'Dream Lover' is a dream collection of paranormal erotica

Dream Lover (Cleis Press, May 2011), edited by Kristina Wright, is a collection of diverse, elegantly erotic tales of paranormal romance. It's my favorite genre, I can't get enough, and this collection is an especially sweet one. Its arrival on my doorstep made a perfect pre-Valentine's Day gift.

The anthology begins with "Love Resurrection" by Justine Elyot. In it, the ghost of a long-neglected Victorian poet haunts the academic who comes to his ancestral home to research him. The tale is perfectly imagined. A. D. R. Forte's "Rainmaker" is another well-crafted tale, so vividly so sensual it feels like the air before a thunderstorm. Kristina Lloyd contributes "Living Off Lovers," an atmospheric piece in which an apartment building becomes a character and a woman lusts for a man about whom she knows only a name, "Peter." Sacchi Green's "Freeing the Demon" is a startlingly beautiful gargoyle story.

Given my personal preference for wolf tales, it may come as no surprise my personal favorite in this collection is Alana Noel Voth's "Moongirl Meets the Wolf Man." It's always wonderful when a lone wolf meets her one true mate. The vampire tale, "Lust as Old as Us" by Madeline Moore, puts a fascinating twist on the teenage vampire genre.

These are only a few of the stories in Dream Lover. There's much, more more in its 240 pages.

The Giveaway: Open to residents of the U.S. ages 18 and up ONLY. One randomly chosen winner will receive EITHER my paperback Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of Dream Lover OR, because my copy is a little shopworn, the winner may instead choose one of these Cleis Press titles:

Best Women's Erotica 2011
Best Lesbian Erotica 2011
Best Bondage Erotica 2011
Hide and Seek: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists
The Ultimate Guide to Cunnilingus

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. Make sure your comment links to a valid e-mail or that you give me your e-mail address in your comment so I can notify you if you win. You DO NOT need to leave your choice of book in your comment. Entries will be accepted through Friday, Feb. 11. The winner will be selected on Saturday, Feb. 12.

The author of this review received no compensation for it. She did receive a paperback ARC from the publisher.