Whenever an erotica book is titled "The Best" anything we usually shrug off the claim as advertising blah blah and expect that while there will be some good stuff in it, overall the book won't be likely to top our favorites. But this one surprised us. Even though not every one of the 21 short stories was to both of our individual likings, Best Bondage Erotica 2012 is the most... inspiring bondage book we own.

One of the things that makes this book stand out is the sheer variety and balance of its offerings. There are stories from male and female points of view, both tops and bottoms, and almost an equal balance of male and female dominant characters. There is physical bondage and psychological bondage. Structured scenarios with all "the right" gear, and people binding their lovers with whatever's handy. Stories where bondage is a prelude to sex, and others where the bondage itself is the ultimate thrill. There are even a couple of self bondage stories, which is something neither of us had ever considered. And while most of the tales involve heterosexual pairings, other orientations are included as well, along with a few threesomes. If you read this book and nothing at all in it arouses you, then it's probably safe to say that bondage just isn't your thing.

We'd be here all day if we tried to describe all the stories that we both liked, so we'll just mention some of them.

The first tale in the mix, which is a self bondage tale from Shoshanna Evers called Melting Ice, was fascinating enough to us that we actually put the book down afterward to discuss it a bit. There is another self bondage piece later in the book, but this one had an element of suspense and realism that the other lacked. It really puts you in the character's head and is the kind of story that chills and thrills at the same time.

In the book's forward, Midori suggests that you might use it to find new ideas, or to recognize unexplored fantasies. That was true for us, particularly when it came to A Night at the Opera by Elizabeth Coldwell. In it, a married couple takes advantage of the dark privacy of one of the theater's viewing boxes to enact a scenario that had us both ready to go. One of the best lines in the book is written here; "This is how opera was meant to be enjoyed, with a naked restrained man between your legs..."

Teresa Noelle Roberts' Suffer for Me is an exceptionally well written story about a female Dom who controls an overly eager sub with true finesse. It was equally arousing and refreshing because it revealed the Dom's affection for the sub, which isn't something that's often thought of when people talk about bondage. It also made us realize that we need more rope in our lair.

A nervous sub's emotions were on display in The Spider in the Fly, by Salome Wilde, where the characters indulged in an elaborate rope bondage performance given in a BDSM club. We'd both love to see something like that in real life, and yeah we definitely need more rope here.

We could go on, but suffice it to say that the book has lived up to its title for us so far for 2012.

Alan says:
I'm grinning as I think about which ones I agreed to write about here with Michele. I suppose it's true that we migrate toward tales that expose our kinks, which is something to keep in mind if you plan to share this book with someone else. And as for that, this book was easier for me than most are when it was my turn to read aloud since there were so many 3rd person and male perspective tales in it. It did take us almost a week to read them all though since we kept getting... ah, sidetracked by them.

Michele says:
I like how several stories gave us a look into the Dominant player's mind, which I haven't seen a lot of in bondage erotica but always wanted. Having those sprinkled in between the sub's stories made them all more enjoyable because I never knew what to expect next. There were only 2 stories that really I didn't like (one because of writing style, one because of content), which isn't bad in a collection of 21.

I just have to mention one of my personal favorites too, which was The Insurrection by Valerie Alexander. It was sort of a consensual revenge thing, where a woman goes back to her childhood haunt to top a man who used her when she was young and naive. Alan didn't get why she'd want anything to do with the guy after all that time, but I could almost feel the woman's satisfaction when I read it. Revenge is sweet, ya know?