Lustfully Ever After: Fairy Tale Erotic Romance

Wright (Best Erotic Romance) presents 17 fresh and intimate takes on European fairy tales for readers across a variety of (mostly hetero) tastes. “Mirror Mirror,” Shanna Germain’s tale of Snow White’s stepmother and her servant girl, is a standout with a BDSM twist that examines the true meaning of power. Other exceptional contributions include “Real Boy” by Evan Mora, which incorporates actual fairy magic into a tale of gender transition and true love, along with particularly clever incorporations of the original Collodi tale; and Lynn Townsend’s “Garden Variety,” in which an urban gardener’s beanstalk finds a most unorthodox way to repay her ministrations. “Steadfast” by Andrea Dale is a great reworking of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of the soldier and his ballerina, complete with the original’s sense of melancholy. Readers will be happy to accompany these characters on their magical and arousing adventures. (June)