Wanderlust

Black sweeps readers away with five astonishing tales of women on the move and the alluring sex that stops them short or propels them into new adventures. Annabeth Leong’s “The Passenger,” which starts the collection off, is the sultry tale of an onanistic woman walking out of an unsatisfying marriage and getting far more than she bargained for when she sneaks into the back of a truck bound for a sex museum. The surprising twist of that story leaves readers hot and ready for Lana Fox’s “Packing Steel,” in which a lively character voice and a series of escalating encounters tease readers through the tale of a jaded hit woman’s last job and the delectably sexy mark she can’t let pass. Fulani’s “Love Gun” is a sweet and surreal tale about unexpected adventure, featuring a delightfully unusual sex interest and a poignant final note. The final two stories, Lily Harlem’s “Going Up” and Stella Harris’s “Heat,” don’t have quite the same sense of indulgence, but they’re just as scintillating and satisfying. Black gleefully shatters the reader’s preconceived notions of erotic fiction, creating an outstandingly sexy collection that will stand up to repeated rereading. (July)