Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Review- First-Timers: True Stories of Lesbian Awakening

First-Timers: True Stories of Lesbian Awakening
Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
June 2006Lesbian erotica
Anthology

Buy it
Amazon, B&N, Borders

Oh, that delicious, unforgettable first time. These lusty, passionate, exciting stories recount all kinds of sexy, sweaty firsts between women: first-time strap-ons, spankings, and role-playing, first loves and first affairs. This collection gathers the best true stories inspired by the most memorable firsts. They are 100 percent real and 110 percent hot!


I found this book quite by accident looking for another book in erotica on Amazon and was very attracted by the title. While it does have a few first time girl/girl experience stories as I hoped, it’s so much more than that. First-Timers is about a wide range of first time experiences within the lesbian sexual world and I found many of them to be very hot and juicy and some of them even poignant.

This is my second foray into reading lesbian erotica and like the first,
Lipstick On Her Collar, I really enjoyed this one. Since reading LOHC and other erotica, I’ve become quite familiar with a few of the authors of stories in this book, some of whom are well known in the genre, and it was a good chance to taste more of their work.

First-Timers is a nice eclectic mix of stories with a variety of different writing styles and POV, which kept things interesting. The stories all having a basis in real experiences made some of them all the more titillating because of that.

While I really enjoyed and prefered those stories about first time with a girl experiences, other stories were very appealing as well. There were several stories of long distance phone or online affairs with some meeting for the first time IRL, which included all the fears and self doubt that comes with that. Something I know about. Then there were a few stories about first time trying strap-ons, fisting, spanking, light BDSM, threesomes, sex party/convention hook-ups and sex with a carrot. There’s just about something for everyone.

Particularly eye opening for me were the stories of sex parties and conventions, fisting, and spanking, which I read more with curious interest than turn-on, but which I found somewhat stimulating none the less.

And some had some very real elements in them like childhood sexual abuse, which really brought home how real some stories were and how these written experiences had a strong affect on some of the characters/ writers' lives.

While many stories really hit something very personal in me, what struck me the most about reading this book and lesbian erotica in general, is that in so many stories the characters feel kissing and cuddling to be a far more intimate experience than the actual sex itself. It’s a sentiment that I don’t pick up in het erotica, or even het romance but which I really respond to as a woman and enjoy in reading lesbian romance or erotica.

There are 31 stories in First-Timers, but these are just a few of the stories that really stood out for me:

Laren Lebran- As an author she really stood out for me. I just loved both of her stories, but more so, her prose. Absolutely beautiful. I Googled her and this is the only book she has stories in that I could find. But apparently, according to the short bio at the end of the book, she’s a well-known romance/ erotica author under an alias. Laren, if you ever read this, I would love to read your other stories. May I know your other work? I want to read more!

First Sight- a very beautiful story of a first girl with girl experience. So soft and sweet. And written with such an aesthetically and wistfully nostalgic feeling. College roommates find themselves attracted to each other.

Snow Dancing- A neighbor comes over to help shovel snow and offers herself as well. Very erotic and sweet.

What’s a Little Fisting Between Friends
by Audacia Ray- Two best friends who’ve been sharing their sexual history, desires, needs, exploits for years but have never been into each other romantically, get together and do things they’ve always wanted to try.

I liked this because I think it must be nice to have sex with a friend to try things without having all the love drama and fears of rejection in the mix.

My Modern History by Devon Black—This a really sexually provocative first time experience story. A young college girl is enthralled with a much older professor who gives the student her wish and seduces her.

I loved how this is written. There was much innocence in it as the younger girl has her first experience. And I’m kind of turned on by the older experienced person giving a less experienced person a sweet time.

Radclyffe— had two really yummy stories in this book.

Runway Blues--A very hot story of a chance meeting/ one night stand. Two women stranded by bad weather end up sharing a ride and hotel room and have an intimate moment. One cuddles the other while the other masturbates. Totally hot!

Meeting FTF
-- Two women who have met online meet for the first time in person. Oh this was a very delicious story. Very sexually hot as well as having all the vulnerabilities one feels in meeting someone one has strong feelings for for the first time.

Questioning Youth by Gina de Vries—This story stood out for me because it was so raw and real. That’s all I can say. It really touched me but not on a wow that was so hot, but on a wow that was just so personal and real.

Learning at Her Knee
by Sacchi Green—This story really stayed with me because of the exploratory nature of it. A woman who’s been hanging out at sex parties more as a voyeur than participant wants to learn how to really spank someone with all the little nuances involved in that.

I really liked how almost matter of fact it’s written so someone like me, who doesn’t get the whole turn-on of spanking could really get inside the head and feelings of both the spankee and spanker. I could understand from this story how much trust is involved and how it could be a real turn-on.

Don’t Call Me Ma’am by Gun Brooke--- A boss seduces an employee who’s had the hots for her. Damn, but this was a really juicy, need a cold shower after, story.

Picture This by Kristina Wright—A young 19 year old has a unplanned experience with a woman who services machines at her film processing job.

I really liked this because it was very yummy first time girl/ girl experience.

As with Lipstick On Her Collar, there are short bios of each author, which I think is a nice touch.

Sex rating: Orgasmic. Lesbian f/f, spanking, minor anal, fisting, light BDSM, strap-on, toys, and a carrot.

Grade: A-

5 comments:

kirsten saell said...

Oh, cool, Leah, this one sounds awesome.

Except, all of a sudden I have an inexpicable hankering for root vegetables...

JenB said...

Oooh, this one sounds really cool!

Except that fisting freaks me the fuck out. I can only handle it when it's m/m. Weird, huh?

LVLM(Leah) said...

Oh man Jen, see, I think I could handle fisting in the hooha, but thinking about fisting in the back door, it hurts. Just hurts.

What I like is that the fisting in this book is described in a way that makes me think that it would would cool to try it. But I think it would have to be a nice small female hand and not some big ole honkin guy fist. Noooes.

kirsten saell said...

Having passed an 11 lb baby, I'm certain even a "big ole honkin guy fist" would fit. Whether or not it would be comfortable or enjoyable is another thing altogether.

Anal fisting? No. Just no. Not me, not ever. LOL! But hey, far be it from me to tell the guys what to do in their own backyards...

LVLM(Leah) said...

Oh and what I didn't write in the review is that there is one story at least that goes into squirting and making a girl squirt. What it feels like for the squirtee. Very interesting. I've seen it on some pr0n sites, but how it actually happens is interesting.

This goes hand in hand with G-spot stimulation, which was also written in graphic descriptions in a few stories.

I learn so much about my own body reading lesbian erotica.