Bound by Lust
Romantic Stories of Submission and Sensuality
By Shanna Germain (Editor); Alison Tyler (Foreword by)
(Cleis Press, Paperback, 9781573447928, 224pp.)
Publication Date: June 2012
Categories: Romance - Adult, Erotica - General, Anthologies (multiple authors)
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Imagine finding a partner who is just as naughty, kinky and dark as you are, a lover who wanders the hardware store with you in search of new ‘toys,’ a man who can wrangle both you and the dishes into submission, a woman who accompanies you to office parties and play parties. Think that heady combination of: sweet and sexy, dirty and romantic, love and leather. Bound By Lust is a romantic, couples-focused erotica with a BDSM slant. The couples range from newly blossoming relationships, lont-time loves and reunited flames. BDSM aspect of this is both naughty and nice — bondage, spanking, domination, submission, power-play, pain and pleasure, or whatever your dirty mind can think of. Bring on the rope and rough stuff, the dens and dungeons, the corsets and clamps and cuffs. Romance can be a little rough and still have VERY happy endings!
First and foremost, she is a leximaven of the highest order, exploring her love of the written word through a multitude of formats and styles. Shanna (pronounced like ‘Shaun’ with a sigh of pleasure at the end) also claims the titles of (in no particular order): girl geek, l, wanderlust-er, avid walker and biker, and book-nerd.
With a whole lot of writing years under her belt (or her collar, depending on the day), Shanna’s poems, essays, short stories, novellas, articles and more have found homes in hundreds of magazines, newspapers, books and websites. She’s even garnered an award here and there, including a Pushcart nomination, the Rauxa Prize for Erotic Poetry and the C. Hamilton Bailey Poetry Fellowship.
Raised in upstate New York, Shanna spent her quarter-life crisis years in Portland, Ore. Her writing travels have taken her to places like Amsterdam, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Italy and Nicaragua. After a year-long jaunt on a wild island off the coast of Scotland, she has returned to the rain-washed streets of Portland, which she considers her forever home.
"Bound by Lust: Romantic Stories of Submission and Sensuality is an anthology of nineteen erotica short stories celebrating bondage edited by Shanna Germain. The stories range from a master having his pet ‘serviced’ by someone else’s, an erotic training regimen, wax play, rope games with caning, crossdressing, a trip to a sex toy shop, a pain slut’s solution to his guilt and other tales.
—Night Owl Reviews
"If you like to see the water’s tested in a variety of BDSM ways this is a perfect place to start. In a read like BOUND BY LUST you get a real feel for how everyone’s different kinks and quirks can make life so much more interesting. There is such a broad spectrum throughout these stories it is hard to put down once you get it started. I could not wait to see what the next one held.
— Coffee Time Romance & More
"A collection of short stories about couples—or new lovers—who have found the ideal sexual mate, the yin to their yang. There are lovers who are kinky and dark, searching for new "toys" in the hardware store; the woman who accompanies her lover to office parties and play parties; the man who can wrangle both his woman and the dishes into submission. The tales are sweet and sexy, dirty and romantic and more."
—AVN
"I actually found myself really enjoying this collection, but I will say that most of the stories are not quite as “hardcore” BDSM as you can usually find in most non-romance BDSM erotica anthologies. This didn’t really bother me, though. The stories were all well-constructed, and I found myself getting an attachment or going “aww” at the same time as reading the stories. They were very well written, and while definitely hot, the book also has a touch of romance to it which will appeal to any couple who is looking to experiment with kinky things but may not be all that interested in kink without romance.
In particular, I think it is similar to 50 Shades of Grey-type of kink. The kink is there, and you can definitely read about it, but at the same time, it’s something the characters are doing to try something new, feel pleasure from it, or just enjoy each other’s preferences. If you do like some romance in your erotica, though, this book will definitely appeal to hardcore kinksters as well."
—Pop My Cherry Reviews
"This book wasn’t just well written smut, it was a collection of finger-licking fabulous fables of lust bound up and presented to the reader."
—Kissin Blue Karen
"Overall, Bound by Lust is a stellar anthology, well-written and provocative, offering the reader an expansive collection of stories that explore many facets of our sexuality and our sexual relationships, as related to bondage, kink, dominance, submission, love, and desire. These stories are smart and sexy, and the collection as a whole will find you stimulated and spell-bound, body and mind, bound by lust."
—Oysters and Chocolate
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