Cat Johnson Braves Doll Lil’s Word Association Challenge!

Author: edited by Mary Anne Mohanraj
Title: Aqua Erotica: 18 Stories for a Steamy Bath
Release: August 22nd 2000
Series: Anthology
Reviewer: Chrissy
Source: Personal Library
Purchase: | Book Depository

Imagine a hot tub party where a married couple tests the boundaries of fidelity. A model who finds herself unaccountably aroused as she poses for a watercolor artist. A pool of water on a desert road and two lovers who know how to make the most of it. This is Aqua Erotica, a sensuous tasting of desire’s liquid, ecstatic other worlds.

Aqua Erotica is a siren’s song, a book so unforgettably sexy that you will want to take it with you to the bath, the sauna, the night-lit pool.

What’s amazing is that you can.

The first-ever waterproof book for adults. The most seductive collection of original literary erotica ever gathered under one cover.

Aqua Erotica is a book that quite literally goes places you never imagined books could go. Featuring today’s boldest erotic voices:

Francesca Lia Block
Poppy Z. Brite
Louise Erdrich
Carol Queen
Marcy Sheiner
Cecilia Tan
Barry Yourgrau
and many others -

WATERPROOF BOOK!

On sweltering summer days, nothing can be more refreshing than good old-fashioned water. Whether it’s a dip in the pool, a walk along a tropical beach or a simple glass of ice water, H2O has the ability to chase away the blistering balmy weather blues.

I’ve always been a water lover. Growing up, I would spend my summer days lazing in the pool until my lips turned blue and my grandmother had to talk me into coming inside for dinner. When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up it was an answer that no one expected, I wanted to be a mermaid.

But since I haven’t miraculously sprouted a tail and I can no longer idle away every hour of my summer taking a dip in the above ground pool, I’ve had to search for other ways to quench my thirst for imaginative and fanciful water excursions. It was this longing and curiosity that brought me to the discovery of Aqua Erotica, an erotica anthology containing eighteen stories that revolve around the lustiness of “water sport.”

Aqua Erotica tells the tales of how water can free one’s inhibitions and spice up a bland sex life. From a dessert oasis to the beaches of far off lands, readers will encounter many characters and many bodies of water that are unforgettably told by some of the boldest voices in the world of erotica writing.

I really wanted to like this book but found myself detesting it from start to finish. In many of the stories the water is more of an afterthought than the central theme. While there is some diversity to be found in the characters, the majority of them happened to be tanned, blonde-haired, and green-eyed. The print was extremely small and in aquamarine ink so many readers who have poor eyesight are likely to end up with major migraines (as I did) if they read this book for more than an hour at a time.

The main problem that I had with this book was the malice in many of the stories. Such malicious events included deaths by shark attack and magical spells, desire for suicide by drowning, intentionally cheating on a mate right in front of their eyes to make them angry, and even burglary. To me, none of those things say “sexy” or “erotic.” And while I am on the topic of erotic, I did not feel the heat level in any of the stories. It just wasn’t there. The only story that was mildly entertaining was Cecilia Tan’s “The Little Mermaid” but the joy I felt reading this tale was snuffed out when the end only resulted in the promise of death.

Nothing pains me more than having to give a bad review but this book just rubbed me the wrong way from start to finish. The only positive thing that I can say about it was that after testing out its claims of being waterproof, I found that it is indeed waterproof. Such tests included spraying it with a water bottle and submerging it in the bathtub. After a quick wipe with a towel the pages were dry as a bone.

I do not intend to sound harsh or hurt any feelings with this review. Some readers may enjoy Aqua Erotica. However, it simply is not my cup of tea and I highly doubt that readers who share my taste in books will be pleased after reading this anthology.

Chrissy fell in love with books at an early age. It all started with Judi Barrett’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. At the tender age of five she decided that she wanted to be a writer. Later, she graduated to books like A Wrinkle in Time, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and the Goosebumps series, participating avidly in her school’s Book It program. High school brought on new challenges and loves. She began writing for the school’s newspaper and literary magazine. The works of Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Shirley Jackson quickly overran her bookshelves. But when Chrissy was introduced to the world of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, a grand love affair was set in motion. She is an avid reader of romance, urban fantasy, horror, erotica, and cozy mysteries. After working for the city library for six years and being surrounded by the works of greatly admired authors, she decided to devote her life to writing full time and hasn’t looked back since. When she is not devouring book after book, Chrissy loves to cook, bake, volunteer at the local animal shelter, and feed her addiction for horror movies. She lives in Maryland with her family and beloved pets.

Doll Chrissy

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