Where the Girls Are: A review of the urban lesbian erotica anthology

Photo courtesy of Cleis Press

Where the Girls Are. Edited by D.L. King. Cleis Press. $14.95 (USD).

The back cover of Where the Girls Are proclaims that the book sets a higher standard for lesbian erotica. This must be one of the rare occasions where a product actually lives up to its hype. D.L. King has drafted an almost perfect roster of talent for her urban lesbian erotica anthology.

The common theme throughout the anthology is that the stories take place in urban environments. Cities like New York, London and Toronto offer an urban backdrop to these tales of lesbian erotica. Urban lesbian erotica is a perfect theme to explore varied characters and plots. You can place your sophisticated city girl or your wet-behind-the-ears hayseed in an urban environment and just watch the sexual shenanigans ensue.

The concept of ‘the city’, whichever city that might be, is sexy and erotic in and of itself. The crowds, the pace, the skyscrapers, the lights and the noise…cities lend themselves to eroticism, a fact which is wonderfully exploited in this book. Many of the stories incorporate the allure that cities offer both their visitors and their residents. In Come to my Window by Andrea Dale and A Window to the City by Victoria Oldham, part of the stories’ climax involves the characters’ figurative and literal exposure to a panoramic cityscape.

Another theme explored in some of the stories is ‘country versus city’. It is uniquely hot to contrast two seemingly opposing sets of behaviors and juxtapose them sexually. There are a few stories about a country girl in the big city, but each writer treats the concept as original, not falling back on such pedestrian devices as the wide-eyed ingénue taken in by the sophisticated city-slicker. In Don’t F*ck with Country Girls by Kathleen Bradean, for example, the main character could give any city girl a run for her money.

Location is where the stories’ commonality mostly ends. The characters throughout the anthology consist of newbie lesbians, exhibitionist lesbians, submissive lesbians, older lesbians, and just oh, so many lesbians. Each plot offers variety as well.  You are treated to all kinds of scenarios, from coming-of-age stories to revenge stories, some of the scenarios surprising and almost all of them titillating.

The editor has said that it would be impossible for her to put together an anthology completely remiss of dominance or submission-I’m going to go one step further and say that it would be impossible for King to put together an anthology without any kink. Of course, your kink might be someone else’s vanilla, but in this anthology you get to explore the many different layers of kink. There are mildly exhibitionistic scenes to full-out pony play in these stories and if you are not familiar with pony play, do yourself a favor and read The City Pony by Roxy Katt in this anthology. You can thank me later.

There are so many positive attributes to Where the Girls Are that it is hard to review without sounding like an enthusiastic teenager. The writing in sixteen out of nineteen stories is either above average or excellent. The remaining three stories are simply mediocre and/or seem inauthentic. The quality of the writing as well as the highly erotic moments throughout the anthology separate Where the Girls Are from most other lesbian erotica anthologies. I do not have enough space to delve into each of these stories individually, but I have to mention a few. For the quality of the writing as well as the erotic content, A.D.R. Forte’s Urban Fairy Tale is a treat for your senses as is Afraid of Jumping by Nan Andrews. Electricity by Evan Mora and Don’t F*ck with Country Girls by Kathleen Bradean, offer a nice twist on the clichéd small-town yokel theme. You’re the Boss by Stella Sandberg, The City Pony by Roxy Katt and A is for Apple by Jessica Lennox are riveting, well-written stories with intense erotic scenes. In the Dressing Room by Crystal Barela is a fun and sexy romp in the fashion world-and who wouldn’t want to picture a supermodel overcome by Sapphic lust? My First Play Party by Rachel Kramer Bussel should be read without the chance of being interrupted and is a great initiation for readers who are unfamiliar with BDSM.  

Where the Girls Are, with the exception of three banal entries, is entertaining, erotic, and well-written. This is a great collection of stories about women having sex with other women. Due to the quality of the writing in almost every entry, you are transported to the city along with the characters and get to enjoy the city in the same way that they are experiencing it-with lots of hot, steamy woman-on-woman sex.