives a brief introduction to several of the stories before turning the book over to the reader.

In the stories in this book, the characters have given in to their desires, some in quite unusual and daring ways. Most of the stories involve heterosexual couples, and they vary as to the dominant partner, although more feature the woman on top. There are a few same sex pairings and exploration, threesomes, voyeurism, and even some daring self-bondage. The bondage has a lot of variety as well: handcuffs, opera gloves, spanking, gags, rope play, corsets, and heavy teasing, just to name a few.

As with any collection, there were a few stories I didn’t care for, but I liked a lot of the stories in this book. The three that I enjoyed the most:

“Melting Ice” by Shoshanna Evers Amanda takes the day off of work to enjoy a bondage session: to be bound and forced to endure orgasm after orgasm. She’s got everything she needs: handcuffs, a bed, a rabbit vibrator, and the handcuff key frozen in ice. Will she be able to endure her self bondage session and free herself once the key is released?

“The Spider and the Fly” by Salome Wilde Nick has a thing for Paolina, from the way she ties him to how she uses her strap-on. He’s a bit shy and private, though, and isn’t willing to join her in a club performance. At least, that’s what he thinks as he heads to the club to watch the show. But will he change his mind and play the fly to her spider?

“The Cupboard Under the Stairs” by Kay Jaybee With her husband home, the turning of the key to open the cupboard excites Kristi with the pain and pleasure it promises. But this time, Mark blindfolds her and puts headphones over her ears. Will the absence of her senses lead Kristi to new heights of pleasure, and how long will it take to discover the other surprise Mark has for her?

All in all, the stories in these pages are hot, and even if you’re not into the play described, it may make you curious to discover a bit more about it…and in the process discover a bit more about yourself and your desires. And you also may wonder when you’re done: just how long would it take for an ice cube to melt if you…? Is that cupboard under the stairs feasible to make in your house…?

Happy reading!