A is for Amour

From TSade

Have you ever gotten a box of really good chocolate? Like some German (assuming you don't read German) box where you can't really read the label but there is this delicious little thrill that fills you when you breath in the scents that flood you when you first crack open the box?

Well, A is for Amour, edited by Alison Tyler, is like that. The first thing I noticed of this lovely book is the typography, the font and layout actually put me in the mood as I gingerly read the first page. It is a small book with a gorgeous cover. Small is also a good way, it is only 132 pages, but it really fits with the collection of short stories, all dealing with sex and love. The topics are pretty wide, from D/s to flat out romance. Some of them are sweet and a few are almost sad, but they are like chocolate when you don't know what you got. You start each story with just a taste and sometimes you find something surprising inside.

With such a short story, I will admit, this isn't a book about turning you on. I never really got into the "drop the book and frig myself silly" that I sometimes gets in longer books; I usually need more plot to really get horny from reading, but the little flashes of flavor in the books just left me hungry for more. I devoured the entire book in a short hour or so, bookmarking a couple of my favorite ones to come back and really... roll around on my tongue as it were.

• Arran's Lure by Saskia Walker: A pretty good story with just a bit of dom and sub in there. It was sweet, but I felt it was a trifle dry for my own personal tastes.
• Strings by Tenille Brown: This is the second story of the book, but the heartfelt strings tugging on my heart actually made me pause. It was sad but so lovely that I almost cried when I read it. The sex very nice too, but it made it that much more emotional when it ended.
• All About Us by Radclyffe: This story didn't really click with me. I sometimes like stories when you don't know things at the beginning, but this one just kind of fell flat with me. It is lovely as it is written, just... not for me.
• An Unexpected Love Story by Brooke Stern: Oh, this one. This story sent a shiver down my spine with a craving that made me want to look through the novel for any more. I like D/s relationships and this one was so perfect for me that it got the closest to really turning me on.
• The Blonde in 1812 by Thomas S. Roche: I've heard of Roche before, I'm not sure where, but this is a really, really sweet love story. Damn good sex, a build-up that left me wanting more. I struggled a bit at the end, but I thought it was one of the best stories in the book.
• Parker's Mustache by Jolene Hui: A lovely story, no doubt. I just don't like mustaches, so it wasn't the type of thing that really drove the story for me. Though, I suspect if I was, it would really resonate with me.
• Le Petit De Jeuner by Jeremy Edwards: This story was too poetic for me. Ethereal which, coupled with the short nature, just sputtered in me. I struggled with reading it and just passed it on. I guess I would say it was a story I needed to be in the mood for.
• Sharing the Love by Tsaurah Litzky: This story actually was pretty close to one of my own sexual awakenings. Sweet and romantic, but also playful and seductive. Just a nice thrill that reminded me of a very wonderful time of my own life in a clearly written style.
• Toys by Michael Hemmingson: This story didn't turn me on, but it did make me cry. It was the only one that did. It fits perfectly with the love theme but it really hurt.
• An Ordinary Love by R. Gay: This was a sweet little story, with a depth to it that really stood out, kind of a soft love that just blurs the edges of pictures. The topic, though, was a bit out of my comfortable range, so I didn't really dwell on it.
• My Sometimes Girlfriend by Kate Laurie: I liked this story. I liked the relationship, both how it is introduced and how it develops over the entire story. Wonderful in so many ways.
• Above You by Alison Tyler: The final story. It is playful and I can relate to mis-reading someone. I liked how the characters kind of grew in the story and how it ended. A very satisfying final bite of a lovely box... I mean, book of stories..

Well, apparently I liked just about every story in the book. There are a few others, not really my hot buttons which is also obvious. Stories are a personal thing, what turns me on (say B is for Bondage stories) aren't the same thing that will turn on anyone else. But, there is no doubt that this is a lovely collection of short stories, they fit the theme, and they belong together, different flavors of an unlabeled box of chocolates.

I would recommend this book, and probably the rest in the series, but I haven't read them (well, I started B is for Bondage last night). The only danger is that you'll hit that last page and it will be like looking down at the empty box of chocolates and wondering how to buy more.