Today on the blog I’m pleased to feature a new release from Cleis Press, Bedded Bliss: A Couple’s Guide to Lust Ever After, edited by Kristina Wright. It seems that so much of erotic literature available focuses on “the chase”, the building of tension, and then just stops when the happy couple hits the “happily ever after”. (Am I guilty of this as well? Of course I am.) Bedded Bliss combines real-life anecdotes/advice and erotic fiction to take the reader beyond the HEA and highlights the benefits (and occasional struggles) of long-term relationships.
Without getting into too much detail about my personal life, I enjoyed Chapter Seven very much, “Different Flavors of Lust—Exploring Your Boundaries”. In the very beginning of her fictional story A Little Something Different, contributor Heidi Champa made me smile with her depiction of, well, going for a little something different (because again, without revealing too many details, I could SO see myself in this situation):
“How about something like this?”
He held up a mass of straps and cuffs that looked like dog leashes all bunched together. It was hard to tell where one piece ended and the next one began.
“What is all that?”
“Some kind of bondage kit. Looks like it’s been on display for quite a while.”
I shook my head and laughed as he tried to get it back on the hook. The back of the store was empty except for the two of us, the rest of the customers searching the adult DVD section for something that struck their fancy. I gazed up at the walls full of cuffs, whips and lotions, trying to find something that didn’t make me cringe or giggle.
“We don’t need a bondage kit. I like using your old ties. They are softer than all that nylon cording.”
“True. How about this?”
It was a Kama Sutra kit consisting of a book and various potions, all in one convenient box.
“Nah. Remember what happened the last time we tried to attempt a Kama Sutra position. You nearly gave me a black eye.”
“Right. Good call.”
Blurb/Bio:
It’s
fairly easy to fall in love (or lust), but keeping that passion hot and
heavy after twenty years of marriage can get tricky. Kristina Wright has
two toddlers and a red-hot marriage, and there’s no one better suited
to helping other couples make lust last. Bedded Bliss: A Couple’s Guide to Lust Ever After pairs
hands-on advice for long-term lovers with steamy tales to inspire
couples to enact their own erotic adventures. Each chapter begins with
“sensual suggestions” for keeping in touch—literally! Read real advice
and stories from couples, who have a combined total of a whopping 235
years of long-term relationship experience, and find out what works for
them to keep their fires burning steady and hot. Romance writer and
editor Wright re-invents the sexuality genre, presenting a guide that
simultaneously educates and entertains. Bedded Bliss is a treasure trove of resources for couples to ensure that monogamy will never again mean monotony.
Kristina Wright (kristinawright.com)
is an award-winning author whose erotic romance fiction has appeared in
over seventy-five anthologies. She is also the editor of several Cleis
Press anthologies of romance, including Best Erotic Romance 2013 and Duty and Desire: Military Erotic Romance. Kristina teaches both English and Humanities at the college level. She lives with her family in Chesapeake, VA.