Naughty Book Club Review: Do Not Disturb
April 30th, 2009(safe for work version)
Often when you read a collection of themed erotica, you find that the stories focus much more on the theme (such as politics or science) than on the sex. While the theme may be interesting, you’re left unsatisfied by the erotic nature of the stories. In Do Not Disturb, Rachel Kramer Bussel has taken a theme that is almost synonymous with sex – hotels – and added more sex. It works out beautifully. All of the stories have the hotel setting, but each explores it in a unique and very erotic way. As with any collection, a few of the stories didn’t do much for me, but most of the adventures in this book were hot enough to make me read one-handed. A few of them even gave me a few naughty ideas to try out. Do Not Disturb is one of the better erotic collections out there, and possibly the best themed collection I’ve read yet.
Unlike some of the other anthologies I’ve read, there wasn’t one story that stood out from the rest as my favorite. However, if I had to select the story that turned me on the most, I’d probably choose Stan Kent’s From Russian With Lust. This tale of a business traveler who spots a hot couple going at it in a hotel room across the courtyard was really well-written and, most importantly, it was hot. By the time I’d finished reading it I couldn’t keep my hands off of myself. Tess Danesi’s The Royalton – A Daray Tale also got me hot and bothered, despite the heavy BDSM overtones which usually don’t interest me. It goes to show that really good writing can be erotic regardless of the subject matter. Fortunately, Lucky was sitting next to me when I finished this one and it inspired some very hot sex.
There were a few entries in the anthology that left me completely cold. I thought the writing in the first story, Welcome to the Aphrodisiac Hotel, was a bit clumsy. The story had a few good spots but overall did nothing for me. And Maxim Jakubowski’s G Is For Gypsy was almost unreadable. This story of a heartbroken lover who, by coincidence, stayed in the same hotel room where he and his lost love had made so many memories was pathetic and, worst of all, very poorly written. The majority of the story is told through an email the main character writes to his former lover, where he recalls their first meeting and several of their sexiest encounters. This type of storytelling is a cheap plot device and is completely unbelievable. There was simply no reason for him to tell her about all of these stories; she lived them. And speaking of unbelievable, I had a little trouble enjoying Alison Tyler’s Tightly Tucked, as well. Tyler’s entry tells the story of a man who visits a hotel with his uptight girlfriend who spends more time cleaning their hotel room than getting dirty with him. While she is out sightseeing one day, the hotel maid knocks on the door and, for no reason whatsoever, falls into his arms. They have some very hot sex, but without any motivation for the maid to fuck the main character, it all felt a little cliche.
But aside from how well or poorly written any of the stories were, there were a few stories in this collection that were unexpectedly thought-provoking. Kristina Wright’s The Other Woman actually got me somewhat angry in the beginning. This was the story of a woman who had been pestered into a threesome by her asshole boyfriend. She wasn’t looking forward to it and was only doing it to please him. She hoped it would “get it out of his system” and she’d never have to hear about it again. I was annoyed by the attitude of the woman, but mostly because I feel that this is all too common in real relationships. Perhaps my anger at the situation is a credit to Wright’s writing, in that she was addressing a real life situation and doing it well enough to get under my skin. And then, as the story went on and the two women began to explore each other, my anger turned to amusement, and even arousal. This one was certainly one of the better stories in the collection , and I’m curious if anyone else had a reaction similar to mine.
Overall, Bussel’s cleverly named collection of stories was a great example of what a themed erotic anthology should be. While all the stories won’t please everyone, I think that most people will find this book a welcome addition to their erotica collection. I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up, and can’t wait to check out more work by some of the authors involved. Well done, Rachel!
Did you read this book for the Naughty Book Club? I’d love to hear your overall opinions of the book, as well as some of your thoughts on individual stories in the comments below. And remember, one lucky commenter will be randomly chosen to receive a free copy of next month’s book just for participating in this month’s Naughty Book Club discussion!
Filed under: Naughty Book Club, Product Reviews | Tagged: books, rachel kramer bussel, reviews
Hmm.. is this porn of yourself?
